Photos from B&N reading 3/19
It was the crappiest night in New York. The kind of night in the city that you just can’t get a cab. Somehow, me, my pregnant wife Brooke, and our 110lb soaking wet, smelly wet dog, superstar, hailed one.
It was an awesome turn-out for my first bookstore reading. So many of my friends were there. People like Billy and Lisa and Julian. The kind of friends that supported me all of those years. My friend, James Thompson, of Funico Studios was photographing the event. And there were also a bunch of strangers there. “Wow, people are interested in my story.” The funniest thing, before I read, was when Ozzy wandered around the bookstore, in between the seats like a maze, in between everybody’s legs, for a meet, (sniff, lick) and greet.
Broken microphone. Not cool for a first-time author, but I survived. I read two chapters of my book. A depressing part and a happy Ozzy part. I picked “Hurricane Bruce,” since that was appropriate for the evening. And then after I depressed the hell out of the crowd, I read, “My Little Black Magnet.” Everybody was laughing their asses off. We had a great time! Then we did a question and answer thing. One guy, Kurt, asked me if a cat would do the same thing as a dog did for me. I responded, “Why not? As long as you connect with the animal. Hey, you love a turtle, go for it.”
It was a great night. After the reading, I signed books. Bonded with the crowd. So many people were there sharing their stories with me. And of course Ozzy was licking their feet. I later found out, that Brooke took Ozzy outside while I busy socializing, but being that I fed him one-too-many pig ears, his stomach exploded all over 6th Avenue and she didn’t have any baggies. To those dog owners out there, nightmare. She nearly killed me.
Before I forget, I must give a shout out to the people working at Barnes and Noble. Amazing. Debbie and Marco were so welcoming to me and the Oz. At the end of the night I signed a bunch of books and they put them in the window with a large poster of my puppy. I smiled with my wife, my Ozzy, my baby in Brooke’s belly and I pointed at the window. Now, what’s cooler than that. : )
much puppy love
- bruce and ozzy
Comments (1) RSS - Posted on April 11, 2008
I couldn’t have asked for a more amazing, “Puppy Chow is Better than Prozac,” book launch party than the one Aldon James and Judy Hamburg hosted for me at the National Arts Club on Gramercy Park. It was an incredible evening. My family, my dear friends, and of course Ozzy were there celebrating with me. Wine and Cheese and Milk bones flowed throughout the evening. When I stood up at the podium to speak I was speechless. It had been quite the journey. And not just from getting control of my manic depression. For getting this book published. Wow, it’s a book in itself.
My sister, Sharon, and her awesome friend, Caryn were selling books as Ozzy and I signed them. I made a stamp of Ozzy’s paw. Being a first-time author, it was so surreal having people actually wait in line for me to sign.
I felt so special that my book was being recognized, in the same club where great authors like Tom Wolfe had spoke years earlier. I remember walking Ozzy around Gramercy Park the night Tom Wolfe was having his release party for “A Man In Full.” I gazed into the window, watching the happy (they looked happy anyway : ) people, their cocktails, the laughter. Wondering, “When will my book get published?” It took 11 years to do it, but I did it. And I thank everybody who stuck by me and my furry little (now 110lbs) guy along the way.