Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Sedona Book Festival


The Sedona Book Festival has come and gone for yet another year, but memories linger in my mind about a most exciting day. Our table paled compared to some of the offerings that day. There were authors with free candy, balloons and trinkets for the passing crowds of readers and the curious. Alas, all we had to offer were smiles, what we hoped was witty conversation, and our dynamite murder mystery, Evil in the Mirror. My wife, Sandy, had to leave the festival about noon and go home to feed pets while I stayed and met many interesting people from around the country.

The gentleman sitting at the table next to us was a professional basketball player turned probation officer turned author, Derek Sailors. His offering, A COPPER TOWN SUMMER , is a historic mystery novel set in Jerome, Arizona in the 1920s. Sandy is reading the book now and says it's a very good read.

I had the pleasure of meeting author Amber Polo, who lives in Camp Verde. It was a thrill to meet another author from the same town we live in. Amber is a librarian turned author and her novel, Flying Free , is a five-star quirky romance. It sounds like a must read for the romantic heart.

For those of you interested in southwest history, Those Days in December, A Frontier Family's Southwestern Journey, by Nancy Lucia Humphry looks like a fascinating read. The only way to find her book is through the publisher, Camucille Press.

Even though I use Wheatmark Publishing in Tucson, Arizona, there is a Sedona publisher out there for writers who want to be published locally. I met Susan Ferguson who is a principal in the Ninth Month Publishing Company. Susan seemed honest and straightforward, two things you need in a publisher.

Debra Beck's Spirited Youth appealed to me because of the importance of helping young girls love themselves. It was great to meet someone whose passion is helping young people. Let's face it; they are the future!

The list could go on and on. It's enough to know that writers, as a whole, are passionate about what they do. We may not have sold a ton of books, but we all had a great time meeting one another and setting the stage for networking our projects through each other's passion for authoring.

Write on,

Mittster