Deeanne Gist - www.deeannegist.com - Inspirational Romance Author

Friday, September 30, 2005

Should I or Shouldn't I?

Before I published I used to see authors at bookstores sitting behind tables with a stack of books to sign and no one in line to receive them. I would think to myself what an awful feeling that must be and if I were them, what would I do to make sure that didn't happen?

And that's when I came up with my "grand idea." I had been to enough reenactment festivals to know that your average, everyday, normal person is fascinated by someone in period costume. Be they a musketeer, a pilgrim, a Native American, a southern belle--it didn't matter. Folks gravitated to them like nobody's business.

So ... when I agreed to do a signing at Barnes & Noble, I thought ... what if no one comes? What I sit there behind that table looking lonely and forlorn?

So, I called my best friend from high school. The one I used to call every night to coordinate what I would wear to school the next day. (She'd wear black slacks, white shirt and I'd wear white slacks, black shirt, and so on. We'd coordinate right down to the color pattern of our plastic bracelets.)

Anyhoo, she's a seamstress extraordinaire (she made all the shirts the guys in my book trailer wore) and I handed her a pattern of a period costume and said, "Can you make this into a period wedding gown?"

She, of course, said she could. And then did. You should see it. It is amazing. Ivory satin, fancy stitching on the underskirt, poofy sheer sleeves (also with decorative stitching), a crinoline to rival anything whats-her-name wore in Gone With the Wind.

I was so excited. So impressed. I felt like a princess when I put it on. But now, tonight is the night of the signing and I'm thinking: How will I drive in that crinoline? How will I get from the parking lot to the B&N? What if I get there in my fancy-schmancy duds and still sit behind some table with a pile of books and no one to receive them? What if the Event Coordinator looks at me and is horrified? (She doesn't know I'm coming in costume.)

It basically all boils down to this: What if I make a total and complete fool of myself?

I put the gown on again and walked into our living room where the teenage girls were--one of whom is a theatre buff and asked for a Renaissance costume for Christmas so she could go in costume to our local Reniassance Fair. (It's the same gown "Constance" wore in my book trailer.)

The girls were both immediately taken with my gown and asked what on earth I was doing with it.

"I'm going to sign my books in it. You know, to attract a crowd."

The eighteen year peered closely into my eyes. "Are you, like, serious?"

"Yes. Completely."

Eyebrows lift. Lips try to break into a surprised laugh, but she forcibly controls them. Eyes dilate. Face turns completely and totally red. "Oh. Well. That should really be something."

She looks at her younger sister who makes no effort whatsoever to mask her horror. "Tell me you're joking. Please. Tell me you are not going to walk into our Barnes & Noble like that."

My heart rate accelerates. My nerves shoot tingly warnings of danger up and down my arms and legs. I go back to my room, take off the dress and think, Should I or shouldn't I?

The signing's tonight at 6:30. At the moment, I am planning on wearing it. But I'm scared. Really scared. What do you think?

posted by Deeanne at 11:21 AM

20 Comments:

Barb said...: So I close my eyes and imagine walking into my nearby Barnes & Noble. There in the edgy inspirational section I see a cute petite chick in a sexy black dress, smiling and ready to sign an attractive book I've never heard of. Or, I see a cute petite chick in an antique-y wedding dress smiling next to a book I've never heard of, with a dress on the cover just like the one she's wearing. I am definitely gonna look twice at the bride, and maybe even walk over and check out what's goin' on with her! You don't see many brides hangin' out in bookstores, not to mention brides in antique-y wedding dresses. Could your friend whip up an antique-y suit so Mr Greg could go as the groom and be your assistant as you sign??? Re getting your "wise counsel" from teenagers--you need to get out more! YOU are setting the example for them. After you're dead and gone, they'll remember your costumed escapades with great fondness, maybe even following in your footsteps. And of course we wanna see a picture of you in this cool dress too!
Deeanne said...: The hubby is sending me out completely on my own. No way would he be caught dead with me in that get-up. And were I even to suggest he dress in costume too, you would see hysterics that only his mother could imagine.

As a matter of fact, he's been known to tell me to "walk behind him so no one knows we're together" if I wear something he deems "embarrassing."

Of course, in those instances, I go to great pains to make sure anyone and everyone knows I'm his and vice versa. Drives him insane.

But, he's learned his lesson. He will not venture forth while I take my past-my-prime self out and about in a period wedding gown.

