In May I was in New York City for the Book Expo. I love New York. It is such an marvelous place. It is like no other city and when I am there I feel like I belong. But this trip was not for fun, it was for work and the Book Expo is the official beginning of getting the word out about The Santa Club Book.

As anyone who reads my blog knows, The Santa Club is more than just a book. It is a way of thinking. It is a gift given to me by my mother-in-law, an answer to a tough question that is truthful. It is a parenting resource, and a gift book that you can document your child’s growing years. With all that, when you get down to it, The Santa Club Book is all about The Gift of Giving.

We forget that giving is a simple thing. We spend lots of time and money on gifts, but our everyday life is an act of giving. We give to our families, we give to our kids, and hopefully we chose to give more than receive. If we are really into thinking like a Santa, then we give in everything we do, and that is when life truly begins…

So this year, we started getting the word out about this little book, The Santa Club. The Book Expo is the American Booksellers Association’s show for all of the booksellers, librarians, publisher’s distributors and so on to meet and see what is new. Our distributor, New Shelves Distribution, was kind enough to have The Santa Club Book exhibited in their booth. Along with that New Shelves set up two book signings so I could give away the books to get the word out.

If I didn’t say I was nervous, then I would be a liar. I know that the book is a great parenting resource so I believe people who need it will like it. But I was worried that no one would want a copy, as they had no idea what it was. Can you imagine sitting at the table and no one comes to get a copy? That scared me more than anything else. Me, sitting at the author’s table and not a soul, or maybe a brave few coming up to get a copy. As I got ready to go into the green room before my time, Coco and Ice T were outside filming their show. How funny. They were really excited for their book and fun to see. I think Ice T was signing before me. I am pretty sure I said a prayer right then that all the people seeing them would stay, just a little bit longer, ha-ha.

Four o’clock came and all of the author’s for the last time slot of the day made their way out to the tables. I was on the end, closest to the green room. No one was on my right side. OHHHH, that was not good. What I mean is if someone was on my right then for sure the people in that line might go to mine for the heck of it, right? Well, no one was there so….

The first person to come into my line was an angel, really an angel. She had black pretty hair and a great smile. I was so thankful that one person came in line I was talking to her before she came up. “Thank you for coming in line”, I said with a huge smile. She said something really special. She told me in not so exact words, “Oh don’t worry, you will have lots of people”. Lot of people, really? You know what, she was right. I never stopped signing until after my stop time of five o’clock! When it was all said and done, I had signed 100 books and was the last author to stop! It was amazing.

Now I would like to think it is my charming charisma that brought everyone in, but what I had always thought but now knew, it was that The Santa Club book fills a great need. Just as all those years before when I was in need, so many parents need help in answering this age old question, Is Santa Real. I am just blessed to be the person who wrote the book, in the middle of the night so long ago! It was divine Intervention….TYG.

It was truly a gift signing books at the Book Expo. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO TOOK THE TIME TO GET A BOOK. I can’t thank you enough. You gave me a great gift by coming to say hello. In the end I think I signed between 150-175 books. I met booksellers from all over the world, authors, distributors, and the wonderful librarians from schools and cities alike. I even met Hercules! Kevin Sorbo, the actor from the TV show Hercules, was kind enough to stop by. What a really nice guy. His book, True Strength, will be out in October 2011. Ironically he knows a gentleman my family knows, Governor Bob Miller. Governor Miller was the longest serving Governor for the state of Nevada and a wonderful man. Not only do they know each other, but Governor Miller also has a book coming out in 2012. Writer’s all around….I love it.

After the Book Expo we went to visit family and friends in Lake Placid, NY, Holyoke, MA and back to New York to visit some dear friends whose daughter is fighting Lymphoma. Kate is also in the book industry and just graduated from college a couple of years ago. Please say a prayer for her and her family. You can pray for Kate C. Out of everything Joe and I did in New York and the surrounding areas, seeing Kate’s mom and dad was the most important. We have been friends since our kids were young playing ball in Alpharetta, GA. Your prayers for them will be greatly appreciated.

That was the month of May…June, well that was a very busy time too. I was in Atlanta and Los Angeles and to be honest just working on my businesses is crazy busy. July…well that is another milestone for The Santa Club. Our first reviews started coming in and what a blessing. First to all of the reviewers, thank you for taking the time to review all the books you review. As an author, I relish honest reviews. I don’t let them dictate my stories but I love feedback. Writing is so lonely in terms of you only have yourself to guide you as you formulate and begin writing your story. Reviews good or bad, are special in that someone took the time to write them. Someone thought enough of the book to put what they believe down for all the world to see. It takes commitment, time, and a presence of thought about more than just the story itself. Thank you to the reviewer’s who took the time. I appreciate that so very much. Of course, I am human, so good reviews are wonderful and you can check out all the reviews at Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com

So, the rest of July we are in San Diego for Comic-Con and LA, as well as Henderson. Someday you shall see The Santa Club comic book, that is a promise. I loved comic-books when I was young and there has never been a moment that I didn’t think The Santa Club will be in that format. Stories of kids sharing the gift of giving and fighting evil…perfect for what The Santa Club is all about.

If you are in San Diego and see me, please say hello. I shall have a few books to give away as well as hats and pins. I shall be up at my friend’s booth( on and off on Thursday), Mindy Sterling, helping her so if you see me there, I promise to pass on the things I have and say hello.

Until the next moment I have to blog, have a wonderful summer. Christmas is just around the corner and I promise that Christmas around here, will be very fun.

XO
Kelly