Reading club!

In more good news, I just received word that The Lady of Steinbrekka is going to be the featured book for the LCPS-FHS Fiction Reading Club for the month of May! The Fiction Club is a group of teachers who meet weekly to read, discuss, and socialize.

The Lady of Steinbrekka is also one of the featured books for the 2014-2015 Battle of the Books! This is a reading competition held by the high schools in Loudoun County, VA. Students on the teams are responsible for reading, learning, and retaining the information from 10 different books in a variety of genres. I have had the privilege of working in one of the Battles in the past and, let me tell you, the facts these kids remember are pretty amazing. I am thrilled and really proud of The Lady of Steinbrekka being selected for this competition, especially because the panel who selects the books are made up of Reading Specialists and Librarians from the school system!

I was even able to give them a bit of information about self-publishing. The Lady of Steinbrekka was originally slated for the 2013-2014 school year (next year), however none of the people who do the book ordering had ever ordered from a self-published author before. They moved The Lady of Steinbrekka to the next year under the assumption that they would have to order the books from me, and I would then have to print them (through Kinkos, Staples, etc) and then deliver them to the schools.

They were pretty blown away when they realized that a self-published author doesn't have to print their own materials, and that they could simply order the books through Amazon or CreateSpace without any issues. Once we get into next year, I am going to write the event organizers and see if they would be interested in me presenting about self-publication and how it is a viable option for writers in this day and age.

Upcoming events

Guess what guys?

I have just received word that I was accepted to be one of the featured authors for the Cascades Library Local Author's Fair! This event will take place Saturday, May 5th at the Cascades Library in Sterling, Virginia. Authors spanning generations, experience, and genres will be gathering to speak with their fans, make some new connections, and spread the love of reading and writing to all who attend.

If you come to the library between 10am and 1pm, I will be there selling signed copies of The Lady of Steinbrekka, offering complimentary bookmarks to all who attend, as well as offering advice about self-publishing.

Authors will be present for book signings from 10am to 5pm. There will also be two panel discussions occurring during the day. The first discussion, "Writers, technology, and the future" will be held from 11am to 12:15pm. The second discussion, "Inspiration: Insight on what motivates us to write" will be held from 2pm to 3:15pm.

Spread the word, and I hope to see you there! This is going to be an incredible event.