A Blog Visit Today and Two Signings This Weekend!

Today's blog post polishes up my promotion week of on-line activities to celebrate the release of Fatal Descent, the third book in my RM Outdoor Adventures mystery series starring whitewater river ranger/rafting guide Mandy Tanner. I am a guest today on the Murder By 4 blog, with an article about "Teasing Apart the Acknowledgements in a Book" where I use Fatal Descent's Acknowledgements page as an example. Do you read Acknowledgements pages? What are you looking for in them? What have you found? Please leave a comment there with your thoughts.

Also, I'm mentioned in Shelf Awareness today, in the article about Covered Treasures Bookstore's 20th Birthday Month.

This weekend, I'll be appearing live at two signing events in Colorado:

Saturday, June 15, 2013, 10:30 – noon and 1:30 – 4 PM
Signings During FIBArk Whitewater Festival
The Book Haven
128 F Street, Salida, Colorado 81201

Sunday, June 16, 2 - 4 PM
Signing during Kingdom Days Sidewalk Sale (after the Outhouse Races)
Breckenridge Welcome Center
203 South Main Street, Breckenridge, CO 80424

If you are in the Colorado high country this weekend, I hope you'll come to one of these events and say hi!

Lastly,  I want to take a moment to talk about the Black Forest fire near Colorado Springs, now the most disastrous wildfire in Colorado state history. I am nowhere near it, living in Breckenridge now. However, many of my friends from when I lived in Colorado Springs have been evacuated and some have almost certainly lost their homes. I hope you'll keep the families of Black Forest and the firefighters working so hard on the fire in your thoughts and prayers. On my Facebook page, I shared some horrible photos and an educational video of the firefighters at work.

Salida, Colorado, Signing

Today I will appear at the First in Boating on the Arkansas (FIBArk) whitewater festival in Salida, Colorado, the locale for my RM Outdoor Adventures mystery series. I will sign copies of the recently released second book in the series, Wicked Eddies, at The Book Haven, 135 F Street, from 10:30 - noon after the conclusion of the parade. In the afternoon, I will sign copies at The Book Haven booth in front of the Boathouse Cantina near the FIBArk festival grounds from 1:30 - 4 PM. I hope to see some friendly faces there!

The 2011 FIBArk Hooligan Race

As promised yesterday and Monday, when I talked about other aspects of the FIBArk whitewater festival in Salida, Colorado, and my participation in it, I am posting today about the Hooligan Race. The Hooligan Race is open to anything that floats. Anything. Except a boat, that is.

Hooligans pick a theme for their homemade craft, dress up in costume, and try to put on a good show for the hoards of onlookers lining the banks. The winner is not determined by whose craft is the fastest, or even the most durable (many don't survive the race). It's the team that puts on the best show for the crowd.

Necks start craning each time the announcer shouts, "Hooligans in the water!" to signal that another heat of homemade craft are starting their scramble through the downtown whitewater park. Below are some photos of creative rafts in the race. First is a fire brigade, followed by a jail break on a mattress and a giant caterpillar.




The next two photos show Boris the spider and the giant river rat ("river rat" being a term for anyone who loves paddling whitewater).



The next two photos show how things can go wrong. First, a replica of the space shuttle is breaking up in the standing wave feature of the whitewater park. Second, a raft has crashed into the bridge support, and the paddlers are going to have to abandon ship.



Lastly, here's the hands-down favorite of the crowd, which set a new pyrotechnic "high bar" for race competitors: The Natural Disasters.


And the final FIBArk event that I attended was the VIP Brunch on Sunday for board members and VIPs such as myself. After stuffing ourselves and sipping on beermosas (versus mimosas - made of beer and orange juice) made from product provided by the main sponsor, New Belgium Brewing, my husband and I got in the car to head home to Colorado Springs. Here's a final photo of me with the Parade Director, Donna Rhoads. What a fun weekend!

