It's aliiiiiiveeeeee! A Place No Flowers Grow is now available! It brings to life a poetic story of love and horror while exploring the impact on the natural world in a modern-day gothic tale.
(Image: Gif from the movie Frankenstein)
A Place No Flowers Grow is available for order both on-line on Amazon, Bookshop, and Barnes & Noble, and for direct purchase at local brick-and-mortar stores Bookish, Towne Book Center, and The Artist's Loft.
Her first public outing, though? It was at the Delco Horror Haven Invasion, a local horror convention.
(Image: Author Cheryl Cantafio and her goodest, thank-goodness-she-was-there, friend Julie Shaw at table with books, promotional materials, prize wheel, and tchotchkes at the Delco Horror Haven Invasion on Saturday, September 28, 2024.)
Y'all: I was nervous. This horror con was amazing, and I was humbled to be one of the 25 vendors. My book has an Edgar Allan Poe vibe mixed with Frankenstein-like romanticism. The other filmmakers, authors, special effects artists, and craftspeople present had more traditional horror fare. I felt like a small fish in a large, haunted house filled pond.
My goal: To sell one new book. Anything after that would be confetti.
Turns out, I had a lot of confetti (I sold 14 copies of A Place No Flowers Grow and four copies of My Stay with the Sisters), and also $30 to donate! (When I'm at live events, I donate 50% of the proceeds of my first book, My Stay with The Sisters, to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network in memory of my mom, who passed away from pancreatic cancer in April 2022).
Here's what I learned: There's beauty in horror. The Delco Horror Haven Invasion encouraged people of all ages to come as they were, or to dress up as their favorite characters. We talked with people dressed as Michael Myers from Halloween, Dobby from the Harry Potter franchise, Whisper, and Elvira. We marveled at one teenage girl who made her own mask that moved when she spoke. We waved hello at those dressed up as plague doctors.
Aaaaand, we got to meet a Ronster from Rondee Productions!
(Video footage of a Ronster spinning my prize wheel at the Delco Horror Haven Invasion.)
I learned to be brave - and succinct. Being at conventions and local author events forces introverts like me to talk to people and share why they might be excited to purchase a book. When attendees stopped by to spin the wheel, I spoke quickly about each of the books, and told the stories behind each one of them.
I learned that seeing my stories connect with people in person is its own kind of magic. I am so grateful to those who took a chance on purchasing A Place No Flowers Grow and My Stay with the Sisters. I'm also grateful to those who listened and shared their own stories with us.
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