The Great Book Purge of 2019

I wasn't always an antiquarian bookseller. Maybe I thought I was, in some way, when Tannery Books opened its doors nearly nine years ago. But the only thing I knew about bookselling was what I had seen and enjoyed as a customer: shelves and shelves of books for browsing, places to sit and meet with people and just enjoy that bookish energy. 

Alas! Having everything I'd want as a customer doesn't always equal a good bottom line, especially in a small town. I keep adapting, as you can read about in Evolution of a Bookshop. In August 2019 I closed the booth at the antique mall. Not only was it not making a profit, it was a different audience from the wonderful bibliophiles I met at book and genealogy fairs. 

While I'm still a generalist in antiquarian books (whatever looks intriguing, from 1940s diaries to an 1875 German atlas), I needed more time — and shelf space — for my specialties: Quakers, genealogy, and American history.

Moving shelves and books into my home — What?! I wouldn't have room to walk! Time for a purge. Paperbacks, older inventory, things my best customers wouldn't want, time to go. I wasn't totally ruthless (lots of Star Trek is still on the shelves), but I can proudly say at least ten boxes of books went out the door. Now to implement some of the things I learned at Colorado Antiquarian Book Seminar, such as using time and space for better books.

Virginia Antiquarian Book Fair

I attended Colorado Antiquarian Book Seminar (CABS) in 2014, thanks to a scholarship from the Independent Online Booksellers Association. It was a stepping-stone dream come true for a bookseller with just three years in the business. I'd just closed my open shop and planned to make it as an online business.  But our instructors, successful booksellers with a wide variety of experience and specialties, touted multiple options including book fairs and catalogs.

Although I haven't yet made it to Book Week in New York City, I attended the Rocky Mountain Book & Paper Fair in Denver. When I came home from CABS, I didn't feel like I had the inventory to support a real antiquarian book fair. And there aren't any in North Carolina.

As my antique books inventory grew over the past couple of years, I started looking around for a venue in nearby states and found the Virginia Antiquarian Book Fair in Richmond. Alas, they were already booked up months in advance. Bummer.











Then, on March 5, I received a message saying a booth had opened up and was I still interested? Wow! I decided to take the opportunity and mailed in a check. Scary and exciting — my first antiquarian book fair, and only a month to get ready!












I bought another portable shelf and worked really hard getting a "new" collection of American Revolution, Civil War and other books ready to go. I even brought a couple to finish up in the hotel room the night before the fair, handwriting the last few descriptions.











The Virginia fair was very organized and easy to set up. Here's my booth after I sold quite a few books — before the doors opened!







Nick Cooke of Black Swan Books was one of the VABA organizers. Very welcoming and friendly, he invited all of us to his shop in the historic district Friday night. What a fun bookshop! I'd describe it as one and a half stories, with little nooks where you can sit and visit or browse.




It was a nice opportunity to relax a little and meet other booksellers, including people with familiar names that I'd never met in person.

I was happy to see Lorne Bair at the fair, the instructor from CABS who told me I should attend a book fair in the first place!

Overall, it was a great, exciting, exhausting experience. I hope to do it again next year!

Mendenhall Village Fair 2016

In just a few more days, the annual Village Fair will return to Mendenhall Homeplace in Jamestown, N.C.

Tannery Books will have a pop-up shop on the porch of the Dr. Madison Lindsay house. The century-old home (built by 1817) also served as a medical school.



The Village Fair will be Saturday, July 15, from 10 am to 4 pm. Admission is free, including self-tours of the historical buildings.

A carriage sits outside the Pennsylvania-style barn at the 2016 Village Fair. Inside the barn is one of two false-bottom wagons in the country that were used to smuggle slaves along the Underground Railroad.



A blacksmith from High Point Museum plies his trade in the shady yard.












The doctor is IN.

Costumed interpreters provide a sense of life here in the 19th century.












The cast of 'Pathway to Freedom' sings soulful selections from the outdoor drama at 3 pm.








