ACFW Chapter Book Signing and Meeting Was Incredible!

AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I guess "awesome" is an overly used cliche these days, but I can't think of another way to describe Friday evening. Cyndy Salzman and Judith Miller (seated in same order in photo at right)
joined our own local author Maureen Lang at the Arlington Heights Barnes and Noble store for a book signing. (That's Judy and Maureen talking with a customer in the photo at left).
We followed that with our monthly ACFW chapter meeting. Because of the book signing we attracted several new people. Two who came from having been in the store (one a store employee and the other a customer) and two who came with current members. One already has joined ACFW!

The store was wonderful to the authors. The three women and their books were at tables just inside the main entrance, and a store employee stood there directing them to the tables. Quite a few books were sold. And, I learned something to tuck away to when I am honored to hold my own book signing. You never sit at a signing. You always stand. Note to self: "wear comfortable shoes!."

I'm going to stop talking about it and post more photos of the event!


Here's some of the ACFW Chapter including our author guests. That's Winter Peck in the back row left wearing red. My lovely house guest and ACFW member from two hours away. The woman in red back row right is a guest named Katie. She just happened into the store, stayed for the meeting, and is now considering joining ACFW :-)







Here's Winter and me (always the short one!)





One more of the group. Great way to start a weekend!







Don't forget to scroll down to my review of Annette Smith's "A Bigger Life" and make a comment. You can win this wonderful book for yourself. Drawing is this coming Friday!

Book Signing IS Fun!

Did you really think I'd think otherwise?

Okay, the other day I said it felt weird to sign a book. At the time it did seem weird. But, like I also said, I’d get over it. And I did! I wish I’d remembered to take my camera with me to capture the moment.

I first signed a book I gave to my tutoring student. Yoshie is from Japan and is in the States for three years while her husband’s job is here. I’m helping her learn how to read English. I didn’t know how she would feel about my giving her something with my story in it, but she was very excited about it.

Next, were the two books the program supervisor wanted me to sign. She even had Post-It notes on them with the names of the people who would receive the books. I felt like a full-fledged author.

I wasn’t at a special table surrounded by copies of my book with a long line of expectant readers clutching a copy of their book for me to sign, but that didn’t matter. It was a moment of blessing in my day and that’s all that counts!

Now on to Part 2 of this Post!

Do you have kids on your Christmas list who love to read? Want to give them something that they will love to devour in the same genre as Harry Potter, but with a Christian message?


R.K. Mortenson has a great series out that fills the bill in every way with his Landon Snow books. His latest is the Christian Blog Alliance’s Blog Tour for the week.

R.K.Mortenson is an ordained minister with the Church of the Lutheran Brethren. He has been writing devotional and inspirational articles since 1995. He currently serves as a navy chaplain in Florida and lives with his wife, daughter and son in Jacksonville.

This page at Barbour's site provides a few good links, two as recent as last week: http://www.barbourbooks.com/author/detail/r-k-mortenson/. The top link there goes to a story about Randy's adoption experiences, the second link goes to the Landon Snow short at Clubhouse magazine.

Randy got the idea for this series one late night, when flute music woke him from a sound sleep. As he stood at his window, trying to locate the source of the sound, he spied a library across the lawn. Suddenly, he envisioned an eleven-year-old sneaking out of his bed and stealing to the library in the dead of night...And thus Landon Snow was born.

The BOOK:


In the latest adventure of Landon Snow And the Island of Arcanum, Landon, once again visits his grandparents in Button Up, Minnesota. If your familiar with the first two books, Landon Snow and the Auctor's Riddle, and Landon Snow and The Shadows of Malus Quidam, you'll know that Landon's adventures always start at the Library in Button Up.

This time, Landon's most dangerous journey yet, begins in a rowboat-shaped tombstone that floats. And it's lucky for him that it floats because a few drips from the library ceiling turns into a powerful waterfall.

The stone turns into wood. The stone book propped up in the prow of the boat turns to paper. The left page says "ANCHOR". The right page says "AWEIGH".

"Anchor aweigh?" said Landon.

Holly whispered, "Did you hear that?"

No one has time to respond, however. The next instant saw the water before them dropping away as the water behind them grew into a giant swell, pitching them headlong into the abyss.
Landon will have to protect his two younger sisters, Holly and Bridget, who wind up in the boat with him headed towards The Island of Arcanum. On the Island, the animals of Wonderwood are imprisoned and the evil shadows of Landon's nemesis, Malus Quidam lurk!

With the help of some old friends, a horse named Melech, an odd fellow named Hardy, a girl named Ditty, and the poet/prophet Vates--Landon seeks to unlock the island's dark secrets and escape with the animals intact.

But first, he must navigate his way through unchartered waters and battle the villainous Archans...Can Landon and his friends rescue the animals from deep within the island's stronghold?

To order the book: Click on this link to Amazon

Check out the Author's Website: http://www.landonsnow.com/

Signing a Book Feels Weird, But I'll Get Over It!

I’ve been to book signings where I’ve met Jerry Jenkins and Tim LaHaye of the Left Behind Series and Sue Grafton, writer of the popular alphabet mystery series on another occasion. Over the years, many ACFW authors have become friends, and I get excited at every conference to have them sign their books for me. The picture here is of Kristin Billerbeck signing her book at the 2005 ACFW conference in Nashville.

Since His Forever came out last month, I’ve purchased a number of copies to give to friends. I gave one to a friend a few weeks ago and thought about signing it for him, but I didn’t. It felt weird to me.

Last week at my volunteer tutoring, the director of the program said she was going to order a couple copies of His Forever to give as presents and said to me, “Have your pen ready for a book signing.” I just laughed. But, I suppose Tuesday morning when we have tutoring again, she’ll have the books there for me to sign. It feels weird to me.

I intend to give copies of the book as Christmas gifts, and I’m thinking maybe I should sign them. But, what do I sign besides my name? Some authors include a Bible verse. Others use a catchy little saying. I’d better hurry and think of something. It’ll be Tuesday before I know it.

Signing a book will be fun, but it still seems weird to me. I’ll let you know how weird it really feels.