TGIF, everyone!
I just wanted to share the following:
I love that they posed the lizard so she's holding a pencil! Tanks so much for your positive feedback! :)
Have a great weekend, everyone!
~ H. S. Contino
Friday, September 24, 2021
Thursday, September 16, 2021
2021 Florence Festival of Books
Good morning!
Mark your calendars! This Saturday is the Florence Festival of Books. I hesitated to write about this before because I was worried that the event would be cancelled due to the current coronavirus surge in Oregon. However, I received an email this morning from the event sponsor and we're still good to go.
As my regular followers are aware, I'm a big fan of the Florence Festival of Books. It's one of the largest annual book festivals on the Oregon coast. The first annual event just happened to be in 2011 which was the year I published my first full length book, Shipwrecks of Coos County (Arcadia Publishing). I had good timing! Because of this I can proudly say that I have had a booth at every Florence Festival of Books.
Last year (2020) would have been the 10th annual event but it was cancelled due to the coronavirus. As I mentioned earlier, I was worried that year's event would be cancelled as well-- especially since we're int he middle of a virus surge-- but they're going forward with the event. In order to keep everyone safe, there will be some additional rules and restrictions. For instance, everyone-- both attendees and authors/publishers-- will be required to wear masks. They're also encouraging us to have hand sanitizer available at our booths and the event hosts will be setting up hand sanitizer stations throughout the building.
The Florence Festival of Books is a great venue. Every year it gets a little bit bigger. The majority of the booths are for authors, but there are usually a few publishers as well. One of my favorite parts is the diversity. The event draws a mix of traditional and independent (self) published authors who represent a variety of genres and reading levels.
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| My booth at the 2019 Florence Festival of Books. |
Since I usually attend the events alone, I don't get a lot of time to wander through the booths. But the venue does provide volunteers that are available to watch your booth for short periods of time. I like to take advantage of this opportunity to walk around, say hello to the authors I know, and purchase a few new books for my personal collection.
There's something for everyone! During past events, I've visited with fellow authors that write books for kids through adults, fiction and non-fiction, and a variety of genres. My personal favorites are local history, science-fiction, and I have a soft spot for children's books (I have a healthy inner child!). But, the event draws a variety of other genres as well includes graphic novels, romance, and mystery.
***
The Florence Festival of Books is held at the Florence Events Center which is located at 715 Quince Street in Florence, Oregon. It's a two day event.
On Friday night (September 17th, 2021) they will have a presentation featuring Melody Carlson as the keynote speaker. There will also be an educational panel featuring local authors Bob Welch and Bill Sulllivan.
The actual book fair will be held this Saturday, September 18th from 10 am until 4 pm. Attendance is free, but there will be numerous books available for sale. They also have a small cafe that sells food and drinks.
If you're in the area, please stop by my booth and say hello! If you mention this blog post, I'll give you a 25% discount toward the purchase of any of my autographed books.
I hope to see you there!
~ H. S. Contino
Friday, September 10, 2021
Online Writing
Good morning!
It occurred to me recently that I don’t think I’m shared my online articles on this blog. Over the past ten years, I’ve published numerous short articles online on the webpage, HubPages. Often these are practice articles or things that I wrote as “warm ups” before moving on to bigger writing projects (like my novels).
As my regular followers know, I’m a hodgepodge. I’m interested in a variety of topics and this is reflected in my writing. The articles that I’ve published on HubPages vary from recipes to book reviews to financial management to pets to fun outdoor activities.
Most of the articles are short, so they won’t take up a lot of your time. Please, feel free to check them out. I’ve published articles under my usual pen name, H. S. Contino, but I’ve also published under the nickname “Reprieve26.”
My HubPages author profile:
https://hubpages.com/@reprieve26
Have a great weekend!
~ H. S. Contino 🤓
Friday, August 27, 2021
Introducing Fan Mail Fridays!
Good morning!
You've heard of "Meatless Mondays" and "Throwback Thursdays." Today I'm introducing a new one: Fan Mail Fridays. Once a month or so, I'll share a positive review of my books or handmade crafts from either Etsy or Good Reads.
As my fellow writers, artists, and other creative types know, it's easy to get discouraged. Most people don't pursue artistic pursuits to get rich. We do it because we love it. Creating art-- whether it's writing books, painting, crafting, making music, etc-- is hard work. Most people only ever see the finished result, but those of us that create know how much hard work goes into creating our art.
We also know about all of the failures. The projects that simply didn't work out. The ideas that were better in concept than reality. And we're familiar with the sad reality that sometimes we aren't at the skill level that we need to do a project justice. To be fair, we get a little better with every project and every time we practice... but, we're only human.
With all of this in mind, it can be really nice to receive positive feedback. And it's worth occasionally going back and re-reading our fan mail.
To get this new series started, I'll be sharing one of my most recent pieces of fan mail. It's a positive review that I received for my most recently published book, "Alternatives." The novel was a "labor of love" as the expression goes. Working on it helped get me through the 2020-- which, as we all know, was an incredibly challenging year! Overall, I spent 2 full years working on the novel. Since I was working with a shoestring budget, I did everything from coming up with the idea, writing the story, editing and formatting the manuscript, and designing the cover. It's not perfect, but I'm happy with how it turned out. I'm so relieved that my readers enjoyed the book too!
Thank you, Earnie and Ellie Efforts, for your positive feedback. I'm so glad that you enjoyed reading my book!
