FOLLOW UP ON FIRST BOOK SIGNING EXPERIENCE

My table

It was a good event to attend to support reading. I hope I did well getting my name out there. I had a good set up on the table and was well prepared. I think the only thing I will do differently next time is to have a ‘drawing’ where folks sign up and win something, like a free book, or pecans from the south, or something else interesting.

The most wonderful thing that happened, besides my friends coming out (one of them buying a book for a friend and then carrying it around the whole time she was there to advertise!) was that a lovely lady came up to my table with her children in tow, three I think, and she read the back of Evangeline’s Miracle. While she was doing this her young daughter, around 7 or 8 years of age I think, and who had an armload of books, asked to have a piece of candy. Her mother said something to her and called her by name. I thought I’d heard wrong, so I paid attention to see if she would say her name again. The little girl got between the tables at one point, as her mother was paying for her book, and the mother said, “Miracle, come out from there…” I couldn’t believe it! Instantly I asked, “Is her name Miracle? Did you just call her Miracle?” The mother said yes and I had to tell her the story of how ‘my’ Miracle came to be in the book.

Geoffrey Buie-Collard, Frank Hudson

Debra Clay, Lisa B-C, Harvey Mays and Frank Hudson

I told her of the time, so many years ago, when one day I picked up Marjorie up from school (my daughter at that time in 5^th grade), I asked her how her days was and she proceeded to tell me of how she and her friend “Miracle Hess” had done something. I couldn’t believe it. A young girl named Miracle, Miracle Hess. I LOVED the name the moment it hit my ears and I asked Maaj to ask her friend if I could use her name in my book. She did the next day, and, the rest is laid to read in Evangeline’s Miracle.

Enjoying another author and Harvey

I told this to the woman who had just bought my book, the first person to do so whom I don’t know personally, and her daughter’s name is Miracle. There are no coincidences. I was so overjoyed. It was like a small blessing upon my efforts there, that I had done the very best right thing I could have done with my day yesterday. When she told me her name, Jacqueline, I signed her book and thanked her. Then she told me that her little girl, Miracle, had already been through so much in her short life that she deserved the name she carried.  I hope Jacqueline enjoys my story. I know I won’t forget the one she shared with me.  She made my day.

With my library card!