An Author Appearance Necessity List

I'm sure you all added our upcoming author appearance to your calendars and phones, and possibly had the date tattooed backward to your foreheads. I mean, all those authors and artists together--it'll be Indiana's social event of the decade. (Although I'm told the world's biggest greased pig chase and cornhole contest will be next year in Muncie, so we might be in second place.)

So there's no need to post the link that announced the Kendallville Art and Author Fair would be at the Kendallville Community Learning Center Saturday, April 30, from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. If I did, I'd put it here.

https://markrhunter.blogspot.com/2022/04/were-coming-to-kendallvilles-art-and.html

 But I won't. It's our first author appearance since late 2019--I suspect you know what happened after that. Even before that we didn't do them often, so I started a list of what we needed to bring. Then I realized, surely I already made a list? I do that. I went back and sure enough, there it was.

So, what does every good author, and most of the bad ones, need to bring?

1. Books. This is kinda important. If you do a book signing, you should have something to sign.

2. Change. When one goes somewhere to sell books, one must assume some books will be sold. Thus: change for those high rollers who walk around with hundred dollar bills. (I don't know any of them, either.)

3. A calculator or, these days, a calculator app. After all, the whole reason I became a writer is because I can't do math in my head.

4. Tylenol. You'd be surprised. No, probably you wouldn't.

5. A camera. My wife took a photo of me signing a book for an Indiana State Senator who, apparently not having read my columns about politicians, was very nice. You never know what you might get a picture of when you're out in the public.

6. Paper and pens. The pens are to, duh, sign books. The paper is because, even though We'll have iPhones with us, I don't trust technology.

7. A tarp and an umbrella, if the venue is outside. There's a reason why books aren't usually sold outdoors, but I laugh in the face of danger. Well, I cringe, which looks a little like laughing, if you squint. (This one is inside, so never mind.)

8. Business cards. Emily designed me my very own business card! Sometimes, when it's slow at events, I sneak around the crowds and pull the opposite of pick pocketing, leaving my calling card behind. Yeah, that was me.

9. A table and chairs. The basics, right? We bought a folding chair that's so comfortable I'm thinking of throwing away our couch.

10. Liquid refreshments. I'm thinking water. Hey, I don't need any help from alcohol to look foolish.

11. Displays and signs. To display stuff ... like signs.

12. Scotch Tape. It's the author's duct tape.

A lot of that stuff will fit nicely into the two totes we bought for the purpose, although, man, books can get heavy when you're carrying them a long way. How about you other authors? What's on your "to-bring" list? And what would you potential readers like to see an author supplied with?

Maybe I'll have a new book to sell that day; you never know.

Remember, every time you miss an author event, Edgar Allan Poe rolls over in his grave. You don't want to wake that guy up.

(But if you can't make it, find our books at:)

http://markrhunter.com/
https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B0058CL6OO
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/"Mark R Hunter"

 

 

McCray Manufacturing Fire Reveals History

If you're in northeast Indiana, you probably heard of the fire at the old McCray factory in Kendallville, which took half a day to control and came closer than most people realize to taking out part of the city's historic downtown. The fire burned so hot that it was actually visible on local weather radars, and eighteen fire departments were called in to fight it. (For you big city folk, that would be about five alarms.) Over the course of the night, they extinguished two other roof fires and patrolled downwind as sparks and flying brands dropped over the whole city.

I guess what I'm saying is, it was a big fire. Here's the Noble County Sheriff Department drone video from the day after:

https://www.facebook.com/171131589596429/videos/1771163106259928

And here's a report on the fire from the Fort Wayne TV station, WPTA21 (That's the same station that interviewed me twice after book releases):

http://www.wpta21.com/story/38338863/fire-crews-battle-fire-in-downtown-kendallville

And here's the Kendallville News-Sun article on it:

http://www.kpcnews.com/newssun/article_6473bad0-9bce-5059-be37-398991d7ff7a.html


 The building was huge--much bigger than you could tell from driving down Main street--and mostly out of use for some years. That's too bad, too, because it was once a large part of the Kendallville economy, and manufactured refrigerators that went out across the world. Donations from the McCray family led to, among many other things, the local Lakeside Hospital being named after them, until it eventually became Parkview Noble Hospital. So, the company was obviously successful and influential for many years. All because of ... meat.

