Book Signing

At the Edinburgh Book Festival, I attended an interview with a former pro athlete who had written a book. He was very animated and outgoing during the talk - even leaping up to kiss a woman at the back of the auditorium.

I sometimes dread asking an author to sign my book because it's hard for me to make small talk with someone who doesn't mind spending hours alone scribbling. Based on his personality during the interview, I thought that this elite athlete would be a chatterbox.

But as the long line coiled out the door and around the gardens, the author looked petrified as the queue never seemed to end. When I got to him, I tried to be chirpy and upbeat, but the work of performance had worn him down.

An introvert. Like me.