Category Archives: Appearances

The 2015 season has ended…

The Merrickville Christmas Craft and Concession Show marked the end of the 2015 season, well for me anyway. There could be others this weekend or next but I’m so far behind in everything, I think I’m ahead… I’m not exaggerating.

December 12th – Community Centre, Merrickville, ON

appearances

My display with multi-coloured battery operated LED lights to make it look festive.

This was my last event of the 2015 season. It’s hard to believe it’s less than two weeks before Christmas. Yikes! Where has the year gone?

It was a good day on the sales front for me starting before the official opening time of the show when I sold 1 copy of A Shadow in the Past. Before the day was finished, I added sales of 1 copy of The Consequences Collection, and 4 copies of Tim’s Magic Christmas.

I’m looking forward to the 2016 season and hope to attend even more events next year.

 

Christmas on the Clyde in Lanark, ON

It’s been ages since I’ve been to Lanark. I’ve been close twice this year when I did shows at McDonalds Corners but never quite made it here. Christmas on the Clyde has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?

Clyde
My display

The Civitan Club isn’t right in Lanark but just on the outskirts. Lovely big hall and my table was front and centre as people came in the door. I thought that would be the perfect place and I’d sell books hand over fist. Nice thought… but it didn’t quite turn out that way.

I had asked for a place where I could set up my easel and not affect foot traffic. The way the hall was set up, it worked perfectly.

Still, I met lots of interesting people and sold some books. Gotta like that part of it. By the end of the day, I sold 2 copies of Tim’s Magic Christmas and 1 copy of The Consequences Collection – the woman who bought it didn’t have enough cash with her in the morning and made a point of coming back in the afternoon before the sale ended so she could snag a copy for herself.

I’ll be back again next year… that is, if they’ll have me.

 

Magic Spells – June 28, 2015

Magic Spells brought to you by The Friends of the Prescott Library

magic spells

Prescott, ON Canada

magic spellsI’ll be reading from my debut novel A Shadow in the Past at 2:40 pm.

magic spells

At the time of writing this blog post, the sun is shining, there’s plenty of blue sky but the weather network is forecasting rain and cooler temperatures.

magic spellsThe Kinsmen Amphitheater

magic spellsSt. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church

corner of Centre and Dibble Streets

Regardless of where we entertain from, I hope to see you at the event!

 

Canada Day 2014

Happy Canada Day!

Canada Day

This year, I spent the day at the Canada Day Morrisburg Market. The heat was oppressive as was the humidity. I think it felt like 41C outside – and that was even under a canopy in the shade. Thankfully, there was a breeze coming in off the river, but that also posed a few problems.

Canada Day
My table. Notice hubby is also wearing A Shadow in the Past T-shirt.

My little table (while it looks very nice decked out in red and tartan looks so small under the 10’x10′ canopy. And because there was so much room in the tent, people took the short cut through the one end to go to and from other parts of the park.

I rearranged the table after this photo was taken and put the easel with the “what people are saying about A Shadow in the Past” in the middle behind the calendars and moved the stacks of A Shadow in the Past to the edge of the table.

I had a few people ask if we had T-shirts for sale but I only ordered the two – one for hubby and one for me to wear to assorted signings (unless more formal attire is required).

Canada Day
Showing of my A Shadow in the Past t-shirt

The militia reenactors scared most of the people (me included) when they started firing their guns… without warning I might add. Still I managed to get a couple of pictures of them.

canada day 2014 3
Militia reenactors
canada day 2014 4
Militia reenactors

Early in the afternoon, the wind changed and my easel became a sail, so it spent most of the afternoon under the table, although I did manage to get it back on display a few times. It meant having to hang on to it and even then there was no guarantee it would remain upright.

By the end of the day, I had sold 4 copies of A Shadow in the Past and 2 copies of The Consequences Collection. In addition, a number of people took my postcards and were quite pleased that both books are available as ebooks. Now we’ll see if that interest translates into sales.

How did you spend your Canada Day?

merrybookmas

Friends of the Brockville Public Library presented their first merrybookmas at the 1000 Islands Mall, 2399 Parkedale Avenue, Brockville – 14th December, 2013.

I always take a photograph of my table once I get it set up but as luck would have it, my phone didn’t have enough oomph left to take a photo. Tried hubby’s, his automatically shut down the battery was so low. However, all was not lost. I took my iPad with me (fully charged) which does have a camera in it.

This was the first event where I had to provide my own table. OH picked up a folding 4′ long one back in early to mid November so that I’d have it. It worked beautifully! Doesn’t my set up look great?

merrbookmas table

merrybookmas tableAlso, the handcart he picked up was a dream to load everything on to wheel my table and boxes of books and other accoutrements in and out of the mall. We didn’t have to provide chairs, but we took our own anyway and I’m glad we did.

