independent bookstores

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IWSG and Bookstore Romance Day!

Today’s the day for the Insecure Writer’s Support Group (IWSG) where, on the first Wednesday of every month, writers get together to share their insecurities and offer encouragement. The IWSG was created by Alex J. Cavanaugh, and you can learn all about it and sign up for it here. 

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Bookstore Romance Day is coming up on August 20th! What is Bookstore Romance day? According to the website bookstoreromanceday.org, it’s “a day designed to give independent bookstores an opportunity to celebrate Romance fiction—its books, readers, and writers—and to strengthen the relationships between bookstores and the Romance community.”

It’s not just for Romance writers. Any writers whose stories include romance can participate. I’ve been invited to join the celebration at The Eloquent Page, a local independent bookstore. All three of my books have romance aplenty mixed in with the magic and swordplay.

Check out bookstoreromanceday.org to see if a store near you is celebrating and join the fun!

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And now on to the IWSG Question of the Month — When you set out to write a story, do you try to be more original or do you try to give readers what they want?

I write for me, so I write stories that I want to read. I don’t try to guess what others might like or might want to see. It’s impossible to please everyone, so however the story is written, there will always be those who wish things had been done differently. I write stories that are satisfying to me and hope they will find other readers who feel the same.

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WIP Update: Life continues to keep me ridiculously busy and writing opportunities are few and far between, but I’m 15 chapters in and approximately halfway through the third book in the Trouble series, Trouble Times Three. I keep hoping things will slow down, but it hasn’t happened yet. One of these days, maybe.

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Anyone else joining in on Bookstore Romance Day?

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© Lori L. MacLaughlin and Writing, Reading, and the Pursuit of Dreams, 2022. All rights reserved.

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Celebrate the Small Things!

Celebrate the Small Things is a weekly celebration created by VikLit and now hosted by Lexa Cain to celebrate the happenings of the week, however small or large. You can learn all about it and sign up for it here. CelebrateSmallThings_Badge

I went to the independent bookstores that had been carrying Book 1 and asked if they’d consider carrying Book 2. They all said yes! Now I can celebrate having two books on store shelves. Whoo hoo! 🙂 (Photos to come!)

More celebrations —

  1. School is almost out. Summer vacation begins next Tuesday!
  2. My kids and I took a first aid/CPR class. I knew first aid but had always wanted to learn CPR. Important life skills to have.
  3. I sold my first copy of Book 2 at the local Farmer’s Market kick-off event yesterday! Yay!

What other celebrations are going on out there?

 

 

 

 

© Lori L. MacLaughlin and Writing, Reading, and the Pursuit of Dreams, 2016. All rights reserved.

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Celebrate the Small Things!

Celebrate the Small Things is a weekly celebration created by VikLit and now hosted by Lexa Cain to celebrate the happenings of the week, however small or large. You can learn all about it and sign up for it here. CelebrateSmallThings_Badge

Some great things to celebrate this week, not the least of which is sunshine!! June was such a rainy month here that it hasn’t felt at all like summer.

My first book event last Sunday, The Craft of Small Publishing in Vermont at the River Arts Center, went well. It was a small venue, which was great for me for a first event. I wasn’t half as nervous as I thought I’d be, and I sold a book! Yay! I know one book doesn’t sound like much, but for me it was a success. I like to set small goals, so I’m less likely to be disappointed.

I visited Bear Pond Books in Stowe, VT, yesterday and dropped off two copies of my book for their shelves. Hooray for independent book stores!

We stopped at the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream factory on the way home from Stowe and got ice cream cones to celebrate. I can personally attest to the fact that B & J’s salted caramel blondie ice cream is delicious!

Looking forward to the Fourth of July parade tomorrow and good times with friends at the fireworks. Happy Birthday, America!!!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!!

What other celebrations are going on out there?

 

 

 

 

© Lori L. MacLaughlin and Writing, Reading, and the Pursuit of Dreams, 2015. All rights reserved.

by

Celebrate the Small Things!

Celebrate the Small Things is a weekly celebration created by VikLit and now hosted by Lexa Cain to celebrate the happenings of the week, however small or large. You can learn all about it and sign up for it here. CelebrateSmallThings_Badge

Wow, this month is flying right by! I can’t believe we’re halfway through it already. This week I’m celebrating:

  1. Another Indie bookstore, The Flying Pig in Shelburne, VT, agreed to carry my book! Whoo, hoo!
  2. My two flowering crabapple trees have blossomed, and my yard smells heavenly.
  3. A trip to IHOP to celebrate surviving the A to Z Challenge. Love those apple-cinnamon pancakes!

 

WhiteFloweringCrabTree_May2015

 

RedFloweringCrabTree_May2015

 

What other celebrations are going on out there?

 

 

 

 

© Lori L. MacLaughlin and Writing, Reading, and the Pursuit of Dreams, 2015. All rights reserved.