Book Expo: A Sign of the Times at Aunt BEA

Book Expo America once again showed the world that books are alive and well (even if bookstores aren't and Amazon is King Pest).

But as you see below, literacy wasn't a guarantee at every stall or table.

As usual, long lines (for those with advance tickets) greeted the old favorites including Linda Fairstein, James Ellroy and Lorenzo Carcaterra, as well as the few celebs on hand such as Neil Patrick Harris and Billy Idol.

Harris arrived late and left early. He was signing a little sampler booklet from his autobiography. His short attention span had many on that line hissing and hissy-fitting, but that was the exception to an otherwise fairly benign event where authors stayed a reasonable amount of time till the carton or two of books disappeared.

The number of "freak show" moments has decreased over the years. Ripley's didn't stage a "Believe it Or Not" exhibit, and there weren't many full-size mascots or costumed "action figures" wandering around for a photo op. This was fine with most serious browsers and businessmen. Any sleepwalking and/or obese librarians (who sometimes were hard to navigate past) could only be shaken from their torpor by the sudden arrival of a celebrity at a booth...or better, the arrival of cookies or little cupcakes courtesy of a few cookbook authors.

This year Book Con (yes, the all too eager offspring of Comic Con) took place on Saturday. In the past, BEA simply took over three days, with Saturday a bit slow with a lot of people off to visit NYC and dealers packing up by noon or 2pm. But this year Book Con took action on Saturday, slicing itself about a fourth of the Javits Center for those book companies that wanted to appeal to the juvenile and "graphic novel" (ie, big fat comic book) crowd. Book Con, with somewhat low ticket prices, lured in thousands of civilians hoping to grab off review copies to sell on eBay and snag face time and autographs with their favorite scribble heroes. They had to be a bit disappointed. Not only weren't there many well known names on Saturday, but the few on hand were not signing. Comic book God Stan Lee was only on a panel, not ready or willing to sign anybody's Spiderman Underoos.

What will happen next year, nobody quite knows...but it does seem that Book Con wants to game-change the event at the Javits Center and turn BEA into a Comic Con with bindings. They'll be happy to charge a fortune so that comic book dealers and graphic novelists can grin and snarl at gawking geeks willing to pay insane amounts for "collectibles." After all, goggle-eyed Googlers who drool over men in tights, aren't buying eBook versions of this junk. They need the actual comic book to wrap in plastic and carefully place in a shelf in their shrine.

In a way it makes sense for Book Con (Comic Con with a more adult name) to try and horn in on BEA, where authors are hurting and so many view Kindle as a convenience to having actual heavy books taking up apartment space.

There's a definite line in the sand between the quiet librarians and book store owners and businessmen of BEA and the the noisy tattoo and Crayola-hair bunch who want to show up in costumes and aren't impressed with authors who sit, smile and sign BOOKS. Or as a few of them stuck behind security and unable to invade the main area of BEA cried, "Where do I get a poster signed of "Wimpy Kid???" Is it a surprise that Cynthia Weil, for example, autographed copies of her book on Friday, but at Comic Con on Saturday autographed posters instead?

As book fans keep saying, with the closure of bookstores, the dominance of Amazon, the piracy of eBooks, the lower advances to authors and the increasing interest in disposable blips on Kindle rather than treasured tomes on a shelf, there's a "sea change going on."

Those wondering if the ship is sinking were buoyed by some of what was going on at BEA. There were still plenty of indie publishers, plenty of optimistic authors signing their new books, and plenty of those "publish it yourself" folks assuring us that if traditional publishers are more interested in celebs including Martin Short or Lena Dunham (both at BEA this year), they'd be willing to publish an eBook (and/or print on demand) to make anyone a potential literary star.

IDOL of the B.E.A. - The Sneer's Familiar! Billy Idol signs in...

You know that face anywhere...the sneer that launched a million sales.

One of the longer lines at BEA (Book Expo America) on opening day was for Billy Idol. Stars always seem to trump the usual authors/suspects (R.L. Stine, Mary Higgins Clark, Carl Hiaasen).

