I had the greatest time last Saturday at a local authors book-signing event at Barnes & Noble. As this was my first bookstore event I expected it to be quiet and staid, like being at a library. But it was more like a party. The staff was relaxed and engaging, even inviting us authors to get on the PA system to describe our books and invite shoppers to visit and chat. Which they did! As my book is on communication skills, folks came over for mini-consults on their concerns. One man asked how to discern if a woman who he likes, likes him back, when she is friendly in person but never returns his texts. I helped him craft his response to her in order for him to find out the answer. A woman who works in research at a university, and admits to being shy, wanted notes on being more assertive with demanding professors. Another man, a CEO of his company, sat and asked how to motivate his employees. I shared the four-part whole message script from chapter 9 of my new book, Communication Breakthrough, How Using Brain Science and Listening to Body Cues Can Transform Your Relationship.
Other authors were there including Richard Lederer, the Union Tribune columnist “verbivore” who was selling his books (he has 50 books on subjects related to the English language) and holding court, entertaining the crowd with funny stories, self-deprecating wit and hilarious pun after pun. He had people giggling for hours. I found his playful spirit contagious and joined in his rhyming and joking. Also at our table was a producer selling a women’s empowerment coloring book featuring belly dancers, and me talking to people about changing your mood by breathing in your belly. So I nicknamed our authors: Belly Laugh, Belly Dance and Belly Breath.
I am grateful to my publicist, Susan Farese (@sjfcommo) who set up this gig and showed up to take photos and videos. A colleague, who is also a writer and psychotherapist, came by and bought two of my books. In fact, I sold out all of my books that Barnes and Noble had ordered. It was a stimulating day, engaging with readers seeking to improve their communication skills and riffing with the great Richard Lederer, “who will make your English betterer”.
“I went to sleep that night still thinking in rhymes,
which can lighten the mood in these troubling times.
I am still wafting on fumes from a very good day
Grateful to the people who made it that way.”
POSTSCRIPT: #communicationbreakthrough is available: https//amzn.to/2BR7Hoq
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Ebook is available on Kindle