This weekend my husband and I and one of our granddogs went up to our house on Lake Todd in Newbury, NH. It is where I do much of my writing and where I continue to be inspired and focused. As my work on the new novel continued, the marketing and promotion continued as well, with visits to two local, community bookstores: MainStreet BookEnds in Warner (www.mainstreetbookends.com) and Morgan Hill Bookstore in New London (www.morganhillbookstore.com). I wasn’t sure what to expect or even exactly what I would say, but my goal was to have A Better Life on their shelves.
I started at MainStreet BookEnds, a magical place in Warner. It was Saturday afternoon when we walked in and I said to the owner, Katharine, “I have a question. Do you take self published books by local authors?” Yes.
She graciously took three copies on consignment. She asked me to sign them, then she put a sticker on the cover that said it was signed by the author. She put one right on the shelf, facing out for all the world to see. While I am happy to have it available on Amazon, for it to have a place in a bookstore has brought it to a whole new level.
The next day, I went to New London, to the Morgan Hill Book Store, another wonderful community bookstore. With a little more confidence this time, I told the woman behind the counter, Jolie, that I was a local author with a published book and wondered if they would be willing to take some books on consignment. Yes. 
This store was a little busier at the time, so I didn’t get to see it on the shelf, but she took two copies and wished me well and after I left there I stopped at Bubba’s Restaurant and wrote before I went back to my house on the lake.
My first novel is on the shelves in two incredible, family-owned community bookstores in New Hampshire, and I am so grateful to have such amazing opportunities to reach readers, one (or two, or three) at a time.
This Writer's Journey 