Billy's autograph (on a sampler from the book...his "Dancing with Myself" comes out in October) required not only standing in line, but standing on an earlier line to get the limited edition "ticket."

All this was very amusing to Billy, who in keeping with the masturbatory nature of his book title (and hit single), gleefully rubbed one of the sampler-chapter copies of the book against his crotch. Sorry I wasn't quite quick enough to get that shot, but you do get an evocative glower in the photo on the left.

It'll be a busy Spring, Summer and Fall for the Idol with the bright white hair...he's touring starting in June, and working on the completion of a new album to be released concurrently with the book.

Didn't know Mr. Idol was the literary type? The autobiography promises to raise eyebrows even higher than Billy likes to raise his own. As he says, in all modesty regarding himself and his book: “I am hopelessly divided between the dark and the good, the rebel and the saint, the sex maniac and the monk, the poet and the priest, the demagogue and the populist. Pen to paper, I am putting it all down, every bit from the heart. I am going out on a limb here, so watch my back.”

Patti Dahlstrom: Jesus and a car crash with Paul Williams. That's "Emotion"

"Emotion" is the name of a hit song recorded by Helen Reddy and Shirley bassey. The lyrics are by Patti Dahlstrom, who issued four critically acclaimed albums and has had other songs covered by Bobbie Gentry, Anne Murray, Patti Austin and many more. Music fans still feel a lot of "Emotion" for Patti, who was active at a time when female vocalists sung high and "pretty." She received limited radio play because her voice was lower, earthier. She was a unique hybrid of Southern roots rock and sophisticated L.A. musicianship.

Most fans know she was a close friend of Jim Croce, who died in a plane crash. But not many know that Patti herself was almost killed in a car accident, and that's the lead subject of her eBook "Traveling with Jesus."

She was actually traveling with Paul Williams (the songwriter and actor), who was behind the wheel. The car had no seat belts and when the car skidded out of control, Patti was flung high in the air and landed with a sickening crack...and seemed hopelessly maimed. Williams rushed to her side. He called to her, but she was hearing another voice. Patti writes:

"As I looked at the amazing night sky, I was surrounded by loving beings, and The Voice began to comfort and instruct me. "Do not worry, I am healing you.” I felt at this moment totally safe, completely loved and accepted, and blissfully happy. I was enveloped in a love I’ve never felt on this Earth; it was a love beyond understanding, and yet I knew. I was exactly who and where I should be, no doubt, no fear, just love. "Tell the doctors to call Steve Zax in San Francisco, and to do exactly as he tells them. I am healing you," the Voice continued.

Far away, though by my side, I heard Paul crying, "Patti, an ambulance is on the way."
"Don't worry, Paul, God is healing me."
"Oh, God," he cried.
Then The Voice continued, "Your father will call you in a few days and tell you that the odds are 50,000 to 1 that the doctors can save the left side of your face. Do not listen to him, for I am healing you." I do not remember a time in my life when I have been happier than I was that night lying in the middle of Beverly Glen Canyon with half of my face being held on by a thread, cradled in my dear friend's hands...."

Dahlstrom admits that some skeptics will insist she was merely "hearing things," and that they don't believe any story of help from beyond, but that's the point of the book...a look at faith and the power of believing.

At the moment her tome is available in eBook form only via her website, pattidahlstrombooks.com. Apparently it may eventually be sold as a traditional paperback. Ebooks, especially self-published ones, not only are free from editorial interference, but can be any length and any price. Her book is about 13,000 words (the length of three good-sized short stories). There's no padding here; it's a fast, fascinating read.

Patti's four record albums, and her best known songs, are not big on religious references, so this book does cover different terrain for fans expecting a memoir about songwriting, romance or her anecdotes about her later career as a teacher and expatriate living for a while in England. Hopefully she'll cover those topics in future books. Patti demonstrated long ago that she was excellent with lyrics, and a unique vocalist as well, and now, no surprise at all, she's proven to be an engaging, skillful writer...who can stir up both intellectual curiosity and pure emotion.