This past weekend I had my very first book signing event for my brand spanking new urban fantasy novel, Caged. The author event was at my Better Said Than Done old standby pub, The Auld Shebeen, in Fairfax, VA. Approximately 50 people came, heard a fabulous speech by me, bought some books with my soon to be priceless autograph, and had a fun time (I assume). A few friends even brought me gifts, like wine, flowers, and an order for a locket with a quote from my book and an image of the cover. I’ll post pictures when I get it!
And then there’s this. My artist friend David Supley Foxworth called it “The Bud Vase,” as in, that was Bud.

I have a few famous (infamous?) friends who stopped by. Illustrious poet and author – and most notably (I’m sure) the main editor of my book – Richard Peabody came by for a chat.

And some fellow local authors – Joanne Lozar Glenn and Nadine James (second and fourth from left), members of the Memoir Roundtable, which recently released “Memoir Your Way,” from Skyhorse Publishing and Urmilla Khanna, whose “Boundaries of the Wind: A Memoir,” follows a young doctor from India as she enters an arranged marriage then moves immediately to America with her new husband in the early 1960’s.

I had a really nice speech planned out, but not sure I managed to say it all – so I’ve included it below. Just a few extra words of gratitude.

Thank you all for coming.

For those of you who don’t know, from concept to publishing has been 4 years. I did do a couple other things in those four years – both of them (my children) are here – but mostly I dreamed about today.

There are too many people to thank and so I thanked everyone in the book. Please know that if you don’t see your name there it’s because I thanked everyone in the front of the book – when I thanked my family. I have my blood relatives and I have my friends and everyone here is one or the other.

In summation, thank you.

Short and sweet. That’s my style.