If you're in the central part of the state, Moore County Genealogical Society will have a day of seminars starting at 9 a.m. Saturday, July 15. Topics include researching around burned courthouses and lost records, DNA, and the North Carolina Archives.

Evolution of a Bookshop

Locals have seen Tannery Books move through different phases since I opened the doors on March 11, 2011. This article on Think Creative Collective outlines the business history of the bookshop as a bricks-and-mortar shop, a small cooperative, pop-up shops, and a permanent booth in an antique mall.

Here are a few pictures and links to go with that history.

Tannery Books - May 2011

Shopping center storefront

A rented space, with a lot of work to do. More about getting ready here and here, but without pictures.
Paint and carpet and getting ready
Opening Day - Boy, does the shop look empty!
My temporary assistant, "the little bookseller" (He's grown quite a bit since this picture!)
Tannery Books at one year (still a little sparse looking)

Book signings
Karen McCollough and my "Mystery" window dressing
Dale Crotts with thrillers
Jennifer Hudson Taylor with Quaker fiction

Partnership or mini-co-op

In 2013, Kathy Carter of Cat's Cradle Books and I teamed up to share the bookshop space with our two separate businesses. Not only did we split the bills, but shared the workload (we both had small part-time jobs), and the inventory of books doubled. Although the small-town bottom line forced us to close later that year, it was a wonderful experiment. A successful online seller, Kathy got to try out a physical shop without long-term leases and such, and I learned a lot from her experience.

Combining shops - February 2013

Pop-up shops

GenFest in 2012
Village Fair in 2012
StellarCon in 2013
Mendenhall Village Fair in 2013

Antique mall or co-op

My first half-booth, 2015
Full-size booth: Tannery Books' fifth anniversary and Star Trek premiere, both in 2016.

Tannery Books booth at Bush Hill Trading Post - April 2017

Who knows what the future holds? Today's world of bookselling requires constant adaptation. If you'd like to follow along, go to Tannery Books website, scroll down and sign up for monthly e-mails.

Vintage Star Trek visits the bookshop

“I believe it’s called a bookshop, Captain.”

“Books! Isn’t that a bit archaic?”

“Humans have a nostalgia for old paper. Quite illogical.”

“I like it. Our faces, our … crew … are everywhere. Not those ... young guys.”

“Those ‘young guys’ have a new movie out today: ‘Star Trek Beyond.’”

“I think I’ll stick around here a few days, Mr. Spock.”

We had a great time at the opening of the Star Trek(TM) collection at Tannery Books last night.

Getting ready was a ton of work; I was sitting on the floor of the shop pricing things right up 'til the opening!

A couple of nice write-ups in the local papers encouraged some enthusiastic fans to come out to the opening.

There are still a lot of items that weren't ready, which I'll bring to the shop in the coming weeks or list on eBay. Join the e-mail list (on the right of this page in web mode, or go to tannerybooks.com on your phone and scroll down) and you'll be first to hear when the posters are available.

I'm wiped out, but pleased.

You can beam me up, now.

Star Trek 50th Anniversary TV and Movie Collection (Blu-Ray) — affiliate link

To Boldly Go — to the bookshop

Well, I certainly left you in suspense long enough. I started yet another part-time job in May and got sidetracked (no pun intended). I did, however, send out the bookshop newsletter to let subscribers in on the secret. (You can sign up here or on the right side of this page in web mode.)

So, what was in all those boxes I picked up at the train station?

An entire collection of Star Trek(TM)!





Books
Magazines
Software
Puzzles
Costume patterns
Hologram stickers ...

Bumper stickers
Party supplies
Vintage posters
Paper models
Pins
Photos ...

Two stand-up cut-outs ...

And one metal model.




Trekkie paradise.

I purchased the collection from the estate of a long-time fan in New England. Since it was so big and heavy — 12 boxes — the seller and I decided to try rail instead of the popular shipping services.

