Santa Paula Library Author Fair

The Santa Paula Blanchard Library held its first author fair and people bought books! You might think it’s strange, but I was surprised by this. The fact is, I’ve found that people who attend library talks rarely buy books. It makes sense–they go to the library to borrow books. But the holidays are coming and people are already thinking about gifts. Books make the perfect gift!

I’ve reached an age where I dislike seeing myself in pictures, but a blog post is more interesting with visuals, so I’ll include a picture of the Library. I have been invited to give a talk at her early next year, which should be fun. And it’s exciting to see my books on the shelves.

A lovely woman who sat next to me at the Santa Paula Library today said, “Oh, I only write children’s books,” apparently not recognizing how important that is. Encourage your children, grandchildren, or other kids in your life to read.

There’s no better way to learn about the world. You can go places on Youtube, but reading an author’s impression of people or places takes you inside a story in a way that passive watching cannot. Children who learn to love reading at an early age will be readers for life. Whether you prefer to hold a physical book in your hand, or enjoy the convenience of carrying a hundred books around in your tablet or phone, just read (or listen to audiobooks).

Let’s hope that this Santa Paula Library Author Fair is just the first of many.