TAoD tour day 3

Today I did an event for the store that has been supporting me in this writing gig since A Grave Talent in 1993. Capitola Book Caf’c3’a9 is owned by four women, one of whom was married to a colleague of my husband’e2’80’99s when he taught at UC Santa Cruz, which is how I came into their sphere of influence. They put my name on their marquee: Laurie R King talks about A Grave Talent, the first time I’e2’80’99d ever seen my name in letters that enormous. And they put my name on their marquee again this year, as they have every year in between.

This was the same store Lee Child signed at Wednesday night, so if you just lift me from the audience and put me where he stands in the photo on his blog (http://www.leechild.com/bloghardway.html), you can pretend LRK has the technical expertise to post a photo on her blog, too.

I love independent bookstores and the women and men who run them. I worry about independent bookstores, because the landscape is lessened when they fade away, and I encourage you to support them, simply by buying books from them. Big chains can be great, and are often staffed by people whose enthusiasm for books overrides the corporate realities of the chain economics, but towns need independents as well, just as towns need libraries.

This message brought to you by a writer who owes her living to the support of mystery bookstores everywhere.

Tomorrow is spent in the air, and as most air journeys are much of a muchness, I probably won’e2’80’99t post anew until I’e2’80’99ve got to Monday night.

Hope you’e2’80’99re enjoying the book.

This interview I did with Kacey Kowars a week ago is now available, and can be formatted as a podcast for download off the site.

www.kaceykowars.com

Posted in

2 Comments

  1. bani on June 4, 2006 at 4:12 pm

    Unfortunately I’m broker than broke, so I’m not enjoying the book. But I shall be, one day.

    Anyway, let’s hear it for independent bookshops (sic 😉 )! The increasing chainification of, well, everything is very sad.

  2. CaraSusanetta on June 6, 2006 at 11:07 pm

    Do you ever listen to folksinger John McCutcheon? He has a very sweet (sad) song about an independent bookstore. I’m betting if you haven’t listened to his stuff, you would like it.
    http://www.folkmusic.com/record/r_supper.htm#Bookstore

Leave a Comment