Anne Blackburne

Many authors spend time each year doing book signings here and there. It’s an opportunity to meet the reading (hopefully, though not always!) public, and to sell and sign books in person.

This spring I’ve done four in-person events, three at bookstores and one at a lovely gift shop in my hometown.

Each event was different, and I enjoyed them all! My favorite part is always talking to anyone who comes near my table. Lol.

The first was at Kerns Christian Bookstore and Garden Center, located near Akron, Ohio. The event is held each spring and again at Christmas in one of their big greenhouses, and draws more than a dozen Christian authors of fiction and non-fiction for all ages. I love going to this one because the folks at Kerns are so nice and do a great job organizing the event. This year my great friend Carm stopped by, and we had a lovely time catching up!

Plus, my grandson and his other grandma live nearby, so we always get together for dinner after the event! My daughter, Brie, went this time, and we had a wonderful time together eating Mexican across the street from the bookstore. And I confess, I never leave without a few new plants. Hey, it’s a garden center! I’m just being polite!

Next, also in April I traveled to Dayton to spend the weekend with my sister, Virginia, and thence down the road an hour to Bountiful Blessings Christian Bookstore in Fairfield, between Cinci and Dayton.

This is a sweet little bookstore owned by a pastor, and many of his flock came to meet me and my Heart of the Amish sister author, Mindy Steele. One lovely friend drove from northern Ohio and brought us a lovely gift! Owner Terry Unthank had a really nice supply of our books, and tables set up for us.

This event was made even more memorable because about half an hour before we were to finish, the fire department burst in and evacuated us because an electric pole was leaning dangerously and threatening to squash the building! (It did not, but we all packed up quick quick and — pun intended — booked out of there.)

Fast forward a couple of weeks to May and a book signing in my hometown to launch my newest Heart of the Amish release, “Miriam’s Little Gentleman”. It was to have taken place in my beloved little hometown bookstore, Bookology, but very sadly, they went out of business in April. (My daughter also lost her job there, which is worse than me not being able to hold a book signing there — so sad!)

I searched for another spot to hold a signing in town, and after a couple false starts, was welcomed into Country Bits, a really nice store selling all kinds of lovely gift items, and locally made jams, honey, etc. Lots of people came; it was Mother’s Day weekend…but they were not there to shop for books, alas. Many candles were sold, though! And I bought a bread mix and some local honey.

Still, several people drove in just for this event, and I sold a nice number of books.

And as I’ve often said, it’s not about selling the books ALONE, though selling books is good, obviously.

It’s also about meeting friends, old and new, and having a wonderful time. Country Bits was lovely, and welcoming, and I’m very grateful to them for hosting me! Thank you to owner Dee!

Finally, for the second year in a row I had a table at the Newark Book Festival, sponsored by Licking County Writes and the Licking County Library system and Kicks Mix Bookstore. The night before we got a tour of the library and attended a lovely mixer. I drove over from Cambridge with my good friend Karen, and we enjoyed tasty hors d’oeuvres and excellent company. AND BONUS: I found my first book, “Ruth’s Gingersnap Surprise, on the shelf at the library! Will the thrill of that ever lessen? I think not!

Saturday my table was waiting for me under a nice sun/rain tent, and I shared the space with an amazing young lady; a fifteen-year-old author of two wonderful books named Becca! I saw some bookish friends — hello Charlotte, Alex, JoAnne — and had a nice time catching up with event sponsor Diana from Kicks Mix Bookstore in Newark. Thanks for supplying my books, and for the donuts!

We got a bit of rain and some wind, but overall, it was a really nice day. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and will go back next year. Thanks to event coordinator Steph for making it happen!

Now I’m done until July, when I’ll be traveling to Lockport, New York to do a book signing and meet-and-greet at Pathways Christian Bookstore! I’ll also be staying with my wonderful sister, Liz, and her hubby, Phil, in nearby LeRoy. If you live in the area, stop on by! More details to follow.

I love in-person author events because I love the chance to meet you, my readers. A few more I have coming up this fall include:

Muskingum County Reading Festival, Saturday, September 26 from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m., Colony Square Mall, Zanesville, Ohio.

Escape to Lancaster, Bridges of Friendship Event, October 1-4, Bird in Hand ,Pa. This three-day Amish author/reader event is hard to top for fun! It’s filled with opportunities to mingle with authors and readers, book sales events, shopping in Amish country, and even a lunch at an Amish farm! There’s a Facebook event page if you’re interested.

Gospel Bookstore Author Event, Saturday, October 24, in Berlin. Lots of authors, including authors who are Amish and have written books or published gorgeous art books.

Buckeye Book Fair, Saturday, Nov. 7 in Wooster, Ohio. I am not confirmed for this one yet, but hope to be soon. More on that as I know.

Saturday, December 19: A book signing in a location To Be Determined for the launch of my next Heart of the Amish book, “Rebecca’s Patchwork Love”, which officially releases on January 1. Come to my event and get it before it releases to give to someone — maybe yourself — for Christmas.

I hope I get to visit with you at one of these fun events! If not, reach out to me on my author Facebook page to tell me how you’re doing, and let me know how you’re enjoying my books!

Have a Blessed Day! And keep on reading!