Here recently our area was granted a huge gift in the form of a new-used/Indie bookstore downtown, Bookmarx. Bookmarx has been open for business for a while, but I have not had the opportunity to head down and check it out until now. After last night, I can definitely say I will be a regular customer now! Before we get to the event specifics, click the links below to learn more about First Friday Artwalk and Bookmarks!
Seriously, if you are ever in the area you are going to have to check these out, so much fun! I am hoping to get in contact with the owners of Bookmarx soon to discuss getting some more awesome authors in there and maybe making some Indie Author book donations! Woohoo! Now anyway, as I was saying I headed out because I saw where local authors were going to be signing copies of their latest works. Thankfully I already knew one of these amazing ladies and she gave me the heads up! Here's the specs:
I'll be honest. I have lived here for five years now and had never heard of ORA. Apparently there are many, many more book organizations like them in the area and I am going to have to get involved in them all now! Meeting these authors was such an incredible experience and I had such a great time. You guys all know how I feel about meeting authors. They are all rock stars to me! Be on the look out here on the blog because I will definitely be featuring these ladies in the future. Here's a bit about each author so you guys can get to know them as well!
Barbara Bettis
I love to read and I love to write. I love creating stories of other times and places, of heroines ‘to die for’ and heroes to live for. And, of course, happy endings.
Terri Lee
Let's get the basics out of the way first shall we? Born and raised in northern California, that part of the country will always have a piece of my heart. My family moved to Missouri in my teenage years and when the love of my life walked through the door at my summer job...well that's when my heart truly found it's home. As with all good things, when I least expected it. Of course it didn't hurt that the first thing he did was offer to buy me a chocolate malt. Forty years later I am still married to my High School sweetheart, who has always been my biggest cheerleader in whatever schemes I dream up. And believe me, I'm capable of dreaming up almost anything. We have a Golden/Lab named (Elizabeth Bennett) Lizzie, who is my muse, my steadfast writing partner. She offers only the kindest of critiques. Not to be outdone, our cat, Baby Kitty, is a card carrying terrorist, whose only mission in life is to thwart any goodness that comes my way. I make my home in a small rural town outside of Springfield, MO. The sort of place where the adventures reside only in the stories I weave, which is just the way I like it.
Find Barbara Bettis
Terri Lee
Find Terri Lee
*I am currently reading McMillan's City of the Gods series and love it! Review coming coon!
Find S.J. McMillan
Brandy Nacole
Brandy lives in Arkansas with her husband, three never stopping kids, two snooty cats, two very lazy bearded dragons, and one mellow turtle. She is a member of the Ozark Romance Authors in Springfield, Missouri. Whenever she’s not reading or writing, Brandy is spending her time outdoors wheeling, hiking, playing amateur photographer, and enjoying a good laugh.
*Side note. Found out last night I will be hanging out with Brandy at UtopYAcon 2015 in June! WOOHOO! This will definitely not be the last time you hear about her!
Find Brandy Nacole
**BONUS AUTHOR
(Author was not part of the signing but was there saying hey at the time! Woohoo!)
Ellen Harger
Find Ellen Harger
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| Me with the group last night during the signing! Loved getting to meet these awesome ladies! |
Alright guys, I will have a longer post later and more to say on the topics of ORA, local signings, Bookmarxs at a later time. As for now, I have more awesome reads to finish before the weekend is up! I hope you will all take a minute to check out all of these authors and 'like' them on Facebook, follow on Twitter, and stop by their sites to show them some love. Tell them Ethan sent ya! They were all incredibly nice and loaded me up with signed swag and personalized hand sanitizer (yes you read that right) for stopping by! Under their suggestion, I will be attending many more events hosted by the Ozarks literary communities in the hopes of meeting more awesome authors and getting involved. Know of some local events in the area? Let me know!
Until next time, Happy Reading!
-Ethan
Hi, Ethan!
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed our event.
I'm a past president of ORA, and created our Authors At Art Walk event, which, of course, takes place during First Friday Art Walk.
You had mentioned getting in touch with BookMarx to add authors to the event. Just wanted to let you know that the event is ours. BookMarx is kind enough to let us use some space. We only feature our own members at Authors At Art Walk.
ORA is a non-profit that was founded in 1987. We meet the first Saturday of each month, with a critique group and a guest speaker. Our main focus is romance, but we do have members who write nearly every other genre, as well.
You should come visit!
More info here: http://ozarks-romance-authors.com/
Jill