2020 12PM – 1PM

February 7, 2020 by rachelauthorbarnard in Local Authors, Local Events, Rachel Barnard and tagged Enso Center, Local Author, local places, Redmond

Winter Arts Marketplace
Come out to the Enso Center in Redmond, WA for a community showcase of local artists, craftsmen, authors, and entrepreneurs. Two full days of specialty sales.

PLUS! Community art show from local artists.

Check out www.ensocenter.org for more information and RSVP on the Facebook event page.

Come see me and get all of my novels this Sunday from 12PM – 1PM at the Enso Center Winter Marketplace! The event goes from Saturday to Sunday, but I will only be there for a limited time on Sunday. All four of my novels will be on sale for just $10 each.

GENERAL ADMISSION
Free entry!
11 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Local Event Alert! Holly Jolly Holiday Market in Snohomish, WA 11/29/19

November 24, 2019 by rachelauthorbarnard in Local Authors, Local Events, Rachel Barnard and tagged Holly Jolly Holiday Market, Snohomish, Thomas Farms

My first event this winter! Come see me and over 100 other vendors at the Holly Jolly Holiday Market in Snohomish!

Come support your favorite local vendors, businesses and food trucks for this great FREE event on Black Friday, November 29th, 2019 and Small Business Saturday, November 30th, 2019.

Featuring more than 125 vendors! This is a great place to start your holiday shopping and support your local community by buying local instead at large national chain stores! Many vendors will be offering great sales!

We will have food and espresso trucks on site as well.

Santa will also be making an appearance on Saturday (more info!)

Indie Author Night Aftermath – Brick & Mortar Books Redmond Event

June 29, 2019 by rachelauthorbarnard in For the Love of Donuts, Local Authors, Local Events, Rachel Barnard and tagged Brick & Mortar Books, Indie Author, Indie Author Night, Indie Books, Indie Bookstore | 2 Comments

20+ authors pitched their books last Thursday! It was such a fun night. This event happens quarterly so you may have another chance to see me at Brick & Mortar Books in Redmond this year!

Local Event Alert! Indie Author Night – Brick & Mortar Books in Redmond, WA 6/27/19

June 23, 2019 by rachelauthorbarnard in Local Authors, Local Events, Rachel Barnard and tagged Brick & Mortar Books, Indie Author Night, Redmond

It’s time for another one of Brick & Mortar’s hugely popular Indie Author Nights!

The event format is simple: they bring in about 20 authors, tell you a bit about them, and they each have 2 minutes to talk about their book or series. After each author has given their pitch, customers will have the opportunity to purchase books and interact with authors!

I’m excited to be a part of this local event and to find some new awesome books to read. My TBR is getting low again…

Here’s a sneak peek at the lineup:

Sandra Anderson: Troubled Mother, Troubled Son, an autobiography for older teens and adults.
Brenda Baker: the picture book Oddly Colorful!
Rachel Barnard: For the Love of Donuts series for young adult and new adult readers.
Flora Burlingame: Path of Progress: One Man’s Fight for Women’s Rights and Charcoal and Chalk: John Ogilvie and the Beginnings of Black Education in Texas (adult historical fiction)
Van Chesnutt: Push the Red Button, a humorous travel memoir of adventures, misadventures, and observation accumulated over 30+ years of travel.
Ellie Collins: Daisy, Bold & Beautiful, a middle grade fantasy full of Greek mythology fantasy.
Beverly Cuevas: When the Twinkle is Gone: A Child’s Perspective on Death, an illustrated book for parents with information about how to help children deal with grief.
Danielle Dreger: Secret Heart, Bad at Love, and Reckless Night You Won’t Regret (YA queer romantic comedy) and The Ten Fantastic Fails of Rory O’Leary (MG contemporary fiction)
Bill Erxleben: A Lion Where There Were Lambs: The Quest for Truth, Justice, and the Rule of Law in the Pacific Northwest, a combination of courtroom drama, regional history, and memoir.
Gail Folkins: Texas Dance Halls: A Two-Step Circuit, literary journalism about Texas dance hall culture, and Light in the Trees, a memoir about growing up in the Pacific Northwest.
Carol Gavhane: She’s Got This!: Essays on Standing Strong and Moving On, an anthology featuring essays from 46 writers for women and mothers.
Julia Goldstein: Material Value, for consumers and to businesses wanting to implement more environmentally-friendly practices.
Jennifer Haupt: In the Shadow of 10,000 Hills, a novel for adults inspired by her time as a journalist in post-genocide Rwanda.
Amy M Le: Snow in Vietnam is an adult historical fiction tribute to her mother’s heroic decision to flee Vietnam after the fall of Saigon.
Ashton Macaulay: Whiteout (A Nick Ventner Adventure), the tale of a drunken monster hunter searching for yeti, and Aberrant Tales, a short fiction anthology.
Joyce Major: The Orangutan Rescue Gang, a middle grade fiction full of adventure, friendship, and the environment.
Abbi McKee: Cricket and Milo Visit Seattle, the first in a picture book series about two dogs who visit different places.
Saqib Rasool: Saqibism, poetry on innovation, entrepreneurship, and inner perception for changemakers, cultural creatives, and entrepreneurs.
Sonya Rhen: YA/NA books Space Tripping with the Shredded Orphans, The Shredded Orphans and the Space Pirates, and Requite Me: Poems of Love (humorous adventure science fiction) Jealousy, and Angst (poetry about love and love lost)
Deirdre Timmons: Brain Candy, a light-hearted and poignant memoir for people struggling with dire illness or loved ones with Alzheimer’s.
Doug Walsh: Tailwinds Past Florence (time travel romance) and The Walkthrough: Insider Tales from a Life in Strategy Guides (for people interested in video games!)
O.M. Wills: ERTA: The Complete Series, a science fiction and fantasy series for adults.

