Hello lovely friends!

I’m recently back from CPE, and (spoiler alert) I had a marvelous time. I trust I won’t be misunderstood when I tell you how happy it made me to have no one but myself for which to be responsible for six days. Six whole days, friends. What luxury.

The Christian Product Expo (CPE) Winter 2023, held in Columbus, Georgia, was the first writerly thing of any kind I’ve attended in years — a decade? Maybe more. I can’t even tell you how good it felt to be amongst many writerly people again. Those attending CPE were writers, publishers, and — most importantly for this event — retailers. In going to CPE, I hoped that I’d have the opportunity to get my books into the hands of more readers.

CPE presented an opportunity for me to do some of what I’ve felt increasingly called to do lately — steward my two published books well. I’m not a quick writer, friends, and what I’ve written is not quick lit. Her Memory of Music and Shadow Sister each took me ten years to research and develop. That’s just how I roll, folks. (And I can tell you Book Three, my WIP, is right on track to finish at the same pace. Which means, actually, that the end is finally in sight. 😉)

CPE also presented my first opportunity to go public with my partnership with International Justice Mission, the global organization that teams with local justice systems to prevent violence against people living in poverty. Just two days before I I flew out, IJM and I were able to finally formalize our “cause marketing” agreement. So it’s official. 100% of profits from the sales of Her Memory of Music and Shadow Sister go to IJM. Buy a book, protect a person. (You can read more about our partnership here.)

So, the trip.

Chattanooga River as seen from above

Day One. My flight from Seattle left at 6 a.m., and I was so  hyped for my solo adventure that I didn’t mind the early departure a bit. Plus, bonus, at that hour, Seatac was nearly deserted, so I sped through security and was able to enjoy my Bible study (with a matcha vanilla latte) in some peace before boarding.

In flight, I worked on my WIP and read Alisa Childer’s excellent book on Christian apologetics, Another Gospel? (which I’ll tell you about another time), landing in Charlotte, North Carolina almost before I knew it.

There, I was happy to find the Carolina-blue skies I remembered from our family’s 2020 visit to that state. I lunched at the Whisky River restaurant (BBQ pulled pork and slaw, hold the whiskey), where I was treated to a guy on stage with a guitar and a mic playing cover songs. How fun is that?

A few hours later, as I flew into Columbus, it suddenly occurred to me that this was my first return to Georgia in 40+ years. My family had spent one memorable summer there when I was a girl. At the time we were stationed in New Orleans, and my father had to take a month-long Navy training course in Georgia. Rather than leave us for the duration, he took us with him. My dad finagled some sort of living arrangement that allowed us to stay on a farm and stay in the family’s house while they were on vacation elsewhere. There were goats and chickens and red clay soil.

Arriving in Columbus, no farm animals in sight, but I did spy the red, red soil I remembered. A very friendly Uber driver delivered me to my hotel, where I was delighted by the very comfortable space of the venue in the heart of downtown, through which runs the Chattanooga — River, as well as Railroad. In fact, my room came equipped with complimentary earplugs (which I never needed) and a little placard apologizing for the noisy trains that routinely pass through town morning and night.

Signing books to give away

In Georgia, I was first struck by the warmth and friendliness of the people, something that surprises me every time I return to the South. I know the region is legendary for it, but I’m not inclined to believe it until I’m actually there again. There’s just something a little extra about Southern good manners.

I was second struck by the sense of time and place that is a part of being on the East Coast. Living on the West Coast as I have for my entire adulthood, I tend to forget. Everywhere around town and along the river, memorial plaques and statues remind passersby of the history and people of this place.

Day Two, authors and publishing people got together to walk through training for the upcoming event–tips and tricks for best engaging with the retailers we expected to see over the course of the next few days.

Day Three, after a worship service, publishers and authors had the chance to pitch their books to retailers. I spoke about what inspired me to write my two stand-alone novels, which I called global fiction with grit. That evening was the “Appetizers and Autographs” event, one of the highlights for both retailers and authors. Previously, authors had signed a number of books to give away to retailers, who had heard about our books earlier that day. So fun to engage with the many retailers.

Days Four and Five were expo days. To be honest, this was the underwhelming bit. I learned that Winter CPE isn’t as big a deal as Summer CPE (held each year in Lexington, KY), so that was part of it. Beyond the “Appetizers and Autographs” event, there really wasn’t much engagement with retailers. These days weren’t fruitless, however, as I attended several educational sessions to prepare me to continue engaging with the reading community at large. At one of these sessions I met Connie White, a multi-genre author from northern Georgia, who I was astonished to learn was born in the same Arkansas town as my mother — El Dorado, pronounced el-doh-RAY-doh (yes, I’m right on this).

And I certainly enjoyed continuing to connect with my fellow authors. From my own publishing house, there was dear Renee Marini (A Life of Significance: Ordinary People Fulfilling the Extraordinary Call of God), who writes about her and her husband Sal’s establishment of a medical clinic in Zambia, which has been a 25+-year journey in faithful obedience. And Ann Griffiths (Reignite Your Leadership Heart: Inspiring Women to Unleash Their Full Potential), who writes to women about reigniting their passion for ministry. Ann was accompanied by her lovely daughter, Sarah Griffiths Hu, who recently signed with Redemption Press. I discovered, happily, that these two live just hours north of me across the border in Abbotsford and Chilliwack, B.C., respectively. And finally, Dr. Ross and Athena Dean Holtz (Together for a Purpose: Love and Mission in Marriage and Ministry) were showcasing the book they’ve just co-written on what it means to partner together in marriage and ministry the “second act” of life.

Chattanooga River behind me

Also loved spending time with Carol Tetzlaff and Shelly Brown, Redemption Press people who are going to be helping me on my upcoming book (re)launch. (Stay tuned for more on that soon.)

And then, one of my favorite parts of each day — slipping out for a run along the Chattanooga River Walk before dinner.

Day Six found me bound for home — with not quite the same energy I had heading out — but on the other hand, I was going home, always a welcome event. 😄

Despite my partial disappointment, I left Columbus happy to have made some new lovely friends and treasuring the wealth of experiences God gave me. Now, I’d very much appreciate your prayers as I discern how to further steward it all faithfully.

And what is your next venture? Would love to know, so that I may pray for you in the same way.

🌺 Katherine