Government Girl Stacy Parker Aab Hits the Booksigning Circuit

I've only been to the Borders on 1801 K Street in Washington, D.C., one other time for a reading, and the area has changed a great deal since I worked in the city nearly 10 years ago.  But hubby and I wandered the city streets for a while looking for something to eat before the reading since I get out of work long before the 6:30 PM event and he had the day off.

We found this out of the way lounge, Recessions, and decided to give it a try.  The way down into the lounge was a bit odd, like winding your way through antiseptic hallways only to find yourself in a mafia den.  We had some cheap eats and drinks, but the service was really slow.

When we got to Borders, the front display of Stacy Parker Aab's book, Government Girl, had been picked over quite a bit.  I did my part and picked up two copies and immediately checked them out at the register; I'd even brought my ARC.  While waiting for the program to start, I read a book and my hubby wandered the bookstore's DVD section and collectors' books.  The reading started a little bit late, but that provided more time for the stragglers to come in and fill up the event's seating.  I was glad to see so many young women in attendance, who either currently went to George Washington University, like Aab had, or were in the political arena already.

Aab read from three sections of her memoir, and at times she seemed a bit nervous.  But with a first book, who wouldn't be?!  One of my favorite sections of the book about Secret Service agents was a real treat to hear in her voice and with her inflections.  This is a section she referred to as an ode of sorts.  I'd say it pays homage to the lonely nature of being a Secret Service agent for sure.  This was my favorite part of the reading.

Following the reading portion of the evening, the floor was opened up to questions from the audience and there was a wide variety.  While she was asked about balancing the stress of working in the White House with her romantic and recreational life, she was also asked about how the atmosphere changed in the White House when the Monica Lewinsky scandal hit during the Clinton Administration.  Here's a little bit of how she answered the atmosphere question (you can thank my husband for all the photos and video because I was nervous for some reason -- I seem to always get that way with authors I enjoy, like I don't know what to say in person):



I think some of the other questions about fashion advice on a budget and dating were a bit strange to ask an author who is about 10 years removed from the area given that things change in D.C. so rapidly, and I'm afraid those audience members didn't really get the answers they had hoped for.  Overall, it was a good reading, and it was great to meet Aab in person after all the lovely emails we have exchanged.  I'll leave you with two pictures, one of the signing line and one of me getting the books signed.

Giveaway Details; This one is open only to readers of the blog OUTSIDE the US/Canada:

1 SIGNED copy of Government Girl is up for grabs.

1.  Leave a comment on this post about whether you get nervous meeting authors you enjoy.
2.  Let me know if you have commented on my review, guest post from Aab, and/or my D.C. Literature Examiner article for additional entries.
3.  Blog, Tweet, Facebook, etc. the giveaway and leave a link for another entry.

Deadline is Feb. 19, 2010, at 11:59 PM EST.  Good Luck!