 Nora's
Carolina
Moon Tour 2000
Waldenbooks
Dallas, Texas
Tuesday, March 21
Tour Reports
Claire
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Darla
Nora In Dallas-March 21, 2000
The evening before, I was almost too excited to
sleep. My online pal Darla was coming up from San
Antonio, and we were going to see Nora. So I had 2
reasons to be nervous. LOL After going to bed
around 1am and getting up before 5, I finished my
room (that I had recently redecorated), made sure
my Nora bookcase looked good, and went to work.
Around 11:40, I decided I’d had enough and left.
Darla was due at my house around noon, and I wanted
to be here before her. I made it by about 2
minutes.
I look out and see this HUGE white Expedition
(no wonder it’s called Moby!!) sitting in my
driveway. I barrel out and no one gets out for a
few seconds. Just long enough for the butterflies
to exponentially increase in my stomach. Then, she
got out. Geez! Pretty and wearing a dress!!!???!!!
Oh boy. We hug, and I start talking at LEAST 500
miles an hour. Well, I DID mention that I was
nervous and when I’m nervous, I talk. So, I kinda
danced around her as she got her stuff and I took
her inside. Showed her around, especially my Nora
bookcase, and after around 30 minutes, we take off.
The weather decides that we need more excitement
in our day and it begins to rain. I take Darla to
my UBS, and we wander around. She makes very
gratifying noises and picks out 5 or 6 books. I get
a couple myself. Luckily, I have enough store
credit to practically buy the place, so we didn’t
spend much cash.
Then, off we go to NorthPark Mall. It’s clear
over in Dallas, and on the way the weather gets
worse. I miss the turnoff and realize I’m going to
go in a circular pattern to get to the mall. I
don’t want Darla to think I’m a total idiot so I
tell her what’s happened but that we ARE NOT lost.
I ask her if she’s ever been to the area, she says
no, so I explain that I’m making sure she sees
something other than freeway. <snort> She’s
being so quiet that I’m thinking (a) she doesn’t
like me or (b) she REALLY doesn’t like me. I mean,
she’s been so articulate online. How was I to know
she’s the quiet type in person? Sheesh!!
Anyway, taking the scenic route, we finally get
to the mall around 5 p.m. We park in a decent place
and find Waldenbooks. Geez. Some brain cell
challenged young man is working there and kinda
smirks some info at us about Nora’s signing.
Basically, he knows little and doesn’t really care.
I ask for the manager so he smirks at us some more
and gets him. Well!! The manager is more concerned
with explaining the various politics involved with
Little League than with my questions about Nora’s
signing. <sigh> I’m hoping at this point that
Nora will really come and how much chocolate will
be required to make up for the idiots she’ll be
dealing with!! Then, the manager says that the
OTHER manager told him she’d be here this evening.
So he’s happy that he has the night off to go deal
with the Little League. I’m relieved too. LOL
There obviously won’t be a discussion as there
isn’t enough room for more than 2 people to stand
side by side in the front of the store. Further on,
it’s strictly single file. We’re talking about 1/3
or 1/4 the size of the Walden's that I go to and
where Nora was last year. On the positive side,
they have a very large selection of Nora’s books,
including the In Death books. At this point, Darla
and I buy a couple of books and leave to go move
the car closer. That was fun. <g> Then, Darla
points out the Godiva store that I completely
missed the first time. Shows MY priorities!!! We go
in, salivate, get a real (maybe) offer from the
saleslady to lock us in the store overnight, then I
choose 4 truffles for Nora. And a couple for me!!
<g> Dang!! Those things are expensive!!!!
Darla had brought some Lindt chocolate with her, so
we were set.
Oh!! I had also brought my homemade bath salts.
I had sent Nora some Scented Stones for her
birthday last year and she really likes them, so I
thought she’d enjoy the bath salts as well. Brought
her a little of each kind. Good thing she has
people along to help her carry this stuff!! LOL
Okay, it’s still only around 5:45 or so, and no
line is forming, so we go across the way to the
Mickey D’s. We munch and keep an eye on the place.
I am much less patient than Darla, and when there
are 3 or 4 people in a line, I get too antsy and we
get in line ourselves. I’m busy explaining some
incredibly important detail about Nora and her
books to some total stranger when I look around and
see Nora in the store!!!! ?????? Another lady says
she just came in. We totally missed her!!!
Obviously, my radar is faulty. She goes to the back
for the stock signing and right on the dot of 7,
appears for the signing.
Now, I must say that Darla had started actually
talking to me and the others in line for a while
and I had started to relax, thinking she had
finally started to like me!!! Then she mentions
that she’s getting nervous and that’s why she’s
talking!!! So now I think.....good thing I’ve got
the car, otherwise I don’t think I’d be seeing her
again!! Maybe I should mention at this point that I
occasionally have self esteem problems. LOLOL
Anyway, we’re like #5 and #6 in line, so it only
takes a couple of minutes for our turn to come up.
The bookseller from my Walden's was there to help
Nora so that helped me quite a bit. I decided that
I was NOT going to do the coma imitation this year,
that I was going to TALK TO NORA!!!! So, of course,
I went to the other extreme and rattled on so much
Darla couldn’t say anything at all. AT ALL!!!!! She
was too nervous to talk anyway, but .......