This was a first for, not just the Friends of the Brockville Public Library, but for me, too. This was the first time at any event that The Consequences Collection out sold A Shadow in the Past. I even had one couple who couldn’t decide which book to buy so they bought one of each – his and hers.

We didn’t stay stuck out here in the middle of the mall all day. We moved over in front of one of the closed storefronts so people could only walk by in front of us. I had visions of the table getting jostled and my display toppled or people trying to walk behind us to look at the store’s sale display would be bumping us all day. I don’t know if that was a good thing or not, but I felt more comfortable knowing people couldn’t walk behind me.

The final sales tally … 7 copies of The Consequences Collection and 3 copies of A Shadow in the Past.

I think it was a very successful day, don’t you?

 

A Country Christmas Craft Fair – recap

The Christmas Craft Fair – recap

mallorytown legion nov 30 2013Normally, since my husband is a Mallorytown native, he comes with me but this weekend I flew solo. Except for having to make numerous trips to and from the car to bring my loot inside myself, it wasn’t bad. Okay, so I didn’t have ‘eye candy’ at my table to attract the ladies. What can I say, he’s a flirt.

Still things went well. And I was no further than a Blackberry message away from my hubby all day so I could keep him apprised of my successes.

And at the end of the day my results were … drum roll, please …

3 sales of A Shadow in the Past

2 sales of The Consequences Collection

1 sale of the 2014 A Shadow in the Past calendar (images of locations in the novel)

and I was complimented on my display.

Although it was a great day for me, my mind was with the people in and around Glasgow who may have lost loved ones in a horrific helicopter crash on Friday, 29th November.

 

 

 

Ladies Nite 2013

Nov 8th was Ladies Nite at Green Things Garden & Gifts and other participating merchants

In addition to Green Things where I set up, two other local businesses took part in the fun as well – Casual Living (who have been involved in previous years) and new comers Hall’s Apple Market (they have way more than just apples there).

This year I was set up in a different area than my first time out in 2012. It was extremely busy when I arrived so I rushed to get set up and it wasn’t until after I had everything out on the table that I realized I had forgotten my tartan throw that I use at most places. I had planned on using it as a topper over the red table cloth I had also been completely forgotten about until I saw it in the linen closet the other day and it begged “pick me! pick me!”. Still I think my table looked pretty good just as it was. What do you think?

ladies nite 2013
My table at Ladies Nite

See my funky coffee mugs there? I’ve got one for A Shadow in the Past and one for The Consequences Collection – both of which had candies in them.

Of course my usual accoutrements came along – postcards, bookmarks, business cards, easel to display a book on but I had more loot this year! I had another book, plus my 2014 A Shadow in the Past calendars! Luckily for me, I had another photo easel at home that I pressed into service for my anthology since the acrylic book easels I have on order haven’t arrived yet.

All in all, it was an extremely successful evening – 3 copies of A Shadow in the Past, 1 copy of The Consequences Collection, and 1 A Shadow in the Past calendar.

Keep watching my appearances page for where I’ll be next and if you’re in the area, drop in. I’d love to see you.

 

 

After the Wedgewood Author Series launch of The Consequences Collection

The Wedgewood Author Series – The Consequences Collection

consequences coverThe weather on October 26th wasn’t conducive to anyone venturing out yet a few brave souls joined me as I launched my short story anthology – The Consequences Collection.

In the week leading up to my launch, I sold three print copies and one kindle version. These sales were to folks who couldn’t make it to the launch and one person who needed the versatility of the kindle to enlarge the font.

One lady who came to my launch, I found out was a friend of my aunt’s during high school, so we had a lovely chat before things got underway.

I spoke a wee bit about how my anthology came to be, how I got my fantastic cover image,  then read from the title story, Consequences, which was originally written for the one and only storefront writing contest in Brockville.

consequences launch 1
Talking about The Consequences Collection

Afterwards, I fielded questions from the intimate group gathered in the media room at The Wedgewood Retirement Resort.

consequences launch 2
Working the room during the Q&A session

Then came time to sell books. Like I said, it was a small crowd but everyone there bought a book. And remember the lady who was a friend of my aunt? Well, she REALLY wanted a copy of A Shadow in the Past, so I sold her the copy that had travelled up mountains, to pubs, stone circles and ruined castles on our trip to Scotland (the only one I had with me) and she was happy as a clam.

consequences launch 3
Signing yet another copy of The Consequences Collection

At the end of the day, I sold and signed eight copies of The Consequences Connection and one copy of A Shadow in the Past. The next day, I sold two more copies at my writers’ group meeting. My end sales – 13 paperbacks, 1 kindle.

