Category: local fun

Cooking class at Stonewall Kitchen: A Sensational Supper with Jane St Pierre

by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, education, family, local fun, teens

My daughter and I went to a cooking class at Stonewall Kitchen Cooking School.  We’ve been there before, and it’s always a treat. This was the first class taught by Jane St Pierre that we’ve been to, but hopefully not the last. She is a wonderful teacher, warm and funny, but most importantly, she knows what she’s talking about. In addition to treating us to her delicious original recipes, she shares lots of cooking tips and tricks, and also welcomes them from the audience.

How do I know? Because I offered one! I got a little jam for my trouble.

The only challenging aspect of attending classes here is the seating. The seats are high aluminum (I think) chairs that are hard to pull up to the tables and very cold on bare legs. Leave the flip-flops at home; it’s work to keep them on when sitting on the tall chair.  You can request handicapped seating, which will get you regular size chairs that are lower to the floor, hence easier to get in and out of  (but still that cold aluminum).  Also, the front row fills up early. We got there almost an hour ahead of time and the front row was already taken.

Coffee, tea, and water were free. Wine and beer were available by the glass, but cost extra.

Our class cost $60, and was three courses, and the recipes for all were given to us in a handout.

I loved everything she made.

Bottom line: Go, at least once. They are so much fun!

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My first public reading of my book

by Karen, posted in author, books, Brave books, Disney, local fun, no fear

I was at the local library recently to read some passages of my first novel, One Brave Thing. It was my first time reading aloud from my book in front of other people. I am not someone who loves public speaking. Actually, I am someone who hyperventilates at the thought of public speaking. Most of my life, I have avoided speaking in front of a group with focused determination.

Until now. I wasn’t over-the-top nervous at first, because it was booked so far in advance. When I thought about it, I thought, oh! Plenty of time! Breathed a sigh of relief, and stopped thinking about it. Suddenly though, the day loomed large. I was feeling distressed. I tried Bach’s Rescue Remedy gum that I found in my desk drawer, left over from when I took my daughter to Florida last year (don’t ask). It helped  a little, but I was still feeling so very nervous.

I confided in my friend Stephanie about my angst. She said, “Just tell yourself: ‘This is going to be fun!'”

Could it really be that easy? I had nothing to lose, right? So I tried it. Every time the ‘OMG! OMG!’ thought popped into my head, I stopped, took a breath, and replaced it with ‘This is going to be so much fun!’

library talk 4

And you know what? It was!

My First Farmers Market Book Sale

by Karen, posted in author, books, local fun, no fear, writing

Today was my first day selling my book, One Brave Thing, at a farmers market. The Saco River Farmers Market, to be exact. I’d been there saco farmers marketbefore, but not for a year or two. I had planned to scope it out ahead of time, but work and family commitments prevented me from doing so. It worked out fine though. It turned out that I picked the one Saturday that there was a big art sale going on down the street, for which they were closing Main Street. You know, the street that the farmers market is on.

DOH!

So, it wasn’t packed. That turned out to be a good thing. There was plenty of room for me to set up my table (thank you, Steve, for helping me get it open!). There was plenty of time for me to arrange my books and flotsam and jetsum on said table. There was plenty of time to talk with some of the other vendors.

I didn’t have time to get any flowers this time, so early this morning I headed out to see what the garden could offer up.

I chose peppermint, spearmint, lavender, lemon thyme, oregano, Nepeta, and rosemary. It looked and smelled amazing. I realized just how much positive energy that the jar of herbs brought to the table when I gave it away…my table was diminished! ‘You don’t know what you got ’til it’s gone’.

herb flower jar

I had a fun morning. I sold some books. I made some friends.
I highly recommend it!

 

You want it? You got it!

by Karen, posted in author, books, Brave books, local fun, writing

If you go to your local book store to buy One Brave Thing and you don’t see it, here’s an idea…JUST ASK! Currently, several of the shops OBT Sanibel by C Robinsonare down to their last copy, and what if you stop in to buy my book before it’s been restocked? Again, just ask at the counter, or call and ask if they still have any left before you go. That way, they can call me and I will expedite delivery to the shop so you can get your book as soon as possible.

