Recently, one of my favorite Dr. Seuss quotes has come to mind more than once, “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” In talking to Girl Scout cookie lovers at several book festivals and events in the past couple of months, I feel like each one has helped me grow as an author, speaker, and Girl Scout alum.
Recent Book Festivals and Events
College Park Book Festival
In March, I had the pleasure of taking part in a book festival, sponsored by the College Park Community Library in Maryland. At that lively affair, I was thrilled to see that a Girl Scout troop was polling the crowd about their reading habits, and, of course, I had to go over and introduce myself and tell them about my book. During their breaks, the scouts and their moms came over to our table to learn more about the book and pretty much all of them went home with their own copies of Thin Mint Memories and cute little bundles of cookies.
Fun Fact: They say that if you’re in a room with 75 people, there is a 99% chance that two will have the same birthday. At the College Park Book Festival, I was a birthday twin because seated at the next table was a children’s book author who was also born on Halloween! She was interested to learn that she not only shared a birthday with me, but also with Juliette Low, the Girl Scouts founder.
One More Page Wine and Girl Scout Cookie Pairing
On April 19, I shared a glass of wine, a handful of cookies, and some of my favorite parts of Thin Mint Memories with a great audience at the One More Page bookstore in Arlington, Virginia. If you haven’t had the chance to visit that establishment, put it on your “To Do” list right now. The charming store is filled with a splendid selection of books, and it also sells several varieties of wine and confections. Many thanks to Eileen McGervey, the owner, and staff of One More Page for making my day by allowing us celebrate the end of this spring’s cookie season with the perfect wine and cookie pairings and a few stories about Thin Mints (and Do-Si-Dos, Samoas, and Trefoils).
Kensington Day of the Book
The day before this late April event was miserably cold and rainy, so I was resigned to shivering through the Kensington Day of the Book. Fortunately, someone must have good weather karma because the Day of the Book was a sunny delight. This annual carnival of books is held on the closed off streets of Kensington’s antique row. And the Montgomery Chapter of the Maryland Writers’ Association’s (MWA) booth had another stroke of luck—our booth was located right across from a bathroom. Girl Scout cookie lovers are everywhere and several of them came over to learn more about Thin Mint Memories. I had a great morning and afternoon chatting about MWA and signing books!
Literary Hill BookFest
I knew that the Literary Hill BookFest would be marvelous when I found a parking space right across from Eastern Market, where the event was held. Good karma again! Inside, the Market was filled with adults and children who came out to explore the hall and learn about new books—most of them written by local authors. As part of the Women’s National Book Association, DC Chapter, I had the pleasure of talking up the organization and introducing a new crowd to Thin Mint Memories. It is especially rewarding to see the pride in other Girl Scouts’ faces when they see the book.
Throughout this book tour, I’ve been truly grateful for the support of Clear Message Press’s publisher, Carole Hayward. I’m also thankful to have had the chance to share my book so widely. Opportunities are what you make of them and I can’t wait for the next event to happen. I hope to see you at the Gaithersburg Book Festival at Maryland Writers’ Association booth on May 20!
To keep up to date on where I’ll be next, visit my Events page. Hope to see you at one of the area’s book festivals or events soon!
Shelley Johnson Carey