Part Two of My Experiences at FIBArk

Yesterday, I blogged about being the Honored Guest or VIP in the FIBArk Parade in Salida, Colorado, last weekend. I'll continue talking about the festival, and my participation in it, today and tomorrow. First and foremost, FIBArk's reason for existence is whitewater races.

Freestyle events award points based on the paddler's ability to do tricks and maneuvers in a river hole or standing wave. Below are photos of two standing board paddlers in a freestyle event.



Slalom racing requires paddlers to negotiate a course of gates, poles hung three feet apart and suspended above the river, through the Whitewater Park in downtown Salida. Below are two photos of kayakers going through slalom gates, followed by a cataraft paddler aiming for a gate. In my mystery, Deadly Currents, my whitewater river ranger paddles a cataraft, so this photo gives you an idea of what one looks like. The fourth photo shows slalom gates across the river and also shows how high the water is, washing over the riverside sidewalk.





Also, FIBArk was the venue for the 2011 U.S. Wildwater National Championships. Below is a photo of two kayakers pushing hard to get a good start in the wildwater race. Notice the slim, sleek shape of the boats, which are built more for speed than maneuverability.


The festival also hosts its signature race that it began with 63 years ago, the downriver, which is a 26-mile long-distance marathon paddle to the finish line. Below is a photo of the start of the raft downriver race.


Over time, many other activities have become part of the festival, including a carnival with games and rides for the children, food stands, musical performances, foot and bike races, and more. Below is a photo of a line of food stands, followed by two of the Amphitheater in Riverside Park, the music venue.




Last but not least are two photos of Lisa Marvel, the owner of The Book Haven bookstore, and me manning our book signing table for Deadly Currents across the street from Riverside Park and in front of the very popular Boathouse Cantina.



Tomorrow, I'll post photos of some of the creative and wild entries in my favorite FIBArk event, the Hooligan Race. You'll also see some interesting crashes. Be sure to check back!

I Love A Parade...

...especially one that features moi!

Here's the scoop and the photos. This past weekend was the FIBArk (First in Boating on the Arkansas) whitewater rafting festival in Salida, CO. Because I feature Salida and the festival in the first book of my new Rocky Mountain Outdoor Adventures mystery series, Deadly Currents, I was invited to be their Honored Guest or VIP in the FIBArk Parade.

The weekend began with a noon interview on Friday on the local radio station, KSBV, "The River Rat." They also had me record a promo spot for the station while I was there. Something along the lines of "Hello, this is Beth Groundwater, author of Deadly Currents and the FIBArk Parade VIP. I tune into KSBV, the River Rat, every time I visit Salida." Here I am with on-air radio personality Marc Scott during the interview.


The parade took place at 10 AM on Saturday morning. The next three photos show a float and the local roller derby team lining up to participate, and the color guard that started the whole shebang off.




The next two photos show me perched on the back seat of a PT Cruiser convertible and waving to the folks lining the streets. It was an absolutely amazing experience, especially when we pulled into the heart of downtown, where the crowd was 4-8 people deep and the parade announcer introduced me.



The next four photos are of antique cars and floats in the parade. Some of the floats, such as Boris the Spider, were rafts constructed for the upcoming Hooligan Race.





And the last four photos are of Shriners who came from all over the state of Colorado to participate and put on a show during the parade. In the background you can see The Book Haven Bookstore that hosted my signing table at FIBArk.





My next two posts will feature photos of FIBArk events, my booksigning table there, and the always outrageous Hooligan Race. Tune in tomorrow and the next day for a look see, then let me know what you think. And make plans to attend next year's FIBArk!

A Busy Long Weekend!

This weekend is my last big promotion push for Deadly Currents, the first book in my new Rocky Mountain Outdoor Adventures mystery series, before I knuckle down and start outlining book three in the series.

The whirlwind of events started yesterday with a blogtalk radio interview at Gelati's Scoop GZONE with Giovanni Gelati. You can listen to the interview HERE.

Today, from 5:00 - 8:00 PM I will be signing copies and chatting with customers at Covered Treasures Bookstore in Monument, Colorado during the town's June Art Walk event.

