I’m taking advantage of this lull because it is the last quiet weekend I’ll see for a while. That’s because the life of a writer and publisher is a public one that calls for a lot of promotion and personal activity. For example:
Next
weekend beings Friday night in Charlottesville.
The Virginia Festival of the Book is a week-long celebration of the
written word. The Crime Wave section
kicks off Friday evening at a small soiree for crime writers at a bookstore
called Read It Again Sam. This is primarily a networking opportunity for me in
my author hat.Saturday is filled with panels on the various aspects of crime fiction. I will be on one of those panels called “Futuristic? Paranormal? Creepy?” at 4:00 PM. This is a great chance to speak directly to a room full of crime fiction fans and in fact the whole day I’ll enjoy the company of readers and writers of my genres.
I will spend the following Saturday at the Books Alive writers Conference in Bethesda, MD. In addition to speaking to readers and writers about the Creatures, Crimes and Creativity literary convention and Intrigue Publishing, I will moderate a panel on self-publishing.
The next day it’s off to Dover DE, to join the other three writers who make up the Meet Myster Write team. We, along with the Book Divas, will take over the 2nd & Charles Bookstore with the hope of drawing more readers and establishing a new fan base.
Saturday
April 12, while everyone else in Washington DC is enjoying the Cherry Blossom
festival, I will sign books as part of the Crime Authors Book Fair at the National Museum of Crime and Punishment. Being
one of the half-dozen mystery writers presenting on the set where they shoot
America’s Most Wanted should be excellent exposure for my author side.
The
next day I’ll switch back to my publisher persona and talk up my company at the
CityLit Book Festival. The Intrigue
Publishing crew will be at the Enoch Pratt Central Library in Baltimore.Although I will have a great time at every one of those events, and those that follow throughout the year, I am very much enjoying the calm before that rush of activity.
