Neil Gaiman
This was a night I will never forget! Joseph Beth booksellers hosted Neil Gaiman for a huge event at The Grand Reserve in Lexington, Kentucky. Gaiman was on book tour for The Ocean at the End of the Lane, which was advertised as his final book tour. I’m not gonna lie, I was a bit disappointed when I learned he went on a book tour just a few short years later. Anyway, I digress. This was the largest attended author event I had ever been. I remember purchasing our lettered tickets; my husband and I were lucky to have received something close to the letter E.
The event opened with an introduction by John Scalzi. Neil Gaiman then came out and spoke to the audience for a good bit of time. Following his talk, attendees were called to the event space next door to meet Gaiman and have our books signed. My husband’s best friend was also in attendance, but unfortunately he received a line letter something like K. It seemed like an eternity before our letter was called and then we stood in the signing line for another eternity. Our poor friend didn’t get called to join the signing line until after midnight. I felt bad for Neil, he was probably there until the break of dawn signing books. Our friend later told us that Neil was taking brief breaks by putting his hand in a bowl of ice!
Meeting Neil Gaiman was a true pleasure. He was so kind and willing to generously interact with fans. I was completely star struck and at a loss for words. I was surprised his wife at the time, Amanda Palmer, was present next to Neil helping him manage the books to sign.
Regardless of the time spent waiting, I’m so glad we took the opportunity to attend an event to meet such an iconic writer.
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