Where to buy The Consequences Collection:

Paperback:

Lulu.com

Epub:

Lulu.com

Kindle:

amazon.com

amazon.ca

amazon.co.uk

iBookstore

Coming soon to amazon in paperback and to Barnes and Noble for the nook.

The Wedgewood Author Series

The Wedgewood Author Series

Yup, they’re having me back. Go figure, eh? This time, I’m there launching the print version of my short story anthology – The Consequences Collection.

consequences coverIsn’t this a fantastic cover? I have to thank Madliz Coles for allowing me to use her photograph for my anthology. I don’t think I could have found a more perfect image.

Blurb: 

The Consequences Collection is an eclectic compilation of twelve stories ranging from non-fiction through creative non-fiction to pure fiction, in prose and poetry.

The story of a Scottish Home Child is based on fact and told from the child’s point of view; The Mystery Woman of Kinettles is a non-fiction article on the appearance and subsequent disappearance of a woman’s body near the Wellington County House of Industry (Poor House) in 1879 Southwestern Ontario.

Sound intriguing? Well, come out to the Wedgewood Retirement Resort (that is if you live ‘local’ to Brockville), 15 Market Street East, at 2:00 p.m. today. I’ll be talking about the story behind the anthology and the stories contained within the covers as well as reading from one. Afterwards, you’ll have the opportunity to purchase a signed copy.


View Larger Map

I hope to see you there!

And remember… “If you could see the consequences – would you?”

 

And the winner is!

Congratulations to the winner of my

2014 A Shadow in the Past wall calendar!

a shadow in the past 2014 calendarIsn’t it beautiful? Every month has a different full colour photograph (taken by moi) of something “A Shadow in the Past“.

How well do you think you did at guessing the various locations where Sarah Shand turned up each day?

Day 1

Seeking Sarah Shand
At The Caledonian Hotel
Seeking Sarah Shand
In our room at High Cliff

Day 2

Seeking Sarah Shand
On the Jacobite train at the Glenfinnan Station
Seeking Sarah Shand
On the platform in Mallaig
Seeking Sarah Shand
In our room at Myrtle Bank

Day 3

Seeking Sarah Shand
At Balvenie Castle
Seeking Sarah Shand
In our room at Fernbank House

Day 4

Seeking Sarah Shand
At Dunnideer
Seeking Sarah Shand
In our room at Earlsfield Farm

Day 5

Seeking Sarah Shand
Waiting at the Insch train station

Day 6

Seeking Sarah Shand
At the entrance to the Old Kirkyard in Kennethmont
Seeking Sarah Shand
With the Pictish stones at the Rhynie cemetery
Seeking Sarah Shand
At the stone circle at Earlsfield Farm

Day 8 (we didn’t play on Day 7 as it was my launch at the Rannes Hall in Kennethmont)

Seeking Sarah Shand
At The Empress of India Restaurant in Kelso
Seeking Sarah Shand
In our room at Duncan House

Day 9

Seeking Sarah Shand
At the Cross Butts Stable Restaurant
Seeking Sarah Shand
In our room at Beechwood Guesthouse

Day 10

Seeking Sarah Shand
At The Bell
Seeking Sarah Shand
In our room at The Old Forge

Day 11

Seeking Sarah Shand
At The Bell Hotel in Tewkesbury

I thought having the map beside the book was a dead giveaway in this one but apparently that wasn’t always the case.

Seeking Sarah Shand
At Wetherspoons in Harrogate
Seeking Sarah Shand
In our room at Fountains Guest House

Day 12

Seeking Sarah Shand
At Bolton Abbey
Seeking Sarah Shand
At Smiths Hotel in Gretna Green
Seeking Sarah Shand
In our room at Barrasgate House

Day 13

Seeking Sarah Shand
At Caerlaverock Castle
Seeking Sarah Shand
At Sweetheart Abbey
Seeking Sarah Shand
In our room at Tigh-An-Struan Guest House in Largs

Day 14

Seeking Sarah Shand
In our room at the Holiday Inn at Glasgow Airport

So how did you do? Get all of them right? Some of them right? None of them right?

It’s been a close race – neck and neck right down to the wire between two participants. It was really difficult to say who would finish with the most correct answers. But in the end, one emerged victorious.

And now for the moment you’ve all been waiting for… the winner is… Grace!

Congratulations Grace. Please contact me via email at melanie@melanierobertson-king.com to arrange having your prize delivered.