Book Events

The NW Book Festival

Janet Fisher

The 6th Annual Northwest Book Festival brought many authors out to Pioneer Courthouse Square in the heart of Portland on a warm, sunny Saturday, and many readers anxious to check out the books. I attended with my new book, A Place of Her Own, here with a display of photos from the book, and a new poster of the cover art. The photo display seemed to catch the eyes of many shoppers.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERARight across the aisle from me (pictured below) was my good friend from Montana, Shirley Rorvik, and her husband, Charles, who does illustrations. They were there with Shirley’s book, Jack’s Carousel, a heartwarming story of love overcoming prejudice, and their delightful children’s picture book, Pickles’ Predicament, which my granddaughter simply had to have.

Sami and ChasShirley and I were in an amazing critique group in Kalispell, Montana, during my time there. (See “Ink and Magic,” a guest post by another member of the group, Leslie Budewitz, for more about this remarkable collection of authors.)

book fair rugIt was great seeing Shirley again after many years. Also good to see friends Billy Cook and Diane Goeres-Gardner there. And I enjoyed meeting new people, including Gary Beaudoin, who I had the privilege of sharing space with. He displayed a lovely Navajo rug to illustrate his beautiful book, Unbroken Web, about a family of Navajo women who have maintained this art form. You can see the exquisite rug in the background in the photo to the right.

Photography became a challenge on this bright day between the sunny aisles and the shadowed interiors beneath the canopies.

Thanks to my daughter Christiane for taking the photo of me.

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Seattle Conference a Huge Success

Janet Fisher2 Comments

We started the Pacific Northwest Writers Association conference in Seattle with stories of success. Months ago, after some back and forth with PNWA President Pam Binder, I put in two ideas for presentations at this year’s conference, hoping perhaps one would be selected. They asked for both, a panel of authors highlighting recent PNWA success stories, and a workshop entitled “The Power of Perseverance.” I thought I could speak about perseverance, given the long years I had worked before I got this book published.

success stories panelOur Success Stories panel opened the conference first thing Thursday morning. And since it was the only session, we spoke to a packed room of authors eager to hear our stories, with a lively Q&A session afterwards. As designer of the presentation I had the privilege of moderating, as well as telling my own story. From l to r, our panel includes Richard Hacker, Ethan Reid, me, Tracy Weber, Andie Newton, Stephanie Joyce Cole, and Jared John Smith. Everyone did a super job.

It was a great conference. My agent Rita Rosenkranz was there, and she and I had some wonderful visits. On Friday at the Agent Panel–one of the best attended sessions at the conference–Rita set my book in front of her and told the huge crowd about it when her turn came. She even dressed in colors coordinating with the book cover. Delightful! None of the other agents displayed books as she did.

For the rest of the conference everyone seemed to know about my book and me. A thrilling experience. We had good sales at the conference bookstore. And I met many enthusiastic people who found inspiration from my presentations, which was especially gratifying.

My thanks to Ethan for sending me this photo.

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Lovely Bookmine Event

Janet Fisher

The friendly atmosphere at Cottage Grove’s The Bookmine set the stage for a lovely signing and reading event yesterday evening. Relatives came, cousins I didn’t know at all, one who’d just made contact a week or so ago. Alerted by the big story in the Register-Guard about the book and me, they made a point of attending this event to get books firsthand and to meet me. What a pleasant surprise to find more cousins.

Bookmine crowd smilesGail, the proprietor, even gave me a beautiful corsage. In the photo above where we’re sharing a pleasant exchange, that’s Gail standing in the back, wearing bright blue. The man nearest the camera is a second cousin, Gary, going back to Martha’s daughter Mary, our great-grandmother. Below, from a slightly different angle you can see his sister, Joan, near the camera on the right. More of Martha’s great-great-grandchildren. In this shot I’m reading a short segment from Martha’s trek over the Oregon Trail.

Bookmine reading

Bookmine making pointThere were points to be made, and I’m evidently making one here on the right. You can see the prominently displayed Register-Guard story by Randi Bjornstad with photos by Paul Carter.

 

And there were more relatives to meet. Juanita, with me in the photo below, would be a fourth cousin, I believe, going back to Garrett’s sister, Lucinda, who came to Oregon with her husband Parker Bryan in 1851, the year after Garrett and Martha came. The common links for Juanita and I are Perry and Rachel Maupin of Ray County, Missouri, Garrett and Lucinda’s parents.

Bookmine with JuanitaSuch a pleasant evening. Quite a few others from Cottage Grove also came, and from as far as Drain to the south and Eugene to the north. Gail served wonderful refreshments. And afterward my daughter and granddaughter and I walked up Main Street and had a delicious dinner at a sidewalk table at Jack Sprat’s.

Thank you to my daughter, Christiane Cegavske, for taking these pictures.

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Next Event at The Bookmine

Janet Fisher

bookmine & bikesThe Bookmine in Cottage Grove, Oregon, sells books, plants, and gifts. It’s a delightful place, just up the street from where I used to live before moving to the farm. Many a day I walked over there to buy flowers or herbs or other plants, or a book, or to chat with Gail, one of the proprietors.

So I’m happy to be having a reading and signing there this Friday, July 11, from 5 to 7 pm. Gail will provide refreshments and I’ll read an excerpt from my book. We’ll have books to sign and conversation to enjoy.

If you think this looks like an old-fashioned store on a charming street in small-town America, you’d be right. It’s on the town’s main street, appropriately called Main Street, number 702.

