Author Book Signings: October Edition

Have you been to any book signings recently? This past month I went to a book signing for two authors at a local mystery bookstore. This time there weren’t any cupcakes or beverages (sigh), but it was a really fun event. One of the authors was a first-time published mystery author from a nearby city, while the other had been previously published.

This signing was rather informal. On the upper floor of the bookstore they had a number of chairs placed in front of a small table. The two authors were sitting at the table, each with a pile of their books in front of them.  I was the first to arrive, and the bookstore owner invited me to sit in one of the front chairs. The minute I sat down, both authors started talking to me, and we ended up chatting for about 15 minutes. After more people arrived, each author talked for around 15 minutes about their books and their writing process. Afterwards, they took questions from everyone in the audience. The discussion was fairly lively, and any time it seemed to slow down, the bookstore owner would step in with questions of her own. All in all, a very fun event, and I walked away with three books.

Next month one of my favorite romance authors is coming to town, and I’m really looking forward to attending that event. How about you? Are any authors coming to your home town? If so, please let us know about it. If you know of any events that we missed between now and mid-November, please post them in the comments section. If you know of any events occurring after mid-November, please send them to us at aarbooksign  AT gmail.com and we’ll add them to our mid-November post.

Slowly, but surely, I’m building a list of bookstores that seem to have book signings by romance authors. Each month, I check the “events” page at these bookstores to locate possibilities to include in this column. If you know of a bookstore that I seem to be missing, please let me know, and I’ll add it to my list.

Note: I found these signings by extensive Web searches of both author and bookseller websites. They all appear to be free, but please contact the bookstore before you attend an event for additional information. And please let us know if you do attend a book signing, and how you liked it. A few of the authors on the list aren’t strictly romance authors, but have either been reviewed at AAR in the past, or have appeared in AAR forum discussions.

Upcoming Book Signings through late December, 2010:

Sophie Jordan: October 23, Barnes and Noble, 2:00 p.m., Woodlands Mall, 1201 Lake Woodlands Dr. #3008, The Woodlands, TX

Connie Willis: October 29, The Poisoned Pen, 7:00 p.m., 4014 N Goldwater Blvd. Suite 101, Scottsdale, AZ (This event is hosted by Laurie R. King).

Paranormal Authors Halloween Signing, multiple authors including Janet Mullany, October 30, Border’s Bookstore, 2:00 p.m. Bowie, MD.

Shayla Black: October 30, Barnes and Noble, 2:00 p.m., 861 NE Mall Blvd., Hurst, TX 76053

Multiple author event, including J.D. Robb/Nora Roberts, Lisa Scottoline, and Mariah Stewart : November 2, Turn the Page Bookstore, 12:00 p.m.,  18 N. Main St., Boonsboro, MD

Kathleen Tessaro: November 2, Joseph-Beth Booksellers, 7:00 p.m., 510 South 27^th St., Pittsburgh, PA.

Rachel Caine: November 4, Barnes and Noble, 6:00 p.m., Riverbend Center, 1442 Turner-McCall Blvd, Rome, GA (Other signings listed on her website for October and November for numerous cities including Portland, San Jose, and Minneapolis).

Romancing the Holidays, multiple authors including Allison Chase, C.L. Wilson, Gennita Low, and Roxanne St. Claire: November 6, Altamonte Mall, 2:00 p.m. 451 E. Altamonte Drive, Altamonte Springs, FL.

Kelley Armstrong: November 6, 1:30 p.m., John Kenneth Galbraith Reference Library, 236 Shackleton St., Dutton, ON (This is a reading but the website indicates that author will sign if you bring your own books).

Toni Blake: November 10 (early evening, time to be announced), Joseph Beth Bookseller, Lexington, KY.

Tasha Alexander, Deanna Raybourn and Lauren Willig: November 12, Murder By the Book 6:30 p.m.  2342 Bissonnet St., Houston, TX.

Gail Carriger: November 15th Powell’s Books at Cedar Hills Crossing, 7:00 p.m. 3415 SW Cedar Hills Blvd., Beaverton, OR.

Lauren Willig: November 16, Newberry Library Bookstore, 6:00 p.m., 60 West Walton St., Chicago, IL (Other signings listed on her website for November for Houston, Dallas, and Plano TX, and Wheaton, IL, and Ann Arbor, MI ).

Tara Taylor Quinn: November 21, 2010, The Poisoned Pen Bookstore, (time not yet available), 4014 N Goldwater Blvd. Suite 101, Scottsdale, AZ.

Lori Foster at Romancing the Holidays Booksigning, December 4, 1:00 p.m., Barnes & Noble, The Streets of Westchester, 9455 Civic Centre Blvd , West Chester, OH.

– LinnieGayl Kimmel AAR