On September 14th, Bridgewater Pennsylvania will be pretty much given over to the printed word—I was very impressed with the 2012 BookFest, my first. I only knew Bridgewater as an Ohio River town full of restaurants. Imagine a huge tent filled with authors, fiction, non-fiction, fantasy, science fiction, children’s books, poetry—every book you buy can be signed by its author. Usually you have to pay a fortune to attend an event like that. This one’s free!

   Plus, the main street is lined with booths from local churches and organizations, selling art, tasty food—and used books! There are author talks in the 1810 Tavern.

   I’ll be there. I’ll have the entire Wizard’s Destiny trilogy available, plus The Wandering Duke, available at long last in print. I’ll have book marks to promote the revamp of Thistledown for Kindle and Nook. I’ll have a really coolo table display, including a model of a portion of Crogen Castle—see if you can figure out where Tristan sleeps!

   And, because she has designed the covers for all four of my CreateSpace books, Teddi Black will back me up at my table.

   So, not only will shoppers be able to buy my books without paying shipping—they’ll be able to have them signed by both the author and the cover designer. Key-chains, bookmarks, post cards and possibly a few one-of-a-kind t-shirts will be thrown in with purchase. Best deal you’ll get this side of Kovelir!

   I have improved the formatting of Thistledown for Kindle and Nook and since I just painted a large pastel of a unicorn, I’m going to add a new cover by Teddi Black. We plan to have new, really cool promotional bookmarks ready for the Bridgewater BookFest on September 14th.

   I still believe in my heart that Thistledown can find traditional YA publication—even in these days of teen vamps, were-everythings, avatars and Game of Thrones wannabes, there is room for the kind of Fantasy that led me into the field in the first place. (And let me just say here, I am a huge Game of Thrones fan—the books, and the HBO series, not entirely the same critter at all, no indeed. Books, always give the fuller experience. TV can rise and fall on the casting and costumes.) Not every reader likes to read the same thing

   What can a “brick & mortar” bookstore offer that the mighty Amazon cannot? When your shoppers can browse the world with the flick of a mouse—from their phones, no less—you’d think a store would cherish the thing that they have, and their competitor doesn’t. You’d think. You’d be wrong.

   The Writers’ Support Group which has met monthly at the Boardman Ohio Barnes & Noble store for the past seven or more years has been told that the store will no longer reserve us a table in their common area. Oh, if there’s by chance a table there, we’re welcome to drag some chairs over—so long as we accommodate anyone else who wanders in. (Sidebar: we actually are that welcoming. Ask Louise. She came into the store hoping to find a book discussion group, spotted us, and was invited in on the spot. Because Readers need Writers and Writers need Readers!)

   We’re also welcome to sit in the Café. Tiny tables, no power outlets within reach, and of course no way to reserve a spot.

   Never mind that we shop there, buy books and coffee and all the non-book items the store is filled with. We’re good guests. Never mind that our group contains at least four writers who have books available on Barnes & Noble’s Nook platform. We’ve told them. We’ve offered to be part of their Nook promotions. They aren’t interested. Our indie-published books cannot be stocked. They host signings with sports figures and politicians, but writers get the shortest shrift ever.

   What can a physical book store offer that an internet store cannot? A writers’ group. Shoot yourself in the foot much, B & N? Someday you’ll wish you had the buzz we brought to your store. Too bad—the Writers’ Support Group with no name has moved to Caribou Coffee. See the photo of our smiling faces. The coffee’s better too!

   I don’t even remember where my first Confluence was. I know who hooked me up with con programming: the Keith brothers, Bill and Andrew. I met them at a mass signing in Greensburg, and it was sometime around the time Pittsburgh Magazine interviewed me. My first Confluence may have been 1996.

   Anyway, I’ve gone with the con to Mars (Cranberry), Moon (township) Downtown (expensive parking), Mars (Cranberry again), Moon (off Enterprise Drive in the RIDIC Park) and Moon (University Boulevard)

   I regret to say, this year’s Confluence, the 25th, has been cancelled. (Hotel was sold out from under them, to become dormitory space for Robert Morris University.) Will Confluence be back next year? Almost certainly. But I’m sad for this year: Bill Keith was set for Guest of Honor, I finally have both a website and a blog, and I was going to launch The Wandering Duke there with a draft cider klatch. (No, I did not inflict a curse upon the con when they left me out of the con program book last year!)
   I am very close to bringing The Wandering Duke out on CreateSpace. Here's the map!