It’s a start. Good time at the local library last week. It turned out not to be a reading, but a panel discussion by three debut novelists. The questions were good, the audience receptive.
The other two panelists were longtime residents of the area and they brought the audience. I’ve lived here three years and don’t have the kind of roots that allowed the others to bring a total of about 30 people. So I was working to snare a few of their buyers, and I got a few. Not a lot, but a few.
Had to drop one of the events I was really looking forward to. It’s a good news/bad news situation. The bad news is Tori and I won’t be able to get out to the Tybee Island Pirate Festival, which I was really looking forward to. But the reason why is the good news – that’s the week Tori starts her new job. You really can’t start a new job and say, “By the way, I need Thursday and Friday off.” It’s a good thing, but like all good things it comes with a cost.
But that wasn’t the only thing on my calendar.
Next Saturday I’ll be down in Houma (about an hour south of here, the heart of Jean Lafitte country) for an author festival. Obviously this is all new territory for me so I don’t know what to expect. I know I’ve got a table I can decorate to sell books from. How many other authors will be there, how big an audience? No idea. But we are hopeful.
And at the end of the month there’s the Louisiana Book Festival where I’ll be part of “Exhibitor’s Row,” which should be good. The event is in Baton Rouge on Halloween. Not the ideal day, but apparently when you plan in event in the fall in Baton Rouge (Red Stick) you make sure it doesn’t conflict with an LSU home football game. And the fact that I’ll be decked out in my pirate finery ought to help.
Both of those events, by the way, were brought to my attention by our friend Capt. John Swallow – you can see his site here – and I appreciate it much.
Then Nov. 14, it’s Pirates and Heroes Weekend at the Louisiana Renaissance Festival, and we’ll be there with the New Orleans Krewe of Pirates.
And I’m working on setting up some events at a couple of local bookstores. It’s a harder sell when you’re self-pubbed, but I’ll do what I can. Have to wait until “Chrissie” works her way through the distribution channels, but that should be fairly soon now.
And while I’m working all this, I’m still finishing up the next installment of “Island of Bones” for Mutiny Magazine. So we’re keeping busy around here.
BaurLife 