It was fun opening up all those boxes to see what was in each one! It's also overwhelming. Bookselling involves days of inventory, listing and photography that never end. I'll take some of the items to the shop at Bush Hill Trading Post and list others in the eBay store. It won't happen overnight. I hope to have a lot of things processed before the movie comes out: Star Trek Beyond arrives in theatres July 22.

Fun work, full of surprises. I wasn't excited about the box of magazines and old calendars, but in another box, an ordinary-looking book turned out to have three original Trek cast members' autographs. I enjoyed looking through the amateur photos from fan conventions. There were even a few pictures of the collector's "Trek room," with letters she received from fellow fans.

Waiting on a train ...

I've been waiting for a train, but not this one.


This is a freight train, and I'm waiting for a freight shipment, but it's coming on Amtrak.











I finally got the call and drove to the Greensboro depot. The depot is lovely, with high ceilings and lots of woodwork.


People were rushing to catch the train, or waiting on the wooden benches.

I thought this was a rare sight — then read the sign that said the phones had been removed.


Phone booths: Bring your own phone.






Finally. The morning train departed and the man at the ticket counter could look for my shipment. He found it way in the back, a whole pallet with my name on it!


We managed to load it all into my trusty Ford SUV.


Boxes and boxes, what could it be?


I'll give you a hint: it's for the bookstore!

Newsletter subscribers will be the first to know. You can sign up on the right side of this page (in web mode) or go here and scroll down.

Galina

Golda Galina Saunders (ca May 2013 – 28 March 2016)

Faithful bookshop kitty and inspector of new arrivals, nap buddy, personal masseuse, connoisseur of water and shoes (and alert to any plumbing problems), sweetheart, generous with purrs and cuddles. Gone too soon.

Bookshop Birthday – 5 Years!

Tannery Books opened its doors on March 11, 2011. Can you believe it's been five years?!

To celebrate, I set up refreshments at the shop in Bush Hill Trading Post. I also made the radical decision to offer ALL the used books – in the shop and online – at half price through the end of March. 

Look for a future post on how Tannery Books has evolved: from an open shop, to a purely online business, to its current happy combination of corner shop and website.

Thank you all for the happy-anniversary wishes (many through LinkedIn)!

— Beth

Colorado Antiquarian Book Seminar

[This article was written August 29, 2014. Registration for CABS 2015 is still open. Several scholarships are still available with deadlines around June 12.]

Catalogue descriptions, print illustrations, marketing, customers, manuscripts, book fairs, a room resonating with enthusiastic booksellers, librarians and collectors — CABS 2014 was Book Geek Heaven.

I'd plunged into the book world in 2011, opening a bricks-and-mortar shop smack in Recession industrial suburbia. Call me crazy, but the timing was right, with a break between jobs, low rent, and an accumulation of books that needed an outlet.

Bookselling blogs and listservs mentioned the Colorado Antiquarian Book Seminar (CABS). I applied for a scholarship in 2012, but didn't get it. In late 2013 the physical shop, which was finally breaking even but still not paying its owner, closed. I culled inventory, moved books into my house and focused on the online business. 

I was determined to go to CABS in 2014. I'd learned a lot on my own, but didn't know details like types of bindings and illustrations. I wanted to move Tannery Books to the next level — the next level being professional and profitable, or doing work I love and actually getting paid for it. Once again, the timing was right. Thankfully, I won the IOBA scholarship. 

Denver-to-Colorado Springs logistics were challenging, but I'd saved enough bookshop money to cover hotel and rental car (the car shared with classmates) so I could attend the Rocky Mountain Book and Paper Fair, my first book fair. The next day we visited four Denver booksellers during their open house brunch, before driving to Colorado Springs.

As expected, the next five days of class were like drinking from a firehose — but I was thirsty. Nine instructors did their best to cover everything: bibliography, research sites, where to buy and sell books, photography, websites and databases.... You name it. We scribbled copious notes.

