Jimmy Thomas, a Book Signing and a Little Lad in Training

What in the world does Jimmy Thomas, a book signing and a little lad in training have in common? Yep, I thought the same thing.

I've posted several times before about the wonderful sayings that come out of the mouths of babes. And just when I think nothing else would surprise me, bang, there it is.

It all started when Temptation in a Kilt was published. As every author would do, I privately reflected and asked myself, "What if this is a NYT Bestseller? What if this is a USA Today Bestseller? OMG! What if it's both? Wait, reality is sinking in... What if it gets really bad reviews and bombs?" *shaking head and clearing out negative thoughts*

When things start to bother me, I like to talk instead of keeping all of my musings inside to fester. I started talking to my kids about how I would promote the book. We talked about promotional items, what I would take to the book signing, etc. You know--anything to lighten said dark thoughts.

My daughter smirks and says, "Boy, it's too bad you can't have Jimmy Thomas attend. How great would that be to help you sell your book?"

For those of you that don't know, Jimmy is the Highlander gracing my website and blog and also the Highlander in the Temptation in a Kilt book trailer.

Of course I agree with my daughter. How could I not?

Right on cue, my son says, "I'll do it. Buy me a kilt and I'll do it. But... I will only do it if you buy me the shirt, shoes and dagger. I want to look like a Highlander. Then I can pass out your bookmarks and say, "Thank you for buying my Mom's book." And I swear this was entirely my little lad's idea. Both of my kids are verra proud of Mom.

As any mother/author of Scottish historical romance would do, I ordered my little lad the complete Scottish get-up from Heritage of Scotland. 

And it arrived...

I can admit that I may be a wee bit partial. But I think my son will do great at the book signing! What do you think? A future Highland laird mayhap?

Foxburg Scottish Festival

The clan and I recently journeyed to the Foxburg Scottish Festival. This was the second time I dragged them *clearing throat* meant to say we traveled to the festival.

We started the day's events by walking along Clan Row. Why not start with my Campbell friends? This was an interesting tale for sure. For those of you that don't know, Book 1 of the Bad Boys of the Highlands series depicts the Campbells and MacGregors. In actuality, history portrays the Campbells as a beloved clan and the outlawed MacGregors were clearly that. I asked myself 'what if' a lot and ultimately decided to have the right hand of the king, Campbells, falling from grace. Imagine my surprise when I approached the Campbell tent to find this Campbell wasnae verra friendly. Perhaps history was mistaken.  

I can usually talk to anyone and make them smile. You know, kindness with kindness. I picked up one of the books on the table and examined it. I knew it was Kilchurn Castle since that was what Book 1 was based upon, the Campbell seat at Glenorchy. I smiled and said, "Oh, I see you have Kilchurn Castle. Was that the Campbell seat in Glenorchy then?" I am but a stupid female. Please enlighten me with your expertise.

If it was even possible, his scowl deepened further and he yelled to his wife, "Hey, come here and answer this lady's question." Bloody Campbells.

That did not dampen our spirits. In fact, we moved on to the vendors. Their wares consisted of everything under the Scottish sun. From kilts, sporrans, tartans, plaids, dirks and swords to Scottish short bread and the Scottish drink, Irn Bru. I always wanted to try it and the man who sold it insisted it tastes just like Bazooka bubble gum. He was right. It was great for the first couple of sips, but then I had to pass it to the kids. Too sweet for me. 

While the men showed off their prowess during the Highland Games,

some had colorful opinions and displayed them openly. If it's not Scottish, it's crap!

We meandered over to the sheep herding event. If you have never seen border collies in action, they are definitely something to see. Following only the commands of a whistle, these dogs are very agile and are able to herd the sheep from a specific area to another with minimal instruction. If only we could train our kids that way!

The people were colorful and dressed to the kilt. Pun intended! From the wee laddies to the pipers...

To the animals. The stuffed and the real...

Everyone wanted to be Scottish, if only for a day.