Yikes! It's Tomorrow!

It's happened again! I thought I had plenty of time to get more bookmarks made for my next signing, and yesterday it dawned on me the festival was in 2 days.

I took myself into Office Max and fortunately one of my favorite print shop people was behind the desk, and no long lines had formed. He agreed to run off one hundred more for me, and even offered to do it right then and there.

But with a sick kid at home...I told him I'd pick them up on Friday.

CVS has also had these long aluminum tables for $20; I've had my eye on one for two weeks, and planned to buy one last Friday, but forgot. Went in yesterday to see if they could hide one behind the counter for me, but they are sold out. The worker did call another store 20 minutes away in the next town; they had several left and are holding one for me. Thank you Brooke!

This way, BB and myself don't have to have 2 separate tables; we can share one. And I get to try out my new rolling cart tomorrow morning. The downside is, it's supposed to be ungodly hot, with temps in the mid-90's and a heat index of 100 or so. I believe I'll fill a cooler with ice and plenty of water...I didn't request a booth with electricity, so unless we happen to be close to one with an electrical outlet, we won't be able to run a fan.

And BB has a signing tonight at a local art gallery; I'll be there to lend my support of her.

And how to look professional, yet not melt in the heat? I've sold books while wearing tank tops and shorts; casual dress outfits; semi-dressed up. But tomorrow? I predict I'll be wearing one of my favorite sleeveless shirts and cotton shorts in order to stay cool. And hopefully we'll be under shade. We really had the best spot at the last festival; Even with the canopy, I started out in the sun, but by mid-afternoon, the shade completely covered us, and a light breeze was blowing.

Recommended Read:
Finished Witch Ball last night, and Oh. My. God! Another why-did-I-wait-so-long-to-read-this- book??? It was fantastic! Barb, do you agree with me? I know you read it recently, before you 'lost your reading ability'. Kathleen Coddington did a fabulous job spinning this tale! It will keep you entertained from cover to cover.

To Promo or not to Promo
There's been some speculation lately about promotion. Some people like chats; others like blogging; still others like interviews. How do you know what works?

A lot of the books on my TBB list were put there because of interviews on blogs, and excerpts I've read on various chats. I don't know if it has worked as far as selling my own books; but as I said last week, I've only been in the online community for a year now. I have some favorite authors whose books I put on the list, even if the blurb does not immediately appeal to me. When it comes time to buy them, I've had several months of excerpts and hearing praise, so I'm generally more enthused about the book.

I belong to a couple of chat loops, and in the beginning, I'd read all the digests posts and keep track of the titles which caught my eye. But after a while, it began to be too time-consuming, so now I pretty much delete them unread, unless I know a particular author is chatting, and I want to pop in and say hi. I'm still feeling my way through chat etiquette; I do a lot of lurking, unless I just have to add my kudos about what they've posted. And on one of my chat loops, I've been particularly chatty, and have been mistaken for the moderater at one point!

On another, there are two days a month where members can actively promote their work. When this first began, I was doing heavy promo for my second book, Love Finds a Way, and posted several excerpts of both books. Maybe it was just a slow day, but my excerpts dominated the chat that day, and several people wrote in, saying how much they were enjoying the excerpts. But the second month, I did something different, and again had a lively discussion going. But by the 3rd month, not much was being said, so I posted a few blurbs about what I was working on. I'm not promoting heavily right now; I don't want to sign up for an interview or chat day until I get that elusive e-contract. I still have one submission out there (I know...get off my ass and send the others out already!) and I need to proofread my other two shorts before I send them on their way, hopefully by next week. The deadline is quickly approaching, and my goal back in January was to have an e-pubb contract sometime this year! And I've gotten valuable feedback from the rejections I have had so far.

I did do a couple of interviews on blogs the past couple of months; I don't know if it generated any sales, but hopefully when I get to the point of having books out every couple of months or so, any promo I end up doing will build up a loyal fan base.

Happy Birthday, Mom!
Last year, we met her in Nashville, IN for a wonderful lunch at the Nashville House restaurant, and introduced my children to sassafrass tea. We had originally planned for my parents to arrive tonight, and have them stay for the Watermelon Festival, but with Mom's recent hospital stay, and the pending heat, the kids and I will drive up next week to spend a day or two with her. School is rapidly approaching, and with my kids spending the month of June with Jackie, and helping her landscape her yard, and then this month with K working for the farmer, there just hasn't been a good time for the kids to spend a week with their grandparents this year. And that's a shame, because I call it my 'vacation':) But maybe next year...and the baby will be able to go up as well!

Okay...didn't know I'd get so long-winded! Don't know if I'll post tomorrow or not; it may be late at night. Keep your fingers crossed we have good sales, and that the heat won't keep everyone indoors!