Quilt shows and Comicons and HOT NEWS! (The Dawnflier, July 2015) #MFRWOrg #ASMSG

 

The last quilt top made by my husband's grandmother,
circa early 1960s. Finished by Kim Headlee.
Photo (c)2010 by Kim Headlee.

The conversation between me and one of the organizers of the 2015 Patchwork Quilters Jamboree of Bluefield, VA:

ME: Are you sure you want fiction authors at this event? I mean, it is a quilt show...

SHE:  Oh, yes, we would love to have you!

ME: Okay, then! Maybe I can even exhibit one of the quilts pieced by my husband's grandmother too. Say... would you like me to do a presentation and reading from one of my books? If it's not too hot, I could even do it in costume.

SHE: That would be marvelous!

And then we chatted for another 30 minutes or so after that...

The bottom line, authors, is that you never know where you might be able to show and sell your books unless you ask! The 2015 Patchwork Quilters Jamboree (Friday and Saturday, July 17-18) is of particular interest to me this year because Bluefield, VA is only a 45-minute drive from my house, and the organizers very kindly waived the vendor fee because I volunteered to give a presentation. And admission is FREE! I will be discussing and reading from King Arthur's Sister in Washington's Court—in costume, I hope, and I look forward to it very much!

The other appearance I will be making with my books in July is at a comicon, WyvaCon 2015, Saturday, July 25 at the Wytheville Meeting Center (Wytheville, VA). This is my "home" con, with which I have been affiliated since its inception. This year the event runs from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., and admission is still only $5.00. When I am not manning my table in the Dealers Room, I will be sitting in a panel discussing writing topics with other attending authors, or just wandering around, shopping, and enjoying the ambiance.

The print editions of all my books are discounted $5.00 off the retail price at my personal appearances (Liberty will be on sale for $20.00, and all the others will be $15.00 apiece). Any frame-ready artwork I bring will have its own pricing scale. All promotional materials such as book cards and note cards are free.

I do hope to see you at either the quilt show or the comicon--or even both!

July online events with regard to my books include:

• The Challenge Cover Reveal (July 7) and Release Blitz (July 14)—sign up for the reveal and optionally the blitz by filling out THIS FORM; thanks! The novella is historical fantasy set in the world of The Dragon's Dove Chronicles and is available for preorder now. Tagline:
  The gauntlet has been thrown. One must die.
  Refusal is not an option.
  Now Gyan must face all her demons—
  public as well as private.
  
  
• Snow in July Review Tour: July 6, July 13, July 20, July 27. This tour is filled, and a big thank-you to everyone who signed up!
• The Review Tour for Liberty (Mondays in August) still has openings. To sign up, please leave a comment on THIS PAGE; thank you very much!

And finally, in other news, hot off the proverbial press...

Liberty has won 2015 Best Book in the BooksGoSocial international contest!!!

A huge thank-you to everyone who voted!

At every event you attend this summer, remember the hat and sunscreen, and bug spray for those late evenings under the fireworks, and I wish safe travels to you all. :)

***

All this month, you are invited to...
— Add Kim as a favorite author on Amazon.com
— Follow Kim on Twitter
— Add Kim to Google+
— Subscribe to Kim's YouTube channel
— Leave a comment on any page of The Maze, especially if you have done the Amazon, Twitter, and/or YouTube follow
...and each action this month is good for one chance to win an e-book copy of Liberty. Please enter often, and good luck!

 

Meet the sweet young reason I'll be alone this #ValentinesDay and at #FarpointCon2015

Her dark, languid eyes say, "I love you." Her soft brown hair with lovely black streaks shimmers in the sun. She has a tease in her step and a fetching voice. She loves to cuddle. Her name is Aurora.

And, oh yeah, Aurora is a baby goat. <3

Aurora at a few hours old
02/06/2015

Aurora is one of three kids born on our farm since Groundhog Day. A sibling and two half siblings didn't make it. And life goes on.

Aurora's mom Idriel, who declined to pose for this picture, is recovering from a case of e-coli mastitis that almost killed her, so we are feeding Aurora formula supplements every few hours. Idriel is still on antibiotics, we have to "strip" (i.e., milk) out the infected fluid as often as she will let us, and we're applying salve to the lone affected teat at least once a day. Grand-goat Luna, Idriel's mom, is a riot as she tries to "help" us and acts as Aurora's main protector while Idriel rebuilds her strength.

The other twin kids, white-blond Groundhog Day babies Punx and Tawny, and their mom Phoebe are all doing great; no extra help required for them.

I handle Aurora's feedings solo while my husband Chris is at school. He's been coming home earlier than usual these days, though, because he enjoys the process as much as I do. But he will have to manage this and other chores while I'm appearing as a guest author at this year's Farpoint Convention in Hunt Valley, MD outside Baltimore.

Ever since our daughter started volunteering at the con several years ago, Chris & I have treated the weekend as a lovely little midwinter break, whether we actually attend the con or not. Most years I schedule a spa day! This is the first year that I've been invited as a guest, we had lined up the neighbors to feed the animals, including Aurora, and we were looking forward to another great weekend away together... until Mother Nature decided that she had other ideas.

With forecast temperatures in the single digits and 30-50 mph winds, there was no way Chris was going to leave Aurora, Punx, Tawny, their moms, and the rest of the herd to risk those fierce conditions without someone being around 24x7 to look after them and their Great Pyrenees guardian dogs. So he's still going to be taking his planned day off on Friday, but he'll be using it to stack hay bales as wind breaks outside the barn... and, of course, feed Aurora and hang out with her half sisters.

Weather, traffic, and other forces willing, I will arrive at the con in plenty of time to rest up for my first appearance, Friday night at 10:00 p.m. at the Farpoint Book Fair.

Here's a fun idea: if you've read this far and are attending the con, find me at the book fair, mention Aurora's name, and I'll give you a free copy of one of my books! That's at least a $15 value, in case you're wondering. In fact, I'll extend the offer to any of my appearances throughout the weekend, which are:

• Friday 10:00 Farpoint Book Fair, Dulaney 1 & 2
• Saturday 9:00 Biblically-Inspired Paranormal Shows, Chesapeake 2
• Saturday 10:00 Fairy Tales Come to Life, Dulaney 2
• Saturday 11:00 Autographs, Dulaney 1 (with Peter David, Phil Giunta, and Richard White)
• Saturday 12:00 Author Readings, Dulaney 1 (with Joseph F. Berenato, TJ Perkins, and David Mack)

I've blocked off Saturday afternoon as my spa day, and I plan to devote Sunday to working on my WIP Raging Sea, to keep ahead of my weekly #SundaySnippets here on The Maze, before heading home Monday -- just before Mother Nature is scheduled to dump several inches of snow on our farm.

Please wish me -- and Chris -- luck!

All this month, you are invited to...
— Follow me on Twitter
— Add me to Google+
— Subscribe to my YouTube channel
— Leave a comment on my blog, especially if you have done the Twitter and/or YouTube follow
...and each action this month is good for one chance to win an e-book copy of Liberty. Please enter often, and good luck!