BSF is real. BSF isn’t quite a disease, but those who experience the malady experience a manic giddiness accompanied by spurts of panic. It’s life-altering. I have it and there are no Go Fund Me Pages or telethons to find a cure. Because honestly–I don’t want a cure.
What is BSF? BSF is Book Signing Fatigue and if it’s considered a disease, then it’s one I’ll gladly host and incubate.
Since the release of BURY THE PAST in the middle of December, I’ve been in the clutches of a mini-book tour. Now granted, my little regional marketing campaign for the latest Detective Penley book is peanuts compared to some of the big name authors–and I swear to everything holy that they must use stand-ins and look-alikes for their dozens of appearances. I had five events, two radio interviews and guest blogs compressed within a few weeks and I feel like I have that 1,000-yard stare.
1000 yard stare dog by elizabeth west
Through it all, I had a blast seeing old friends who came out to support my little book and meeting new ones who were just finding out about the series. The booksellers were amazing. Face in A Book hosted the December launch and the return of Prison Trivia. The crime-based trivia game came from something I tried at Bouchercon in Toronto last year. The pub-style quiz is a little different than the typical book signing and reading events and gets everyone involved. The champion is “Most Likely to Become a Felon” and wins a book, or a BURY THE PAST wineglass. Oh yeah, wine was also served as a social lubricant.
Book Passage in Corte Madera greeted the event with a personalized perch for #NotMyCat, the spunky neighborhood feline who has adopted the L’Etoile household as her personal domain.
With Liz Kracht, the best literary agent!
#NotMyCat makes a statement even when she’s not there
#NotMyCat also made appearances at the Avid Reader in Sacramento and Barnes & Noble in Roseville. Well, her stunt double did. Working out the actual appearance details with #NotMyCat’s management was impossible. She had more demands than Beyonce and Mick Jagger combined. Tuna packed in spring water, soft cat treats, not the crunchy kind, and an elevated perch from which she would greet her public. Diva
#NotMyCat Diva edition
#NotMyCat travel edition
My BSF affliction continues. There will be another round of Prison Trivia at Left Coast Crime in Reno, Nevada. (Saturday, March 24 at 9:00 at the Nugget Casino in Cascade 3-5) I’ll post a hint or two in the Prison to the Page Newsletter before the conference. You can sign up here.
I can’t begin to express enough gratitude to those who came out for the events. You make it all worth the effort. If your schedule didn’t allow you to make it to one of the events, I signed plenty of books for Book Passage, Face in a Book, and Barnes & Noble in Roseville. There are some of you who scored way too high on the prison trivia quiz and I’m watching you…
Thank you!
James L'Etoile
James L'Etoile 
Love how the cat has now entered into all aspects of your life. Perchance will Not My Cat be making an appearance in an up coming Detective Penley saga? It would be an amusing little tidbit to drop into the book but of no real importance to those not following your blog. Keep them all coming; the blog and the books.
It’s hard to escape a cat that won’t leave. #NotMyCat has demanded that she have a role in upcoming books. Because I fear her, I will accommodate her wish to have a walk on appearance in the next book. Thanks for your cat support!