Friday, August 17, 2007

A Frown Like Alice

Horror Story For Stephen King

He is one of the world's top authors, but not everyone recognises Stephen King in Alice Springs, the Outback landmark made famous by the Nevil Shute bestseller `A Town Like Alice’. The horror maestro was actually mistaken for a vandal in a bookshop. Customers at a Dymocks store raised the alarm this week, after King was seen signing several of his books. Store manager Bev Ellis said the onlookers thought he was vandalising the books. But the holidaying horror novelist was soon identified.

FOOTNOTE: For King and country.

10 comments:

none said...

That is about the funniest thing I've read in a while.

Even if I knew who he was, I would have had him arrested for writing in my books :)

david mcmahon said...

G'day Hammer,

Yep, I was brought up to believe that you never, ever scribble in, or deface a book.

I'm with you on that one.

Keep smiling

David

RUTH said...

I don't know which I admire most...your post titles or your footnotes! I wonder if the owner of the shop subsequently raised the price of the autograhed books?

~**Dawn**~ said...

D'oh! I wonder if the manager fekt foolish when she realized who he was? And does signing a book *you* wrote count as defacing?

Shrink Wrapped Scream said...

Isn't that priceless? But still, much as I love him, you have to question his arrogance of assuming he was so well known, he didn't need to clear it with the staff first - ??

Brian in Oxford said...

I shoulda warned him when I was, well, outside the gates, at his house last week!

david mcmahon said...

Hi Ruth,

I'm so glad you like the post titles and the footnotes.

I started (very) occasional footnotes about six months ago, maybe one in 20 posts - and they've just crept in and got more regular.

Now, on the basis of your appreciation, I'll have to pay more attention to them!

Keep smiling

David

david mcmahon said...

Hi Dawn,

That's food for thought! I'm guessing no one in the shop knew who he was.

And I'm sure they treated him like royalty once they knew who he was!

But I think (like you) that a book in a bookstore is the property of the bookstore, not of the author.

Don't you reckon?

Keep smiling

David

david mcmahon said...

Hi Carol,

I;m so glad everyone's enjoyed this yarn.

See my reply to Dawn. Yes, I would have checked first - before inscribing the books!

Keep smiling

David

david mcmahon said...

Hi Brian,

He actually mentioned you on TV in an interview after the ``book-signing'' episode in Alice Springs.

He is a big fan of your blog, apparently.

(And your moon shot!)

Keep smiling

David