Dec 19
Book signing, Fri 7-9 pm
Royall Ace Hardware
883 Ben Sawyer Blvd.
Mt Pleasant, SC 29464

 I did my second of the Ace Hardware signings last night and thought I would jot down a few words about it before I get ready for work this morning.  (Hah- its' now January- great job keeping the blog up).
This was the first time I have been inside the famous Royall hardware and I was looking forward to it.   For those of you not from the area this store has been locally-operated for decades and is a favorite with locals. I have eaten at  "Johnny's," the small sandwich and hotdog place next to the store...mmmm hot dog with liquid cheddar cheese squirted on it....this is definitely on the list "not as foul as it sounds."  

Anyway, the store is nice and has that old small-town store vibe.  The owners, Mr. Royall and his wife, and the employees were incredibly nice and welcoming.  This time- one other author showed- Mrs. Bitsy Fosty, who has put together a pictorial walking tour of Charleston and a historic images '09 calendar. 

The event was better attended, but still pretty sparse.  I did get to meet a nice couple that had just relocated from Asheville. 

During the ample downtime I browsed the shelf and found one of those radio/flashlight dealies that is powered by a hand crank-  something like 100 cranks gets you 3 minutes of juice.  How useful this would be in the event of a zombie-uprising I thought (I just saw the holiday movie 'Dawn of the Dead').  That was my theme for the evening as I sipped hot cider and talked to the gracious owners and employees who had stayed late on my behalf.  I scanned the shelves trying to locate anti-zombie paraphernalia.  Found quite of bit of head-bludgeoning implements and other things to keep the hungry dead at bay.  I'm a bit iffy on the paintcans though- maybe if I can rig something up Macaulay Culkin style?  Hmm...sounds like the plot of my next book...they did do a zombie version of "Snakes On A Plane" (Flight of the Living Dead).  Maybe its' time for a zombie verison of "Home Alone?"  Could be cinematic dynamite. 

At the end of the evening I had a pretty solid grasp of what sections of the store to hit should the dead start to rise...and I even managed to sell a few books.  And isn't that what Christmas is all about- increasing your royalties and preparing for the zombies?

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