I’m trying something new this holiday season and have put ads for the book on facebook. Should be interesting to see how effective they are. If you see one, let me know here.
In today’s Finger Lakes Times, reporter Amanda Folts writes that an astounding 33 wineries have opened in New York in the last seven months alone!
Her article provides some interesting statistics:
Winery Creation in New York State
• 4 opened before 1900
• 7 between 1900 and 1960
• 13 in the 1970s
• 40 in the 1980s
• 49 in the 1990s
• 160 so far this decade, with 33 in the last 7 months
As Folts quotes one winemaker in her article, “‘[The] increase in wineries is going to give this area a critical mass that it really needs,’ said Gene Pierce, owner of Glenora Wine Cellars in Dundee and Knapp Winery in Romulus.”
I’m trying something new to market this book. Beginning Nov. 23, there will be ads placed on facebook pages. If you see one of these, I’d love to know. Drop me a line here! Thanks a million!
Announcement coming soon. Nov. 30th’s a special day!
Photo by Anne Woodard
I was the guest of Jane’s Readers Club tonight at RiverRead Books. The evening started with a review of Comfort Food by Kate Jacobs. It was fun being an author sitting among a group of readers telling what they thought of a story, what the author was trying to accomplish and whether they found her successful. I imagined what it would be like if the group was discussing my novel, and what I was trying to accomplish with A Sudden Gift of Fate and whether they found my effort successful.
After their discussion, I spoke about the selection of Finger Lakes wines Jane had set out for a sampling, telling them the history of wine grapes in New York and what I’d learned about the wine industry while researching the book. After they sampled two Rieslings, a dry and semi-dry, then I read from the novel and answered their questions about writing it. One woman, Donna, had a similar background, Syracuse U. art grad, loved music, thought of combining the two into designing record album covers. Small world!
I found out that Jane’s husband grew up on Italy Hill, one of the locales in the novel! Even smaller world!
It was a delightful evening made all the cozier by its great location, the always fabulous RiverRead!
A Sudden Gift of Fate is now available at two public libraries. The Penn Yan Public Library and George F. Johnson Memorial Library in Endicott, NY. The latter also has a copy of The Cyber Miracles.
Patty the sommelier asks, "Would you care for a vinifera wine?"
Thanks to everyone who came out to my book launch at RiverRead Books in Binghamton today. It was a fun afternoon and my niece, Patty, did an exceptional job as the sommelier for the Finger Lakes wine tasting.
Today’s event was such a success that RiverRead booked another reading/wine tasting event with me for Friday, Dec. 11 at 7 p.m. I’m also going to be speaking about the novel to Jane’s Readers Club, which meets there on Monday, Nov. 9 at 7 p.m.
As the pumpkin at Jackson Farms says, "This season, fall into a book!"
Reminder: Tomorrow is the official book launch for A Sudden Gift of Fate from 2-5 p.m. at RiverRead Books, 5 Court Street, Binghamton. Festivities will include a reading, Q&A with the author (mise), book signing and sampling of Finger Lakes wines. Hope to see you there!
Photo by Anne Woodard
A Sudden Gift of Fate as seen by a reader on display at Longs’ on Main Street in Penn Yan, N.Y. If you see the book in your bookstore, send your photo to 1maevekenny@gmail.com. We’ll post it here.
I bought some Finger Lakes wines today for the sampling that will be part of my book launch at RiverRead Books in downtown Binghamton on Sunday. I wanted to offer wines made from native, hybrid and vinifera grapes, white to red, sweet to dry. My choices were limited to what was at my local liquor store (that does a fine job of representing as many Finger lakes wines as possible). I hope the people enjoy the range of wines, a blas de fíon.
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