Ken's Book Signing

My book signing at Moravian Book Shop in Bethlehem, PA, last Sunday, November 30, 2014 (about six miles from where I live), was more than just an author sitting behind a table with big, publisher-supplied We Picked Up posters on either side of a pile of books.  It was more than talking about hitchhiking to both the indoctrinated and curious newbies who would never have thought of such a thing.  It was a culmination, a peak moment to be savored, a celebration of a life achievement. I proudly scribbled down my name on 17 books I (an interesting number considering the numerology in the book). Many people came out to support me, and I give the biggest thanks to my younger brother, Welles.  He acted like a mini-MC, pulling people toward the table, saying, "This book will grab you from the first page and you won't want to put it down. I've read it twice and there's still more to get out of it."  He articulated for me what would have been hard to do myself.  He made the book sound like a golden nugget under the Christmas tree, mentioning prominently that its pages contain the full range of emotion that hitchhikers go through: the waiting, the frustration, the fear, the exhilaration, the freedom, the camaraderie, the loneliness, the excitement, the spontaneity, the joy, the wisdom. My wife, Wonza, beamed from afar, but also did her share of mingling with the shoppers on a busy black weekend day.  Chris Calvano sat with me for quite a long time as well, and I appreciate his support—the only book he's read from cover to cover in quite a long time. Those are the types of readers I had hoped to attract with this book. A book to get this country reading again. Overall it was a beautiful afternoon, exhausting when it was over, but fulfilling.