Love My Indie with author Shauna Kelley

Love My Indie is a feature where fellow bloggers, readers, and authors tell me about their favorite independent bookstores. I love the feeling I get when I go into an independent bookstore - like it is filled with hidden treasures just waiting for me to find them. Maybe one day I will have the chance to visit these amazing bookstores.

Showing some Indie Love today is:

Shauna Kelley, author of Max and Menna

When the Kindle version of my novel Max and Menna went live June 1, I felt I had joined the digital age. I was tech savvy, I was with it, and in the now… and I really wanted to go to a bookstore.

Please don’t misinterpret, I have much love for the Kindle, but there is nothing quite like the atmosphere and camaraderie, and, well, even the smell of a bookstore. And though I have nothing against chain retailers, none of these wonderful elements can be found in as great an abundance as you will find them at a really great independent bookstore, like one of my favorites—Main Street Books in Frostburg, Maryland.

I have, very sadly, not gotten to visit this store very often—it is about three hours from my house. And, in the interest of full disclosure, they were the first bookstore to host a signing event for Max and Menna, so I am a bit biased, but my bias cannot taint the true awesomeness of this place!

Main Street Books is in a big space on (you guessed in) Main Street, right in the center of the “hub bub” of town. Clean, organized, and almost disciplined in set-up, their assortment of books is extensive and easy to find. But what I really love about it are the great spaces open for reading, and the quiet murmur of people discussing books. Owner Fred Powell VERY clearly does what he loves, and he is one of those great people whose eyes light up when he talks about good books.

You should check out Main Street Book’s page on Facebook. It’s a community of true bibliophiles, and I am so glad to have had the opportunity to visit such a wonderful place. 

Thanks Shauna for sharing your favorite independent bookstore with me.  

Shauna Kelley's novel Max and Menna is available now from Lucky Press. You can check out Shauna's blog at http://www.mmshaunakelley.blogspot.com Please check back tomorrow for my review of Max and Menna.

If you're interested in participating in this feature, please send me an email at actinupwb@gmail.com - I'd love to hear from you and discover your favorite indie bookstore!