Whether you visit it Friday or some other day, I recommend you check it out. If you haven’t been to one of my book signing events–and happen to live within easbookmine door with booky driving distance–this would be a great place to start. You couldn’t ask for friendlier. Or even if you have been to one, come visit us anyway. I try to pick different excerpts to read at different events. And every event has a character all its own, as every venue has its own personality.

Oh! And look what’s just inside the the door. Look closely, directly above the half-door. See it? When I step in the door of a bookstore it’s always a pleasure to see a sight like that.

Cheers! 🙂

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Last June Event

Janet Fisher

DSCN0287One more signing coming up for June. I’ll be at V.W. Books in Roseburg in the Garden Valley Shopping Center–on your left as you drive into the center, a few doors before Jo-Ann’s–Sunday afternoon, June 29, from 2 to 4.

A nice young couple runs this bookstore, which used to be in the Roseburg Valley Mall. They’re enjoying their new location. If you’re from the Roseburg area and haven’t been there, you may want to check it out.

This will be a casual event. No reading. Just signing. Please stop by if you’re in town. And if you bought a book elsewhere and would like it signed, you’re welcome to bring that by. I’ll be providing books for this event, so no one will mind.

This rounds out a busy June of events. I intend to rest on the 30th.  🙂

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Good Crowd at Annie’s

Janet Fisher2 Comments

molly_bloom_sittingMolly Bloom came in early to check out the people who came to my book signing at Annie Bloom’s Books in Portland’s Multnomah Village Thursday evening. As folks took their seats for the reading that began the event, Molly worked the crowd, slinking from one person to another. Molly is the silky black cat that lives at Annie’s, and she seemed pleased with the proceedings. Before we got her picture, though, she melted into the shadows. I had to borrow this picture.

The crowd delighted me. Many friends came, but also many people I didn’t know. They filled the chairs set out in rows for the reading, and we had to get more chairs. Some ended up standing.
annie's aside

Jeff from the Annie’s staff introduced me. Pleased with the numbers who came, he commented on the popularity of stories of Oregon’s history. I read a new excerpt of A Place of Her Own to the receptive crowd. Then after a little Q&A we socialized over wine with cheese and crackers, while I signed books.

I stayed in town with my good friend Tilly, who used to be my next-door neighbor near Multnomah Village. A friend of Tilly’s offered roses from her garden for the event. There are so many beautiful roses in Portland, the City of Roses. pink rosesWe made a bouquet from the pink ones, which reminded me of the cutting of a pink rose Martha tucked into the covered wagon to carry across the Oregon Trail from Missouri to Oregon. A bush from that cutting still lives on the farm.

The excerpt I read from the book mentioned Martha’s pink rosebush, and the listeners appreciated the connection.

All in all, a lovely evening in a wonderful bookstore.

My thanks to Andy Engholm for taking the pictures.

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To Annie’s in Portland

Janet Fisher2 Comments

Heading north to Portland tomorrow, Thursday, June 26, for my book sannie bloom's logoigning and reading event at Annie Bloom’s Books. It’s a lovely store in Multnomah Village, a short hop from where I used to live in Portland. The bookstore is at 7834 SW Capitol Highway.

annie bloom's molly

Pleasant ambience. And they have a delightful black cat named Molly Bloom.

I’ll read a new excerpt from my book, A Place of Her Own: The Legacy of Oregon Pioneer Martha Poindexter Maupin. The event begins at 7 pm, and I’ll begin reading shortly after 7.

For refreshments we’ll have Elkton wines from River’s Edge Winery, with crackers for nibbling.

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Music and Books at Tsunami

Janet Fisher

Tsunami music side shotThe rich sounds of trumpet and piano added a sweet blend with words, wine, and welcoming conversation at my book signing at Tsunami Books in Eugene yesterday evening.

My cousin Don Fisher played trumpet, with friend Patty Wilgus on piano, offering some easy-listening tunes, and revving it up a little from time to time for something a little sassier.

My daughter Carisa, who works as a reporter for the Roseburg News-Review, snapped a few photos with my camera.

Tsunami with wine and Christiane

 

My other daughter Christiane served wine from the River’s Edge Winery in Elkton near the family farm.

Tsunami signing

 

 

 

I enjoyed signing more books.

 

 

Robin Tsunami video

Tsunami music front shot

 

 

My son-in-law Robin Loznak kept busy shooting video (Update: I’ll post the video of our reading set to music tomorrow; it’s still uploading).

 

 

 

 

More music.

 

 

 

Tsunami Thumbs up

 

And two thumbs up from Nate at Tsunami. 🙂

 

 

 

 

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At Sutherlin’s Gem~the Books Gallery

Janet Fisher

DSCN0240Photo by Robin Loznak with my small Nikon.

Sutherlin, Oregon, has such a great gem of a bookstore in the Books Gallery on Central Avenue. I spent a pleasant afternoon there signing books and sharing a reading from A Place of Her Own. The signing table is right in the front window with cushy chairs so people can sit in comfort and visit a moment. For the reading I moved back into an inner space with large tables and the ever-present puzzle table.

Cheryl, the proprietor, said her son suggested the puzzle table nine years ago, and they’ve had a puzzle going ever since. People stop by, work on it a while. Then others come and do a few more pieces. Folks bring in their favorite puzzles and sometimes trade. It’s a great feature.

They also offer yummy goodies to eat with excellent coffee, tea, and soft drinks.

The place isn’t far off I-5 and is definitely worth a stop. Cheryl still has a few of my books there, and I think she’ll probably keep some in stock. Check out the Books Gallery Facebook page. If you scroll down a bit you’ll see me with Robin Loznak, my son-in-law whose photos are in the book.

Again I had a few surprises, people I hadn’t seen in a long time or recognized only by name. What a great tradition, book signing!

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