Block Street Block Party

We had a blast this year at the Block Street Block Party in Fayetteville. I've had my eye on this event for the last few years, but there was always a schedule conflict. This year the weather was about as perfect as it can get, and the crowds were huge. It felt like the fall craft fair at War Eagle! Sales were great, which always makes Scott happy, and we met some wonderful people (and dogs).

View from in front of our booth. It went on for blocks!

I must admit, one of the highlights of my day was having a little girl pull money out of her own pocket to get a copy of Vacation Hiro. She had bought Why Kimba Saved The World at Springfest a few weeks before, and she loved it. Book 2 was now a must-have. That's about the best response an author can hope for. Makes it all worth it.

We will definitely plan to do this event again next year. Other authors have asked me if I'd recommend it for them. I have to admit, the children's books sell well, but my adult novel, not so much. So I'm not sure I'd recommend it for those who write for grown-ups. Maybe you could share a booth with other writers and split the expense. Always be sure you have something like a postcard or bookmark to hand out.  You always want to send folks home with some way to find you later, especially if they prefer ebooks. The day after this event, someone purchased a copy of each of my books on Kindle. It's hard to know for sure, but that could have come from a bookmark I handed out. I have bookmarks to go with each of my books. It's nice bling to send home along with a paperback, and it's good advertising for the future as well. That's my two-cents on that.

We take the summer off from events so we can keep up with the excitement at the guest house. June and July are already booking up as much as we'd like them to, so other work gets put on the back burner for a while. I'm really hoping to still get in some writing time each day. That's always the goal! But with guests coming and going, campfires, laundry and cleaning--not to mention the property still on the market and whatever editing work I'm up to--I never know what a day will bring.

My next book, Bianca: The Brave Frail and Delicate Princess, is in the final gasps with beta readers and will head to the editor in a week or so. Yay! Callista has been working on creating the dragon for the cover, so all of that will be coming together over the summer as well. I'm sure you will be hearing lots about it in the fall. Never a dull moment on our mountaintop.

In closing, Hiro wanted me to share this photo of her lazing in the sun this morning. She thinks she looks fabulous and deserves to be admired. How can I disagree?

Have a wonderful holiday weekend, and read something delightful!

Top Blogger Listing

I'm very excited to be listed as one of the top bloggers for kids about cats at Best for the Kids! You can find the link to all of us from this week by clicking here.

There are lots of other interesting bloggers featured, so be sure to check them all out.

I don't always blog about cats, but I may well have something to say after we attempt to clip Miss Fatty Cat's claws for the first time ever. She has gotten old enough that she doesn't care for them herself anymore and is getting stuck on furniture and bedding. This should be interesting!