First Author Event Scheduled!

My first author event/book signing for The Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina will be held at the public library in Harrisburg at 5:30 p.m., Thursday, September 11th. This is exciting and a bit intimidating. Author events at the other three public libraries in Cabarrus County are in the works, but no dates have been selected.

I’ve tried for two weeks to arrange author events in the three public libraries in one of the counties in the foothills of North Carolina to no avail. It is disappointing. I really want to show my support for public libraries. I will turn my attention to the next county on my list and keep you posted.

Juggling act

I’m juggling plans for my book launch, scheduling speaking engagements, helping to organize the history room/library in the new building at Rocky River Presbyterian Church, compiling notes for docents to have at four history stations at the church on November 1 for a community day, and planning a series of monthly church history talks to begin in September.

My reading time is suffering, and my sewing and quilting time has evaporated. I’m not complaining, though. It is wonderful to have so many interests and activities!

Book release alert: Just 14 days until the publication of The Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, by Arcadia Publishing.

Learning about lead times

I feel my way along in the dark as I try to arrange The Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina book talks.

It has been a learning experience. Our local county’s library system schedules author events three months in advance and the Friends group for each branch library controls the timetable.

Plans for my September 21 book launch at Rocky River Presbyterian Church continue while I try to get other events on the calendar. I will work to schedule book talks locally and in some mountain counties. I still haven’t given up on visiting libraries in five mountain counties in October, but nothing has worked out so far.

Planning book talk

I have sore muscles today after helping to set up the history room yesterday in the new building at Rocky River Presbyterian Church. We haven’t had a room set aside for history in several years, so I’m excited that we’ll once again have such a room. It will serve as history room, church library, and a meeting room. It is absolutely beautiful!

I worked on my book talk today, so I’ll be ready when I start taking The Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina “on the road” to public libraries in September.

Planning a book tour

Every day brings a new experience. I’m putting together my first book tour in the mountains of North Carolina. I’ve selected nine public libraries to contact. Speaking about my book is going to take me way out of my comfort zone, but I need to do it!

Amy Clipston gave a very interesting presentation on Monday night at Rocky River Presbyterian Church. She told us about how she is able to write Amish fiction without being Amish. She also talked about the journey her family took through the process of kidney transplantation. She is one busy and gracious lady! Check out her books and her website: http://www.amyclipston.com.

Amy Clipston author event tonight!

If you live in the Harrisburg/Concord area, come out tonight for an Amy Clipston speaking engagement hosted by Rocky River Readers Book Club at Rocky River Presbyterian Church, 7940 Rocky River Road, Concord, NC at 7:00 p.m. in the church sanctuary. Amy is a Christian fiction writer who specializes in writing Amish fiction. Even if you haven’t read any of Amy’s books, come out tonight to hear her speak. She will also have her books for sale.

What are you reading?

I just finished reading A Fighting Chance, by Elizabeth Warren, and The Associate, by John Grisham. I’ve started reading Talkin’ Tar Heel: How Our Voices Tell the Story of North Carolina, by Walt Wolfram and Jeffrey Reaser.

Tell me what you’re reading.

My book arrived!

My complimentary author copies of The Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina arrived yesterday. What a thrill to hold in my hands a book with my name on the cover as the author! It will be available to the public on August 25.

A Possible Piedmont NC Postcard Book?

With my deadline met with Arcadia Publishing on Thursday, I breathed a little easier over the weekend. I shopped for some postcards with a couple of future books in mind. Today I organized 230+ postcards for possible inclusion in a book of vintage postcards from the piedmont region of North Carolina.

I also searched the 2014 “Writer’s Market” book for magazines to submit articles to about several history topics I have in mind. It’s not easy to break into the magazine market. It’s discouraging when you pitch a story idea to an in-state magazine, it gets rejected, and then a few months later a regular contributing writer gets an article published on the very subject you pitched. That’s happened to me twice with the same magazine. That makes me a little hesitant to pitch story ideas to magazines.