Monday, February 26, 2018

Being Appreciated at The Poisoned Pen



A week ago, Denis and I headed to The Poisoned Pen for their Customer Appreciation Party. Since this was a Saturday, Denis had to request the day off, so you know he was looking forward to it. This was a party, not an author event; there'd be plenty of food, drink, swag bags, and Craig Johnson, Margaret Coel, and William Kent Krueger were going to be there to party with us (and sign a few books, too). As we pulled into the parking lot, we saw that a small section of it had been roped off, and tables, chairs, tablecloths, and flowers were rapidly being brought out. (We showed up unfashionably early to make sure we got a parking spot for our vehicle and a couple for our behinds. We know how these authors can fill up the bookstore with fans!)

We were right; the bookstore filled up quickly, and author Rhys Bowen made an appearance, too, which made the party even more special. It was fun to hear the buzz when the authors walked into the bookstore. This is going to be more of a pictorial blog post since it wasn't a formal author event, and that means that I don't have much more to say.

I do feel slightly guilty about not saying more than hello to Bowen, Coel, and Krueger, but I feel that I had an excellent reason for not doing so. The second Craig walked into the store, people started crowding around him with their stories and their books. Guess where he asked to sit in order to chat and sign? The small table where Denis and I were seated! Boy howdy, I wasn't about to turn loose of my ringside seat-- would you?

Let the festivities commence!


L to R: William Kent Krueger, Barbara Peters, Margaret Coel, Craig Johnson

Plenty of nibbles

Susan (L) tending the bar

Partying outside. Can you spot Kent Krueger?

Can you spot Margaret Coel? The tall man on the left is her husband.

Early birds waiting for the stars.

Kent Krueger signing books.

The buzz grew when these three appeared. Rhys Bowen is on the right with Krueger's hand on her arm. Coel is in front of Barbara Peters, who has her back to us.

Even Barbara Peters (L) is getting into social media.

Oh oh... I've been spotted by the man in the hat!

Craig Johnson getting writer's cramp.

Craig Johnson

Craig was looking even slimmer than he did the last time I saw him, and I found out why. He's always wanted to go on a mule ride down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, and he learned that everyone has to weigh in the night before. Fully clothed, including hat, boots, and sunglasses, 200 pounds is the weight limit. "I haven't weighed 200 pounds since I was in high school!" Craig told us. This past Tuesday night Craig weighed in at 195 pounds, and I couldn't help but remember that he'd said, "When I get back up to the top, there's a pizza and a beer waiting with my name on 'em!" I'm looking forward to finding out if he enjoyed the ride, the pizza, and the beer.

Those red bags are the swag bags every customer received. An ARC & all sorts of goodies were within!

The yellow bag contained these books. Don't mind the vertigo-inducing angle of the photo!


Denis and I had so much fun. In fact, I'm still smiling about it!



12 comments:

  1. What a wonderful event, I would still be smiling too! We just had back to back snowstorms, so I admit to being a bit jealous of the outdoor portion of the evening! I should pay attention and see if any of our nearby Indies offer such a fun customer appreciation event! I get the feeling that the Poisoned Pen is very special!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, The Poisoned Pen is VERY special, and I'm very lucky to live where I can go there whenever I like. And I have to admit that even though I've lived here a long time, I still get a hoot from being able to have an outside party in February! LOL

      Delete
  2. How fabulous, Cathy! It's one of those events that I'll bet you'll remember for a long time, and I couldn't be happier for you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. With the exception of present company here on the blog, a lot of people may think me a bit strange-- I only Fan Girl over authors. ;-)

      Delete
  3. I'm a big fan of Craig Johnson's books, I've read them all, so lucky you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Very lucky me. I wish I could teleport all of you here when The Poisoned Pen has an event like this.

      Delete
  4. I was intrigued by your Keep Calm I've Got You Covered Post last week. You mentioned your thoughts kept going back to the PP and you would let us know about it this Monday. I was looking forward to seeing what it was you were going to share. What a wonderful experience the customer appreciation day was for the customers of the PP. I can see why your thoughts kept going back to it. Thanks for sharing. I wished a lived closer as I would have loved to attend that day.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I knew this was what you were teasing us with last week! Saw it on the PP calendar and told my husband that I wished we were in Scottsdale that Saturday. He agreed since he has read even more of Craig and Kent's books that I have. He's read them all. I did tell him that he might like Margaret's books and so we'll put those on his reading list for the future. Glad you had a good time!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Denis has read them all, too-- including all of Margaret Coel's. I think your husband would enjoy the Wind River mysteries, too.

      Delete
  6. You and Denis are so lucky you live within a stone's throw from Poisoned Pen. What I wouldn't give to have an offshoot of that bookstore nearby. And, it sounds like it's more than a bookstore. It's a gathering place for a community of book lovers, a location for great events, meeting authors and friends -- and having a treat or two.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It certainly is more than a bookstore-- and I know how lucky we are!

      Delete

Thank you for taking the time to make a comment. I really appreciate it!