The book fair upon us! I’ve been busy getting ready and planning out my table. I’m very excited about what I’m calling my ‘Cozy Reader Packs,’ in which I’ve packed some Easter eggs (very appropriate for an Easter weekend post, amirite?).

If you’ve read the book, you might notice the key and the mug right away. But if you haven’t, and you happen to have them on hand while reading THAT particular book, well, I think you’d be in for a treat.

And, of course, if you have read it and you loved it, you might just want them for story reasons.

I actually designed the mug when I was still writing the book, because I wanted one. Then I had them made to say thank you to my beta-readers (and to have one to smile over), so it was just a matter of ordering them again. There’s another image on the other side featuring Toebeans:

The other goodies include a packet of apple cider, a Little Banned Bookshop bookmark, bookish stickers, and a gift bag. I think people will like them and I will have ten with me at the book fair. The keys themselves vary in style, but otherwise they’re all quite uniform.

I had a friend reach out to me from the States who mentioned that their friend fell asleep with Care and Feeding of Your Little Banned Bookshop in their arms. And all of the sudden, the psychological struggles I’ve been having with the sequel (what if I ruin the magic?) cleared up. That is the point of the Bookshop: to give comfort.

To the reader, to whomever needs it, and even to the writer, who is going through all of this too.

I think as long as I hold onto that, the sequel, however plural that may be, will be everything it needs to be.

The marsh is a lovely escape this time of year. I have to drive there, which makes it feel like an Event, and it’s usually a lonely place, which I prefer. I like to walk the game trails looking for all the secrets that piled up under the snow, and it’s so lovely to hear the birds singing again. I haven’t spotted my beloved red-winged blackbirds yet, but I have heard them.

I came across several thousand frosty feathers on one of my walks, took far too many pictures, and thus I have to restrain myself from sharing all of them. What is it about unkempt feathers highlighted with frost that captures my imagination so?

The other side of that coin, of course, is feathers of frost:

This newsletter feels a bit thin for my liking, so tell me, what are you reading? My current read is Sarah Beth Durst’s The Spellshop and it is such a lovely, cozy read.

How are you keeping your spirits up in these troubled times? I am peering into nature, limiting my time online, and following creative urges when they appear. Does that work for your spirits, too?

Until next month, keep dreaming, keep writing, keep reading.