San Antonio stroll, with The Dean

Even when turnout is small, it doesn’t matter if the joint isn’t crowded so long as the right people are in the house. That was definitely the case for the reading I did Monday evening at The Twig, a super-cool bookstore in the old Pearl Brewery not far from downtown San Antonio. I grew up in the Alamo City, so there were some relatives and old family friends in the house — plus my buddy Dean Dauphinais, also known as the best fan an author can have.

Dean is someone I’ve known for 15 years, going back to when I did some entries for the MusicHound record-guide series. He’s a huge Ryan fan, and we’ve often sent tracks and tidbits back and forth over the years. When I let him read a few in-progress chapters of “Losering,” he instantly got on-board as an early and enthusiastic supporter. He’s one of a handful of folks who were enormously helpful during the process (and he’s continued talking the book up now that it’s out, bless his heart). Dean lives in Detroit, but he just happened to be in Texas during my “book tour.” So he came to the Austin reading as well as the one in San Antonio, and he even brought along friends to both.

Now that is a friend and fan to cherish! Thanks, Dean.