Pornokitsch

The book: Horns. I love Joe Hill's second novel and, judging by the crowd, I'm not the only one. 

The star: We left the "hour-long" signing after ninety minutes, and the line was still going strong. If the endless handshaking & chit-chatting was getting to the author, he certainly didn't show it. He was chatty, friendly and interesting. Happy to have photos taken (many people took advantage of this). He also signed his books with a little doodle, which invariably wins me over.

The crowd: Big. The largest indoor signing I've ever attended at Forbidden Planet. A mixed group as well - from your traditional 'Gothy' horror groupies to signing virgins, here for the Big Name.

The setting: Definitely one of Forbidden Planet's better efforts. Lots of staff on hand and tons of product (including his comic books and his old PS Publishing contributions - but not, oddly, his first two books). Allowing the signing queue to be indoors (presumably due to the weather) was a nice touch. I was, however, entertained by the clipboard that came around for no apparent reason. Could've been FP, Gollancz, the Joe Hill fan-club or the local Scientologists. Only time & spam will tell...

Suggestions: Not many - when I'm kvetching about clipboards, you know things went well. Hill was terrific, the publisher & bookseller team were calm and organized, the crowd was friendly and the book was great.

[Editor's note to collectors: Don't forget that we maintain a collection of Pornokitsch "verified" signatures - inscriptions or autographs gained first-hand or from reliable sources.]