the power of the pink jacket

I'm a complete sucker for Asian-inspired clothing. I don't like the traditional cheongsam (makes me quite self-conscious) but I love Asian-esque clothes that use Chinese silk or embroidery.

Such was a jacket I got last year. Bright pink, padded, embroidered with brightly colored birds and flowers and more money than I meant to spend, I bought it on impulse.

So, in order to justify my purchase I began to wear the jacket to some of my promotional events. And it is magical. Somehow, it has an invisible influence on my fortune. Whenever I wear it, success is achieved.

Today's event at the Peabody Essex Museum was a prime example. Being a cold day, I put it on as an extra layer of warmth...and the power of the pink jacket performed. The auditorium was full of people and I was able to get through my speech effectively. And most poignant of all was an encounter with a mother, who, with tears in her eyes, told me that her Asian daughter had read Year of the Dog and related to it in ways that moved her.

"She said people had called her a "twinkie" at school just like you in the book," the mother said, "and that when she read that it made her feel a lot better. We had a long talk about it. She had never mentioned it to me before. We never would've discussed it if it weren't for your book."

This conversation and the amazing line for my booksigning just strengthened my belief that my pink jacket has powers beyond normal clothing. I may begin to sleep in it from here on in.