#EnterpriseMuseum

#EnterpriseMuseum – #CentralFloridaWildlife – #HugeFun!

/ Marcia / 28 Comments

Off to visit with the good folks at Enterprise Museum today, to chat about two  of the more unusual critters which live here in Central Florida: opossums and armadillos. It’s been months since I was feeling well enough to give one of these presentations, and I’m looking forward to this one more than I can say! Especially since I’ll be talking about two animals which are so very interesting, yet so misunderstood.

If you happen to be in the area, come on by and see exactly what I mean for yourself! The little restored 1930s schoolhouse is worth the trip all by itself!

See you later, folks! Have a great Saturn’s Day!!

#2020EventSchedule #BuildingALocalReadership #CentralFloridasFabulousWildlife #SpringTea

/ Marcia / 28 Comments

My favorite part of marketing is building a local readership. I’ve shared things about this many times, so many (most?) of you know this. I have this year’s dates scheduled, and know what I’ll be doing for January and February, though the rest are still To Be Announced. (Gotta see how many new slide shows I can put together, and which of my older programs have received requests for “reruns.”) But for those of you in this area, here is what I have so far. (NOTE: If you are a regular attendee, mark your calendars for the following dates, and stay tuned as I figure out which programs are going where.)

2020 Event Schedule

January

  • January 11 – Enterprise Museum – #CFFW – “Alligators & Crocodiles” 1:00 – 3:00pm FREE, no reservations required (Donations to museum gratefully accepted)
  • January 25 – Enterprise Museum – Book Release Open House – 1:00-4:00pm, Book reading at 2:00pm, hourly drawings for free signed books, FREE, no reservations required (Donations to museum always gratefully accepted!)

February

  • February 8 – Enterprise Museum #CFFW slide presentation “Furry Critters Part 2” 1:00-3:00, FREE, no reservations required (Donations to museum happily accepted)
  • February 22 – DeBary Hall – Springtime Tea – 11:00am, includes lunch and custom teas, reading, and book signing afterward. Call for reservations and price.

March

  • March 7 – Enterprise Museum – TBA
  • March 28 – Enterprise Museum – TBA

April

  • April 11 – DeBary Hall – TBA
  • April 18- Enterprise Museum – TBA

May

  • May 2 – Enterprise Museum – TBA
  • May 9 – DeBary Hall – TBA
  • May 23 – Enterprise Museum – TBA

June

  • June 6 – Enterprise Museum – TBA
  • June 13 – DeBary Hall – TBA
  • June 27 – Enterprise Museum – TBA

July:

  • July 11 – DeBary Hall – TBA
  • July 25 – Enterprise Museum – TBA

August:

  • August 8 – DeBary Hall – TBA
  • August 15 – Enterprise Museum – TBA
  • August 29 – Enterprise Museum – TBA

September:

  • September 12 – Enterprise Museum – TBA
  • September 26 – Enterprise Museum – Autumn Tea – 11:00am,  includes lunch and custom teas, reading, and book signing afterward. Call for reservations and price.

And here are the flyers I have so far:

January 11 – Enterprise Museum:

January 25 – Enterprise Museum

February 8 – Enterprise Museum

So happy to be getting 2020 underway with such fun programs, and a Release Party, of all things! My first, and I’m super excited about it! Hope to see many of you there, and at some of the other programs I’ll be presenting through the year! Happy New Year, folks, and may 2020 be our best year yet! 

Schedule Change & a Bit of Catching Up #amwriting

/ Marcia / 23 Comments


A Full House in the Little Classroom of the Enterprise Museum
(a restored 1930s schoolhouse that’s utterly charming!)

Good Morning, Everyone! Hope your week has been as eventful and productive as mine, and that you are looking forward to the upcoming one. I know I am! That’s because I’m taking a week off from blogging to focus on the last two chapters of my WIP. Yep. I’m down to the Showdown and Resolution chapters, and very much looking forward to wrapping this long overdue book up. I need to get it “out there” so I can tell the next story rambling around in my head. 

