The book fair went well – well organized, steady traffic. I did no origami, although I did a little writing in the quiet times. I brought Alice the Apatosaurus, and she was a big hit.
Kids were consistently drawn to The Nexus Ring rather than Feather Brain, and I sold more copies of The Nexus Ring, even though Feather Brain has been more successful generally, both in sales and in nominations. I talked to Derek Mah, who was casing the place, and his theory is that The Nexus Ring title and cover art both clearly say, “This is fantasy,” while the Feather Brain title and cover art are less clear.
My favorite moment: a boy read the cover of The Nexus Ring and told his dad about it. His dad misheard, in the noise of the hall, and said, “It’s about fairies? A fairy ring?” The boy struggled to explain, and finally, in frustration, said, “No, Dad. It’s ferry – F E R R Y – they’re homonyms!”
Maureen