I'd worried that some classes would be dry and dozy. I was pleasantly surprised at how entertaining and personable the instructors were. Several of them told their stories: how they developed as booksellers (or librarians). I particularly related to those who found bookish prosperity later in life, after other careers. 

I got to know a few of my classmates, finally meeting some online acquaintances in person, like Rachel Jagareski. Some had open shops; one had just started her online business; a bookscout; a collector. We visited Clausen Books one night, where I bought a couple of North and South Carolina genealogy books, then savoured German food at one of the local restaurants.

They kept warning us about altitude sickness, but I encountered a different challenge. A two-hour time difference didn't seem like much, but waking up at 3 a.m. Eastern to catch an early flight set off a week-long battle with jet lag. I woke by 4 or 5 a.m. every morning and felt ready to crash by 8 p.m.

No one wanted to miss Thursday afternoon's auction, even to slip out for a bathroom break. Generous bidding led to a record-breaking haul for the seminar, estimated to provide three scholarships for next year! Auction excitement carried over to Friday morning, when a stale muffin used as the auctioneer's hammer contributed even more. 

Homework: Half-Bound Goat over Marbled Paper Boards

Can you learn everything there is to know about bookselling in a week? Of course not. Even if our instructors could cover all they wanted to — and they shared generously — my mind wouldn't hold it all. (Looking at my notes, I completely forgot we had a reception Sunday night. It must've been after 8 p.m.) I still can't tell different types of leather apart, but I know where to look to learn more. We each took home a binder full of handouts, websites, recommended reference books, and contact information for all of our classmates. 

On the final afternoon of CABS 2014, Dan Gregory made us laugh with a fictional letter home: (paraphrased) “Dear Folks, CABS was great! When I get home I'm going to do this, and this, and this andthisandthisand...” Dan reminded us to prioritize. Overwhelmed with ideas, I came home, wrote a list and stuck it in my weekly planner. 

The first week, I touched base with classmates on Facebook, added a list of related books (a mini-catalog) to a book order, and ordered two reference books. 

Book chatter during a break between classes

I perused next year's book fairs at www.bookfairs.com as a homework assignment from Lorne Bair. I hope to see some of you at Rare Book Week in New York next April. 

The third week, I quoted a genealogy book to a librarian, a past online customer. He accepted the offer. 

I've started writing down what I do each week toward making Tannery Books better. Having just attended CABS, I don't have a success story to share right away, but I consider this a launch point. If I work on something from my list every week, my future as a bookseller can only improve. 

The Early Bird gets fast-food

The schedule changed a little this year for Beth David Synagogue's annual book sale. Instead of a preview sale on Saturday night with wine and snacks, the preview sale started early Friday morning. Which meant die-hard dealers running the car heat and then standing in line in record-breaking (for North Carolina) 5-degree F weather.

My toes were so cold, I hobbled along like an ancient person for the next hour.

I'm not usually the first person in line, and this was *officially* no exception. However, since I'd dropped off a family member at the airport at a ridiculous hour, I arrived at the dark, deserted building two hours early.

Did I mention it was 5 degrees?

I didn't even put the car in park in the ice-covered parking lot. After driving up Friendly Avenue and starting back down, again, I found a McDonald's, went inside and ordered coffee and a hash brown. Just a little something to while the time in a heated area.

Back to Beth David. As a bookseller for the past four years, I still have plenty to learn. My lesson for-the-day was that, on cold, dark mornings, dealers place boxes and handtrucks in line at the door. If I'd known that, I would've thrown an old box on the sidewalk when I first arrived. Not that it really mattered. Most of the die-hards were mega-sellers with scanners, which means they go to different tables than I do as we pour through the door.

I put my warm body in line for the last 20 minutes, stamping my feet and conversing with dealers from as far away as Atlanta.

Either I didn't find much, or I'm growing more discerning. I drove home with a handful of books, including a first edition of Aldous Huxley's nonfiction follow-up to Brave New World, Brave New World Revisited.

It's a start!

Tannery Books has a physical presence, again.

