Dear Friends of A Novel Experience,  

      After a month of awful weather, we hope that March will usher in the first whispers of Spring. We dream of sitting, like lazy cats, in warmish sunshine, reading one of the many ARCs (advanced reader copies) we brought back from the 10th annual Winter Institute. 500 independent booksellers at the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, North Carolina. Addressing the crowd, John Green (of The Fault in our Stars fame) said it best: "We're not in the widgets business...we're in the story business." We can confirm that, from the stories on our shelves to the wonderful visual tales told by Puppy Love images (held over for this month by popular acclaim...). Our poets and writers meet once a month to get their stories down in writing. Our customers share their memories of books that matter to them. And, the spontaneous, quick-witted responses spun by the players of "Resistance" and "Mafia" were a treat. (Thanks, Sam and Elly for making these happen--we will schedule more!)

      We really do have a ton of ARCs. We would love your help in discovering the next best book for 2015--come in and pick one out. If you are in a rush and just want to grab a satisfying read, check out our new section of staff favorites--these gently-used books are cookin' on the old stove and are guaranteed to please. The Puppy Love photos await your pick for "People's Choice"--look for the ballot box in the front, and no, we will not require identification before you vote. For manga fans, we are beginning to stock a selection for you--we'd appreciate your help in suggesting titles. 

     This month, we are introducing our Local Music Night--it will be the last Friday of every month. We envision it as a casual, social drop-in kind of coffee house thing. We are thrilled to announce that Ryan Cummings will lead off with his incredible acoustic guitar playing, accompanied by coffee from the folks at Safehouse who have generously offered to provide it at no cost. We'll begin at 7-ish. Stay tuned for more news on our intention to bring more events to downtown Zebulon! And, a preview for early May--we will be joining bookstores across the U.S. to celebrate Independent Bookstore Day on Saturday, May 2--come on in for great deals, special IBD items, and to support the whole notion of the value of bricks-and-mortar businesses for our community (we'll be teaming up with Zebulon's other small businesses for the celebration). 

       Writers: We've scheduled our Self-Pubbed Writer's Day for Saturday, April 18th from 3-5. If you are interested in participating please shoot us an email and we'll send more info...readers and aspiring writers--please stop by and check out what these folks are up to--the conversations are interesting, and you just may meet the next John Grisham, or Stephen King, or Emile Zola, or  Barbara Kingsolver...

       We're looking forward to seeing you as the weather warms--and, the days get longer--now that we are open every day 'till 9 p.m. we have seen old (and busy) friends. We're looking forward to music, good books, great conversation, and new stories. Stop by and let us know what you're reading these days!
     

                                      All of us at A Novel Experience