Shankill Book Signing

I had my first official book signing yesterday. A big event. Huge. Actually, it was a very small affair and a lot of fun. My mum helps out at the Day Care centre in Shankill, and they have a monthly book sale – it’s a very well stocked affair, and if you’re in the locality you should drop in; it’s on the first Saturday of every month. I’ve been to it several times and picked up books from a heap of my favourite authors, so I was chuffed when Macel, the lady who runs the book sale, asked if I’d like to do a book-signing. And that was that. It was my first (and, to date, only such event) signing and I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.

[Photo: deer on the par four 16th at Portumna]

I reckoned I’d sell a handful of copies, 10 max, but I sold 15. Add to that another 6 that Macel had sold to people who couldn’t make it and I did extremely well out of the day. Apparently, the fact that it was lashing rain, worked in my favour. The more it rains, the more people are attracted to the book sale.

I had one friendly gent ask me what my favourite course was for a man of his age, who didn’t want to head up and down over hills. I told him Portarlington. Until that point he couldn’t remember where he was a member, but Portarlington prompted him; it turned out he was a member of one of my other favourite courses: Portumna.

I met my first ‘golf orphan’, who bought a book for his parents who, strangely enough, were off golfing. I chatted to a friend who, as a child, was left to play under the table in the clubhouse while her parents went out for a round at Narin & Portnoo.

[Photo: the uplifting par three 7th at Narin & Portnoo]

A very attractive blonde walked through the rain and up to the desk where I was sitting. “I was going to buy a book for my boyfriend, but we broke up,” she said. “So I’m going to take it up myself.” She bought a book and then had a long chat with a woman standing nearby who mentioned that there was a special ladies’ society that played every Thursday at Stackstown. For golfers of all abilities. They swapped numbers. I sold two books to a couple who were giving them as presents to friends. I signed one of the books to Aubrey and Angela and then realised I knew them: I have played golf with Aubrey several times. It’s a small world.