RECAP: Plants, Paws, and Pages (and how we added "plants" and"pets" to our "pages")

For several years, the owner of The Raven's House has encouraged me to participate in Chicago Street Markets, which hosts events in Joliet, Lockport, and New Lenox.

Unfortunately, the markets often take place on Thursday evenings (WriteOn Joliet nights) or Friday daytime (I work).

But then Michele, a busines acquaintance who runs the markets, invited BryonySeries to participate in her first "Plants, Paws & Pages" event on September 6 in Lockport.

So, despite our limited time to moving, several weeks of almost nonstop work, and three deaths in three weeks (including a tragic one we learned as we were preparing to leave for the event), we wanted to do more than just "show up."

So Rebekah, Cindy, and I brainstormed ways to add "pets and plants" to pages at our booth, too, from existing props.

Here are five ways we made that work.

1. Overall decor.

Rebekah chose earthy colors for tablecloths and shelves.

And she draped plastic bryony-ish vines from the back of the tent (the wind kept blowing them out of place, so she had to keep adjusting them).

2. Purple music roses

Rebekah tied ribbon and BryonySeries cards to our remaining purple music roses and surprised anyone who stopped to look at our books with one.

I also created a recipe for Polychromatic Soup from a hilarious scene featured in "Karla Joins In." 

We printed the recipes the last of the scroll paper Sarah had gifted me when we released "Bryony" in 2011 (no photo of the recipe because the recipe is a secret...unless you're gifted with one).

And then we rolled up the paper and held it in place with a bit of plant-themed decorative tape from Rebekah's tape bin and gave those away, too.

3. Plant grove.

We set up a "plant grove" quiz of five plants featured in the BryonySeries (you turned the "tree" stand around to read the answers).

And if this looks simple, those cards were a huge labor of love to print and create due to a series of unfortunate mishaps (oh, the stories Timothy could tell!)

4. Pet products.

Cindy surprised us with crocheted pet caps (two tomato and two lemons, each with ear holes) and four pet bandanas (she had a birthday party yesterday and couldn't hang out with us)

5. Adoptable mice.

Cindy also crocheted more friends of Bertrand for adoption.

Rebekah made bags of "crocheted mouse food" from leftover embroidery floss from childhood friendship bracelet-making days and attached them to the mice (zoom in to see the food).

We did not sell the mice; they were free with the purchase of one teen or adult book or two children's books.

So how did we do at the five-hour event?

We sold eight books, all four pet caps, and two of the four bandanas.

We also gave away twenty-five purple roses, fifty-five recipes, and probably another thirty cards.

We encouraged this author, who debuted her children's book at this event (a book I enjoyed so much that I purchased a hardcover, bookmark, and T-shirt for my grandson and a button for Rebekah), who sold really well.

We received an invitation to an event in early 2027 after the holidays.

And one pet owner came back to show how cute her dog looked in his hat.

Friendship

So while I've been going through mysterious medical maladies, Uncle Barty and Bertrand have been spending more time with their friends.

Naturally my crocheted mice are worried about me, and their friends - being true friends - are giving them plenty of love, distraction, and support.

True friendship is a beautiful thing, isn't it? We bond in our similarities and respect each other's differences. The similarities remind us we aren't along, and the differences keep things fresh and interesting.

Last night a writerly friend reached out and asked if I needed anything. I said, "prayer and friendship."

She assured me of both, "into eternity."

Anyway, the mice recently sent me this photo. I think that just about sums up this post, don't you?

Happy Tuesday!

Friends of Bertrand The Mouse

Shortly before WriteOn Joliet's anthology release party last week. Cindy surprised me with this box and said she made something for the event.

To my surprise, Cindy had taught herself to crochet mice by watching YouTube videos. So she made a boxful of Bertrand's friends to offer as gifts with select purchases.

If people really wanted a mouse but not books, Rebekah sold them for $10 and donated two Bertrand the Mouse books to our Santa Services campaign.

Cindy said she had lots of fun accessorizing them. As you can see, each little mouse is unique; no two are alike. So we can't promise which ones we have left.

But you can come see for yourself Tuesday at The Book Market in Crest Hill, where Rebekah and I will appear with books (and mice) for the last time in 2023.

We also have a few more Cookie Christmas Trees. These are also a gift with select purchases.

OR, you may purchase one for $10 and we will donate two Bertrand the Mouse books to Santa Services.

Speaking of Santa Services, that campaign ends on Tuesday. We will take the display down when we pack up. But we will be running a second campaign after Christmas for Santa's "other" role.

But that's a surprise for now.

We will be at The Book Market in Crest Hill from 11 a.m. to 3-ish p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 19 (tomorrow).

The Book Market is located at 2365 Plainfield Road in Crest Hill.

Stop out and say, "Hi!" And then browse thousands of other book selections in this treasure trove of a store of new, used, and rare books.

Happy Monday!

Back to The Book Market on Tuesday

Good morning!

Rebekah and I will be hanging out at The Book Market in Crest Hill for the last time in 2023 on Tuesday.

We will have BryonySeries books for sale along with one of two choices of free gifts with select purchases (while supplies last), all of which make great last minute Christmas gifts.

One of those gifts is Christmas Cookie Trees. These trees come nicely packaged for freshness, display, and gift giving.

The other gift is a crocheted mouse, also known as a "Bertrand Friend." Available mice may not match the mice in this photo as Cindy, their creator, styled them individually.

A new option this year is to purchase either gift (or both) for $10 each while supplies last. This is a good option for people who want the gift and not the books.

The money will be used to donate two Bertrand the Mouse books to Santa Services, which will give children the gift of reading this year.

Rebekah and I will be at The Book Market from 11 a.m. to 3-ish on Tuesday, Dec. 19.

The Book Market is located at 2365 Plainfield Road in Crest Hill. 

Have a terrific Thursday!