Los Angeles Trip, Impressions, $$ spent

June 16, 2019 by rachelauthorbarnard in For the Love of Donuts, Local Eats, Local Events, Rachel Barnard and tagged California, California Donuts, Crafted Donuts, Donatsu, Donuts, Dunkin', In n Out, Kettle Glazed Doughnuts, Los Angeles, Sidecar Doughnuts and Coffee, Travel | 2 Comments

Last week I went to Los Angeles with my partner. He was attending E3. While he was away during the day at the convention, I went out and found donuts, took a dance class, and was part of a studio audience for LMAD. I spent a total of ~$613. My SO paid for the plane tickets and the AirBnB where we stayed. I rented the car and bought all the donuts! Here is the breakdown of my costs and what we did each day…

Los Angeles, California trip 6/10 – 6/14

Monday:
Picked up rental car – $193
In n Out at 11AM Double Double burgers with fries animal style
Picked up E3 badge
Parking Garage $2 N. LA
Donatsu – Royal Dragon yeast donut $5 cash including the tip.
Lyft to City Hall to go to the observation deck which was free! $5.80 for the Lyft
AirBnB check in after 4PM less than 3 miles from E3
Drove to Santa Barbara and Cold Spring Tavern, split the bill – $65
Stopped for gas – $40 to fill the tank
Stopped at Ralph’s for snacks and waters

First day thoughts. LA traffic is crazy! Pedestrians, bikers, and drivers alike make crazy poor decisions regarding the usage of the road. People will stop in the middle of the road and put on flashers whenever they feel like it. If you want to make a left turn (most of them are unprotected left turns) you have to wait for the light to turn yellow and then at least two cars running the red light from oncoming traffic before you can make your left turn. This was the hottest day! The rental car process was the simplest I’ve ever been through and I would actually recommend Midway Car Rental (just make sure you get directions for getting to the offsite rental car site).

Tuesday:
Dropped SO off at E3
California Donuts – got a glazed, cream filled, and lemon filled. Donuts were $1 each and I gave $1 tip! Donuts were average – $4
Bath and Body Works and Staples to print my studio audience ticket – $1 printing, $8 bath bomb
4:15 – 5:25 BeSpun Int Upside Down Pole Tricks $35
Big Al’s Pizzeria – got Supreme and BBQ Chicken Large pizzas for takeaway – $48
Ate at Elysian Park and then climbed to the swing and lookout at the top of a hill
Stopped at CVS

I took a pole class at BeSpun. Unfortunately the air conditioning was broken! The class started out slow and then ramped up quickly. I loved the combo we did and we were allowed to take video at the end of class and I was able to dance the combo at this time. Neat little studio NW of Downtown.

Wednesday:
Dropped of SO at E3
Picked up half dozen special donuts from Crafted Donuts – $15 – these were meh
Picked up toilet paper, water, and peaches from Ralph’s nearby – $4.63
Worked at home
8:30 Benihana reservation $80.74
Parked across the street $3.50

Our AirBnB provided 2/3 a roll of toilet paper for our 4.5 day stay… So we had to get some more SMH. I was surprised that with our reservation at Benihana, we weren’t sat until 9:15PM. I’ve never had to wait that long with a reservation. I was ecstatic to find cheap parking across the street, especially since we were parked there for nearly 3 hours.

