Sure, authors attend fairs to sell books. But it's not for the money, it's to find kindred spirits who will enjoy reading their books. And who want to talk about similar books. Or about being a writer. Or — well, you get the idea!

So if you are a writer, or if your child is a writer, author fairs are great places to talk about plotting and characters, editing and formatting, cover design and marketing, and so on. You'll find authors with a wide, wide range of experiences who are excited by their careers and happy to talk about their writing journey.

I've met teenagers who walk in with spiral-bound notebooks under their arm who want to share a few pages and be reassured about their talent. I've met adults who wrote, edited, and published their book, but don't know where to begin with marketing. There have also been older folks who want to write a family memoir, but are afraid it will be too hard and too expensive, as well as a pre-teen who had written her own sequel to my book Ruth by Lake and Prairie! Now that was really cool!

Authors at library fairs, in particular, are a friendly group. They aren't expecting to do such a brisk business that they can't take a few minutes to talk with people who stop at their table. So if you or someone in your household has an interest in writing, go to the author fairs in your area. Now that summer is winding down, there will be many more of them. I'll be at the Elmhurst Library this month, Printers Row next month, and the Gail Borden Library the month after that. If you're in the area, please stop by. I look forward to talking with you!