One More Chance

Many thanks to everyone who purchased novels from me this past weekend at the Buffalo Historical Society Makers Market. It's always so much fun talking with readers who want the perfect read.

I even met a gentleman (I feel horrible that I did not get your name), whose grandfather was the gardener of Hillside, the estate that provided the inspiration for Relic. He told me about his fond memories of running around the property and how beautiful it was! He purchased a book in memory of his grandfather, Donald McLellan. These kinds of connections only happen when books are sold in person, and it's why I do shows like this!

Next stop: The Williamsville PTSA Holiday Craft Show at Heim Middle and Elementary Schools. The show is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, December 7th and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday December 8th. There is an entrance fee for this show: $3 per person; $1 for children aged 11 to 17; and free for children 10 and under. Proceeds from the show will provide scholarships for students from the three high schools in Williamsville, NY.

I will be located in the hallway of Heim Elementary School. See you there!

Fun after Turkey Day!

 Sure, Turkey Day is right around the corner -- a day to give thanks. And I have so much to be thankful for this year, including my third novel out there in the world.

But right after Thanksgiving, there is so much fun to be had. I'm talking about the Makers Market at the Buffalo Historical Museum. I look forward to this show every year. Why? 

First of all, there are such wonderful vendors at which to shop. It's an artisan show, so these are top-notch products. Things you'll really be proud to give as holiday gifts.

Second, the venue is the beautiful, turn-of-the-century museum built for the Pan-American Exposition as the New York State Building. Shoppers get the added fun of scoping out the exhibits and the architecture.

I know this is a time for lots of craft and vendor fairs, but try to make time for the Makers Market. It really is a unique show, and I'll be there selling and signing my novels!

Happy Indie Author Day

Seems it is Indie Author Day across the nation! The Buffalo and Erie County Library held their 8th annual Indie Author Day today with a fabulously informative morning conference.

Six speakers talked about everything from writing to publishing to marketing. I've attended four of these mini conferences, but this one was fantastic. I can usually walk away with a few nuggets of information, but my notebook is filled with tips and websites.

One great piece of publishing advice from author Lisa Fellinger: "Consider your own skills and decide where you need professional help. Be honest about your abilities."

Annette Daniels Taylor, author of the Marvelous Marvella series, spoke about the different types of publishing. She gave information about educational publishers, which I was not familiar with. In the end, when choosing the type of publishing you want to pursue, "It all depends on your personal goals, your budget and how much time you want to invest," she said.

The day ended with a three-author panel Q&A, who addressed issues from finding free publicity, to networking, to happy moments and disappointments in their own writing and publishing journeys.

Kudos to everyone involved in bringing us Indie Authors a very informative morning! There's always only one problem with these events: they leave with lists of things I need to do to improve my game! Can't wait until next year! (I have so much work to do before then;)

Jeff Kinney Live!

I had a fun day Saturday with about 300 ten-year-olds and their parents at an author event held by Jeff Kinney, author of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. The kids were absolutely thrilled to be seeing one of their favorite authors in person.

Twenty dollars got two people in the door and a signed copy of his 19th book in the series -- Hot Mess. Quite a deal!

For about ten minutes he talked about his writing process, which is as backwards as I can imagine. He comes up with an idea, then creates the cover first. He writes about 300 jokes next, which in this case involved restaurant and food jokes, and then he starts putting the illustrations and story together.

After that ten minutes, it was off to the races for the next forty-five as the author visit became a kid-centered game show calling up kids and parents in the audience to face off in friendly competitions. The show ended with beach balls painted like meatballs flying through the audience concert-style.

The event was unlike any author event I have ever been to! It really has me thinking about marketing, seeing as how this guy is obviously very successful (After his United States tour, he's off to Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, and China!)  So, remember, if you are a writer, try to go to as many of these events as you can, so you can see how other authors structure these events. Always keep a mental file of those ideas!

Many Thanks

Thank you to everyone who stopped by to chat Saturday at the Sweet Home Dollars for Scholars arts and crafts fair. It's always so much fun to talk with people about books and writing.

A special thank you to Darlene, Lisa, Beverly, Kaitlyn, Doris, Linda, Nancy, Abe, and Ivyana (who jumped up and down when I signed her book!) and others who bought books as gifts. It was wonderful to meet you all.

Remember, if you picked up a bookmark and buy one of my books on Amazon, I will always sign it at my next event.

Speaking of which, I will be selling and signing next at the Buffalo Historical Museum November 29 and 30 and then at the Heim Middle and Elementary School show December 7 and 8.

See you then!
 

Seeing Sandra Cisneros

This week, I got to see one of my favorite authors in person -- Sandra Cisneros. While I taught, her book The House on Mango Street was one of the novels I tried to include every year. 

I guess what I didn't realize about her, was that she was a poet first, although based on the way she writes prose, I should have guessed. So, she had a lot to say about poetry. Here are some of my favorite poetry quotes from that night: 

"Poets are born feeling things too deeply."

"It's easier to write poetry in Spanish because everything rhymes!"

"If what you have to say cannot be published in your lifetime, you'll write your best poetry."

"I don't think at all when I write -- I feel."

"This is a time for poetry. You don't need paints or a brush...all you need is a napkin and a pencil. It's very economical. If we wrote more poetry we wouldn't need any guns."

She read many of her poems that evening, and it made me realize how much I've been missing. I'm off to the bookstore to find some of that poetry right now!

Getting Series-ous

Well, readers of Periphery are already calling for a sequel.

Ironically, I just finished reading two great books: Legends & Lattes and Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree. I mention this only because in the author notes for the second book, Travis writes about the struggle to write a sequel to his first book. 

