October 1, 2006
Family
Written by Shirley Karr in Jaunty PostJust about everyone who comes into contact with my mom sooner or later is apprised of the fact that her daughter writes books. Mom and her husband set out on a cross-country road trip a few weeks ago. Before they left, at her request I gave her a large selection of signed coverflats, tip cards, and other promo goodies to hand out to friends, relatives, and unsuspecting strangers on their journey.
The first complaint came in the form of a phone call from my nephew David. “It’s not personalized,” he said in his charming Texas drawl. Even if he is related to the author, I didn’t expect Regency romance to be on the reading list of a 20-something guy who takes a handgun and rifle along when he goes fishing. “I didn’t think you’d even want a coverflat,” I said. “Sure I do. I can show it off to my girlfriend. ‘See? My aunt is famous.’” Ooo-kay. I promised I’d mail him a personalized set of all three covers. “That’s more like it,” he said. We chatted a bit more, then he handed the phone to his mother.
“You sent me a coverflat that isn’t personalized?” my sister Sandy complained. I blamed it on trying to make things as easy as possible on Mom – trying to keep straight which coverflat was for which relative would only stress Mom out. And since I dedicated the whole book to Sandy, I didn’t think about personalizing a coverflat for her. She was mollified after I promised to send her a set of all three flats, each one personalized. This is the same sister who has scared at least half a dozen sales clerks because of her emotional outpouring upon seeing my books on store shelves. (I keep telling her to switch to waterproof mascara…)
The last stop on Mom’s road trip was my Aunt Hermoine’s in Sacramento. Mom gave her both books that I had signed “to my favorite eccentric aunt.” Hermoine called me, just in case I hadn’t heard her outraged roar when she read what I’d penned. “Who are you calling eccentric, brat?” Right. Everyone has a different colored wig for each day of the month.
Before Hermoine retired, each time she got a new boss, she’d wear a different color wig each day for a few weeks, just to freak them out. And by different color I don’t mean platinum to champagne to ash blond, I mean red to black to blond. Hermoine has dishwater blond hair that reaches almost to her knees, but she doesn’t like hair in her face, so she braids it and tucks it under a wig. Has done so for as long as I can remember. Nope, nothing eccentric about that…
Being a military family, we spent most of my childhood living in different time zones and sometimes even different continents than our relatives, but there was that year my dad was TDY in Thailand and we were stationed at McClellan AFB near Sacramento. My mom would pile her three kids in our Peugot station wagon, go get Hermoine and her three kids, who lived just a few blocks away, and we’d all go do whatever two moms with six kids needed to do. When she wears a brunette wig, Hermoine looks just like my mom, which as a three-year-old I apparently found alternately comforting and confusing.
Should I tell her the Aunt Hermione character in my December book was, ahem, inspired by her? 
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Robyn DeHart Says:
Gotta love family. I was talking to my dad yesterday on the phone and he mentioned that they have 6 of my latest sitting in their living room. 6? What do they need 6 copies for? When my first book came out he bought I don’t know how many copies and sent them to literally every family member he has. At least they’re supportive.
Shana Says:
How awesome that your families are so supportive! And Shirley, no wonder your characters are so colorful!
Margo Maguire Says:
Wow - quite a family, Shirley!
My mom was a teacher of English literature, and when I was first published in Romance, I was a little afraid to tell her. But she was absolutely great, supportive, and on numerous occasions, asked me to autograph books that she sent to some of her friends. You can’t ask for more than that!
Shirley Karr Says:
They *bought* six copies, Robyn? Very cool. My family always wants me to send them a copy, gratis. Except Sandy — she kept buying copies near the end of their release month because she couldn’t bear the thought of them being stripped.
You’re right, Margo, can’t ask for more than that, especially when so many English Lit profs turn their nose up at romance.