No Panties at Powell's

Yesterday I went in to the Powell's Travel Store on Pioneer Square. I wasn't that surprised when I didn't see a copy of Whose Panties Are These? out on their front tables. I figured they probably just ordered one or two and that they'd be hidden in a travel essay shelf somewhere. So, I asked the man behind the counter if they had it in yet. Here's how I asked. "Do you have Whose Panties Are These? in yet?" Expecting a weird look because of the word "panties" I added, "It's the sequel to Sand in My Bra." His face lit up and he started to gush about Sand. I smiled and told him I was the editor. He gushed some more. And then he told me that Panties was on order and none of the Powell's stores would get it until the end of October. Wow! Doesn't that seem like a long time? I'll have to check in with TT and see if this is accurate for all the rest of the stores. It's nice that he knew of it though because Sand or other TT books don't have much of a presence on their website and it's always been hard for us to get events there. I'm not sure why. I thought they were just down on travel books after 9/11 but other people get in there. But you'd think that we could have a link in their travel writing section at least. In other Powell's news, I heard that their Travel Store would be closing later this year. Bummer, here's a brief history of Powell's if you've never heard of this great indie bookstore.