Jeri Smith-Ready

Library of Congress What If talk

So yeah, I was up on the Hill today, talkin' about my new book...

No, really! There I was, a stone's throw away from the Capitol (though I *don't* recommend throwing stones at federal buildings unless you like the taste of sidewalk), giving a talk at the Library of Congress. They have a "What If" science fiction/fantasy forum, to which they invite authors to read or discuss their books and stories.

It went pretty well, aside from a few technical difficulties. The iPod got tired of waiting for me to start, so it took a nap in its cozy little docking station, which meant the remote control wouldn't, you know, control it. I had to walk over and wake it up.

So embarrassing. They never perform when you want them to.

But it seemed to go well otherwise, judging by the audience reaction. They laughed, they cried (okay, they didn't cry, even when I chopped raw onions), they bought all my copies of Wicked Game. I'm told I was the first author ever to sell out at one of these talks, and they've had some pretty big-name authors (who, no doubt, brought bigger boxes of books, so I'm not congratulating myself too vigorously).

I wish I'd brought my camera, because it was a gorgeous day. Washington, DC, is lovely in the spring, until about Memorial Day, when it turns into the Ninth Circle of Hell.

But I did get to keep my parking permit, the thing that let me past the scary reinforced steel barrier that said STOP! in big red letters. It made me feel special, so I'll share it with you:



Yay. I am now officially Important. And in Washington, nothing else matters.

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Now playing: Wilco - Hummingbird
via FoxyTunes

Labels: appearances, vampire series

• posted by Jeri @ 8:05 PM
• 1 comments