I am not exactly sure how a book signing is supposed to go.

This is my first one.

Thanks in large part to a few friends who agreed to stop by tonight, Feb. 6, between 6:30-8:30 p.m. for free cookies at the Evergreen Park Library (9400 S. Troy Ave., Evergreen Park), I am hopeful that the janitor won't ask me to leave.

But what if someone else comes? A non-blood relative even?  Someone I have never met?

Instead of standing around comparing Target purchases and Redbox rentals with my mom and best friend, how formal do I make this? Do I read from my book, Epic Mom? Isn't that a little pretentious? Can I just read Green Eggs and Ham instead? I'm really good at reading Green Eggs and Ham.

Then the organizer said something about a Q&A session. I get nervous when someone asks me to spell my own name. I would assume that any book-signing questions would be trickier. Like "Why did you write a book?" Or "Do you know where the bathroom is?"

I am a wreck. This is similar to throwing a party and worrying that nobody is going to show up. But then you worry people WILL come and hate your beer. Or your book.

Speaking of beer, I am not allowed to serve it at the book signing. Trust me when I say I tried. Beer makes everything better, including my rendition of Green Eggs and Ham.

But there are still the cookies.

OK. I best go prepare for the great unknown. If anyone out there is short on good deeds this week, please feel free to stop by the Evergreen Park Library tonight. I take pity. I love pity. Pity totally works for me.

The book will be available for sale tonight, and oddly enough, these are the final first edition copies. The second edition went live on Amazon this week. Books are also available through local retailers (visit Facebook page for more information.)

Hope to see you there!

Marianne is mother of three sons and the wife of a southside Irish fireman. She has learned that sometimes you're just too dumb to know what makes you happy. She blogs regularly at We Band of Mothers (webandofmothers.com) and curses with even greater frequency. Her material is written for the imperfect, the imprudent, and the impatient mothers who know that all this stuff is really very funny if you just give it a minute.

See more of Marianne's stories here.

Contact Marianne at walsh200@comcast.net

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