West Hollywood Book Fair

No way was I first in line for the Gore Vidal (see previous post) signing at Sunday's West Hollywood Book Fair. More like the 40th, and I accrued some more freckles while I waited my turn in the blazing sun.

But first, I went to a First Fiction panel, moderated by Eduardo Santiago (TOMORROW THEY WILL KISS).

First Fiction panelists Jeff Hobbs, Karen Mack & Jennifer Kaufman.

I snapped the pic below afterwards. Santiago is second from left, flanked by the endearingly tongue-tied Jeff Hobbs (THE TOURISTS), and Karen Mack and Jennifer Kaufman (far right), authors of LITERACY AND LONGING IN L.A. Not pictured are fellow panelists Alex Espinoza and Andrea Portes.


Next I went to a memoir panel, one of THE BEST panels I've experienced anywhere. Moderator was Samantha Dunn (NOT BY ACCIDENT); panelists were Dinah Lenney (BIGGER THAN LIFE: A Murder, A Memoir), Aaron Raz Link (WHAT BECOMES YOU) and Emily Rapp (POSTER CHILD). I was too enthralled to take notes. Now I wish I'd written down the many gems that came spilling from everyone's lips. Here's one from Link: Deadlines are your friend.

Memoirists Aaron Raz Link and Emily Rapp.

After I got Vidal's scrawl in my newly purchased copy of POINT BY POINT NAVIGATION, I went to a celebrity memoir panel moderated by my friend Beverly Gray (she of the Tinseltown jokes below). Only here's the funny thing: I'd never heard of any of the celebs on the panel. Oops. They were: Chuck Panozzo of Styx, Neile McQueen Toffel (aka Neile Adams, aka Mrs. Steve McQueen), Victoria Rowell (ballerina, actress & mother of Wynton Marsalis's kid).

Chuck Panozzo and Neile McQueen Toffel.

Then I was on a panel entitled "How to Make a Book a Success," moderated by publicist and media trainer extraordinaire Kim Dower (aka Kim from L.A.). The other panelists were agent Betsy Amster and author/radio host Barbara DeMarco Barrett. So we were the Three Bs.

After that I went to the "Green Room" (aka the West Hollywood Park gym) and plotzed for a half hour.

WeHo Book Fair author coordinator Corey Roskin & volunteer
Johanna Pick, at the end of a long day.

Then it was time for the book fair reception, so Beverly and I trudged across San Vicente Blvd to MOCA. It wasn't air conditioned, the floor was hard and there was very little seating. Pretty soon I melted down like a five-year-old and whined, "I'm tired!" Whereupon Beverly kindly escorted me out and drove me to her Gracious Home on a leafy, QUIET block in Santa Monica.

But first we stopped by the spectacular water display right outside MOCA and the Pacific Design Center.

YA author Kerry Madden & Beverly Gray.

And one last pic for the road:

Pacific Design Center