Then Friday kicks off my red carpet weekend at Salida, Colorado, for their FIBArk (First in Boating on the Arkansas) whitewater rafting festival. The weekend will begin with a noon interview on on the local radio station, KSBV, "The River Rat." There's even been talk of me doing a few promo spots for FIBArk while I'm there. :) Previously, I was also interviewed by a local writer for the Salida Citizen, the community's on-line newspaper. You can read the interview HERE.

Then from 1:00 - 5:00 PM Friday afternoon (and Saturday afternoon), I will be signing copies of Deadly Currents at The Book Haven table on the back deck of the Boathouse Cantina, right on the river front. After that, I plan to watch the Freestyle competitions taking place in the Salida Riverfront Park and get some dinner with Lisa Marvel, the owner of The Book Haven. She has graciously offered to house my husband and me during the festival.

Saturday morning, from 10:00 AM until Noon, I will be the VIP in the FIBArk Parade, riding in a convertible and waving to the onlookers. What fun that will be! I picked up a couple of magnetic signs of the cover art for Deadly Currents today that I'll put on the sides of the convertible I'll be riding in during the parade.

After a quick lunch, it's back to the signing table. Then comes the highlight (for me) of every FIBArk I've attended in the past, the Hooligan Race. Teams build rafts out of anything that floats, dress up in costumes to match the themes of their homemade rafts, and compete to see who puts on the best show for the crowds lining the banks of the Arkansas River downtown. The beer flows, water guns shoot in all directions, and crowds hoot and holler as rafts disintegrate in or miraculously survive the rapids. Go HERE to see the highlights of last year's Hooligan Race.

I'm sure the imbibing will continue over dinner and well into the night, but my husband and I will have to rally by 9:00 Sunday morning to attend the VIP Brunch on the SteamPlant plaza and observe the Downriver Races. Sated after an exciting weekend, we'll head home to Colorado Springs for a well-deserved rest.

But wait, there's still a meeting with a book club on Monday!

An Interview in the Salida Citizen

As many of my blog readers hopefully know, I have been asked to be the VIP in the Parade for the FIBArk (First in Boating on the Arkansas) whitewater festival in Salida, Colorado this coming Saturday morning. It's a match made in heaven, because Salida and FIBArk are both featured prominently in my March mystery release, Deadly Currents, the first book in my Rocky Mountain Outdoor Adventures mystery series featuring whitewater river ranger Mandy Tanner.

To publicize my involvement in FIBArk, I will be interviewed on the local radio station, KSBV, "The River Rat," on Friday. Also, I was interviewed by a local writer for the Salida Citizen, the community's on-line newspaper. You can read the interview HERE.

I'll be checking for and responding to comments on the interview over the next few days, so please let me know what you think of the interview--and feel free to ask a question of your own!

A festival, a signing, and moving a county line

How's that for a title? The weekend before last was hopping in Salida, Colorado because it was the weekend of the 62nd annual First in Boating on the Arkansas (FIBArk) festival in town. My husband and I drove out to Salida from Colorado Springs for three reasons that Friday: to scout out locations for the second book (Wicked Eddies) in my Rocky Mountain Outdoor Adventures mystery series, to spend the afternoon at the festival, then to conduct a signing at the Book Haven bookstore in downtown Salida.

I blogged in a companion post today at Inkspot about scouting out a location for my opening scene in Wicked Eddies, and I explain there why I am going to have to move a county line in the book to suit my purposes. I show photos there of where the dead body and other evidence will be.

Below are some photos of the FIBArk festival, which is great fun even for non-boaters. The last two photos are of the Book Haven storefront and of me having a nice chat over tea and cookies with the lovely owner, Lisa Marvel. Lisa has created a marvelous place in Salida for browsing new and used book titles, especially those related to Colorado, so if you visit the area I suggest you drop in.

PS. My husband took the photos both here and on the Inkspot blog. Isn't he a great photographer!?