AUTHOR: linda TITLE: Story about an author booksigning DATE: 8:35:00 PM ----- BODY:

This is the story of a book signing event with three Central Valley authors and one marketing dynamo, on a warm and wonderful winter afternoon, deep in the tourist-ridden wharf area at Barnes & Noble, in San Francisco.

Bonnie Hearn Hill, Sheree Petree, and Hazel Dixon-Cooper (adorned with black pearls and silver flasks) railed into The City from Fresno for the day, and together with the enthusiastic energy of local business developer Karene Conlin, lunched at Scoma's, appreciated the local color along the pier, then sailed in to arrange themselves at the upstairs skirted table adorned with their publications under the guidance of gentle Oscar, B&N community relations manager.

At first, it seemed that no one would come to fill the dozen folding chairs set out for the panel discussion and book signing afternoon event. Friends didn't show, people on the street couldn't be coerced from their sunny strolls, even shoppers inside didn’t seem interested in browsing. The security guard up front said, "there's more people at 5."

Still, the three sat cheerfully to sign stock for the store, with Karene and Oscar nearby. Soon, three diners who stopped to meet the authors earlier at Scoma's arrived at the aforementioned book signing, engaged the ladies in a lively exchange, realized their paths had crossed in Fresno, and promptly bought one of each book. A wandering pair of sisters came over to buy one of Hazel's books for a friends' birthday today and one for their mother who liked a little romance with her mystery (Bonnie quickly supplied Cutline, set in SF). Then, an online writing class student of Bonnie's arrived, and graced the panel with tales of her adventures in Bonnie’s class, describe how her therapist practice was born from astrology (where in South Carolina she’s doing the devil's work), and the channeling of fictional characters to keep her from going crazy. The security guard from downstairs came up to inch closer and closer to the table and was soon engaged in a discussion with Hazel on how his Chinese birthday relates to interpretation of his astrological sign, while various staff persons dropped by the panel to give their good wishes. Soon, the event was up.

Bonnie concluded that this "was the most fun book signing I've ever done." The quotient of interesting strangers far outweighed friend-fans that might usually fill the chairs. Lots of smiles and positive energy all around. Perhaps this is the karmic justice Hazel was smiling about, and which Sheree quietly understood.

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