Did you read about how Angels and Demons (by Dan Brown) and White Oleander (by Janet Finch) recently scored a book promotion opportunity? Well, here's a link to the MSNBC.com story.
It seems that Heidi Dalibor borrowed the books from the Grafton Library and never returned them. She was notified, via mail, that she's have to either pay the library a $30 fine or appear in court. Sadly, Heidi was working that day in what was certainly an important job and was unable to tear herself away to make her court appearance. The next day, the police arrested her at home. (She must have a very, very important job at home, too, because she was too busy to put shoes on her feet to accompany the police to the station when they arrested her.)
Ultimately, Heidi's mother helpfully brought $201 to the police station to spring her daughter from prison. That included the $30 she owed in library fees and the $131 she owed in court costs. Heidi gleefully landed an appearance on NBC's "Today Show" to assure her adoring public that she'd learned a valuable lesson: she won't be borrowing books from the library anymore. Also, she endorsed both Angels and Demons and White Oleander as "good books."
Well, let's hope they were good books. She paid $201 for them. Plus, she lost all those precious hours of work time while she stewed in prison -- and in the green room -- thinking about where she'd gone wrong in life.
Congratulations to Dan Brown and Janet Finch. They didn't need the book promotion opportunity, or the endorsement, but they received both. Gee. Maybe Heidi Dalibor will start her own book club now.
