Sultry Summer Event and Slumber Party

Yes, this event happened in August. What with one thing and another I never got around to putting up Teresa’s report until now.

Romance writing has never gotten much respect in the book industry despite the fact that many, many people adore it. This attitude is strange. Why would a money-making enterprise like book publishing want to disrespect its paying customers? Telling a paying customer that you don’t like them, you dislike their choices, and you won’t produce the product they insist they want to purchase is a direct road to bankruptcy.

Yet Romance and its fans, who fund a great deal of publishing, get this treatment on a routine basis. It’s not as bad as it was because money talks, but nonetheless, it persists.

So it’s a positive step to see the publishing industry and independent booksellers get together in August to promote National Romance Day, the first of what we all hope to be an annual tradition.

As expected, Cupboardmaker books led the charge. Our own Michelle Haring was named by the Romance Writers of America its bookseller of the year, so hosting romance writers to sign and sell their books on a sultry summer day was a natural fit for her and the store.

Cupboard Maker ran signings in two-hour blocks from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m., hosting a wide variety of romance writers from the central Pennsylvania area.

I was eager to participate and shared my two-hour block with J.L. Lora, Cate Tayler, Roz Lee, and Leigh Fleming. They’re all excellent writers and well-worth checking out for your next book.

After 6 p.m., the fun really began with Cupboardmaker hosting its first annual Sultry Summer slumber party. Many romance writers stayed over, including me, and plenty of romance fans showed up (or stayed over from earlier in the day).

I am 59 and this was my very first slumber party. I didn’t know what to expect since the prevailing image of slumber parties for me is taken from ridiculous Hollywood movies and not from reality.

I had fun (although I didn’t get much sleep and next year, because the lights were left on, I’ll bring a sleep mask). I got to talk with a lot of fans, much more in depth than I usually can at a signing. I got my tarot cards read, also a first. I also had the signal pleasure of speaking with a genuine soil scientist who, when I described “The Bride From Dairapaska,” told me I had gotten my soil science correct!

Bill took some pictures of the signing, but none of the slumber party afterwards since gentlemen were not permitted to attend. But you don’t really need to see pictures of us writers and fans in our lacy French negligees, feather boas, and high-heeled marabou mules. Some details are best left to the imagination. We all looked damn good though. I’ll tell you that much. We were hot, hot, hot, so it was an authentic sultry summer slumber party.

So block out your calendar on Saturday, 15 August 2020, for Sultry Summer II, and come have a blast with us at Cupboardmaker Books in Enola, Pa.