So proud to be invited to Gadsden Public Library again. I'll travel to Gadsden for the 2016 Alabama Library Association conference. I'll be participating in the Author Expo from 5 to 8 p.m.

I'm looking forward to meeting librarians from around the state and telling them about Project Keepsake.

Thanks to Craig Scott, Judy Bacon, and Amanda Jackson for thinking of me and inviting me to their event. I loved my time in Gadsden in 2014! For more information, contact the library at (256) 549-4699.

Thanks to my dear friend, Janie Watts, for organizing an author event this year at the Goodlet Farm in Rock Spring, Georgia. The farm is hosting a festival to raise money for breast cancer awareness. There will be musicians, craftsmen, artists, and authors present to entertain and sell products. 

We authors will be performing readings of our material, plus, we'll have tables in the barn to sell our books.

So far, committed authors include Raymond Atkins, Ann Hite, Rebecca Cook, Janice Hashe, Lisa Parrish, Janie Dempsey Watts, Ray Zimmerman, Marsha Matthews, KB Ballentine, and many more. Storyteller Michael Gray of the River City Sessions will be there. Musicians appearing will include James Rodgers, Summer Shyvonne and Paul Smith and the Sky High Band.   A children's storytelling area for younger visitors will be featured, and there'll be plenty of food and drink. For Civil War buffs, there will be a reenactment at the 200-acre farm not far from Highway 27.

 Stop by! It'll be fun! This will be a great way to spend a beautiful fall Saturday and help raise money for a worthy cause.  Mark your calendars.

This event has been CANCELLED due to rainy weather.

The George Chambers Resource Center is holding a fundraising event for women in September in Calhoun, Georgia. Picnic in the Park will be a fun night out for women in our community to come together, bond, and help a very worthy cause.

I've been asked to speak about storytelling and Project Keepsake that evening, and as most of you know, I could talk about storytelling all night long. 

The event begins at 5 p.m. Saturday and tickets are $5 each. Bring a quilt or blanket to sit on and a side dish. The event is at the black and yellow playground at Calhoun Recreation Park on the 53 Spur (behind the George Chambers Resource Center). For more information, contact Wendi Nunnery at (404) 273-8114.

I'll be traveling south to the Jeff Davis County Library on Tuesday, July 28th to talk about keepsakes and storytelling. I'll read a few excerpts from Project Keepsake, hopefully sell a few copies of the book, and meet some great folks.

Bring a small keepsake or memento to the library and share its story with me and the members of the Friends of the Library.

Books will be available for purchase (cash, check, or credit card), and as always, I'll sign a copy for you or a friend.

For more information, contact Bill Ryle at (912) 539-0008.

I've been told that the library is on Highway 341 across from Walmart as you head out of Hazlehurst towards Baxley, Georgia. I'm really looking forward to this event. I have family near this area, and hopefully, a few family members will find their way over to Hazlehurst to see me. 

I plan to travel to Gadsden to talk about Project Keepsake and the art of sharing stories on Thursday, December 11. I'll be with the fine folks at the Gadsden Public Library. 

I'll be on Randy Davis' radio show in Rome, Georgia on December 1, 2014 at 9 a.m. More details later.

I'm excited about presenting Project Keepsake to the members of the Gordon County Historical Society on November 20 at the Calhoun Depot. My presentation will bring history down to a personal level - so many histories and memories associated with keepsakes.

A big thanks to Donna Myers for inviting me to the meeting, which is also a potluck dinner. Yay!

And yes, I'll have books to sign and sell.

Start shopping for the holidays at the Marietta Book Exchange TONIGHT!

I am so excited to be part of the Self Published/ Indie Press Open House Event at the Marietta Book Exchange on Monday night from 6:30 PM to 8 PM. I'll be there with nine other local authors who are eager to tell you about their books and sign a few copies. From Sci-Fi/Fantasy to Women's Fiction to Inspirational to Nonfiction to so much more! Come join us at this fun-filled community event. Cat's store will be warm, dry, and filled with laughter. There will be refreshments and a door prize.

 Festivities start at 6:30pm!

The Book Exchange is at 2932 Canton Road in Marietta. For more information, contact Cat Blanco at (770) 427-4848.

Do you have a keepsake? Learn to tell the story behind your keepsake in a special workshop titled, "Writing About Keepsakes" at the Marietta Book Exchange at 2932 Canton Road in Marietta on Sunday, November 16th. The workshop runs from 3 to 5 p.m.

