Ideas, The Latest Twist

If Barrett Book Shop Were Real

Barrett Book Shop Door is always open 

Where is Barrett Book Shop?

When I meet readers at the arts and crafts festivals, I’m frequently asked where my shop is so they can drop by to chat, browse the shelves, and purchase more books.

More and more readers have discovered and enjoy the convenience of shopping at Barrett Book Shop, online and under a canopy tent at one and two-day arts and crafts events in the spring and fall, but a physical storefront that is staffed by the Barrett Book Shop team? There’s a story for that…

The Shop that Never Closes

I love the opportunity to explain that they can buy a paperback, ebook, or audiobook from the online Barrett Book Shop anytime. Ebook and audiobook links are instantly emailed, and I’ll sign the paperbacks before we ship them. As a bonus, readers can buy the entire series or trilogies in paperback, ebook, or audiobook format at a bargain price that other retailers can’t match.

Of course, the question about the brick-and-mortar bookshop sent my imagination into overdrive, so I had to have a photo of our Barrett Book Shop. If Barrett Book Shop were physically real with an address on Main Street in a small town in Georgia, this is how I imagine it would look. Wind chimes near the front door, which is always open, and lots of books.

Inside Barrett Book Shop

Hang onto your imagination and let’s go inside.

The air smells faintly of coffee, cinnamon, and old paper; a familiar scent that whispers, “Stay awhile.” Sunlight streams in across a row of worn wood tables stacked with paperbacks, each cover promising danger, mystery, a killer or two, and the twist you never see coming.

A small sign by the door reads “Not your typical author; not your typical stories.”

Behind the counter, a tall man, whose official title is Senior Staff, adds more paperback, ebook, and audio books to a shelf labeled “The Rest of the Stories,” which is where the next book in each series lives. The brown dog at his side is the supervisor. The shelf is dedicated to readers who have just finished the first book in a series and are wondering what happens next.

The shelves along the wall are dedicated to the Judith A. Barrett Books. Each series has its own shelf: Maggie Sloan Thriller Series, Jenna Ross Thriller Series, Wren and Rascal Mystery Series, Riley Malloy Mystery Series, Donut Lady Cozy Mystery Series, and Grid Down Survival Series.

In the back is a reading nook with mismatched chairs and a lazy old black and tan lab asleep nearby. There’s a sign overhead, “You keep reading; I’ll keep writing.”

You’ll find me sitting alongside the readers with my feet propped up and a computer on my lap as I alternate furiously writing the next scene in a story and staring into space. You’ll hear the quiet rustle of turning pages, chuckles from e-book readers and audiobook listeners, and then a burst of laughter when someone discovers a new favorite line, which must be shared. And we all laugh.

But for now, Barrett Book Shop exists in pixels and imagination in a cozy corner of the internet where you can still explore the shelves and find your next great read. You can visit anytime, from anywhere, and with your favorite beverage in hand.

Browse, Shop, Enjoy

So come on in. Browse, shop, enjoy!

See what’s waiting on The Rest of the Stories shelf because the adventure doesn’t end with Book One.

And if you could spend an afternoon at Barrett Book Shop, which shelf would you visit first?

You keep reading; I’ll keep writing!

Judith signature

BarrettBookShop.com

The Latest Twist

The Donut Hole

Donut Shop in West Texas "Donut Hole"

The Original Donut Hole

The Donut Hole was the name of a donut shop that existed at one time in a small Texas town.*

There’s a story…

Back in the day when I was pregnant with Baby #4, I took the country doctor’s advice literally. “Walk at least a half mile every day.”

After FarmerMan left for work and the two older boys left for school, I strapped my squirmy toddler into a second-hand umbrella stroller (anybody remember those?) and walked, actually waddled, to the edge of town, which was conveniently a quarter of a mile away.

We left as early as possible because even in the spring, the sweltering heat in West Texas combined with the black asphalt road would make a late morning stroll unbearable.

More importantly, The Donut Hole, which was at the end of our road near the highway, ran out of my favorite maple donuts not long after they opened. My goal every morning was to beat the crowd. The competition for maple donuts was fierce, but I was determined.

I frequently arrived before The Donut Hole officially opened according to the tattered sign taped to the door, but the owner always left the front door unlocked for the sheriff or anyone else who wanted to drop by to chat or grab a free cup of coffee while he fried donuts. I think he enjoyed the company.

