The First Time I Saw My Book In A Store

Gail Carriger is a talented author who's creative, funny, and is always dressed to the nines. Her hair is perfect, her make-up is perfect, her clothes are always vintage. She also knows people...lots of people...some of them famous... If I could, I'd follow Gail around the world to the various cons she attends just to see all the fabulous people with whom she has tea.

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The first time I saw my book on a shelf in a bookstore it wasn't in person. Instead, there it was, blurred by cell phone camera inefficiency, taken by one of my twitter followers in Minnesota. It was a week before Soulless was supposed to be released, so both she and I were taken entirely unawares and understandably confused by its presence. Well, it turns out, bookstores can do that with certain books: shelve 'em when they get 'em. No gag order ~ as it were. Mine was one of those books.
A small but enthusiastic following had been anticipating Soulless, and they were gratifyingly a-buzz to find it arriving early. Suddenly, the spies-I-didn't-know-I-had went to work and began reporting in from around the country.
Soulless spotted in Indiana!
In Texas!
In New York!
Thousands panic!
(Oh, wait, different headline.) And then, finally, a dear friend snapped a shot if it in my home state of California.
A day or so later, I was out shopping with a couple of girlfriends, as you do.
We were consuming those Vietnamese beverages with the black tapioca & gel shapes in them, Chè Ba Màu, affectionately referred to by me as
"Drinks with Stuff!"
(Exclamation point absolutely necessary.)
This process, three shopping females plus drinkies, involves much chittering and slurping and sideways perambulations. And thus engaged, we wandered by a Borders.
"Ooo," says I, "can we go in and see if they have my book?"
And so we do. And there it was! The chittering and the slurping became more enthusiastic as a result, which attracted the attention of one of the green t-shirted staff.
"Can I help you?" says she.
"That's my book!" I crow.
"Would you like to sign it?" says she.
Crazy authors, she's thinking.
"Really? Of course! Me? I'd love to."
And so she disappears and returns with a whole stack for me to sign, right there: Drink with Stuff! in one hand, cheap pen in the other.
As we leave the store one of my friends keeps saying...
"I can't believe they didn't ask you for an ID or anything."
"Oh, of course," says I, "because there's a mad plague of crooks masquerading as small-time authors dashing into unsuspecting stores and demanding to sign books they haven't written."
"Well, fine. But it'd be pretty funny if there were."
And with that, I leave you to ponder what is obviously an untapped criminal market.

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Gail Carriger writes comedies of manners mixed with paranormal romance (and the sexy San Andreas Shifter series as G L Carriger). Her books include the Parasol Protectorate, Custard Protocol, and Supernatural Society series for adults, and the Finishing School series for young adults. She is published in many languages and has over a dozen NYT bestsellers. She was once an archaeologist and is fond of shoes, octopuses, and tea.
You can find Gail at the following places:
Website > Facebook > Twitter > Instagram >

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Alexia Tarabotti is laboring under a great many social tribulations.

• First, she has no soul.
• Second, she’s a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead.
• Third, she is being rudely attacked by a vampire to whom she has not been properly introduced!

Where to go from there?
From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire, and the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate.
With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia responsible.

• Can she figure out what is actually happening to London’s high society?
• Will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain embarrassing?
• Who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle tart?

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Gail's Website

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