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It’s been a BUSY SPRING Filled with Book Signings, Friends and Fun!
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!
At Kerns Christian Garden Center and Bookstore near Akron, Ohio in April. 
That’s me on the left, with author Mindy Steele, center, and Terry Unthank, the owner of Bountiful Blessings Christian Bookstore in Fairfield, Ohio, right. 
With my new friend, also named Ann, but without an ‘e’, at Country Bits in Cambridge, Ohio in early May! 
Here I am after the thunderstorms passed on by in Newark, Ohio at the Newark Book Festival, with more than 130 other authors of all genres for all ages! What an amazing experience. 
My newest book, “Miriam’s Little Gentleman”, which released from Barbour May 1. And that’s my little plush Beau with his picture on the front of the book! -
See You in Berlin October 25!
Next weekend, on Saturday, October 25 from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m., I’ll be one of about 40 Christian authors in all genres participating in the 15th Annual Gospel Bookstore author event in Berlin! The Gospel Bookstore is offering 15% off all books by authors at the event purchased during the event, between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. I hope you can make it. There will be so many great authors to meet.
The Gospel Bookstore Bookstore is located at 4900 Oak Street in Berlin, inside the German Village Center on the top level. The authors will be in the large atrium there, waiting to meet and greet you all!
If you attended the book signing after the Books, Bakes & Buggies event, it’s in the same place again.
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Come See Me in Holmes County this October!
You’re Invited to the Amish Readers Retreat!
I’ll be there along with at least nine other authors of Amish romance/Amish suspense/ and Amish cozy mysteries!
I’m thrilled to share something truly special with you—the Amish Readers Retreat: Books, Bakes, and Buggies, taking place this October 3rd & 4th in the stunning Amish countryside of Millersburg, Ohio. We’ve designed this day to celebrate YOU, our beloved readers, for your passionate support and love for the stories we create.
PLEASE NOTE: You will be responsible for securing your own accommodation. A list will be provided at registration as well as information on payment.
Deadline to Register is September 1
This retreat is all about celebrating you… our cherished reader community. It’s our way of saying thank you and providing an unforgettable experience tailored to your interests and love of reading.
We’re looking forward to spoiling you with a day filled with books, fellowship, and fun!
See the fliers for more information on this fresh event, and for a list of participating authors.
I hope to see you in October! My fellow authors and I can’t wait to spoil our readers! I even bought a brand new apron so I can be ready to serve you lunch! Guess what’s on it? Cats, of course!
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Publishers Weekly Review of Ruth’s Ginger Snap Surprise!
I’m a happy author today, as yesterday something unexpected happened; something I didn’t even know was a thing until I received an email telling me it was!
One of the amazing folks at Barbour Publishing emailed me yesterday to tell me my debut novel, “Ruth’s Ginger Snap Surprise“, which comes out December 1 from Barbour (have I told you this before – maybe 10 times??) had received a very good review from Publishers Weekly.
I was thrilled to learn I’d received a good review, but I didn’t understand the significance of this particular review. Of course, I’ve heard of Publishers Weekly. But I wasn’t certain how important their good review of my novel was.
So I Googled them!
Here is the result: “A Publishers Weekly review is the most highly regarded review in the publishing industry. It is a capsule book review of about 200 words. PW reviews are primarily geared toward helping booksellers and librarians decide which books to purchase.”
Hold the phone: I received a very good review from the most highly regarded source in the publishing industry? May I just say, wowsers!
I’ll copy the link to the review at the end of this blog post. It made me feel very good, saying things like,
“Blackburne debuts with a stirring second-chance Amish romance featuring a 33-year-old widow who struggles to start over with the help of a mischievous pet kitten—and possibly a new beau.”
And . . .
“Blackburne delicately weaves Ruth’s and Jonas’s tenuous hopes for happiness with their conflicted feelings about moving on from their first marriages, lending the narrative depth and resonance. Readers will look forward to the next outing from this promising new voice.”
Oh boy, oh boy!
It’s as if I hadn’t realized yesterday was Christmas, and woke up to a lovely gift I didn’t expect.
Whomever the anonymous review at Publishers Weekly is, God bless you! You’ve made me very, very happy!
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New Amish Romance, “Ruth’s Gingersnap Surprise”, Releases December 1 from Barbour Publishing!
