Once that table was loaded, it didn't take but a second or two for a line to form to sample everything! Launch Party goodies! Photo Credit: Jeff K. Anne's sisters had brought tons of goodies for the launch party.

Anne and her family showed up early, too. Several fans took them up on their offer while Poisoned Pen staffers were busily getting ready for the main event. Authors John Sandford and (wife) Michele Cook had stopped by to sign copies of Rampage, the third in their YA thriller series, and had graciously said that they'd stay for a bit to sign books and chat with fans who wanted to stop by. I had a ringside seat for an impromptu signing. (They were expecting a large turnout, and they got one!) All this meant that I had to move, but I didn't mind. Once I'd made my purchase and gone to the table in the back to sit and read, I got to watch the event pros at work, seeing how many chairs they could safely fit into the space. It made me wonder if a lot of folks had escaped the Phoenix heat and were now clogging the streets of San Diego. Instead of the usual rush hour congestion, I hit stretches of Indian School Road that barely had any vehicles on them. The one thing that wasn't normal? The traffic. Wilson, author of Clear to Lift, one of my Best Reads of 2016. Things were back to normal: Denis was at work, and I was driving solo to The Poisoned Pen to see Anne A.

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