Events & Appearances
2006 L.A. Times Festival of Books
When: April 29-30, 2006
Where: UCLA Campus,
Westwood, CA.
A circus of literary events that has to be seen to be believed. From the
Festival of Books website:
Come join us at the 11th Annual Los Angeles Times Festival of
Books. Free to the public, it occurs the last weekend in April
Saturday, April 29 10am-6pm and Sunday, April 30 10am-5pm and
offers something for all ages and interests. Every year, it adds up
to be America's largest and grandest literary event.
For more
information, visit
http://www.latimes.com/extras/festivalofbooks/.
While attending, there's a good chance you may find Eldon wandering
the grounds of his former college campus, taking in the sights and
sounds. For those who wish to catch him for sure, the good folks at
Mysterious Galaxy
have made room for Eldon to sign books at their booth on Sunday
afternoon:
SUNDAY, APRIL 30
2:00 PM
Mysterious Galaxy
Booth # 601
Zone F
Dickson Court North
An event map can be viewed at
http://www.latimes.com/extras/festivalofbooks/eventmap.pdf.
For all other event information, please visit the
Festival of Books / Mysterious Galaxy links above.
Recap
Eldon had the following to say about his first experience as a
professional at the Festival of Books:
"Friends ask me if things seemed any different,
going back to UCLA to attend the Festival of Books as a published
authoras opposed to being a fan
and reader. But why should I feel any different? I'm still a fan and
reader, the weather in Los Angeles is still sunny and smoggy, and
this event remains one of those that makes me wonder: How can there
be this many people in the world?
I won't say it isn't odd, however, sitting behind
a signing table instead of standing in line in front of it. You'd
think that doing so would come with a sense of pride and
accomplishment. With me, it only brings a great deal of nervousness.
Public attention has always made me uncomfortable, although I do my
best to hide it. One of the things I enjoy most about writing is the
opportunity to entertain while remaining anonymous. Stepping out
from behind the keyboard and into the public light takes a lot of
getting used to, whether I do so to sign ten books or a thousand
(the latter being hypothetical, of course). I often wonder if other
authors feel the same way, or if it's just me.
In the end, the people make it worthwhile. Patrick,
Terry, Elizabeth, and the rest of the Mysterious Galaxy crew are
always fun to hang out with, and I thank them (and Maryelizabeth,
who had to catch a plane) for having me. Thanks also to Ted, Sandy,
Heather, and all of the other readers who stopped by to make sure I
wasn't simply sitting there with a finger up my nose. Strangely
enough, the butterflies are usually there only until things get
started. Once I start meeting and chatting with folksall
of whom are much more interesting than meI
quickly forget how awkward it feels to be considered an attraction.
Fortunately, at this circus, people were in great
supply. Before I knew it, the hour was up, and it was time to do
what so many folks in Los Angeles do best: sit in a car on the 405
freeway, while baking in the sun. Yes, all in all, it felt just like
old times."
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