~ H. S. Contino
Tuesday, August 24, 2021
Out & About: Finding Big Foot
Good morning!
I've got a fun blog post for you today. :)
Living in the Pacific Northwest, I frequently encounter references to "Big Foot" (also known as Sasquatch). After all, we're living in his habitat.
A few examples-- The Sugar Shack Bakery in Reedsport sells a "Big Foot" donut. It's a maple bar with a big foot painted on it with white frosting-- and my niece's favorite! There's also a local company named "BigFoot Beverages." and it's pretty common to spot "Big Foot" themed art work or bumper stickers while driving around.
My favorite:
Decal for Sale on Etsy from Snappy Turtle Decals
When I worked at the Coos History Museum, it was still located in Simpson Park which shared a parking lot with the North Bend Visitor Center. I lost count of the number of times that people came in asking for a map of local Big Foot sightings.
Periodically, Geocaching HQ has programs where geocachers can collect souvenirs. In 2018, they had a program called "Hidden Creatures."
Naturally, Big Foot was one of the mythical creatures that we could find, and he was featured in some of the promotional materials. We attended a local event when the program launched where each of us signed a "Big Foot Crossing" sign. The event hosts hung the sign up near a new geocache that they hid a short while after our gathering.
As you can see, we have a lot of fun with Big Foot and all of the above are great. But, recently, I found my favorite yet...
Appropriately, a friend and I were out searching for geocaches when we discovered a Big Foot couple!
The metal sculptures are on display in front of the North Bend Powersports store. I reached out to the owners to try to find out more about the sculptures and the artist that made them. Unfortunately, all they knew was that the store owners purchased the statues from the Baja Imports store in Bandon, Oregon. I tried reaching out to the store, but I didn't receive a response.
While I wish that I knew more about who built them, the statues are still awesome! More pictures below:
How about you? Have you ever found Big Foot (in any form)?
Happy summer everyone!
~ H. S. Contino
Thursday, August 19, 2021
Let's Connect!
Good afternoon!
I hope that everyone is enjoying their last few weeks of summer. The weather here on the Oregon coast has been gorgeous! Loki and I have been enjoying lots of long walks! We're so blessed to live in an area with an abundance of natural beauty to enjoy!
Just a quick post today. Someone recently mentioned that they had trouble finding one of my social media accounts. So, I thought I'd make it easy for everyone and list them all here. I use most of the popular social media platforms, but I spend the most time on Facebook and Twitter. Feel free to visit my social media pages, follow me, or send me a message. I love hearing from readers and befriending fellow authors/artists/creative types!
Facebook:
Author, H. S. Contino https://www.facebook.com/AuthorHSContino/
Reprieve's Corner https://www.facebook.com/ReprievesCorner
Twitter:
@HSContino https://twitter.com/hscontino?lang=en
Pinterest:
User name: Reprieve's Corner
https://www.pinterest.com/ReprievesCorner/_saved/
LinkedIn:
H. S. Contino, Writer & Small Business Owner at Reprieve’s Corner
https://www.linkedin.com/in/h-s-contino-0ba72929/
Instagram:
User name: hscontino
https://www.instagram.com/hscontino/
Tumblr:
User name: hscontino
https://www.tumblr.com/blog/hscontino
Blogs:
Blogger https://hscontino.blogspot.com/
WordPress https://hscontino.wordpress.com/
HubPages:
User name: HS Contino (Reprieve26)
https://hubpages.com/@reprieve26
Amazon Author Central:
User name: H. S. Contino
https://author.amazon.com/home
GoodReads Author Profile:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6916217.H_S_Contino
As you can see, I've signed up with numerous platforms over the years. I know that everyone has different preferences and favorites when it comes to social media, so my approach has been to create accounts where people can find me (and by extension, my work).
Have a great week everyone!
~ H. S. Contino
Tuesday, August 10, 2021
Book Title Announcement: "The Other Mae"
Good afternoon!
Thank you all for your comments and feedback on my recent post, "A Rose by Any Other Name." After giving it a lot of thought and considering dozens of options, I settled on a new name for my most recent novel: "The Other Mae." (I'm still working on the cover art).
I like this title for several reasons. The story is about a woman finding herself after a traumatic attack that leaves her with amnesia. The main character's full name is Ellie-Mae, but she shortened it to Mae as an adult. I like how the new title plays on the word "me." The novel chronicles Mae's journey of self discovery as she slowly heals both physically and psychologically from the attack. It's the story of Mae finding herself.
* Spoiler Alert *
At one point in the story, Ellie-Mae comes across some of her old journals. As she reads them, she gains insight into her life before the attack; but, she often compares herself to the person she was before the attack-- in other words, "The Other Mae."
Phew! I really like the new title, and I'm so relieved to have finally solved this problem. I wrote the initial rough draft of the novel back in the fall of 2019. I gave it the working title "This Forgotten Life," but I was never happy with it.
I'd also like to acknowledge my friend and fellow writer for her help. She uses the pen name "Tatiana Foxx," and she writes erotic romance. Thank you, Tatiana, for helping me brainstorm title ideas and providing feedback. I really appreciate your help!
Feel free to check out Tatiana Foxx's webpage and sign up for updates. She's currently working on her first novel, "Not My Alpha."
Happy reading (and writing) everyone!
~ H. S. Contino
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