Throwing a Book Launch Party... Now THIS is how you do it!

Okay, before you think I'm getting full of myself, I didn't throw the party. I am the WORST party planner/hostess you ever want to meet. So, no credit goes to me.

When Roanoke City Libraries offered to throw my book launch party, I said, um...let me think about it... I suppose I could let you have the honor. If you insist that is.

Anyway, it was the other night and it was AWESOME. I mean first class all the way. I was so nervous no one would show up but my husband's family came from NC which filled a few seats, then my folks surprised me by showing up all the way from NJ, which made me cry.

We had a local teen singer who was like watching a young Carrie Underwood. She was beautiful, sweet, and oh so talented!

Then flocks and flocks of old friends, coworkers from days of yore, aspiring authors and maybe even a homeless person or two. More the merrier. (All in all, we had close to two hundred people show and I signed 110-ish books. Not too shabby!)

The turn out was amazing. It made me cry . . . again. Local actors acted out a scene from the book (script written by our very own, Ane Mulligan). Behind them was a beautiful, hand painted back drop by a local artist. I had a q and a session and one woman was quoting page number, paragraph number of her favorite passages. Ha!

The whole thing was surreal. I felt like a superstar and completely loved by those who showed up to support me. They'll never know just how much it meant.
(The pic of me sitting on the porch with the trans-y is actually River Laker, the host. We did a parody video of a scene from the book and he played little Isabella. This guy's hilarious!

I don't think I'll ever top this gathering . . . but one perfect night in a lifetime is more than most people get.