Author! Author!
How our OBCZ met up with local authors
by FuzzmomMarch 15, 2012
The Bodacious Books OBCZ inside Bodacious Bundts coffee shop and specialty bakery has always been a special place (not that we are biased or anything!) with a business owner enthusiastic about BookCrossing who also had many bookcases.
Even when coffee shop owner, Shelley Drylie, had to downsize, she still found a place for our bookcases. One day, a local author happened to stop by the shop during our weekly Wednesday BC meet-up, as I was coming in. Shelly introduced me and I began speaking with the author as more BookCrossers were showing up. We were quite excited to meet an author (and I think she was excited to meet some readers as well!) The author ended up donating one of each of her books to the OBCZ and promised to let her friends know about the Zone as well. For the next few weeks, a new author showed up at our meet-up. One day we even had two show up!
I was volunteering at the local library book sale and Shelley texted me that she had a "package" for "BookCrossing" and delivered it to the book sale. To my great surprise, it turned out to be more books from an author who didn't know the next time she would be in town, so she mailed her donations to us. It turns out that we have a large chapter of the California Writers Club in our area and the first author had told all her friends at the meeting about how much fun she had with us!
Things have slowed down a bit lately, but what an experience to meet all those authors! We had the opportunity to ask the author all those questions we wish we could ask such as "How did you get the idea for this book?", "What kind of research did you do?", "Are your characters based on real people?", "How long did it take you to write this book?" This opportunity made for some very special experiences!
If you have a local meet-up, you might want to research any local chapters of writers clubs or guilds nearby, and invite them to attend one of your meet-ups. I made sure to ask permission to read their work first, and I did a review of them for my blog, http://fuzzmom.blogspot.com. My goal is to review 100 books in a year and prehaps work my way up to a book a day for a year. You are welcome to follow my quest. I also reviewed them on Amazon.com, Barnes&Noble.com and Goodreads. I feel that if these authors are supporting us by visiting and donating books, it is the least we can do for them. Don't be afraid to ask. Our local library book club has had hour long phone visits with authors such as Lisa See, and Jay Gilbertson just by asking. So get out there and do some Author hunting of your own!
Fuzzmom (Dani Moore)
Even when coffee shop owner, Shelley Drylie, had to downsize, she still found a place for our bookcases. One day, a local author happened to stop by the shop during our weekly Wednesday BC meet-up, as I was coming in. Shelly introduced me and I began speaking with the author as more BookCrossers were showing up. We were quite excited to meet an author (and I think she was excited to meet some readers as well!) The author ended up donating one of each of her books to the OBCZ and promised to let her friends know about the Zone as well. For the next few weeks, a new author showed up at our meet-up. One day we even had two show up!
I was volunteering at the local library book sale and Shelley texted me that she had a "package" for "BookCrossing" and delivered it to the book sale. To my great surprise, it turned out to be more books from an author who didn't know the next time she would be in town, so she mailed her donations to us. It turns out that we have a large chapter of the California Writers Club in our area and the first author had told all her friends at the meeting about how much fun she had with us!
Things have slowed down a bit lately, but what an experience to meet all those authors! We had the opportunity to ask the author all those questions we wish we could ask such as "How did you get the idea for this book?", "What kind of research did you do?", "Are your characters based on real people?", "How long did it take you to write this book?" This opportunity made for some very special experiences!
If you have a local meet-up, you might want to research any local chapters of writers clubs or guilds nearby, and invite them to attend one of your meet-ups. I made sure to ask permission to read their work first, and I did a review of them for my blog, http://fuzzmom.blogspot.com. My goal is to review 100 books in a year and prehaps work my way up to a book a day for a year. You are welcome to follow my quest. I also reviewed them on Amazon.com, Barnes&Noble.com and Goodreads. I feel that if these authors are supporting us by visiting and donating books, it is the least we can do for them. Don't be afraid to ask. Our local library book club has had hour long phone visits with authors such as Lisa See, and Jay Gilbertson just by asking. So get out there and do some Author hunting of your own!
Fuzzmom (Dani Moore)
