Labor Day weekend was hot. Really hot. In my mind they don’t call it Hot Lanta for any other reason. I’m not lying when I say it was 97 degrees with a heat index of at least 102. It was also the site for the Decatur Book Festival, where I spent two days in a tent with two of my fellow YA authors. The battery powered fans only helped slightly. I might have carpel tunnel from fanning myself with a hand-held fan. Worse, I tend to get sick in the heat. Fortunately, I didn’t this time.
Getting to the fair was a monumental feat in itself. Everything prior to the show was a catastrophe. Some days, I think technology hates me, LOL! Going to the fair, our Tom-Tom Nav system had me going in circles. I only live 45 minutes from Decatur, give or take, but with the nav system, it took over an hour. No, I don’t drive down to Atlanta much. I sort of avoid large cities. On day two, I used my iPhone’s Google nav system. Well, it’s really the Maps app and can hardly be called a nav system for a reason which became very clear to me when I left downtown late Sunday night. Never again. I’m checking into a different app. Have suggestions for the iPhone? Let me know.
Was it worth it? The heat, the technology meltdown, the time and effort? Yes. I got to reunite with my fab friends from the Paranormal Plumes, shared a tent with Amy Jones and S.R. Johannes from the Indelibles, finally met several incredible authors I’ve only previously had the pleasure of meeting on-line, and talked to several of my favorite book bloggers and fans. I signed a lot of books, which made me feel very humbled. My apologies for what looks like left-handed chicken scrawl, folks.
When the fair shut down at 6 every night we headed out for dinner, cool drinks, and best of all, air-conditioning.
Would I go again? Not on your life. Any book fair I attend from here out will be in the fall or spring, or indoors. Still, the contacts I made, and the friends I hung out with made it a weekend to remember.
Michelle Muto 
I was supposed to be there but didn’t have the money to make it. Email me for a list of events that you may be interested in. E 🙂
Elysabeth Eldering
Author of FINALLY HOME,a middle grade/YA paranormal mystery written similar to a Nancy Drew mystery
I couldn’t be outside in that heat. Fair play to you for sticking it out.
Looks like fun!
Elysabeth – if I didn’t already live in Georgia, I wouldn’t have been able to afford it either. Other events? Not sure yet. For the time being, I’m going to focus on writing.
Emma – It was unbearably hot.
PR – It was!
Michelle, there is the Georgia COMO coming up next month which is the combined librarian and technology conference but it’s too late to register for an exhibitor booth but you can check out their website and make contacts if you are interested. The site is http://www.georgiacomo.com. I’ll be there. E 🙂
Thanks! I’ll check into it!