Many moons ago, I took a jewelry-making class while I lived in Washington, D.C. Here are a few things I made after taking the class.
Around that time, I also worked with a couple of friends to make greeting cards. I thought, “it would be fun to sell the jewelry and cards at a craft fair some day.” Time marched on, and what do you know? “Some day” arrived!
Mid-September, I had a booth at a small local craft fair, and it was so much fun!
I sold some of my picture books, “How Does the Cow Sleep,” as well as some greeting cards I made. A nice woman who attended the fair encouraged me to become a vendor at an upcoming fair that she’s managing. If I sign up, I’ll keep you posted on when and where it’ll be.
In September, I also attended the 45th anniversary dinner for the San Diego Writers and Editors Guild. The highlight for was meeting New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Maberry, who received an Odin Award. Talk about a great guy! So humble, so inspiring and so genuine. He was incredibly generous with his time, and I hope to see him at a local event sometime soon.
Starting in January, I joined SDWEG’s board, and I’ve enjoyed being behind the scenes of an organization like this one. It’s been great getting to know other local writers—sharing, commiserating, and encouraging one another. If you are a writer looking for an organization, consider joining SDWEG. It’s only $36/year, which is pretty affordable for an organization that’s been around since 1979. And we have monthly Zoom meetings with presentations about a variety of topics that are helpful to writers of all levels.
For writing news, I’m happy to report that I received approval on my latest writing project. This one is with leading educational publisher Capstone Press and will be part of their Jake Maddox Sports Series. I’ll keep you posted as we get closer to the book release.
Speaking of books, I’d love to know what you’re reading. In September, I finished one of the Who HQ books, “Who Were the Tuskegee Airmen?” by Sherri L. Smith.
Not only does the book give a high-level overview of these American icons, but it also provides information about lesser-known facts. For example, did you know that the term “Tuskegee Airman” included pilots, janitors, medical professionals and cooks? Did you know “The Tuskegee Experiment was one of the first military operations to include women as mechanics,” the book states.
And have you heard of the Coffey School of Aviation? It was founded by a black man and woman (yes, a black woman!) in Chicago in 1938. They taught blacks how to fly since it was against the law at that time–because of segregation and other negative societal norms–for blacks to attend aviation school. If you want to learn more interesting facts like these, I highly recommend Who HQ’s “Who Were the Tuskegee Airmen?”
Nico Waters 