What are you doing Oct. 3-4? I'm guessing you're not straying too far from home, in these COVID times, so why not join me at an online book festival? The Deep Valley Book Festival is going virtual this year, and it will offer a variety of panels and events over two days.


The keynote speaker, New York Times bestselling author Matt Goldman, is a playwright and Emmy Award-winning television writer (Seinfeld, Ellen, The New Adventures of Old Christine, Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency) who now writes the Nils Shapiro private eye series. Other participating authors represent a variety of genres, including nonfiction, fiction, children's, YA, and fantasy & sci-fi. 

You can even hear dead authors come to life, as living history actors portray five Minnesota authors from the past: Maud Hart Lovelace (one of my childhood favorites!), Sinclair Lewis, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Wanda Gag, and Laura Ingalls Wilder. 

I'm excited to be on both a history writers panel and a creative nonfiction & memoir writers panel (we recorded the discussions earlier this month). I'm also participating in a live panel discussion about writing and publishing. 

Here's where you can find me on the schedule:

Saturday, Oct. 3:

• 11 a.m.: Writing the Truth: Nonfiction and memoir writers discuss writing about real events and people, and some of the unique challenges posed by writing real stories. 

Panelists: Christine Bauer, Phyllis Cole-Dai, Mary Losure, Joy Riggs, Jonathan Sweet

Moderator Rachael Hanel


• 4 p.m.: Writing History: History provides rich fodder for stories, both real and fictionalized. These authors will discuss how they use history as the basis for their writing.

Panelists: Susan Hvistendahl, Terri Karsten, Joy Riggs, Bryce Stenzel, Dale Swanson; Moderator: Danelle Erickson

Sunday, Oct, 4:

• 4 p.m.: LIVE Q & A with Festival Authors: DVBF authors will be available to answer audience questions about the writing process, the path to publication, and the writing life.

Panelists: Raven Eckman, Julie Holmes, Terri Karsten, Thea Kvamme, Joy Riggs, Bryce Stenzel, Dale Swanson, Susan Stradiotto, A.J. Sullivan; Moderator: Rachael Hanel

Be sure to check out the website for the full schedule. You can also shop for books online, and purchase them directly from authors or from partner bookstores.

Although the event is free, a donation of $25 or more makes you a Festival Friend, which gives you access to additional benefits: you'll be entered into a drawing for a DVBF Friendship bag filled with autographed books, and you'll be invited to an exclusive conversation with the keynote author.

The all-volunteer organizing committee has worked tirelessly to make this a quality event, and I'm looking forward to spending two days celebrating books and connecting with other readers and writers. Hope to see you there!

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November 26, 2020, will be long remembered as the year of the pandemic Thanksgiving. The date coincided with another momentous occasion, but because of COVID-19, I wasn't able to celebrate it as I would have liked: it was the 150th birthday of my paternal great-grandfather, G. Oliver Riggs. 

This time last year, I had different plans in mind for marking G. Oliver's 150th birthday. I had hoped to host a book reading/birthday party in St. Cloud in mid- or late November, invite friends and family, serve cake, arrange for some live music — it would have been the type of event I have sorely missed during these weeks and months of the global pandemic. 

G. Oliver was born on Nov. 26, 1870, in Louisa County, Iowa.

What are you doing Oct. 3-4? I'm guessing you're not straying too far from home, in these COVID times, so why not join me at an online book festival? The Deep Valley Book Festival is going virtual this year, and it will offer a variety of panels and events over two days.

One year ago today, I hosted a launch party for my book and was blown away by the response. I'm feeling especially grateful tonight for all the people who packed the Grand Event Center in Northfield that evening to show their interest and support. Such an event would not be possible under current COVID-19 restrictions.

Happy almost book birthday!

My nonfiction book, Crackerjack Bands and Hometown Boosters: The Story of a Minnesota Music Man, officially entered the world of published books on July 1, 2019, which means it's almost 1 year old!

Time sure flies when COVID-19 prevents you from continuing your book tour. Since I can't have a big in-person reading event to celebrate this momentous occasion, I decided to record myself reading the first chapter of my book and share it with all of you.

COVID-19 shut down many of my plans for book events this spring and summer. Fortunately, the Northfield Public Library has come to the rescue by offering me the chance to do my planned book reading in a virtual format next week.

It's one of many reasons why we should support our public libraries! They are constantly adapting to the needs of their patrons.

Today at 3 p.m., my dad and my middle child both played Taps, 175 miles apart. It was a long-distance duet, of sorts; my dad played outside the apartment building where he and my mom live in Alexandria, for a physically distanced crowd of about 20 friends and neighbors, and Sebastian played from our front porch in Northfield, for the enjoyment of Steve, Elias, me, and anyone else in the neighborhood who happened to hear it.

Dad and Sebastian were not the only ones playing Taps today.

My great-grandfather would have loved knowing that he was the subject of Curt Brown's Minnesota History column in last Sunday's (April 12) Star Tribune, Riggs struck up band like few others. It was a boost to me, as well, to see G. Oliver Riggs and my book, Crackerjack Bands and Hometown Boosters, mentioned in the state's largest daily newspaper (and the country's seventh-largest, in terms of circulation).
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I spent a few hours this afternoon cleaning out the bedroom that has served as my office since September, so Sebastian can reclaim it for the rest of the school year. I got sidetracked (no surprise) when I came across a fragile, musty photo album that a second cousin sent me many months ago. It appears to have belonged to my paternal great-grandmother, Islea.

I hadn't spent much time with the album when it arrived at my house because I was deep in revisions to my book at that time.

Three weeks ago — which seems like three years ago now — I was the featured guest at the monthly meeting of the Stillwater Woman's Reading Club. The group formed in 1886 and is the longest-operating woman-founded club in Minnesota. I was honored to be invited and had a marvelous time talking to its members about my book, Crackerjack Bands and Hometown Boosters: The Story of a Minnesota Music Man. During my presentation at St.

In my previous blog post, I mentioned that I wrote two different epilogues for my book, Crackerjack Bands and Hometown Boosters: The Story of a Minnesota Music Man. I ultimately decided against including either one in the final manuscript.

I wrote the second epilogue in October 2017, shortly after I had attended a writing retreat led by Minneapolis author/teacher/writing coach extraordinaire Kate Hopper.
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