Author Day at the mall

The first annual U.P. Authors Day and Book Fair was held at the Westwood Mall in Marquette recently.  It was organized by members of the Upper Peninsula Publishers and Authors Association (UPPAA) in coordination with the Westwood Mall.  (For more information directly from the UPPAA, visit their web page about the event.)

I went, of course.  My boyfriend and I had a great time visiting with more than a dozen friendly authors in the air conditioned mall.  (It was more than 90 degrees Fahrenheit; the A/C was very appreciated.)  Some were familiar faces, such as Gretchen Preston, who wrote Valley Cats and was thrilled that I reviewed the first in the series, and Deborah Frontiera, who said that Living on Sisu (also reviewed) was like the Dear America series because she was originally hoping to get it into that.  Others were debut authors, or people I simply had not heard of before.  Even local meteorologist Karl Bohnak was there with his two books.

I'll be honest; while I could strike up conversations with most of the featured authors, Mr. Bohnak is a local TV celebrity and I didn't say much more to him than how much my mom likes his book.  I'm shy!

Many books were bought in the course of the afternoon, for both of my libraries.  A few authors also were gracious enough to donate their books to the libraries, bless their hearts.  Much thanks to Kevin Kluck, Mel Laurila, and Mary Soper for their generosity!

It is worth mentioning that most authors who were in attendance at the Authors Day are self-published, many with printing services through Globe Printing in Ishpeming, MI.  Ergo, it may be hard to get these books outside of this region.  I will do my best to offer web sites and other information as available.

Below are pictures of my merrily obtained swag, along with their authors' names, and web sites when available.

For the charter school library:

Top row, left to right:
The Clue at Copper Harbor by M.C. Tillson; A&M Writing and Publishing (books available for purchase)
Where the Wind Blows by Ida Nord
Look Up! The Poems of Mr. Happy by Robert L. Cook; Mr. Happiness Online (autobiography and music available for purchase)
Snail-Shell Harbor by J.H. Langille.  This was originally published in 1870; this edition is edited by Donna Winters.  Great Lakes Romances (this book and many of Mrs. Winters' own works are available for purchase)
Bottom row, left to right:
Hamsters After Dark by Kathy Kuczek (book and art prints available for purchase)
A Day with Stanley by Milly Balzarini (web site has links to sales sites such as Barnes & Noble)

For the public library:

Top row, left to right:

Hamsters After Dark by Kathy Kuczek

Land of Enchantas by Corey M. LaBissoniere; Martin Sisters Publishing (web site has links to sales sites)

Yooper Bars by Randy and Kevin Kluck; Yooper Bars (book and t-shirt available for purchase)

Bottom roe, left to right:

The Clue at Copper Harbor by M.C. Tillson

Mine Games by Mel Laurila; Tate Publishing (book and ebook available for purchase)

Where the Wind Blows by Ida Nord

The Hospital Handbook by Mary Soper; The Hospital Handbook (book and journal available for purchase)

I look forward to reading and reviewing many of these books in the future!