After a little brainstorming, I'll show you how to shape your story to make it both compelling and interesting. I'll share my editing and revision tips. And I'll offer tips for sharing your stories with others.

What to bring?

• A keepsake or a photo of your keepsake.
• Paper.
• Two writing utensils.
• Thoughts, ideas, and memories.
• A dash of creativity.

Yes, there will be lots of helpful handouts! Yes, you'll learn a few things! And yes, it will be loads of fun!

Registration fee is $40 on or before November 11, and $45 after November 11. Registration  includes a signed copy of Project Keepsake, informative handouts, instruction for two hours, and lots of laughs. To register, call Cat Blanco at the Marietta Book Exchange at (770) 427-4848.

See you at the Marietta Book Exchange on Sunday, November 16! For more information, contact me through my Contact page or contact Cat Blanco at (770) 427-4848.

I will be speaking at the Rome Area Writers Meeting on Thursday, November 13, at 6 p.m. I will talk about finding writing work as a freelancer, how to build relationships with clients, and of course, Project Keepsake. Thanks to Paul Moses for inviting me.

I'll be at Cloudland Canyon State Park (outside of Lafayette) on Sunday, November 2 from 1 to 5. At 2:40 p.m., I'll read a selection of keepsake stories from Project Keepsake. I am one of several local "Spoken Word" performers at the 2014 Mountain Arts and Crafts Celebration. Here's the lineup for Sunday:

1:00 Finn Bille
1:20 Marcus Patrick Ellsworth
1:40  Ray Zimmerman
2:00 Marsha Matthews
2:20 Mia Hansford
2:40 Amber Lanier Nagle
3:00 Steve Daugherty

Thanks to Ray Zimmerman for the invitation! Ray will be the Master of Ceremonies both days and Finn Bille will work his magic with the sound. And yes, some of us will be selling books. See you there, folks!

Janie Watts and I will be at Barnes and Noble in Rome, GA on Saturday, September 20th between 3 and 4 pm as part of the Rome High School Key Club's event to raise money and awareness for breast cancer.

Janie will be signing her novel, "Moon Over Taylor's Ridge," a Southern story rooted in the cultural history - and mystery - of the Northwest Georgia hills. It's a book club favorite, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. You will too.

Of course, I'll have copies of Project Keepsake with me to sign and sell.

Help us help the Key Club raise money for a great cause. Some of the proceeds go to Cancer Navigators.

I will be hosting a workshop for writers and aspiring writers who want to craft a keepsake story on Saturday, August 9th in Calhoun (location announced soon).

The workshop will run from 10 a.m. in the morning until 3 p.m. in the afternoon with a one-hour lunch provided. All attendees will get a copy of Project Keepsake. 

The fee for this workshop is $40 for adults and $35 for students.

I'll cover everything you need to know: brainstorming, organizing, shaping your story, revising your work, and submitting it for consideration.

Stay tuned for more details.

Karli Land has called a meeting of Calhoun Area Writers at the Harris Arts Center in Calhoun from 6 to 7:30 on Friday, July 25th.

If you are a local writer (Calhoun, Rome, Adairsville, Armuchee, Cartersville, Cassville, Kingston, Resaca, Dalton, White, etc.), and you want to meet and mingle with other local writers, contact Karli through Facebook. This will be a great opportunity for all of us to gather, talk about what we are currently working on, and share our unique writing experiences with one another.  

I'll be there, and I'll have Project Keepsake books for sale if anyone wants one. And some of the other story contributors will be there, too (Coleen Brooks and Wayne Minshew). 

 

Amber will be at the Barnes & Noble on Saturday, July 19, from 2 to 4 p.m. selling and signing copies of Project Keepsake. Other regional authors will also be present with their projects, as well.

Thanks to Cassie Taylor-Potts, Community Relations Manager at the B&N in Rome. For more information about other participating authors, contact Cassie at (706) 232-3243.

Join me at the Nola Brantley Memorial Library in my hometown of Warner Robins, Georgia on Thursday evening, July 10 from 6 to 8 p.m. I'll discuss writing, my efforts to inspire people to write about their keepsakes, and my journey to collect and publish the stories that matter—the stories that have to be told.

I'll try to have a few other Project Keepsake contributors on-hand to tell their stories, too—Jim Gilreath, Julie Moss, Audrey Andersen, Debbie Dickson, and maybe a few others.

Yes, I'll have books for sale, and if you want, I'll gladly sign one for you. And as always, if you have a small keepsake, please bring it along and tell all of us why you keep it.

