On Saturday, April 5th, something wonderful happened. Hearts of Glass Living in the Real World met the real world at the Fountaindale Library in Bolingbrook Illinois.
Almost 2 dozen were in attendance. Some were friends, some were readers of Gen X Watch, and others I had never met. As far as the age ranges, four generations were in the room. Gen X, Millennials, Gen Z, and something I did not expect, a middle schooler who is Gen Alpha with his Gen X dad.
I am grateful that I do not dismiss or disparage the younger generations because during Q&A some of the most insightful questions and comments came from the youngest person in the room.
Talking Hearts of Glass and Gen X
The conversations with multiple generations in a room were wondrous! Being that Hearts of Glass takes place at a real mall many of the people in the room went to or worked at as well as other hangout of day’s past, there was fascinating discussion to be had.
The Fate of the Ice Cream Cone
At one point we had discussed the mysterious fate of an ice cream cone in the chapter titles “Riverwalk”. People who hung out at the Riverwalk in their youth wanted to know where the ice cream cone was bought. Cock Robin? Oberweis? Colonial? When I told the audience where they went and the wooden bridge the chapter starts at, the people in the room who remembered nodded.
Then I learned that our obsessive nature is a multigenerational affair. We spoke about the fate of the ice cream cone and how and why that was told in another chapter! We had all become emotionally invested in the ice cream cone and its fate. I am wondering if some bought the book simply to learn about the ice cream cone’s fate!
Will Younger Generations Understand Cultural References
Someone asked the question, “Are you concerned that younger readers won’t understand some of the references, like Polo Cologne or certain stores or bands.
This led to a wonderful conversation about the importance of world building. It doesn’t matter if the setting is Middle Earth, Narnia, Gilead, or the Fox Valley Mall in the 80’s, you are creating a world. If that world features a heroes’ journey, the world takes the characters away from their known world into a call to adventure to someplace foreign. Through the eyes of the characters you discover this carefully crafted world.
A young person may not know what Polo cologne is, but they know what cologne is and that one character finds it alluring. They might have never gone to the Ticketmaster ticket booth at the back of a department store to buy concert tickets, but they know what Ticketmaster is and what a concert is. Finally, Stranger Things and the popularity of historical fiction shows that maybe…just maybe…there are some teenagers that know more about the world Gen X grew up in than we know about the world they are growing up in.
I signed books for Gen Z and Gen Alpha readers. I’ve no doubt that they will catch all the references, know the themes of loneliness, facing trails, and the idea of the need for friends and love to survive it all. I hope they also enjoy the story!
Signing and Sharing
Then came the most sublime moment of all. Signing the books, sharing stories with each new reader, and thanking them for being there and looking forward to their thoughts and reviews of Hearts of Glass Living in the Real World!
It is something I have not done in 11 years and I had forgotten how beautiful a moment that is.
We have two more appearances scheduled and we will discuss those more as we get closer to those dates.
Tomorrow we will have links where you can get your copy of Hearts of Glass Living in the Real World. You will get to learn about Cassie, Ford, Jenny, and find out what happened to the ice cream cone!
A Special Offer For You
If you wanted to be there, but couldn’t be and won’t be able to make any of the events, but want a signed copy, I have a special opportunity for you.
If you send $25 to THIS LINK and include your mailing address, I will mail you a signed copy, email you a digital copy so you can start reading now, and throw in an extra gift as a thank you! This price is a flat price and includes shipping and handling in the US. If you live outside the US, please reach out to me in the Contact Us section of the site and I will give you the price to factor in shipping and tariffs.
If you want to give more than $25, all additional funds will go toward hiring ASL interpreters for future events to ensure everyone gets to enjoy not just the story, but our time together!
Stay Totally Awesome, Stay True to You!
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