Squawk Radio

I spent my holiday weekend driving around Dallas/Fort Worth signing HER BODYGUARD stock, something I haven't done for awhile, but Christina told me to do it so I gassed up my car and headed out. Here's a short synopsis.

First stop, a Books-a-Million. Three whole copies, spine out on the shelf. Not a good start to my day.

Next, a Borders. Three copies listed in their computer, but nowhere to be found. Manager says they might have been in the box that went missing last week.

Just shoot me.

Waldenbooks. Hurrah! Sixteen copies nicely displayed with backlist available. I'm more encouraged. Stop in the shoe department at Dillards on my way out. It wasn't an impulse buy. I needed new black sandals!

Another Waldenbooks. Back to despair. Three copies spine out. Snooty mall, though, didn't have much of a romance section. Nordstroms was having a shoe sale, however.

Barnes & Noble. Five copies, one of the shelf, four in the front of store display. Manager told me his wife was waiting for my book. Signed one to her personally. He told me to be sure and hit the B&N in the mall to the north, that they had a great romance section. I had a little spring in my step as I left.

Barnes & Noble. This one is in a mall. It's a huge store, but the parking lot is FULL. It might as well be the Saturday before Christmas. I drive around twenty minutes looking for a parking spot. I'd leave but now it's a challenge. I finally get a spot, get halfway to the mall, and it starts raining. Pouring. Grrr... Six books, face out. I move three of them to the new release section.

Waldenbooks. An older mall, a little store. They have sixteen copies plus my backlist. I talk to a customer as I'm signing. She buys THE BAD LUCK WEDDING DRESS and HER BODYGUARD. I buy four novels she recommended. At least I skip the shoe department on my way back to the car.

Waldenbooks. Another older mall. A very small traditional romance section, a huge section of erotica. They have one copy of THE BAD LUCK WEDDING DRESS, not a HER BODYGUARD in sight.

I head home, open a nice bottle of wine, admire my new shoes, and read the new Nora Roberts.

New day. New adventure. My daughter came with me because she's already bored on her fourth day of summer break.

Waldenbooks. I can't remember how many this store had, to be honest, but it was a good showing, good display. I was happy. A clerk asked me about my geneaology. Her last name was Dawson, too. We discussed our Scots heritage for some time. My daughter politely interrupts to ask me to meet her in the shoe department at Foleys. We're alot alike.

Borders. I think this was the most discouraging for some reason. One copy spine out, two hidden behind the books in overstock.

B. Dalton. Store had closed.
Bookstop. Store closing in two days. Didn't bother to go inside.
Barnes & Noble. New store--but it doesn't open until Wednesday.

Waldenbooks. They have my back stock, but not the new book. A clerk approaches me and asks if she can help me. I say I'm looking for a new release, HER BODYGUARD, by Geralyn Dawson. Another customer snaps, "It's not here. I came in specifically looking for it and they don't have it." I fall at her feet in gratitude. The clerk finds sixteen copies in the back they had forgotten to put out. I try not to grind my teeth as I smile. I sign books for three women while I'm there, detour into a swim suit specialty shop, but can't face that trauma. My daughter and I stop in Neiman-Marcus on our way out and buy some scented soaps and lotions, then we ask them if we can have larger-sized bags.

After three more stops of varying success, we go home and parade the Neiman's bags past my husband just for the fun of scaring him.

I've been to ten malls in two days. Clocked over a hundred fifty miles on my car. This is exciting? Glamorous? Not hardly.

However, tomorrow in my Squawk Radio farewell blog, I'm going to tell you about a bit of mingling Christina and I did that truly was glamorous--at a little gathering we attended at Laura Bush's home.