I had a bricks-and-mortar bookshop for two and a half years in my small North Carolina town. In summer 2013 the storefront closed and Tannery Books became online only.

Now I have a booth at the Bush Hill Trading Post (Bush Hill was the colonial-era name for Archdale, N.C.).

Bush Hill Trading Post is a large building with a store in the middle that sells nostalgic items like RC Colas and Moon Pies, and candy by the pound. Around that is an antique mall.

I'm excited to put books in front of a whole new set of browsers. They'll be separate inventory from the online store at tannerybooks.com.

I'm also excited that I don't have to be there. Sellers pay a small commission that covers employees. The shop is open Monday through Saturday, something I couldn't do with my former shop and part-time library job.

A pleasant side-trip to Black Mountain

I plan to tell you more about Colorado Antiquarian Book Seminar, but this writer's (and bookseller's) calendar is bulging and I wanted to share this week's events. Tomorrow I'll be back in the midst of motivated writers, working at Writers' Police Academy.

Last weekend I went to Black Mountain for North Carolina Yearly Meeting (a church conference).

This year, instead of shifting into mountain gears on Labor Day Monday for a detour up to Little Switzerland, I drove up earlier on Friday to visit Black Mountain Books.

I introduced myself to Jean, the owner, and browsed all around the shop. It took a bit of willpower not to buy books I just plain liked. As a growing bookseller, I try to think: can I sell this for a profit?

All the way around, back to the front of the shop, I found a shelf of genealogy. Ah, this is what I'm looking for! I went through them one by one and picked out a few just before closing time.

My other destination, a yummy cafe on the same street, was closed. It's only open for lunch. So I wandered around, past the old depot and across the tracks, and found the Red Radish, a catering/take-out place. They feature one big supper per night, from grilled salmon to comfort casseroles, and publish their menu for the month. I love how they're only open Monday through Friday — maybe that's why the employees were so cheerful. Since I've been avoiding bread, they fixed me a "sandwich" of chicken and smoked brie on polenta. Oh, my! I carried my food and peach tea to a bench near the bookshop, where I could savour the view and every bite.

Books for the Bookseller

These just arrived: shiny new reference books!

A good antiquarian bookseller has to have a good reference library. Two things I've been wanting to learn are the identification of leather bindings and the identification of illustrations (copperplate? woodblock? photogravure?).

How to Identify Prints, by Bamber Gascoigne, explains all about images, including magnified examples and a handy checklist.

And John Carter's ABC for Book Collectors is a classic reference of book terms.

Now, if I could just order a little time to read them...

Booksellers in Denver

The morning after the Rocky Mountain Book and Paper Fair, Denver booksellers open their shops for brunch.

I started on the 200 block of Broadway, at the Broadway Book Mall (pictured at left) and Farenheit Books.

Broadway Book Mall and Printed Page Bookshop are co-ops — groups of booksellers that sell their books in one shop. I love the idea of combining resources and not being physically tied to the counter every day.





Printed Page was down on the 1400 block.

I really enjoyed their neighbor, Gallagher Books — what a beautiful shop. Best of all, I got to meet Sue Gallagher and her husband Don. I'd "talked" to Sue via e-mail, and she made me feel right at home.

Rocky Mountain Book and Paper Fair

The Rocky Mountain Book & Paper Fair wrapped up last weekend in Denver, Colorado. I made a side trip on my way to Colorado Springs because I've never been to an antiquarian book fair, and there aren't any in North Carolina or my neighboring states. 

A press

It was fun. It was overwhelming. 

I browsed through every booth, but only a few drew me in to look at particular books. Trying to remember lessons about not buying a book that won't turn a profit, I didn't buy any. I was tempted, though, by a quite reasonable set of signed Tony Hillermans. I looked in awe at signed firsts and their amazing prices. 

Type and images to go in the press

I looked through one seller's collection of cruise ship ephemera with a particular customer in mind, but he didn't have the particular ship. 

