One day! Almost ready to happen! I’ve dreamed of this moment for many years, and now it’s one day away. Tomorrow afternoon at 1 o’clock we’ll be at the ECEC library in Elkton–that’s Sunday, June 1st–with books to sign, refreshments, music. I’ll do a reading around 1:30 or 2:00, then open it up to Q&A. Come and visit, meet friends, have a good time. I know there are people coming that I haven’t seen in years. And relatives I’ve never met. Looking forward to seeing old friends and new ones. It’s open to the public. Hope to see you there!

Friends and family are letting me know they’re coming to the first book launch party for Martha’s book, A Place of Her Own, in two days–Sunday, June 1, at ECEC in Elkton.

My grandson, Alex Loznak, will be there playing background music on the keyboard.

My daughters, Carisa and Christiane Cegavske, and granddaughter, Calliope Boutilier, will be there helping out.

Facebook friends have signed up to attend. More friends are driving up from Roseburg. Others coming down from Eugene.

Robin Loznak, whose photos are in the book, will be there. Be sure to check out “Spotlight on the Photographer” below to learn more about Robin and his work.

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Robin Loznak offers his photographic artistry to my new book, A Place of Her Own: The Legacy of Oregon Pioneer Martha Poindexter Maupin. The book has two photo sections, one with old pictures, the other with modern pictures taken on the family farm by Robin. And a medallion on the cover shows his photo of me walking across the field below the old barn. He’s also my son-in-law and lives on the family farm with his wife, my daughter Carisa, and their son, Alex.

Robin has a particular knack for eking out whimsical images of insects and other small critters. Here he’s riveting his focus on a fly on the blackberry blossoms along the farm’s primary creek. That fly will reveal its character in Robin’s viewfinder.

Robin’s critter photos often appear on Picture of the Day at MSNBC and other outlets, lining up with newsy subject matter like battle scenes in faraway places, and events with world leaders.

Pictures like this:

Robin’s work has been highlighted worldwide, and as a photojournalist he has stacked up the awards. He was the National Press Photographers Association Region 9 photographer of the year in 2002 when he worked at the Daily Inter Lake in Kalispell, Montana. Region 9 includes the Rocky Mountain states and parts of Canada. He won an Award of Excellence in the Best of Photojournalism contest in 2013, and was named a Highly Honored Photographer in the Nature’s Best Photography Windland Smith Rice International Awards in 2010.

After working for the Daily Inter Lake and the Great Falls Tribune in Montana, he came to Oregon when we all moved to the farm, and for several years worked as photographer for The News-Review in nearby Roseburg, Oregon. Now he does contract photography with Zuma Press photo agency. His work has been published in books, magazines, websites, and in newspapers around the world. A short list includes National Geographic, Smithsonian magazine, The New York Times, London Telegraph, Time magazine, Rolling Stone magazine, Sports Illustrated, The Wall Street Journal, NBCnews.com, Today.com, Alaska Airlines magazine, Conde Nast Traveler magazine, and many more.

His photo below shows a meteor above the old barn. Smithsonian.com used the shot.

Robin’s love for animals shows in his photos. He’s the kind of guy who, when he sees the owls in our barn having a problem raising families, finds a solution. The owl mother had been laying eggs on the ledge, but they kept falling off. Concerned, Robin found an old bushel prune box, attached it to the ledge. Mama owl looked it over and started again. Her new owlets thrived in Robin’s creation, and Robin got many delightful pictures along with his satisfaction at helping out. He enjoys offering vignettes that tell a story in picture. And his talent has attracted a strong following.

I’m delighted to spotlight Robin’s work in my book, and to share a bit of his background here. He’ll be attending several of the book signings. Here are a couple of favorites from the book:

Check out more of Robin’s creative works below–a dragonfly beaded with water droplets on a wet morning, and a newt peeking out from behind a little mushroom parasol. I never saw a newt look so cute. For still more, see Robin’s blog.

All photos on this post are by Robin Loznak, except of course the photo of him, taken by me.

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This is the place. The Elkton Community Education Center, better known as the ECEC. It’s on Highway 38 between Drain and Reedsport, just west of Elkton.

I spent a couple of hours there this morning working with the writing team for the Fort Umpqua Days pageant, held every year on Labor Day Weekend.

Took a moment to check out the sound system for my reading, and to go over last-minute details with ECEC’s Operations Manager, Sue Butkus.

