Sometimes a Break is Best

I took a break from most social media earlier this year – I definitely needed it as doom scrolling was about all I was doing and it just wasn’t good for me. But, as things get more and more back to normal for me, so to this – plus some new extra stuff.

I have two local appearances/market on my calendar for this month – on this upcoming Saturday, I’ll be at the Cove Valley Market and the Saturday after that, I’ll be at the Hancock County Parks and Recreation’s Medieval Fest (which looks like it’s going to be lots of fun with an axe throwing booth, stocks, roving entertainment, and a whole lot of vendors with really neat stuff. I’ve got my costume put together – I’m debuting a new character I’ve been mulling over for a bit – a bogwitch determined to help her boggy critter friends. One day I’ll write her book.

I am working on a different book at the present moment that’s taking precedence over my Brenna though. News on that down the road.

I am putting together a proper newsletter (finally) for the writing and the books and there will be snippets of things I’m working on and such. I’m hoping to add audio as I figure things out (and when I find the box I put my mixer board in). That’s over on Substack: Sarahwagner.substack.com

I’m not abandoning the blog – just expanding the methods by which potential readers can find me. I will try and be a bit better about updating but getting back to center was necessary. I’ll be posting a bit more as I get back into my usual routine. It may take me a bit to figure out what that routine is going to be but I’ll get there.

Chat With Me

I’m sort of participating with Con From Home – since con season got interrupted, it’s a bunch of panels and vendors and artists. I’m having my little chat at 12:30 pm est March 29th, 2020 in a Google Hangout. Either scan the QR Code or click on the link and come talk to me. I think I’ll read a little story, maybe a poem or two, probably talk about crows because I can’t not do that apparently. If you’ve ever felt the urge to ask me a question, now’s the time to do it! Hopefully someone shows up and I’m not reading to an empty room. I’d promise a pibble appearance but Fred often does exactly what I don’t want him to do.

Crazy Crow Lady

I’m pretty sure that’s how anyone who was at the panel on Thursday thinks of me… Which, there are worse things, especially given how badly I flubbed the speaking portion of the evening. My dad is somewhere hanging his head at my lack of public speaking skills – totally not his fault, he really did try and impart all his wisdom but I don’t think there’s ever going to be enough wisdom to counter that blurred edges tunnel vision that happens when I try to say words to groups – and there were only 20 – 25 or so, it’s not like this was a convention center. This was a Barnes and Noble on a rainy night in winter.

It is what it is though and I did meet some interesting to people and yes, ended up talking about my crows.

After the fact, I know what I should have said and how I should have said it – isn’t that always the way? At least the Q&A section went better for me – at least in that I can, in fact, speak in coherent sentences (even if at least half of them contained crows). Hopefully, I’ll get the chance to do it again one day and prove, if only to myself, that I can.

In other news: I’m flexing my crafty wings a bit with some new things that are very exciting for me but still in the learning, training, testing phases. It’s less new things than it is a throwback to my younger years, crafting with my mom, and making something that there might be a market for locally (on the internet, it’s probably pretty over-saturated but there are benefits to doing local vendor events). Fingers crossed.

Magical Moments: Romance Author Panel

Romance Author Panel

If you’re in the Pittsburgh area (or Ohio Valley) and can come out to the Settler’s Ridge Barnes and Noble in Robinson, please do – I’d love to say hello!

I’ll have Hunter’s Crossing, Eldercynne Rising, and Christmas in Bear Ridge with me. My understanding is that I’ll get to talk too so hopefully I manage to not trip over my tongue too much.

What a Start

This first week of 2020 has been a little hectic. There are wonderful things in the works but there’s a bit of a haze over my life at the moment, turmoil in the circle of friends and family that I can do literally nothing about and I hate not being able to help.

RedDog is currently a lampshade and appropriately annoyed and annoying with it. One of his tumors started bothering him enough to chew on which means it had to go, and it did. And then in a great domino falling sort of way, it went completely bonkers. Surgery went great and then the bandage was too tight so we changed it out and couldn’t find a way to keep it on loose enough to not cause issues and tight enough to stay on. On the upside I managed to get the cone of shame to work. It turned out the swelling was mostly from a cyst on his foot that decided now was the right time to complain a lot. He’s on the mend looking adorable in his long sleeved t and cone of shame that he absolutely rams into me on purpose any time I come anywhere near him. Pretty sure the backs of my legs are all bruised up.

Fred is all out of sorts because he hates the cone also and really wants to play with the RedDog.

I’m finally getting to this years work – first up on my list, a bit of a rewrite that is more about adding words and making Delilah’s story a bit more of a salable length and find a better title than demonborn. After that, I’m planning to zero draft a story about a very different kind of witch who seems to be in need of a few short stories to flesh him out a bit before I try and find him book. He is definitely wanting to be a lot different than my ladies. By the time I’m done fiddling with that short story, I hope my Warrior Witch is done steeping so I can get that book rewritten.

I do have two upcoming events already, the first on February 6th from 7 to 9 pm at Barnes and Noble at Settlers Ridge in Robinson for a Romance Spotlight Night and I’ll post more about that as we get closer. I’m also on the calendar at the Weirton Museum on May 14th at 6pm to do a reading of a few of my short stories. I’m very much looking forward to both of these things.

My oldest is about to head back to college – it’s been nice having him home but I know he’s looking forward to his second semester of his Freshman year.

