Wild in Deadwood
WDR '24, a road trip, and new friends
Hey, babes!
I got back from Deadwood on Tuesday afternoon, and I’ve spent the remainder of this week in recovery. As I’ve gotten older my allergy to sagebrush has become more prominent, so trips east to Wyoming/South Dakota at this time of year take a little more out of me than they used to! I mean, full-on cannot hear due to all the fluid buildup, puffy face, nose like a faucet, massive headache for days. It’s wild! I’m still not back to 100% but being home and getting a full night’s sleep is definitely helping.
So let’s talk about Deadwood. Most important thing to note, I got to share this trip with two of my best friends,
and Sara at , and my sweet nephew. Already winning. The trip down was smooth sailing in spite of missing my favorite snack (shameless Small Seed Bar plug).
The Lodge is a comfortable and accommodating hotel, with two restaurants (the food is bomb, and reasonably priced), a casino, and the convention center on-site. We ate at both restaurants, and also enjoyed the authors’ breakfast event the morning of the signing. But the best food experience was at Jacob’s Brewhouse and Grocery. The restaurant was absolutely exceptional, with a burger I couldn’t get enough of, and tiramisu I will be dreaming about for a long time to come.
Wild Deadwood Reads takes place during the Wild Bill Days festival in June, which makes the signing like a vacation on top of a convention. This year, the romance authors showed out—but from what I noticed throughout the day, readers were looking for YA/closed door romance, mystery, and thriller, etc. Something that I took note of and my brain immediately said, “challenge accepted.” What do you think I should try next for the Deadwood readers who may not be looking for steamy PNR?
Wild Bill Days itself is a very high-energy event with live music, open drinks within the boundaries of the festival, and other street performances. We did have a young one with us who didn’t tolerate the volume of the music well, so we stopped in several of the shops downtown, including a spot for old-timey sepia photos. We had a lot of fun with those, and I may share them soon.
Signing at Deadwood is an experience. It’s not just the signing, though Ginger Ring and Linda Rae Sande always do such a brilliant job at organizing these events. I cannot sing their praises highly enough—they’re so lovely, so responsive, and they are always looking to improve for readers and authors who attend. The best part is the vibe—seeing so many familiar and friendly faces. So lucky I got to spend that time with so many amazing people.
From left to right, top to bottom: Tony Brettman (model), Robert Kelly (model, event MC), Nikki Leigh (author), Kat and me, Ryan Stanton (model), Ginger Ring (author/model), Jean Woodfin (photographer), Linda Rae Sande (author), and Stephanie Web Dillon (author).
I have been more cautious lately of buying only a small number of books at a signing, and I walked away with a handful at WDW, which I’ll share in an upcoming NL. You should be proud of me! My book hauls used to be much heftier, and at times, the books would sit on my TBR for ages before I’d finally have to pass them on to ensure they were enjoyed by someone. I am trying to buy more sustainably and thoughtfully, so that I’m actually getting to read the books I purchase so I can review, recommend, and discuss down the road!
Thank you guys for coming on this ride with me, for meeting with me at these events and loving my books, for talking me up and making memories with me. You rock. Cannot wait to see where we go from here. I have the best team and the most amazing readers.
If you could, please respond to the poll above! I am super excited to see your answers as I move forward to prepare for the upcoming year.
Catch up with you next time!
XOXO,
Mariah
I’m so happy you all had so much fun, hopefully I’ll be joining you next year. I’m sure whatever challenge you decide on you will absolutely smash it!
I want to go to one of your signings so bad! It looks like so much fun!