I always read an author's notes as part of my personal goal of learning about the writing process of as many authors as possible, but I must say, I really appreciated his thoughts on this topic given my current project.

Seems he was sure he had the sequel mapped out, but as he wrote it, he really disliked it! He tried again, and again, and if memory serves me, again. Finally, he ended up writing a prequel that, I agree, was a really fun read.

I just really appreciated his honesty about the difficulty in writing another book using the same characters, especially after the first book was really well received. He admits there is a struggle of writing to meet the expectations of your readers.

Well, I am off on another adventure in the kingdom of Periphery. And thank you, Travis, for your candid thoughts!

Energy Boost

Once a week, my writing buddy Laura and I get together to parallel write. It's like our own writer's workshop. We talk a lot about the pieces we are working on, problems we are having, and segments that we are proud of. If one of us gets stuck, we take the time to help the other person out. And with very busy personal schedules, we are guaranteed at least one morning of serious writing time. Often, that time reinvigorates us and we either keep writing when we get home or follow through with more writing the next day. It's like a writing energy boost!

But during that morning writing session, we also have developed another tradition. A breakfast of yogurt parfaits and warm, buttered scones with tea! We figure the yogurt and fruit is healthy and the scones are decadent. We have our favorites: chocolate chunk and cranberry. That serves as another kind of energy boost!

What do you eat or drink while you are writing to keep your energy up?

Mark Your Calendars

 As the better weather begins, I'm getting ready to fill my calendar with book signing events. New to my schedule this year is the Better Off Read Summer Festival slated for Saturday, August 31 at Artpark in Lewiston, NY.

This year will mark the third year for the festival, which is the brainchild of local author Ian Kinney, and I'm really excited to be a part of it this year!

The festival, which is free, is intended to encourage reading and promote writing and storytelling. There will a discounted book sale and vender booths by local merchants, restaurants, artists, and authors. The day also promises tons of kid-friendly activities, such as storytelling, face-painting, and balloon animals. 

This year, the festival will include an evening of live performances at Artpark's Mainstage Theater. Tickets for those evening performances will be available for purchase.

Sounds like a ton of fun! Mark those calendars! I'll be there!

Periphery is Available!

My newest novel, The Battle for Periphery, is now available on Amazon! A hearty cheer for the
creator of my cover art, Erin Ruffino, and the cover designer, Aaron La Porta! They've done an amazing job at bringing Emerson's adventures to life!

Here is the description:

Emerson wears the cloak of an Amaranth, the garment of a much-revered warrior clan. Since he was a boy, he has been content wandering the realm, but now he is having second thoughts. The idea of settling down in a home of his own is growing on him, and he feels called to build a home in the forest. It's all working, until a princess points a loaded bow to his head.

This Amaranth has shown up just when she needs him the most: a war rages. The palace, the royal family, the very kingdom of Periphery is in danger, and she is determined to make him abide by his Amaranth creed. Their chance meeting leads Emerson on a quest to save a kingdom and a home, but it will also unveil secrets that will change everything he knows about his past and the futures of those he has grown to care for.

Powerful forces are in motion. A mystical tree calls to him, a prophecy plagues his dreams, and a shadowy figure has released a vital spark of light into the night sky.

What will the kingdom's deepest secrets reveal? And can Emerson face the secrets within himself?

I hope you enjoy it! Remember to leave a review! They really do help us Indie authors!

  

     

Speaker Fun

Recently, I had a wonderful experience as the featured author invited to kick off the Spring
season for the Thursday Book Club at the 20th Century Club of Buffalo, NY. The ladies told me I could talk about anything I wanted to talk about -- ah, so many directions to choose from!

So, I chose to talk about what I learned from writing my first novel. I actually learned so much from that first experience, that I had to whittle it down to just three lessons learned, the results of which have served me well through the creation of my second and third novels.

I also need to mention the setting for the presentation, the 20th Century Club, which, according to the ladies, is the oldest woman's club in the country. It was founded in 1894 by Charlotte Mulligan. The "club house" was designed by E.B. Greene and is magnificent. And for those of you who read my books, you know how important setting is to me!  

What a super gathering of women. Such good conversation about books, careers, children! I was only sorry that I didn't get to speak with everyone! Thank you so much for the opportunity! 

And if you bought a book, or buy one in the future, don't forget to write a review for Amazon! Good or bad or somewhere in the middle, all reviews help Indie authors!

Happy New Year

 

2024 is here. Time to reflect on last year and set some goals for next year.

In my second year of retirement, it was challenging to carve out writing time, but scheduling writing days with writer-friend Laura has helped a lot. I finished the first draft of Periphery, got it out and back from beta readers, and I am making great progress with the final draft. The sneak peak of the cover art came in just before the new year, and that is so exciting! Kudos to Erin Ruffino, and now it gets handed off to Aaron La Porta for cover design while Erin works on the map for the inside.

I had three very successful author signings, two with the Dollars for Scholars event at Sweet Home High School and one with the Buffalo Historical Society.

I joined Buffalo Niagara Children's Writers and Illustrators and have attended most of their meetings. I am still meeting monthly with my writer's group. And I attended an inspirational writers' retreat in Rochester this summer.

So, overall, I call it a successful year. Although the initial plan was to have Periphery out in 2023, I think it will be a better read for the time spent crafting it.

So, what are the goals for 2024? First and foremost, get Periphery into the hands of readers. After that, a sequel to Periphery might take over, although I did start working on a ballet story for middle grades while my manuscript was with beta readers. I also have a short story in the works, which I think I might try to get entered into some contests. I would also like to add a couple more signings to the schedule this year. 

Here's to 2024 and staying focused!