I may have related this before, but the most unusual discovery of an "unexpected" DS fan happened after gathering with Bobubas and several other DS fans a couple of years ago in New York. At the time, I was head sysop on the Air Warrior online combat sim, and one of the other staff members lived nearby, so he offered to meet me and take me to the airport after Bob's event was finished. When we got together, there were still a few hours before my flight left, so he said he knew of a bar where we could go for a few drinks first.
Bar turns out to be a strip club. We're having some drinks, and as the strippers come out, lo and behold my friend Wayne stands up and yells "Famous writer here! Famous writer here!" In horror, I kinda slunk under the table, but by then two of the strippers came over to see what the ruckus was about. When they found out I'd written a DARK SHADOWS novel, excitement ranneth over, for they were both knocked-out, diehard DS fans from way back. One of them started on about Barnabas and Quentin, and her favorite episodes, etc. Since I had a couple of copies of DREAMS OF THE DARK along in case of an emergency, I ended up giving them the copies in exchange for a few drinks.
The other girl, however, was a bit wary, figuring just anyone might come in claiming to be writer. Never minding a bit, since my friend Wayne was the one doing all the claiming, I produced my driver's license and let her compare it to the name on the book. "So you've got the same name as the writer. Big deal," she says.
"Writers go to strip clubs too, you know," says Wayne.
"It's real cost-effective for me to have a bunch of copies of some guy's book because we have the same name," I says. "But if you don't want the book, you don't have to keep it."
"Oh, no," she says. "I'll take the book. I loved DARK SHADOWS. And there's always a chance you're the real guy."
After that, the first girl made a couple of offers I sort of had to refuse, and I came out of there two books poorer and quite a few shots drunker.
Never know whom you're going to meet.
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