Adventures in Writing (My summer book Tour

I know, I skipped writing in my blog for the last couple of weekends, and a lot has happened. So, let me catch everyone up, I was home for the first weekend with no event. So, instead I decided to have a relaxing weekend with my family. Not! I wanted to have a relaxing boring weekend, and help my husband John plant a garden, so that we could have vegetables all summer! Instead, I did a photo shoot, during massive storms which caused the power to go out! My life is ever so crazy, even when I try to relax and have calm. But that is a whole different story!

So, for the holiday weekend (Memorial Weekend) I was back on tour, not too far from home, I was at May’d in Michigan in Augusta Michigan. I met even more of the amazing people who are vendors at these local events. I got to know the Fae, across the way from our booth, her’s is called Fae’s Lil’ Dreams (See photo gallery picture), she makes doll clothing and sells dolls from various eras in time. In fact, she made one for my friend Bridget. They are wonderfully made and cute to boot! Fae and I have become friends over coffee, I bring an air pot filled with about 30 cups of coffee every morning now, as well as cream and sugar and I share with anyone who wants some. I tell Fae, she only loves me because I feed her coffee addiction! She is one of the coordinators for Olde World Village. We joke and laugh across the way! And I would consider her a friend now. She is very kind and very talented.

The Black Smith Eric and his ever-faithful friend Bob who watches over him from his place on the back wall are directly across from us. I see people all day stop and watch in fascination as he crafts different items from metals and creates unique pieces of art.

Then there is Brit from the face painting booth, down the way. Okay in honesty, I have known Brit since well before this event, she has done face painting for my Granddaughters’ in the past at Black Rock Renaissance Faire for the past few years and we go there every year. I have spent quite a lot of time in her booth, because that is the first place the girls always want to go. Brit owns Bewitched by Brit, Face Painting and more. She is extremely talented! Again, please check out the pictures in the photo gallery. Brit is so talented that I plan to have her finally do my face this summer for Steam Dream or Black Rock. I don’t know when, but the owner’s young daughter tells me that I need to let Brit make my face up like avatar, so that I can have two sets of eyes, just like her! She is so adorable!

I also got the chance to get to know someone my son, has become friends with. This man’s name is Chris, and he has the best but saddest story. His wife passed away, and after her death, he had a tattoo put on his ring finger and in the ink, is some of her ashes! Now that is love, and my being a Romance writer, I just had to mention that, sorry Chris, but I find that beyond romantic! Chris, is an extremely talented artist. He does metal and glass etching. His work is absolutely, stunning. He also does some wood working, items. I bought my new pen from him and, also have commissioned him to do a another, piece for me. It is a pen holder similar, to the one that is in my photo gallery for this blog, however, Chris being very talented has taken it a step farther, and created designs, not only to hold my favorite type of autographing pen, but a stand to hold it as well. Before I left today, he already had brought me sketches of what he wants to do for me. He hasn’t even started making it and I’m in love with his ideas, Chris has passion and talent. I truly like that! I cannot wait to see how this turns out!

Lastly, but certainly not least is my new friend Ed from Maple Men Farms, who owns a maple syrup business. His Maple flavored Cotton candy has been the talk of the weekend. He sells honey and different products, made of Maple syrup, from maple flavored cotton candy to root-beer sweetened by maple syrup!

All these people do these festivals and/ or craft fairs, not because it makes them tons of money, because that is not the case. All these people do this for the love of it, the ability to meet new people and share their talents. I have walked around this event and heard people talk about how they could make Doll clothing for the same price or cheaper. How they could order something like the etched glasses and bottles on line cheaper. Oh, you probably could do all those things, but these people have heart and soul, and put a special kind of love into the items they are creating. You could go on line, and buy doll clothing that is cheaper and comes from china made by some faceless person. However, those doll clothes, won’t have those special loving touches that Fae, puts into every stitch of the doll clothing that she makes. Then there is Chris with his passion and talent! He doesn’t use a machine to etched things in Glass or in copper, he does all of it by hand and it is not cold and impersonal, he infuses not only a tiny piece of his spirit into each piece, but love and heart. Every one of these people, I am seeing week after week, not only set up but tear down booths and pack the repack stock to take to the next show. Not one of them are getting rich off from this, and most of them work full time jobs to do this. I see Bridget and Allen haul in all over the games and take hours to set them up, not just before a fair or festival, but the morning of the event, work tirelessly to set up so that children and parents alike can have a few minutes of fun, or spend a day togethers laughing and enjoying themselves. The patrons at these events do not see these people work all day, then come in the night before or day before, or even the morning of an event, haul in and unpack their wares and set, so that people can find that special presents, or the certain thing that will hold a memory of that day for as long as they own it.

These artisans do this because they love to share their gifts and talents, the prices they charge, seem outrageous to some, yes, but they do not mass produce their items, instead they make them one by one and spend hours and hours making these products for people. It is not some nameless faceless person, in a distant land. That merchant selling that item made that item, not to get rich, but because they love too. So, if the prices seem a little high, remember that we all put love into our crafts and there are processes that go on in the back ground that no one but that artisan can truly understand. And if that Artisan offers you a special price, it is not just to make a sale, but because they more than likely see that you will truly love and understand their vision for the product and want you to have it. So, don’t think it to death, buy it. Pay that extra cost to get something made by a talented artisan who infused that item with love.

I once read somewhere that a very famous author told someone, ‘if you want to become rich, don’t become and author!’ I know that people believe that we just sit around and play on our computers all day, but in truth, unless you writer novels, you do not understand the work that goes into one. It is hundreds and hundreds of hours, especially for someone like me. Perhaps, in one of future blogs, I will explain how my books are created so that all my readers will understand. But for now, I am not focusing on that, I am focusing on getting ready for the Mystic Realm Fantasy Fair next weekend, writing my blog, and setting up my next book to send to an editor and just having and amazing time this summer and getting to know a bunch of amazing people in the awesome places that we go!

If you enjoyed reading this blog, Please email me at Magickmoonink@gmail.com and let me know and you can subscribe to my website at www.treasakloth.com for updates on new releases, contests or read the first two chapters of my novel The MacKinnon’s Kandra. But with summer at a start you might want to order in your own copy of The MacKinnon’s Kandra and get started on your summer reading now, as the second book in the saga, The MacKinnon’s Raven is scheduled for release in August of 2017. You can catch me next at Steam Dream~June 16, 17, &18 at the Olde World Village, and get your book autographed for free, even if you already have your book and autograph come check it out, it will be amazing! And if you have not done so in the past please help to support your locale vendors!