Sultry Summer Romance Booksigning at Cupboard Maker Books
This is a very belated post about one of Peschel Press’s appearances. But better late than never, yeah?
We’ve been developing a relationship with Michelle, owner of Cupboard Maker Books. She’s a voracious reader, so owning a bookstore turned out to be a natural fit for her. If you’ve never been by her bookstore you’re in for a treat. She’s out in Enola and her building has a mural of books spines, looking like a giant’s bookshelf.
It’s primarily used books (150,000 or more!) and, you’ll be gobsmacked: the books are sorted. If you’ve ever entered a used bookstore where everything was every which way, the books in teetering piles and at best, sorted only by size, you know how unusual this is. Library sales can have the same problem. Table after table of books and only the most cursory sorting means that while serendipity may abound, if you’re looking for something specific, good luck. You’ll need it.
Michelle and her staff have gone to the trouble of sorting by author and by genre and kept paperbacks separate from hardbacks and trades. The non-fiction section is likewise sorted into broad categories so your gardening books are not mixed in with housekeeping or the occult.
She and her staff are very knowledgeable, so if you know what you like, Michelle can suggest something else that you’ll probably like too, and she’ll be able to find it on her miles of shelves. This is a real gift.
And she has cats! You’ll find Squeekie and Annika wandering about since secondhand book stores always need a mouse patrol. Michelle also provides habitat for cats from Castaway Critters who are looking for a home. Those cats get to meet the public, earn their keep via cuteness and vermin removal, and find their forever home.
So, what does all this have to do with Peschel Press? Michelle also likes to promote local authors and host book signings. We at Peschel Press have done a couple flash signings with her and we’ve sold some books and met the public.
The “Sultry Summer” romance book signing, on Saturday, 18 August 2018, was the first public appearance for Odessa Moon. Odessa is my alter ego, used to keep my fictional life separate from my non-fiction. Not everyone who reads preparedness or sewing books is interested in romance set on a terraformed Mars. It makes sense to have another name to avoid confusion.
Odessa came out to sell and sign copies of “The Bride From Dairapaska,” my very first book in “The Steppes of Mars” series. This will be a big series as I’ve got two dozen books roughly plotted out and waiting in the wings. I’ve got other series plotted out too, hiding in the bottom files in my desktop. Despite wildly different settings, my series all have certain elements in common: resource management, the class struggle, colonization, and how do normal people cope with people demigods. Don’t worry; there’s plenty of plot and emotion to cushion the ride.
Odessa did fairly well for a complete unknown writing in a very niche genre. Our Dear Daughter came along too, in her Skye Kingsbury disguise, to sell and sign copies of “The Dictionary of Flowers and Gems” since flowers and gems are a natural fit with romance. Bill came along to provide manual labor and take pictures, two of his many fields of expertise. His books didn’t fit into this particular event.
We sold a few books. Gave away a few cloth grocery bags (our premium for buying a book when we’re selling in public). Handed out many butterscotch crunchie cookies to entice people to visit our table. Michelle was kind enough to purchase a copy of “Bride” and of “Flowers” so if you want an autographed copy of your own, she’s got one for sale right now.
Did I mention that this was a “Sultry Summer” romance signing? I, in my disguise as Odessa Moon, was not the only romance writer there. Several romance writers from the central Pennsylvania area came out to meet the public, sell, and sign books.
These ladies write romance in every possible sub-genre so if science-fiction romance (like “Bride”) isn’t to your taste, somebody there had something that was.
Here’s the list of other authors present that day, all of whom deserve a look-see for their own books. They are:
Visit their websites and get to know them better.
I got to meet everyone and a good time was had by all. We all got to talk shop, meet the public, and compare notes on being writers. Bill – my publisher and husband – took pictures so you can see all of us. It was fun and I hope to do it again next summer. In the meantime, Michelle carries many of their books so even if you missed the “Sultry Summer” signing, you can visit the store, pet some of the cats, and still buy a romance.