The Dreaming Ravens Signing Recap

Yes, I know this post is a bit late… I’ve been running non-stop since I got home from Seattle on Thursday. But I wanted to get this out there. In short, I had a blast! I thoroughly enjoyed my first signing and savored the conversation and antics with my fellow contributors: Brian Syme, Phil Brucato, Sandra Buskirk, Kris Millering, and Angel Leigh McCoy. Thank you all, and for those who came out to the store, for a memorable night at The Dreaming Comics. You can check out the pictures in my gallery.

I arrived in Seattle around 2pm. Sat in front of my host’s home for a bit until they arrived. I read more of Shon’s manuscript and attempted to chat with friends via a really spotty internet connection. Seattle definitely has very little open wifi spots. Everyone here is so smrt. Thankfully I didn’t wait too long, for Phil strolled down the street soon after. Once inside his abode, I was treated to a nummy tuna salad late-lunch, kitteh antics, and good conversation.

Around 5p.m. we packed up the car and stopped by Safeway for some vitamin water and supplies. By the time we got to The Dreaming Comics, a small crowd milled around the tiny store. As we chatted with people, we set out a pile of books and attempted to organize ourselves into an assembly line of signage around the table. Thank goddess for sticky notes and pens! And, then, we started putting ink into books while continuing to chat with attendees.

I was amazed. We had a steady stream of people coming in for all 3 hours of our time! Many from the book boxing party showed up, as well as people who were fans of s00j. People brought in their own copies, while those who were unfamiliar with the book, bought theirs on the spot. Aron sold out of the remaining books he had at the store, bought 10 more, and then promptly sold out of those! Before we left, he had purchased 8 more copies, half of which we signed as well. We also signed half of the books destined for The University Bookstore located just around the corner.

Brian took some pictures of me signing a few of the first books. No, I’m not incredibly short in those shots… I went chairless for a half hour and then never bothered to get a better image of me. Brian’s an incredibly talented artist and it was fun to leaf through his portfolio and see the breadth of his work. Later on in the evening, during a break, he sketched out a tattoo on Sandi’s daughter’s arm with one of my pens. I also loved the “zombie Phil” photo I took as he was trying to play catch-up on his stack of books.

I was hoping the Chelsea Wright, the artist who had done the pencil sketch for my story, would have been able to show up but alas… studying for finals took precedence. Hey Chelsea, I hope you’re finals went well and that I get to meet you next time I’m up in Seattle. Thanks for doing an awesome job on interpreting my story.

After our 3 hours ended, I quickly grabbed a copy of Where the Deep Ones Are and an a past issue of Weird Tales and then helped pack the car back up. I’m such a Lovecraftian fanatic. Sandi, Phil, and I agreed that the evening was a success and we were all pleased with how it went. Snuggled back at their place, we continued to chat a bit about online comics and really… and I mean… REALLY bad writing and how reading it reminds us that no matter how bad we think we are we’ll never be as bad as some of the examples we mentioned.

Sleep came quickly and I was cuddled by a Pumpkin in between her nocturnal escapades of box hopping and purruping. She was adorable and so was Fin, their ragdoll kitteh.

Woke up Thursday to Sandi leaving for work at 6 a.m. Pretty much chatted all day long with Phil. We’ve been friends for something like 15 years and yet this was the first real time he and I actually got to just sit down and be ourselves and talk. It felt good. By noon, we were steadily swapping music and getting each other hooked on current influences.

I left for home by 3pm feeling well connected and satisfied with the events of the past two days. While I was only in Seattle for about 24 hours, it felt like I had been away from home for longer. It was definitely nice to be back home and with kender.

I’ll be back in Seattle April 10, at 3p.m. for a signing and concert that SJ Tucker and Catherine Valente are doing for Norwescon. For locals who missed me last week, I invite you to come out and listen to the infamous s00j and hang out with us!