I finally got all the Christmas decorations put away – it took longer than usual this year but it’s done. I put my desk display back together today – I may have a slight problem… but really, I love my wall and desk display – many of the things were bought by my husband, sons, and brother and that matters to me a lot. (Alex and Alphonso are my son’s – they are above his desk which is next to mine.) I am moving my signed pics with Doug Bradley and Tony Todd to another shelf because they are in frames that don’t hang well. I reorder and reorganize often but for right now, I’m pleased as punch to get my everyday stuff back where it belongs.

Halloween at the Museum

Book Table at Weirton Area Museum and Cultural Center – come out and say hi!

Today is the Halloween at the Museum event in downtown Weirton (right on Route 2) from 2-9:30 with special things for kids and adults and a lot of great artists and crafters (and there’s a really awesome critter maker who I already bought a tiny crow from because of course I did and my favorite local comic book maker also).

If you’re in the area (or able to get to the area), come say hi, look at all the cool halloweenish art, make a monster, learn a little history, stay awhile and listen to the Ohio Valley Cloak & Dagger Company who are doing a Poe reading at 7pm (I think there’s a small admission fee for the Poe thing).

It should be a really fun day!

Sometimes Opportunity Wears a Different Face

I wrote earlier this year about this year being my Brave Year and, amazingly enough, I’ve kept to that, as best I can anyway. One of the things I’ve learned this year is that opportunity doesn’t always look like what I thought it would. I haven’t snapped up every opportunity that’s come my way, but I’ve tried to and I’ve tried to follow up on all the potential door-knocks that have come my way this year. I’ve gotten back to doing crafty fair events and I’ve got a few more on the calendar this year and each one has brought an opportunity I didn’t expect, not just for myself but in some cases, opportunities for me to pass along information and potential opportunities to other people and places too. I’m in a very pay it forward kind of place right now.

Sometimes opportunity is a new friend, a lead on another event, a contact that might be interested in a custom order, or someone looking for something I don’t make or have but I know someone who does or can. Maybe these sorts of things were always there, right under my nose, and I wasn’t looking or seeing them or maybe it’s just this year, that I’m ready to reach out and grab them, I’m not sure which and I’m not sure it matters. I’m making the best of now.

Upcoming Events:

Halloween At the Museum event on October 26th from 2pm to 9:30 pm at the Weirton Area Museum and Cultural Center, at where I’ll have a book table and a few pieces on display – Voodoo Shop in a Box and Rags.  There will also be ticketed performances by the Ashley Marie Performing Arts Center and the Ohio Valley Cloak and Dagger Company, music, candy, historical exhibits, and children’s activities.

Holiday Craft fair for the Carlynton cheerleaders on November 3 at Celebrations near Robinson PA from 12-2 PM.

Post Event Glow

My feet hurt, my knees hurt, but my brain is recharged and rip roaring ready to write! I don’t know what the numbers were in the end but I know I talked to a LOT of people and sold more books than I have at any single event before. And the husband nabbed a loaf of ridiculously good rye bread at a booth just outside the author tent.

There’s something about talking to other writers and to readers and to people who want to be writers but don’t know where to begin that really just hits the reboot button for me. I spoke to one young woman who reminded me a lot of the girl I was about 18 years ago – just a word nerd figuring out how to make what she loves to do something she can really do.

I had a few moments early on when I had the old anxiety try and get a foothold on my day and I’m sure I probably looked a little crazy, frozen smile, wide eyes, muttering the litany against fear to myself while tapping on my Kwisatz Haderach bracelet (the litany wouldn’t fit with the font size my stampers are). I don’t care though – it didn’t screw me up too bad and I managed to do more peopling than I have in maybe ever. I’m thinking yeah, maybe I can do this again, maybe even larger events. Maybe one day I’ll be brave enough to give Steel City a go.

I need to rest a bit but I’m definitely ready to get back to telling stories.

Today went much better than I expected for sure. I hope I get to do it again next year!

Book Festival

The Beaver County BookFest is tomorrow! I’m getting ready, making sure I’ve got all the interesting pieces for my pretty table. I’ll have most of my books with me – I’m out of a couple of them, one of the Sha’daa books and my own Guardian of the Gods and I only have one copy left of the Chicken Soup for Grieving and Recovery but I’ll have a good number of the rest of them – including shiny new print copies of my Christmas story!

I’m a lot nervous about it though too. They are expecting an awful lot of people which, while that’s great for me as an author, that’s slightly less great for me as a person with anxiety. Thank goodness my husband will be my assistant – he always makes the panic more bearable.

Today, I’m making all my lists and making sure I have all the bits and pieces. I’m determined to have  a lovely table and a very successful day, in spite of myself. Hopefully, I won’t have to carry nearly as many books home with me as I’m taking. They are heavy things after all.

If you plan on going to the BookFest, make sure you stop by and say hello!

New Events!

I’ve got a few events coming up, one more local to me than the other.

Next weekend, Saturday, July 27 I’ll have a table at the 5th Annual Striplight Community Theater Arts Fest to support my local community theater. So, if you’re local to Weirton, West Virginia (or in driving distance), come out and support a good thing.

Also, Saturday September 7th, I’ll be at the Beaver County BookFest in Beaver County, PA.  This will be my first year there and I’m really looking forward to it!

I’m working on filling out my dance card a little more but that will come in time.