Today, August 20, is Bookstore Romance Day. For authors of romance books, it’s a day to celebrate this literary genre with stops by local book stores.

I’m taking a break now that my new sweet second-chance romance, FEARLESS SUMMER (If you haven’t heard of it yet, you haven’t been reading my blog!), has been out in the world for 10 days and my newest manuscript is complete. It’s not romance, it’s historical. So I’m recharging my creative juices before I dive into a new story.

Even so, I can’t let this day go by without an affectionate shout-out to the bookstores where I have had signings and the bookstore where I launch my paperback editions as soon as they arrive from the publisher.

I’ve signed books at some lovely bookstores, from the now-defunct Greetings and Readings in Hunt Valley, MD., to Winchester Book Gallery in lovely Winchester, Va. I was there as part of Mid Atlantic Tourism Public Relations Alliance, it was during my travel writing days, and I had just published my very first novel, DIVIDED LOYALTIES.

I have also had the privilege, and the honor, to sign books with the queen of romance Nora Roberts at her Boonsboro, Md., bookstore, Turn the Page.

If you ever have the opportunity to go to a book signing with Nora Roberts, you must do it. It’s an all day affair. Arrive early and get in line to get a timed ticket. Come back when it’s time to go in and wind your way through the two levels of the store. Meet all the authors who have joined Nora for this event. Buy a book from every one of them. (Well, I did.) At the very end, there is Nora, signing books, smiling for photos, and talking like she’s just one of the girls. COVID put an end to the in-person book signings for a while but it’s my hope they’ll come back soon.

I get all warm and fuzzy when I stop in The Greyhound, a small, friendly, well-stocked bookstore near Ocean City, in Berlin, Md. That’s because I consider it my literary home. Susan, the owner and an author herself, has welcomed my books into her shop, inviting me to launch my books there and featuring them in one of the shop’s book clubs.

So on Bookstore Romance Day, I’m sending out my love and affection for small, independent bookstores who bring us so many good words.

Thank you all. I’ll be by to buy more books real soon.