A Reading at Last!
John Schnick reads at The Poet’s Corner Bookshop, Duncans Mills, California
A small crowd (a dozen or so) gathered at The Poet’s Corner Bookshop in the village of Duncans Mills, a settlement on the Russian River, ten minutes from Jenner Beach on the Pacific.
Stephanie in front of her bookshop
With two books published during the pandemic, I had all but given up on book signings and readings until Stephanie Cullen suggested that I give a reading for National Independent Bookstore day, last Saturday.
Josie and I showed up early at the bookshop and we helped Stephanie set up chairs and signing tables.
The weather seemed iffy, with the remnants of a Pacific Hurricane due to make landfall, wind and rain was expected. The weather gods smiled, however. The sun came out, and people sat on comfortable cafe chairs at tables on the wide, rustic boardwalks. Brazilian jazz, played and sung by Joann & Felipe Ferraz filled the air. Felipe set his guitar aside, handed me a microphone, and I started reading a passage from Cold ‘Coon & Collards:
“My mother was thought to be the best shot in the family. Once while doing dishes, she spotted a cottontail hopping into the garden.”
The boardwalk which had buzzed with conversations fell silent.
This is great I thought, an audience!
When I finished reading about the time Grandmother almost shot Granddad, people actually applauded.
When I sat down at the signing table, the musicians started playing again, and some people handed me freshly bought books to sign. A dream deferred had come true.
In a bit, the other author that was scheduled to read arrived. Toby Neal has written many more books than I, including detective fiction, romance, and a memoir, Freckled. Toby grew up wild in Hawaii, the daughter of a surfer couple. She read a riveting chapter about wrestling a large octopus as a small girl, and bringing it home to feed her hungry family.
Toby Neal, octopus wrestler
During my second reading, I read a chapter from Lightbulb Coffee, a chapter entitled Down and Out in San Francisco. If anything this drew a better response than Cold ‘Coon & Collards. People bought books, and I inscribed them. The Pandemic is far from over but with increasing vaccination rates, things are slowly, haltingly, going back to normal.
My sincere thanks goes out to The Poet’s Corner Bookshop, Joann & Felipe Ferraz, and Toby Neal. Many more readings will come, but there’s only one first time for any author, and my first was sweet.
If you can, please buy from Poet’s Corner Bookshop. Also available from Amazon, Books, Inc., and Barnes & Noble.
(just click on the dealer that you prefer)