Meeting Neil Gaiman

As part of my Mother’s Day present, I got a ticket to Neil Gaiman’s book signing in Decatur, GA. I've been a fan of his for many years and I never thought I’d be able to meet him. Also knowing that this is his last book tour in the US, I was very excited to meet him.

The signing was over 3 hours from my house and started at 7 pm. Luckily, I have an aunt and uncle who live in GA and were willing to let us spend the night. I actually worked that morning. We drove down as soon as my shift ended and I left right after my husband unloaded the car.

Even though I was about an hour early, I had a long wait. I had to pick up my ticket which was one line and then I had to get into the line to actually get into the building. Because I had gotten there so late, I ended up in the overflow room.

The first part of the evening had Neil Gaiman reading from his new book, The Ocean at the End of the Lane. He also answered some questions. It was very entertaining. After the talk, he took a break and I prepared for a long way.

I had heard that some of the previous signings had gone late into the night so I had brought my Kindle with me. I had also thrown in my phone charger into my purse just in case. The overflow room was much more comfortable than the regular auditorium. It was much cooler, the chairs were more comfortable and there were lots of outlets so I was able to charge up my phone.

I spent my wait reading, talking with my seatmates, and taking a few walks. In the lobby, the book store that was sponsoring the signing had other Neil Gaiman books for sale. I bought a copy of Coraline for Emily to get signed.

Finally we were lead downstairs and it didn't take too long after that until I was almost up to meet Neil Gaiman. I was a little starstruck, but I managed to mention that Coraline was for my daughter and that I loved BPAL.

He was super nice even though he had to have been very tired. I got out of the signing a little before 1 am. It was a very long day but it was so worth it.