Rob Watts writes about his experience at the NEHW tent at the Middletown Open Air Market. This originally appeared on Watt’s website, http://robwattsonline.livejournal.com/.

The vendor tents on the grounds of the Wadsworth Mansion (photo by Maria Arakil)

As colder days are approaching in New England, I would say we lucked out by being able to take advantage of one of the few remaining weekends where the weather gods were smiling down upon us. Even though there was a slight chill in the air, locals turned out in impressive numbers for the Middletown Open Air Market in Middletown, Connecticut on Sunday afternoon. I, along with fellow members of the NEHW, spent the better part of the day behind our booth fielding questions from curious visitors about us, our books, the organization and anything else that crossed their minds.

NEHW member

Table full of NEHW products (photo by Maria Arakil)

What made this a truly pleasurable event was the very laid-back atmosphere. It was held on the grounds of the beautiful Wadsworth Mansion, and the event itself was well organized which allowed for a positive flow throughout the day, for both the patrons and the vendors. Foot traffic around our booth was plentiful and with the beautiful display of books from the talented writers on hand, passersby were hard-pressed not to stop and browse through the displays. Camaraderie was the word-of-the-day, as each author did a great job of talking up their fellow writer’s books, not just their own (everyone at the table sold and signed books.) The team spirit and support throughout the booth made for great vibes and good fun during the afternoon. That’s something that can easily be lost and forgotten at events such as this.

From left to right: Kristi Petersen Schoonover, Kasey Shoemaker, Jason Harris, Stacey Longo, and Rob Watts (photo by Maria Arakil)

So kudos to all involved…myself, Stacey Longo, Jason Harris, Kristi Petersen Schoonover, Kasey Shoemaker and Kurt Newton. It was definitely the perfect event to debut my new book and well worth the 2 1/2 hour drive to and from Boston 🙂

Watts will be making an upcoming appearance at the NEHW table at the Southcoast Toy and Comic show on Sunday, Nov. 6, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m at the Seaport Inn and Marina in Fairhaven, MA. The location is 110 Middle Street. For more information, check out the website, www.southcoasttoyandcomic.com.