Because of the COVID crisis, several literary events that I planned to attend in 2020 were either canceled or postponed. So I was especially pleased when I received word that one of those events — the Massillon Public Library Local Author Fair — would be rescheduled for November 13 of this year. This worked out well for my wife, too, since she has family in nearby Canton she could visit while I pitched my books to library patrons.

The fair was held in the library’s auditorium on the building’s lower level. Like the 12 or so other authors, I had a six-foot-long table at my disposal. That gave me more than enough space to display copies of my two YA novels as well as bookmarks, robot erasers, robot stickers, and other accessories. I also had a small identification poster, which the library staff provided, to put on my table. The table itself was well located. It gave me a view of a lovely little aquarium as well as the area just outside the auditorium where potential fair attendees could be seen. It also put me just a few steps from the kitchenette where a variety of snacks and beverages were available.

The fair started at 11 a.m. and ended at 2 p.m. During that time, about 25-30 people came through the auditorium doors. That was far fewer than the number that attended either the Bexley or Springfield Book Fairs, so I may have been fortunate to sell three books — two copies of The Bullybuster and one of Fast-Pitch Love. I always enjoy autographing the books for my buyers and adding a little catch phrase like Down with Bullies! or Swing for the Fences! But a problem arose when one of my customers decided she wanted to give Fast-Pitch Love to her granddaughter Cori rather than her grandson, Landon. The trouble was, I’d already dedicated the book to Landon. The lady suggested crossing out Landon’s name and putting Cori in its place, but I had a better idea. I simply dedicated the book to Landon and Cori, and told the grandmother it would be great if both children read it.

Aside from selling a few books, I had a chance to do a reading from Fast-Pitch Love to a small audience. I picked the scene where two parents get into a fight after a game, and one of them accidentally hits Jace, the protagonist. Prior to my reading, I listened to a presentation by Cathy Hanlin and Kayleigh Hanlin. This mother-daughter team has authored the J.O.Y. Journal, which provides pre-teen girls with activities that will help them better understand and accept themselves. It occurred to me as they spoke that the J.O.Y. Journal might be of interest to the leaders of 1Girl. I’ll have to let them know about this book.

Besides Cathy and Kayleigh, other authors at the fair included Deborah Edmisten, Marcus Calvert, Daniel Muller, Steven Pustay, and Cat Russell. These authors write in a variety of genres. Russell, for example, has authored a science fiction-fantasy novel, Pinholes: Traveling Through the Curtain of the Night, as well as a poetry collection, Soul Picked Clean. Muller’s Changing Collars is an instructional memoir on how to move from a blue-collar job to a white-collar career. For her part, Edmisten has written a time-travel trilogy for middle schoolers and a children’s chapter book, A Nose Apart. Pustay may have been the most-versatile writer at the fair. He’s written a crime novel set in Youngstown, Mob Girls Genesis; a science-philosophy book, The Digital Logic of Death: Confronting Mortality in Contemporary Media; and a nonfiction sports book, Inside the Game: The Madness, Metrics, and Methods of Winning Pickleball.

Laura Klein, the library’s children’s services and special projects manager, and her staff deserve credit for putting together a successful book fair that met the needs of both authors and book buyers. I hope they’ll consider making the fair an annual event, and with equal fervor, I hope the COVID pandemic never again stops a book fair in Massillon or anywhere else.