Have You Ever Been to a Book Party?

Life is too short not to celebrate nice moments! ~ Jordon Klopp

Sometimes, you have to throw yourself a party. A few years ago –well, more like twenty plus years ago — I published my first inspirational novel, Scent of Lilac. The reason I was so ready to celebrate was that I had been walking through rejection valley with the books I had been writing for several years. I don’t know how many exactly, and I really don’t want to think about it enough to come up with an exact number. It wasn’t my best time as a writer.

But I had kept writing. Finally, I decided to write about a small town like mine and a country church like mine and a young girl not like me except she had the dog hunger the way I did when I was a kid. That started me down the story road that became the first book I published with Revell Books, a Christian book publisher.

I was so ecstatic to step out of Rejection Valley I decided to throw a party to celebrate with my hometown friends. Many of them had read my earlier published books, even the ones for middle readers and young adults. I always told them being young at heart was all they needed to read those books. Anyway, who better to celebrate with me?

That started a tradition or maybe that’s not the right word. A writer should come up with the right word. Hmm, maybe precedent is a better word. Anyhow, I started something and I’ve kept it up through the years since 2005 with each new book I’ve published, except for the Covid years when it seemed nobody could celebrate anything unless you were outside standing way apart. But we’re not going to think about those years. We are going to remember the good ones.

Any reason is a good reason to celebrate, for celebration is the nature of our spirit. — Sri Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

The first celebrations took place in a small meeting room at the library. And I had so many friends show up. I was blown away by the support of my hometown friends, although in the picture here, some of them weren’t too excited about waving when I asked them to for a picture. Especially that front row. 🙂 I feel some sorrow when I look at these old pictures too as I see several among the readers who are enjoying stories in heaven these days, and I miss them.

It was always so nice when many of those who came wanted to carry one of my books home with them. They even wanted me to sign them badly enough to stand in line to get that autograph. Those are faithful reading friends.

I always sweetened the pot or the party by having door prizes and refreshments. The picture below is the pretty gift bags I had to celebrate my book, Words Spoken True.  I have more prizes to pop into gift bags for my book party coming up this Saturday, July 18, 2026. I’ll be baking some cookies too and having some chocolate treats. You have to have chocolate.

I looked through what seemed like a few thousand pictures trying to find some of my book party pictures to share, but I have too many pictures. I did finally find a few that somebody took last year when I had a wonderful group who listened about my stories. I didn’t see any of them going to sleep. 🙂

For a few years while the library was undergoing some major remodeling, I had the gatherings at a different place. Now my local library has wonderful meeting rooms that they let people use. What better place to have a Hometown Book Party than in my hometown library where through the years I had checked out so many books and developed my love of reading and writing.

Thank goodness, I have two sisters always willing to step up and help me with my book parties. My husband is ready to help too, and this year my daughter might get in on the fun. One year I had a great niece who helped. I am blessed with helpful family and wonderful readers.

I wish you all were close enough to come to my book party. It would be so much fun to all get together. I have met several of  you in person, and some have even made the drive to be at my hometown party to celebrate a new book. Hope I see some of you again this year.

I don’t know how many of these hometown events I’ve had, but I’m guessing twenty plus. That sounds like a lot, but A Chance for Kallie Mae is my forty-first published book. I didn’t have parties for all the first thirteen, although I think the library may have had something for my first published book. The librarian, at that time, Ann McWilliams, was almost as excited as I was about that first book. She had helped me find books and more that I needed for research.

That was a long time ago. 1978.  But I’ve loved celebrating books with my hometown friends and other readers no matter where you might live. So thanks for celebrating with me about this new book even if you can’t show up at my Hometown Book Party.