So I went out to get some books today, hit the used bookstore–which had a copy of one of MY covers on the shelf! Woot!–and on the drive back thought “Hmm, maybe I’ll pick up the new Harry Potter while I’m bookshopping.”

Bear in mind that I am a mere minor fan of the Harry Potter phenomenon–they’re fun, they’re engaging, they’re not real heavy, and I feel less guilty about them than I do Mercedes Lackey. So the mania associated with it has mostly passed me by, and while I’ve heard of hordes awaiting the midnight sale of the latest installment, I didn’t really believe it, ‘cos, c’mon, that’s just silliness.

I walked into a Barnes & Noble, glanced around, saw nothing, went up to the cashier.

Me: Do you–
Her: No.
Me: Does anyone–
Her: No. There was one copy in North Scottsdale this morning, but not now.
Me: When–
Her: We don’t know.
Me: Alrighty, then.
(Some people might have found this offensive, but I’ve worked in retail, and I think she probably displayed excellent restraint in not screaming obscenities and shoving an unabridged dictionary down my esophagus.)

Having confirmed that there were no copies anywhere in the Greater Phoenix Metro Area, I shrugged, said “Fine, I’ll get a copy in a few weeks,” and went off to do my grocery shopping. Whereupon I found three copies laying on a stand, at 40% off. At Safeway. Which probably says something, but I’m not sure what.