Love Is In the Air 2019
I joined the Central Pennsylvania Romance Writers last March and it started paying dividends right away. I met a lot of great people who all understand the writing journey. I’ve learned a lot at each meeting. I started writing more thanks to the concept of fifty words a day. I attended the Damon Suede program back in November (so fun!).
Another great thing that’s happened as a result of joining the CPRW was finding out about author events. These events can be surprisingly difficult to nose out and I’m always happy to discover a new one. The very first one I learned about was “Love is in the Air.” This is an author signing event taking place at Ashcombe Farms and Greenhouses in mid-February to celebrate Valentine’s Day.
I went last year as a civilian with Bill. It was delightful. We’d never been to Ashcombe Farms, out in Mechanicsburg, Pa. The place is gorgeous and well-worth a trip. Seeing the other authors having their books spread out in a flower-filled greenhouse was inspiring.
This year, I got to go as an author myself. I went as my alter-ego, Odessa Moon, since she’s got the romance novel and I, as Teresa Peschel, do not. I actually brought two titles with me: “The Bride from Dairapaska” and < a href=https://amzn.to/2GJx905> “The Dictionary of Flowers and Gems” which we also publish. “Flowers” was a good fit, being all about those so-desirable gifts we all want on Valentine’s Day and what those lovely flowers and delightful gems mean.
Bill went along in his official capacity as a “husband of Instagram” to take the pictures and carry all the boxes.
We had a fun time. Sam is relatively new at this game so Andrew and I got to help him out with his displays and sales techniques. We all got to talk with the many shoppers at Ashcombe, not all of whom knew that the nursery was hosting “Love is in the Air” amid the flowers.
When I had a few spare moments, I was able to walk around and talk with some of the other authors. I want to especially note Natalie J. Damschroder, our chapter president and the person who organized the event with Ashcombe. Thank you, Natalie! You made this event possible for all of us. Last year, I actually won one of the two door prizes and was introduced to Natalie’s book: “Soul of the Dragon.” I liked her book so much that I went out and bought the next three in her series.
(Bill here. I spent time talking to Melinda Wilson Schultz, who brought her mystery novel “Horror in the Hostas” featuring Dahlia Cruikshank. What’s more perfect for a gardening event than a gardening mystery?)
During the event, I made a point of telling each shopper I spoke with that whatever they liked to read, someone there had it. We had a wide range from cozy mysteries (Misty Simon and Karen Rose Smith among others) to paranormal (Patty Taylor and Allison B. Hanson among others) to historical (Samuel J. Castellino among others) to fiction written by cats (Squeekie) on to the really racy stuff (M.Q. Barber and Brandy Ayers, among others).
It was a great day. I sold books and gave away a cloth grocery bag (which I make myself) with each purchase. I think everyone sold books and we all introduced ourselves to people who had never heard of us.
I’ll definitely do this again. If you haven’t been to Ashcombe Farms, don’t wait until next year’s “Love is in the Air” author event. Go now and get ready for the spring planting season. And then mark your 2020 catalog for next year’s “Love is in the Air.” Next year, I’ll have “The White Elephant of Panschin” with me. I might even have “The Vanished Pearls of Orlov” as well.
See you then!