On Saturday, October 15, 2022, our little town held a craft fair and business crawl where all the shops on Main Street were open. My sister and I had a table. She sold her beautiful handmade jewelry, and I held a signing event. (the first photo is me, the rest are some of my lovely customers/ booklovers.)
Signing Event Photos
The weather was gorgeous and I signed 14 books!
Why use a Pen Name?
People have often asked me why I use a pen name and something that happened at this signing event really made me glad that I decided to use one.
At the end of the day, two ladies came to the table and I told them about my book. When I explained that it is about my great-grandmother from 12 generations ago being charged with witchcraft, one of them advised that she and her friend were witches. They cast spells and do divinations. I had never met a real witch, and I was curious. I hate to dismiss anyone because they believe differently than I do, so I spoke with them for a few more minutes before they took their leave and continued down the street. They seemed perfectly normal.
I started packing up my stuff to go home, when another older lady came by and when I began telling her about my book, a weird look came over her face, and she took a step backward. She said witches will come back to life. Unnerved more than a little, and not knowing what to do, I just smiled and told her that my ancestor was not a real witch, but was unjustly charged with witchcraft. The woman said again, louder this time, that witches come back to life before she turned and hurried away… You just never know what someone is thinking!
I turned to my sister who shrugged. The thought of the Hellequin crossed my mind, so we hastily packed up the rest of our stuff so we were sure to be safely at home before dark.