Here’s a fun fact about the book: Bebe loves to go to the beach! Pick up a copy and take it to the beach with you and make everyone so very happy!

Thank you! And if you enjoy my book, please consider leaving a review on Amazon.com. Oh, and tell two friends!

Note: The ‘You want it? You got it!‘ title are lyrics are from the song, Bust a Move by Young MC. Feel free to take a 5 minute break from your day and move your body! Have a 5 minute dance party! One, two, three…GO!

Top 10 best tips for selling your books at a yard sale

by Karen, posted in Adult children, author, books, Brave books, local fun

I had the good fortune to be part of Stonewall Kitchen Employee’s Yard Sale this morning in York (by invitation from my son, Anthony). I set up my table and brought copies of my book, One Brave Thing.

stonewall yard sale

(Hmmm…maybe next time I should have someone else take the picture so that I can be IN it.)

Anyway, it went very well! I was so happy to see my friend Dawny’s face bright and early at 8am when I arrived. I am here to tell you that it’s WONDERFUL to have the support of friends when you go to do your book events.

Here’s some things what worked for me today:

  1. First of all, bring change. Bring 10’s, 5’s, and 1’s.  The first rule of yard sales (and farmer’s markets, for that matter) is that your first customer will pay you with a twenty. Every time.
  2. Bring index cards and Post-it notes. These are useful for writing down price specials or whatever statements you can think of to attract your potential customers. You can make a tent out of an index card to act as a little standing sign.
  3. Bring tape, because the wind will blow your tented index cards away.
  4. The plastic Godzilla that was on my son’s side of the table attracted a lot of people to our table. Just sayin’.
  5. Don’t bring chocolate to your yard sale if it’s going to be 80 degrees. Or if you do, bring some napkins.
  6. If you have a buddy with you, it helps a lot. It’s nice to have someone watch your table if you need to take a bio break (okay, so maybe I shouldn’t have had that second cup of coffee).
  7. Bring some bags. Many people didn’t want them, but the ones that did want them really did.
  8. Be willing to be flexible on your price (hello, it’s a yard sale). Know your rock bottom price in advance.
  9. Bring more than one pen to sign your books. One pen has a bad habit of going missing right when you need it.
  10. Try to find a shady spot, or bring some shade with you. Someone had a tent thing that I was coveting (not that I would have wanted to have to set it up though). Bring a hat. Bring sunscreen.

Bring your good attitude. Bring your business cards, pens, and book marks (or whatever promotional materials you’ve created).

I hope this helps you sell lots of books!

If you have some ideas of your own, please consider posting them below.

Blue Willow Gift Shop and Antiques is now selling my book!

by Karen, posted in author, books, Brave books, local fun

The wonderful Blue Willow Gift Shop and Antiques in Ogunquit, Maine is now selling my book, One Brave Thing! Next time you are in Perkins Cove, stop in and pick up my book! Tell two friends!

blue willow

How to do a book reading and signing

by Karen, posted in author, books, Brave books, local fun, no fear, writing

me and kathy eliscu 5.6.16I’m planning to do my first reading from my book One Brave Thing next month, so I thought I’d visit another author’s event to show my support (oh, and to learn a thing or two, maybe) about how to set myself up for success. Kathy Eliscu was at the Falmouth Memorial Library last week reading from her book, Not Even Dark Chocolate Can Fix This Mess. I loved her book (I will be posting a review here soon) and knew I would love her reading, so off we (my husband and I) went.

Right off the bat, I noticed (as I ran into the room at 6:33pm for a 6:30pm start time–I was running late from my daughter’s track meet, my bad) that the little room was filled to capacity. Yep; standing room only. Now this wasn’t my first author reading. I have been to plenty of them and many are not as well attended as this one was. This was a great turnout. Note to self: call the fam and impress upon them the  importance of showing up, and bringing several friends apiece to my reading next month.

The next thing I noticed: the requisite flowers (check) and chocolate (check) were in attendance. I learned these are non-negotiable components of a successful book reading. Don’t ask me how I know this. I am not at liberty to discuss it, but I’m pretty sure it’s the law. I was already planning to have these at my reading, so I was starting to feel pretty good about my debut. Plus, Kathy’s talk was about her book and her mother (Margery Eliscu, who was also a writer) was great-fun and interesting. And, you know, there was chocolate. definitely an enjoyable evening.

