NEW DATES FOR MUSKOKA ROAD TOUR!

ByLee Ann

Back by popular demand and thanks to the promotional efforts of the Muskoka Boat and Heritage Museum, I will be conducting two more guided bus tours of the Muskoka Road!

Saturday, August 27

Saturday, September 7

Once again, we will leave from the docks in Gravenhurst and travel through the entire district, following the road that opened up Muskoka and changed it from “wild lands” to the thriving home and vacation mecca it is today.

We meet at 9am at the Muskoka Boat & Heritage Centre, and will be back by about 4:30 for a book signing and draw for a free copy of Muskoka’s Main Street: 150 Years of Courage and Adventure Along the Muskoka Colonization Road.

Tickets are still available at a cost of $20.00 per person and can be purchased by calling Muskoka Boat & Heritage Centre at (705) 687-2115.

Be sure to reserve your seat and join me for a day of history and adventure!

SECOND TOUR OF MUSKOKA ROAD

ByLee Ann

I’ve just received news that the June 9 guided tour of the Muskoka Colonization Road is sold out! But don’t despair! The organizers at the Muskoka Boat and Heritage Centre are collecting names for a second tour. Just call 705-687-2115 to add yourself to the list.

And be sure to check back here for highlights from June 9.

Hope to see you soon on Muskoka’s Main Street!

CHRISTMAS WITH MUSKOKA’S MAIN STREET

ByLee Ann

Please join me on Sunday November 25 at Brantim Country Garden Centre Christmas Open House. Brantim is Ottawa’s premier grower of superior outdoor plants, and their seasonal hanging baskets are renouned throughout the region.

I’m thrilled to bring Muskoka’s Main Street to this annual event! Local vendors of fresh quality baking, Christmas crafts, candles, jewelry… and of course you can find a stunning outdoor winter arrangement or wreath, swag, or table arrangement!

So plan to take a drive in the country, just minutes from Scotia Bank Place. The greenhouses are truly gorgeous; you can browse from 9am to 4pm with a cup of coffee or apple cider. There’s even a draw for a $200 Brantim gift certificate.

I’m sure you will find something for everyone on your list. Hope to see you there!

MUSKOKA’S MAIN STREET IN THE NEWS

ByLee Ann

The latest press coverage for Muskoka’s Main Street appeared in The Muskokan newspaper (September 21) and in The Weekender (September 28). These weeklies are widely distributed across Muskoka, providing great exposure for the book. Along with the feature article in the August issue of Muskoka Magazine, plenty of seasonal and permanent residents of the district have now been alerted to the book’s publication!

The goal for any publicity is to get a book into the hands of as many readers as possible. The challenge for any publisher or author is to identify who the readers are and get the word out to them. Local media is an exceptional method for this. I’m delighted with the support  and exposure that Main Street has received so far.

Connecting With Readers

ByLee Ann

There is nothing more gratifying to a writer than to talk directly to readers! Getting the chance to learn what different people think of the book, which sections they found most interesting, or what struck them when reading the story. In the past couple of weeks, a number of readers have contacted me by email and phone to let me know they’ve read the book and to tell me what they like about it.

Of course, this doesn’t always happen. Often as a writer, you do the work and then put it “out there”; the only indication that the book is being read is sales numbers – which are fine, but sterile compared to a lively discussion with a reader who didn’t know that Ontario was largely settled via colonization roads… or a descendant of one of the Muskoka Road surveyors who related some memories of his father, also a surveyor… or an archivist who wrote with great praise for the depth and accuracy of the research.

I’ve also enjoyed looking at the daily stats on the number of “hits” on the website, and what parts of it are being read. (Lots of clicks on ‘where to buy the book’ and also the dynamic map, very exciting!)

As time goes by, I’ll have opportunities through planned events to meet with more readers. Meanwhile, as a reader myself, I’ve resolved to contact more authors and let them know their books have not gone out into a void!

A “MAIN STREET” EVENT FOR MUSKOKA’S MAIN STREET

ByLee Ann

This Saturday, September 15, is the Shades of Autumn Antique, Classic and Custom Car Show in Huntsville. Main Street downtown – which is of course the Muskoka Colonization Road – will be closed off for the event. And Muskoka’s Main Street will be available for sale at the elegant Veranda Home and Garden Collection, 72 Main Street East, thanks to Elise Bélanger, the store’s owner.

What a great opportunity to wander along part of the Muskoka Road and see the kinds of verhicles used by earlier travellers!

And what a great example of a creative way Muskoka Books publisher Patrick Boyer is bringing the book to another set of readers. The very first “vintage” car to putter along Main Street is featured on the front cover: a 1905 two-cylinder, sixteen horse-power Rambler. According to the driver, Jack Milne, the car “created quite a show in Huntsville.”