The shop was small, with only three stools at the counter, and had no tables or chairs for the customers. The Donut Hole’s official business model was carryout, but their true business model was y’all stick around for a cuppa coffee before you leave with your dozen donuts for the office.

The inside of the shop was rustic, but definitely not the rustic glam that people talk about now. Rustic like the walls were ringed by shelves that served as the storeroom for the shop. My favorite part of the inside of the store besides the old fryer was the wooden floor. Footsteps sounded like those made by cowboys in the old Western movies as they strode into a saloon and sidled up to the bar.

I loved to inhale the familiar aroma of warm, deep-fried dough blended with the fragrance of sweet sugar and subtle hints of the flavors for the day, and my toddler squealed in anticipation of his daily treat.

“The maple donuts and plain donut holes are cooling on the rack, unless you two plan on changing your order this morning.” The owner said the same thing every day.

I finally realized years later it was his version of a joke.

Since I’m so literal, I assured him every time. “We might someday, but not today. One maple donut and one donut hole, please.”

Inspiration for a Cozy Mystery Series

Can you see how the Donut Hole and its maple donuts with donut holes for toddlers became the inspiration for Sweet Deal Sealed, Book 1 of the Donut Lady Cozy Mystery Series?

Maple donuts are still my favorite. What’s your favorite donut?

You keep reading; I’ll keep writing!

Judith signature

* It’s possible this is a photograph of the donut shop, but it could also be a substitute. You can decide.

QuickJAB, The Latest Twist

Georgia Strawberry Festival

Double the Fun

Sales on Two Sides

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When we arrived at the Strawberry Festival at 6:00 am, we had to have an extra splash of coffee when we realized our assigned site was in the middle of the road, and Strawberry Festival visitors would be walking past our booth on the “front” side and the “back”.

Challenge accepted, Strawberry Festival! Not all the vendors had the luxury of being able to take advantage of foot traffic from the front and back of their tents, but we revised our “usual” set up to be approachable from both sides.

We had our tables and books organized and were on our way to grab a bite of breakfast when the cafe on the corner opened at 7:00 am. Note how relaxed I appear in our early morning photo. “We got this.”

It Takes Two

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Our usual, smooth routine is that I chat with readers and sign books while FarmerMan processes payments and puts the book(s) into one of our spiffy Barrett Book Shop sacks that are prefilled with a Barrett Book Shop postcard. It’s quite nicely orchestrated, and we’ve done it many times.

Our chaotic routine at the Strawberry Festival resulted in the two of us switching sides regularly, sometimes midstream.  FarmerMan had the double duty of talking to readers and managing payments while I talked to readers and signed books. Both of us grabbed Barrett Book Shop sacks and popped in books, sometimes at the same time for the same book.

Our one saving grace was that for the first time ever, I had the brilliant idea to sign every single book, a total of over 175 books, while we waited for the Strawberry Festival to begin. After each sale, I only had to add the person’s name and a short note, which was usually my tagline: You keep reading; I’ll keep writing.

Two Events

In addition to the Strawberry Festival, I was also participating  with 41 other authors in a group online Thriller Sale. (The answer is 42. For more explanation, read my blog about the sale, For Thriller Readers.)

I had emailed Draft to Digital (D2D), my favorite distributor of my books to retailers, telling them about the thriller group. Somehow, my thriller, I Always Wanted to be a Spy, was inadvertently left off the list of books. By me: I was the guilty party.

A kind-hearted D2D promotion coordinator, Megan, sent me an email to say she didn’t see my book on the list. After a brief, private moment of embarrassment, I sent her the information. Crisis averted, thanks to Megan.

When a lovely young woman who was the same height as me, approached my table and smiled, I said, “You must be a reader.”

She said, “I better be; I’m promoting your book this weekend.”

<INSERT LOUD SCREAM> again me.

Strawberry Festival Apr 2024 D2D Megan smaller

What are the odds? Megan and Me.

Side note: any respectable Promotions Coordinator from Georgia would wear a hat crocheted like a strawberry and a Strawberry Shortcake shirt when she took her daughter to the Strawberry Festival, ammi right?

QuickJAB, The Latest Twist

Inside or Outside?

Which is your preference?

When it comes to Arts and Crafts festivals, outside wins for me, hands down, EXCEPT when it’s raining. When we’ve been caught in a passing shower, the Hubs and I have said for years, “We’ve been wet before; we’ll be wet again.”

However, books don’t do well in overnight dew or a little shower, much less a downpour. We watched the weather closely for the Calico Arts and Crafts Festival, and as the chance of precipitation and thunderstorms rose, the more we worried about the books.

