Berry Fest Bentonville

As I write this, I'm enjoying blueberry pancakes created with delicious blueberries Scott and I picked yesterday at The Berry Fest. If you are fans of Fixer to Fabulous, you know about Jenny and Dave Marrs, but you may not know about their charitable work, including The Berry Farm. This is the second year of this fundraising event, and it was ridiculously hot (like "danger level" according to our weather guy) but still a delightful evening. 

The purpose of the fundraiser--copied from their website:

In partnership with Help One Now and their local leaders in Marondera, Zimbabwe, our farm will provide resources to train and empower teenagers and young adults to transition into adulthood with the skills that they need to succeed. Our farm funds The Gatehouse Project, providing training and mentorship in agriculture & livestock, wood & metal working, business management, textiles, cooking and even technology to over 80 orphaned and vulnerable children at Musha WeVana Village in Zimbabwe. 

If I'm going to pick blueberries in the summer heat, it helps knowing the proceeds are going to support something so important. Plus, there was live music and delightful company.

I wore my tiger shirt from Turpentine Creek and ended up chatting with a family about how they should visit again and see all the new rescues. We all have our causes we support!

Scott was good about getting the low ones so I didn't have to bend down so much.

Yum! Will there be any left to freeze? Questionable!

Besides getting to say hello to Dave (I love how he is constantly so excited to see everyone and responds like you are an old friend he's so glad showed up), we also had a star sighting of Keith and Evan from Bargain Block. Detroit native Scott was tempted to yell, "Go Blue!" but they were talking with someone and, well, it was SO hot. We just ate our Kona Ice in the shade instead.

And if you are somehow not familiar with Fixer to Fabulous, I highly recommend you check it out. Season 4 is in process now. Besides wanting to support a local business, we just love the show. Reruns are on HGTV all the time, and I often leave it playing, even if I don't have time to watch, so they get the ratings. Go Jenny and Dave! 

On the business side of things, I'm wrapping up a novella, Taliya and the Uncivilized, that will be free for newsletter subscribers. It covers an event during the three years in The Tigran Chronicles between the end of the main story and the epilogue. Hopefully that will be up and ready through Book Funnel by the end of July. There are more novellas to come, and a full sequel. Many more adventures for Taliya and her tigran crew.

I don't normally do book events during the summer. It's just too hot! But we will be back at it again in the fall. Reminder: We will not be at the War Eagle Craft Fair this year. Instead, we will be INSIDE at the Springdale Conference Center that weekend. The whole outside plus easy-to-damage books is something we are trying to avoid in the future, but it will be odd not to be at War Eagle. It's a great event, and we met many of you there! 

Have a wonderful Father's Day Weekend! Scott has already enjoyed some blueberry pancakes and will be celebrated by his daughters (and Hiro) tomorrow. He's also already seen the new Top Gun movie. He's kind of a fan. 

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!