The Virginia Festival Of The Book

Alright... I'm getting caught up, well not quite.

With most of these travels I never really know what to expect. I always seem to end up really happy after each event. The VA Festival of The Book was another wonderful success. I arrived Wednesday where I had dinner at the Horse & Hound Gastropub on St. Patrick's day. (Good place by the way.)Then I ran over to Random Row Books where I presented a panel with Noah Scalin of Skull A Day Fame. Being St. Patrick's Day at 8Pm I really didn't expect anyone to show up. Wrong again. With a crowd of about 25 people Noah and I spoke about our projects as well as a common link between the visual link of steampunk and Noah's creative endevours. Great panel and a great time. Ok here's a picture from the panel, I promise I'm not giving Noah the evil eye.



Now here's the really fun part. Going on these trips usually means I'll be alone most of the time but I met a great couple that took me out on the town for some green beer. That doesn't really happen. Anyway, I went to a great little pub in the walking mall in Charlottesville and we hung out had a few drinks, good conversation and listened to some mellow live jazz. When you get down to it, that's what is really great about all of this. I get to meet the best people. So, this is the talented couple, Chelsea Evenstar and Nate Main. Check them out. I regret that I didn't get pictures with them... I'm so bad at that.

I spent the next two days writing the second book of Thomas Riley in a little coffee shop (Cafe Cubano) in the walking mall. This was a great little get away. I rarely get ample amount of time to just sit and write. By Friday I had lunch and dinner with Publisher extrordinaire Karen Syed and met Joanna Stokes who was helping me with promotions while in Charlottesville.

Photo by Peter Hedlund

Then came Saturday. Vending day is always crazy. It's wonderful but crazy. With a steady flow of readers all day I seriously probably spoke to five hundred people. Another thing that I love about Thomas Riley is that it seems to appeal to everyone. I sell the book to 12 year olds and 60 year olds. I particularly love when the younger kids get excited. Well, I like it when everyone gets excited but there's something really great about seeing a kid get all jittery with excitement about the story.

Completely exhausted by the end of the day I retreated to the bar then was fortunate enough to find a nearby bar that had the Predators game on TV. Wow, what a great trip. By the way, The Omni hotel is the only way to go in Charlottesville VA. Thanks to everyone involved with the fest! I had a blast and can't wait to come back next year.

Next up: Blog on The Almost Famous Book Faire in Clarksville IN and my most recent Book Signing at Barnes and Noble in Louisville KY.

This Weekend I'll be at Barnes and Noble in Evansville, IN (One of my little adopted cities) and Elzabethtown, KY (Sat & Sun April 3 & 4. Yep I'm signing on Easter.)

If you can't make it to those events, curb your steampunk craving here.

Oh! A lot f pictures were taken in VA, so anyone that took some, I'd love to get some via email.