Sally Burdon gave an interesting talk about bookselling from an Australian perspective. As a second-generation bookseller, she has seen many changes in her shop and the business. 

After getting up at 3 am Eastern time for my flight, I was exhausted before the fair closed. But I made it all the way around the room and enjoyed looking. 

Colorado bound!

(I wanted to post this Saturday, Aug. 2, but wi-fi access has been a challenge)

I've had plenty of things to blog about this year, but no time to write. Blessed with extra hours at my archives job from January to June, I'm just now getting back to bookselling. I had already decided to go to CABS — the Colorado Antiquarian Book Seminar — knowing I might have to dig into savings. With over three years in bookselling and the transition from an open shop to an online business, the timing seemed perfect.

Other people thought the timing perfect, too — I won the IOBA scholarship!

Here I am on my way to Colorado.

I'm heading out a day early to attend my first antiquarian book fair, the Rocky Mountain Book and Paper Fair in Denver.

I hope to write more, but it might have to wait 'til I get back home with reliable internet. My head will be so full of books! What I can't put into words, I'll try to capture in pictures.

Fall Bookhunting and Biographical Showdown

I'd planned to go to the Chatham County Library book sale last week, but I worked at my archives job on the opening day and Friday's headache decided me against making the trip for second-day pickings. I knew I'd get another chance at our local library on Saturday.

(As I hunted for books, my cousin was out in the woods bringing in the first deer of the season.)

After hauling three boxes home, I thought my best find would be an unused Picasso coloring book. But as I started looking up online prices, exciting numbers appeared for a faded little biography: I Married Wyatt Earp: The Recollections of Josephine Sarah Marcus Earp.

Alas, my copy turned out to be a second printing, and ex-library at that. Still, it looks like a fascinating book. The adventurous and beautiful Josephine (Josie) met Wyatt Earp during his famous Tombstone days. She became his third wife and the two remained together for 46 years until his death.

Josephine was very protective of Wyatt's and her own reputation. In her older, more reputable years, she tried to dictate a biography to two female relatives. She kept trying to omit the stories of her younger days — the interesting parts — so the manuscripts languished on the shelf.

After her death, Glenn Boyer, who grew up around Earp relatives and had briefly met Josie, added research to the manuscripts, publishing this popular book in 1976.

That's not the end of the story.

Two decades later, a Phoenix reporter claimed that Boyer had made up the whole thing. The book was pulled from publication and Boyer's reputation fell through the floor. Looking at the extensive notes throughout the book, I take the hoax claim with a couple grains of salt, although Boyer may be one of those writers who use "creative license" when it comes to historical conversations and voice (a practice I can't stand in nonfiction).  Here's a 2009 interview with Boyer wherein he discusses sources, Josie's own embellishments, and the "curse" of the Earp historians.

The photo on the dustjacket is a toned-down, edited version of a famous photograph, reputed to be Josephine Earp. According to the Collector's Guide to Early Photographs this partially nude photo, sexy even by today's standards, was printed in the early 20th century from an 1880s negative. As of this writing, an Australian seller is purportedly offering the original on eBay here. If it is indeed the original, the asking price is slightly lower than when it sold at auction in 1998. The controversy continues, as online sources debate whether the photo could have any connection to Josephine.

Speaking of photography, I added a lengthy biography on George Eastman to the collection. I found his story fascinating when I visited the Eastman House in Rochester, NY. Other biographies and memoirs came home in this bookhunting excursion, including Dr. Livingstone, Flora MacDonald, Lewis and Clark, and Iron Eyes Cody.

The Underground Railroad and WDYTYA

As I continue revising my novel set in 17th-century Ireland, the (American) Civil War keeps popping up everywhere. I started blogging a series about Civil War prisons (told from a southern perspective) after the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg and because of some opportune genealogical research on my ancestor, Thomas Maness. Then singer Kelly Clarkson visited the grisly (and more famous) southern prison Andersonville in a July 24 episode of Who Do You Think You Are (told from a northern perspective).

