Three Writer Events

I've been busy. Three writer events in eight days!

A week ago Saturday, I participated in the "SCBWI Rendezvous" at the Roanoke Public Library. Getting there was a challenge because most of the streets in the vicinity of the library were blocked for the breast cancer walk. 

The library is to the right of the very green tree.

I'd hoped to park right beside the library, but I couldn't drive anywhere close to it. The closest parking place I could get was in the hospital parking garage, so I had to walk for several blocks. While making the long walk through the parking garage, I noticed tracks in the concrete.

My parking space was a couple of levels up. The tracks started and stopped in the middle of a wide swath of pavement. How did the animal get there and where did it go? Beats me.

By the time I reached the library, several writers and readers were already there. Soon more arrived. Tiffany Trent, the speaker and author of dark fantasy YA novels, gave an excellent presentation about vision and revision. Speaking about the road to publication and the difficulty in getting commercially published, she mention that aspiring authors should "hope but not expect." A lot of the audience participated in asking questions and answering them.

Several of us had our books there to sell and sign. Besides Tiffany with her several books, Angie Smibert was there with Memento Nora, Amanda Cockrell with What We Keep Is Not Always What Will Stay, and me with Ferradiddledumday and Stuck.

Angie Smibert and Marci Atkins watch Tiffany Trent sign books.

Thursday, I was one of the Lake Writers at the Moneta/SML Library's MOarts Meet and Greet open house. Besides writers, the place was packed with musicians, artists, crafters, and plenty of visitors. Thanks to Sally Roseveare, the Lake Writers had a long table. I took the space next to Sue Coryell, whose A Red, Red Rose just came out.

Sue Coryell with her new book.

While sitting at the table, I chatted with a lot of nice folks, sold several books, and listened to some good down-home music. When I wandered around later, I watched alpaca fleece being spun into yarn, saw some quilters at work, and looked at an array of artwork.

The musicians were a crowd-pleaser.

Yesterday, I went to Martinsville for Binding Time Cafe's Spring Book Festival for area authors. It was nice meeting some new folks and re-connecting with some others. Besides selling and signing books, I also did some promoting for the Mountain Spirits Festival on September 29. It didn't take me long to set up under the tent.

I've been trying to recruit author/publisher Tom Perry of Laurel Hill Publishing to bring his books to Mountain Spirits this year. I hope I convinced him. He has lots of regional history books that would interest Franklin county residents.

I'd been wanting a copy of Avis Turner's new book, In the Land Where Fairies Cried Tears of Stone: Grandma's Story, and I bought it from her. I started it last night and I'm already halfway through. Avis will have her book at Mountain Spirits.

Another author returning to Mountain Spirits is Libby Bondurant (below right), whose cookbook, Grazing Along the Crooked Road, is very popular in the area. Libby brought some tasty chocolate and pecan covered pretzels for folks to snack on.

Speaking of spirits, paranormal investigator John Salas (above) self-published a paranormal novel, Promises Kept. He'll be at Mountain Spirits, too.

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