Happy 4th of July, USA!!!

Over 100 degrees outside - Sat in the shade and watched the parade.

More photos at http://facebook.com/morgan.mandel

Happy Fourth of July, USA!!!

Frontier Days Provides Local Flavor by Morgan Mandel

A bunch of our blogger members will participate at Frontier Days Marketplace in Arlington Heights this Saturday and Sunday in Booth #124, called Area Authors, at Recreation Park near Douglas and Miner Streets. You can find me, Morgan Mandel, as well as June Sproat, Margot Justes and Debra St. John there if you're planning on attending Marketplace. Many of the other booths available will provide arts and crafts and other items to tempt buyers.

Frontier Days, which runs for 5 days always around the 4th of July Holiday, started out small, as do many festivals, but has blossomed into a huge attraction for the community. This year it's from July 1st through the 5th. It's run by the Festival Committee and is self-supporting, meaning it doesn't rely on Village money to keep afloat. I've been a member of the committee for several years and look forward to helping with putting the festival on. My part is small compared to what some of the members give, but I do what I can. This year I'll be wrapping hot dogs for Disability Day, plus marshaling the parade, which means keeping children from darting in front of vehicles as they rush to grab candy.

The Festival is one reason I enjoy being in my community.

Think about this when you're writing a manuscript. To enrich your setting, it doesn't hurt to add some kind of area events or something unique about the location which ties a character to his or her home and makes it all the more precious to remain there despite whatever obstacles may present themselves. In my case it's rising taxes, but I'm sure you can think of all kinds of ways your character's life in a community can be threatened.

Anywhere, today I'm offering a few pics from past Frontier Days. I hope to see some of you over at the Festival.

In the comment section, you're welcome to offer info on any of your area events which you particularly enjoy. Or maybe you'd like to illustrate how you've tied in local flavor in one of your books.

Morgan mandel
http://morganmandel.blogspot.com/
http://facebook.com/morgan.mandel

FRONTIER DAYS By Morgan Mandel

YA Author, June Sproat, Romantic Suspense Author, Margot Justes, Mystery and Romantic Comedy Author, Morgan Mandel in the back.

This year two special author friends and I will be selling and autographing our books in a booth at Frontier Days Marketplace, at Recreation Park, near Belmont and Miner, close to Stage West in Arlington Hts, Illinois on Saturday and Sunday, July 5 and 6 from 10am-6pm

Although I've been a Festival volunteer for over 15 years, autographing at Frontier Days is a new experience for me, but an appropriate one.

With the publication of my debut mystery, Two Wrongs, I crossed the line from unpublished writer to published author and entered a new frontier. Before, I wrote only for myself. Now, I write for everyone. What that means is I'm constantly busy getting word out about not only Two Wrongs, but also my new romantic comedy, Girl of My Dreams.

Some, but not all of the ways I've been doing this are autographing my books at booksignings, participating in panels, attending conferences, putting up displays at the library, even riding in the Festival parade with my brother and nephew handing out bookmarks alongside the car. I've also been known to stick my bookmarks and business cards at such out of the way places as advertising kiosks at rest stops or bulletin boards at restaurants.

In addition to that I spend countless hours on the Internet networking with fellow authors and meeting new readers. I created Book Place at http://bookplace.ning.com to provide a venue for booklovers and book industry people to promote their wares. I joined My Space, Good Reads, Bebo and countless other sites. Every day I get new invitations of places to join, many of which I accept. I've even become a book editor on an online magazine at www.juniorscave.com/morganmandel.html

My time is not my own which can be a discouraging thought. On the other hand, I love what I'm doing and do it willingly. You might say it's Frontier Days for me every day as I explore the territory of being an author.

Happy Fourth of July!
Morgan Mandel
www.morgan mandel.com
http://bookplace.ning.com
www.myspace.com/morganmandel
www.juniorscave.com/morganmandel.html
http://http://acmeauthorslink.blogspot.com
http://mysteryturtles.blogspot.com

Today I Rode In A Parade

I had a fun time today riding in the Arlington Heights Frontier Days Festival Parade, whose theme this year was Read A Good Book Lately

Kathy Kiebala of Exotic Car Shares.Com provided the too-die-for Alfa Romeo in which I waved my hand and also my book, Two Wrongs, to the many, many throngs of people lining the parade route.

To do it up right, I gave two of my brothers and one nephew tons of bookmarks and business cards to pass out, about four hundred at least. They went like a flash. I could have brought twice as many, but then I'd be short for my upcoming library appearance in a few weeks. My husband was busy elsewhere being a parade marshall keeping children out of the path of cars, a job I usually share, but this year was different since I was actually in the parade.

At least now must of the folks in town who didn't know about my book before now do. This is the kind of exposure money can't buy and I'm grateful to Carmella Lowth from the Frontier Days Committee for making this possible.

I believe all of those people in Arlington Heights who became famous for putting their blankets out early this week to save their spots were not disappointed in the 98 units that came their way and not a drop of rain to go with them!

I'll be busy working for the Festival Committee the rest of the week in various capacities. The Frontier Days Festival in Arlington Heights is always a glorious time and I love every minute of it!

I've got some photos up about the parade at http://www.morganmandel.com/ for those who'd like to check them out.

Happy 4th and 5th and the rest of the week!

Morgan Mandel

http://www.morganmandel.com/

http://bookplace.ning.com/

http://acmeauthorslink.blogspot.com/

http://www.myspace.com/morganmandel