Today, I had the surreal experience of receiving, unpacking and shelving my own book at the Cheyenne B&N.

It was in the last box I unpacked. Being a dedicated employee, I was so focused on the job at hand that I didn’t notice the Sourcebooks logo on the box. When I opened it–wow. I can’t even begin to describe how it felt to see that handsome cowboy waiting for me.

(Sorry the picture is so out of focus; my hands were shaking!)

I called my managers to let them know the book had arrived, and Cowboy Trouble‘s release was trumpeted, almost literally, by my friends Kim and Margaret, bounding through the store and shrieking. (It’s a girl thing. I was shrieking too. Then we jumped up and down and hugged.)

So then I got all teary-eyed, because they were every bit as excited as I was.

Now my hands were shaking and I couldn’t see very clearly, but I managed to get the books on a v-cart:

And in a perfect example of serendipity, my friend Mike Bell was on hand to buy the first copy. The first two copies, actually! Thanks, Mike! Thumbs up! And notice the expert salesmanship displayed by Kim! Who could resist?

For years, I”ve walked through the bookstore and fantasized about what it would be like to see my own book on the shelves. I’m not sure I ever believed it would really happen…

Oh, shoot. For some reason, I can’t see very clearly again.