This is a busy week for us, in the best possible way. As I mentioned before, this Wednesday I'll be on a Dallas-area program called Good Morning Texas, on a segment called The Not So Perfect Parent. Julie and Schuyler will be in the green room, and may very well make an appearance on the show. Well, I certainly hope they do, because let's face it, who would YOU rather watch? Lovely Julie and enchanting Schuyler, the self-described "Queen of the Monkeys"? Or, you know, fat old Robba the Hutt? The show comes on during the breakfast hour, after all. No need upsetting people while they're eating.
The other thing taking place this week is a book signing at the Barnes & Noble in Lewisville, Texas. If you live in the area and would like to meet me (or really, more to the point, if you'd like to meet Schuyler), we'll be there at 2:00pm. It's going to be a special event (as in, totally unpredictable and possibly chaos-in-pink-Chuck-Taylors) because Julie has to work, so it will just be Schuyler and me. This means that if I do a reading, she'll be on her own. Anyone who has seen her at these events knows just how much fun that might be. Come to the signing and watch the last shreds of parental authority fly out of my shaking hands!
A bonus for people in attendance: Schuyler loves to sign books, and she's become very sophisticated in her approach. We attended a very cool book club last week, and it should come as no surprise that her signature was pretty clearly coveted more than mine. Which is as it should be.
When Schuyler signs a book, her name stretches across the page, the letters blockish and angular but very meticulously written out. She ends her autograph with a period, every time, and occasionally she'll sneak down and put a period at the end of mine, too. If she gets to the edge of the page before she's done, she simply shifts into vertical mode for the rest of her name. Sometimes she'll pick a different page to sign, and often she quickly signs in the spot that I usually use, just to be a turd. She even laughs when she does it. Every time she signs her name, it's different, and not just slightly.
I'm always thrilled to sign books for stores, and I've been happily signing a lot of books for Prentke-Romich, makers of the Big Box of Words. But we decided at the very beginning of all this book business that Schuyler would only sign books for individuals, either in person or sent to us or whatever. I like the idea of Schuyler's autograph rendering someone's book into a totally unique thing, different from any other in the world.
Just like Schuyler herself.
15 comments:
I'm sad that I am way out here in CA. I would love to have a copy of the book signed by Schuyler...er...I mean the author. :)
Hey Rob,
Does that second-last paragraph mean that you will let people send you copies of the book to be signed by you (and Schuyler!)? I have a special someone (a now-grown-up semi-broken child, even), who would just die to get a signed copy. I felt bad about asking, but...
I'm so envious of people getting to come and meet you guys!
Yeah, we've been signing copies that people send to us, no problem. Email me if you'd like the address.
I'm so glad to hear that you'll sign books for people who send them to you! I'm hoping to get the book for my birthday in July, so I'll most likely take you up on that offer once I have the book in my hands. :)
I LOVE that picture you posted of Schuyler! Beautiful. :)
I would love to come meet both of you! Ive just finished your book and experienced every single emotion under the sun while reading. I am an SLP in Robeson County, NC (google it. i dare you!) and am trying to bring this county up to date. I can assure you, your book will be passed around the county. My boss just finished and my office manager has it now. Thanks for the inspiration! Wish me luck! I'm so impressed with Schulyer for tackling that PRC device.
Awww. I wish I lived in Texas right now. I'd love to meet you guys, and of course, get you both to sign my copy.
And good luck on the show. I wish I could see it!
Very cool! I live near Dallas, unfortunately I can't make it. :(
Schuyler is clearly channeling Redd Foxx in his role as Fred Sanford of Sanford and Son. Fred always introduced himself as Fred G Sanford, period.
-Palmer
Oh man, I wish ya'll would come to Buffalo, I definitely want a book signed by Schuyler. And you, of course. Heck, the whole family would be welcome to sign it. ;P
I'm so glad to hear you'd sign copies people send - as soon as I actually have money to buy the book, I will totally email you.
^_^
If you're interested, the Barnes & Noble in Gulfport, MS where I am an ASM, would love to have you for a signing, and we could guarantee time on our local tv news to promote it, as well as a blurb in the local paper (WLOX and the SUN HERALD). So if you head this way, my name is Brittany and the CRM is Andrea, give one of us a call (or send an email to CRM2961@bn.com. I just shortlisted some copies that should arrive any day now.
I was able to catch "Good Morning, Texas" this morning before I left for work. When you were talking about how you had experienced so much worry and anxiety, but Schuyler saw life through a much different lens, it brought to mind an experience I once had with my son Gabriel.
He was in second grade and had Tourette syndrome at the time and had a lot of facial tics. We were at Six Flags, waiting in line for a ride. As we snaked back and forth through the aisles, we of course kept passing the same folks in line. One boy about Gabriel's age kept staring and staring every time we passed. I was getting more and more anxious and finally I moved between Gabriel and the boy so as to block the boy's view. At that moment, Gabriel leaned over and whispered to me, "See that boy over there? He's got an eye problem...he keeps staring." It was a moment of revelation for me...how wonderful to realize that Gabriel, from a child's perspective, was able to see it as the other boy's problem!
From the booktour agenda "Texas Christian University Bookstore" !?? Man, that sounds like a barrel of laughs. What will be you signing there - Bibles? Wooot!
I think I'll just drop fewer f-bombs during my reading there.
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