Potpourri

Maui Book Signing

It's that time again - the time when I'm going to throw a bit of this and that at you. If you follow me on FaceBook (and you should), then you'll know that Broken Wings has been launched. And what a launch it was. We kicked off with a Twitter party and a book signing on June 3. Max and I were in Maui for his company's leadership conference (thank you IHS for the fabulous time!) so the signing was held on the terrace of the beautiful Fairmont Kea Loni hotel. I don't claim to be an expert on marketing, but it seems to me that if an opportunity arises, one should take advantage. Since almost everyone at the conference was a stranger to me, I decided to give my books away to people who loved to read. I hoped to tap into a new audience and - here's the brilliant part - they would be getting the book two days before boarding planes destined for places like Germany, Spain, UK, Canada, and dozens of US cities. I don't know about you, but when I travel I notice what people are reading whether by the pool or in the airport, so hopefully a few folks will have flashed Broken Wings to nosy curious travelers. There's no way to evaluate the results, but for me, it seems like a win-win deal.

Sunsets in Maui were glorious!

Now that Maui sunsets are a distant memory, I've had book signings in Tulsa and two in Perryton, Texas. A quick story about the Tulsa signing - I put a reminder on FaceBook that morning and right away got a response "We're on the way!" Our good friends, Blair and Diana, came from Allen, TX! They definitely get the prize for coming the farthest! Full disclosure here: They were on the way to Chicago and just made this one of their stops. Very fun!



Two lovely signings in Perryton, TX, which is our old stomping ground. The wonderful thing about these events is that people come and pull up a chair, visit with their neighbors and sip iced tea. I love the feeling of community that we have at these events.

Michael, Cindy, and Jerry lend their support

Pam and Don - Pam loves books. Don and Max talked golf.

Diana and Blair - Prize for coming the farthest! Thanks, friends.

Every author's dream - a line of people waiting to get their books signed!

My assistant, Nash, drew Carol's name for the gift basket.

Media is part of a book campaign, and I've been blessed with two events that are new to me - a TV spot on our local FOX channel and a podcast on Shellie Rushing Tomlinson's "All Things Southern" where we had a virtual chat on her front porch. I'm NOT a fan of seeing myself in videos or hearing my voice, but people have told me these were both successful appearances. I'll take their word for it. One thing I can testify to was that the FOX TV folks and Shellie were fabulous hosts and made me feel comfortable and welcome. And you should check out Shellie's writing - she's one funny lady. Thanks all!

I don't know about you, but I'm weary. Summer is breathing down our necks, and when those muggy days roll in, I'm glad to stay at home and sit under the fan. Thankfully, I'll be able to do that for a while. That's not to say I'll be loafing. I've opened the file for the next book and am busy working on Sweet Dreams, coming in 2013! The cover art for next summer's release, Stardust, should be coming soon. Keep an eye out.

What's up for your summer? I'd love to hear about the places you've been and where you're off to. Safe travels.

You're Invited to the Party!

Broken Wings releases Friday! Come for the send off by joining the Twitter Party!

WHEN: Friday, June 3, 2011 - All day.
WHERE: Wherever you are.
HOW TO FIND THE PARTY: Follow @Chasing Lilacs (that's me) and @FaithWords (they're throwing the party) on Twitter. Use the hashtag #brokenwings and join in the conversation!
LIVE Q &A from noon to 1pm Central time! Chime in with your questions, and I'll do my best to answer.

A "birdie" told me there might be giveaways!!

I like parties. I love chatting it up with readers and other writers. What I don't like is selling. Even so, Broken Wings is available here and here and here. You might also find it at your library or your favorite book store. I appreciate your support.

See you on the Tweet Deck!

CHASING LILACS Book Launch and Party

I'd been planning the day for a year - the book launch of Chasing Lilacs. It was a day I wanted to share with the folks who've walked beside me since the beginning of my writing journey. And having it in the Texas Panhandle where the book is set was a perfect choice.

AND because of the era of the story, the party / launch / bash / signing was a salute to the fifties.

How many of these do you remember?
Bubble Up
Lemonhead Candy
Clove chewing gum
BlackJack gun
IBC Root Beer
Nehi soda pop (grape anyone?)
Chick-O-Stix
Bit 'O Honey
Double Bubble


You get the idea. Like any great party, the preparation was intense, but filled with anticipation. I was fortunate to have an amazing team of people who worked behind the scenes filling various roles. Here's a brief run-down:

Max - hubby extraordinaire who listened tirelessly to my musings about the launch and did more than his share of work.

The two Gaylas - one who ran the bookstore and headed up the "food" committee, the other who did a superb job with publicity and getting the word out.

Pastor Mike and Betty who graciously allowed me to have the launch at the Community Worship Center.

Andy, Drake, and Nash who took on various roles from set-up to clean-up to serving up ice-cold root beer to helping guests sign up for the door prizes.

Allison who lent her creative hand in making the gift baskets.





Writing is a lonely life, but having a book launch takes an army, and I'm blessed to have had the best soldiers in the hemisphere for launching Chasing Lilacs. Thanks guys for all you did.

And thank you, friends, relatives, and book lovers who shared this day with me. A special thanks to Donna, who had a pastel drawing created by an artist in Denver to commemorate my first book. It's beautiful and dear to me.














By the way, in terms of success, we think around 75 or 80 people came to the launch, and Gayla sold 98 books through the bookstore, but the success to me was sharing time with precious friends who sat at the tables, laughing and reminiscing. That was worth celebrating!

Thank you, readers, for bearing with me. I know I'm lagging behind in bringing you pictures of the events I've attended in the past month. Up next will be my trip to St. Louis to the International Christian Retail Show (ICRS).

Until then, why not dish up a scoop of vanilla ice cream, pour some root beer over it, and take a trip back to the good old days. I know you want to.

The time is . . . NOW!

Book Launch Week! I'm not sure I ever thought this week would ever come. I've been busy with preparations for the parties - that's what I'm choosing to call the book signings because it's a time to celebrate friendships, make new friends, and just have fun. We'll have gift baskets to give away, some fun "retro" snacks like Chik-O-Stix candy, slo-poke suckers, Blackjack gum, Double Bubble, peanut butter logs, and books of course!

So, if you're in the Tulsa area, Thursday, June 17, at the Mardel's at 52nd and S. Harvard. We'll start the party/signing at 6 pm.

If you're in the Oklahoma or Texas Panhandle, the launch party will be at the Community Worship Center in Perryton, TX. Party time: 2 to 4 pm. Retro dress optional.

First book sighting: Barnes & Noble, Tulsa. Special promotion by Barnes & Noble with my book featured on the NEW RELEASE table, center aisle, and a good supply of the books in the general fiction and literature section. Here they are right between Robert Louis Stevenson and Mary Stewart and just a few spines down from one of my recent favorite books, The Help, by Kathryn Stockett.

Chasing Lilacs is featured on the CAN (Christian Author's Network) Blog this week.

And the last item of note: A taped interview with the amazing Dianne Burnett at christianbook.com. A hint: the speaker with the twang is NOT Dianne. Personally, I think I sound awful on tape, but she asked some great questions. I will be telling you more about the great resources at this site next week.

Whew! I'm tired, but this is a lovely, contented tired. Hope to see you at one of the parties!