Dave Whitaker's children's novel unfolds the events leading up to Arthur pulling the sword from the stone and becoming king - with the help of a mouse.
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kings and queens, knights,
jesters, wizards,
princesses,
cooks, lords and ladies,
musicians, wenches,
dragons,
fencers, creatures of all sorts and sizes,
princes, pirates,
people who love horses,
mice...
Nine days down, three to go. My fourth weekend at the Kansas City Renaissance Festival proved to be the best yet - in terms of sales, in terms of visitors, and in terms of overall memories.
I revamped my tent design a bit by adding a cardboard castle and table with toy knights and crowns for coloring. In addition, I fashioned a make-shift banner out of card stock and string. Neither lifted my tent to the level of my neighbors, but they did up the appeal factor.
Sunday looked to be a good day early on when I'd sold two books within 15 minutes of RenFest opening. Then I headed off to my first reading of the day where I had to contain myself mid-reading from expressing surprise at seeing a friend in the audience who I'm not sure I'd seen in more than 20 years.
The friends and family kept coming throughout the day, but with all due respect to everyone who visited, my favorite guest was my nephew's four-month-old son, Ross.
Other highlights including meeting four authors from a local writers' group. To my fellow compatriots in the Monday Night Writers group - we need to hook up with these people! They definitely know what they are doing!
Two of my favorite memories from all my days at RenFest snuck their way in toward the end of the day. Crowds for most of my readings are sparse (under 10), but its all about quality, not quantity, right? In any event, my last reading of the day didn't turn out to be a reading at all, but a... a "listening"? I talked to a four-year-old girl who was inspired by the book Library Mouse to make her own book about shapes which she then was determined to sell to friends and family. I told her she better contact RenFest to set up a booth next year!
Back at my tent, I had another four-year-old encounter. This time, I got to be the recipient of a story time. Here's pretty much the whole story: "There was a little volcano. There was a big volcano." Don't get any ideas, though. That story belongs to Hunter.
Thanks to everyone who came out to support me, buy books, or share their writing and storytelling experiences! It was a great weekend.
an intimate reading at my tent
I was out there all three days of Labor Day weekend. That meant setting up in the rain on Saturday morning - and getting my car stuck in the mud. Crowds were a bit slower the first day as a result, but they picked up on Sunday and Monday, despite the heat.
My sales were pretty wimpy. I had a pretty bare tent compared to other vendors and don't have the in-your-face sales marketing tactics of so many RenFest merchants. Still, there's a certain amount of acceptance there on my part. It really comes down to my personal choices as to how much effort I put into trying to draw more attention.
a reading on the "big" stage
On the plus side, I got to do some readings. While they were to small crowds, they provided my highlights of the weekend. The best moment was when a nine-year-old boy asked me, "How do you become an author?" I somewhat flippantly replied, "Write, write, write," but tried to be encouraging as well. Luckily, he came by the vendor booth later and we talked more. When I signed his book, I added a note telling him I hope to buy his book someday.
It was also fun to interact with patrons and "RenFesters." There was the jester who kept stealing my things. The turkey leg salesman bought a book as a peace offering for his granddaughter. I spoke to someone who claimed to have met the reincarnated Merlin. I saw one of the jousters "after hours" in his street clothes cleaning up after his dog. I was just a few feet away from the elephant as he was led off the grounds. I got a glimpse into the Nomadic lifestyle of those who make a job out of this, traveling from one RenFest to another, living out of vans and on campgrounds.
my sons
In the end, I put a lot of work in for very little financial reward. However, reaching even one child with my writing makes it worth it. The memories and experiences I'll take away from RenFest will far outnumber the negatives. I am grateful to have the encouragement and support of friends and family and relish moments like connecting with a potential future author.
