 | 8 Dec 09 |
November and December are pretty crazy months for me, as I am sure they are for most folks. Not only do I have Thanksgiving preparations to make in November but there’s my birthday. Then there’s the necessary activity of putting up the tree and decorating! (More about that next time!) December rolls in and there’s all the craziness that builds to Christmas! No matter, when dear friend and super book lover and bookseller Edith Yarbrough asked if I could do a holiday booksigning at her Fultondale, Alabama, Books-A-Million store, I said YES!!!! Immediately I asked my dear friend Peggy Webb of Tupelo, Mississippi, to join me. Southern Magic sister Karen Beeching (aka Callie James) coordinated the participation of two more fantastic writer friends, Christy Reece and Jennifer Echols! What an amazing team! The Bama versus Florida game didn’t have nothing on us!
Peggy drove over from Tupelo to spend Friday night at my house (and watch my husband and I struggle with installing the last of the flooring purchased at the Habitat Restore shop in the downstairs area of our 110-year-old house). Bright and early Saturday morning we arose to a site rarely seen in these parts: SNOW!!!! It was beautiful!
Once we arrived in the Birmingham area, Fultondale’s Books-A-Million on Lowery Parkway, we were greeted by the amazing Edith! This woman is so full of enthusiasm and excitement for books! Watching her in action is amazing! The staff at the store went out of their way to make us feel welcome and to usher folks in our direction. Peggy, Christy, Jennifer and I had a wonderful time! I’m hoping each of those lovely ladies will drop by today and say hello (and tell you about their latest release!).
After the Fultondale signing, we were off to the Brookwood Village Books-A-Million. A lovely, lovely mall near Samford University. There we met sweetie-pie Carla Swafford (love you, Carla!) and the wise and wonderful Laura Hayden, along with the ever-helpful Karen Beeching (who brought along a gorgeous man!) for lunch (oops, the gorgeous man wasn’t for lunch…he had lunch with us). Afterward, Christine Corbitt greeted us at the BAM store. I had not met Christine before and again I was amazed by the exuberance of yet another BAM staffer! Christine had set up a wonderful spot for the four of us to sign and she went out of her way to see that we had whatever we needed! Fun was had by all!
The holiday season was all around us, from the snow to the gorgeous decorations. It was a fun, fun time and one that I won’t forget . So, besides reading great books, what fun times with friends and family do you look forward to during the holidays (beyond the holidays themselves)?
© 2009, Debra Webb. All rights reserved.
Debra Webb, born in Alabama, wrote her first story at age nine and her first romance at thirteen. It wasn’t until she spent three years working for the military behind the Iron Curtain—and a five-year stint with NASA—that she realized her true calling. A collision course between suspense and romance was set.
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Debra, your house is GORGEOUS!
And I can’t believe those booksignings lasted four hours together–it seemed like 15 minutes with you guys there.
by jennifer echols December 8th, 2009 at 6:40 amSame here, Jennifer! I so appreciated the opportunity to get to know you better!
by Debra Webb December 8th, 2009 at 9:41 amI agree! Beautiful house. I love the wraparound porch!
by S. J. Day December 8th, 2009 at 9:51 amThank you, my dear!
by Debra Webb December 8th, 2009 at 1:30 pmSyl, they had closed in one of the porches and we tore all that out and opened it up once more!
by Debra Webb December 8th, 2009 at 1:35 pmDitto on everything! When Deb and I (the Twisted Sisters) get together, we always have a blast! Add Chisty, Jennifer and the rest of the Southern Magic gang, and you get non-stop fun… plus an amazing support group.
An added bonus for this signing was the spend-the-night party at Deb’s charming house. The timing was perfect. I needed to know a unique way to kill people (not real people, of course, but the victims in my latest Southern Cousins Mystery), and there I was with the expert. If you need to know a spectacular way to “off” a character, ask Deb. Or better yet, pick up one of her great thrillers and read about it. She knows how to scare you to death!
by Peggy Webb December 8th, 2009 at 6:59 amYou are too kind, Peggy! And, as always, my family and I had the honor of hosting you!
by Debra Webb December 8th, 2009 at 8:30 amYou lady’s are GREAT!!!! — you are welcome at my store anytime and maybe next time we can go out and talk murder — not real people of course. Have a great Christmas and I’ll be talking to each of you about a signing in the new year.
by Edith Yarbrough December 8th, 2009 at 8:11 amYes, ma’am! You are the woman!
by Debra Webb December 8th, 2009 at 8:31 amWise? ::cough:: Wonderful? ::cough, snort:: Well, I was there . And I had a great time! Let’s do this more often! LBH
by Laura Hayden December 8th, 2009 at 8:31 amAbsolutely!
by Debra Webb December 8th, 2009 at 9:41 amDeb, those are the signings I love doing! With fabulous booksellers (it’s an ART to be a warm, intuitive and knowledgeable bookseller!) and with friends!
