The Last Dance, the Last Launch?

Sandy says she might have another book in her but maybe not another launch!  Well that might be a little extreme, what do you think?  

I do have another launch in me.  I'm already in denial about how much work it is.  Kind of like having a baby; you have one and swear you will never do it again.  But then…the baby is so precious!  Ok, so we reserve the right to change our minds.  

We did have fun!  Seeing family, fans and friends is so great.  But more importantly have I mentioned my dress?  Here's a photo, looks like it was made for me right?  Guess what?  It was.  Sandy made this vintage dress from a pattern I bought so we could reflect some of the time period The Last Dance covers.  

Sandy also made another dress.  Kira wore this period style plaid jumper complete with a Peter Pan collar--so darling.   She was one of the greeters at the door of the launch venue welcoming our guests to the 'Pine Crescent  Lodge'.  We're all about setting the mood and the tone of the launch.  Lucas didn't have his outfit custom made for him but he was a little trooper wearing an 'olden days' (as he called it) outfit. 

More important than our clothing is that Sandy got to mingle and thank people for coming on such a frigid day, sign some books, talk about her new book The Last Dance with 

folks and enjoy her day in the sun!  

About the nitty gritty details of the event-- Sandy was fortunate to have 2 great friends help, one from high school.   We want to thank them publically for helping.  Kay, the high school friend helped in the kitchen again.  She is so organized and efficient.  Another good friend Carol also helped for this and the Timber launch in so many ways.  This time though she was recovering from shoulder sugery and still came to support Sandy.  Now that's a friend!  Here are our dear friends Kay and Carol at work:

Carol managing book sales

Kay managing the kitchen AND Lucas!  That's huge.

                                           Here's Sandy and her family and friends:

Sandy with friends and neighbors, Joyce, Debbie and Stew.  First guy on the left is my husband, adored son in law
Saint Charlie.  Seriously Charlie makes it all happen!

Sandy and brother Ron Sanderson

Ooh I almost forgot our young helpers Greta and Soren.  I have a picture of Greta with Kira but no brother Soren!  He is awesome too, what a great young man.

Great helpers Greta and Kira.

Lucas asked me to dance toward the end of the night.  Which seems normal since there was a dance floor.  Except for a few facts.  He's five.  He doesn't really dance.  No one else was dancing!   But I was honored to dance with my grandson and kind of stunned when Lucas yelled "grandma dip me!"

"The Dip"

                                                    

                                   And finally…the last dance with Lucas and grandma Susan.

      

READY TO WRITE

Southwest metro magazine published by Tiger Oak Media recently published an article called "Ready to Write" about Sandy.  After meeting her, author Carolyn Pierson supported the point of view that "it's never too late to fulfill your dreams."  A page right out of Sandy's life.  It's a nice article with some details that you will have never heard before.  

I really appreciated the detail Carolyn gleaned from the interview and how she captured the essence of Sandy's life.   Go check it out!  Here's a link:

http://southwestmetromag.com/author-bio-eden-prairies-al-sandy-sanderson

You can also go to Sandy's website www.alsanderson.com and see the article and other bits of information about her life and books.

We were excited about the timing with the holidays hoping people go to the website www.alsanderson.com and purchase the new book The Last Dance as well as the first Pine Crescent Novel Timber; Fire in the Pines.  TIMBER is available in digital format, The Last Dance is not formatted digitally yet.  Let us know, would you like to read it digitally?  If you'd like to have Sandy sign and dedicate a book to someone she's happy to do that.  Just let her know when you place your order.

Books make a nice gift to someone or to yourself!  Thank you.






http://southwestmetromag.com/author-bio-eden-prairies-al-sandy-sanderson

Yearning for more?

As most of you know, most authors write about what they know.  A.L. Sanderson, aka Sandy knows her sticky buns!  
Sandy's mother, my grandmother Frieda Sanderson used to make what we simply called "cinnamon rolls".  Yeasty, buttery, sugary and a little gooey.  Yum.  They were the highlight of any of our family food gatherings for decades.

As time went by the "family recipe" evolved into a more caramelly confection now dubbed "sticky buns".  So with that family history established you won't be surprised to read about Martha, a character from "The Last Dance" making them on the farm to thank her new neighbors the Nilsson's.

A Yummy Sticky Bun

On Saturday we'll be making a 'large party' version of our sticky buns for YOU, our fans to thank you for your support!  In case you need a visual incentive, here's one we made recently.  

But in case you can't come to our launch, do the next best thing and read "The Last Dance" and both the sticky buns and the story will have you yearning for more!

You can now purchase "The Last Dance" at our website:
www.alsanderson.com

Journey back with us to a simpler time...

Inside the Historic Preserve Barn Event Room

Franlo Farm

Saturday December 7, 2-4 we'll be gathering in an old hay barn now called the Preserve Barn.  The barn is going to be such a great venue as the book "The Last Dance" we're launching feature family farms in the story.

The Preserve area was originally homesteaded by William Nesbitt in 1891.  Like most of the land in Eden Prairie, the prairie is transformed into farmland.  The Nesbitt family farmed it for three generations.  Ironically the first Pine Crescent novel "Timber; Fire in the Pines" begins about this same time about 2 hours north near the Hinckley area.

The male protagonist Thor Nilsson logged the magnificent white pine timber until The Great Hinckley Fire in 1894.  Four hundred square miles were decimated.  Eventually the fictional Nilsson family begins to farm the charred landscape.

"The Last Dance" story picks up 75 years later and the Nilsson family still farms the land.  But the land proves that the soil its better suited to growing pine trees than crops.  The family begins to sell real estate and develop some of their land into a lodge resort.

We hope you will join us to journey back to a simpler time in "The Last Dance" and to this historic old barn this weekend!