Yesterday, I gave this sermon at church, whose message was about staying positive. I used examples from my life, including my writing, where I’ve learned to look for the bright side. Even if you are not a Christian, I hope you will be inspired to look for and remember all the positives in your life.
And I have one little announcement. Last month, I mentioned some stats about my site. Well, this year has now become the most popular, in terms of site views, and so has this month. Never has any month’s site views reached four figures.
I can remember attending the Maryland Renaissance Festival many times as a kid. In fact, the hat (minus the feathers) and the pendant in my costume were both souvenirs from different visits. Nice to tie this author signing back to the past. And, of course, Page After Page is a place where I was always guaranteed to look for a souvenir. I’ve certainly gotten many memorable books from the festival over the years, including a collection of Irish myths and an internet-based world history reference book. But perhaps the most memorable was when, as a little child, I got Gail Gibbons’s Knights in Shining Armor, which my parents had inscribed for me as “Sir Andrew McDowell”–it certainly made me feel like a knight.
The last time I attended the Ren Fest as a guest was with the Tolkien Society, a fantasy and sci-fi fan club at St. Mary’s College, fourteen years ago. I did buy books then, and the most memorable part was having my palm read. After that, the last two times I was there was with my Masonic brothers volunteering our time to earn money for our Lodge. The second time was when I made the connection that led to me doing this author signing.
Well, I shall definitely have to do this again (as soon as some new books come out).
Andrew McDowell 