This was a great event, but the venue is SO small for such a big crowd!  I managed to find myself a corner in which to lurk for the Q & A, and I had awesome line #6 for the signing (thanks to hubby, who started trying to call as soon as MBTB opened  ).  What this meant was that the event started at 5 p.m., and I was out the front door at 5:47.  Felt kinda anticlimactic   Son, hubby and I went and had dinner, got home, settled in, and I glanced at the Facebook signing notification...they were JUST CALLING line numbers 200 to 220!?!  In the end, they called the last numbers at around 8:15 p.m.  I've gotta admit, I don't know how JB kept signing for almost 3 hours in the ridiculous heat of that store...he's a better man than I, Gunga Din!  Really appreciate the endurance and patience this required.  Hope he got a hot meal at the end of that night.

On a funny side note, I asked the slightly grumpy line monitor lady if I could ask Jim to sign my tote bag, to which she replied, "NO! Well, I don't know, but probably not."  Fortunately, Jim was much more gracious about it and signed the bag.  He also said he didn't know about the quote on the bag, and seemed rather chuffed about it.  In his words, "I rip off the GREATEST people!"  Attaching an explanatory pic 

Got to attend Jim's writing workshop on Friday.  This was awesome stuff, with real-life practical tips for crafting fiction - nothing artsy and vague, involving muses and/or writer's block. 

The second workshop had a time change from afternoon to morning which made it impossible for me to attend.  At the book signing on Saturday, Jim mentioned that he thought the sessions were being taped and those might be available for viewing later.  Checked with the Con folks, and they said it wasn't their crew.  Anyone out there who might know who to contact about this?  I paid rather a lot for the pass to go to the workshops and I'm bummed I had to miss today's.

I must thank Jim wholeheartedly for enduring the hell that is August in Houston to attend this Con.  Hope he'll come back again someday...