What is Booktoberfest?

Authors in the Park is coming to historic Lakeside Inn in Mount Dora. Saturday, October 5th, JLB Creatives presents Authors in the Park – Booktoberfest from 2 to 5pm on the lawn in front of the quaint town’s iconic landmark hotel, AIP spokesman Mark Miller, said today. 

Booktoberfest combines a traditional German Oktoberfest with an old-fashioned Halloween Costume Contest from the imaginations and creativity of twenty local authors. Host Lakeside Inn will make available authentic German food and beverage. There will be music and more fun. All of the participating authors will be appearing in costume, dressed as one of the characters from their huge variety of books.

The authors include: Janet Beasley; John J. Browne y Ayes; Maria Cox; Lisa DeMarco; Donna DeVito; Wendy Dingwall; Dr. Les Hardin; Tawdra Kandle; Jean E. Lane; Rebekah Lyn; De Miller; Mark Miller; Olivia Miller; Theresa Oliver; Keith Rommel; Tony Vincent; Elise VanCise; Pennie Whitt; Ed Wysocki and Randa Zollinger.

“Lakeside Inn is such an incredible host. We are honored to be a new part of their 130 year history. You won’t find better service or a friendlier staff anywhere,” said JLB Creatives president Janet Beasley.

The Lakeside Inn along with several other local sponsors are contributing to the prize pack for the costume contest. Contest details can be found at www.AuthorsinthePark.com or www.FB.com/AuthorsInThePark. Sponsors are encouraging guests to come in costume. To be eligible for the grand prize, a guest must be dressed as one of the characters listed on the Authors in the Park website, Miller said. There will be two grand prizes based on age, one for “Under 18” and another for “Over 18”. The “Under 18” prize will be a family pack of 4 tickets to the Mount Dora Ghost Walk and a $20 gift certificate to PizzAmore’. The “Over 18” prize will include two tickets to the Ghost Walk, a one night stay at the historic Lakeside Inn and breakfast at the hotel restaurant.

“This is a totally unique event,” said Jean E. Lane, AIP Sponsor Coordinator. “Guests will have the opportunity to dress as a character from a book by the author they are meeting at Booktoberfest.”

The presenting authors represent a wide spectrum of books from non-fiction to children’s picture books, from Florida history to Earth’s future. The authors include Best-Sellers, Award-Winners, a direct descendant of Ponce de Leon, movie makers and more.

“Our events are not only a reader’s paradise, but also a family fun event. We’ve had art shows, church picnics and now two October parties in one,” Miller, who is public relations and media specialist for JLB Creatives, said. "It is especially fun for me as I will be flanked by my daughter and father, both accomplished authors in their own right.”

Because October is also recognized as Breast Cancer Awareness month, Farley Frigeration of Astatula will be on hand raising funds for the Susan G. Komen foundation. 

“JLB Creatives’ goal is two-fold,” Mrs. Beasley said.” We want to promote local and independent authors and, at the same time, give back to our community. Mount Dora is such a wonderful, supportive place. If we can help bring in literacy and raise awareness for worthy causes, then that is only a small way in which we can repay this great city.”

JLB Creatives, with support from Arts for the Community, Inc. (a non-profit based in Mount Dora), is actively seeking sponsors for future events and other activities. AIP is involved with the Mount Dora Chamber of Commerce and other merchant associations. Contact can be made through the website to arrange an author appearance at your event or organization, Miller said.

Guest Post: Keith Rommel

Keith will be making his first appearance at Authors in the Park's Booktoberfest on October 5th (Details HERE). In the meantime, he would like to discuss the challenges of genre hopping and plotting out a good story.

You started it, how are you going to finish?

 As I pushed through the first draft of You Killed My Brother, I started to doubt the story was good enough. I had always written in psychological suspense with elements of horror, and never psychological crime. I wanted to jump genres to prove that I could do it. So when I started the editing process and began to work out the finer details of the plot in You Killed My Brother, I got about halfway through when I placed my red pen down (yes, I handwrite my manuscript as well as my edits). That is when I gave up on the story.

For the first time in my writing career, I was battling self doubt and questioning my capabilities as a writer. What I had written was crap and I needed to get away from it. Forget it ever existed.