I had originally requested an outdoor spot, but ten days before the Calico Arts and Crafts, I sent a frantic email to the organizer asking to be moved indoors.  If you’ve read the Grid Down Survival series, you know that Rosalie is the “Weather Girl.” I channeled my inner Rosalie.

The organizer relieved my worries when she graciously switched us to indoors. Almost all the vendors, indoors and outdoors, set up Friday afternoon to be ready for the Saturday morning event. A terrible thunderstorm with destructive wind blew through late Friday night, and quite a few tents were destroyed. It was tragic.

I was relieved we were inside at the Calico Arts and Crafts Festival, but we had to modify our usual setup. what do you think?

Calico Arts and Crafts in Moultrie GA, March 16-17  (Indoors)

Calico Arts n Crafts Mar 16 2024 smaller

We had a glorious time talking to so many great readers from Georgia and Florida who went home with dry books! The event coordinator had everything well-organized, including an organization of young men on Friday afternoon who unloaded our bins of books for us at our assigned vendor spot!

As usual, we picked up brilliant tips from the vendors around us. Calico is on our Definitely Return list for their next event in November.

Peanut Proud in Blakely GA, March 23  (Outdoors)

Blakley GA Mar 23 2024 Peanut Proud

Our set up at the Peanut Proud Festival was our usual with our canopy tent and my banner on the front of the tent. It got a little windy in Blakely that day, but the organizers were remarkable hosts, and we had a wonderful time.

We were surprised how many readers from Georgia and Alabama braved the wind gusts and went home with a new book or two. Amazingly, our tent didn’t blow away.  Peanut Proud is another event on our Definitely Return list for next year.

The Stars of the Shows: Books!

ALL the BOOKS Jan 2024 Barrett Book Shop Paperbacks

QuickJAB, The Latest Twist

Not Quite Spring

Heater in the Office Feb 9 2024 smaller

I’m not a fan of being cold. Have you ever noticed that the temperature drops around dawn and is really slow in its crawl back up?

It’s nine o’clock in the morning, and it’s 59°F. outside, but according to the weather, it feels like 54°. That might not sound all that cold to you, but it is to my Georgia blood that thrives on days with a light breeze and the perfect temperature of 76°, which is maybe two weeks in the spring and fall.

It might not be spring yet while I huddle next to the electric heater in the computer room and  wear wool socks and layers that include a long-sleeved shirt topped by a flannel shirt, but I’m working on my plans for spring events. 

 Even though I’m a cold-weather sissy, my preference for events are the ones that are outside because inside events are too crowded and noisy.  The main disadvantage of outdoor events is the weather, of course. My books don’t fare well if it’s too wet or windy, and I’m not crazy about too cold or too hot, but so far, we’ve coped.

When we went to the writers’ conference last November, one of the speakers was Ben Wolf, who writes amazing books for children and young adults. If you’re looking for great books for the younger set or would like to take a peek, here’s the link to his website:  Ben Wolf

As far as I’m concerned, Ben is the guru of selling books in person. One of the things he said was he sells a lot of Big Books. It sounded interesting to me, so of course, I asked him how that worked, and he helped me pull together my first Big Book.

BIG BOOK with 820 pages

Here’s my debut Big Book that we’ll be lugging to the events. It’s 820 pages of the complete Donut Lady Cozy Mystery Series, unabridged, in ONE BIG BOOK!

DL Love Big Books Feb 2024

I think I’ll make a large sticker for readers who buy the 3-pound book. You can order the Omnibus paperback, and I’ll sign it and send you a sticker too. Tap the button for your book and warn your mail carrier!

Shop Now Button clipped

What’s Your Weather Like?

What’s the temperature where you are? Would you be outside when it’s 59° enjoying the nice weather or (for my  friends who adore cold weather) would you be sweltering? And while I’m asking, do you prefer being indoors or outdoors?

Use the simple form to give me a shout! This is an experiment to see if we like it. Feel free to comment too! 

 

p.s.     This form doesn’t put you on an email list or anything, so if you want to sign up for my newsletter, use this link: https://judithabarrett.wordpress.com/newsletter

QuickJAB, The Latest Twist

One Big Book, A Bundle, and Readers Rock

One Big Book 50% Off

An OMNIBUS of 820 pages!

Exclusive from Barrett Book Shop

A paperback  to read while you rock. Bookmark included.

