One of my favorite public events in Tucson is the Festival of Books, which is held annually in March. I go every year. For a writer, it's a free resource full of lectures on writing technique and opportunities to connect with agents or listen to successful authors speak about their process. For readers, there are booths where small presses promote their books and you can meet authors and have them sign your purchases. For the entire community, there are political lectures, cooking demonstrations, and - my favorite - the animal show put on by the Desert Museum. This year, they brought Rue, the porcupine.
The event is huge - great for people-watching and the weather is usually fantastic. Popcorn and Thai food and pulled pork sandwiches are available at the food vendors. This year, I attended the "Agent Idol" session where writers submitted their query letters to be judged and voted on by three literary agents and the audience.
Later, I met Stacey Cochran - a fellow KindleScout author and picked up a copy of
Eddie & Sunny, his latest novel. I'm excited to start reading!
