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Had a Blast at iScream for Mysteries!
- Sherry Ickes
- Jun 2
- 3 min read
Updated: Jun 27
Image taken of myself standing at my table, waiting for the doors to open at this year's iScream for Mysteries.
The day started out with all of my fellow authors, and myself, parking outside and bringing our stuff into the church to set up for the readers who would be arriving a little later. Once my table was all arranged with handouts, email sign-up list, and books, I was handed a name tag that would serve as my reminders for the table numbers I started and stopped at during the Author Roundabout.
Then it was time for the owner of the Mechanicsburg Mystery Bookshop, Deb, to give us authors the run down on the day's agenda. She went over what to expect in the timing of things, what the layout was at the venue, and what we would have to do after all was said and done.
Deb Beamer, owner of the bookshop, giving the authors instructions on how the day will go.
(Photo Credit: Mechanicsburg Mystery Bookshop)
The books were organized so nice and neatly, in alphabetical order, of over 80+ titles!
(Photo Credit: Mechanicsburg Mystery Bookshop)
My table was good-to-go before the doors opened, as I would be talking about The Pathway to Agua Shire.
As the readers picked their seats at the numbered tables, I had a chance to chat with some of the other authors and readers I've seen from prior events. It was nice to catch up with them on what they were currently reading, and the other functions my fellow authors were attending in the near future.
The shop had a nice assortment of snacks, and the volunteers were very friendly with any questions the readers had.
We all waited for Deb and Bill Peschel, of Peschel Press, to start things off with a quick introduction for the attendees, before we were ushered to our tables and clock was off! Author Roundabout, aka Author Speed-dating is were the reader remain seated at their tables and us authors move around the room to tell them about our books. There is a timer that goes off every five minutes, although other places set their own amount, and then we whisk ourselves away to the next batch of readers.
I have a few images below to demonstrate what I mean:
Mystery Author Radha Vatsal giving readers a talk on her latest book. Faces blurred for privacy reasons.
(Photo Credit: Mechanicsburg Mystery Bookshop)
Author Tj O'Connor talks to readers at Table Nine about his new thriller. Faces blurred for privacy reasons.
(Photo Credit: Mechanicsburg Mystery Bookshop)
In this image, I'm chatting with a table about the first in my "Fairies of Creek Water" series.
The Author Roundabout was broken into two segments, with a break in-between for shopping, bathroom breaks, snack runs, and to rest tired voices like my own. It also gave the readers a few minutes to find us for additional questions. And once the bell rang again, it was actually time for some fun trivia that attendees, authors included, could should out the answers to questions that pertained to each of us. Some were focused on our series or main characters, while others were trained more on our names or where we were from. Everyone seemed to enjoy this part of the day as well.
Before we knew it, it was time to resume the round of tables and by the end of the event, it had been so much fun, that I can't wait to come back as an author again! We were keeping a weathered-eye to the threatening line of thunderstorms that was supposed to reach the area later in the afternoon, but we managed to get ahead of it and I was able to get home in time (though it was close).
And here is the group picture we all took after it was all over; proof that we survived!
(Photo Credit: Mechanicsburg Mystery Bookshop)
Back Row (Left to Right): Westley Smith, Dori Hammer, Robert Walton, Dennis Boyle, Michael Stephen Daigle
Middle Row (Left to Right): Bill Peschel, Jennifer Sadera, Stephen Eoannou, Tj O'Connor, John J. Lamb, Jeffrey Boarts, Radha Vatsal
Front Row (Left to Right): Sheryl C.D. Ickes, Rosie Genova, A.E. Faulkner, Patrice McDonough
A big thanks to the Mechanicsburg Mystery Bookshop for putting together this wonderful event, and to all of the readers who attended! Not to mention the friendly volunteers who helped to keep everything running smoothly, and my fellow authors who make events like these all the more enjoyable. I hope to come again real soon!
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