The Write (re)Source

Hello Seekerville.  Sandra here and worn out from too many pickleball tournaments and the Tucson Festival of Books. Because of the four tournaments this month and the festival, I didn’t do Speedbo this year. I’ll make up for it though and will crack down next month.

My partner, Jacquee Ware and I with our gold medals we won at the Senior Games in Green Valley, Arizona

So how are all of you Speedbo writers doing?  I trust you are moving along.  We still have another week to go.  Yay!!!

So this post is going to be directed mostly to our readers as you writers need your time to write, write, write.  I will put the info that might be helpful to writers in bold print, so you can skim through the rest and have the information quickly.

Since I recently attended the Tucson Festival of Books, It occurred to me that there are some wonderful resources out there for readers and writers that we don’t know about. I’m going to tell you about the ones I know of and am going to ask the rest of you to tell me about the events for readers and writers in your neck of the woods.  

Be sure and read through the comments and look for those blue links. Many readers have been sending links to other venues. 

LeAnne Bristow met me at the Tucson Festival of Books and treated me to lunch. Thank you LeAnne.

WRITERS:  You know about resources on the Internet. Seekerville is a great source of craft information and it is free.

Most of you know about conferences and writer’s organizations that provide workshops and industry news. However, these can be pricey.

But did you know there are many events out there that offer workshops and presentations that are free.  Yay!!!  Free resources are listed in bold print below. I will make a list available from recommendations provided in comments.

Happy writing.


READERS: You know you can meet many of your favorite authors by visiting them on the Internet via their websites, Amazon author pages, and many blogs that feature interviews with our authors.

But there are many venues where you can meet authors in person. How fun is that?

TUCSON FESTIVAL of BOOKS is a huge event that features authors, publishers, writer associations, Illustrator associations and about anything else you can think of involving books. Every genre is represented. Fiction books and authors are featured. Non-fiction books and authors are featured. There is a whole mall dedicated to children’s books and authors.

It is held on the University of Arizona campus during spring break.  The whole mall area is filled with booths that offer all kinds of information. Many booths are filled with authors selling their books. Others are set up by publishers and they feature their best selling authors who are there to sign books.

There are many tents set up where different authors give presentations about any number of things.  Some talk about their experiences that led to the content of their book. Others talk about travels to the settings of their books. Others talk about the subject of their book. A person can wander all day both days and not be able to see everything presented.

The local newspaper, the Arizona Daily Star, has booths and also prints out a thick newspaper filled with all the information and schedules for the weekend.

The exciting thing for writers is the huge selection of free workshops given in the college classrooms. These are presented by published authors sharing their expertise and are often the same workshops these authors present during conferences. But what is wonderful about these workshops is that they are free.
Many beginning writers attend these workshops and really get a good start in the right direction for publication.

Over a hundred thousand people attend this festival and most of them are readers who are there to meet their favorite author. Many are there to hear the background information behind the books they love to read. Or they are there to meet and discover new and different authors.

Many parents bring their children to meet authors and enjoy the presentations offered for the youth. It is so encouraging to see how many families truly value the reading experience.

GLENDALE CHOCOLATE AFFAIR:  The city of Glendale has a wonderful festival during the weekend before Valentine’s Day. They started this because one of the main industries in Glendale is a large chocolate factory.  (Now you know why one of our Seeker authors lives there-chuckle)  Anyway, they also feature booths with local authors. The local RWA chapter sets up a booth of romance authors so you can attend this festival and meet many authors there. Authors come from all over the US to sell and sign their books.

Signing books at the Valley of the Sun RWA booth at the Chocolate Affaire

GLENDALE GLITTERS:  Glendale also has a big Christmas Light celebration with many booths set up on the sidewalks of downtown Glendale. Many local authors have booths set up and they sell and sign their books.

Do any of you have similar festivals in your area?  Send me the links and I will make a list.

LIBRARIES   Another great place to meet authors is at your local library. Many libraries have events where they feature local authors. Here are a couple events in my area.

Tempe Book Festival:  This is a first time event hosted by the Tempe Public Library and Arizona State University. It will be held April 16, 2016 from 10:00 am to 3Pm at the Tempe Public Library and will bring together local authors, booksellers and others for a day of panel discussions, book signings and fun activities for all ages. I will be attending this event also in case there is anyone reading this from the Phoenix area.

Scottsdale Public Library:  Has a wonderful workshop for writers every November. The Desert Rose Chapter of RWA organizes many workshops for writers presented by local authors. They have a local book sale during the day when the public can buy books from the authors and get them autographed.


Do any of you know of any library events in your area?  I know that I have signed books at events held in Tucson in the past. Go to your local library and talk to the head librarian. They usually know what writer groups are in the area and what events are going on that involve books.  Waving at KAV and all our other librarians out there.

WRITERS CONFERENCES: Writers already know that they can get a lot of information and experience wonderful networking from a writer's conference. But readers, did you know that writers conferences are an opportunity for you to meet authors. Most conferences have a booksigning event that is open to the public. Authors in attendance sign books that are for sale during the event. It is a wonderful way to meet your favorite author.  Keep a lookout for writer workshops in your area.  We will be posting information about the national conferences later in Seekerville. The Romance Writers of America National Conference is in San Diego this July 13-16.  And the American Christian Fiction Writers conference is in Nashville, August 25-28th.

DESERT DREAMS is happening in April 7- 10th in Scottsdale, Arizona. There will be many authors there and they do have a book signing event.

Pamela Tracey and I at an earlier Desert Dreams Conference

Do any of you know of any writer's conferences in your area?

BOOK STORES: Many authors ask their local bookstore to have an autographing party. Please support your local bookstores and when you go in them, ask the managers if they have any autograph parties planned. I know that Debby Giusti, Myra Johnson and Missy Tippens often have book signings in local bookstores.

You can meet local authors by checking with your bookstore. If you have a favorite author you want to meet, then go on their website and find out where they will be signing books and/or presenting workshops.  They might be coming to a town close enough to drive over and meet them.

Do any of you know of any book signings in your area?

ORGANIZATIONS sponsor speakers and often they are authors.  This month, the RV resort I am staying in featured J.J. Jantz as one of their lecture speakers. I am not particularly a fan of her writing, but it is always fun to meet another author. So check out any organizations in your area that have speakers. Ask to be put on their mailing list. And if they ask for suggestions, tell them about an author you want to meet. You never know. They might invite that author to speak.

Grab a cup of coffee or tea and let's share resources

I hope these ideas have been helpful. There are many venues out there to meet an author. Whether you are a reader or a writer, it is always interesting to meet the author of a book you have enjoyed. Writers, it is always beneficial to meet other authors with whom you can network and share.

Please comment today and share places and events in your area that feature writing workshops or opportunities to meet an author and your name will be put in the dish for a chance to win a surprise box of books.

Sandra Leesmith writes sweet romances to warm the heart. Sandra loves to play pickleball, hike, read, bicycle and write. She is based in Arizona, but she and her husband travel throughout the United States in their motorhome and enjoy the outdoors. You can find Sandra's books here on Amazon. Three of Sandra's most popular books are also audio books at Audible. You can read more of Sandra's posts here.






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