Thursday:
Dropped off SO at E3
Kettle Glazed Doughnuts $11.75 – decent donuts
Let’s Make a Deal showing 11AM (check in at 10:30AM), rented a cop costume – $25, you can look up the show at a later date with the date 6/13/19 and the code 11030
Picked up SO from E3
Leo’s Tacos $30 cash
Dunkin’ $16.47

LMAD was such a cool experience! I went there prepared to not be in costume and just watch but go so hyped up by the enthusiastic staff and other participants that I wanted to participate. I rented a costume (a cop because I’m a donut enthusiast) and worked really hard to be extroverted so that I would be chosen as a contestant but sadly I was not. It was super fun, regardless, and a little exhausting to smile for over two hours and be energetic for that long. I would definitely do this again if I go back to LA. I arrived around 10AM and drove off the lot around 3:45 so it was an all day event! My favorite part: if I didn’t rent a costume it would have been completely free to participate!

Friday:
AirBNB checkout 12PM
Parked at 2100 Ocean Front Walk, Venice, CA 90291 $9 for parking (the most we paid)
Muscle Beach being renovated so it wasn’t open 😦 We walked along the boardwalk
Drove to Sidecar Doughnuts and Coffee (gluten-friendly, huckleberry, vanilla glazed) $10.75
Drove to CVS for last minute supplies
Drove to the airport
Picked up In n Out for SO $8.81
Midway Car Rental drop off 4:00PM

I was sad that muscle beach was being renovated but there was a slick little outdoor acrobatic gym? It had two ropes to climb, a balance beam, two rings, and some pull-up bars.

Places I still want to go:

the Upside Down House
The Last Bookstore
Donut Friend
Eaton Canyon Falls
Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook
SKS Donut & Croissant
The Manufactory
Angels Flight Railway
Birdies Fried Chicken and Donuts

Maple Valley Days 6th Year Follow-up

June 15, 2019 by rachelauthorbarnard in Free Valley Publishing, Local Authors, Local Events, Maple Valley, Rachel Barnard and tagged Jeffrey Cook, Sheri J. Kennedy | 4 Comments

This was my 7th year volunteering behind the scenes of the event and FreeValley Publishing’s 6th year having a booth at the festival. Wow! I love being involved with this event and I learn something every year. I get to watch conflict resolution and large event planning. It is amazing how much detail and effort goes into putting on this festival and I’m glad I’ve been a part of it.

Local Event Alert: Maple Valley Days! This Weekend

June 7, 2019 by rachelauthorbarnard in Author Thursdays, Free Valley Publishing, Local Authors, Local Events, Maple Valley, Rachel Barnard

You can find FVP and some great books by local authors at Maple Valley Days near the info booth! This is our sixth year at Maple Valley Days and we have some new books since last year.

And Happy National Donut Day!

http://www.maplevalleydays.com/

Check out our 2017 Maple Valley Days

Check out our 2016 Maple Valley Days

Check out our 2015 Maple Valley Days

Check out our 2014 Maple Valley Days

LAKE WILDERNESS PARK

23601 224th Ave SE

Maple Valley, WA 98038

MAP

FESTIVAL HOURS

Friday: 3pm – 8pm – Carnival stays open until 10.

Saturday: 10am – 8pm

Sunday: 10am – 5pm

For more information, visit the official website HERE or visit the new Facebook page HERE

Local Event Alert! Indie Bookstore Day – Author Signing

April 26, 2019 by rachelauthorbarnard in Local Authors, Local Events, Rachel Barnard and tagged indie bookstore day, Neverending Bookshop

It’s happening again! Seattle Independent Bookstore Day is this Saturday, April 27 at participating local bookstores!!!

I’ll be participating at the Neverending Bookshop in Edmonds this year from 12-2. Here is the schedule at the Neverending Bookshop:

9 – 11: Valerie Stein

10 – 12: James Macon

12 – 2: Rachel Barnard

2 – 4: Karen Eisenbrey and Mikko

What Is Seattle Independent Bookstore Day?

When Independent Bookstore Day went national in 2015 (after its founding in 2014 by booksellers in Northern California was a rousing success), Seattle’s indie bookstores collaborated to showcase what we do best: build human connections through physical books, in a daylong celebration of the work we do and the readers and customers who make it possible. We offered many of the same events and exclusive items as our colleagues across the country, but we also introduced the Passport Challenge, encouraging readers to get their passports stamped at as many participating stores as possible on Bookstore Day. Those who get their passports stamped at every participating store that day are crowned Grand Champions, with a crown, a party, and best of all, a 25% discount at all participating stores for the following year. We admit we have been stunned by the response: in our first year, we weren’t sure if anyone would complete the full Passport Challenge, but we crowned 42 Grand Champions. In 2017, our third year, the number of Grand Champions, all of whom visited 19 stores from Poulsbo to Kirkland to Queen Anne to Georgetown in a single day, exploded to 320, and in 2018 our total number of Champions increased yet again, to nearly 500. We’re hoping for even more in 2019!