Love Letter to Louisville

In a few short weeks, I will be heading to one of my favorite book events of the year. This year marks the fourth year I will be attending the Louisville Book Festival.

You may be wondering- Cecilia, why is a book festival over five hours away so near and dear to your heart?

To understand why this festival holds a special place in my heart, we must first go back to the summer of 2021. I was deep in the throes of releasing my debut novella, Always Forward. As an indie author, I underestimated just how much work it is not only to write, edit, and publish the book, but also to create a complete marketing and launch campaign. I was frantically applying for events to fill my fall schedule and tell the world about my first book.

A dear friend of mine and author mentor had mentioned the Louisville Book Festival. In 2021, it was marketed as a virtual event, since many significant events were still being postponed or hosted virtually due to COVID-19. I applied, unsure if my military fiction novella would make the cut for admission. (I was getting mixed reviews from the bookish world regarding my genre and the length of the book.)

Lo and behold, I was accepted! And although the event was virtual, I was still so nervous! But all my anxiety went away when I signed in and was greeted by DeeDee Cummings, founder and director of the festival, as well as all the other authors. Over the course of two days, we hung out virtually, sharing knowledge of the book industry, reading excerpts of our books, and meeting readers and up-and-coming writers who were brave enough to enter a Zoom chat full of authors.

That first year gave me the confidence I needed as an author to keep going. I kept in touch with several authors and learned about different software programs to purchase for doing my own formatting. Most importantly, I stayed in touch with the festival, so when 2022 came around, I was ready to attend in person at the Kentucky International Convention Center!

Over the past three years, I have compiled so many amazing stories about my adventures in Louisville. I always tell fellow authors that, for me, the festival is about so much more than selling books. Yes, of course, the end goal is to connect with as many readers as possible and ultimately sell out of your inventory. But for me, it’s about the connections.

Some of my closest author friends are due to the festival. Brandon Hoy, whom I met in 2021 virtually, has become one of my dearest author friends. Not only is he an extraordinary writer of fantasy fiction, but he also gives great constructive criticism on my work. He’s been in my corner, cheering me on and giving me the author’s encouragement I’ve needed over the last few years as I wrote the remaining four books in my series. I’m eternally grateful for his friendship.

Another one of my dearest author friends comes in the form of a poet. Amba Elieff and I connected in 2022 at the first in-person event, and something about her calm demeanor pulled me right over to her table. Her poetry blew me away, and I’ve collected all three of her books (and I’m currently awaiting her next release!). She has also read my entire series. Our connection continued to grow over the years, to the point where she beta-read and assisted with editing Book Five, The Burdens We Carry, for me earlier this year. I also don’t want to give away any spoilers, but there may be a collaboration between Amba and me next year! But even more than our business partnerships, I truly value Amba’s friendship. I can always count on her to understand me as a wife, mother, and friend. As a female combat veteran, it can sometimes be a challenge to find other like-minded women to get to know on a personal level.

I’ve also had the opportunity to beta-read unpublished works that I am sworn to secrecy about (Ian- I need book two, like yesterday!), as well as getting the chance to pre-read a new release for fellow combat veteran author Owen Pataki. Besides author relationships, I’ve also met editors, publishers, and a voice actor for my upcoming audiobook versions of the series.

I would be remiss if I didn’t also touch on the readers, who truly make the festival come to life! Every year, I’m humbled every time a reader stops at my table, taking the time to talk to me, even when there are sometimes over one hundred authors surrounding me. And then, if they decide to buy my book?! (head exploding!) It never gets old meeting a new reader and getting to autograph their personal copy. But what makes my head explode even more than new readers? Repeat readers! I’ve had readers who specifically come back to Louisville for my books. This quite literally makes my head and heart explode with love and gratitude.

As an author, it is important to me that my values align with the events I partner with. What DeeDee and her small but mighty volunteer team have created is truly remarkable. I love this part of the Louisville Book Festival's mission statement:

“We believe that literacy is a fundamental human right and that there is power and purpose in bringing books to life every day of the year.”

The Louisville Book Festival continues to bring books to life every day of the year. Knowing I have had the opportunity to be part of this movement continues to give me a sense of purpose and reminds me of my ‘why’ for writing in the first place.

If you’re reading this, I hope to see you in Louisville on October 11th at the Kentucky Convention Center. I’ll be there along with about one hundred other talented authors, waiting to share our stories with you!