Wondrous Tidings from a Meet and Greet

Just the week before, I had given a reading at a small, independent bookstore in Montclair, New Jersey, and the entire inventory was snapped up. One superfan alone bought twelve copies of The Butt Book, which I cheerfully inscribed.

      It was with this in mind that I reached the end of my meet and greet at another small, indie bookstore, in Westfield, New Jersey. My time had expired and, to my disappointment, we had failed to sell out. There was one book left. Oh, well.

      I left the store and crossed the street, heading for my car. I was just about to enter my car for the long drive home when I heard a commotion in front of the store. I looked back and saw a small boy jumping up and down in front of the sandwich board that proclaimed "Come meet Artie Bennett—author of The Butt Book."

      I raced back across the street and said, "Hi, that's me. I'm Artie Bennett, and there's one copy left. Would you like to see it?"

      The small boy was atwitter with excitement. I led him and his mom inside and he proceeded to read the book aloud. He was a very bright boy and he laughed uproariously with each verse. I shared some funny anecdotes with him as well. When he finished, he just had to have it. I inscribed the final copy to Shawn. We had sold out again!