Being one of the writers, and eager for my share of the groupies, I attended the first book signing with great anticipation. How could the event be anything but fab? After all, five of Mormonism’s funniest people would be gathered into one place. The chemistry would be irresistible.

It turns out our chemistry was at least mostly irresistible. The resistability started when the Borders people forgot we were coming. But we were not to be stopped. We hauled the table out ourselves, stacked it with books, and started to make plans.

“We should put up funny signs,” one of us declared.

“We should put a bowl of candy on the table,” enthused another.

“We should juggle things!” crowed a third.

Then we all realized that we really should have planned this before we came.

The signing wasn’t a flop. We overcame our lack of preparedness and managed to charm a few innocent passerby into adoring us.

On the other hand …

I walked into Deseret Book Saturday afternoon and found myself in the middle of a traffic jam. Most of the participants seemed to be female, and all of them facing the same direction: toward a stand of books and a table full of women writing in those books. What could be going on?

I’ll tell you what was going on: the authors and editor of The Mother In Me were having a book signing party.

One look around and it became immediately clear to me that I should have hired these sisters to organize The Mormon Tabernacle Enquirer’s book signing. Not only had they put a bowl of candy on the table, they had provided an entire buffet including a platter of REAL HOMEMADE BAKLAVA!

Then a lovely and intelligent young woman stepped up to the podium and announced some raffle winners.

Yes, they had planned a raffle, too. In fact, my ten-year-old son won a bath set.

No jugglers, though. Unless you count Kathryn Soper (the editor of the book), who showed amazing adeptness at juggling people. Metaphorically.