Best Parts of Book Signings

I love book signings.
First off, it gives me an excuse to dress up like a Viking. Even if it's just my homemade frock over an oatmeal-colored shirt because this is Texas and it's still in the 90s, it's so much fun. 
I've been to four book signings. Two of them were in a smallish odds-and-ends shop that I won't exactly call an antique store. One was last year at the Dia los Muertos festival, and, obviously, this last one was at a fall festival. This was definitely the best out of the four so far.
I saw so many people, and I talked to most of them. "Hey, do you like to read?" I'd ask them. And then their responses would vary. Two older men said that they couldn't read. One of them said they were teasing. I'm not sure about the second; this is Texas, and while the stereotypical uneducated redneck type is very rare, they still exist. 
An unfortunate lot of people said no, they didn't like to read. This was maybe 60-75% of everyone I talked to. In which case, I'd ask them if they knew someone who liked to read, as Christmas is right around the corner. Every once in a while, a family would come up, and the grandmother would point to someone--normally a teenage girl--and say, "This one likes to read, though."
And then I'd tell them that my book was about a girl who had to help a monk fight off a Viking invasion, that it was on sale for $10, and that I'd sign it for them.
I had several memorable encounters. The first was when a good friend of mine dropped by unexpectedly. Now, this friend lives in Dallas, which is a good hour or two drive from here depending on the traffic. And I had no idea she was coming. Here's us (I, obviously, am the one dressed like a Viking):

I started chatting with one of the ladies who dropped by, and she asked where I'd gone to school. I said I was homeschooled, which she said she'd guessed, and that she homeschooled her kids and they went to a co-op. The very co-op I'd once babysat for.
"Oh, then you'll know Sophie," the mom said, and I walked around the table to see a toddler who was very familiar and unreasonably grown-up.
She didn't remember me. She didn't like me. I'd held this baby for an hour at a time while she slept, and she hid behind her mom's leg! The mom bought a book, though, so that was nice.
I started talking to an older biker-looking guy who said that no, he didn't like to read because he was dyslexic. He bought a book anyway because Alynn is Irish, and he was into genealogy and had found out that he was mostly Irish and Scottish. I hope the dialect doesn't trip him up.
And then I saw one of the nurses who had taken care of my dad when he'd had a heart attack almost two years ago. I'd emailed her a copy of my book, but she bought a hard copy anyway. I told her that my dad's doing great now, going to the gym and eating right and probably in better shape than I am. 
I can't wait for the next book signing! I'll certainly let you know when the next one is. Have you ever seen an old friend of acquaintance in a unique circumstance? Let me know in the comments below! God bless you, dear readers, and don't forget to check us out on Amazon!