Real Books

Ruth and I just returned from the Heartland Fall Forum held at the Depot Renaissance Hotel in Minneapolis, which is an old Milwaukee Road Railroad Depot, renovated and turned into a conference center.  The Heartland Fall Forum brings together independent booksellers (bookstore owners) from throughout the Midwest, plus a goodly number of publishers, librarians and a considerable number of authors.

 I was there signing my new book, THE GREAT SAND FRACAS OF AMES COUNTY.  I also signed THE QUIET SEASON, and RURAL WIT AND WISDOM.   It was a busy day of chatting with bookstore folks, from Omaha, NE; Leavenworth, KS, Bayfield, WI; Redwing, MN; St. Louis, MO; Minneapolis, MN plus folks from Indiana, Ohio, North and South Dakota, Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin and more.  Nonstop talking—but great fun.

            It was an opportunity to chat with my publishers, especially Andrea Christofferson from the University of Wisconsin Press, publisher of “Sand Fracas;”  Rebecca Weber McEwen and Melanie Roth from Fulcrum Press (publisher of “Rural Wit;”) and Kathy Borkowski, Kate Thompson and Halley Pucker with Wisconsin Historical Society Press (publisher of “Quiet Season”).

            And how could I not mention my old friends Chuck Erickson, a retired book salesperson, and Sam Spiegel, with Partners Book Distributing in Michigan.   Both have helped me so much over the past 20 plus years.

            Oh, need I mention that printed books—real books some folks call them—are still popular and much in demand.  Thousands of them were on display (children’s picture books, young adult books, and many new fiction and nonfiction books for adults) along with their smiling publisher representatives, and an equally smiling and upbeat group of independent booksellers who were paging through catalogs and books and writing orders.

            Back to work after three days in the Twin Cities.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS:  Try reading a real book.  They never need to be recharged, nor have their batteries replaced.

ANNOUNCEMENT:  For those in the Madison area: Mark your calendars.  Launch of my new novel, THE GREAT SAND FRACAS OF AMES COUNTY will be at Barnes and Noble, West in Madison on October 7, 7:00 p.m.  Everyone invited.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

October 6, 5:00 p.m. “Live At Five” TV show on Madison Channel 3 (CBS) Discussing The Great Sand Fracas of Ames County.

October 7, 7:00 p.m. Barnes and Noble, west Madison: The Great Sand Fracas of Ames County

October 9, 11:00-12:30 p.m.  The Larry Meiller Show, Wisconsin Public Radio. The Great Sand Fracas of Ames County.

October 16, 6:00 p.m. Patterson Memorial Library, Wild Rose, WI The Great Sand Fracas of Ames County

October 19, 12:30 p.m. Wisconsin Book Festival, Rm. 302, Madison Main Library. The Great Sand Fracas of Ames County

October 23, 5:00 p.m. dinner, 6:00 p.m. presentation Green Bay Neville Museum. Horse Drawn Days. Registration required.

November 1, 9:00 to 4:00 “Writing From Your Life Workshop” The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI

November 1, 4:30 p.m., Book signing WI The Great Sand Fracas of Ames County The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI

November 8, 9:00-11:30, Plymouth Arts Center, Plymouth, WI,  Sponsored by Sheboygan County Research Center. Barns of Wisconsin.

November 12, Noon. Wisconsin Historical Society Tour, La Crosse, Weber Center for the Preforming Arts.  Farm Stories.

December 7, 1:00-2:15 and 2:30-3:15 Kalahari Resort, Wisconsin Dells(Two sessions) Wis Farm Bureau Meeting. Writing From Your Life for Children and Grandchildren.