Atlanta Booksellers Convention

On Monday, July 11, I left my house at around 4:00 A,M., to drive to Chicago for my flight to Atlanta and the International Christian Retail Show (ICRS). We experienced a full ground stop while a storm with 70 mph winds, and torrential rain, blew through. The power went off in our terminal, the air went off, people movers stopped, and the place went dark. Eventually we were able to depart.

My hotel room was on the 40th floor of the Westin. That's the view out my window.

I had been invited to ICRS by Comfort Publishing, publisher of several of my books for boys 8 – 13. They had an attractive booth in and end location.





Comfort Publishing produced a nice poster for my signing, and ran an ad in the daily show paper.

ICRS is probably the largest trade show for Christian bookstores and the products they sell. Book publishers exhibited there along with gift companies, music and film companies, and many others.

I was there to sign copies of my new book, When the Lights Go Out. This is an action-adventure, with a terrorist plot, that will also make sure that kids never forget what happened on 9/11. It will be released on August 1, in time for the 10th anniversary of 9/11.

We ran out of that book, so I signed additional copies of Barney and the Runaway, Newspaper Caper, and North Woods Poachers.

Each time I signed a book, and said, “My books are for readers 8 – 13, especially boys,” the person’s face brightened, their eyebrows went up, and they said, “We really need more books for boys!” It’s my hope that they will carry that thought back home and spread the word that they found a source for that need.

I met several old friends and lots of new ones.

Tucked inside each signed book was a bookmark I'd printed with the covers of several of my books, along with contact information.

Then, when I returned home, I had to deal with the clean up from 80 mph winds which were part of that same storm system that had held up my flight. My neighborhood just got back full electric power late last night.

When the Lights Go Out - Blog
http://max-whenlightsgoout.blogspot.com/  



Video for Captain Jack's Treasure http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khOJMw-faws&feature  


VideoWhen the Lights Go Out
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfSEkGN5q0U&feature 


Video - Barney and the Runaway http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0l7ZU94Ieo&feature=mfu


Video - North Woods Poachers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrJF8x9gqBw&feature