I got to thinking about it after the fire, and remembered the building was represented in our book Images of America: Albion and Noble County. Just for fun, instead of finding the photo I actually took a picture of the book page itself:

You can buy this book at www.markrhunter.com, or on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Albion-Noble-County-Images-America-ebook/dp/B014I412XW, because: always be selling.

As you can see from the caption, the McCrays were simply selling their meat and poultry products, and got so successful at it that they were having trouble keeping their products fresh. So ... why not just invent a refrigerator of their own? They did that, getting a patent in 1882, and in 1890 founded the McCray Refrigeration Co. The result was over 300,000 square feet of manufacturing space.

McCray was for decades the biggest manufacturer of commercial refrigerators, anywhere, and its jobs supported a third of Kendallville's population. Founder Elmer McCray's daughter married an heir to the Coca-Cola fortune, and when Elmer McCray died in 1938 his body had a police escort, with thousands attending his funeral.

All gone, now. Although ... not quite. To this day, you can still buy a Howard-McCray commercial refrigerator.

Stephen King at the library! Or at least, writers who want to be that famous

I have to be redundant, at the risk of repeating myself, which I do all the time, often more than once.

But I wanted to remind everyone of the Kendallville Public Library's Art and Author Fair, coming up Friday, September 15, from 2-7 p.m. This is something I believe they plan on doing every year, or at least annually, at their own risk of being redundant.

It's critically important to support your local artists and authors, especially if they live in your area. Emily and I will be there, but so will several others of the art and artist variety. In addition, I'm trying very hard to start a rumor that Stephen King is stopping by, to such an extent that I'm actually trying to find some random guy (or woman) named Stephen King, who can come in just long enough for me to honestly say Stephen King will be there. If he does show up, maybe he'll sign something for you; who's to say he's not the real Stephen King, and the guy on the book photos isn't a model, or his personal assistant?

This is a change from my original plan, because there doesn't seem to be a single J.K. Rowling in Indiana.

Anyway, the "Showcase Kendallville and Job Fair" is going on at the same place on the same day, sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce. (Maybe Stephen King needs a job?) So there's stuff, and things, plus it's a library, which is cool. Please make an attempt to stop by and visit; and remember that Emily and I tend to discount our books at events like this. Even for Stephen King.

The library's page for the event is here:

http://kendallvillelibrary.org/about-us/library-news/art-and-author-fair/

And here's the Facebook page, which is indeed on a page, and has faces:

https://www.facebook.com/events/261574904246629


(Remember, this is a library, so at least Stephen King's books will be there.)

The grand-twins at work

Poor grand-twins: A whole library full of books, and they're stuck doing homework. But at least Emily was there to help with reading!

The photo was taken a few feet from where I gave a talk a few years ago, at the Kendallville Public Library. It's a beautiful place, overlooking a park at Bixler Lake.

Walk on the beach (in January)

It was 60 degrees yesterday, so we grabbed Brayden and headed off to the playgrounds around Bixler Lake in Kendallville. (Hunter is recovering from getting his tonsils out, so he couldn't go.) We also took a walk, down by the beach. Yes, our shoes (and paws) needed cleaned afterward, but if it hits 60 degrees in January, you really have to go out.

Kendallville Christmas parade

The theme of this year's Kendallville Christmas parade was Indiana's bicentennial ... which is also the theme of my newest book in a way, so great minds think alike.

And my grandson Brayden was in it! Sadly, his brother stayed home with strep throat.

Six Authors, Waiting on a Rock

NASA has confirmed a 1.5 mile wide asteroid will close in on Earth this weekend, so tomorrow might be your last chance to come to see your favorite local authors at appearances in Kendallville and Auburn.

By “close” they mean 15 million miles, which by astronomical standards is like tossing a rock in New York and having someone in Los Angeles hear it whistle by their ear. But just in case, you should buy a book and get some calories in case the world’s infrastructure comes down. We’ll be in coffee shop/bookstores, so there you go.

