Harry Potter Night at Eight Cousins (Trip Report)

Last Friday night, I talked to dozens of wizards, Death Eaters, and dementors. (Okay, some of the dementors didn't talk much, but you know how they are. Too busy soul-sucking for ordinary pleasantries.) I was the guest author at Harry Potter Night at Eight Cousins Bookstore in Falmouth, Massachusetts, and it was very cool.

This was no ordinary Harry Potter party. The whole street got in on the act as Main Street was transformed into Diagon Alley, with each store assuming the identity of its Potterian equivalent. Tons of kids (and adults) dressed up in costume. There was a parade. And a scavenger hunt. And quidditch matches! And I got to park myself right in the middle of it and try to talk people into buying a second (much more purple) book that night. Here's a photo of me at the event:


My secret weapon for drawing in the crowds: a big bowl of candy that I kept filled to the brim! (It's obscured from view in the photo by a girl who's perusing the candy selection.) I refilled that bowl at least five times. Apparently, wizards like candy. A lot.

Eight Cousins is a fabulous bookstore, and I had a wonderful time. I may not have sold as many books as JK that night, but I sold out the bookstore's stock and had a lot of fun doing it. And, of course, I picked up my very own copy of HP7!

(For those of you who are wondering, the safety-pin/bobby-pin method actually worked! The hat stayed on my head the entire night. Whoo-hoo!)