With this in mind, my normal weekly features (#ShareAReviewDay and #FirstLineFriday, along with the less regular #MondayMeme, and #ThorsDaySmiles) will be MIA for a week, but don’t worry. Everything will be back to normal (such as that is around here) by Monday, October 7. While away, I will check in daily, of course, and take care of comments or questions, but mostly, I’ll be buried in the final moments of Rabbit’s latest adventure. I will, of course, update you here as soon as I have this one ready to go. There will be a cover reveal, and I’m even going to get smart and set it up for pre-order. (As soon as I learn how.)

Now, as to the picture at the top of the page, that’s from yesterday’s Autumn Tea at the Enterprise Museum, with a somewhat stern looking me chatting to our guests. Not sure why it looks like I’m scolding them, but I promise, I was merely  giving the group of 35 or so the very first public look at my new cover. (I’ve edited the picture so that I can keep it a surprise from the rest of the world until the “Official Cover Reveal.” But these people have been begging me for weeks and weeks for news on the release, and I figured if I didn’t give them some proof it was actually going to happen, things were going to get ugly. 😀 ) Continue reading →

#BuildingALocalReadership – And Having Fun Doing So!

/ Marcia / 24 Comments

I’ve said it before and I’ll no doubt say it again, my favorite part of marketing is getting out to spend time with folks face to face. I love making new friends and seeing old ones, and for me, that means doing several presentations a month on various topics, with a signing table set up for afterward. 

I’ve spoken on all sorts of things, from writing-related themes to anything at all to do with Florida’s wildlife and natural places, always a favorite subject of mine. The point is, find something you enjoy and maybe have a bit more knowledge about than the average person, then–SHARE it! Over the past year, my talks have been focused on Central Florida’s Fabulous Wildlife, and they’ve been very well-received, happily. I love doing them, especially if I can provide some laughs along with the information I pass along, and I hope to continue doing at least 2 a month for another year or two, at least.

What are you interested in that would appeal to local audiences? Don’t forget, you can research your favorite topics online for extra information and statistics, and putting together a PowerPoint presentation is pretty easy, too. Think about it, and I’ll bet you can come up with a topic that would draw an audience. Then check your local venues for speaking opportunities. I visit with private book clubs, too, but my main focus is on the really special Enterprise Museum, and a local historic site, DeBary Hall. Both venues have wonderful staff to work with and treat me like a honored guest every time I visit with them. I love all of  them, too!

Let me know if you’ve tried anything similar, or are thinking about doing so. It’s fun. It’s FREE (and in some cases, you can charge a speaker’s fee, though I don’t), and you’ll be surprised at the folks who come to hear about local birds and leave with a book in their hands–hopefully to become a regular reader of your work.

Today, I’m off to DeBary Hall to do Part 2 of my Backyard Birds program, offering tips on how to identify the birds who pass through our yards less frequently, for various reasons. (And we have some stunning ones!) I can’t wait to get there! It’s FUN, I tell ya!

Try it. You’ll LIKE it!

My Schedule for the Rest of This Year

/ Marcia / 4 Comments

For you guys in this area, I still have four more presentations to give at my two public venues, Enterprise Museum and DeBary Hall. Here’s the schedule in case some of you would like to attend. (I highly encourage it. I hear these programs are GREAT. 😀 😀 😀 )

Enterprise Museum: Sat, 8/3, 1:00-3:00, FREE, No Reservations Required
“For Goodness Snakes!”

