On March 4th, when my last post was published, I promised to share my “Author Adventure” with you today. Little did I know then that the world we live in would come to an abrupt halt while I was traveling. I was blessed that two of my events took place before social distancing was put into place, so below are a few pictures and details about the ones that happened.
DeLand, Florida is a lovely college community, about 23 miles west of Daytona Beach. Robert Macomber, Florida author of the year, told me about Muse Bookshop when we met last summer at the Florida Authors and Publishers Conference. Naturally I’m always looking for new venues for the AMI Series Books, so last fall during our annual visit to New Smyrna Beach we stopped in and met with the owner. I shared with her that I would be coming back to Florida in the spring and she invited me to be the featured author in the town’s monthly Wine, Women, and Chocolate event. How could I resist?! Three of my favorite things in a bookshop?
What a fun evening it turned out to be! The theme was St Patrick’s Day and I’ll say 90% of the women coming through were dressed for the occasion. We drank wine, ate chocolate, and of course, talked about the AMI Series.
One especially fun gal was Patti, whom I immediately felt a kinship with. We talked and laughed and she asked for a picture with me! How cool was that? This gorgeous woman also shared with me that she’s on the list for a kidney transplant. Who would have guessed?
From DeLand we stopped in Clermont and had lunch with my very first author friend, Kathryn Knight, and her husband, Tom. Katie and I are not only both tall blondes, but we have similar values and beliefs. She is a true joy and has been featured on this blog if you want to know more about her. Kathryn is the Award Winning author of The Fate & Freedom Series and The Twenty & Odd.
Our next stop was Bradenton, where my soon to be 95 year old mother lives. We had a day to spend with her before my second event, a speaking engagement at The Woodlands Village Retirement Community in Bradenton. The Recreation Director, Betsy Verrips , had read about me last fall when I was holding a book signing on Anna Maria Island, and reached out to see if I was interested in telling my story to her residents.
The event was set for Saturday, and we had to fill out a questionnaire, and have our temperature taken before entering, but thankfully we were able to proceed. The residents were lovely, and I enjoyed telling them my “bank to books” story. The lady pictured below is such an avid reader that her family gave her a 95 books for Christmas! I love that!
That evening we had dinner at one of my favorite restaurants on the island, The Cortez Kitchen. It has the best grouper sandwiches, and is mentioned in Noah’s Lark, as well as the original AMI Series Books.
The book festival in Venice was canceled for the safety of everyone, and as much as I hated it, I totally understood. My 3 city Author Adventure didn’t quite happen as I’d hoped, but isn’t that how things go?
John Lennon said “Life is what happens when you’re busy making plans”, and it’s so true. I planned on selling lots of books, and finding lots new readers, but I’m thankful for the way things turned out, our safe travels, and our health. And most of all, I’m thankful for my husband, and his never ending support. To be honest, what more could I ask for?
Until we read again…📚
Blessings,
Dana L.❤️
If you’re looking for a fun read while “self isolating”, the AMI Series Box Set is available for FREE on KindleUnlimited. The link is below but you can find all of the books in both ebook and paperback options by putting Dana L. Brown books in the Amazon tool bar.
