Fun, Fun, Fun, in TOO MUCH Sun!

The Sacramento Book Festival is quickly becoming a destination author market and hang-out. Having started with 12 writers huddled under a couple of pop-up tents in a farmer’s market to 140 names and well over 1500 (we’re guessing more like 5000) attendees, the event has grown. This is where I released Book #3 of the Praetorius Agency Files: The Vessel.

Mamma Nature however didn’t want the organizers to get too uppity, though, and gave us 103 degrees of slightly humid, no wind, no-clouds-in-the-sky, blistering heat. Even the coffee cart refused to sell regular cups of Joe and only offered iced versions of their usual fare. When I went to pick up my car at 4:30 PM, off in the assigned parking area, my temp gage read: 109. I should have had an oven mitt to touch the steering wheel. The 70 outdoor author tables were given umbrellas or tucked into the shade. My writing partner and I got lucky, we were indoors, which wasn’t entirely cool and climate controlled due to the vast number of folks. It was, however, survivable.

Despite this once-off (I hope!) weather challenge, The Big Tomato showed up in droves. Indoor, Outdoor, sitting under a “readers tent,” dashing in and out of the building, listening to panelists talk about the writing business and genres in particular – they came to the Festival. Did I mention the tweens and teens? Lots of them and all hungry for books. Yes! Touchable, readable books. One thing I genuinely love about book gatherings are the kids that buck the so-called statistics and prove that younger generations truly want to read.

Did I do well, sales-wise? Yes. Did my table partner? Yes. Authors around me? Yes. To be honest, this was beyond my expectations for the financially nutty 2026. Based on what’s happening out in the Big Bad World, I’ve tempered my expectations severely this year. So far, that has been a wise strategy. But the Sacramento Book Festival bucked the assumption, just like those kids.

Am I going back? Heck yeah! Taking into account the costs for gas and meals (I live 2 hrs. from the site,) wear-n-tear on me, and the cost of the table (which should go up if they move to a larger location as they are planning – not unreasonable,) it is absolutely worth it on every level. Hoorah for the Sacramento Book Festival.

T.E. MacArthur, author, The Praetorius Agency Files