Attempting to Be Cool

I am, of course, making a bigger deal out of this reading event than I need to. It’s hardly a book tour. All I have to do is read this one story. There are four other authors reading that evening, so it’s not like I have to carry the event.

I am, however, reading first. At least for now. So far the process of organizing this event has involved more e-mail than a congressional scandal. But for now we’ve sort of decided on alphabetical order, and that puts me first.

It also means that the middle three stories will all be about Italy, which seems to alarm at least one reader, and may cause another lineup change. I’m not too worried about that, though. If someone thought all the Italy stories could co-exist in one anthology, they ought to be able to stand side by side at a reading event. And I think I’d rather go first—I’ll only get more nervous sitting there listening to the others, and I like to be the one who sets the bar, not the one who lands with it in an ungainly heap on the crash mat.