tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29915018873538492762024-03-21T13:55:21.204-06:00Miss Prothero's PostThese are the tales and opinions of the indiscriminate reader who owns Miss Prothero's Books.Nan Wigingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13350309423180123309noreply@blogger.comBlogger139125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2991501887353849276.post-76264414840798142662008-09-21T17:55:00.004-06:002008-09-23T17:37:49.865-06:00Lost in the ShuffleThe days have been slipping away from me. I finished August books for the bookstore about a week ago. I don't know what took me so long. Like some bloated investment banker, I guess I didn't want to face up to the dreadful reality. My business was based solely on promises and paper, and both the promises and the paper were bad. Credit card processors nearly ate me alive. That debt I took onNan Wigingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13350309423180123309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2991501887353849276.post-83810293600572874142008-09-07T21:05:00.003-06:002008-09-16T20:21:54.701-06:00The Rise and Fall of Miss ProtheroThis is the never ending post. I can't seem to finish it or read it or edit it. It is as if this blog belongs to someone else, and I no longer have rights. Maybe it does belong to someone else. It certainly belongs to an old ambition, an odd dream, a car that boiled over and broke down.I've been busy not thinking about the bookstore. The landlord finally returned my damage deposit on Nan Wigingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13350309423180123309noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2991501887353849276.post-63587940723688568102008-09-01T08:49:00.007-06:002008-09-02T18:07:06.683-06:00Off-Leash!Rob, Stella, and I got out of town on Saturday. We didn't leave the home planet far behind, but we left it and spent the morning and early afternoon in orbit. We landed a few places. Denver has some wonderful and well-ignored mountain parks. We found O'Fallon. It's near Bear Creek and Kittredge. Stella went illegal and off-leash for a small portion of the walk. A dog just has to do that Nan Wigingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13350309423180123309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2991501887353849276.post-75049572443639628882008-08-24T18:46:00.010-06:002008-08-29T12:27:12.777-06:00The cat always lands on her feet...I thought closing Miss Prothero's Books would be simple. I would just walk out and close the door. I didn't know the door I would walk out of would be the door of an airplane flying at 10,000 feet.As I was falling, I had to remind myself that it took me two years to open the store, two years to make it cozy. I was only taking two months to get it closed and turn it back into the empty shell Nan Wigingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13350309423180123309noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2991501887353849276.post-30314755233683866412008-07-12T12:23:00.012-06:002008-07-20T13:26:50.424-06:00Grand Opening Going Out of Business SaleThe date is set. Miss Prothero's Books will start its going-out-of-business sales on August 1 at 6 p.m. It's a First Friday in the art district and the first day of the Rocky Mountain book and paper fair. We're hoping to capitalize on both events. Miss Prothero may reincarnate at the Denver Book Mall or just remain an online dealer. The future is uncertain. All Miss P knows at the moment is Nan Wigingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13350309423180123309noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2991501887353849276.post-73750840051599657832008-07-02T10:29:00.003-06:002008-07-02T12:22:14.960-06:00What a Character!The Writing Circle met on the June 27 to share their revisions of the Mindy and Ralph story. All stayed true to what each believed was the heart of the story. Patrick Caldwell kept it suspenseful. Ellen Cahill delved deeper into human psychology. Rita Simas cleaned out all the dark cobwebs and preserved her happy ending. She even found a picture of Mindy's house. (Check out the google Nan Wigingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13350309423180123309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2991501887353849276.post-68832005106504808142008-06-29T13:51:00.003-06:002008-06-29T14:14:35.583-06:00Wigtown and Annie's DeskIt's been a pleasant week at Miss Prothero's Books. I learned from my favorite Italian-Scottish customer that the bookstore capitol of Scotland is Wigtown. Being a Wigington, this was mind-tickling news. I'll have to visit the place before I die. I was also visited by my nine-year-old friend Annie and her mother Charlotte. Both mother and daughter are brilliant, beautiful, and bookish. Nan Wigingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13350309423180123309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2991501887353849276.post-71162524570265960732008-06-25T16:09:00.003-06:002008-06-26T13:29:09.772-06:00Now is the time for all good...readers to come to the aid of their country. We've been winnowing the inventory at Miss Prothero's Books. For some time, I have considered finding new homes for all titles in the "American Presidents" section. After all, who wants to read about Woodrow Wilson, Warren G. Harding, Abraham Lincoln, Richard Milhous Nixon, John F. Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan? Shouldn't we focus only on Barack Nan Wigingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13350309423180123309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2991501887353849276.post-37524879057018003922008-06-17T16:09:00.003-06:002008-06-17T16:46:03.157-06:00And they lived happily ever after?The Writing Circle met last Friday to end the saga of Mindy the mindful code enforcement officer. The group had three very different endings to the tale. Ellen Cahill continued with the psychological approach. Mindy and fast fingered Wiley met. Although Mindy escaped without bodily injury, Wiley had his revenge. Patrick Caldwell brought Alexis back into the story. Could it be that Alexis Nan Wigingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13350309423180123309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2991501887353849276.post-17093173292246163662008-06-11T12:55:00.002-06:002008-06-11T13:32:27.815-06:00Sometimes You Have to Spend Money to...Spend money. The old adage about spending money to make money strikes me as one of the wackiest con games ever perpetrated on the American businessman and businesswoman. When I first opened Miss Prothero's Books, I believed it. I spent money underwriting a local public radio station, spent money buying what I thought were well-placed ads, spent money on T-shirts and canvas bags with the store Nan Wigingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13350309423180123309noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2991501887353849276.post-46715829972858455582008-06-05T14:55:00.004-06:002008-06-11T12:55:33.943-06:00None of the News is Fit to PrintBoy, I'll be glad to see the Laughter Yoga ladies walk through the door of Miss Prothero's Books. I need to shake off the day's frustrations as soon as possible. Problems with email have been the major obsession. I can receive all those lovely notes about the Angolan lottery, the magic fix my you-know-what size (I don't even have a you know what), and pleas for help from Outer Mongolia. Nan Wigingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13350309423180123309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2991501887353849276.post-28197439787802560962008-06-01T13:53:00.003-06:002008-06-04T10:41:40.308-06:00Fast Fingered WileyThe Writing Circle keeps cranking out episodes for the days of Mindy's life. Ellen Cahill won the lottery for segment 3. Her piece is pasted below. The circle's next meeting is June 13 at 6:30. (Yes, that's Friday the 13th.) We will once again attempt a potluck. Ellen was so excited about winning the lottery that she volunteered to bring a pasta entree. Miss Prothero's Books will provide Nan Wigingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13350309423180123309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2991501887353849276.post-432485692944595422008-05-27T17:24:00.003-06:002008-05-27T17:43:34.816-06:00Don't Chew Your FingernailsThe Writing Circle met last Friday and will meet again this Friday. (Oh, boy...Can I keep up?) In last Friday's meeting, the group made some notes about place and character, took Mindy inside the building, left her wandering outside on the sidewalk, sent her back to the office, had her find a dead body, a ghost, a homeless person who chewed his fingernails and some German books. Rita Simas whoNan Wigingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13350309423180123309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2991501887353849276.post-55001917792247994812008-05-23T17:42:00.004-06:002008-05-24T13:22:43.041-06:00The Stuff of StuffI've been working at Toni's coffee cart to make ends. The contradiction is most apparent there. I have customers who tell me they don't want their credit card receipt. Trying to save a tree, they tell me as they rip open a packet of sugar, pour it into their Styrofoam coffee, and stir it with a disposable plastic stir stick.I do see it at the bookstore, too. There was one gentleman who told Nan Wigingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13350309423180123309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2991501887353849276.post-17575221286760181322008-05-22T15:32:00.003-06:002008-05-22T15:36:23.698-06:00Bookmark 17 in the 2008 Story Series“Find a good book, a quiet nook,” her friend said.Nan Wigingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13350309423180123309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2991501887353849276.post-26132461982986770582008-05-22T15:27:00.002-06:002008-05-22T15:31:11.101-06:00Bookmark 16 in the 2008 Story SeriesShe tried, but sitting still wasn’t her idea of comfort.Nan Wigingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13350309423180123309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2991501887353849276.post-30226330196314992372008-05-17T16:52:00.006-06:002008-05-17T17:24:13.635-06:00Green