Face/Off in Joliet
Sunday, October 2, 2005 at 07:53PM Do I really resemble Michael Gelman? And, more importantly, who is Michael Gelman?
I pose these two questions having an answer only to the latter.
Michael Gelman is the executive producer of Live with Regis and Kelly, a TV talk show I don't watch.
Probably a year or so ago somebody (I don't remember who) told me that I look just like Michael Gelman. That was the first time I'd ever even heard the name Michael Gelman and it, of course, triggered an immediate investigation, which basically amounted to a Google search. That's how I came to know of Michael Gelman.
Jump forward about a year later, to this past Saturday, when I'm one of more than thirty-five authors signing books at the Regional Author Fair in Joliet. I'm seated at a table, surrounded by other authors. Nearby, off in the corner, a few patrons, who prior to this day I had never met, are engaged in a lively discussion -- about me. The banter, I later learned, was about how I, in their view, was the mirror image of Michael Gelman.
Randy Richardson
Michael GelmanNow I put the question to my blog readers to settle the score: Are Randy Richardson and Michael Gelman one and the same? Please share your comments on this most important debate topic.
With that out of the way, let me give kudos to the organizers of the Regional Author Fair, which was presented by the Joliet Public Library and co-sponsored by New Lenox Public Library and Plainfield Public Library. They really put on a terrific event.
In four hours, I sold nine books. That was nice, but much more significantly I met so many wonderful people, book lovers and authors alike. Some great friends stopped by. And what a thrill it was chatting with fellow authors like Adam Woodworth, who, like me, is also a member of the Chicago Writers Association. There were also fellow mystery writers like J.A. Konrath, Julie Hyzy and Michael Black. And there were my table neighbors Donald Lehmann and Steve Pribish. Does this make me a name-dropper now? Seriously, these are not only all wonderful writers, but they are also truly nice people. You should buy books from all of them.
My only disappointment was that I stepped away late in the day for a restroom break and missed a visit from Mr. Konrath, who earlier in the day had signed one of his mystery books for me. A library worker who was kind enough to sit at my table while I was away informed me that Mr. Konrath had come looking for me. Although I have yet to read any of his books (next up on my ever-growing To Do List), I've become a big fan of his blog "A Newbie's Guide to Publishing." If you haven't read it, you should. It's an entertaining read, especially if you're at all intrigued by what it takes to be a success in the book world.
Perhaps the best moment of all for me, though, was when three young girls, each probably ten or eleven years old, came by my table. No, they didn't buy my book. They probably couldn't even afford it. But each of them asked me to sign for them both a business card and a bookmark. For a few moments I felt a little like a rock star.
I asked the girls why they had come, and they all said because they love to read. People generally assume that I do all this book stuff to make money. These are people who aren't authors. I can tell you the odds that I'll ever make back the money that I've invested into promoting my book are remote at best. But there are rewards that just can't be measured in dollars and cents. You never know but perhaps one day one or more of those girls will be inspired by something I've written. That's truly what makes all of this a worthwhile investment.
Lastly I should note that at the very end of the day, as I was packing up, one of the founding members of my Michael Gelman fanclub picked up a business card. "I'm going to email Regis a link to your Web site," he said. "He'll get a kick out of this."
So if one day I am invited to appear on the Regis and Kelly show, you can trace it all back to a book fair on a sunny October day in Joliet.
Next up: the Book Stall at Chestnut Court in Winnetka on Saturday, October 15. I'll be writing a little more about this one soon.
Randy Richardson
Just got word that today's blog entry got a boost from Mr. Konrath, who gives it a plug in his own blog entry today. Be sure to check out his blog entry (the link is provided above). In thanking him by e-mail, I mentioned that he was fortunate that I stopped short of posting an image of him alongside the image of the lead singer of the Barenaked Ladies. I happen to think that he's a dead ringer for BNL's Steven Page.
Early returns in the Gelman-Richardson polls range from no likeness at all to half-siblings separated at birth.
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