So if it’s not too far from your bunker we’ll see you from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at Joanna’s Dealicious Treats, at 201 S. Main Street in Kendallville. Later you’ll need more coffee, so come on over from 3-7 p.m. to the Cupbearer Café, at 138 East 7th Street in Auburn. Remember, six authors—no waiting!

Remember also, that every time you don’t go to a book signing, the presidential election season gets just a little longer …

Don’t let that be your fault.

Six Authors, Two Appearances, One Day

I usually post press releases for upcoming author events, so everyone can see how dull my press releases are. This one was sent out last week, so I hope you’ve seen it—it’s very different from our previous book signings in two ways:

First, it’s our first gathering of multiple authors (unless you county Emily and me as two authors, which you should). Six—count ‘em, six—authors will be at one of the two gatherings Saturday.

Which brings us to the second way: Being gluttons for punishment, we’re doing two separate author appearances in one day. All the details are below, and I hope you can make at least one of them. Maybe both, it would be like having … author groupies.

 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Six local authors will have a busy day, organizing for two book signings in two cities Saturday, October 10^th. The authors will have plenty of opportunities for caffeine to keep them going, though: Both appearances are at coffee shops.

The first, from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., will be at Joanna’s Dealicious Treats, a book store, coffee shop, and restaurant at 201 S. Main Street in Kendallville. After just an hour’s pause the second will be at the Cupbearer Café in Auburn, at 138 East 7^th Street, from 3-7 p.m.

All the authors will have copies of their books for sale, and will be happy to sign them and discuss their writing with visitors. Authors include:

Dawn Crandall is a graduate of Taylor University with a degree in Christian Education, and a former bookseller at Barnes & Noble. Her books are published by Whitaker House,  a leading publisher of Christian living and leadership books, as well as Inspirational Fiction. Dawn's debut novel, The Hesitant Heiress, is the 2015 winner of the Hearts Through History Romancing the Novel RWA reader’s choice award, the WISRWA Write Touch Reader’s choice award and the RWA Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, all in the inspirational categories. The Hesitant Heiress was also a finalist in the 2015 Carol Awards—the American Christian Fiction Writer’s recognition for the best Christian fiction published by traditional publishing houses in the previous calendar year. Her second novel, The Bound Heart, is the 2015 winner of the Clash of the Titles Laurel Award. Her website is http://dawncrandall.blogspot.com. 

Nick Hayden is the author of the fantasy novels Trouble on the Horizon and The Remnant of Dreams. He has penned a number of short story collections, including Dreams & Visions, and the novella The Isle of Gold. He co-hosts a story-telling podcast, "Derailed Trains of Thought," about once a month, and also helps run the Children of the Wells web serial.

Hayden describes himself as a mild-mannered bookkeeper by day, a mild-mannered (albeit tortured) writer by night, a writing teacher three times a week, a youth leader on weekends, and a podcaster every month or so. He has a wife and two kids, who do a fine job of putting up with him. You can find out more about Nick at his website, www.worksofnick.com, his podcast, his blog, or on his Facebook page.  His books include the fantasy The Unremarkable Squire, a flash fiction collection, Another World, and the fantasy Bron & Calea Volume 1, with Laura Fischer 

Mark and Emily Hunter of Albion have a match made in literature: They met on a writing website.

Mark R. Hunter is an emergency dispatcher for the Noble County Sheriff Department and a volunteer for the Albion Fire Department, and served two terms on the Albion Town Council. His humor column, “Slightly Off the Mark”, ran for twenty-five years in local newspapers. His books include the romantic comedies Storm Chaser and The Notorious Ian Grant, and a related story collection, Storm Chaser Shorts.

Emily Hunter graduated from Indiana Purdue Fort Wayne University with a degree in English with writing concentration, and is indulging her love of horses by working at the Pokagon State Park saddle barn. In addition to their collaboration on the book Images of America: Albion and Noble County, Emily did editing, setup, and cover design for their other history book, Smoky Days and Sleepless Nights: A Century Or So With the Albion Fire Department. She did similar work for the humor collection of Slightly Off the Mark, and the young adult adventure novel The No-Campfire Girls. More information about their writing can be found at www.markrhunter.com.