Boogers and Bunny Rabbits!I just found my way to the stopping point in the next Whodunit Club selection -- Linda Berry's Death and the Easter Bunny. I want to keep reading, but I know I shouldn't. Owning Miss Prothero's Books doesn't give me the right to violate the club rules. As a way of crossing my fingers and keeping the book shut, I'm writing this entry. Linda Berry's first Trudy Roundtree mystery is stumping me.Nan Wigingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13350309423180123309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2991501887353849276.post-87438057849480329402008-05-14T17:19:00.003-06:002008-05-14T17:34:50.621-06:00Throwing Stones at Cracked HousesI know. I know. I promised the first two pages of Miss Prothero's Writing Circle story a long, long time ago. I've had the stomach flu. Patrick's home computer has had the PC flu. I'm better. It's better. The first two pages are pasted below. Try not to edit. Just add. 2 more pages is all you need. Get Mindy or Marta or Matilda or Matthew inside the house. Have her or him find a Nan Wigingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13350309423180123309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2991501887353849276.post-87951724958310013072008-05-07T15:57:00.005-06:002008-05-07T16:27:50.981-06:00It starts with a pebble in a pond...It starts with a small circle that widens and ripples to the edges of the shore. The small circle becomes large. (Unless, of course, you have a very small pond or a quickly evaporating puddle. In which case the circle remains small.)The writing circle met at Miss Prothero's Books last Saturday. There were only three of us, but we were enthusiastic. We're hoping the enthusiasm radiates out.Nan Wigingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13350309423180123309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2991501887353849276.post-53877726642563968362008-05-03T16:24:00.003-06:002008-05-03T16:40:52.984-06:00Kathy Fish, the writer as rock starLast night, as I was putting out snacks for the Kathy Fish reading, I glanced out the windows and saw something long and black and funereal pull in front of the store. What the heck, I thought, a hearse? Miss Prothero's Books is not dead yet! I moved in closer and saw that it was a limousine. Prom night, I wondered, but aren't the boys who live upstairs too old? Then the driver opened the Nan Wigingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13350309423180123309noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2991501887353849276.post-6911079570072255752008-04-30T17:24:00.003-06:002008-04-30T17:27:19.926-06:00Bookmark 15 in the 2008 Story SeriesHer friend told her the key was comfort.Nan Wigingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13350309423180123309noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2991501887353849276.post-58073322725880919102008-04-30T17:12:00.002-06:002008-04-30T17:17:00.452-06:00Bookmark 14 in the 2008 Story SeriesFrustrated by her failures, our heroine decided to ask a very wise friend.Nan Wigingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13350309423180123309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2991501887353849276.post-17158560857098467132008-04-25T17:13:00.005-06:002008-04-25T18:26:22.108-06:00The Book CrookIt was not a stellar day for sales yesterday. Miss Prothero's Books had one Internet and one walk-in sale. I added a little more than $15 to the till. Good thing it's laughter yoga day, I told myself. At 4:30, the ladies started arriving...Diana, then Jackie, then Karen. Karen brought hats so we could be particularly silly. We were just settling down to breathing and stretching when the Nan Wigingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13350309423180123309noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2991501887353849276.post-77274327335211747902008-04-23T17:18:00.004-06:002008-04-23T18:04:58.280-06:00About the Presence of GodThere is a crazy lady in Miss Prothero's Books. I know because she's been in before. The last time she was here she wanted books about boyfriends. The one she had disappeared, and I don't mean he skipped town. He disappeared into a beam of light. Or so she said. After dismissing all my boyfriend books, she wondered...did if I had any books on voodoo? I did. She sat looking at the sole Nan Wigingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13350309423180123309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2991501887353849276.post-83614903680724023742008-04-18T17:41:00.009-06:002008-04-18T18:26:20.173-06:00There's a multi-tasking mime coming to a bookstore near you...Miss Prothero's Books will host Kathy Fish on May 2. No, she is not a multi-tasking mime. Nor is she the next Stanley Kubrick, the indexer with a migraine, the little girl sent to the closet for eating glue, or the scarecrow named Prue. She is a master of the short, short story. She created all of the above characters and brought their rich complications to her chapbook Laughter, Applause, Nan Wigingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13350309423180123309noreply@blogger.com0