Sip This – Ruff Drafts

I hope you all had a nice 2019 and that 2020 is even better. Here is a recap of my writing and author appearances in 2019 with my tentative calendar for 2020.

On April 6, I attended the Long Island Local Author Fair at the Tilles Center at Long Island University’s C.W. Post Campus.

On April 24, I appeared on Between the Covers TV Show with fellow guests from the Book Fairies. Here is a link to the episode.

On May 4, I published my standalone psychological mystery, Sea Scope.

In May, I was awarded a Certificate of Excellence for my cozy mystery, Love on the Rocks.

From May 15 to 18, I attended the Cat Writers’ Association Conference in St. Louis, Missouri where I spoke on a panel with three other members who write cat mysteries: Sandy Murphy, Patricia Fry, and Mollie Hunt.

In May, I also attended the Romance Writers’ Association luncheon at the Fox Hollow Inn in Woodbury, New York.

On June 5, a front-page story appeared about me and my new release, Sea Scope, in the Hicksville News.

On August 10, I appeared at the Sip This Coffee House in Valley Stream with fellow authors, Lisa Diaz Meyer and Tracy Auerbach.

On August 15, I spoke at the Hicksville Library about Sea Scope.

On September 21, I attended the South Huntington Library’s Fall Fair with three other members of the Long Island Authors Group.

On September 29, I published a short mystery eBook, The Mistaken Mission.

On October 19, I appeared at the Kitten Kadoodle Coffee Cafe in Selden, NY with fellow authors Lisa Diaz Meyer, Elaine Donadio, and Andrea Roche.

In November, I published the article, “Keeping Your Indoor Pets Safe from Household Hazards” that appeared in its print edition and online blog.

On November 2, I appeared at Mongo’s Coffee in Syosset, New York, with fellow authors Lisa Diaz Meyer, Elaine Donadio, Andrea Roche, and Tracy Auerbach.

On November 16, I hosted, spoke, and signed books at the St. Stephen’s Fall Author Fair in Hicksville, New York with 8 other local authors including Roland Allnach, Nika Rhone, Tracy Auerbach, Catherine Mairiosi, John Krahn, Lisa Diaz Meyer, Janet Rudolph, and James Cudney IV.

On November 30, I published two short mystery eBooks: Sneaky’s Christmas Mystery and Murder Unwrapped.

So far, for 2020, I will be answering questions at the Hicksville Library’s book club discussion of my book, Sea Scope, on January 15.

On February 1, I will be appearing at Barnes and Noble in Massapequa, New York with 8 other mystery authors.

On March 28, I’ll be appearing at Starbucks in Bay Terrace, Queens with fellow NY authors, Elaine Donadio, Andrea Roche, Lisa Diaz Meyer, and Tracy Auerbach.

On April 25, I’ll be appearing at Barnes and Nobel in Selden, New York with fellow NY authors Elaine Donadio, Andrea Roche, Luisa Diaz Meyer, and Tracy Auerbach.

In July, I’ll be attending the Cat Writers’ Association Conference in New Jersey.

I also have two complete manuscripts I am hoping to publish in 2020 and am working on some short stories. I appreciate all the support of my readers and fellow authors and those who have hosted me at local author fairs and events.

As many of you know, I’m a librarian as well as an author. My library system, the Nassau Library System in Nassau County, New York, recently hosted a summer library tour. The tour started on July 1st and ran through August 31st. Prizes were awarded to patrons who visited 5, 15, 30, or 45 of the participating libraries. There was also a scavenger hunt item hidden at each library that visitors could search for, as well as a guest book that could be signed. Some staff members wore a special shirt with the library tour insignia that I loved because it featured two cats.

I thought it would be fun to participate myself, but I only managed to visit 8 libraries including my own. Even so, I met many great fellow librarians and learned of the myriad services different libraries provide. I hope to visit more next summer, although I don’t need a tour to drop by any time during the year.

The first library I visited, of course, was my own, the Hicksville Public Library, where I signed the guest book in the Children’s Department and received my map for recording, via yellow stickers, the libraries I visited.

The first library I visited after mine was the Bethpage Public Library. It featured the lunar module as the scavenger hunt item. I found two copies of the first book of my series, A Stone’s Throw, on their shelf.

The next library I visited was the Oyster Bay Public Library. I went there on my vacation, so I could also spend some time in the pretty, North Shore town that is home to Planting Fields Arboretum, Sagamore Hill, and Theodore Roosevelt Park and Beach. There are also some nice shops and restaurants in the area. They had a cute set up for the library tour near the scavenger hunt item which was a poster of the village. I also located two of my books on their shelves.

I visited the third library, Valley Stream Public Library, also known as the Henry Waldinger Memorial Library, after a book signing at their cozy coffee shop, Sip This. Their scavenger Hunt item was a 3D printed book.

After Valley Stream, I went to the Farmingdale Public Library and met Rachel and Dana, two pleasant librarians who pointed me toward a beautiful aquarium that contained their scavenger hunt item, a shipwreck. I also located the first two books of my Cobble Cove mystery series on their shelves.

Next on my list was the Syosset Public Library. I had previously participated in a local author fair there, and the first and third books of my series, A Stone’s Throw, and Written in Stone, were on their shelf with a “local author” sticker. I spoke with a nice man, Ed, the Head of Reference, and located their scavenger hunt item, a cut-out cyclops in honor of their upcoming Sy-Con event on September 13 and 14.

I was pleasantly surprised at my visit to the Seaford Public Library when I was able to say hello to Director Frank McKenna, the husband of Donna McKenna, who had worked previously with me at Hicksville. I also met librarians Eric and Kristen who were friendly and welcoming. I loved the sign outside their door that said “Seaford Public Library: Your Doorway to the Past, the Present, The Future.” I was also happy to note that they also had the first two books of my series. Their scavenger hunt item was a map of their town.

The last but not least library I toured was Wantagh Public Library. I hate to admit that I missed the scavenger hunt item which was listed on the website as a “Wantagh Yesterday” painting. I will just have to go back to view it which won’t be a hardship because I met two nice librarians there, Jack and Ian, who were even kind enough to re-shelve my books that were split into two different areas. In addition to the first two books of my series, they also owned my standalone mystery/thriller, Reason to Die.

Although I didn’t complete my tour of all the Nassau Libraries, I was happy to have met fellow librarians and seen what other libraries offer in the way of services, collection displays, and library design. I was also able to view these places through the eyes of a patron.