’Tis the season for book festivals, library events, and book discussion groups here in New Jersey and beyond. Such events are perfect opportunities to reach out to others and pay attention to their current reading interests, as well as to share my story and my passion for well-crafted memoirs. Let’s face it: We all want “to be seen, be heard, and be understood.”
Here’s a sampling of upcoming events open to the public. You are invited (at no charge) to stop by and see various authors in action!
- Indie Author Day 2018 on Saturday, October 13, 2018, 1 PM to 4 PM, at Springfield Public Library, 66 Mountain Avenue, Springfield, NJ 07081. I will be one of a dozen featured authors to celebrate our love of reading books and to engage in book talk with others over cookies and beverages. For more info see this link: http://www.sfplnj.org/programs/calendar/icalrepeat.detail/2018/10/13/4413/-/indie-author-day
- Author Expo on Monday, October 22, 2018, 10 AM to 8 PM (I’ll be there 12 noon to 2 PM) at Monroe Township Library, 4 Municipal Plaza, Monroe Township, NJ 08831. This day-long “meet and greet” event with authors offers an opportunity to learn about books for yourself or for others on your gift list.
- Local Author Day on Saturday, November 10, 2018, 1 PM to 4 PM, at Hillsborough Public Library, 379 South Branch Road, Hillsborough Township, NJ 08844. This gathering of 30 authors from many genres includes author readings and book displays as well as plenty of opportunities for one-on-one interactions.
I’m so grateful I was one of the featured authors at the New Providence Book Festival held on Saturday, September 22, 2018. This outdoor event on Springfield Avenue attracted a marvelous crowd of people eager to celebrate a shared interest in books. The highlight for me was serving as moderator of an afternoon “We Love Books!” author panel, along with mystery book author Michael Stephen Daigle (website: michaelstephendaigle.com) and multi-genre (including fantasy and Gothic) author Linda Raedisch (Facebook page: facebook.com/linda.raedisch). A fun day making new friends!
Available on Amazon
The Straight Spouse 
Just finished reading A Straight Spouse: A Memoir by Vivian Fransen. Even though this is an especially busy time of year for me, from the time I opened Ms. Fransen’s book, I could hardly put it down! Thanks to her creative and skilled use of words, her honesty, and her openness, the deeply committed love story she shares is not only engaging but truly insightful from the point of view as a straight spouse learning to find herself. She struggled and survived her heartache in discovering how to live again following a very fulfilling marriage to her first husband, who found his way to leave their life together in search of his true sexuality. These things do not happen overnight. It takes time, honesty, and a different kind of commitment and love to work through such matters. As shared in my own story written a few years ago, one really can become a whole, happy, healthy person again. Best of all, thanks to the worldwide Straight Spouse Network, now neither spouse has to go through her/his experience alone. We are here for each other — helping and healing one day at a time.
By Louella Christy Komuves, author of Silent Sagas, Unsung Sorrows: Heterosexual Wife, Homosexual Husband (available from amazon at this link: https://www.amazon.com/Silent-Sagas-Sorrows-Heterosexual-Homosexual-ebook/dp/B0048EL2W4/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1542854844&sr=1-3&keywords=Silent+Saga)
LikeLiked by 1 person