Lary Bloom
Writer, Editor, Teacher
The Bloom Blog
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Tuesday, October 25, 2005
The Book Tour (continued)
This is, of course, a tour in miniature. No strange hotels, no waiting at airports. Exclusively Connecticut, befitting the title (Lary Bloom's Connecticut Notebook). And so my itinerary has been the towns of Storrs, Wallingford, Madison, West Hartford, Clinton, Old Saybrook and the like.Sunday in Clinton, as I was getting out of my car, a van pulled up. The driver lowered his window, and I suspected he wanted to ask me if this was the place for the scheduled reading by an author. But he asked, instead, "How do I get to the shopping mall?" Ah, yes, the American reading public. Always out hunting for a bargain, and seldom for books.
And yet there is no doubt that this little tour has been satisfying. The folks at Emerson & Cook bookstore in Old Saybrook are relatively new owners, and have tried to turn their shop into a place known for bringing authors in. The gathering there was not large, but it was exclusively comprised of people who keep up with current events, and who read. The question and answer period was lively, and I was reminded that there are more payoffs to book signings and readings than mere commerce (although commerce is a necessary word for anyone who writes.).
The Wallingford Public Library put out a dazzling display of grapes, cake, and punch. It wasn't all for me, of course. The library was celebrating it's 125th birthday, and its planned expansion. Somehow during the Q and A, the subject got around to Florence Griswold, and to the musical I had written with two collaborators based on the life of a legendary figure at the center of an American artist colony. Two women in the audience who had seen the show at the Ivoryton Playhouse offered me an alternative ending -- yes, in show business, everybody has a better answer.
Madison was a much anticipated event. Roxanne Coady's shop, RJ Julia Booksellers, ranks with finest bookstores in America. She regularly attracts the biggest names in publishing, but always is careful in the store calendar (more than 250 appearances a year in all) to keep a place for Connecticut authors. Before the reading, Roxanne and I had dinner, and she weighed in on projects I've been planning. I look to her for guidance, and she never disappoints. She recently opened a new branch in New Canaan, and hosted Martha Stewart, whom she reported is not the warmest person in the world. At the end of my presentation, when the event co-ordinator announced that a signing was imminent, I asked her a question. "Do you think," I said, "that my book would make an excellent Christmas present?" I am shameless.
Posted by:Lary Bloom at 8:06 AM
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