I had a wonderful time last night making new friends and talking about my vintage postcard book, The Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina at the public library in Mt. Pleasant, North Carolina. The people in the audience were happy and interested. Thank you, Mt. Pleasant Friends of the Library, for hosting the event.
Where would we be without Friends of the Library organizations? Thank you for all you do to support and put a spotlight on our public libraries!
There’s a chill in the air. It’s that time of year when the hours of daylight decrease and my dread of winter increases. Writing, reading, and practicing the dulcimer will help get me through the cold months ahead.
I’m currently reading The Life We Bury, by Allen Eskens; My Beloved World, by Sonia Sotomayor; and The Apostles’ Creed: Fresh Water From An Ancient Spring, by James O. Speed.
My Sunday School class has just started a study of the Apostles’ Creed, and we’re using James. O. Speed’s book as our textbook. It promises to be an enlightening study of a creed that I sometimes say by rote without thinking about the words.
I am just 70 pages into The Life We Bury and I am so impressed with Allen Eskens’ writing that I already look forward to his next novel. The Life We Bury is his first novel. This novelist who also practices law has a gift for descriptive writing and characterization. This is a good read and I can’t wait to see how the rest of the story unfolds.
Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s book, My Beloved World, is this month’s pick by Rocky River Readers Book Club. Ms. Sotomayor’s childhood was completely different from my own experience. Imagine someone growing up in “the projects” in New York City defying the odds and earning appointment to the United States Supreme Court!
I have a growing list of books I want to read, so stay tuned.
I held my third author event to publicize The Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina at the public library in Concord, NC on Saturday. Speaking in a large auditorium and using a microphone was more than a little intimidating. The mic wouldn’t pick up my voice when clipped to my lapel, so I had to hold it in my hand. I couldn’t hear myself, so it was difficult to judge if those in the audience could hear me. That was stressful. I felt like I talked too fast and too softly. Seasonal allergies in my throat didn’t help matters.
I was honored that the Concord Friends of the Library hosted the event. They did a super job with publicity. The event was touted on the front page of the Cabarrus News section of the Charlotte Observer twice! Several people in the audience commented on my mountain photos slide show, so I think it definitely adds to my presentation.
My next scheduled event is on November 13 at the public library in Mt. Pleasant, NC. I hope my voice will be stronger for that engagement.
Tonight I received an e-mail from Malaprop’s Bookstore — a wonderful independent bookstore — to drop by the next time I’m in Asheville to autograph some of my books. I hope to do that in December.
Today I had copies of my writing pamphlet printed to send to the president of the North Carolina Society of Historians for inclusion in the packets for the people attending this year’s awards luncheon. I was pleased with what I was able to create using Microsoft Excel for the first time. If I can do it, anyone can do it!
I visited Books-a-Million at Concord Mills Mall today and was disappointed that The Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina was not on the Arcadia Publishing shelf in the “Regional Books” section of the store. That needs to be rectified tomorrow.
The sales and marketing people at Arcadia Publishing have been hard at work getting my book, The Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina on store shelves in the mountains. The following locations already have my book for sale:
Smoky Mountain Host Visitors Center in Franklin
Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville
Books Unlimited in Franklin
The Guilded Lily by Patra in Blowing Rock
Village Pharmacy in Blowing Rock
University Bookstore at Appalachian State University in Boone
Boone Drug locations on King Street and New Market in Boone
Lake Junaluska Assembly at Lake Junaluska
Malaprops Books and Cafe in Asheville
Walgreens on Merrimon Avenue in Asheville
Walgreens on South Tunnel Road in Asheville
Asheville Chamber of Commerce
Battery Park Book Exchange & Champagne Bar in Asheville
Christa’s Country Corner in Newland
Mystery Hill in Blowing Rock
Town Hardware and General Store in Black Mountain
I am thrilled to know that my book is being sold at all these locations and will soon also be available at Second Look Books in Harrisburg.
I’m writing lots of thank you letters today.
I took the plunge today and wrote a trifold pamphlet about my books and published short stories using a template on Microsoft Excel. I’d never used a template before and have used Excel very little.
I’m pleased with the final product and plan to have copies made to be distributed at the annual awards banquet of the North Carolina Society of Historians in Mooresville on October 25, 2014.
Since I’m not very savvy when it comes to computers, I was surprised how it worked out and how simple it was.
I had a great time this afternoon at my book launch party for The Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina! There were 55-60 people in attendance and I felt so much love from everyone. I was honored that so many people took time out of the middle of a beautiful late summer Sunday afternoon to come out to support me. It was overwhelming to look up from my table and see that long line of people waiting to purchase MY book! It was thrilling to give away the six door prizes. I hope everyone had as much fun as I did. It was a wonderful afternoon!
I put the finishing touches on the “script” and the door prize display board today. I have everything together that needs to go to the book launch. After six weeks or more of anticipation, the big day is almost here. If you live within driving distance of Rocky River Presbyterian Church, 7940 Rocky River Road, Concord, NC, please come to my book launch party for The Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina at 3:00 pm on Sunday, September 21, 2014.
I am pleased to announce that Unthinkable Choice, by Sampson and Lee Ann Parker was released on September 16, 2014. Sampson’s hand was caught in a piece of farm equipment on September 11, 2007, and he had to make the “unthinkable choice” to try to get free of the machinery as it was catching on fire. He lost his right arm. This book is Sampson and his wife’s story about the accident and its aftermath. Please go to amazon.com or Barnes & Noble and buy their book. Their story will make you realize how precious life is and how your life can turn in a split second.
I had my first author event this evening at the public library in Harrisburg for The Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, and I didn’t pass out from fright or plummeting blood pressure. That’s a successful event in my book! There were smiling faces in the audience, which helped put me at ease. I probably talked too fast. Suddenly, it was over. People seemed to enjoy watching the slide show of my mountain pictures and some took time to look at the postcards I had on display. I’m not sure anyone took any of the word find puzzles I designed to go with the book, but that’s okay. I was only interrupted once by a freight train passing through. A thunderstorm came out of nowhere at the end and it poured rain. On the way home in the dark, we almost hit a cow that was walking in the road. (Reminded us of an evening drive on the Isle of Skye in Scotland!) We got stopped just in time to miss the cow and then crept along for the next half mile as the cow’s owner guided it home. Traffic backed up as the cow meandered from one side of the road to the other, but the cow didn’t get hurt and nobody got hurt. It was a tense situation that could have had a much different ending if we had been traveling any faster.
It was an eventful several hours.
