I went with Emily to a book signing recently by author George R. R. Martin. He is best known for the ongoing fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire. However, he also wrote an interesting book called Fevre Dream, and that book caught my eye as we were waiting for him to arrive at Joseph Beth.

Fevre Dream is set in the mid-19th century, and it takes place largely on a steamboat on the Mississippi river. Incongruously, it also prominently features vampires. Anyway, I was paging through the first chapter, developing a mental image of the short, stocky steamboat operator with his full beard and captain's hat. Then the author walked in to do the signing.