Yes. Even I know that I must get pictures. I told my daughter that I would sing the "I've Got Confidence" song from The Sound of Music silently in my head. It's my "go-to" song when I'm scared or nervous. (I know, it should probably be something more Spiritual, but what can I say? It's a great song.) :-)
Barb said...: Dare I call a jock "chicken?" Even football players wear knickers! And that's a pretty high-class wedding dress if you gotta be seen with a girl in a gown. You must be the party person in the family and he the more serious intellectual spouse. Or something. I personally think that The Sound of Music was a God-inspired piece of work, so you're fine on the "Confidence" song in my book! If you ever write a story about a chick with chocolate idiosyncracies, I'll loan you my M&M suit...
Barb said...: BTW, you should use that line--"hysterics that only his mother could imagine"--in a future book...
Meg said...: Imagine yourself waking up tomorrow morning, looking back on tonight. Would you rather wake up and say, "I did it!" or wake up and say, "Gee, now I'll always wish I'd done it." ????

Go for it! I just wish I could be there.

Hmmm... can you think of an excuse for bringing the gown to the ACFW conference next year?
Barb said...: Frankly, I'd way-rather wear a costume to a place where few people will know me personally than to some place where everyone would know me well, being the morose introverted person that I am. Plus you hafta decide what your goal is. If it's to sell books, then you definitely wear the gown. If it's to keep from embarassing your teenagers, then it's probably too late anyway and you should still wear it! :o)
ValMarie said...: Oh I wish I had seen this earlier. You've already signed by now, but I certainly hope you took the step out and did it. If I was in TX, I definitely would have come to support. I think the key thing in those situations is to make sure that you have friends and such dropping in at key periods for support. :-)
Meg said...: So, Deeanne, did you wear it? Did you embarrass your teenagers as all good moms do?
Deeanne said...: I did it!!! And do I have stories to tell and pictures to show!! All that on Monday, though.

Barb: It was my hometown B&N, so the chances of lots of people I know was huge.

Gotta go, more later.
Meg said...: Good for you!!

Can't wait to see the pics.
Barb said...: I'm impressed! Probably any friends you saw were not surprised, cuz you seem like a naturally gutsy chick anyway. Have you considered selling real-life cover dresses with the books? Kinda like American Girls does? You could call them "Edgy Girls" dresses!
Deeanne said...: Barb, you are such a marketing guru!! I will be sure to send your suggestion to BHP's marketing department when I send them a pic or two of the signing to pass around the office. (Btw, you are anything but introverted and morose. Pleeeeeeze.)

Ha, ha, ha on the M&N suit.

Thanks for sticking with me, girls.

Last time I tried to post multiple photos on my blog, it didn't work out (I was trying to post the book cover art of all the Christy Award winners and ended up deleting it all and just supplying a written list.) But I need to show you more than one picture, so promise to try again.
Barb said...: Re M&M suits--Bet you'd find a lotta readers who identify with a main character with a chocolate fetish! Re morose intellectuals--we luv computers cuz they make it easier for us to pretend we're not really so morose or intellectual. %<:oD (That's a happy person with a party hat...) Could you possibly post your gown pix on your Newsroom or Scrapbook pages???
Deeanne said...: Oh,yeah!! I forgot I had a scrapbook. Okay. I'll post the pics on my scrapbook and provide a link to it in Monday's post. You're sooo smart, Barb!
Barb said...: I'm not sooo smart! I just know that other authors have posted pix of book signings on their websites before so that you can see their happy faces and the long lines of ecstatic fans. But I have yet to see any pictures of an author in a high-class wedding dress at a book signing!
Jeanie said...: Wish I'd have known -- I'd have come to your signing just to be extra sure that you had lots of extra people there... not that you'd need it. And I'm so proud of you for wearing the dress! My vote was to do it even before I saw that you did. Can't wait to see your pics. BTW, do you have RSS for your blog? If so, I can add you to my blog feed.
Jeanie said...: Dee, I think your next book should be called "A Groom Most Begrudging" and have it be about a husband who is too embarassed to be seen in public with his wife in certain clothing ;-)
Barb said...: Yeah, then you could have "Edgy Boys" outfits in your cover clothes collection too! :oD
Deeanne said...: LOL, girls, but I don't want to alienate my family any more than I already have. I'm tryin' to ease 'em into this stuff slowly, don't-chya know. :-)
Jeanie said...: Too bad... I was already thinking about sequils like "Kids Most Begrudging" and such.