Tell your friends! For more information, contact the library at (478) 923-0128.

Friends of the Dallas Public Library has invited me for "An Evening with an Author." I'll talk about Project Keepsake, its stories, its contributors, and the long journey to publication. I'll even talk about the promotion side of the book. That's all I know so far.

The Friends of the Cartersville Public Library group is hosting a reception and presentation at their facility (429 West Main Street, Cartersville, GA 30120, 770-382-4203) on Thursday, May 8th.  The event is open to the public.  Amber will talk about Project Keepsake and writing keepsake stories. Local story contributors—Bob Wright, Audrey Andersen, Anne Cowan, Renea Winchester, and Carmen Slaughter—will share favorite excerpts from their stories.

Books will be available for purchase.  

Thanks to Audrey Andersen and Karen Barnhart.

I will attend Ms. Swiney's seventh grade class again and review the stories that the students have been working on.  I'll talk about writing articles and stories and finding publishing opportunities.  And I'll close it out by answering any questions the kids have.

Help us celebrate by attending a reading and signing event. Amber and a handful of local contributors will read a few excerpts of their stories then hang around to sign copies of Project Keepsake. Want to know more about a story?  Come and ask the storyteller yourself.

And bring a small keepsake or memento along with you and share its story with us!

Books will be available for purchase (cash, check, or credit card).

For more information, contact the library at (706) 876-1360.

Want to learn how to write your own keepsake story?  Bring a small keepsake, a pen, and some paper and attend a free "Writing About Keepsakes" mini-workshop for adults on Tuesday evening from 5—6 PM. Amber will guide attendees through the art of weaving a story. From brainstorming to organizing to drafting to revising—she'll cover it all.

Attendees will actually start writing their stories during the workshop.

"Everyone has a keepsake, and every keepsake has a story to tell," says Amber.  "It's about storytelling, and I believe that all humans have the ability to tell a story."

The workshop is for adults and open to writers and aspiring writers (all skill levels).

Books will be available for purchase after the workshop. A book reading and signing will follow the workshop.

For more information, contact the library at (706) 876-1360.

To celebrate National Library Week, the Calhoun-Gordon County Library will host a free writing workshop for teens and young adults on Monday, April 14, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Young writers are encouraged to bring a small keepsake to the workshop, a pen, and some blank paper, and Amber Nagle will guide them through the process of writing a short, creative nonfiction story about the keepsake.

Workshop topics will include:

• Brainstorming,
• Organizing thoughts,
• Writing first drafts,
• Revising,
• Developing “hooks” for stories,
• Adding interesting dialogue, and
• much, much more.

Books will be available for purchase.

To attend the “Write a Keepsake Story” workshop for young writers or learn more, call the library (706) 624-1456.

Grab a keepsake and come to the Harris Arts Center in Calhoun on Tuesday, April 1, for a reading, signing, and sharing event.  

A few Calhoun story contributors will attend and will gladly sign their stories for you. These writers include: Amber Nagle, Janie Aker, Jesse Vaughn, Coleen Brooks, Wayne Minshew, Tim Egenes, Nancy Ratcliffe, Judy Peterson, Martha Buttrum, Victoria Choate, and Thelma Benner.

We'll talk about the project and read a few favorite excerpts.  We'd also like to hear about your keepsake. We hope to see you there.

Books will be available for purchase and yummy refreshments will be served.

Amber will be at Dalton State College to talk about Project Keepsake and the new world of ePublishing.  Thanks to Barbara Tucker.

The Creative Arts Guild will host a Project Keepsake reception in the main art gallery on Thursday, March 27th at 520 W. Waugh Street in Dalton, GA. Wine and crackers will be served.

• Amber will read a few of her favorite excerpts from Project Keepsake and invite her friends to share a few of their favorite pages, as well.  
• Books will be available for purchase (cash, check, credit card).  
• Amber and other story contributors will gladly sign their stories.
• Lots of mingling and fellowship.
• Bring your own keepsake and share your own keepsake story with the group.

Amber and local story contributors will be at the George Chambers Resource Center in Calhoun on March 19 (tentative date). GCRC serves individuals with developmental disabilities. Amber will talk about Project Keepsake for a few minutes, and then, each participant will have an opportunity to talk about their own keepsake—kind of a keepsake "show and tell."

"We are looking forward to hearing the stories behind the keepsakes," Amber says. "Everyone has a keepsake!"  

Thank you Wendi Nunnery and Mary Barclay for organizing this very special event.