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So I had a little unexpected excitement over the weekend! On Saturday June 23rd, I had a book signing at Burlington By The Book in beautiful downtown Burlington, Iowa. The weather was gorgeous with a nice breeze, but sadly it was a slow day for selling books. I was beginning to get discouraged when suddenly I looked up into a familiar face, and did a double take. Walking past my sidewalk signing table was Brian O'Halloran, probably best known for playing Dante in the Kevin Smith film Clerks!
I froze. Mr. O'Halloran greeted me with a smile and simple, "Hi," as he passed, and I managed to stutter a weak "Hi" back. He was nearly a block away before I regained my composure. The encounter had caught me completely by surprise, because even though I knew he was in town for a special screening of Clerks for the Snake Alley Film Festival, that had been on Thursday. To paraphrase his character from the film... He wasn't even supposed to be there that day!!
About half an hour later, he passed by again on his way back to the theater, and I summoned the courage to speak to him. He was pleasant, polite, and was happy to chat a few moments with me and Chris, the owner of the book store. He graciously accepted my offer of a complimentary book and, based on my recommendation, chose The Weller, which he asked me to sign for him. It's not every day that a movie star asks for your autograph.
But that wasn't the only awesome part of my signing day! Earlier in the afternoon, a very special lady named Christy who frequents the bookstore offered to draw my portrait, which is something she enjoys doing for all of the authors who do signings at Chris' store. I was honored to sit for her picture, and I plan to hang it in my office once I can get to the store for a suitable frame.
Even though sales were regrettably lacking, it was a memorable day that I'll cherish forever. Thanks to Chris, Christy, and Brian O'Halloran for an amazing signing day!
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