🙂

And then there was a surprise: there was a local celebrity in the room! Joe Cupo was a meteorologist for WCSH Channel 6 for 37 years and recently retired. That didn’t stop him from answering a few good-natured requests for what the weekend weather was going to be like. He was there with his wife to hear Kathy speak.

Shoot! What local celebrity might unexpectedly duck into my book signing? Patrick Dempsey? Hmmmm….after all, I did volunteer at The Dempsey Challenge last October, and will be volunteering there again this year. I did say nice things about him when I was (email) interviewed by the Lewiston newspaper last year. Plus, he was just in Freeport lounging up against the L.L. Bean boot a week or so ago…I’ll bet he’ll be dying to come to my reading!

Okay, so I invited him.

I’ll keep you posted.

🙂

 

My first radio interview at Elemental Energies with Chris Ann

by Karen, posted in author, books, local fun, Meditation, Metaphysical healing, my one word, no fear

I had the good luck to be Chris Ann’s Radio adguest on her live radio talk show last night on unitedpaganradio.net (WUPR). What a great experience! Chris Ann made me at home from the moment I entered her studio. We talked about my book and my other writings and doings.

We also discussed ways of manifesting things that you want in your life.  I mentioned different methods I had tried over the years on my path to publishing my book, like making vision boards, meditating, creative visualization. A big one that I forgot to say was MIND MAPPING. I will talk more about this in a separate post.

I was shocked to hear how many listeners we had! There were 20,089 listeners in 129 countries. What the whaaaaatttt??? Isn’t that amazing? 🙂

If you missed the show, you can listen to it here: https://soundcloud.com/karen-maffeo-creamer/k-m-creamer-one-brave-thing-interview-with-chris-ann

I’m happy to share that my book One Brave Thing is now available at Chris Ann’s store, Elemental Energies with Chris Ann and Jeff, 27 North Berwick Road in Wells, ME! Stop in and buy one! While you’re there, pick up a crystal or two, just because!

Boston Flower Show

by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, local fun, restaurants

My husband and I usually go to the Portland Flower Show every year, but as you many know, there best flower show exhibitwasn’t one this year. We hadn’t been to the Boston Flower Show in, um, decades, but we both had fond memories of all of it except the getting there and getting home part. We thought about going this year and were lucky enough to find a bus to drive us almost all the way there and back.

Yay! Alpine Leisure Tours. Based on our experience, I would recommend them highly.

As for the flower show, it was fine. It was smaller than we remembered. It seemed like half of the show was made up of vendors, maybe more than half, and there were fewer actual exhibits than I expected.  I only noticed one lilac! And it was half dead!

My favorite exhibit wasn’t a flower at all. It was the fountain and stone carving in the photo above. I kept going back to look at it. So beautiful.

Anyway, we had a great time being there and loved the bus ride. Our tour guide, Claire, was the best-est tour guide ever. She printed out a word search for us to do on the ride! It was hard! But I finished it! (Full disclosure: my husband thought it was easy).

The bonus was the surprise stop at Kelly’s Roast Beef on the way home. Heaven. I may have liked that part more than the flower show. What can I say? It’s all about the food.

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My book is published! (part 2)

by Karen, posted in author, books, friends, local fun, no fear

It’s been a busy week! I was at Will’s Copy Center yesterday, ordering some bookmarks (Maine NonesuchAuthor!!) and flyers and such, when I ran into my friend, Denise. She was saying that it must be hard, putting the book out into the world. I said, “Yes! Thank you for validating that! It’s terrifying!”

This is true.

But what I wish I had also said was, “But it’s also a lifelong dream come true! I’m so happy!”

Because this is also true.

What helps in both cases is this: all of the people who have messaged me to say that they loved my book and (even though they were busy) they read it in two days, and oh, when will my next book be out?

Today I was lucky enough to learn that Nonesuch Books in Biddeford, Maine will be selling my books!

See? It’s just getting better and better!