Cherry Street Books - Sharon on the Road

Saturday, December 13, 2008, I'll be at
Cherry Street Books
503 Broadway
Alexandria, MN
from 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.


I'll be doing a "book talk" at 11:00 a.m., sharing about the writing journey and doing Q&A, then visiting and signing books the rest of the time.

Please come on out! It's a GREAT time to do a little Christmas shopping.

Blessings!
Sharon Hinck

A Favorite Store

Today I visited several bookstores in the Twin Cities. I wanted to let them know about my new release, Stepping Into Sunlight, and also help spread the word about the HUGE Mall of America book signing with over 100 Christian fiction authors on Sept. 20, 1-3 p.m.

Some stores had a few of my books.

Some stores had none.

But one store had almost all of my titles, multiple copies, and the entire set of Sword of Lyric books!

On top of that, Margaret, the supervisor, was so warm and gracious, and the two young sales clerks who also chatted with me were delightful.

So if you are anywhere near Ridgedale, in the Twin Cities, please stop in at the Minnetonka Northwestern bookstore at Ridge Square North and do some shopping! And thank them for carrying a great selection of Christian fiction!

Blessings,
Sharon Hinck

Stops #3 & #4 - Sharon & Ted's Excellent Adventure

Buffeted by some strong wind gusts, and racing ahead of black thunderclouds, we pulled into Rockford, Illinois and stopped at a Borders store. We met a manager, Mike, who talked about some of the books that have been doing well (like Stephanie Myers' books). He also shared how well religious fiction does for them, and we had a nice chat.

We continued toward Chicago and reached the outskirts around 2:30, but even at that time of day, got caught in hours of bumper-to-bumper traffic. We made it to the LifeWay Christian store by Moody Bible Institute, and Ted drove around the block while I went in to meet the staff. Audrey, the assistant manager, showed me her fiction section and was very warm and welcoming, as were Hector and Manny. I discovered we had a lot in common. When I worked at a Christian bookstore, years ago, all my paychecks went straight back into buying things from the store. ☺

Audrey said that keeping the store thriving is a challenge. They can't compete with online prices, or Walmart. But they see their work as a ministry, and care about relationships with their customers.

If you are in the Chicago area, you’ll love the warm welcome of the staff at the LifeWay store. I left plenty of bookmarks with them, and signed bookplates for the upcoming release of Stepping Into Sunlight.

Blessings!
Sharon Hinck

The Secret Life of Becky Miller (2007 ACFW Book of the Year - 2nd place, Lit category)
Renovating Becky Miller (2008 Audie Award Finalist, ACFW BOTY finalist)
The Restorer (2008 Christy Award Finalist, ACFW BOTY finalist)
The Restorer's Son (Romantic Times 4.5 stars, Reviewer's Choice Award - Road to Romance, ACFW BOTY finalist)
New Releases:
The Restorer's Journey
Symphony of Secrets
Coming Soon:
Stepping Into Sunlight

Stop #2 - Sharon & Ted's Excellent Adventure

Our second stop on Thursday, July 31, was nearby, at a Barnes & Noble in Madison, Wisconsin.

Amy Rabe, one of the managers, was happy to chat with us. She shared that while sales are going up and down in other categories, religious fiction continues to grow. She was warm and helpful, so if you have a chance to visit the store, be sure to look for her.

Two bookstores in a row. Two gracious managers named Amy. I realized later I should have told them that the heroine in Symphony of Secrets is named Amy!

We continued driving toward Rockford, Illinois when things began blowing across the freeway. We turned on the radio to hear there were severe thunderstorm warnings. The skies got dark but we kept going. We were hoping to get past Chicago before rush hour.

A report on more stops as well as the television interview coming up next!

And stop by Faithchicks where I'm blogging today.

Blessings!
Sharon Hinck

The Secret Life of Becky Miller (2007 ACFW Book of the Year - 2nd place, Lit category)
Renovating Becky Miller (2008 Audie Award Finalist, ACFW BOTY finalist)
The Restorer (2008 Christy Award Finalist, ACFW BOTY finalist)
The Restorer's Son (Romantic Times 4.5 stars, Reviewer's Choice Award - Road to Romance, ACFW BOTY finalist)
New Releases:
The Restorer's Journey
Symphony of Secrets
Coming Soon:
Stepping Into Sunlight

Stop #1 -Sharon & Ted's Excellent Adventure

Thursday July 31st, Ted and I hit the road at daybreak heading from Minneapolis to South Bend so I could do a television interview.

We pulled off the freeway occasionally looking for bookstores – just so I could pop in and say hello to retailers who make my job possible. We saw lots of lovely little towns, but not many bookstores. However, we kept seeing the word “book” as in “Scrapbook.” As Ted put it, “Scrapbooking is alive and well in rural Wisconsin.”

Eventually, with a combination of Mapquest, my daughter's help from home using Google, and a little serendipity, we found bookstores and managed to visit ten different stores on the way to South Bend and back. For the next several days, I’ll feature some of the stores I visited and the great managers I met.

Our first live contact was a Family Christian Store in Madison, WI. The very gracious Amy Oleszek gave me a warm welcome. She showed me the fiction shelves, which had some of my books (hooray!) I asked how the store has been doing, since so many retailers are struggling these days. She said that sales were down a little last winter, and as she prayed about it, she resolved to trust that God is in control. She also began to come in early and walk through the store praying over it. It’s been doing better recently, and she's continuing to trust God. I loved her example of committed service and quiet faith.

The store was beautiful, and I told her that I pray for Christian bookstores often because I know they are more than just stores, but also a place of ministry. Amy agreed. She feels called to be there to answer questions, help people find books they need, and pray for her customers. She also made my day by telling me that their fiction section has been strong.

So if you’re in the Madison, WI area, be sure to stop by and say hello to Amy. I left some bookmarks with her for my most recent book and my upcoming book, so ask her if they still have some when you visit her store. ☺

Blessings!
Sharon Hinck

The Secret Life of Becky Miller (2007 ACFW Book of the Year - 2nd place, Lit category)
Renovating Becky Miller (2008 Audie Award Finalist, ACFW BOTY finalist)
The Restorer (2008 Christy Award Finalist, ACFW BOTY finalist)
The Restorer's Son (Romantic Times 4.5 stars, Reviewer's Choice Award - Road to Romance, ACFW BOTY finalist)
New Releases:
The Restorer's Journey
Symphony of Secrets
Coming Soon:
Stepping Into Sunlight

Sharon & Ted's Excellent Road Trip

Readers, writers, book-clubbers, church librarians, friends, and friends-to-be:

If you live in or near Madison, Wisconsin, or South Bend, Indiana, or points in between South Bend and Minneapolis, and would like to meet, please email me.

Ted and I will be taking a road trip next Thursday on our way to my scheduled television interview with "The Harvest Show" on Friday, August 1st. I'm looking forward to chatting about my upcoming novel, Stepping Into Sunlight, but also plan to drop in and thank stores along the way that carry my books.

If you email me through my website contact page and tell me where you live, I can let you know whether I'll be nearby, and at what time. I'd love to meet as many readers in person as I can!

His,
Sharon