STEPHEN KING "DEFACES" BOOKS IN AUSTRALIA

Nice story from yesterday's Age:

Bookstore manager Bev Ellis would have baked best-selling American author Stephen King a cake had she known he was in town.
Instead, the multi-millionaire was accused of defacing a handful of books when he stopped off at a shop in the desert town of Alice Springs to sign a few copies of his latest offering.

"I was in my office when he came in and started signing books and one of our customers thought he was writing in them," said Dymocks manager Bev Ellis.
Mr King had left the store by the time she came out but when Ms Ellis was told about the man's strange behaviour she assumed it was the writer himself.
"Their books are like children to them and they look to see how they are going.
"Most of the time they came up and ask us if they can sign a few and they thank us for having the book on the shelves."
But Ms Ellis didn't pass the chance to meet the author in person.
"I saw him go to Woolworths and he was in the fruit and vege section. I was very polite and I asked him how long he had been in town ...
"He just smiled, I don't think he wanted people to know he was here but I told him that if I knew he was coming I would have baked him a cake."

Ms Ellis said she assumed the author was on a holiday and had come into the shop to check to see that Lisey's Story, his most recent book, had been stocked.
Asked if it was the first time an author had simply come in a started signing, Ms Ellis replied: "They don't normally just open the books and go for it."
But she said the high-profile writer was polite and well spoken.
"He introduced me to his friends and we had a talk and then I said 'Well I'll leave you to the tomatoes."

The six copies of the book signed by Mr King will be donated to various charities concerned with literature.