BESTSELLERS & BEST FRIENDS
My book publishing blog, with murder mysteries woven through it.
If this is your first visit, be sure to start with “1. Let’s do it!”
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So yesterday I drove to my hometown of Ligonier (PA).
I parked on the Diamond and purposely walked over to a specific street corner. I paused where Joey Freeman had stood, back when this blog was crazily disrupted, and the friends of a lifetime ended up scaring the shit out of me. I should have worn my snug letterman’s jacket.
I looked up East Main Street and waved to the Ligonier webcam. It’s mounted on the roof of a small, friendly, and perhaps better-than-the-town-deserves bookstore, Second Chapter Books.
Joey was grabbed next to the stop sign, Second Chapter Books
I walked to the store to see if its owner, Laurie, was there. She always keeps a few of my books in stock.
And holy smokes, she had three generation of Brallier books in there. Seriously!
There are my son’s (Max’s) two bestselling series, Galactic Hot Dogs and Last Kids on Earth. My most recent picture book, The Olphabet. And, unexpected, a book about the birth of professional football. On its cover is a photo of my grandfather, John K. Brallier, Sr., who for decades was considered the first professional football player.
While at the store, a customer bought two copies of my book (personalized and autographed!), and two of Max’s. It was great to help make the sale for Laurie.
As always, Laurie was delighted to see me. She actually had five more copies of Olphabet on order and they were due in by end of day. She asked if I might come by first thing the next day to autograph them. “For sure.” You gotta love a hometown bookstore.
I walked over to Joe’s Bar to meet an old friend, thinking about how that was my first (and probably last) books-and-three-generations moment ever.
Tomorrow (speaking of Joe’s Bar): Three guys are sitting at a bar.
Joe’s Bar, Ligonier (PA)