photo by J.R. Bale
On Sunday I skipped the last day of the Philadelphia Writers Conference to attend the BooksNJ festival in Paramus, NJ. For those of you wondering where Paramus is, it’s WAAAAY up in north Jersey. You pretty much pass New York City to get there.
Still, the hour and a half ride was pleasant, no problems at all. I got there early and found a nearby bank easily. Then I got lost coming back from the bank because even with the GPS the roads were too confusing (and poorly signed). But I eventually arrived at the Paramus Library, which hosted the event.
I should add that we were having a major heat wave that day. Temps in the 90s, and this was an outdoor festival. Luckily, we authors were under a tent, so we had shade all day, and enough of a breeze to make the weather not unbearable. The library also provided us with cold water and an air-conditioned room to retreat to if needed.
Because the festival grounds were rather large and there were panels ongoing all day, judging the crowd size was a bit hard. I talked to a good number of people who stopped at my table, gave them cards and bookmarks, and signed some bookmarks for some tweens. I got to spend the day with fellow authors J.R. Bale and Kristina Garlick, so I had good company to pass the time.
J.R., Kristina, and I were on a panel together, along with author Stephen S. Power. The topic: Worlds Beyond Reality: Fantasy and Science Fiction, moderated by Laurie Meeske. We discussed the difference between SciFi and Fantasy, why people are drawn to one or the other, what drew us to writing those worlds, and why we feel those genres are important. Although we were in the final time-slot of the day, our panel was well-attended. This was my first panel at a book event ever, and I greatly enjoyed talking with these knowledgeable and entertaining authors.
After that I packed up, sweated my way to the car, and let the miles unfurl under my tires as I headed back south. I enjoyed the day, and when the next BooksNJ festival comes along in 2019, I will certainly plan to attend.
Heat Wave!—CoronaLife Day 859
We are experiencing the first major heat wave of the summer. I mean temperatures at 100 degrees. I’ve heard the National Weather Service has issued instructions on how to bake a lasagna in your mailbox.
More extreme weather has been becoming more the norm in my area over the past few years. Multiple tornadoes, stronger hurricanes, more forest fires, warmer winters, and hotter summers.
Climate change is here to stay.
Thing is, hot weather like this makes me lazy. Coupled with the childhood-learned summer slowdown reflex, I hibernate in the air conditioning and the summer malaise creeps into my soul.
Still, there is much to be done, so I will have to shake it off and get to work eventually.
I am in the midst of a photo project, which will take me longer than I had anticipated (don’t they always?). I also need to do some research into trade reviews and book bloggers for an upcoming book.
I need to create and print the pamphlet for my Board of Education run. And there is current BOE business to attend to.
And the usual family stuff. It may be summer, but we still have doctors’ appointments, swimming, ninja gym, and visits with family, as well as all the usual routine things.
I have plenty to fill my days, if only the heat wave would release me from its spell!