I'll take BOOK TITLES for $800, Alex

"Sweet you fools...sweeeeeeeeet!"I never thought I'd hear Alex Trebek say my name. Not even as a contestant. So how surreal it was to have my phone and Twitter accounts blowing up with, "Did you know you're a Jeopardy! question?" Or, "You know you've made it, when you're on Jeopardy!"

Keep in mind, I was getting these messages while sitting in TIRE RAMA, waiting for an alignment, reading US Magazine from 1997 (Kate Winslett talks Titanic), and avoiding a scary vat of coffee that is probably used to degrease engine parts at the end of each week.

Made it, indeed.

The "Ohhh, so close" moment was that my good friend, +EricHeidle (Yes, we're all on Google+ now, why aren't you?) was in the contestant pool. There's a sub-culture of Jeopardy! contestants that run a gauntlet of pre-show qualifications and Eric has been awaiting his call to The Show.

Also, another friend and fellow author, Boyd Morrison, is a former Jeopardy! Grand Champion. How'd you like to add that to your resume?

The inevitable follow-up question to all of this is, "Did they get the question right?" No, there were blank stares all around as Alex said, "Sweet" and gave them his patented, "You dummies!" look of pity and condescension.

Comments

[Johanna Moran]

Wow!!!! That is the ultimate, the penultimate! I'm so very jealous.

[Kristan]

Dood, I so want to be a Jeopardy question someday. Very cool!

And hey, I didn't know that about Boyd Morrison!

[Sarah Laurenson]

I said "Sweet" three times and each time gave them the "are you idiots?" look. Still on my DVR in case you're needing your very own copy. But it looks like you might already have it.

[Liz V.]

You can bet those contestants, and all the home followers, will remember the title now.

And someone loved the title -- http://thestilettogang.blogspot.com/2011/07/whats-in-title.html

[Boyd Morrison]

What's even worse is when Alex gives you that look and says, "Ooh sohrry, that's INcorrect." Believe me, I've gotten it first-hand.

Now that you've been referred to on Jeopardy!, your next step is to have a Saturday Night Live skit about you. And don't forget that Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet would make a fantastic Wheel of Fortune clue. And the NY Times crossword. There's still plenty of fertile ground for you.

[Jenn]

I saw this one! I was screaming SWEET!!!! At last, the ding dongs couldn't hear me...

[sergio]

Do you know that in Italy the title has been changed into "The forbidden taste of the ginger" (il gusto proibito dello zenzero)? Don't ask me an explanation: I really can't understand why the italian publisher decided to do so.

[Jaclyn]

This is one of those "I've really made it" experiences - you're part of the cultural landscape. Love it!

[product development]

I said three times and each time gave them the "are you idiots?" look. Still on my DVR in case you're needing your very own copy. But it looks like you might already have it.

[Dave Dubé]

LOL. Apparently India now has developed a vehicle that runs on SPAM.

[SeoNext Reviews]

I saw this one! I was screaming SWEET. At last, the ding dongs couldn't hear me