DL Love Big Books Feb 2024 Shop Now Button clipped

The complete set of Donut Lady books all in ONE BIG BOOK! 

Donut Lady’s side hustle is exposing killers.

Karen O’Brien is a former teacher and convicted felon. After prison, she looks forward to a new, quiet life in her hometown in Georgia despite the disruption of her lurking shadows and terrifying nightmares.

She becomes the Donut Lady after she buys a donut shop complete with a sweet German Shepherd, Colonel, and a sassy gray cat, Mia.  

Donut Lady’s specialties are freshly made donuts, scones, hot coffee, and solving crimes. Good plan, except for the pesky killers that intend for her to die.

 The COMPLETE set of ALL the  Donut Lady Cozy Mystery books in ONE Hefty Paperback!  (1)Sweet Deal Sealed, (2) Sweet Deal Concealed, (3) Sweet Deal Revealed, (4) Sweet Deal Appealed, (5) Sweet Secret Deal, and (6) Sweet and Sour Deal.

 

A Bundle 50% Off

Maybe you’d rather have the entire Cozy Mystery Series in eBooks with a little less weight to carry around. 

Exclusive from Barrett Book Shop

I gotcha!

SIX BOOK eBUNDLE Feb 5 2024 

Shop Now Button clipped

The Complete Set of Donut Lady Books for you to read on your Kindle, Nook, or phone!

Donut Lady’s side hustle is exposing killers.

Karen O’Brien is a former teacher and convicted felon. After prison, she looks forward to a new, quiet life in her hometown in Georgia despite the disruption of her lurking shadows and terrifying nightmares.

She becomes the Donut Lady after she buys a donut shop complete with a sweet German Shepherd, Colonel, and a sassy gray cat, Mia.  

Donut Lady’s specialties are freshly made donuts, scones, hot coffee, and solving crimes. Good plan, except for the pesky killers that intend for her to die.

The COMPLETE Set of ALL the Donut Lady Cozy Mystery Series eBooks delivered to your Kindle or ereader!  (1)Sweet Deal Sealed, (2) Sweet Deal Concealed, (3) Sweet Deal Revealed, (4) Sweet Deal Appealed, (5) Sweet Secret Deal, and (6) Sweet and Sour Deal.

 

 

Readers Rock!

Readers Rock

I wanted a really cool sticker to include with signed paperbacks that are ordered from the Barrett Book Shop. Because…Readers Rock! 

But while I created the sticker, I wondered about the history of rocking chairs…a natural progression, wouldn’t you think?

Trivia

History of Rocking Chairs

Here’s a rabbit hole for the fascinating story of rocking chairs History of Rocking Chairs. I’d forgotten about the therapeutic uses of the rocking chair. Add a book, and you’re relaxing your back and going on an adventure with your favorite characters! 

History of Donuts

Donuts have a much longer history than rocking chairs. Here’s what the Britannica has to say on the topic of donuts: https://www.britannica.com/topic/doughnut 

My favorite was the tale of the sailor, Hanson Gregory, who was said to have pierced a hole in the pastry with the ship’s wheel during a storm, which reminded me of the pirate in another series… but that’s ANOTHER story!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The History of Rocking Chairs

 

QuickJAB, The Latest Twist

Dressed for Success

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Dressed for Success? I didn’t realize how well my new Christmasy long-sleeved shirt matched my $5.00  Walmart tablecloth. At least no one had trouble finding my booth!

My last event for 2023 was the Mistletoe Market in Cairo, Georgia. It’s one of my favorites; I love seeing my previous readers who return for more books and meeting new readers!

A shout out to the Mom who marched up to my booth with a slip of paper in her hand and announced, “My daughter said I’m supposed to get the Stalking book for her.”

Nearby shoppers gave her the side-eye, but she was a Mom on a Mission and impervious to any judgy attitudes.

In 2022, I ordered five of my newest paperback, which was book 3 in a series, as soon as I published it. When my books arrived, I was thoroughly embarrassed when I realized I had the wrong title on the spine! The five books were perfectly fine except for the spine. I hid them in the back of our office closet.

I decided to embrace my mistake and offered the first three books of the series, with the third book being the mistake book, at the same price as the two books plus $5.00. I have three mistake books (rare first editions?) left.  I’ll keep taking my mistake books to events until they’re gone.

My plan for 2024: Even more in-person events and increased focus on BARRETT BOOK SHOP where readers can buy paperbacks, ebooks, and audiobooks directly from me.

