Nobody's perfect!

I ache all over and am exhausted, but it was totally worth it! Usually, I would have been happy to wake to the sound of torrential rain but yesterday I knew it would soon turn my almost perfectly straight hair into a frizzy mess reminiscent of candy-floss (except blonde, not pink). I got to the Team Valley at around 12pm, untouched by the drizzle, and decided to take a photo outside Borders. As I stood there, smile (and make-up) plastered on my face, my ever-reliable digital camera stopped working – I don’t want to hear any jokes about my face breaking the camera, please! I was so disappointed, as I’d really wanted to document the event. The annoying thing was that it worked perfectly that morning. Typical! I was a little sad that there was no mention of my signing in the window, but they did have a couple of posters in the doorway and it was only when I saw them that my stomach flipped a little bit.

Ron, my contact at Borders, was really friendly and put me at ease (in fairness, anyone who offers me Starbucks coffee is likely to put a smile on my face – it’s my first book-related freebie). When I’d had my caffeine injection, I spoke to Ron about the book, and writing in general, whilst Gordon went on a quest to buy a disposable camera. I started to feel a bit odd, sitting near the information desk, books in front of me and empty chair beside me, but I needn’t have worried as I was alone for barely 20 minutes the entire afternoon. I had a great time, and I have to say, it was the people I met that made it so much fun. It was nice that people spent money on the book, but nicer that they spent time with me – you know who you all are, and you made my day!

I sold some books too, throughout the afternoon (that was what I was there for, after all, so it came as a relief). There was one sale that I wasn’t sure about. It might seem silly that I was bothered about this, but I said I’d be honest with you: a young girl came over to the desk (I’m terrible at judging age, but I thought she was maybe 12 or 13) and she asked if she could have a book. I hesitated, as I wasn’t entirely sure it was suitable for her age-group, but felt it wasn’t my place to decide. So, I added the personalised inscription she’d asked for, then sat and worried for several minutes in case an irate mother came up to me and asked what I thought I was playing at!!! Of course that didn’t happen, but I am prone to an overactive imagination…

In the spirit of honesty, I’ll tell you about something embarrassing that happened (I told you I made a habit of inadvertently doing stupid things): as you know I was sporting my £10 bargain dress. Said dress fastens at the side (something I only found out after getting my head and one shoulder stuck in it whilst getting dressed). Well, on my way home, I realised that I’d done the entire event with my dress completely unfastened! D’oh! I thought that maybe it hadn’t been noticable, as no-one had said anything as I pottered around Borders. So I did a re-enactment in front of my full-length mirror…it was very noticable indeed. Even the knowledge that I’d probably flashed half the people in Borders didn’t put a dampener on the day. And here’s me regularly telling you how shy I am – what a hypocrite!

If I ever finish the roll of film on the disposable camera, I’ll scan some photos in…if they aren’t too revealing!