Yesterday I launched The Book of Mules with an event that was the most fun I’ve ever had doing a book signing. I owe it all to Shannon Hoffman’s mule, Sadie Mae. Sadie greeted folks at the front of The Coffee Hound Bookshop in downtown Louisburg, NC. She endured picture-taking, petting and even gave one visitor a ride, for four hours. Needless to say, Sadie, whose photo is on the cover of The Book of Mules, was a huge hit with everyone, from the youngest to the oldest.
Since writing The Book of Mules I have found that people in the south all have a mule story. Some remember working in the tobacco fields along side mules that could tell time. When it was time to quit and go home there was no stopping the mule from doing just that, or so I was told by a lady who stopped to visit Sadie and buy a book. A gentleman who was just dropping by for coffee shared with me his knowledge of a nearby town that was a mule metropolis in the heyday of mules. Creedmore, North Carolina was a huge mule-trading center in the turn of the twentieth century.
Sadie got a few cookies to reward her hours of patience. She took one look at the books she delivered to The Coffee Hound, but once she determined they were not eatable she lost interest. Shannon shared a little about Sadie’s history. Sadie once worked as a pack mule out west. She now lives with Shannon’s other mule, Seven, a donkey named Chester and a mustang. Shannon told us Sadie was very good on trails and tolerates “borrowed” riders.
My artist friend, Tiger Faircloth, did some sketches of Sadie and several people snapped photos. Children who visited Sadie were shown how to feed a mule treats and Sadie enjoyed several more cookies. Once the day came to an end, and it was dark, Sadie was relieved to hop back in her trailer. We all said our goodbyes and thanked Sadie and Shannon for a fine afternoon of fun and learning more about mules.
My thanks go to Shannon and Sadie, and all the folks who shared their mule stories and bought copies of The Book of Mules. Stay turned for my next event which will be in late January.
Since writing The Book of Mules I have found that people in the south all have a mule story. Some remember working in the tobacco fields along side mules that could tell time. When it was time to quit and go home there was no stopping the mule from doing just that, or so I was told by a lady who stopped to visit Sadie and buy a book. A gentleman who was just dropping by for coffee shared with me his knowledge of a nearby town that was a mule metropolis in the heyday of mules. Creedmore, North Carolina was a huge mule-trading center in the turn of the twentieth century.
Sadie got a few cookies to reward her hours of patience. She took one look at the books she delivered to The Coffee Hound, but once she determined they were not eatable she lost interest. Shannon shared a little about Sadie’s history. Sadie once worked as a pack mule out west. She now lives with Shannon’s other mule, Seven, a donkey named Chester and a mustang. Shannon told us Sadie was very good on trails and tolerates “borrowed” riders.
My artist friend, Tiger Faircloth, did some sketches of Sadie and several people snapped photos. Children who visited Sadie were shown how to feed a mule treats and Sadie enjoyed several more cookies. Once the day came to an end, and it was dark, Sadie was relieved to hop back in her trailer. We all said our goodbyes and thanked Sadie and Shannon for a fine afternoon of fun and learning more about mules.
My thanks go to Shannon and Sadie, and all the folks who shared their mule stories and bought copies of The Book of Mules. Stay turned for my next event which will be in late January.
If you missed out on yesterday's event you can buy the book any place that sells books. If they do not have it in stock, please ask that they order if from The Lyons Press. The ISBN is 978-1-59921-283-8 and if you are local there ae signed copies left at The Coffee Hound Book Shop. Call Millie at 919-496-6030 to order one.
