As you know, last weekend I attended the Savannah Children's Book Festival put on by the Live Oak Public Library, along with several corporate sponsors. What makes this event so special is that participating authors don't pay a cent! Well, other than transportation and lodging. Since it's a 4 1/2 hour drive for us, my husband and I usually arrive on Friday and leave Sunday morning.
The library also sponsors a crab boil on Friday night for all the authors and spouses or friends. Shrimp, sausage, potatoes, chicken (okay, so I'm not sure how chicken fits into a crab boil, or the fact that I didn't see crab-one on the buffet table!), steamed veggies, brownies, and cheesecake are catered. I spent part of the evening looking for a "fellow" author, Shannon, who was also attending the festival. No luck. My only complaint was returning to the hotel on a "brownie high!"
Saturday, the weather was perfect! A little cool in the morning, but, by 10:00AM, I shed my light jacket and was comfortable the rest of the day. I was told by one of the organizers that there were almost double the authors this year as last.
We arrived around 9:00AM for setup. Most of the tables were already taken but I managed to find an empty one. Book boxes were on the table next to me under a shared umbrella, but no author in site, so I began setting up my "goodies" hoping the person next to me would be nice and friendly.
I was just getting ready to set out my books when my "neighbor" walked up and introduced herself. "Hi. I'm Shannon Greenland." I'm sure she was shocked when I gave her a big hug before she realized the unlikely scenario. Strange...out of 48 authors, fellow Quake authors would end up side-by-side. It made the day even more enjoyable.
The only downer was the absence of the third "Cynthia's Attic" book, "Curse of the Bayou." Because of a problem with the printer, they didn't arrive in time for the festival. Since the festival had advertised I'd be signing all three books, several young readers were disappointed. One father/daughter sticks in my mind. They had come specifically to buy "Curse." I could see the disappointment on her face when she turned away. In spite of that, her dad gave me the ultimate compliment. "She not only loves your books," he said, "she loves the way you write."
Can a writer hear anything better than that?
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3 comments:
warms the cockles, Mary.
(not sure what 'cockles' means, but Orion used it on my blog and whenever I hear a new vocabulary word, I try to use it often)
:-)
Hope you had a nice Thanksgiving!
See latest post, CL!
The Universe at work again,with you and your Quake neighbor. How nice.
What no crawdaddies (sp) either? Louisiana must be on break.
I hope COTB gets here for you soon. With comments like that from your reader's dad, you know you're doing it all right!
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