Why do you dislike signings so much? Is it the sheer tediousness of having to write your name over and over, or is it something else? I feel almost a wee bit.. you know.. guilty now..
Lisa
Oh, I don't dislike them. If I disliked them, I'd stop doing them completely. I do like meeting the people, and talking to everyone in the line. I was trying to contrast them with doing readings, which are fun -- the good ones are proper performances. Whereas any romance involved in signing my name in someone's book evaporated for me in around 1988 by the end of the Black Orchid tour, after Dave McKean and I had signed our way around England.
I suppose it comes down to what I am and what I do. The writing and the readings are part of the magic. The signings are enjoyable but, like copyediting or being interviewed, they're part of the work.