You keep reading; I’ll keep writing! 

Signature cropped

QuickJAB, The Latest Twist

Author at Work

authorwriting      Chickens with grass Jan 2023 clipped

My New Author Bio?

Judith A. Barrett: The Georgia-based, award-snatching author who’s convinced her chickens might be plotting the next big mystery, or are they burying the evidence? 

With her loyal husband as her alibi, two dogs who are terrible at keeping secrets, and a penchant for spinning yarns ranging from mysterious thrillers to cuddle-worthy cozies, Judith has a story for every kind of reader. She’s taken on the challenge of combining mystery and crime with just a sprinkle of sweet romance to all her stories to keep them mildly spicy like sugar and cinnamon – not like jalapeno and ghost peppers!

Her motto? “You keep reading, or the chickens get it! Just kidding… I’ll keep writing!

Bitter-barn-smaller-1 Chickens who go broody and won’t leave the nest go into the Bitter Barn to cool off. She’s crying fowl on the charges. If she begs you to open the barn door with a promise of eggs, she’s scamming you. Broody hens don’t lay eggs. There’s a story…

Buy Judith a cup of coffee!

Did you enjoy the new bio? Consider buying me a cup of coffee! Coffee is magical writer’s fuel and keeps me writing, researching, and sharing stories with you. Thank you for your continued support!

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QuickJAB, The Latest Twist

Legendary Author/Legendary Readers

Pepper Festival Sept 2023

My latest festival was the two-day Pepper Musical Festival: I wore my taco socks and used my chili pepper apron to spice up my table.  I expected to see a pepper eating contest or some  reason for the event to be the Pepper Festival, but as far as I know, it was the Pepper Festival just because.

You might have noticed that we finally realized that putting up the side panels on our tent helped block the sun. We also remembered to charge the fan the night before. For some unexplainable reason, I forgot all my tablecloths except for one small, white one. Walmart to the rescue! We found the cheap (yay!), green vinyl tablecloth that is now my favorite.  I love a bargain!

The vendor sites were spacious because of the large field where the event was hosted; we didn’t feel crowded at all and had a perfect location for our booth. The stage for the bands and the bleachers were in front of our site with an open, spacious, grassy area between us.

The two-day event was a challenge because the festival lasted until ten o’clock both nights, but Friday night was a blast. The headliner band played Hispanic music, and the area in front of us was filled with families. In addition to our  all time favorite music from the southwest, we had live entertainment as the children chased each other and rolled in the grass, and the toddlers bounced to the music.  We enjoyed an impromptu wrestling match between preteen boys that could have rivaled any high school wrestling team for style and technique.

Saturday was exhausting. We had to take our books back to the campground Friday night then haul them back to the event on Saturday morning because books and morning dew don’t mix; however, our campground was less than ten minutes away, which was a wonderful bonus.

A young, local police officer entertained himself most of Saturday by stopping by my booth and teasing me about some imaginary flaw in one of my books. He brought  a group of other police officers and firefighters to my booth to show them my fan then expounded on the imaginary flaw. I told him he was fired as my public relations manager, and his buddies roared with laughter.

The Saturday night crowd was mostly teenagers who were there to see and be seen. They were entertaining enough to watch, but they couldn’t come close to  the bouncing toddlers. The headliner music was not their type of music or ours either. Adults sat on the bleachers and politely applauded; it must have been their type of music.

The most amazing sight of all on Saturday night was the number of food trucks that magically appeared; everyone we saw was eating something!

We quietly packed our things and left at nine o’clock.  In theory, we won’t be invited back as vendors because we left before ten, but we’re okay with that. Our campground was great, and we had a terrific time; we’ll go back next year to camp at the great campground,  shout out to you, Tifton KOA Journey,  and enjoy the Friday night music and entertainment.

Will we consider another two-day event? It depends…

Remember the pesky police officer? The police chief stopped by my booth later and told me I was a legend.  Legendary Author: should I add that to my biography?

You know who reads the works of a Legendary Author, don’t you?

Legendary Readers: readers who  form theories based on clues and stray, almost random, hints the author leaves along the way in the story. That’s you, isn’t it?

How’s this for a new tagline?

The Legendary Author Who Writes for Legendary Readers.

Buy Judith a cup of coffee!

Did you enjoy the story? Consider buying me a cup of coffee – it’s writer’s fuel and keeps me writing, photographing, and sharing stories with you. Thank you for your continued support and being a Legendary Reader!

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