Nathan Marchand is from northeastern Indiana. Homeschooled from an early age, he discovered his talent for writing in sixth grade English, and has loved speculative fiction since his dad introduced him to the original Star Trek at age three. He attended Taylor University Fort Wayne, earning a B.A. in professional writing. Nathan worked as a reporter in a small town, a feature writer for www.Examiner.com, and as a freelance writer, among other things. His first novel, Pandora’s Box, was published in 2010 by Absolute XPress. He’s also the co-creator of the ongoing fantasy serial, Children of the Wells (www.ChildrenoftheWells.com), and the host of his own YouTube show, “But I Digress….” When not writing, he enjoys other creative endeavors like photography, acting, ballroom dancing, and occasionally saving the world. His website is www.NathanJSMarchand.com.

Nathan’s books include Pandora’s Box (military SF); Destroyer (giant monster/SF, with Natasha Hayden and Timothy Deal; The Day After (short story anthology); Children of the Wells: Jaysynn, Vol.1 (post-apocalyptic fantasy, with John Bahler and Timothy Deal); Ninjas and Talking Tress (fantasy/comedy, Book 1 of The (Mis)Adventures of George Francis);  42: Discovering Faith Through Fandom (devotional, with Eric Anderson)

R. A. Slone writes Young Adult & New Adult Horror/Paranormal. Her love for telling stories goes way back: She remembers taking pieces of paper, cutting them into squares, and stapling them together to form small books. When she was a teenager, her parents bought her a Smith Corona typewriter for Christmas, and she would stay up late at night writing about horses galloping into the sunset. Later, after she grew up and had some life experience, she tried her hand at writing again. This time she started with short stories and eventually worked her way into writing full-length novels, and now writes short stories for the Kendallville Mall under Rita Robbins. She lives in northeast Indiana with her husband and cats. Her website is www.raslone.com.  

R.A. Slone’s work includes Ghost in the Blue Dress – Young Adult Horror. 

You've seen this ... I hope

Oh, and We Renewed Our Library Cards

We had a great time at the Kendallville Library last night, although I suspect my speech rambled a bit (and I may have talked too fast once or twice). Many thanks to Mindy Patterson and the rest of the library staff, and I’m grateful to those who came to hear about history and our writing—and everyone who came bought at least one book!

Now, across Noble County to the Stone’s Trace Pioneer Festival, where we’ll spend all day Saturday. It’s safe to say we’ll run into some history buffs there.

Heading out ... bringing books

Okay, we’re heading up to the Kendallville Library tonight at 6:30 for a riveted audience, or possibly a riveting audience if they’re all construction workers. See you there or at Stone’s Trace Saturday … or possibly at Noble Art Gallery later this month—stay tuned for more on that one. We’ll have copies of all our books with us, naturally.

Then there’s a busy October 10^th coming … five appearances scheduled in a month!

Don't forget tomorrow night!

Don’t forget, our appearance at the Kendallville Public Library tomorrow night isn’t just a book signing: We’ll give a short talk starting at 6:30 p.m., followed by a Q&A, and then a pop quiz. (Kidding, no pop quiz.) Sure, we’ll sign and sell books too, but when a person appears in front of a fireplace in the adult department of a library, they should dish out some information!

A fireplace, how cool is that? I mean, not literally.

So, please pass the word on to all your friends. If you don’t have friends, pass the word on to all your enemies. If you don’t have enemies, you really should get out more. We’d like to have so many people there that we could whip a crowd into a frenzy, maybe by having prizes taped under their seats or something. I could stand there like Oprah: “You get a toaster! You get a toaster! You all get a toaster!

But I don’t think I could sign a toaster. At least, not without some kind of metal engraving tool, and Emily won’t let me use power equipment.

Of course, everyone knows the Kendallville Library is at 221 S Park Avenue … if you have any questions for them, they’re at 260-343-2011. You already know where to find the authors.

Cool library, even by the fireplace