Sara Reyes | Author Signings...My First Real and Virtual

Book Signing
Originally uploaded by freshfiction

This week's guest blogger, Susan Wiggs, had a post about the most horrible signings she's ever been on. And I found it interesting reading. I also thought about the comments. I haven't always been so lucky to live in an area where authors come every week to sign their books. When I was younger, in the sixties and 70s I lived in a very rural area and don't remember ever visiting a real "book store" that wasn't run by the Mennonite Church. Which trust me had a very small fiction section. And that store was 40 miles away and we only went once a year to pick up grandmother's materials. Our reading time was spent reading a chapter every day from the Bible and reading through the World Craft Encyclopedia. Our local library was located over the one engine firehouse. It was a small room with about 1,000 books in it. I did learn to love Zane Grey and Elswyth Thane. But it wasn't somewhere we visited often. Then I went to college and oh, what a world there was! Books were sold in stores like the downtown Philadelphia Woolworth which I haunted every Saturday morning to buy a book. My money was very tight, so fiction reading was my guilty pleasure and let me tell you, it was a very delicious guilty pleasure!

After college it was off to Germany to live with my husband on a military base. The library was limited, to be kind, again I honed up on my Louis l'Amour and Zane Grey until one day someone dumped off a grocery sack of Harlequin Romances and Presents. My eyes were opened. I was desperate and read anything. I also made friends with the bookseller at the base, a little building next to the PX where I worked as assistant manager. As long as I finished a book over night and it was still in perfect condition, she'd let me take a book to read for every book I bought. She was the first fellow reader I ever knew. We talked every day about books and I read my way steadily through the Woodiwiss and Rogers and the Regencies that were beginning to dominate the shelves. Then the Germany days were over and it was back to the States to a new world for me. Not only did I land in the suburbs of Philadelphia but they had bookstores in every mall, at least TWO, and used book stores. I never knew about these places before. As a young mother, we didn't have lots of money so the used bookstores became my friend. Every day after dropping the kiddo off at kindergarten and first grade, I'd go to the used book store and I started at the beginning of the category romances and buy through. I never knew about subscriptions, I just knew these books were mostly delightful, and got me through the day. After my son was in second grade, I also started at a job. In the mall, near a Waldenbooks. Ah, heaven. The 80s were a drifting decade for me. And when my collection of books really took off.

Curious, read the rest and learn how to win some books...

Sandi Shilhanek | I Wonder Whatever Happened to...

The other day I found myself thinking about people I’ve known in my life and haven’t seen for awhile. I got to wondering what they were doing now, and how their lives have changed, and whether or not we would still enjoy spending time together.

Taking that thought and extending it to the books I’ve read over the years I’m wondering what might have happened to the Mackenzie family from Linda Howard, or the MacGregor Family from Nora Roberts. Both these families have older generations who if they were to be continued today would have to have died off. How would we as readers feel about losing a beloved character? Probably not very happy, which is why we don’t have updates, but like finding out a once dear friend has passed away wouldn’t we grieve and move on in order to find out what newer generations of these families are doing?

I know I’ve mentioned two much loved families, but who are some characters that made an impression on you that you would like to see today and see if as your life has changed, and their lives have changed would you still love them?

Until next week happy page turning!

Sandi Shilhanek
DFW Tea Readers
Readers 'n 'ritas... celebrating literary obsessions

Sandi Shilhanek | Wow...Everyone Was SO Right! This book is terrific!

Last week we talked about books that we had heard a lot of hype about and that disappointed us, so I thought this week we'd discuss the books that got a lot of hype and we loved!

A few years back I was seeing a lot of stuff about Mr. Perfect by Linda Howard. Everyone was just raving about it, and it was in my TBR so I decided to go for it.

Well, I absolutely loved it! If I were a keeper I would have kept Mr. Perfect. All these years later I can't tell you anything specific about Mr. Perfect, but I do remember thinking it had the perfect combination of suspense, romance, and humor.

There are of course other books I've read because of the hype and loved but Mr. Perfect is the one that sticks in my mind because it’s one of the rare books that the DFW Readers all agree on.

So what book did you read and enjoy because of the hype?

Until next week happy page turning!

Sandi Shilhanek

DFW Tea Readers
Readers 'n 'ritas... celebrating literary obsessions

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Sandi Shilhanek | Trying a New Author

This last Wednesday our book dinner group got together. As always is there any better way to forget the horrors of the day job than by getting together with some of your closest friends to discuss not only the book or author of the night, but also what made the day so horrific.

This time our author of the hour was Linda Howard. Of course who can resist Linda Howard and the chance to visit with her even if it’s over the phone, so we had new members to join our group for dinner. Overall the group tried really hard to be on their best behavior so that the newbies wouldn’t be scared off. I would say that for the most part we were very well behaved, though I can only behave for so long before I just have to blurt something!

O.K. I digress Linda Howard was awesome. How could she not have been? I think it’s really hard to find an author who really appeals to a group as diverse as ours, and if I remember correctly everyone in the group had something they wanted to ask or just tell Linda.

Every time I leave the book dinner I go home inspired to dig through my TBR and see if there’s an unread book by the author who we chatted with. If there is nothing by the author then I have to hit the store and buy the book we discussed.

What inspires you to try a new author or a book by an author you might have read in the past and not been particularly impressed by?

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Sandi