We may only be halfway through Summer, but this season has already been filled with some fun author events that I wanted to share.
This past Saturday, I participated in the Summer Romance Author Festival at the Barnes and Noble in Framingham, MA. It was my first time signing or selling at a Barnes and Noble and – I have to say – I had a great time! As an indie author, I don’t typically have opportunities to sell in bookstores, especially big ones. However, I heard about this event through the New England Chapter of the Romance Writers of America. There were thirteen local authors in total, with quite a few indies being represented.
While I’d be the first to say that I don’t mind walking the “road less traveled” when it comes to being an indie author, I admit to getting a thrill seeing my name advertised with the Barnes and Noble branding. There’s no denying that it lends a certain amount of legitimacy to an author’s overall impression. Perhaps the biggest lesson I learned from this experience is that I am not impervious to that effect.
On Monday, my interview with Stephen Lomer aired. Stephen recently started an author interview series called Tell Me About Your Damn Book. Back when I had the pleasure of meeting him last year at the New England Authors Expo, the idea was just a twinkle in his eye. Now he has the first season rolling out and is already taping the second season. There is something so inspiring about being surrounded by creative, motivated people who are pursuing their dreams fearlessly! If you’d like to watch the video, take a peek at my new “Author Appearances” page. You’ll find a few other interviews there, as well.
The third big event I did this week was give a presentation, “Why Romance Rocks: Reconsidering the Romance Genre.” It was held at the Griffin Free Public Library and was in association with the Collaborative Summer Library Program with this year’s theme being “Libraries Rock.” This past year I made the conscious decision to start doing more speaking engagements. Partly because I wanted to have more opportunities to meet readers and fellow authors, but also because I wanted to pay forward some of the lessons I’ve learned.
I was nervous. I’d never given a talk like this, about this subject matter or for this length. (It was an hour long.) Luckily, the audience was very warm and friendly. There were about twenty people who showed up and they couldn’t have been more supportive. There were a lot of great questions asked at the end, which is always a good sign. There are a few things I would tweak in the future, but overall, it was a great way to break the ice for giving presentations.
As far as the writing goes…the third book is coming along slowly but surely. More slowly than surely. The good news is I have now figured out the general shape of my story and I’ve been reaching my word counts consistently. I still tend to feel frustrated with how slow I seem to write, but I remind myself to trust the process.
How about you? How is your week going? If you’re an author, have you been participating in any fun events? If you’re a reader, do you like going to author signings? What other events might interest you? Let me know!
Also, if you’re interested in where I’ll be next, please check out EVENTS listed on my Facebook page.
Satin Russell 