Feeling calmer today. Taking deep breaths. All’s well. I look forward to seeing many of you there Sunday afternoon, June 1, at 1 o’clock for my very first signing and reading of A Place of Her Own. 🙂

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Ah! I think this must be panic day. It’s the day of realizing there are more things left to do than days in which to do them. I remember my writer friend Leslie Budewitz saying before the launch of her book last year that she didn’t know whether to be excited or terrified. I didn’t understand the terrified. With a dream coming true, how it could be anything but exciting? I understand better now. I’m not sure I’d call it terrified. I expect to see many dear and supportive friends at my hometown launch in Elkton in four days. But there are some things that just aren’t going to get done before it happens. And we’ll let those things go and party anyway. Onward and upward. Cheers! 😉

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At the Book Launch Party in Elkton, we’ll have background music provided by my grandson, Alex Loznak. Maybe not with the tux. And not with the grand piano. They’re so hard to carry. But he’ll be there with a keyboard to play a few tunes.

This picture shows him at one of the Roseburg High School concerts where he plays piano this year with the jazz ensemble.

The event in Elkton is this coming Sunday afternoon, June 1, from 1 to 3 at the ECEC library in the main building near the butterfly pavilion.

Photo by Robin Loznak

 

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Fourteen Facebook friends and friends of friends are already scheduled to attend my book launch party June 1st at 1 o’clock at ECEC in Elkton, Oregon. And many more have told me they plan to come. The National Weather Service predicts the day will be mostly sunny with a high near 72. A lovely day to come to Elkton and enjoy the amenities of the Elkton Community Education Center.

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One week until launch day for my new book, A Place of Her Own. We’ve had some great pre-launch excitement. Now counting down to the first book launch party with signing and reading, music and refreshments. It’s June 1, at 1:00 pm at the ECEC library in Elkton, Oregon.

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So, I was in Eugene yesterday putting up posters for my upcoming signing at Tsunami Books scheduled for the 21st of June. And I thought I would also stop in at a few other bookstores to tell them about my book, A Place of Her Own. I had sent postcards out to several stores, but wanted to make some personal visits. My first stop was J Michaels Books downtown on Broadway, just up from Oak Street. I went jaunting up the street, my bag in hand with the now-dog-eared copy inside, ready to pull it out and show it off.

Nice store. I casually glanced into the window at the fine display of books–and stopped. There! Right in front! My book! See? It’s in the lower left of the right-hand window. The cover does stand out. The medallion sort of draws the eye. Well, for me it certainly does. I’ve been enjoying that cover for a while now.

Heart pounding, I looked closer. What a beautiful sight to me. But had I thought to bring a camera? No. I still haven’t gotten used to the fact that I have a nice little camera. I need to carry it for these wonderful surprises.

Anyway, I walked into the store, and instead of pulling out the dog-eared copy from my bag, I pulled out a business card with the book’s picture on the front. Smiling, I told the proprietor I had come in to tell him about my book, but he already had it, beautifully displayed in the window.

He smiled back and told me he also had a stack of them on the table. Ah! Words to thrill a writer’s heart!

I offered to sign them, searched for my signing pen, which took a while, given my excited state of mind and the state of my bag’s interior. He brought the stack. I found the pen, and signed.

Later, I met my daughter, who lives in Eugene. We went back to Broadway, and she took pictures.

So here I am. One of the books, now signed, is back in the window with a little tag letting prospective buyers know it’s a signed copy.

And I am one happy author.

With the one Eugene event already planned for Tsunami, I hope to schedule more in that city.

Getting the word out, one place at a time. Having fun!

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Since my publisher released early copies of A Place of Her Own: The Legacy of Oregon Pioneer Martha Poindexter Maupin, my book has begun appearing in Oregon stores ranging from Portland to Roseburg. The picture shows the conspicuous placement at While Away Books in Roseburg, right in front of the door as you walk in. Nice!

A quick stroll through the Indie Bound list of independent outlets shows online listings of A Place of Her Own in bookstores across the United States, from San Francisco, Seattle, Los Angeles and more on the west coast, to New York on the east coast, with Chicago, St. Louis, and Denver, among many more between. Wouldn’t Martha be surprised?

Perhaps the most surprising discovery shows listings in France, Germany, England, and Spain through association with information on Maupin, Oregon. Thank you, Uncle Howard. Without the influence of Howard Maupin for whom this small Eastern Oregon town was named, would these European countries even know about my book? Howard was the brother of Martha’s husband Garrett, my great-great-grandfather. And Howard does appear in my book as the colorful character he must have been.

I spent time yesterday showing off the book in bookstores and libraries, and delivering copies to places like the Douglas County Museum. Such fun! I even had to show it to people where I bought a few things for my upcoming signings. And at the dentist’s office. You know how it goes. People get to visiting, and I keep a copy in my bag now—getting a little dog eared but still looking good. The response has been terrific.

Thanks to my publisher, Globe Pequot Press (TwoDot imprint), for getting the word out in faraway places and for putting together a book with great eye appeal.

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