Spreading the News & Meeting New Friends

                                                                                     

Since our short story anthology Tall Tales and Short Stories from South Jersey was published in November of 2012, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting a lot of very nice people. My job is to market and spread the word about our first of what I hope will be a long line of books, to be published. So I try to set up dates for book signings at coffee shops, libraries and events, which is the best job for a people person like me.

Rosie Readers

I watch a little girl, who I’ve been taking care of since she was three months old and who I consider another grandchild, and often take her to the park when the weather permits. I met this charming woman, Chris Ciechon, and her grandkids at the park in Audubon and over time, we became friends. One day, I had mentioned that the South Jersey Writers Group was publishing a book and that we were having a launch party. Chris mentioned that she belonged to a book club and asked if we would be interested in speaking to her group, the Rosie Readers.

Book Club Meeting

I was invited to a meeting where several book clubs were getting together to socialize. Met some amazing people and I’m making plans to bring their groups and the authors of Tall Tales and Short Stories from South Jersey together in May for a panel discussion and book signing. While I was there, I learned about this organization that introduces books to infants. Infants, you ask? Yep, start them young and they will love to read.

                                                                     

Story Storks

Their motto is, creating future readers, and they can be found at www.storystorks.org

The women in charge are Adrienne Evans, Maureen Hicks and Barbara Funkhouser and what they and their volunteers do is go to Cooper Hospital with books for all the newborns. They introduce new parents to the importance of reading to their brand new babies as soon as possible and that means from birth on.

Children want to learn, and just by reading a few books a day to them, opens their mind and instills a love of the written word. Check out their website and think about volunteering, if you’re able to spare some time for a good cause.

Wine and Cheese Benefit on Wednesday, March 13^th

They’re having a party at the Bellmawr Ballroom at 29 Lewis Avenue, Bellmawr, N.J. from 7 to 9 p.m.

The admission is only 10 dollars, so little a price for so worthy a cause. I’ll be there and I’m hoping to see all of my friends there to support Story Storks.

And check out the book clubs in South Jersey.