This is tricky because it’s not a memory that most can share. But let’s see what I can do.
My first book party fell on the day of a snowstorm, which did not play to Baltimore’s strengths. It was a middling snow, as such things go, but those are the ones that seem to discombobulae us the most. Still, people came to the store where I signed — including friends from as far away as Minnesota and Texas, in a surprise visit.
The party was held at the home of two good friends, married co-workers. It was packed, with my sister, a Barnes & Noble employee, selling books in the corner. But the part I always remember is the song, written and performed by three co-workers. Called “Baltimore Blues,” it featured Dion Thompson on guitar, Mark Bomster on harmonica and Arthur Hirsch on vocals. The refrain, as I remember it, went something like this. “Oh Laura Lippman, when you write your next book, please don’t write about me.” My family was there, my Baltimore friends, but also several of my San Antonio ones — the out-of-towners I mentioned above, but also some other former Texas journalists who had landed in the D.C. area. My boss, who years later would disappoint me mightily, had even gotten money from the paper to buy some extra food. We spent it on shrimp.
I had reason to think about that party today, which happens to be publication day, because Baltimore and much of the Mid-Atlantic are experiencing these Biblical-scale rainstorms and it’s hard to beileve that anyone will venture out tonight to attend my first reading.
But that’s okay. Eleven books in, I can roll with it. I had the party that mattered when I needed it. And I had a song, written just for me. How often does that happen?
Did you ever have a perfect party? Birthday? Wedding? Wake? Celebrate good times, as the song says.
I remember my “sweet sixteen” party, because of the pink champagne my best friend gave me (and my parents let us drink after everyone went home) and because so many boys came to it that I didn’t know. It was one of those parties that goes around the school grapevines’. My parents were really cool about it and everyone was pretty well behaved. I ended up dating three of the boys I met at my own party.
Congratulations on the pub date! And now I have to get to my local bookstore…
Perfect party? On my wedding day, it was pouring rain in the morning and I was worried because we were having the wedding at 2 in a friend’s back yard, overlooking the Connecticut River. At 1:30, the skies parted to reveal a clear blue and it stayed that way until 7 p.m. when all the guests left and it started to rain again. My grandmother had died five months earlier and I’m convinced she pulled some strings…
My wedding this past February was one of those parties that you play over and over again in your mind. My husband grew up in the San Francisco bay area and my family is in the Philadelphia area, so they hadn’t really met each other before. Since my in-laws are older and not as healthy to travel we had it in San Francisco (plus Philly in Feb? BOO!) Everyone got along very well and we had so much fun! The weather was perfect- not even any fog. It was such a great weekend.
No, I didn’t, because I’m not much on parties for myself. But yours sounds nice! Good friends, shrimp!, and a song written for you, to boot!
The launch parties for my first two books fell during hurricane season. In Florida. In between hurricanes. We even had electricity for one of them. But there was much rum, and Red Stripe and reggae. So everything worked out just fine.
Pub date for the next book, per the wisdom of my publisher, will be in February…
Rum, Red Stripe and reggae — those are the three R’s, right?
Our wedding was at a winery in the SoCal wine country. September, early evening, absolutely perfect weather. About sixty people, everything was outdoors in this designed-to-look-like-Italy courtyard. Buckets of beer and plenty of wine. The cake was on top of a gigantic wine cask.
I thought, like a lot of other males I know, that the wedding day would be full of headaches, anxieties and petty drama. Instead, it turned out to be the most enjoyable, most kick-ass party I’ve ever been invited to.
Plus the DJ adhered to my strict orders to not play “Macarena” or “Who Let the Dogs Out.” Truly, a wish come true…
That sound you hear is women everywhere, going “Awwwwww” after Jeff’s post.
A Celebration of My Life and the Women in It.
My perfect party was my 60th Birthday Celebration at which were 60 women friends from all over the US and Europe. It was at River Farm off the George Washington Parkway on the Potomac near DC. A harpist played and the service was plated and served by wait staff in formal dress. Each table had a centerpiece made from ten separate vases of flowers for each person to take home. It was in late July and the weather had been beastly hot all week. We had a tent to protect us from the hot sun. The day of the Celebration was cooler and had a little misty rain. How lucky was that ?!? The mother of my donor and his sister were both there. It was a time to remember forever for all of us.