Palin fans pleased to see her at Villages appearance

Sarah Palin climbed off her tour bus in Sumter County holding the hands of two of her children, Piper and Trigg.

The crowd of more than 2,000 people chanted "Sarah! Sarah!"

"Gob bless you and I can't wait to get in there and shake hands," Palin exclaimed before heading into the Barnes and Noble bookstore to sign copies of her book, "Going Rogue."

She encouraged her fans gathered in The Villages to read the book. She said that would tell her story "without the filter of the media."

Palin didn't take any questions from local reporters, but before signing books, she did sit down for an interview with Fox News.

Carlyn Bryan watched the interview with interest. She arrived at 3 a.m. to get a place in line.

"We had an extra bonus today because her father is here. We got to meet him and shake his hand," she said with a smile. "And her husband is here, and we saw the kids. It was wonderful."

The crowd started lining up for Palin's book-signing 24 hours before her arrival, with some fans even spending the night outside.

"I told my husband we have to drive four hours up here to see her," said Donna Morris. She and her husband, William, are from Pittsburgh. They're vacationing near Naples.

The Morris' got the eighth place in line, a spot they secured by arriving at 3 p.m. Monday afternoon.

"I wouldn't miss her for the world," said Morris.

Inside the store, Palin warmly greeted her supporters, shaking hands and asking their names.

Barnes and Noble employees started handing out wristbands at 7 a.m. They took fans inside in groups of 50.

"I don't know how she's going to sign 500 books," laughed Bill Fuori, a former college professor from New York. "I mean, she's going to have writer's cramp by 50 books!"

Like many people, Fouri brought a lawn chair and read while he waited.

"She wrote it in a nice, easy-to-read fashion," explained Fuori. "I love it! I think she's an honest politician, and she represents what I think is America."

There weren't any critics in this crowd. Many supporters used similar words to describe Palin, including "honest" and "real."

Kathy Eames likes Palin because she shares her conservative views. She also defended Palin, saying she doesn't think she's been treated fairly by the media.

"She's a breath of fresh air, and I'm standing in support of her because I'm tired of the media really crushing her down," Eames said.

"With Sarah Palin, she's a real person," said 14-year-old Connor Lanser. "In her book it shows that. She writes in plain language. She doesn't try to make us feel stupid."

Lanser convinced his mother to drive him to the book signing from their home in Boca Raton.

"I didn't have to do much convincing," said Lanser. "I said, 'please,' and she took me."