Just kidding but he was in Toronto.

At Indigo Books yesterday evening, it was standing room only for the Heather-Mark America Alone interview. I’d like to thank Heather Reisman and her colleagues for running a very nice event. Heather and I have had our differences in the past, and she’s always jolly sporting about it, all things considered. Lots of blog power there, including Right Girl (fully clothed) and the great Kathy Shaidle, whose birthday it was, and Pete Vere, Kathy’s co-writer on a forthcoming book about the “human rights” commissions, drove from Sault Ste Marie, and then drove straight back. Also present were my Maclean’s colleague Tarek Fatah, whose very name causes apoplexy among certain other more litigious Muslims I could mention, and Tahir Gora, whose columns we often link to here. Oh, and my pal Natasha Hassan from The Globe And Mail showed up, but without the snotty guy she hired to slough off a condescending review of America Alone.

http://www.steynonline.com/content/view/1229/128/

It was a very large crowd that met Mark Steyn at the flagship Indigo store at the corner of Bay & Bloor here in Toronto. I arrived at 6pm - an hour early, expecting to meet my friends at the Starbucks and slowly meander to the presentation area. That was not meant to be, as it turned out there was already a sizable crowd waiting while the chairs were being set up. Knowing it’s every man for himself at these types of events, I took a chair and knew I’d catch up with my pals later.

At 7pm, Heather Reisman and Mark Steyn took the stage. Heather, oh Heather. Many people in the audience were actually growing angry with her liberal ineptitude, but I figured “Hey, we knew what we were signing up for where Heather is concerned, so don’t act so shocked.” Though at one point, when she was explaining how Indigo didn’t carry America Alone when it first hit the NYT best seller list because her buyer misjudged the popularity and didn’t buy enough copies, I actually yelled “And this person still has a job?” Whatever.

As usual, Steyn was charming and witty. This seemed to really rip Heather’s knitting, and irritate her whenever the crowd laughed at his jokes. You could tell she really hated having to smile for conservatives for a full hour. Finally she went away and let the book signing begin. He had already signed my hardcover copy in DC at CPAC, but I had a paperback with me that I’m sending to a friend. I was absolutely blown away when he recognized me from the four seconds of meeting me in Washington.

http://girlontheright.com/2008/05/07/america-alone-paperback-launch/

Luckily Mark doesn’t effect my ovaries,