The first thing I did was point out to Nora what
book she was about to sign for me. It was PMT. She
laughed and kinda shook her head and signed it
without another word. tee hee Then I said everyone
online says hi. We gave her the chocolates, and I
explained about the bath salts in the shoe box.
Seven sample jars takes up some space!! I told her
that I was the one who sent her the Scented Stones
last year, and she said she loved them!! She
thanked me for the bath salts, and I told her there
was enough there for around 21 baths so it should
get her home!!
She laughed and then the REAL conversation
started. I asked would she please tell me exactly
what she’s wearing?? Kathy, the Walden's lady,
started laughing and said, "Karen, really!!" Nora
looked at her and said, "Oh, they’ve got to know."
At the same time, I said, "Yeah, Nancy will KILL me
if I don’t get all the right info." Nora said she
misses being online and don’t we have FUN? Well, it
really made me feel special when I realized that
being online means that much to Nora. You could
tell from her voice that she really does miss us
and enjoys being with us as much as we do with her.
Anyway!!!!! Her outfit.
AHEM!!!!! Black leather jacket that she had
draped on the chair behind her. Brown slacks,
long-sleeved white t-shirt with a gorgeous vest.
The vest was a brown/burgundy w/purple stripes on
one side and peacock feather decoration on the
other. She said she was wearing her "boy" shoes
again, and she propped her foot up on the table to
show us!!! I could see out of the corner of my eye
the others in line were looking and wondering what
was going on!! I loved it. She had pretty bracelets
on both wrists, kinda slim diamond looking things.
And a necklace that looked like a topaz or amber
stone hanging from a chain. She had just bought a
ring at Neiman’s, and it was really cool looking.
Gold on half, silver on half and kinda squared on
top with an amber or topaz looking stone set in it.
She said she’d had a facial that morning and had
gotten some rest and loved being here. Phew!!! LOL
I was scribbling this info down and said, "Okay,
have I gotten all the clothes info?" She looked at
me and said, "That’s pretty much all I'm wearing at
the moment." I howled!!! I said I’d make sure
everyone knew that. <snicker>
Okay, Darla remembered (thanks TSAB!!) that I
brought a camera. She asked if I was going to take
any pictures. I whipped it out and Nora smiled.
Click!! Then, Darla was asking if I wanted her to
take one of me and Nora, I was asking if Darla
wanted ME to take one of HER and Nora!! LOL The
next lady in line, or maybe it was the manager’s
hubby, said I’ll take a picture of BOTH of you with
Nora. Well, Nora liked that, I tried to remember
how to breathe, and we got our picture taken with
Nora. <giggle>
Well, Darla and I slunk off with our books
toward the middle of the store where they had
lemonade and cookies set out. I hate lemonade so
please understand that I was so high from talking
to Nora that I had 2 GLASSES of the stuff before I
calmed down enough to go Blech! Darla and I were
both kinda shaking and my face was about the color
of an extremely ripe tomato. After a few minutes, I
realized that we hadn’t asked all the questions
that were in our brains a while ago. RATS!!!! Well,
I hemmed and hawed and asked Darla if we could get
back in line!! She hemmed and hawed and then
agreed. I think she took pity on me!! Whatever
works!!
Well, it only took about 30 minutes to get back
to her. Kathy from Walden's looked at us, then Nora
looked at us, then at the table where there weren’t
any books to sign, then back at us. I had calmed
down considerably by this time and said, "We forgot
some questions!!" She smiled and then it started. I
said, "You know the cone thingy from Witness?" She
looked a little puzzled. That Roarke "appropriated"
She grinned. Yes? "Well, what happened?" She said,
"I assumed he used it." I laughed and said, "Don’t
assume; you know what that does. Will it appear in
a future book?" She said, "It might, you never
know." At which point I said, "Well what exactly
was it?" She has a great grin, by the way. She
said, "Karen, do you think I’m an expert on sexual
devices?" I nodded furiously. She was trying to
drink her Diet Pepsi at this point and almost
choked. I told her I relied on her books for my
education. She really shouldn’t try to drink when
I’m talking to her. LOL
Then I pointed out that Darla was the non-bimbo
Darla. Nora’s eyes lit up and she said, "Oh!!" She
didn’t know why all those bimbos ended up with that
name. I mentioned to Nora that she had never used
my name in a book. She said, well she had a Caryn
as a psychopath once. I told her that didn’t count
and that she couldn’t have had a real Karen in mind
for THAT kind of character. I said she either
hadn’t created a character worthy of my name yet or
didn’t realize what a great name Karen would be!!!
She didn’t commit to anything. Drat!!! I guess I’ll
just wait and see.
A few more people had gotten in line so we
figured we’d better get going. We floated to the
car and it had decided to stop raining. We got home
and talked until around 3:00 in the morning. Darla
got to meet the kids and vice versa. We all sampled
the chocolate and I tried not to whimper with
ecstasy too loud. Darla left me Wednesday around
12:30, but at least she left me plenty of books on
loan so I have an excuse to see her again. All in
all, this was about 3000% better than last year!!!!
I just hope Nora like the bath salts!!!
ADWOFF > NORA'S
TOURS >
CAROLINA
MOON
TOUR > Karen's
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