Shirley Ann Parker
BOOK & AUTHOR FESTIVALS
2003
In
one way or another, I participated in several book and author festivals
during the summer of 2003.
It was hard work, lots of fun, and a learning experience for everyone involved!
Central Coast Book and Author Festival
The Central Coast Book and Author Festival was held in San Luis Obispo, California on June 7, 2003. Please note: In 2004 the Central Coast Book and Author Festival will move to September 12th. That will allow the festival to be the day following the Cuesta Writers' Conference, scheduled for September 10th and 11th.
Topaz Cove Creations shared a booth with Coachlight Press which specializes in women's romantic historical fiction—hard-hitting, frank expression of women's experiences in a man's world in earlier times—not fluff! Pictured during setup on that very sunny but windy day is Catherine Karp, author of Gilded. Also displayed was her Coachlight partner Kim Murphy's book, Promise & Honor.
No, we didn't have to feed the parking meter! But we needed rocks to hold down the flyers, bookmarks, and business cards while chatting with our friendly visitors and well-wishers. Lots of "tire-kickers" at this event and we competed with several Friends of the Library groups and their used book tables in our area. In this laid-back community, lots of festival browsers brought their dogs along with the children. And at least one pair of mallards was seen out for a stroll in the morning.
Western Authors Book Look & Shindig
Prescott, Arizona hosted the very first Western Authors Book Look & Shindig on August 16, 2003.
Watch
for another Western
Authors Book Look & Shindig coming to Prescott in the summer of 2004.
by Trudy W. Schuett
After almost a year's planning, the Western Authors Book Look & Shindig was a great experience for all participating authors. Most of us got to finally meet in person people we've known online (in some cases, for years) and we got to chat and share our stories and learn from each other.
Our Irish and English visitors were impressed by the venue! Mudd Hole Espresso in Prescott, Arizona is not as you'd expect, a little hole in the wall that serves coffee. It's a roomy place, with plenty of comfortable couches and chairs to sit and talk books—and bookselling ;>). They also have online access there, so those of us who were away from home and our desktop computers could keep in touch as needed. One author pointed out that it's the only book event she knew of that didn't restrict authors by genre or means of publication, and so she was glad to be part of it, and get to know other authors from the West.
Some of those living in the Phoenix area were stuck in a surprise gas (petrol) crisis, which kept them home, so our public attendance was not quite what we'd hoped. We did have the support of local media, such as KNOT radio and the Prescott Daily Courier, so this was encouraging.
Santa Barbara Book and Author Festival
The
5th Annual Book and Author Festival was held in Santa Barbara, California
on September 20, 2003.
Mark your calendars now for September 18, 2004!
A very busy festival with lots of visitors to almost all the outdoor booths. A special appearance by Dean Koontz, a Mystery/Suspense pavilion featuring Dale Brown, plus panels with many top mystery authors. Also featured: other author panels, an outdoor children's stage, an indoor poetry marathon, and an antiquarian book selection, with collectors and appraisals.
Parking for early arrivals was extremely limited but latecomers were able to park in the Paseo Nuevo shopping mall and other parking structures after they had opened. Finding a restroom that actually had soap and water was an adventure.
A
Community of Voices booth
Left to
right: Ron Guilbault, Grace Rachow,
Fran Davis, Linda Stewart Oaten