Literary Gathering Mugs

"Tracey, this is Gene. He also read the Nancy Reagan book in unbound galleys."

Frontispiece to the first volume of 'Master Humphrey's Clock'

"Tonight! Author book signing." "Develop your inner raging bitch."

"Meet the embellisher 3-5 pm"

'I can't force jocose if I'm not feeling it.'

"Meet the author"

"That's five votes for In The Midst of Winter....three votes for The Hollow Ground....and, again, one vote for Moby-Dick."

Meet the author - celebrity autobiographies,

"You two seem oddly suited."

The World's Biggest Book Club

"Regarding the plot of your novel ... what on earth were you thinking?"

"That was too many fresh original voices for one night."

Moustached gentleman

'He speaks for our entire generation. Pity he's such a bore...'

Dinner at the Jolly Sandboys (opening to Ch 19)

Thomas Keneally

O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art though, Romeo? Seriously, wherefore art thou? Shakespeare in the Dark.

A book reviewer reads between the margins.

"I write mostly confessional non-fiction."

"Yes, could you discuss the inspiration for the protagonist? Specifically, the motivations which propel the direction of his narrative?" "I would prefer not to." "Bartleby, the author."

"It's a great story, funny and entertaining - and better still it's not won a single prize for literature."

"You'll learn a lot at our book club...like how to read between the wines."

"Wallace couldn't come, but I brought some of his fussy prose."

"'Best wishes'? That's it? That's all you got?!"

"Where do you get your derivative ideas?"

Frontispiece to 'The Pickwick Papers'

Writer and his Muse on a cookout.

'I'm calling this a plate and I already have service for six. Six more and I can invent the dinner party.'

I conduct comprehensive surveys - I ask my girlfriend.

Crop Circle: Meet the Author

Margaret Thatcher as the rad queen in [Alice] Through the Looking Glass. Her clothes display symbols of her policies, such as a map of the Falkland Islands and policemen's helmets

At Mary Higgins Clark's book club.

"Monsieur Proust, we would like to discuss product placement for one of our cakes...."

"Not many of you may agree with me..."

"Good autobiography, but I preferred your memoirs."