In the fall of 2013 we published our first book, Second Chances. Initially released in e-format, it came to life in print as well several months later. Somewhere in between the two, we were featured in a local newspaper distributed throughout much of Rhode Island, and our journey as authors took off like a shot.

So many good things came to us from that one early article, not least of which was an invitation to join the Association of Rhode Island Authors (ARIA), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization of local, published writers of both fiction and non-fiction committed to raising awareness of the outstanding written works crafted by writers in Rhode Island and other nearby communities.

That was almost two years ago; today, we hold a special place in our hearts for ARIA. We’ve made friends with people who also know the highs and lows of life as a writer; the ugly war stories and the beautiful achievements, big and small, and most exciting of all, ARIA has afforded us great opportunities to get out and meet our readers.

Yesterday, we attended the New England Independent Booksellers Association (NEIBA) 2015 Conference. Unlike most events where we meet one-on-one with our reading audience, NEIBA is all about publishers mingling with bookstore buyers, with the former pitching ‘hot titles’ to the latter to stock on their shelves, and ARIA as an organization representing 250 Rhode Island authors, was invited to join the fun. And it was fun!

But that was yesterday. Tomorrow, we’re off again to another ARIA-sponsored event at the annual Scituate Art Festival, a 49-year-tradition celebrated by more than 300,000 people over the Columbus Day Weekend. Thirty ARIA authors will be there too, looking forward to sharing our stories and chatting with you.

After that, it’s on to December 5th, and ARIA’s signature event, The Authors’ Expo. Now in it’s fourth year, the Expo brings 100 of our writers under one roof for an extreme holiday shopping bonanza. Books make great gifts, and we are grateful to ARIA for all the opportunities they have gifted and continue to give to us.