Taking the Longview

Autographing in Longview went great Saturday evening - sold a nice number of books, and the public was very receptive. Unlike the previous week in Paris - where the most common reason cited for not buying the book was lack of money - the turndowns in Longview were because of genre tastes.

I originally planned to stay two hours, from 5-7 p.m., but there was enough traffic that I stayed an extra hour and sold a couple of books during that last hour. I left at 8 p.m. - with a handful of money - and stopped at a nearby Long John Silver's (we don't have one in Mount Pleasant) to snarf a double clams dinner.

Trip back home was problematic - I took Patricia's car and forgot its right front headlamp is burned out. Got stopped by a state trooper between Gilmer and Pittsburg, and a city policeman in Pittsburg. I told the trooper I knew my light was out - "Sorry!" - but I can't change it myself. He just gave me a warning. Ten minutes later I told the same thing to the policeman in Pittsburg. He didn't even give me a warning, but the stops slowed up the trip home.

Will be at the Hastings in Greenville next Saturday, from 5-7 again.