Laura Purdie Salas

Small Reads for Brighters Days

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Home
  • Laura’s Books
  • Poetry
    • Poems Published Elsewhere
    • My Poetry–a Sampler
    • Poetry Videos
    • How To Write Poetry
      • Poetic Pursuits
  • For Teachers
  • Presentations
  • Freelancer
  • About
    • Press Kit
      • Short Bios
      • Awards & Honors
      • Author Photos
      • Book Covers
      • Book Reviews
      • In the Press
    • Who Am I?
    • How I Became a Writer
  • Blog
    • Review Policy
  • For Writers
You are here: Home / Writers in the Schools / On the Road: A Red Balloon Author Event

On the Road: A Red Balloon Author Event

October 13, 2009 By Laura

On Saturday, I did an event for Stampede at the Red Balloon Bookshop in St. Paul, Minnesota. Some of you might have seen on Facebook that I was freaking out because I saw online that they ordered a ton of books. A ton. Most bookstore signings (my own and other much better-known authors than me) have very few people show up. But my online friends calmed me down a bit. I was also nervous because I tend to do most of my promo events with Dara Dokas, my promo buddy and author of the charming Muriel’s Red Sweater. But I was doing this event by myself. School visits, no problem. Author conferences, no problem. But author events where the small audience is likely to be a mix of half other writers and half kids who happened to be in the store? Ack! Who do you present to?


Left to right: Carol Urdahl, Steve Palmquist, Vicki Palmquist, me, Jane St. Anthony
Photo: Maddie Salas

Well, I did survive the event, and Carol Urdahl, manager of the Red Balloon, made me feel so welcome. The crowd was small, as I assumed it would be. Author events–by BIG-name authors–are pretty common here. That’s wonderful, but it means that unless you’ve written a bestselling vampire series it’s pretty hard to impress people! It snowed earlier that morning, the first snow of the season here in the Twin Cities. I’ll just use that as my excuse. But those folks who did come out were supportive and encouraging and included writing friends, regular friends, and a few kids. Thanks, guys!

I did my reading for the kids (and the grown-ups were good sports and trumpeted like elephants, etc.), explained the animal props, and I even got to sign the author chair–recently signed by Gennifer Choldenko, Loren Long, Ingrid Law, and a few others whose signatures I couldn’t decipher! My daughter Maddie came along to help, and it was great to have someone else to hold up pictures as I read poems, pose like a walrus, take pictures, etc.

Besides her assistant pay, she scored hot chocolate before the event, creme brulee from Whole Foods (she’s been wanting to visit a Whole Foods because it’s always featured on Top Chef), and a plate of pasta from Davanni’s. The author event was apparently just a small detour in a food-focused day!

Click here or on the photo above to see my photo album (13 pix) of the event.

And, hey–I see Dara Dokas blogged about my author event, too!

Tagged With: Laura's readings, Stampede!

Share:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)

Related

« My Blog Meander for Stampede
Poetry Friday Right Here! »

JANUARY NEWS

I loved the holidays! And I'm so glad they're over. A quiet, snowy January is just what I need. This month, I'm working on two board book manuscripts, and I'm making materials to go with my 3 spring 2023 books.

I'm also busy prepping for upcoming author visits and setting my goals and priorities for 2023. Wishing you a lovely start to your own new year!

Are You Looking For…?

  • Poems for the Classroom
  • Poetryactions
  • 15 Words or Less Poems
  • Poetry Activities for Teachers

Tags

15 Words or Less Poems 30 Painless Classroom Poems anthologies A Rock Can Be... BookSpeak! Can Be... books classroom connections conferences and conventions equation poems events free verse haiku imagepoems image poems J. Patrick Lewis Kidlit Combos Laura's books Laura's poems my writing process National Poetry Month 2014 (riddle-ku) National Poetry Month 2016 nifty news nonfiction books personal photopoetry poems poemsketch Poetry 7 poetryactions poetry books Poetry Friday Poetry Princesses poetry prompts poetry sisters Putrid rhyming nonfiction rhyming poems Riddle-ku school visits snowman-cold student poems teen/adult poems the business side videos Water Can Be...

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Laura’s Press Kit Components

Who Am I?
Short Bios
Awards & Honors
Author Photos
Book Covers
Book Reviews
In the Press
How I Became a Writer

Laura’s Author Visit Info

VISITS TO SCHOOLS
A Video Intro to Laura’s Author Visits
Virtual Visits with Laura
Small Writes: Write-Along Videos
Printable Flyer (print page 1 only)
Author Visit Programs
Typical Schedules
Author Visit Materials
Multi-Day Visits
Fees
Ordering Books for Events
Where Laura’s Been
Laura’s Report Card from Educators

OTHER PRESENTATIONS

For Libraries & Book Festivals
For Educators
For Writers

Post Categories

Copyright © 2009–2023 · Laura Purdie Salas · WordPress · Log in