I really enjoyed this event last year and wanted to do it again.  I called the library and spoke to the children's librarian.  They're not actually doing the book festival this year, but they're presenting something called the Dogwood Children's Literacy and Art Festival in May.  They're featuring one author/illustrator, David Catrow.  The librarian I spoke with did take my name and number and did say she'd like to use me possibly in the summer reading program so maybe I'll get to visit Palestine's library in that capacity.  I'll keep everyone posted.

I was fortunate enough to have another book venue so quickly after my 2nd one ever!  I learned about the Dogwood Book Festival in Palestine, TX from following the East Texas Book Fest on Facebook.  I was part of the ETBF last year, and it was my very first book signing event so I was beyond excited--and nervous!  It turned out to be a great event, and I hope I get to go back this year!  I'll have TWO books this year to promote and sell and talk about.  My newest book, The Kitty with the Itty-Bitty Tail, is currently in production but should be due out later this summer.  The process this time is moving very swiftly, and I love it!  I can't wait to be able to share this book with my friends, family, and fans.  Did I just say "fans"?  Do I even have any "fans"?  I hope so even if it's just a couple of people.  LOL 

I really put a lot of my heart into my first book, Nana's Banana, but my new book also has a lot of heart in it as well.  It's based on my cat Ethel(named after the "I Love Lucy" character Ethel Mertz) and her nubby tail.  Ethel came from a litter of 6 kittens.  Two had regular-sized tails, two had NO tails, and two had stubby nubby tails like my Ethel.  I was inspired to write this story one day when I looked at her and thought that if she was a human, she would probably be made fun of and bullied/teased because of her little bitty tail.  I started thinking that it would make a cute children's story about how we're all special in spite of our "short"comings, but as I wrote it, it pretty much turned into an anti-bullying book.  I'm proud of it, and I hope the general public will be as well.  I really, really want to start visiting schools, daycares, and libraries to read my books to the children and do follow-up activities with them. 

Well, with all that being said, I would like to share my thoughts and pictures from the Dogwood Book Festival in Palestine, TX.  It was held Saturday, March 28, from 10 am to 2 pm.  I had a blast!  I only sold one book(almost 2), but I met a lot of really nice people and new authors and enjoyed talking about my book, Nana's Banana, and of course, my upcoming kitty book.  Most people seemed interested in it and thought it was a really sweet and cute idea.  One co-worker asked me if I didn't sell a lot of books because I wasn't aggressive enough for my sales.  Maybe so, but I don't want to force people to buy my book.  I want them to buy it because they're interested in it, and it would add value to their lives of the lives of their children/grandchildren, etc.  I started thinking that I was happy with myself that I didn't think of myself as a failure as an author because I'm not.  Success for me at this level anyway isn't based on the number of books I sell, but the number of smiles I see when I'm in the public and meet new folks and new authors and hopefully, new friends.  I'm not always a people person, but when I'm an author, and I'm working a venue as an author, I'm happy and excited and passionate about what I've written, and I love to tell anybody who'll listen about it.  That happiness I feel and those smiles I see are the success for me right now.  The number of books I sell are just added cherries to the top of my ice cream sundae.  I'm not famous(yet anyway-haha) so I don't expect to sell a huge volume of books right now.  I'm laying the groundwork and networking and doing what I'm supposed to do at this level.  It takes time.  My marketing rep has told me something that has helped a lot, and that is that a person will buy the author before they buy the book.  It doesn't matter how great your book is if you're not interacting with the public.  They'll just pass you by and go on to the next person who is smiling and reaching out to them to interact. 

Here are a few pictures from the day...