I discovered early on that a really good way to learn about becoming a mystery writer was to attend writers’ conferences and conventions. Not only did I learn a lot, but I made lots of friends and had the opportunity to meet my favorite authors as I scampered between classes and also sessions where authors talked about their careers and experiences, and I saw awards being presented and interviews and speeches being made and then there was—shopping! Shopping? What’s shopping got to do with anything? Well, let me tell you.
Conventions always have a book store so fans can purchase the books authors talk about during the event and I did plenty of that. But not all book stores only sell books. One of my favorites sells puzzles, jewelry, clothing (including T-shirts), even tea pots and book buttons!
I have a small collection of clever book buttons mounted on ribbons that hang from a shelf in my office, just to the right of my work space. Whenever I pause to think or rest, I can’t help seeing those buttons. They make me smile, bring me back to where they were purchased, remind me of those writers who have fulfilled my life with their stories and friendships. But I digress.
Topics of book buttons are as varied as the authors who create them. Some are about writing itself, while others have to do with a furry pet assistant, or perhaps the problem of owning too many books, or they may be quotes by famous people.
The following fit that category:
“But for my own part, if a book is well written, I always find it too short.” —Jane Austen
“You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.” —C.S. Lewis
“I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library.” —Jorge Luis Borges
“To acquire the habit of reading is to construct for yourself a refuge from almost all the miseries of life.” — W. Somerset Maugham
Since I write in the mystery field, cats are common in that genre.
To a cat, “No!” means “not while I’m looking.”
Cat hair is the new black.
Or catchy phrases:
Books: the original search engine.
Lit Happens!
Grammar Police: To correct and serve
Grammar Ninja
Warning! Anything you say can and may be used as dialogue in my next book.
The book was better.
Don’t judge a book by its movie.
First drafts don’t have to be perfect. They just have to be written.
Writer’s block: when your imaginary friends won’t talk to you.
Some of my best friends are fictional.
My weekend is all booked.
If you walk a mile in my shoes you’ll end up at a bookstore.
Some more of my favorite book buttons below. Do you have favorites, too?
Coco Ihle is the author of SHE HAD TO KNOW, an atmospheric traditional mystery set mainly in Scotland.
Join her here each 11th of the month
