Tag: Longfellow Books

My first book signing

by Karen, posted in author, books, writing

I found out at the last minute New England Authors Expo having an author event last Friday night. Fortunately, it wasn’t too late to participate! I had fun and met some very nice people!

Izzy and Me at NE Authors Expo

I brought my books and my daughter came to help me.

Highlights:

  1. One woman said my book is “exactly the kind of book she loves to read” (unfortunately, she said she had already spent all her money before she got to my table! Oh well. Maybe she’ll buy it on Amazon. Maybe you will too! Here’s the link: http://www.amazon.com/One-Brave-Thing-K…/dp/1523347899)
  2.  I got to see how the more experienced authors set up their tables and how they talked to the customers. I got to talk to other self published authors about their process compared to my own.
  3. I also tested out my second (not yet published) book’s title out and got some great responses.
  4. Everyone loves chocolate. 🙂
Overall, a wonderful way to have spent a Friday night!
My book is also available in Maine at Annie’s Book Stop in Wells, Nonesuch Books in Biddeford, Longfellow Books in Portland. In New Hampshire you can find it at RiverRun Bookstore in Portsmouth by 3/25/16.

My book is published! (part 3)

by Karen, posted in author, books, writing

longfellowYes! My book One Brave Thing is now available at Longfellow Books in Portland, Maine! YAY!

Please share this link with your friends!

My book is also available at Annie’s Book Stop in Wells and Nonesuch Books in Biddeford.

How to grow a watermelon

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

How do you grow a watermelon? Darned if I know. Here in Southern Maine in spring and summertime,  the growing (of anything, really) doesn’t (usually) come easy.

Someone must know how, because I see them all the time at my local farm store, Spillers. I see them at the Farmers Markets. I see them at the supermarket. My favorite gardening book, The Garden Primer by Barbara Damrosch, devotes pages 457-465 to the topic, therefore one must conclude that she must also believe that it’s possible to grow them here.

When my husband decided he wanted to grow watermelons, we picked up some seed packets. We hedged our bets by also planting some seedlings that we found already started at Agway. We tried for three years to grow watermelon to no avail…until this year.

This summer, I even saw them (briefly) in my back yard, on the vine that grew from the seeds that we lovingly sowed in very early spring.  .  . we had such high hopes! This would be the year! And a miracle happened…this was the year!  We had a few fruits on some of the vines. We even glimpsed one good-sized watermelon growing on one of said vines. We were so happy!

We were so naive!

We were happy for about three minutes, which must have been about how long it took before whichever critter from the wild also noticed it and took matters into its own hands–er, mouth. Our next trip out to the garden to lovingly gaze on our produce prodigy ended in tragedy as we noticed the large bite that was taken out of the side of it.

😦

One of the smaller ones remained, so despite its size, we brought it into the house. We weren’t willing to risk losing the last intact melon. With bated breath, I cut it open.

There was enough for my husband and I each to have a teaspoon of watermelon.

The fruits of three years labor. Reminds me of the $64 Tomato.

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P.S. Buy the books at your local bookstore, such as Longfellows or Kennebooks (in Maine), or Literary Bookpost (in North Carolina).