Tag Archives: War Eagle Craft Fair

War Eagle Fall Craft Fair 2014 & Greenwood Writer’s Event

We had such a blast at the War Eagle Fall Craft Fair 2014! For four days (Oct. 16-19), a sea of humanity flowed past, and we sold more books per day than any other event we have ever done. Dozens of happy new readers signed up for my quarterly newsletter, and we had fun trying to keep track of how many people enjoyed my newest book title. About every 10 minutes someone would say “Miss Fatty Cat’s Revenge” and laugh as they went by. Glad to know they appreciated it, even if it wasn’t a book for them. There are apparently a whole lot of Miss Fatty Cat’s out there.

It was sooo cold in the morning, and we had to get set up before the sun for the 8:00 am opening time. We could see our breath every day until 10:00 am! This photo is only day one. The next three days I was better equipped with a warmer coat, hat, scarf, and gloves. Brrr. Probably because of the chill, traffic was a bit slow first thing in the morning, but we stuck it out for the thousands of people who came later in the day. Scott found it funny that we sold a set of books on the first day before we were even set up and sold a set of books at the last minute on the last day as we were just getting ready to close up shop. You never know when that perfect buyer will wander by!

What was especially interesting at this event was how many people bought the whole set without reading a word. I give my fantastic cover designer, Lesley Hollinger Vernon, credit for that. The covers got folks attention and got them to stop and find out more. Yay! I lost track of how many bookmarks we gave out so shoppers could download the kindle version. The response was just overwhelmingly positive.

A couple of fun moments:

*one young woman stopped at the sign, squealed, and clapped her hands over her mouth because she was so excited by the books. She bought a full set.

*a second grade girl read a page out loud to her mom to do the “five finger” test and see if she could read it to herself. She did pretty well, and just got hung up on a couple of words. I had hoped to start at a 2nd/3rd grade reading level, so it was a delight to see I was right on target. You know, I don’t even remember if she bought a book. I was still pleased as punch to hear her reading it.

This is the event this sign was actually created for, and it did its job 100% by getting folks to stop and read and pay attention to what we had to offer. A huge part of a fair like this is just getting the throngs of people to even notice your booth.

We had a great location on the first aisle across from the bridge. This is a low traffic moment when I could actually step out and get a photo. All day, each day, throngs of people crossed the bridge between the three sections. Honestly, if you are just shopping, you think it’s all one big event.

Across from our booth was a caricature artist named Dorinda, and when traffic was slow we enjoyed watching her create little works of art in just a few minutes. The reactions of the people getting them were priceless. What a great way to use your talent to bring some joy into the world! Also across the aisle was Regina Smith, a folk artist from Eureka Springs that we had never met. She left us with some bling for our booth, and Hiro’s travel rep thought it was the perfect vantage point to watch the crowds.

I made her spin when I got a little bored.

Hiro thought it was much scarier than what Daddy did with her when he got bored.

We were also just around the corner from the big food vendor section and had more food at the end of our row. It was perfect because nearly everyone gets some fair treats while they are there. We waited until the last day to indulge, which was good because I would have wanted more each day if I’d started out that way. On Sunday, Scott and I split a gyro and spanakopita. There was also the required meat on a stick, which was fantastic.

Okay, this was an early morning snack, not really lunch, and I was still freezing. Honey teriyaki chicken. Yum.

I’m beyond glad I waited until the very end of the last day to get a funnel cake, which they were selling at the end of our row with far too easy access. It was amazing, even though we were both covered with powdered sugar when it was gone.

The War Eagle Fall Craft Fair was well worth the time and energy that it took, and we are looking forward to being back again in the spring with one new book and next fall with one more new book!

Because there’s never a dull weekend in the fall, just last Saturday (Oct. 25) we were part of the Greenwood, Arkansas Writers Unite Event benefiting Autism Speaks. There were 14 student authors who had put together a book of their stories, “Helping Hands: Volume 1,” and the mayor came to give out awards for the overall winners.

My spot was right next to my OWL and OCW friend Dusty Richards, and there were about 10 authors there overall.

Dusty got his first photo op with Kimba and Hiro’s travel reps, and he pretended to be a bit startled. I think he has seen those stuffed cats a few times over the last couple of years.

On my other side was a new author friend, Cal Davis, and his adorable picture book “I’m Just a Crow.” Cal ingratiated himself to me forever by passing on his raffle win: a kindle case with cats on it. After determining that it was not quite his style, he shared it with me because, let’s face it, most anything with cats on it is exactly my style. I am even expecting a kindle for Christmas, so it’s a perfect gift.

I’m grateful that the next couple of weeks are a bit calmer than the rest of the fall has been. We have a wedding here at the guest house, and there are a couple more book events ahead. Next up is the Washington County Pet Expo on November 8th. But I can see the winter and hours of quiet writing time on the horizon. Enjoy these last beautiful fall days!

Ozark Creative Writers Conference 2014

Well, I’m exhausted, which is exactly how I should feel after two days and three nights of hanging out with wonderful authors from all over the area at the Ozark Creative Writers Conference. There were fun workshops, but I think I spent far too much time just talking with the other writers there and hearing about their works in progress and stories from the year.

