Hoo Boy, Was That Embarrassing

So things are going pretty well with my new gig at Galleycat, except for one major cockup yesterday. I thought I was so clever for making a Spinal Tap reference in the headline about Andrea Levy’s (left) winning the “Orange of Oranges” that my brain completely fried and misidentified her twice as “Adrian Levy” (right), who does happen to be British and an author—but not eligible for the women-only Orange Prize. You can believe that I regret the error, especially given how long it took an eagle-eyed reader to call it to my attention.

I think I may have to re-evaluate this blogging after midnight thing, I really do.

5 October 2005 | uncategorized |

Jackie K. Cooper at SEBA

You may recognize Jackie K. Cooper from his appearance on this site back in June, when he was a contender for the Georgia Author of the Year Awards. A while back, he sent me a letter about his trip to the annual Southeastern Bookseller’s Association meeting–soon to become the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance meeting–and now that I’ve gotten back into the blogging groove, here it is!

I went to the Southeastern Bookseller’s Association (SEBA) meeting in Winston Salem, North Carolina. This is a gathering of book publishers and bookstore owners, with a smattering of authors thrown in. It is a time for meeting and greeting, as well as schmoozing and signing. It is a chance to see and be seen, and it is all a lot of fun.

The driving force behind this event is a lady named Wanda Jewell. I learned this when I first got there and met a lady who was looking at the Mercer University Press display (where I was hanging out). I introduced myself and she told me who she was and added, “I am Wanda’s assistant.”

I then showed my complete ignorance by asking “Who’s Wanda?’ That is when I learned the lady of the day is Wanda Jewell. Later when Paula Millen, of the South Carolina Book Fest Millens, and I were walking around we ran into Wanda Jewell, and Paula introduced us. Wanda is as down to earth as anyone you would ever want to meet. Not at all as formidable as I expected.

Looming over the aisles at SEBA was my picture. I had brought a big poster with me that I sat up on an easel to try to draw people to my books. I don’t know if it sold any books for me but it sure did get people’s attention. As my friend Jackie White always tells me, that big-a** picture is worth its weight in gold.

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4 October 2005 | guest authors |