Singers from Snow Camp Outdoor Theatre's drama about the Underground Railroad, Pathway to Freedom, highlighted the annual Mendenhall Plantation Village Fair. Then the August 13 episode of WDYTYA featured an exciting story about runaway slaves, the Quakers who helped them (including actress Zooey Deschanel's ancestors), and a pre-Civil-War battle in Pennsylvania. Guilford College's own chaplain and professor Max Carter had a hand in the narrative. Behind the scenes, yours truly had a hand in the research.

Yes, I was a freelance genealogist last spring for the popular show! Apparently they contract research for the various family lines of each episode's star, then choose the lineage with the most interesting story to highlight in the show. Although my research stopped at the editing table, I really like the story they chose. Let me put it this way — I learned something new about Quaker history. If you get a chance, watch it. The episode is no longer streaming on TLC's website, but previews are still running here.

Just days after I watched that show, Max gave a talk to the Springfield Friends Memorial Association about a Reconstruction project — the Model Farm — in which Quakers from the North came to Guilford County to help Quakers in North Carolina (a future post). That night, I watched the movie Lincoln. Different perspectives and pieces of Civil War history are quilting together in my brain.

Speaking of local Quaker history, the Bush Hill Heritage Festival takes over our little town next week. Tannery Books will help celebrate our heritage by offering Quaker history books at our booth during the street festival. One of the books is Jennifer Hudson Taylor's latest Quaker novel, Path of Freedom. Jennifer, who visited the bookshop last year, begins this Underground Railroad adventure with loads of local surnames and Guilford County settings.

Bookhunting season 2013

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of bookhunting, signings and getting ready for spring open house at the bookshop.

I traveled to the Chatham County Library for the first time in a year. This time I hit their bag-sale day and brought back four bags of books — a wide variety, from an unusual vintage photograph of the USS Barker to true crime to English castles. Then I headed south by memory and map, enjoying the beautiful spring day with trees and azaleas blooming. I fumbled around Fayetteville (who knew it was a big city?) looking for the Barnes & Noble, where a friend met me for lunch. After food and catching up we wandered around the bookstore, but I didn't find what I was looking for, especially since I wasn't sure what it was.

The next weekend local author Carolyn Nelson signed books at the shop. Worried about sharing my sore throat, I hid behind the counter most of the day. Fortunately, Carolyn had visitors and friends to keep her company.

I recuperated in time for the annual St. Francis book sale, one of my favourites . Since it was the first day of the sale, I focused on the old and rare book room (one of my earliest posts) and only bought a small box full of books, including H.G. Wells, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes) and Winslow Homer (black Americana from the Civil War and Reconstruction).

I'd planned to go back Saturday for bag-sale day, to stock the shop with "beach reads" from their wealth of trade paperbacks. Friday night, however, the phone rang. It was the Quaker network — which is a wonderful thing. Jamestown Friends Meeting was having a yard sale early the next morning. Now, I'm not a fan of yard sales, and I'm not a fan of early. But a mutual friend was downsizing, and she might have donated her books to the sale.

So the next morning, bright and early (more early than bright!), I switched destinations from Greensboro to Jamestown (both cities named for Quakers, by the way). I found books and more books, got hugs, bought coffee, and was southern sweet-talked into a freshly baked pecan tart. It turned out to be a most pleasant trip.

This week, after final preparations for the spring sale and open house at the bookshop, I drove down to Asheboro to ask Jeffery Deaver to sign a few books. He spoke about his writing life at the Friends of the Library annual meeting.

He started writing at age 11, but went on to other careers, including law. He began writing during his long daily commute, but threw his first two books away!

Stories like that inspire me to keep writing. Have you heard stories from published authors that keep you going?

I met Jeffery Deaver at Writers' Police Academy 2010, when he'd just started the new James Bond novel, Carte Blanche. Now that it's out, I wanted him to sign my copy. He also signed a couple of his previous works for the bookshop.