The Hanover Bookfest

If you’re gonna have a bookfest,
You gotta have a singer and a band!

That’s what the Hanover Writers did at their bookfest on Saturday, October 14, and it worked.

Hanover Bookfest organizer (and Hearts Afire lead singer) JoAnne Liggan, following the theme “Reading Rocks,” rocked the Mechanicsville VFW hall with 60s music while 40 or so authors (mostly self-pubbed or POD-pubbed) chatted with the public and each other.

A few of the authors participating, including moi and my Lake Writer buddy Jim Morrison, did presentations. Mine was actually done by my alter-ego Ida B. Peevish, who dished out a bit of Rock Bottom literary advice. Jim, much more dignified than I, told how he researched and wrote Bedford Goes to War.

The best presentation, however, was by one of the few commercially published authors in attendance—Linda Goodman, whose Daughters of the Appalachians was published by Overmountain Press in 1999. An accomplished story-teller, Linda held us spellbound while she told the story of “Jessie” and reminded us that we’d better be careful what we wish for.

I didn’t sell any books, but I swapped for several that had caught my eye. A lot of other authors were doing the same. I have a theory: The more authors present at a literary event, the fewer books will be sold by any individual author.

But I didn’t mind not selling any books. I had a great time, enjoyed the band and the presentations, did some serious networking, scarfed down some good coffee and refreshments, made a few new friendships, and rekindled a few old ones.

I hope the Hanover Bookfest becomes an annual event. The VFW building was a perfect place—plenty of space for displays and the band, enough restrooms, food service on premises, and plenty of parking space.

And, at that VFW hall, reading really did rock.