Reading Aloud
Readers, please enjoy this guest post by Sally Cragin, author of The Astrological Elements.
Image by Zoe Timms Photography
One of the really-cool aspects of having a book is bringing it directly to the people in the hopes they will buy your book. Sort of like an infomercial, but live. As a typically indecisive Libra, I decided the best way to go with “my product” is to go full-speed-ahead and find something in (*plug#1!!) The Astrological Elements that will appeal to as many people in the audience as possible!
Yes, totally shameless. But look at it this way. Isn’t it nicer to be served a piece of cake than to stand in the cafeteria line and hope a corner piece remains by the time you arrive? I have plenty in the book about the 12 signs (as they’re divided into the four elements, fire, earth, air, and water). So there’s something to appeal to everyone!
I ask what birthdays people have, and try to touch on all 12 sun signs. If there’s a particular sun sign NOT present I always give the audience the opportunity to make fun of them if they wish (the last time I made fun of a sign was in a class I taught at the Cambridge Center. There were no Leos present, so we all made merriment at their expense. Within a month I was pregnant. With a baby Leo….). At least that’s what I’ve done at readings in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Making fun of people who aren’t there is an excellent icebreaker!
Okay, totally seriously, what I wanted to reflect on was the fabulous experience of sitting in the chair at the front of the room (the bookstore, the coffee shop, the library) and reading to folks. I’m usually good for a half-hour, always taking suggestions from the audience, and my reading copy is foxed and flagged, with readers’ emails written in the back.
I’m good for a half hour of this (more, if plied with good coffee, which happened at the local Barnes and Noble). Afterwards, I take questions. Many of these have to do with relationships, which is why (*plug!! #2) The Astrological Elements, has an ENTIRE section devoted to all the different combos of elements. First, I analyzed relationships by element, so you find the different fire pairings, ditto earth, air and water. Next comes a section on “neighboring signs” (Aries plus Taurus, Taurus plus Gemini). After that, it’s the opposites (Aries/Libra, Taurus/Scorpio, ouch, ouch, ouch, etc.). The last section has every possible matchup. Leo and Capricorn are popular, persistent and “off the grid” in most astrology tomes.
If you’re in New England and would like me to come read from (*plug #3!!!) The Astrological Elements, do get in touch (sally@moonsigns.net). By the end of our time together in the reading room, I definitely feel like all members of the audience know a little bit about me AND one another. But more importantly, about themselves and their relationships.
ad astra / Sally Cragin
PS: I’m on Twitter (@symbolinedai) and Facebook (Sally Cragin Astrology or Sally Cragin)!
PPS: I also write a blog about this VERY BOOK! It is a very specific blog related to the book (plus, it helps me keep track of where I need to be next!). Visit me at http://www.theastrologicalelements.blogspot.com/.
Our thanks to Sally Cragin for her guest post! For more from Sally, read her article, “The Astrological Elements: How Compatible Are Your Sun Signs?”.
Great post, Sally. I need a little synergy advice and I’m hoping your book will help. 🙂
Thanku Carrie — I spent time in the “lab” writing TAE especially contemplating the unlikely pairings that occur so often in the real world but which are often overlooked in the literature. Hope you enjoy!