I got to spend some nice chunks of time kvetching with the lovely Duke and Kimberly Pennell of Pen-L Publishing, who will be producing my adult book “At The Corner of Magnetic and Main” next fall. That’s the date we came up with for now at least. Can we call it an award-winning novel?

Well, it won an award at the conference for in the category of unpublished manuscripts from High Hill Press, but it was only First Honorable Mention (aka 4th place). I wouldn’t want to be one of those authors that tries to make her work sound like more than it is. Maybe I’m just spoiled from having won a few First Place awards last year. Anything less was kind of disappointing. But, of course, you never know how many other people entered and what/who you were up against. I had honestly only entered this manuscript in the contest to catch the attention of the folks at High Hill Press and Pen-L Publishing. Since Pen-L already has it under contract, I guess I won the real prize I wanted in the end. Score!!

I also took home First Honorable Mention (4th place) in the Young Adult Short Story contest for an adapted version of “The Brave, Frail, and Delicate Princess.” It is really more middle grade, so I was grateful it got anything at all. And they didn’t do any other honorable mentions, which makes me think that they just wanted to be sure I got something for it. I’ll take that as good, even if it’s all in my head. This story definitely has legs to be developed into a nice middle grade book. I’ll add it to the list of projects!

Then there was a Second Honorable Mention in the Flash Fiction contest for a little 100 word piece called “Justice.” Considering the number of people who probably enter this quick category, I’ll smile and say thank you for getting anything on that one. It was a fun one. Maybe I’ll post it another time.

I only entered two of the other contest categories, so percentage-wise I did very well. Next year I’m taking over as a local contact and Conference Coordinator with the hotel since I live here in town, and “At The Corner of Magnetic and Main” will be hot off the presses. I doubt there will be any time to mess around with contests.

The fall fun continues on Wednesday night as we set up our booth at the War Eagle Fall Craft Fair, which runs Thursday to Sunday (Oct. 16-19). Literally thousands of people attend this event, but we have been gearing up and planning for it so we are ready. I just need to sleep for a day or two. I think I’ll go find Cheetara for a nap/cuddle… because she will let me.

Welcome, Cheetara!!

She had us at meow.

We were certainly not in the market for another cat. Tabitha/Slinky had moved out with our older daughter, and we were quite comfortable in our three cat, one dog house. Then on Saturday afternoon I glanced out of the kitchen window and saw something moving in the tall grass. Something pouncing. “Oh my God. It’s a bobcat.” I was sure. We have heard of them coming up onto properties around here in the mountains, but it was usually not a good thing and involved being sick or injured and dangerous. I ran to another window where I could get a better look, and the creature seemed too small for a bobcat, though the coloring was right. A sweet face popped up from the grass. “Kitty?” I called and got a loud “Meow” in answer.

I called to my husband, and we both rushed outside to see what in the world a little kitty was doing so far away from any other houses. The tiny brown spotted tabby ran right to us, wanted to be picked up, and purred like a fiend. Our younger daughter joined the fun and we knew that we had a new cat. Just. Like. That.

Cheetara and “Leia” bonded immediately.

Sitting there on the front porch, I wanted to name her Cheetigra because she has the most amazing coat of stripes and spots. My husband said that Cheetara was the only possible name. Did any of you watch Thundercats? Me neither. But he did and that was that. It mostly comes out as Chee-Chee now.

Look at the cheetah-like spots!

Where this beautiful cat came from we will probably never know. I sent photos to our local shelter, but they had no answers. We were kind of glad. She is ours now. She was not terribly happy about the trip to the vet, but she had worms and we did a flea treatment (even though we didn’t see any). She had already been spayed, so somewhere at some time this cat had a home. She seems to prefer the Blue Buffalo fruit and veggie nuggets to the lizards we saw her hunting in the yard.

She is normally pretty mellow, but game time is serious business.

After keeping her separate in the luxury of our game room for a few days, Cheetara has integrated well into the family. After a few dances and some hissing, she and Max now touch noses and he allows her to sniff his toes. Samantha/Miss Fatty Cat looked startled, but making a fuss takes some energy and effort and just wasn’t worth it. Hiro keeps an eye on her, and she growls if Cheetara comes into the master bedroom too often, but otherwise they have also come to terms. Kimba is mightily miffed. Fortunately, Cheetara is willing to lower her head and allow Kimba to remain the alpha cat of the house. They have had a couple of mild tussles, but that is now reduced to annoyed conversation. Cheetara wants to be cuddled and in laps, so Kimba should just be grateful that someone else is willing to take on that chore. I try to remind Kimba that she was once the kitten brought in off the street that other cats needed to welcome. This does not impress her. She remains aloof and glares a lot. But she does that most days, so it is hard to tell how she really feels.

For my part, I now know what the plot of “Kimba’s Christmas” will be. Now I just need time to get it written!

