Hello All,

Please, let me apologize for the lack of a blog last week. I have gone to events the last two weekends meeting with other creative minded people and feeling a full re-energization taking place. As I have talked about in an earlier blog, finding your tribe is essential!

Last weekend, my wife and I went to French Day in Cape Vincent, NY at the 1000 Islands. I had a blast. As we were leaving my wife’s work apartment where she stays during the week, I grabbed a stack of my newly minted business cards. I only bought them because as people would talk to me, they would ask for my website or Facebook handle, so I was always writing them down and I do not have the best writing. I purchased some simple cards along with a bag and some pens from one of those quick cheap internet personalization stores. They turned out great. So off I went, not quite sure what I was going to do with the business cards.

First off, this festival is HUGE!!!!!! We had to take a yellow school bus from the parking lot to the festival. And as a 50-year-old married to a 49-year-old on a sweltering day, we were taking that bus! Once there, we started walking around and checking out the booths. I found one booth that was not the best find for me. It had fudge made with 30% less sugar. I had bariatric surgery 6 years ago and cannot eat sugary sweets unless in exceedingly small quantities. There fudge I was able to eat. I grew up only an hour and a half from Hershey Park so being able to eat fudge is a right I have had since I was a baby. In fact, a little side story here. When I was 2, my parents took me to Kings Dominion for their first year open. I have adorable pictures of me with Hong Kong Phooey, Huckleberry Hound, and of course Yogi Bear. When you enter the main gates, there is a fountain in the center with shops on both sides. While my parents were shopping in a candy store, I took a tray of fudge from behind the counter(I had easy access in my stroller) and set it on my stroller. As my mother was wheeling me out, I was chowing down with a hunk of fudge in each hand. What can I say, I knew what I liked, lol. Although, I feel I may have been set up by my dad. I mean, I am such an angel, I cannot even fathom this. Okay, before I am struck down, let me continue.

I gave the vendor my card and started talking about both my blog and some writing I have in process currently. As we continued, I met an author by the name of Cassidy Thomas. She was a young, almost timid woman with her books she has self-published. I asked her which book she would recommend to me as an older person reading her for the first time and she recommended her book Waves Under the Ocean which chronicles senior year of high school using the views of 8 different friends during the 1992-93 school year. It is like kismet as I graduated in 1992, I knew I would be able to see myself in her book. She published her first book at 20 which she had begun writing at 15. Although I by no means hold any ill will towards my parents, I wonder how much sooner I could have started on this journey if I had just had this type of encouragement. I smell another blog topic. Hold on while I write it down…… Okay, thanks for holding on. All done. Miss Thomas asked if I had anything published so I gave her my card and told her about my WIP (work in process for you unindoctrinated).

While we continued walking, I came across a children’s author that was amazing. He not only authored books for babies up to preteens, but he also took old stuffed animals and created new out of them. It is hard to describe but the animals were both new yet had that super soft already loved feel. He had several books on The Wizard of Oz, and I bought the preteen novel The Wizard of Oz: Where is He Now? This book has beautiful illustrations and an easily read story about the adventures of The Wizard and an undersized munchkin named Rosebud. When I handed him my business card, he asked if I had any writing of mine for him to see, and again, I referred him to my website on the cards.

As we were waiting for the bus to take us back to the car later, my wife told me how much she enjoyed watching me hustle and how I was more at ease talking to strangers about my writing than I seemed to be in any other aspect of my life. These words stuck with me when I left the next morning to return to New Hampshire. And then I saw the sign I had been looking for. About 3 miles from my house, there was a craft/farmers/flea market at the local senior center. There were about 25 tables and I stopped and talked to everyone. But this time, I took a packet of 10 of my blogs and handed them out. I handed out 13 total yesterday and even heard people talking about how they now had something to distract them from the intense heat. Okay, it may have only been 88 but when this temp only hits about once or twice a year, it feels like 103 felt in Baltimore. We were all melting. But none of them are personality-wise. I met older artists that made beautiful objects with resin, two different artists whose original art is displayed on cards and framed pictures, a Tupperware husband and wife team, a preteen that not only made homemade lollipops, she could talk and educate like any other entrepreneur, and a jewelry artists that is making the most fun, original earrings I have ever seen.

I hope by going out and meeting possible fans of my work, they get to see my passion, as I see theirs. I want to thank everyone I met and got to talk to over the last two weekends. As a writer, I am a student of the human condition. I watch how people interact with each other and love to hear all about them to help make my characters feel more genuine, which comes from excellent backstories.

I am including the list of the people I met over the last two weekends. Please support these local artists if at all possible!!!!! Our dreams are in your hands.

As Cassidy Thomas states “Hugs and Apple Pies.” EGA

1. Cassidy Thomas-Author amazon.com/author/cassidyt or Cassidytauthor.weebly.com
2. Richard Mickelson-Author Richiebearsemporium.com
3. Naia’s Sweets N Treets- Shelf Stable gourmet lollipops
4. Ray and Evelyn Richer-Wildlife and Nature Photography rloonnest@gmail.com
5. Dangles by Deb-Earrings and fun jewelry dangles-by-deb.com
6. Nickole Varny-Tupperware my.tupperware.com/nickcolevarney
7. Lee’s Creative Creations-Furniture restoration, Paint Pours, Epoxy Gifts lee_loyer@yahoo.com
8. Wind Dancer Creations-Quits and Fabric Items sjtapage@gmail.com
9. Quilts in the Kitchen-Krtayl@worldpath.net