Getting Ready for the Holiday Market

There were a lot of things to pull together for the two-day Holiday Market where I'll be selling books on Friday and Saturday. The event is held every year at the Fort Collins Senior Center. Booths are set up in all of the meeting rooms, the lobby, the two large multipurpose rooms, and in the gymnasium. In addition to the bake sale, there is a snack bar open all day that serves coffee and pastries in the morning and soups and sandwiches at lunchtime.

I have been visiting this event for several years as a customer, shopping for handmade Christmas decorations and crafty toys and gifts ranging from crocheted stuffed animals to handworked jewelry. Last year the Holiday Market included an Author's Nook, but I was out of town and could not participate. This year I'll be there both days with my books and audiobook CDs of: The Prairie Grass Murders and The Desert Hedge Murders. If anyone is looking for a new hardcover copy of The Prairie Grass Murders, please contact me directly.

For the last couple of days, I've been getting ready:

1. Checked my book inventory and packed the boxes. I'll leave some in the trunk of the car and retrieve them only if needed.

2. Prepared and printed the price list to prominently display on the table in a plastic stand since I am discounting books for these holiday sales. Made sure I had a copy of the sales tax licenses with me.

3. Printed book cover photos and prepared a small sign to show the recent coverage of The Prairie Grass Murders in Colorado Country Life.

4. Packed the rest of my supplies, including bookmarks and postcards and a plastic holder, a tablecloth, candy bowl, individually wrapped candies, and catalogues from Five Star Publishing.

The only things I have left for today: 1) stop by the bank and get adequate change for cash transactions, 2) swing by the office supply store to pick up a change box, and 3) prepare a sales sheet to mark down each sale by item.

As far as I know, only two other authors are participating this year. Teresa Funke will be there with her new release, V for Victory. Teresa's books focus on the World War II years and most are written for middle grade to YA readers. The other author is local historian Barbara Fleming, author of Journeying, a historical love story and adventure set on the Colorado prairie.

This will be the first time I've participated in an event this big (and one that lasts so many hours). The Holiday Market is well-attended every year, so I'm hoping that a lot of my local Twitter and Facebook friends will stop by to say hello.