I'll never forget the day when a child and her mother brought one of my books up to the Information Desk (where I was stationed) and asked if that book was any good. Picture me standing there with my name tag in full view. What could I say but - "yes, it's a good book. I know the author. She does deep research for her books."
Still waiting to this day for them (or anyone) to notice that it's MY book. (books) In fact, when I did talks at libraries about writing and sat only 7 feet from the poster that had my picture on it -- nobody asked it that was me.
One person brought her children to my talk because she thought the speaker/ author was a black writer.
(this happened several times. I guess I photograph as an African American - which would surprise my English and German ancestors.)
Or maybe it's because I wrote about some of my favorite people - who happened to be black. Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington - I grew up listening to their music and was a musician myself.
