Well, show #2 is a wrap!  What a great weekend my sister Kathy and I had in Red Deer!  I was thrilled to see some dear friends stop by the booth and pick up their copy of "The Shining Star Collection."  What fun to inscribe books to my friend's little ones;  Kage, Finn and Kate!  Thank you for your continued friendship Christine & Nikki, Kendra and Lydia and Lindsey!  Always good to see a familiar face in the crowd.  I must also thank my brother Stuart again for not only driving up to help me set up, but for also making another trip on Sunday to help me pack up!  I could not be doing these shows without the loving support of my family.  I am blessed.

The response this past weekend was about the same as the week prior, so I now have a good idea of what stock I need to carry with me.  Always learning in this endeavor from my mistakes, successes and of course from the other friendly vendors we get to know at each show.  It is quite a thriving community amongst the show veterans and one cannot help but feel that they have formed a family, which I know helps as you hit the road each week heading to a strange city.  I have already made some friends and look forward to hearing how their week was between each show.

Again, I took great pleasure from hearing of people's family traditions and customs for the Christmas season.  I was particularly pleased to inscribe books to, "Grandma's Little Shining Stars", and to one woman's Pastor.

What is also interesting is the variation in the spelling of names and the new names people give their children;  Emahlie, Keeley, Alivya and Cyerra.

I had one of those incredible "DOH" moments thought and I so wish I could relive it!  I had two girls come by the booth.  Sisters.  One was about ten years old and the other about eight.  The eight year old was shopping for a gift for their three year old sister.  They were both avid readers and were quite interested in the book.  When she asked me the price, instead of telling her,  I should have asked her, "How much do you have to spend?"  Alas, I did not think of it until later after they had sadly moved on with disappointed faces..  Definitely not one of my finer moments folks.  I must remember to really "be" in the moment when dealing with kids!  Again, another lesson learned.  I pray she found her little sister a nice gift from one of the other vendors.

So - a couple of busy days here at home making travel arrangements for clients, doing laundry, dealing with our contractor and the various trades people at the house, finalizing the sale of our rental property and then it is time to repack for the Lethbridge show this weekend.  My wish is that I get to see a lot of friendly faces from the members of EWI of Lethbridge!  Please stop by booth #417 if you are in the area.

Have a wonderful week everyone!  Happy Halloween!

Shine on!
K

Well, show #1 is done!  What an experience with a wide range of emotions felt throughout the three days.  It was quite humbling to put yourself out there with a product that you alone have produced.  I have worked many trade shows in my professional life so I knew what to expect in so far as the logistics of it went, but it is entirely different when the product you are selling is you! 

The greatest moments though were, without a doubt, those conversations we had with people about their own childhood Christmas memories.  One gal had grown up a few blocks from us in Saskatoon and bought one for her Dad as he loved their house on Murphy as of course, did she because of all the memories.  A heartfelt discussion ensued about how hard it is to drive by your old family home.  Personally, I cannot do it anymore as it breaks my heart every time to see all the changes and lack of care being given to the home my parents built.  And when I say "built", I mean they literally built it themselves.  If the heart has a memory then I do think it must be gratitude!  I saw this image today when I was searching for a quote and I think it fits.  As I get older the more grateful I become for all of the heart-warming Christmases we shared as a family.  The more grateful we are the stronger those heartfelt memories beat and live on.

We had one lady exclaim with joy as she paged through the recipes, "Oh, I have not had a good Jam-Jam in forty years!"  We then talked about why they used jam for some sweetness back in the depression and really, it was because they had no sugar for icing.  Everyone had preserves though.  My Grandma used to make the best plum jam.  I can still taste it!

I had one lady ask me to inscribe the book as follows:  "For Grandma to read to her Little Stars" ... love it!  Then, there was the mother who smiled when I told her there was a story about a girl named Qwynn as her eldest daughter was a Quinn.  She was holding her newborn Chloe in her arms and shed a tear or two as she commenced reading "A Home for the Holidays."  As I mentioned in a FB post though ... signing one "To Baby Jack for his First Christmas" was a definite highlight!

