How the Cart Led to a Possible Cable TV Appearance

This blog entry is all about the cart, which I first showed in this entry. When I decided to attend the literacy signing in Reno, I remembered about how difficult it was to hold all the books I bought when I went to a Nora Roberts signing. At that signing, I held piles of books in my arms; then after a while, I bought a tote bag to hold them. Even then, it was a challenge. The number of books made my shoulder hurt after only a short time. Since I was expecting to buy a number of books in Reno, I figured I would need something different. I remembered seeing a collapsible cart, so I went looking for one online.

Although it didn't fit in my suitcase (I ended up bringing it as a carry-on item), the cart was the best thing I could have had during my signing. It easily held all of my books, as you can see below.



This picture is actually more organized than it was during the actual signing, when it also carried my camera and a plastic bag that carried all of the author goodies. Still, it was very easy to use, although I did accidentally run over a foot or two. And it was so nice to keep my hands free.

The cart also helped people identify me. Many people apparently read my Romancing the Blog column where I mentioned it. A number of authors and attendees asked, "Are you Alyssa?" Megan found me this way, as did Wendy. Marjorie M. Liu, Jill Shalvis, and Suzanne McMinn recognized me right away because of my picture, the cart, or a combination of the two.

People who hadn't read the column saw the cart and said they thought it was such a great idea. Several authors said something like this. The cart also came in handy when I needed to drag two boxes of books to the mail center. I put the heaviest box on the cart (it wouldn't fit inside the cart). In fact, the box was so heavy it looked like it was bending the plastic. Yikes! The cart survived the experience, however, and appears to be suffering no ill effects.

My cart and I also caught the attention of a Canadian cable company, Bravo, during the literacy signing. As I was leaving Sherrilyn Kenyon's line, a woman asked if I would be willing to answer a few questions for a documentary they are doing about romance. Apparently they noticed my cart full of books and deduced that I'm an avid romance reader. Imagine that.

I agreed to the interview and answered their questions, although I have mixed feelings now. I sounded like a complete dork. Anyway, they asked where I was from, how long I have been reading romance, what I like about romance, why I think romance is so appealing, what kind of romances I enjoy most. She specifically mentioned paranormals, but I'm not sure if that's because they will be a focus of the documentary or because I was leaving the Sherrilyn Kenyon table.

I tried to be articulate, but I'm not sure I managed it. I talked about the escapism element, finding pleasure in reading happily-ever-afters, blah blah blah. I'm cringing even as I write this. The interviewer kept asking me to talk louder. I tried, but it was challenging enough to try to answer the questions intelligently, let alone to bellow my answers.

After the interview, I had to sign a release and provide my contact information. They will contact me to let me know if they use any part of my interview, and if so, when it will air. Part of me hopes they won't use any part of my interview, but we'll see what happens. I'll keep you posted.