Signing books at the Colombo International Book Fair

I had my very first book signing a few months back at the BMICH here in Colombo. There’s always been a weird jumble of memories I have associated with that place. I wore a tie and blazer for Very Important Functions in those halls. I also went to my first Comic Con there (which thankfully had no such dress code restrictions, although I was considering a costume). It makes sense for a conference hall to be like that, I know, especially since it can’t be cheap to keep the lights running in that place throughout the year. But still, talk about juxtaposition.

So anyway, this was a new core memory to add to the bunch! I had a lot of fun here, speaking to a wide variety of authors of every age and shape and size. Getting your own table at one of these things is an interesting experience, especially when you’re still green around the gills as an author. You get a sort of puffed up pride at getting a spot here in the first place, but there’s also something humbling about watching people pass by and get to convince them to try your book face-to-face. There’s something special about handing someone something you made yourself, and realizing that they’re actually going to read that thing! They might love it, they might hate it, but they care enough to try reading that mess of ideas you scribbled onto the page. Anyone who’s had books change their life can understand just how much of an honor it is to even try to make that kind of difference for someone else.