Yesterday afternoon Earl all but dragged me to a book signing at The Box Factory, a local artists’ hangout. He wanted to hear author Judith Pearson speak about her recent book, The Wolves at the Door, which chronicles the life of Virginia Hall, an American female spy during World War II.
At first I resisted, preferring to practice piano or work on various other projects. But Earl was sure I would benefit from this outing, so he persisted; and in the end I went. In the end he was right.
I enjoyed Ms. Pearson’s presentation immensely, even though she and I are not involved in the same literary genres. She likes biography; I prefer personal memoir. She seems to have settled on the writer’s life; I’m still all over the board. She commented on the research involved; my writing centers on my own life, so research is the least of it.
Pearson spent a few minutes telling her audience about Virginia Hall’s extraordinary life and another few minutes explaining how she sets about doing the necessary research for a biography. She was soft-spoken and clearly had given a presentation or two before arriving in St. Joseph.
The primary purpose of book signings is for the author to sell copies of his or her book. Earl did not disappoint Ms. Pearson. He bought a copy and had her inscribe “To Earl and Anne with warm regards, Judy Pearson” on the title page. She seemed appreciative.
As we left The Box Factory, I marveled at the hard work involved not only in writing a book but also in promoting it. My hat goes off to Ms. Pearson.
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