Or "How Min Got Her Ego Stroked".
A colleague of mine asked me to go to the Janet Evanovich book signing tonight at Borders. I didn't have a book for her to sign, because I don't read JE's books--they're not very good--but I do listen to them on CD, because the reader, Lorelei King, is fantastic. Her readings are so good that they elevate what are, generally, mediocre books to quality entertainment.So I agreed to go with Sue.We had a quick bite of supper first, and then we walked over to the Borders, which was teaming with young and middle-aged women, entirely too many of them overweight, badly dressed, and poorly coifed. Now I, myself, am overweight, but I would be damned, before I would go to a book signing for someone whose work I really enjoyed looking like a slob. I don't even like JE that much, but I was dressed up for the occasion. Specifically, I wore a coral brocade swing jacket with 3/4 sleeves, a gray pencil skirt, gray suede slingbacks (they're new!), a vintage gray velvet and satin beehive toque, and my John Atencio sterling/gold bracelets and rings. Granted, this was also what I wore to work, but it was appropriate for both occasions.
Anyhoo, I decided that I would buy something by JE, even though I didn't intend to have it signed, because that's the only way I could get a number for the line. Besides, I needed to have my parking validated. So I bought one of JE's Plum novellas on CD (read by Lorelei King, of course), and the cute young man behind the counter said, "I like the style." I didn't quite understand what he said, so I responded, "What?" And he said, "You have great style." Well, the child had to be half my age, so I was very flattered. I laughed, said "thank you", and sashayed off in my stylish suede slingbacks. ;-)
Sue and I ended up with big numbers, 274 and 250, respectively, so we waited for nearly two hours to get up to the autograph table. But we had a nice, long conversation, and we had fun quietly pointing out all the bad hair we could see. While waiting in line, we were offered free chocolate by a Borders employee (I passed) and free bumper stickers by JE's daughter (I took one that says "I heart Morelli", because Morelli reminds me of Mike in the Blood books, and I love Mike). I was also recognized and warmly greeted by a Borders staff member who sometimes works at the Borders in Brentwood where my sci fi book group meets.
I told Sue that I didn't intend to get an autograph, but that I would hold her stuff and take her picture on her cellphone. When we got to the head of the line, though, JE's husband was acting as official photographer, so he used Sue's cameraphone to take her picture with JE. Then he looked at me with his eyebrows raised, and I said, "I'm just acting as her sherpa." He laughed, complimented my hat, and asked if I wore them all the time. I said, yes, quite often, and he launched into a discussion of people he knew who wore hats. Then he said, "Janet, look! Isn't her hat great?" And I suddenly was having a conversation with Janet Evanovich about hats and shoes and other accessories.
As Sue and I walked away from the table, I said to her, sotto voce, "And that's why I wear a hat." When she looked at me, puzzled, I said, "Because people use my hats as an entre` to conversation. It happens everywhere I go." And she said, "It's because you wear such interesting hats." Which was sweet of her, but they're not really that interesting or unusual. It's just that most of my hats are vintage, and vintage hats were made better (usually in a union shop) and of better quality materials than anything you can get these days, unless you go to a custom milliner.
I can't wait to tell the people in my general fiction book group about my close encounter with JE. They will be sooooo jealous. :-D