In other fun around here this week:

*My guest video for my friends at Stanley & Katrina is up this week. They do a Word of the Week program, and mine is for Hobnob. Click here to watch the video and sign up for their newsletter and future videos.

*I finally got started on “Max’s Wild Night”–a companion book for the Cats in the Mirror series. Publication will come late in 2015. It will all depend on the schedule for my adult book, which leads me to…

*My adult book, “At The Corner of Magnetic and Main,” has been signed by my friends at Pen-L Publishing. We are just in the very early stages of editing, so there will be much more to come. Very exciting! It will be interesting to just be on the author side of things with someone else in charge of all those little details I am used to messing with. I promise to be cooperative and behave. Really I do. Really.

Now I just need to sit down and do inventory and book ordering so I’m ready for the big four day event at the War Eagle Fall Craft Fair in a couple of weeks. I hope you all have a wonderful week and enjoy the beautiful fall weather!

Much Ado About Kimba & Hiro

Paperback formatting is complete for Book 3 in the Cats in the Mirror series: “Miss Fatty Cat’s Revenge.” The cover reveal will be coming shortly before I set up some giveaways at Goodreads, and we are spot-on schedule for the September release. The full book cover work is being done now (thank you, Lesley), and I’m ready to begin formatting on the kindle version. That should be interesting!

I’ve also been busy with some author events. May 2nd, 3rd, and 4th I was at the War Eagle Spring Craft Fair with Kimba & Hiro’s stuffed touring reps and books to share with visitors.

Kimba & Hiro took a tour of the grounds. Guest thought they were adorable.

War Eagle Mill & Bridge are fantastic tourist sights.

We were there and ready to share our stories!

Scott made his first official Pringles duck lips for the season. He doesn’t sit still well.

Tracy Adams was next to us with her pottery. What talent! Of course, I went home with a new pot–but sadly not this one. Someone beat me to it when I wasn’t looking. We traded merchandise and everyone went home happy, but I owe Tracy a copy of “Miss Fatty Cat’s Revenge.”

Spring at War Eagle is only about 30% as busy as the fall festival, but we earned our stripes and were able to get booth space for the Fall Craft Festival in October. I’ve attended it before, and it is PACKED! All three books will be ready by then, so we will be there and ready to roll. I hope we get to be next to Tracy again. Nearly everyone stopped at her booth. You can find her in Branson, MO, at Peter Engler’s Design at the Grand Village Shops.

Kimba and Hiro tagged along with me for my Ozark Writer’s League (OWL) meeting on May 17th in Branson. Several members went home with copies of the books, and two have already posted 5 star reviews at amazon.com–because every writer knows how important those reviews are. So grateful!

Kimba & Hiro meet Jan Morrill

I reviewed Jan Morril’s book “The Red Kimono” a few months ago, and it was fun to get to share her with Kimba and Hiro during a quiet moment at the OWL meeting. They learned a little bit about what life was like for Japanese-Americans who were banished to internment camps during WWII. Jan also has a new book of Haiku poems available called “Life: Haiku By Haiku.” You can find out more about her great books at her web site.

Kimba and Hiro (and me too actually) got to officially meet Pamela Foster. I think I blogged about her hysterical book “Clueless Gringos In Paradise” a while back. Our book tables were next to each other, so the cats were able to get in a special reading of her new book “Ridgeline.” It doesn’t even have an amazon.com link yet, it’s so new!

Pamela Foster treating Kimba & Hiro to a reading of her new book. Bigfoot was tired and needed to take a nap, I guess.

The May meeting is also when the OWL fundraising event is held, and I was able to get my hands on the one item that really caught my eye. I love this painting, and it now hangs on the wall next to my bed and greets me each morning.

Artist Sue McCaniel with my new painting.

I took advantage of a pitch session with an agent who came to the meeting and was blessed to hear those magical words: “Send it to me.” Three Cheers!! The manuscript she’s interested in is my adult spiritual/paranormal book that has been in process for about two years now: “At The Corner of Magnetic and Main.” The only catch is that she wants it to be MUCH longer. I guess I know what I’ll be up to this summer. I’m not a fan of padding a story just to reach some publisher’s required length, but I will spend some time looking at where I can naturally expand the story.

Taking part in the Kid Lit Blog Hop last week was a blast. I actually won two books and am looking forward to reading (and reviewing) them. If you are ever interested in what I’m currently reading, you can send me a friend request at Goodreads. I never say no to friend requests on public forums!

That should get things caught up for now. Today begins a bit of a diversion for me. In order to transfer my teaching certification to Arkansas, I have to take a class in Arkansas history. I would love to be qualified to teach some adult ed or community college courses, so that will be accomplished before mid-July by taking one online through Northwest Arkansas Community College. It is a shortened summer schedule class and may require a good deal of time. That will probably mean less blogging, but I’m sure I’ll keep some updates coming with Book 3’s release so soon. With that class, our hopping guest house business, Book 3 creation to finish, and edits on “Magnetic and Main,” I will have plenty to do. Needless to say, summer is not a vacation time for me. I’ll catch my breath in January.

Hope your summer is filled with warm memories–and a big glass of grape juice.