Playing To An Empty House

We got off to such a fabulous start at Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena that we were somewhat spoiled.  The audience for our out-of-town signings were predictably smaller, but still drew some interested people.  Albany was an abrupt reminder that we are not celebrities on the New York Times best-seller list....at least not yet!  The signing was at Barnes and Noble in Albany where neither of us knew anyone.

We left Woodstock in plenty of time for an early dinner, figuring if the event was scheduled for 7:00  we would not be done before 8:15 or so and it would be too late for dinner.

The store manager was off, the store itself nearly deserted, but they had set up a desk for us, facing chairs for the audience.  The seats were unoccupied.  We sat down behind the desk, smiling hopefully at the few customers who passed by.  Barbara invited one or two to join us, but they passed.  We decided to wait until 7:20 or so and if no one showed up, we would leave.  7:20 came and went.  We looked at the empty seats and decided to give it another 10 minutes.  At 7:30 we closed up shop.

We asked the girl behind the counter if it ever happened before that no one showed up at a reading.  "Yes," she replied.  "Depends on the date, the weather.  You never know."  We thanked her, bought a couple of books (including one of our own) and hit the road.

We turned our thoughts to our next event --Fairfield, Conn.--where we knew at least some of our old high school friends and our cousins would show up.  Onward!

Fran

Poughkeepsie

Barnes and Noble in Poughkeepsie was scheduled for the next day.  We left Margie's home in the morning and arrived in Woodstock by one (with a stop at an optomotrist to repair Fran's bi-foculs which  had  fallen apart).  We figured we had time for a rest, even a walk, before leaving at 5:15 for our 7:00 signing.  It was nearly 3:00 when Barbara checked our blog and panicked.  "The signing is at six, not seven!" she shouted. "We have to leave in five minutes!"  Somehow we managed to dress, grab our poster and reading copies, and race out the door.

We arrived at the store just in time and took our seats at the table set up for us.  A couple of people arrived and we waited for more.  A woman came up to us and said she saw the name Pokras on the flyer posted at the entrance.  "I went to college with a woman named Pokras and wondered if you were related," she said.  Turned out that the Pokras woman she knew was Noreen, married to our first cousin, Dave.  She happily joined us.

Our table happened to be positioned next to the Romance Novel section, and the women who approached turned out to be more interested in the Harlequins than in us.  Then we spotted an older man carrying a copy of The Economist magazine.  We invited him to join us.  "I'm not really a fiction reader," he said,  "but I'd like to sit for awhile."

We began our readings and Edward (we found out later that was his name) put down his magazine and listened intently.  When we were done, he began the discussion which turned into a fascinating give and take about the pros and cons of nursing homes.  He and Fran later engaged in a lively conversation about the Brooklyn Dodgers and how they never forgave Walter O'Malley for moving them to L.A.  But that's another story.

And so the event in Poughkeepsie, while small, was stimulating and fun.  We hope that Edward enjoys FEEDING MRS. MOSKOWITZ AND THE CAREGIVER.  Who knows?  Maybe he will discover the joys of fiction.

Fran

All Things Literary

Our first east coast event was a distinct departure from the usual bookstore signings.  All Things Literary is a book club  in Levittown, Long Island, consisting of twelve lively, articulate, book-loving ladies.  We were flattered when they chose FEEDING MRS.MOSKOWITZ AND THE CAREGIVER as one of their selections and invited us to speak.

The trip from Woodstock proved more difficult than anticipated (so what else is new?) what with horrendous traffic and rain, combined with Barbara's determination to make a detour to Joe's Dairy in Manhattan for some handmade mozzarella.  But we made it to Margie Juszczak's home just as dinner was about to be served to the group.

The fact that the ladies had all read the book and had questions prepared made for an extremely interesting discussion.  Topics included problems facing the elderly when they encounter difficulty living on their own, and, believe me, everyone had an opinion!  The group wanted to know how we came to write the two novellas, and as a couple of the women were writers, the usual subject of how to get an agent and publisher came up.

After everyone left, we re-hashed the evening with Margie (who graciously put us up for the night) and dropped into bed, exhausted.

Fran

The End Was In Sight

The end was in sight.  The California end, that is.  Anyone who knows Santa Barbara knows Chaucer's Books, started 35 years ago by an enterprising woman named Mahri Kerley.  A fabulous meal at Maestro with good friend, pastry chef Katy Renner, put us in the mood for our reading and signing at Chaucer's.  Eric Love, aptly named, took charge of the reading and was enthused about our book and presentation.  A thought-provoking discussion followed.

Though late, the drive back to Los Angeles followed the shimmering ocean path, lit by the glow of a huge, full cantaloup moon.

Barbara was particularly looking forward to Book Soup in West Hollywood, as she had lived in that area and had many friends from her years in the film industry.  The turnout was impressive:  friends and family were augmented by passers-by and bookstore browsers.  A glorious end to the California travels of the Pokras sisters.

Barbara flew back to New York and was joined a week later by Fran, and her daughter Gabriela.

Fran