So many excited little faces we engaged with!  I asked them all if they were readers and encouraged them to keep reading because it was so important and gave them a bookmark.  My chest grew tight and I was filled with awe as I watched a very serious little girl in a bright pink jacket with her black hair in pigtails, carefully and expertly page through the book to look at each illustration.  She studied each one so intently and I just wondered what she was thinking of as she stared at each.  She could not have been more than four years old, but you could tell this was a child that loved books already.  So refreshing to see.  Was she writing her own story to go with the pictures?  I hope so.

Best line of all though was the lady who said, "Oh, I bought that book last year."  She was convinced she had it at home and had read it a year ago.  Funny!  I just smiled and encouraged her to come back with the book the next day and I would be happy to sign it for her.  (Please note that my book was just released in August - lol! )  I also had one lady ask me, "What's Advent?"  That took me aback but should not really.  I was happy to share the meaning with her.

So, all in all, a weekend of learning for me too!  Again, a huge shout out to my sis and bro for always being ready and willing to lend their hands! 

I will end this with a great post I saw yesterday, "Readers are born on the laps of their parents!"

Shine on!
-K

Well, it is Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada and I am, as always, feeling so blessed in my life.  Blessed to be living in Canada, blessed to have the love and support of so many friends along with my family, and blessed to be sharing thoughts again with you via a blog!

It has almost been two years since I was writing the daily blogs of short stories that has evolved into "The Shining Star Collection" book.  If I had known where that was all going to lead, I might not have ever started writing the stories!.  The publishing process over the past 13 months, to get to this point of where I am putting the finishing touches on my website, has been one HUGE learning curve.  I cannot thank the folks at Friesen Press enough for guiding me on this journey!

Like anything in life that comes to fruition after years of dreaming of it, one cannot help but be a little awed ... just believing fervently in an outcome CAN make it so.  Yet again, the power of positive thought wins, despite all my moments of doubt!

It is a quiet weekend for us this year with just a small turkey dinner for two tomorrow night which is a good thing!  I am madly trying to get the website finished, launch my Like Page on Facebook, read up on Twitter (as I have never ventured there and am still not sure why I should - LOL!),  while finalizing all preparations for the first Christmas Craft show I am partaking in next weekend!  The "Fall into Christmas" show in Medicine Hat runs Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Medicine Hat Exhibition & Stampede will be where the rubber hits the road.  Have I built a booth that will draw people in?  Did I order enough books? Will they support an author by buying a book vs. a hand made candle or sweater?  So many questions that will be answered a week from now.  Excited but nervous!  I plan on posting photos and updates from the show as I can, but again - just not sure how much free time I might find.  Hoping that it is so busy I don't have time actually.

Fate has turned this little venture into what needs to become a main source of income for me.  I lost a contract position after 5 years at the end of August, which coincided with the launch of the book.  I am trusting in God that I am where I am supposed to be, doing what I am supposed to do.

All that being said, right here, right now, it is time to give thanks.  I would not be here without the support of those of you who encouraged me along this path; the initial readers and fans of the stories, those who dared to ask, "When can I buy it?" and to all of those who have already bought a copy.  To my beloved Aunty Erna who so kindly left me an inheritance that funded the publishing of the book.  She was in the book business for over 40 years, so I hope she approves!  To my sister Kathy, who has been selling the books at work in Saskatoon and who is going to drive to help me at the shows in not only Medicine Hat, but Red Deer and of course in Saskatoon too later in November. You are my number one fan and I love you!

Thanks to the EWI Chapters who are selling/buying the books as a fundraiser.  Thanks to my dear friend Padget who encouraged the Saskatoon Figure Skating Club to use it as a fundraiser.  To the lovely ladies at Finishing Touches in Okotoks who kindly offered to sell it for me in their stores and to our dear friend Shannon Tannas with Fisher Crescent Retail in Okotoks for inviting me to do a signing at her boutique in November, I also give hearty thanks.  To David Horsager, who reviewed my book and who has been on ongoing source of strength and inspiration to me over the past few years ...thank you my friend!.  To my Sol Sisters - love you all to the moon and back!  Thank you for always being a safe place!  Finally, to my dear Mom who always told us we could be whatever we wanted to be and to my darling Tiff for always encouraging me to pursue my passions!  THANK YOU and GOD BLESS you all!  Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and safe travels!

Love,
K