Bookstore joy and sadness

Yesterday (Tuesday) was, as Tuesdays generally are, new book day at the major chains. I'd heard that Barnes & Noble would be putting One Jump Ahead on the New Ficition table, but the information was backchannel, so I wasn't counting on it. As you can see in the photo, it was indeed on that table, front and center. Allyn took this photo for me, so I haven't actually seen the display myself, but I hope to do so tomorrow. Just the image made me unreasonably happy for a few nanoseconds, before the crush of work rolled back over my psyche.

Alas, my bookstore news was not to be all good. My assistant, Bonnie, had been checking the local stores for the book as part of preliminary efforts at setting up signings. Two of my favorite local bookstores, places I've supported for a very long time, Quail Ridge Books & Music in Raleigh and The Regulator Bookshop in Durham, told her they did not plan to carry the book. That saddened me, particularly because I've done group signings at Quail Ridge before and even spoke briefly at BEA with one of their buyers. We'll try to persuade them to stock my book, but whether they do or not, I have to recommend them both to anyone in this area; they are simply great stores.