I had quite the adventurous weekend. I attended the Ozark Creative Writers Conference in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, one of my favorite conferences.
My adventure began Thursday morning with the stunning realization that my Garmin navigation system was stuck on Mexico and would not let me change the country. How in the world that happened or what to do about it, I don't know.
I like to use the Garmin because the maps on it are only a year old, and the ones in my car's navigation are over ten years old. I hate using my phone for navigation, and I'm about to tell you why.
Given my options, I chose to use my phone's Google Maps as my navigator for this trip. I typed in the name of my hotel, clicked on "Get Directions" and then clicked on "Go." I did not choose wisely.
There's a new highway that's been recently built around the Missouri Arkansas line, and I'm always worried I'll take the wrong fork in the road there. I came to the fork and chose the exit I felt was the right one. My phone didn't like it. Not wanting to get lost in Arkansas, I turned where my phone told me to.
That darned system took me down roads angels fear to tread and through little settlements I didn't know were there. I finally made to Eureka Springs, but it took me about 45 minutes longer than usual. Never again. I used my super old car navigation to get me to the main highway and followed my intuition the rest of the way home.
The OCW Conference was amazing! Jane Friedman was our keynote speaker, and she didn't disappoint. All of the speakers were great, and I met some wonderful writers and musicians. I made some friends and sold some books. I also was blessed to place in six writing competitions, including the Oxbow Award. The Oxbow Award is given for a Western short story in honor of the late, great Western Author, Dusty Richards.
I had the pleasure of meeting and visiting with Dusty a few times. He shared pearls of wisdom and vast amounts of encouragement with me. Winning his award is an enormous honor, and I am humbled the judges chose my story.
Last weekend was amazing, but this coming Saturday, October 21, 2023, will be equally amazing if not more so. I will be having a book signing for Sally's Secret Legacy at Always Buying Books just outside of Joplin, Missouri from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. I will have some fun swag for everyone who stops by to say hi during my signing, whether you buy a book or not.
I will also have copies of Moonbeams and Ashes available in case short stories are more your pleasure.
My books are already available at Always Buying Books, my favorite bookstore. In fact, the local bookstore was my first stop after receiving my author copies. Even if you don't want one of my books, it's worth stopping at Always Buying Books to check out their great selection of books and puzzles. Bob and Alyse are always ready to help you find that special book or have a pleasant chat.
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Excellent!
Congratulations on all of your fantastic success! I wanted to hear Jane Friedman speak. That's amazing. Send me a picture of your notes, please.