The kindness of friends
/My neighbor Val hosted a book promotion party for me over the weekend. Val is a very gracious and generous hostess, so it was a beautiful and delicious event. Lots of wine and snackies, and kind supporters who came to hear me read a short story prequel to CHOPSTYX. (The writing of the short story is a separate blog item that I should have written a month ago, when it finally came together. My bad.)
I have been the lucky recipient of many acts of kindness, and this last act was also a lot of fun. Three glasses of wine before the reading ensured it went pretty smoothly - I was mellow enough not to be nervous yet still read without too many tongue trips. I also got some good suggestions on how to fix the story (editing, to me, is sometimes like cutting off fingers and toes, even though the extra digits really have to go). But better than the book sales and warm reception to the story was the outpouring of goodwill and humor from the people who attended: neighbors, family and friends who came to drink and laugh and show their support.
The evening ended on a goofy note. As Val and her husband Lars are neighbors, my husband heard the party goers leaving their house. Our neighborhood is pretty rural, and Benoit thought it would be hilarious to howl like a coyote. He managed to freak out at least two friends - great way to help book sales, Sweetie.
