What a weekend! Friday, friends surprised me with a gathering to celebrate Ellen’s Broom. (Thanks, Dom, for organizing it and everyone for coming ) Sunday afternoon, I went to set up for the Ellen’s Broom launch party at Quail Ridge Books & Music. I was excited, but a little nervous too. Would it be a success?

One of the Quail Ridge promos for my launch party.

From the moment I arrived, that worry was put to rest. Quail Ridge was ready. Tables were set up for the cakes and crafts. The projector and chairs were in place. Pre-orders were stacked and waiting to be signed. Photos were being snapped of special moments. Thank you, Nancy, Carol, Linda, Rosemary and Warren!

Baker Andrea Gambrell Bigelow, owner of Yummy to Your Tummy Desserts by Andrea, was there when I arrived. She was assembling the gorgeous wedding cake she created for my event. The cake had three tiers – two sweet potato and one pound and was topped by cream cheese frosting. She also made a sheet cake for the kids that featured the Ellen’s Broom cover and a wedding broom for the table display!

Beautiful display showcasing the wedding cake and children's cake created by Yummy to Your Tummy Desserts by Andrea for the Ellen's Broom launch party. My friend Susan lent me her lace tablecloth and vintage pictures for the event.

My buddy, Susan Stewart Taylor, beat me there too. She helped coordinate the cake table, lending the beautiful lace table covering her mother gave her and historic photos of a black family and black couples in silver frames. Karen Barker was next on the scene, pitching in everywhere she could.

Sisterfriends Susan, Karen, Judy Allen Dodson and Linda from Quail Ridge coordinated the craft area where kids made brooms out of pencils and decorated them with red and pink flowers, just like Ellen.

Guests arrived and to my delight kept on coming. I was honored to have everyone there including stand-outs in the kidlit world. Celebrated children’s book author, Eleanora E. Tate, was one of the first to arrive. Tameka Fryer Brown, author of beautiful picture book Around Our Way on Neighbors’ Day, came all the way from Charlotte. Frances Wood, a wonderful author who is part of a group of NC authors called WINC with me, was there too. So was Georgia McBride, founder of YALitChat.org, and Dr. Pauletta Bracy.

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