Never agree to do a blog “part of the time” with someone who is teaching full time, and someone who is running a bookstore and also doing tax work part time. Somehow, neither of them (you know who you are, Toni and John) seem to have time to blog. As a semi-retired person, I should have the time and energy. It’s the “semi” in that term that causes the problem. Some months I work more than others, and in the last six weeks I have worked five full weeks. For those who don’t know, I’m a retired judge, and I sit in various counties to hear cases; filling in for judges who are ill or have conflicts, or just too many cases.

I enjoy it, but sometimes it is very tiring. Especially when one trial is a jury trial with pro se defendants; luckily a civil trial, but still an added stress. I felt sorrier for the jury than for the rest of us, but we got through it.

However, having done six jury trials in the last six weeks, I’m ready for some of the “retired” part of the semi-retired description.

Tomorrow I get to go to a Sisters-in-Crime function in Columbus, on behalf of the store. Sally Wright is going to be the program, so it should be interesting. Sadly, it is very difficult if not impossible to find her earlier books for sale anymore. I wish publishers could keep books in print, when there is a series, so people who find an author some years into their career could still buy the beginnings of the series. I know that would be hard for the publishers to do, for all the authors, but I can dream, can’t I? It is one reason we sell used books as well as new as sometimes it is the only way for someone to catch up with a new favorite author.

Of course, if the publishers did keep everyone in print, we’d have no room for the books anyway. It is not a perfect world, in case you haven’t notice.

Much as I hate the idea of electronic books, maybe this is one way to solve some of the shelf space problems, and keeping early books available. I don’t know about copyrights, etc. but certainly shelf space is smaller. I may have to break down and get an electronic reader (NOT A KINDLE–Amazon is not author/publisher/independent bookstore friendly), especially for vacations. Much easier to pack a slim Sony reader, or iPad, than 6 or 7 books. And for cruises, maybe even more. The curse of being a compulsive reader: I need at least a book a day, and for a longer vacation that adds up to a lot of suitcase space. Our library has downloads for the Sony reader, and I know there are free books out there for downloading, too. I just hope the trend to electronics doesn’t hurt authors trying to sell their books.

I know how the buggy manufacturers and sellers must have felt seeing the Model T whizzing down the roads. I suppose I’ll adjust.

But while we still have actual books, we still have book signings. On April 27, at 7:00 p.m. both Rosemary Harris and Julie Kramer will be at the store, then on Saturday May 1 at 4:00 p.m. Brad Parks, Sophie Littlefield and Carla Buckley will be here. They can tell us all about the Romantic Times convention, as well as the Edgars, and sign books, too!

May 12th at 6:00 p.m. Joanne Dobson is joining us for a signing. She plans on staying for book club, too, which is at 7. (Book for this month is Georgette Heyer’s Death in the Stocks, our classic for this year. (I hope Harold likes it better than he did Rebecca last year.)

Then on May 17th at 7:00 p.m. we have a scrap booking/book signing with Joanna Slan, which should be a fun event. Later in the summer, with dates to be announced later, Tony Perona and Amanda Flowers will be at the store for signings.

Now, when every thing is electronic, what will there be for signing events? I can’t imagine that readers won’t always want to meet their favorite authors, or meet new ones to see if they’ll like the books. Will autographing become a thing of the past? Or will authors go around the country reading from electronic books and signing odd slips of paper? I guess we’ll find out over the next ten years. Meanwhile, I’ll enjoy meeting authors and reading books. Besides our signings at the store, the Medina library has a luncheon on May 6 with Lisa Black as the speaker. Casey knows about this; she was the featured speaker for this luncheon, called Writers Live. The library does it once in the fall and once in the spring, and many times the speakers are mystery writers, which I enjoy, of course. We have had Joan Hess, Katherine Hall Page, Michelle Spring, Ruth Dudley Edwards, Val McDermit, Casey Daniels, and now Lisa Black.