Category: Reading

Reading By the Season: July

JULY-A Year In Provence by Peter Mayle

We had talked about it during the long gray winters and the damp green summers, looked with an addict’s longing at photographs of village markets and vineyards, dreamed of being woken up by the sun slanting through the bedroom window.

This collection of twelve months worth of stories from the British author’s life the first year he and his wife moved to the south of France fills a need in me, best expressed in the above quote. The descriptions of the wonderful local foods and wines combined with the hot, dry weather are bliss to this misplaced-in-a winter-world reader.. I looked for a book with these elements for years before I discovered this one. The follow up book, Toujours Provence, is also good, in a different way.

Dessert & Discussion

 

ocpl flyerThe public library system in the city in which I live recently reached out to me to kick off their adult summer reading program, Dessert & Discussion. I was thrilled to accept. The first program is on the topic of romance. Not only am I a romance author, but I am current president of Central New York Romance Writers, a chapter of Romance Writers of America.

So, if you’re in the Central New York area on Tuesday, June 30, I’ll be hosting a discussion on the romance genre at the Paine Branch Library on Nichols Ave in Eastwood. We’ll be starting at 6pm. Stop by to share your favorite romance titles and hear what other readers enjoy!

 

Getting Caught

May is National Get Caught Reading Month.

If I’m going to get caught doing anything, reading would be right there at the top of my list.

Other things I wouldn’t mind getting caught doing:

  • random acts of kindness
  • laughing
  • cuddling a cat
  • enjoying a meal
  • listening to music
  • being with my friends

What would you like to get caught doing?

 

 

Writing Wednesday: My 1st Book Signing

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I had my first book signing this past Saturday.

When I received the author copies of my first book, Moonlight Serenade, I dashed to my local library branch and donated a copy. The Adult Services Librarian asked me if I’d be interested in doing an Author Spotlight and Book Signing. Well, duh! That was a no brainer. We settled on a date.

The library set up a lot promotion. I was on the front page of the county library system website. My appearance was announced in the local newspaper’s events section. The front page of the branch newsletter carried a feature about the book. And there were postcards available at the checkout desk. 2015-05-17 18.10.012015-05-17 18.09.25 2015-05-17 18.09.03

 

Lovely posters were made up and hung.

2015-05-17 08.51.09(Yes, this poster now adorns the door of my office.)

I had read a great blog about what an author should have at a book signing. That was a blessing. (Thank you Ryan Jo Summers!)I purchased clear plastic stands for signage, a business card holder, a postcard/brochure holder, and individually wrapped berry-flavored candies for a heart-shaped glass dish I have. I packed business cards for my local RWA Chapter, as well as membership brochures. I made stickers about my new release, Summer Fling, for the back of my werewolf book postcards. I had a bottle of water and a pack of tissue. I had my books.

I had a nice turn out. One of my critique partners showed up with a small vase of lilacs and “Local Author” stickers for me. The audience asked great questions.lilacs

I came away with a bit of a sore throat, but feeling good about the event.

Aran West, Adult Services Librarian and MJ Compton, Author

Aran West, Adult Services Librarian and MJ Compton, Author

 

Fellow author Christine Wenger reading a passage from Moonlight Serenade

Fellow author Christine Wenger reading a passage from Moonlight Serenade

 

Author MJ Compton with her husband, "TV Stevie"

Author MJ Compton with her husband, “TV Stevie”

Signing books

Signing books

A Different Kind of Promo Campaign

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Hello to those I know, and to those I don’t, I’m Kris Fletcher, and I write for Harlequin Superromance. This June, to celebrate the release of my  release A Family Come True, I will be hosting a fundraiser – Authors and Readers for Kids (ARK) – to benefit the Alliance for Children Foundation. At this time, I am asking my fellow authors for donations of prizes that will be awarded to folks who make a contribution to the Foundation.
The Alliance for Children Foundation is a Massachusetts-based international relief organization devoted to improving the physical and emotional well being of orphaned and at-risk children worldwide. As an author of family-centered romances, I wish to support the Foundation as they provide shelter, food, medical attention, and loving caregivers to children who may never know what it is to have a family of their own. As the mother of five children, two of them adopted through the Foundation’s sister agency (the Alliance for Children), I have seen firsthand some of the ways the Foundation enriches the lives of little ones.
Here’s how the ARK will work:
  1. Awesome authors donate prizes. Books are the obvious choice, of course, but feel free to branch out! All authors are welcomed with open arms and tons of gratitude, but I would ask that the prizes themselves be kept to about a PG-13 level. Or PG-16, if there were such a thing J  If you write super spicy or erotic, something like an Amazon gift card, candy, or an item that relates to your story’s setting would probably be a safer bet than a copy of your book (awesome though it is). My 14-year-old wants to share this event with her friends, and I really don’t want to end up as the main topic of discussion at the next PTA meeting 🙂
  2. Awesome readers make donations to the Foundation and are then entered into drawings (conducted by me) for the prizes. Prizes will be awarded throughout the month of June. All prize announcements will be done on my website.
  3. I gather any necessary shipping information from the prize winners and pass that on to the donating authors, who ship the prize directly to the winner.
All participating authors will be recognized on my website, both on a permanent page listing contributors and in the post in which her prize is awarded. There is also a high probability of a mention or two on Twitter and/or Facebook, depending on how many end-of-school-year events I have to attend during June.
If you would like to help make the world a brighter place for a child, please email me (kris@krisfletcher.com) with the following information:
  • Your prize
  • If it is a physical prize, please let me know where you are willing to ship (US only, North America only, worldwide, etc) (Remember, if you’re donating a physical book, the Book Depository ships worldwide for free!)
  • Your website address (and if your website is an 18-and-older-only one, please let me know so I can indicate that)
  • The title of your latest release and, if you wish, the cover. I can’t guarantee I will use all titles and covers I receive (see the abovementioned concerns about the PTA)  but I will do my very best.
And of course, if you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Thanks so much for your generosity. Whether you are able to offer a prize, make a donation to the Foundation, spread the word about ARK to your readers and groups – or all three – you can be sure that our combined efforts will make a world of difference for children in need.