Finding Creativity on the Road: My Weekend at Books and Booze in Hermann, MO

From Exhaustion to Inspiration—How One Book Signing Rekindled My Creative Spark

A few weeks ago, I traveled to Hermann, MO, for a book signing called Books & Booze. It was their first event, & I wasn’t sure what to expect, so I got a half table. A fact that completely slipped my mind until I got there with way too much stuff for such a small space. Luckily, I packed a new folding pub table I had purchased for events.

Since I was in a corner of the building, I was able to set up my table & my new folding shelf easily. Things were a little packed, & I wondered how I was going to get out from behind my table to use the restroom. Luckily, when I returned later, the authors & event organizers had rearranged things, placing a few tables in the middle of the event space.

The signing took place in an old building called the Wagon Works Building. If you aren’t familiar with Hermann Mo, it is a beautiful tourist town with old buildings everywhere. The building we were in was beautiful, but it had no air. And it was July, my friends. Luckily, there was a local Family Dollar & my man got a small fan to plug into my power bank.

Without that fan, I might not have made it.

The event took place Friday evening, 4-9, and Saturday, 11-7. Outside of the event, there was a food truck selling adult beverages, & with their ticket, readers got one drink. The blackberry lemonades looked delicious, & if I were not a sober gal, I would have indulged. I loved the two-day setup. There were readers who came for Friday night only, readers who came for Saturday only, & those who came for both. On Friday night, a book club that attended picked my novel, The Girl Next Door, for their next read, which was one of the highlights of the event.

The hardcover of The Girl Next Door is stunning, & the pink really popped in the space; many readers said they saw it from across the room & had to check it out. I sold out of both paperback and hardcover of TGND Saturday morning. I also sold out of both the illustrated and main cover of Hate Wrecked, my stranded island romance.

Remember how I said I had to share a table? My table mate was an author from St Louis—a truly lovely man who had a lot of energy. We shared stories of our love for Stephen King, writing from the heart, etc…

Since I was signing, I didn’t get to see much of the historic town I visited, but I had a wonderful time in Hermann & intend to go to future events held by Chapter 3.

That weekend reminded me why I do this, what’s important, & helped me map out a path for my future in this difficult business.

I’m not going anywhere, my friends.

—Jen

I wanted to share my BFF’s free book real quick before you go!