Case in point:
On Sept. 19, 2009, I was one of the exhibitors at the Sonoma County Book Festival in Santa Rosa, CA.

Teresa LeYung Ryan, Amy Gorman, Kate Farrell, Rita Lakin, Pat Windom, Marcia Canton having fun together at Sonoma County Book Festival

“Sonoma County Book Festival was a testament of positive attitude and team effort.  Shyne, Kate Farrell, Marcia Canton, Rita Lakin, Amy Gorman and I chipped in to buy two 10’x10’ booths.  We had to bring our own tables, chairs, and canopies though. Linda L. lent us her canopy; we dusted off our card tables and folding chairs.

“My sister Maria helped me design a lovely poster.  My hubby Lyle found a second canopy through Craigslist, packed a cooler for us, and schlepped a carload to the festival. (Shyne, we missed you.)  Pat Windom and Marcia’s hubby Joe sat at the booths while the five of us got stage time (Thank you, Kate Farrell and Linda Loveland Reid!). B. Lynn Goodwin was our
neighboring exhibitor.  So many other folks to thank–calendar editors; CWC & WNBA colleagues; Marlene Cullen’s writers’ forum; book festival organizers and volunteers (led by Nadja); readers who stepped out to support the event.  Networking, meeting fans, being out in the community. Glad we were together, having fun.” Teresa LeYung Ryan, author of Love Made of Heart and writing-career coach http://www.WritingCoachTeresa.com

“Calling ourselves the Fab Five, our group talked books all day to a
constant stream of eager readers interested in literature and in meeting
authors. The Fair was splendidly organized and the spirit warm and
inviting. Thanks for offering this day to the community.”  Amy Gorman,
author of Aging Artfully: 12 Profiles of Visual and Performing Artists
85-105 http://www.agingartfully.com

“What an opportunity the SoCo Book Festival was for me and my young adult
novel, Girl in the Mirror ! I sold books; gave out postcards; networked
with teachers and librarians in the community; and spoke to some teenage
girls. There is no substitute for speaking directly to your audience
(sorry, Twitter).”  Kate Farrell, author of Girl in the Mirror
http://www.girlinthemirror.info Workshop Leader http://www.wisdomhasavoice.com

“And what an interesting, intelligent, talented group of women we are,
including dear Pat Windom who will make it Fab Six (and others who might
beg to join us) for next year’s appearance. I bet Booths 75-76 had more
fun than anybody.” Rita Lakin, author of the Gladdy Gold mystery series
http://ritalakin.com

“Can’t stop thanking you for a special day!” Marcia Canton, Ph.D., author
of Mentoring in Higher Education: Best Practices http://www.cantonassociates.com