New England Independent Booksellers = NEIBA

This weekend, you'll find me at NEIBA in the Hynes Convention Center in Downtown Boston. If there's anything a writer loves more than writing it's reading and books, books, books.

We are representing Mystery Writer's of America and Sisters in Crime in the New York-New England areas. So, last year we used one of S.O.'s old pop up booths from aeons ago, something still in our garage along with other sundry items. This year, with yet a bigger floor space we brought two more sections. Now a few years ago, we had put up one in the driveway/garage area to make sure all the pieces were present, because we were going to put it on Craig's List.

Actually we did put it on Craig's List, and it didn't sell, no inquiries even, and that was the end of that. Until today. We got everything into our smallist car and tooled into town. We put the easy part together first and then tackled the unfamiliar.

Yikes! Put it together wrong not twice but thrice, and that was only the first section. Second section was missing a few pieces. We made do, hoping no one leans against it and sends it crashing down. Got all the signage up. Stuffed some "goody bags." Busy, busy with no time to cruise around and scope out all the really cool books. The University of Chicago always has a wonderful booth, but then I am an academic at heart.

Left everything looking a-ok. Up to P.K. Chang's for a Chinese Bistro meal that can't be beat. Home again, home again, jiggety jig to a mailbox full of crap and some stupid phone messages that made no sense at all.

Put the towels in the dryer and gave the cat and pill and hear we are. Exciting day, no? Tomorrow the show opens and we promote our organizations like crazy. Saturday, too.

I really need to work on this book, but duty calls. Seems like duty calls a lot. Is duty another name for procrastination? Someone tell me, quick.

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