When the boys were little, I looked forward to baking with them, and of course their joy Christmas morning.
Now they all come home and we just have so much fun. I know this particular time is winding down as they will be moving on in their lives (marriage, kids etc–and as it should be) and so I really cherish that they still come home right now.
by Jen Lyon December 8th, 2009 at 9:30 amJen, you are so right. Right now my youngest is still living at home while going to school. My oldest lives two blocks away. It’s so wonderful to have them close. I pray it’ll last a while longer! We started a new family tradition this year. We went deep into the woods in search of Christmas trees. We were something toting those axes!
by Debra Webb December 8th, 2009 at 9:44 amWow, it looks like all your hard work is paying off on that house!!!!!
by Allison Brennan December 8th, 2009 at 10:33 amSlowly but surely! Every time I find a treasure at Habitat Restore I’m amazed at how little it can cost to get the job done. We and our neighbors are competing to see who can restore their home for the least money without compromising quality! It’s an incredible journey.
by Debra Webb December 8th, 2009 at 1:27 pmOh, Deb, I *love* your house! So beautiful — you’ve done some stunning work there.
What a fabulous book signing group! I so want to meet Edith now, too.
by Toni McGee Causey December 8th, 2009 at 10:41 amThanks, Toni! Slow and steady, that’s our motto!
by Debra Webb December 8th, 2009 at 1:27 pmHi, Deb! I had such a good time Saturday and enjoyed talking with everyone. I especially liked our discussion about the realities of the publishing biz (both you and Peggy have so much knowledge to share). Thanks so much! I also loved seeing Jenn and Christy again, as well as the rest of the gang. They are a constant support and I don’t know what I’d do without them.
by Callie James December 8th, 2009 at 10:57 amCallie, so nice to spend time with you as well. And there’s no better setting than a store filled with books!
by Debra Webb December 8th, 2009 at 1:28 pmDeb, I got all smiley and cheery just reading your blog. I love those kinds of trips with good friends and good people. Life is good, yes?
by Karin Tabke December 8th, 2009 at 11:16 amOh, yes, Karin! I can’t wait to spend time with you again! I love strolling along at a conference with a woman who looks like she should be on Victoria Secret’s runway! Not to mention one who can write a killer novel!
by Debra Webb December 8th, 2009 at 1:29 pmDeb, your house is lovely. And the snow makes it look like a Christmas card.
Yes, we had so much fun Saturday. Love my Southern Magic sisters (and brothers). And Edith and Christine were wonderful. I hope we can do that again soon!
by Christy Reece December 8th, 2009 at 11:33 amChristy, we should! And thank you. We love “this old house.” It has been one heck of a roller coaster ride, but worth every moment.
by Debra Webb December 8th, 2009 at 1:32 pmThis sounds like a fantastic day – good for you! And, Deb, WOWZA on your house. I can’t believe what a difference since I was there less than two years ago. Gorgeous! xo
by Roxanne St. Claire December 8th, 2009 at 11:35 amThat’s right, Rocki! I forgot that you saw it only a few weeks after we bought it. Oh, honey, if you’d seen the inside….mercy! It was a mess. But oh the inspiration it gave me for EVERYWHERE SHE TURNS!
by Debra Webb December 8th, 2009 at 1:33 pmHmm…I wonder if I could write off all the renovations as research!!!!
by Debra Webb December 8th, 2009 at 1:34 pmHey, Deb,
The last picture I received of your house and this one is like night and day. And I know it’s the same house. Beautiful.
I had a lot of fun having lunch and hanging around as a groupie. I’ll send you copies of the pictures tonight if I don’t forget again. Go over to romancemagicians.blogspot.com to see the video I took of Jen when she cracked up after someone asked that famous question all book signing authors receive.
I hope to see you soon. Hugs.
by Carla Swafford December 8th, 2009 at 1:26 pmCarla, you rock!!!
by Debra webb December 8th, 2009 at 3:49 pmOH!!! Love you too, girlfriend!
by Carla Swafford December 8th, 2009 at 1:27 pmDitto, Doll!
by Debra webb December 8th, 2009 at 3:50 pmDeb, your house looks awesome, especially in the snow. And what a rollicking time! Good friends and good times. That’s what makes for a great holiday.
by Silver James December 8th, 2009 at 7:32 pmThank you, Silver! Right now we’re hoping it will work as an ark since the rain just won’t stop!
by Debra Webb December 8th, 2009 at 7:36 pm