YAY! Melissa K!

Congratulations to Melissa K. who won an autographed copy of The Jinx for correctly answering the question posed at The Long and Short of It review website. I haven't met Melissa, but as soon as I get her contact information, I will be sending her her prize.

Now, I'm still pretty green behind the ears as far as being published. I find it funny that people want me to autograph their book.
"Hey! Autograph my book!"
What is an autograph about anyway? Proof that the person who wrote the book also touched it? Is there anyone whom I would like to have their autograph? And if so, what would I do with it?
"Hey! Look! Johnny Depp's autograph!" as I show it to the check-out lady at Kroger. Is she impressed? No. She will give me that look. You know the look I mean.
Co-workers? "Hey! Look at this! Johnny Depp signed this." One might laugh at me. The laugh which says, "Oh, you poor thing. I'm going to pray for you." Another might very well stare at me in puzzlement. "Johnny who?"

When I have signed my books, I have tried to write something personal, something unique and meaningful. This has not been too hard because I have known all of these people. In fact, I am related to a lot of them. I figure if I put THEIR name in it with a personal message, then I know who I can be mad at when the book shows up at a used book store.

One time I was receiving an autographed book from an author. She asked me, "What would you like me to write?" Though I did not know her-at all-I said, "How about, 'To Jennifer, the wind beneath my wings' or maybe 'To Jennifer, my best friend who inspires me more than anyone else in the whole world.'" I grinned at her so proud of my cleverness.

She grinned back and promptly wrote: To Jennifer. Happy Reading.

Happy Reading??!! I think it means more than I think it does because why would you write that if you could have written the wind beneath my wings bit? Who cares if it's true! It makes for a great story! Do you know how many people I would have shown it to saying, "Hey, look! I'm the wind beneath her wings! Well, not really, but she asked me what to write, and then she wrote it. Isn't that hilarious?!" Or maybe that is how one encourages stalking.

Anyway, I will ask Melissa K. what she would like me to write. Unless it's something like promising my firstborn or a confession to plagerism, I'll probably go along with it.

So, any of you got any good autograph stories?