Enterprise Museum: Sat, 8/24, 1:00-3:00, FREE, No Reservations Required
“Wood Storks and Sandhill Cranes”

DeBary Hall: Sat, August 10, 1:00pm-3:00pm, FREE, No Reservation Required
“Backyard Birds Pt. 2 – The Tricky Guys”

DeBary Hall: Sat, Sept 14, 1:00pm-3:00pm, FREE, No Reservations Required
“Backyard Birds Pt 3 – Attracting Birds to Your Backyard”

I will also be doing an Autumn Tea at Enterprise Museum on September 28, at 11:00am. Cost $15, to include a yummy luncheon, my custom teas, and ME.  😀 I’ll do a reading from one of my books, take some Q&A and have a great time visiting with everyone. These are so much fun! I hope some of you will try to come. Reservations are required for sure, so they’ll have plenty of tea sandwiches and desserts for you all. 🙂 

Enterprise Museum: 60 Main St, Enterprise, FL 32725, (386) 259-5900
DeBary Hall: 198 Sunrise Blvd, DeBary, FL 32713 (386) 668-3840

My Updated Schedule of Events Through September

/ Marcia / 17 Comments

For those of you in the area who might like to attend some of these talks and events, here are the updated dates and topics. Had to adjust a few, due to unavoidable circumstances, but I’m still hoping to see a few of you at some of them.

NOTE: All talks are from 1:00 to 3:00pm and are FREE, no reservations required. The only exception is the Autumn Tea & Luncheon, which starts at 11:00, is $15, and for which reservations are necessary. For any other information, feel free to email me, or call DeBary Hall, 386-668-3840 or Enterprise Museum 386-259-5900.

SCHEDULE:

July 13: Backyard Birds #1 “The Usual Suspects” – DeBary Hall
July 20: Furry Critters #1 “Those Squirrely Guys” – Enterprise Museum

August 3: Florida’s Fabulous Wildlife: “For Goodness Snakes”- Enterprise Museum
August 10: Backyard Birds #2 “The Tricky Guys” DeBary Hall
August 24: Furry Critters #2 – “Raccoons & Other Raiders” – Enterprise Museum

September 14: Backyard Birds #3 – “Attracting Birds to Your Yard” – DeBary Hall
September 28: Autumn Tea & ChitChat – 11:00am – $15.00 (includes luncheon)  -Enterprise Museum RESERVATIONS REQUIRED

#Events Update #EnterpriseMuseum – Backyard Birds Part 1

/ Marcia / 27 Comments

I’m still here, honest! Had company last week, and a luncheon/tea to host this past Saturday, and a brand-new presentation on backyard birds to prepare for this coming Saturday. (Some days I have to wonder, when am I supposed to WRITE?)

At any rate, I wanted to share this event update with you, in case some of you local folks might want to come. I’m continuing my Central Florida’s Fabulous Wildlife series with a three-parter on Backyard Birds. I get asked about birds people see around their yards all the time, and decided this would be a fun “mini-series” to do. Part 1 is entitled “The Usual Suspects,” and features cardinals, bluejays, titmice, and the more common feeder visitors. Loads of good photos, help with identifying a few you might not know, and tidbits to share on feeding & nesting habits. I’ll be presenting this on Saturday (2/16) at Enterprise Museum, 1:00pm, and it’s FREE, no reservations required. Come on by, if you can.

On March 9, same time & place, I’ll be presenting Backyard Birds Part 2, entitled “The Tricky Ones.”  (Tricky in the sense that they are harder to spot, less common, or only seen during spring and fall migrations.

And on March 23, also same time & location, I’ll be presenting Backyard Birds, Part 3, Attracting Birds to Your Yard. This one will focus on various feeder types ( and which birds prefer which kinds), water sources (including bird baths, small ponds, and fountains), and landscaping to provide cover and additional food sources (berries, nectar plants, and seeds).

I know most of you don’t live here in Central Florida, but for those who do, just know it would MAKE my day to see some of you there this Saturday! 🙂 And if you can help me get the word out, I’d greatly appreciate it.

THANKS, you wonderful folks. I’ll do my best to be much more visible around here this week, I promise!

PS: Bet you’ve never seen a cardinal that looks like THIS! If you’d like to
learn more about him, come on by Enterprise Museum this Saturday.  😀

Backyard Birds Part 1: The Usual Suspects
Saturday, Feb 16, 1:00pm
Enterprise Museum, 360 Main St, Enterprise FL, 32725
(386) 259-5900