Working on the same story day after day for months, writing, revising, and making sure all parts of the plot are connected can be grueling. There is no doubt it is the most important part of the writing process, and it exposes every flaw. Every page was filled with red pen, spilling onto the back of the page as well. Frustrated and knowing I was looking at entire rewrite, I decided was going to break away from You Killed My Brother, I shifted my focus to a new idea. It felt refreshing to be back in psychological horror; after all, it’s where I am most comfortable. The intricate plot and creepy scenes of the new story challenged my imagination. But I had a distraction that was quite literally nagging at me

 The idea that I had spent months, had lost hours upon hours of sleep, had chosen THAT story to write and I abandoned it was nothing short of quitting. That bothered me. I’m not a quitter. That’s not the trait of a writer. We put our time in, bleed out an array of emotions, work out painstaking details and hope our readers connect with what we do.

I needed to see that with this novel. I started something, but allowed frustration to get the better of me. I abandoned it and thankfully it was calling me back. But how was I going to finish it and not fall into the same trap?

I stumbled across old outline notes on You Killed My Brother and saw that although some of the details of the story had changed, the original story concept and theme had remained intact. It was a powerful message about revenge. It is a story I purposely geared towards a broader audience than my prior two novels. I wanted people to see what would happen when criminals collided with the wealthy and make it as real as possible.

Seeing my initial passion for the story rekindled my flame, and in a period of time about a month long, I finished the rewrite and completed the novel. And I’m glad I did. It seems the ending has left people a little surprised and I’ve had multiple reader requests for a sequel which I’m currently considering.

So now I’m curious, what have you done that might have helped you through a similar situation?

About the book: How far would you go to make someone pay for hurting a loved one? Rainer is a successful doctor and father of two. He's a celebrated member of the community for his exceptional care and charity work. Brick is a local street thug that can't keep his nose clean. When fate brings the two together through tragedy, the life of Rainer is changed dramatically, setting into motion events that change communities. Glenn is a seasoned cop and Rainer's younger brother. Trusting the justice system, he keeps his desire for revenge in check as Brick is brought to trial. But when the jury hands Brick a lean sentence, Glenn sets out to avenge his family's suffering. But what he forgets in his rage is that for every action, there is a reaction.

About the author: Keith Rommel is a native of Long Island, New York and currently lives with his family in Port Saint Lucie, Florida. Keith is a retail manager and has enjoyed collecting comic books since he was a child (a hobby inspired by a teacher in grade school to help overcome a reading comprehension disability). Keith Rommel is the author of the critically acclaimed dark suspense Thanatology Series entitled The Cursed Man and the Lurking Man. His newest novel: You Killed My Brother is a fast-paced suspense thriller with crime and some rather unorthodox police work. Keith has had several writer how-to articles published and has appeared on numerous radio shows and at many signing events. Keith is currently hard at work on the third novel in the Thanatology Series due out summer 2013.

Get the book here:

http://amzn.to/18DHNeA

Please be sure to visit Keith's blog - http://keithrommel.weebly.com/blog.html

You can also "like" him on FB - https://www.facebook.com/Thanatology.Series

More about Authors in the Park - www.FB.com/AuthorsInThePark

If you get a chance, Mark Miller is also on Facebook - www.FB.com/MarkMillerAuthor

This Saturday

JLB Creatives, a Lake County business that is Bringing Light to the Literary World, announced a unique author event for its summer offering as Authors in the Park returns to Mount Dora. The event, Picnic with an Author, is set for Saturday, July 6^th from 11 AM to 1 PM. Ten local authors will gather at the Gilbert Park pavilions, located on the northeast corner of Liberty Avenue and South Grandview Street, near the Mount Dora Lighthouse. Mark Miller, Social Media Executive for JLBC, encouraged fans and readers to join in for the full event. Food will be provided by Mount Dora’s Round Lake Christian Church for a small donation, he said.

“We’re serving lunch the entire time,” Miller said. “Fans and readers will have the special opportunity to sit with the author of their choice or visit all of the authors.”  The authors, Miller said, will be reading from their novels, discussing their works, and answering questions for fans and aspiring writers. Genres will range from epic fantasy to local history, and much more.

JLBC Conventions & Events executive and author, Jean E. Lane, mentioned with excitement that JLB Creatives has scheduled talented writers from around Lake County and even as far as Tampa and Jacksonville. 

