Category Archives: in a celandine world

I owe some serious thanks to the staff at Coles Brantford for hosting my book signing yesterday—and for being so gosh-dang likeable and hospitable.

The drive in to the city found me with the usual bag of butterfly turmoil churning in my guts.  Having all the exits off the highway (into the city) closed only heightened my anxiety.  I had to drive past the city, circle back, and then deke around foreign neighbourhoods with my old-school GPS navigation system—you know, the one built in to my brain.

I burst forth into the store with crazed hair and panting heavily out-of-breath from a mad sprint through the parking lot—loaded down with a box of books.  These charming people greeted me warmly and they even smiled politely when I barked out orders for 800mg of Advil—STAT!  (Special thanks to Mark D. for filling that order.)

The gracious nature of the staff was second only to the incredible people of Brantford that filtered in and out of the store all afternoon fulfilling their Saturday afternoon shopping business.  I have never met a more genuine, honest, engaging, friendly, and POLITE bunch of city folk in one store.  And, as an author on a book-signing tour of various cities, let me tell you—I have seen my fair share of hoity-toity, who-do-you-think-you-are shoppers.

I did not receive one single cold stare, impolite gesture, or downright rude remark.  The people of Brantford welcomed me with open arms.  They were talkative, sincere, showed genuine interest—and they left smiling with my book.  Even when the power in the mall went out and they had to stand in line for 20 minutes waiting for the registers to re-boot—there was no mayhem, no frowning utterances of negativity—only smiles.

Pinch me.

My book-signing agony meter has been reset to zero.  Hallelujah!