SECRETS & BOOK INSCRIPTIONS

Book signings are a new experience for me. Okay. Truth be told, I've only had one. One signing. One reader. One book. Still, I thought long and hard beforehand about what to write. I wanted the inscription to mean something to the reader. I wanted it to be personal. A little connection that would remain forever and always in time as special to the reader...and to me.

It seems I'm not alone. When it comes to inscriptions, writers have long relied on their emotions to find the right words.

According to Wayne Gooderman in his post on Books Blog in the Guardian, these dedications "often open onto narratives almost as intriguing as the books they preface." They are often a story within a story.

Take for instance, the relationship between Jean-Paul Sartre and his mother.

Sartre instructs his "mummy" that she "read it all without prejudice". What Goodman loves about this is that it "appears to have been chosen with the cover artwork in mind, which bears the text "I loathe my childhood and all that remains of it".

I once read Mario Puzo based the "The Godfather" character on his mother. Whether or not that is true, I'd like to know what he wrote as a dedication inside her copy of his book!

As for my next book signing? Well, let's just say I'm thankful for the booming popularity of Kindles, Nooks, Kodos and Sony Readers.   ;-)