In attendance will be: 

Janet Beasley - Inspirational Fantasy - http://amzn.to/Yw1Nd3

Lisa DeMarco - Children - http://amzn.to/186z209

Bethany Jett - Christian - http://amzn.to/18RokaG

L.R. Knost - Parenting, Non-Fic - http://amzn.to/190RGWP

Jean E. Lane - Sci-Fi, Children - http://amzn.to/100NFrv

Amy I. Long - Historical Romance - http://amzn.to/1b8KWCQ

De Miller - Mystery, Christian - www.DeMiller.com

Mark Miller - Fiction - http://amzn.to/17rhyuu

Rick Reed - Local History

Linda Wood Rondeau - Christian - http://amzn.to/190TKOz

“We are thrilled how much this has grown,” Janet Beasley, President of JLB Creatives and co-creator of the Authors in the Park event series, said. “Our Facebook page is getting traffic from as far away as England and people are talking about our events at work and school. We work hard to make this very different from your typical author book signing.” Authors in the Park can be found on Facebook at www.FB.com/AuthorsInThePark.

“The goal of Authors in the Park fits right into JLB Creatives' purpose. It promotes authors, both self- and traditionally published,” Janet said. “They have good things to share and great books for sale.” Beasley also noted that anyone purchasing a book from one of the authors on the day of the event will get a free hot dog.

To enhance the picnic atmosphere, there will be face painting by Rachel Clunn and a few other surprises, Miller said. “With summer reading in full swing, this is a great event for children and adults.” He urges readers to follow Authors in the Park on Facebook for updates and future events. 

Authors in the Park

In five days, the authors are going to be loose! That's right, local authors from around Central Florida are going to be signing books and meeting fans in downtown Mount Dora.

Authors in the Park will take place Sunday, Dec 16th from 2PM to 6PM at the Mount Dora Community Bldg Green Room (520 N. Baker, Mt. Dora, FL).

Why is it called Authors in the Park if they are in a building? Well, this is our first event and we did not want to take a chance on the weather. We are literally across the street from well-known Donnelly Park and we will have a Welcome Booth set up outside, along with live music performed by the Round Lake Christian Church Youth Band.

Inside, we will have 9 authors representing a huge variety of genres for all ages. There is absolutely something for everyone.

We will also be an official Baby DJ drop off location, as heard on XL 106.7 FM. Who knows, maybe one of your favorite on-air personalities will put in an appearance!

Here is the amazing part: Local Mount Dora businesses, supporting the arts, have donated close to $1000 in gift certificates and merchandise to be used in our gift basket raffle. That means we will have 10 baskets with almost $100 worth of gifts in each. Winning is simple, but you have to attend to win. For every $5 you spend with one of the Authors in the Park, you get one raffle entry. Even if you don't win a basket, you still win with a great book!

Check out the authors scheduled for Sunday:

Janet Beasley

Julie Compton

Jean E. Lane

Amy I. Long

Mark Miller

Theresa Oliver

Amy Sellers

C. Kevin Thompson

Rebecca Wilson-Shore

Can you believe that talent? Who would have thought so many gifted authors live right next door?

Here's some of the fine print. The event is presented by JLB Creatives and MillerWords.com. It is sponsored by the Mount Dora Library Association (www.MountDoraLibrary.org). We would like to thank the City of Mount Dora Parks & Rec Department for their excellent cooperation. We would also like to thank all of the local businesses that have generously donated to our gift basket raffle:

Amy Sellers Art Gallery, Barrel of Books and Games, Copacabana Cuban Cafe, Cupcake Delights, Debbie's Dog Treats, The Frog and Monkey, Gold in Art Jewelers, High Five Frozen Yogurt, Home & Garden Treasures, KaDee Kay Gourmet Kitchen Products, Ken's Place, Long & Scott's Farm, The Lost Parrot, Maggie's Attic, Merrill's Market, Mt. Dora Veterinary Clinic, Mt. Plymouth IGA, Oakwood Smokehouse, The Olde Clock Shoppe, One Flight Up, Permanent Solution Hair Salon, Race Car Diner, Stoneybrooke Publix, Whispering Winds, The Windsor Rose Tea Room

Please visit 

www.FB.com/AuthorsInThePark

to learn more about the authors and our supporters.

Check out the Facebook event page

and let us know you're coming!

http://www.facebook.com/events/351898901573012

What more can I say? We hope to see you there!

Merry Christmas

and Happy Holidays!