My pre-sale orders were tremendous and I am most thankful to God for its success. The whole process taught me that it's not in OUR time, but in God's perfect timing. I had to learn about patience the hard way. (And patience is not one of my virtues!) There was a time when I wondered if I would ever see the book in print and actually hold "the baby". So, what I would like to say to anyone who has a goal and a dream, don't ever give up. Everything happens for a purpose. I very much believe in visualization as I reflect back to 1999 and the first time Fred and I had talked of, perhaps, owning our own Gone With The Wind-themed bed and breakfast. We had such an awesome b&b experience on our honeymoon at The Fort Scriven Inn on Tybee Island in Georgia. We had an intimate, romantic wedding ceremony on the beach on Tybee complete with a horse and carriage which transported us to and from the inn. The innkeepers were so welcoming and hosted a beautiful reception there in its elegant dining room! It was absolutely beautiful. I remember how special they made Fred and me feel. Since Fred and I both love people, we could visualize ourselves owning a bed and breakfast whereby we could give our guests a true "Gone With The Wind" experience. We began perusing the internet for homes suitable for such a dream and the first one that caught our eye was an antebellum, Georgian Revival home in Barnesville, Georgia (the buggy capital of the south "back in the day"). The history of this beautiful home was so intriguing to us and went hand in hand with the story and time frame of "Gone With The Wind". It had served as a hospital and a Confederate Headquarters during The War Between The States, was built in 1849. Originally, it had been the main house on a large cotton plantation much like Tara. We set up an appointment to see the home which had been used previously as a b&b under the name of The Rose Inn. As soon as we walked through the double front doors into the foyer, Fred and I knew we were home. We were visualizing ourselves living in the home and having our very own b&b. We looked at each other and then quietly said to each other, "Should we go ahead and make an offer? This is perfect for us!" So, we did just that. Having written all of this, I want to reiterate that one should visualize their goal or dream. See yourself physically being at that place where you want to be in your life or creating or whatever or wherever that dream takes you. Never ever give up.
Saturday, June 20th, marked another dream realized---it was my first book signing event. The fine folks at the Kroger Store in Danville, Kentucky hosted the event and provided balloons and cakes from their bakery. It was pouring "cats and dogs" when my dear mother, (my companion and helper) and I arrived at the store. A young man who worked there was so nice to assist us in toting the various items, e.g. table, chairs, tablecloth, box of books, photos and, of course, Miz Scarlett, into the store. I was very thankful for his help! I met so many nice folks and quite a few aficionados of "Gone With The Wind" there. I heard someone call my name and I looked up to see a friend of mine on Facebook, who I've been friends with for over four years, but had never met face to face, along with her sweetheart (Jen and Ben). They had driven all the way over from Frankfort, Kentucky to meet, visit, purchase a book and support me at my first book signing event! They were certainly the highlight of my day! Wow! That was so special and touched me deeply.
Well, tomorrow night, Tuesday, June 23rd, will be another great event where I will make more memories. I will be appearing at The Lights Of Liberty Theater in Liberty, Kentucky, where they will be showing "Gone With The Wind" on the big screen for free admission. I will arrive an hour before the showing (about 5:00pm EDT) for a book signing event and then will be speaking briefly before the beginning of the picture about some behind the scene stories and some funny anecdotes about some of the cast members. The actual screening will be at 6:00pm EDT. I will be donating a portion of the proceeds from the sale of FIDDLE DEE DEE RECIPES: A TASTE OF "GONE WITH THE WIND" from this event to a very worthwhile ministry in the area, The Galilean Home Ministries. I am looking forward to seeing lots of familiar faces and meeting some new friends at this event! I hope you will be able to join us! It will be a super fun evening!
Signing off for now---
Life is like a book. Each day is a new page. May your book be a bestseller with adventures to tell, lessons to learn and tales of good deeds to remember.
Terry Lynn