Ruth’s Ginger Snap Surprise, book two in the new Heart of the Amish series from Barbour Publishing, Releases Digitally Nov. 15; and in Print December 1! Countdown to Book Release Day Has Begun!
As a brand new author looking forward to the release of my debut novel, “Ruth’s Ginger Snap Surprise”, everything is new to me! I keep hearing other authors, my agent, my editors and the wonderful folks I’ve met on various reading sites talk about terms that are unfamiliar to me.
Getting a book published involves a steep learning curve.
One of the things I recently learned about was the author’s street team.
Don’t know what that is? Neither did I until recently! An author’s street team is a group of lovely people willing to take the risk of reading a book by an author – in this case, a totally unknown author, me! – and then going online to various sites and reviewing the book.
It’s one thing if you’re reviewing the latest from your favorite author; but in this case, for all these folks know, it could be terrible! (I promise, it’s NOT!)
Exciting developments! The wonderful Connie Spradling Lynch from the Keeping Up With The Amish group on Facebook, has helped me put together my very first “street team”.
To these brave, selfless souls, I say THANK YOU! Because getting reviews (hopefully positive) out into the world as a book releases is essential to the success of that book.
It motivates Amazon and other such sites to keep that book in front of the public eye. It may influence readers who have never, ever heard of an author to take a risk on their book.
The Street Team doesn’t pay for the book; and when they review it, they say so clearly – that they’ve been given a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
That being said, if you are someone who, despite never having read anything I’ve ever written before, decides to purchase my book, and you love it? Please go leave a nice review at Amazon.com, and maybe a few other places.
If you hate it – say nothing! (Hee hee!)
Hopefully the fact that my agent and editors liked my book means most of you will, too. But you never know! Right?
Do you think I may have a case of first-time-author jitters? I really think I do!
Only nine more weeks until my book releases online, and 11 until it releases in print!
Oh boy oh boy! The Countdown has BEGUN!
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Amish Country Adventure Meet & Greet
Warm Welcome from Admins, Authors and Readers!
Recently I was fortunate to be invited to join a wonderful group of people in a group called Keeping up with the Amish. They are made up of authors and readers of Amish romance, and people who are simply interested in the Amish way of life.
What a happy bit of luck or serendipity it was that I joined the group right before their annual Amish Country Adventure Week! This year’s adventure happened to take place in Berlin, Ohio – less than an hour from where I live!
I don’t have any books out yet (my very first Amish romance releases from Barbour on December 1!), and it was too late to take three days off work. So I shrugged and thought, oh, well, too bad I can’t go this year; I’ll plan to attend next year.
But the lovely Connie Lynch, an admin of the group, invited me to attend their Thursday evening Author/Reader Meet & Greet. I was able to go! So my buddy Linda and I hopped in the car and headed for Ohio’s beautiful Amish Country! About an hour later, we arrived at the well-appointed Berlin Grand Hotel, and parked in a lot filled with colorful three-wheeled motorcycles.
Chit-chatting at the Meet & Greet! We sat with lovely ladies from around the country. Photo by Connie Lynch Inside, we found the gathering of authors and readers of Amish romance, and they immediately made us feel welcome, giving us swag bags filled with fun items donated by participants in the event.
There were beautiful items for sale and auction, and I bought a chance on a lovely wall-hanging and table runner made by an Amish woman from the western part of the U.S.
Linda and I checked out the auction and sale tables, and then found a place to sit with some really nice people, all avid readers of Amish romance!
We got cold iced tea, and settled down to enjoy an evening making new friends, playing games and feeling most welcome.
I brought along some very pretty bookmarks made for me by the folks I work with in our print shop, and people seemed genuinely happy to get them. Some even said they’d pre-ordered my book! What a thrill!
This lovely, Amish-made wall hanging was won by a lucky woman this week! At the end of the evening, Linda and I hated to go. Now we’re making plans to attend next year’s Amish Adventure in Shipshewana, Indiana – the third largest Amish community in the U.S. I’ve never been there, and I can’t wait to go!
I’m booking my AirBnb so I’ll have all year to look forward to the fun. If you’re an author or reader of Amish romance, I highly recommend that you join the group Keeping Up With The Amish on Facebook, and that you consider attending next year’s adventure week in Shipshewana in June. If you do, I’ll look forward to meeting you in person!
Amish Stories
