Nora Roberts American Romance Collection

Girls' Night Out in Boonsboro, Maryland

by Andrea J. Briggs on 2016-05-25T13:39:30-04:00 | 0 Comments

Part of my duties as Special Collections Librarian at McDaniel College is to work with the Nora Roberts American Romance Collection. Nora, who lives and writes in Boonsboro, Maryland, has written a trilogy of novels set in the town, in which three friends find love and celebrate family and friendship through the construction of the Inn BoonsBoro, the very same inn that Nora herself helped renovate.

Andrea Briggs reading on the porch of Inn BoonsBoro

I saw that there was an event at the Turn The Page Bookstore across the street from the Inn, a Girls’ Night Out featuring Nora and other romance writers and businesses around town. It sounded like a spectacular time, and the perfect excuse to get out and introduce myself to the author whose books I’ve spent the past several months familiarizing myself with.

I mentioned the idea of going to the event to my date, who was excited to accompany me. I had been planning on going alone, but if I was going to meet Nora Roberts, one of the most beloved romance writers of all time, why not make the whole experience something straight out of one of her novels and play up the romance in my own life?

The drive down to Boonsboro was easy and pleasant, and as we drove up Main Street into The Square, the charm of the town was undeniable, irresistible, and somehow exactly as I had imagined. We arrived around 2:30 p.m. and found Vesta Pizzeria easily, the bright orange building standing out like a sunny beacon.

Vesta Pizzeria

Because it was too late for lunch and too early for a proper dinner, we were the only ones in the restaurant besides the staff; however, the atmosphere was as pleasant and welcoming as though the restaurant were full of families anyway. An order of Wisconsin Cheese Pints to start and a Smokin’ Pulled Pork BBQ Pizza to share was quickly decided upon.

“You had me at chipotle ranch dressing,” I said to our server as he delivered the scrumptious fried Cheese Pints.

My date, who had never before experienced the glory that is barbeque sauce and coleslaw on a pizza, was distracted by the new flavor combination, while I was distracted by the Vesta staff buzzing around behind the bar. Although no one who could have remotely resembled Avery MacTavish was on duty (or possibly even worked there), in my mind’s eye I could easily see her slipping in behind the counter, flitting between the pizza ovens, taps, and register, running her restaurant with the fierce drive and go-getter attitude she possessed in the novels.

Interior of Vesta

My date and I lingered over lunch, enjoying the food and each other’s company. By the time we finished up, it was just past 4:00, and we still had plenty of time before the Girls' Night Out event at Turn The Page Bookstore. We decided to wander around The Square and enjoy the sunshine before heading over to TTP.

It was getting closer and closer to the start time, and as the event grew nearer, the weather grew hotter. I had been wearing a lightweight blazer, but in the evening heat I had taken it off with no intention of putting it back on. While this sartorial choice left me cool, it meant I had also removed the sparkly brooch I had pinned to my jacket, and thus was left with no bling! How could I meet Nora Roberts with no bling?!

Fortunately, my date swooped in to save the day. Two doors down from TTP was the lovely shop Josie’s on Main, which had a spectacular gold costume necklace on sale. I hesitated over the piece, but my date must have seen the look on my face the instant I fell in love with it, and brought it up to the counter to purchase it for me as a gift.

“Now you can meet Nora in style,” my date said, fixing the clasp around my neck. This necklace, with pearls and crystals dripping from gold coral, was perfect. And the romantic gesture with which it was given made it even more special for me to wear to meet Nora.

Turn The Page Bookstore

We headed over to TTP around 5:00, where a small crowd was beginning to gather, perusing the shelves, carefully selecting which books they were going to have Nora sign. There were shelves upon shelves of Nora’s books, with other romance writers nestled in among them. I could almost hear the books whisper secrets to one another like best friends, each volume containing a story of love and conflict, but all with their Happily Ever Afters.

   Interior of TTP

The bookstore itself was somehow both cozy and open at the same time, and just as easily as I had imagined Avery behind the counter at Vesta’s, I could see Clare Beckett at the register at TTP, blonde hair floating over her shoulder as she made recommendations and helped customers with grace.

Interior of TTP

The atmosphere in TTP grew lovelier and lovelier as more people began crowding in, ladies chatting to one another much like I had imagined the books on the shelves to do. I knew I wanted to purchase a Nora Roberts romance to have her sign, but I hadn’t the first clue where to start in the massive canon. Fortunately, the ladies at the event were more than happy to chat with me about their favorite titles, making recommendations and debating the merits of a stand-alone versus a trilogy. I finally settled on the classic stand-alone Northern Lights, connecting with the fact that the female protagonist was a pilot, as my own father was one himself, and the allure of the frosty Alaskan backdrop promised wild adventure and independence.

As my date and I made our way to the register to purchase the books for signing, a petite woman with spunky red hair and a blue jacket slipped through the crowd into the back of the store. The lady behind me nudged my shoulder excitedly.

“That was her!” she exclaimed in a stage whisper, face breaking into an unbelieving grin. “That was Nora!”

Nora Roberts Books

As we stood in line to meet Nora and have her sign books, we filed past the table where the other invited romance authors were set up, doing signings of their own and talking about their works. It was neat to see the different subgenres of each author stacked up side by side, each specializing in a different area of romance depending on what they liked to write and what their readers wanted.

Romance Writers

L-R: Kathryn O'Sullivan, Mary Behre, Sally MacKenzie, Evie Owens, Donna Kauffman, Mary Blayney

Finally, my date and I had moved up enough in line for it to be time. There she was: Nora Roberts herself, pen in hand and Mona Lisa smile on her face, perched on a chair at a high table. I shook her hand and introduced myself, told her how excited I was to work with her collection at McDaniel College and engage with initiatives to promote romance and scholarship in the genre.

“But,” I said, “I have to confess something. It wouldn’t be right if I didn’t.” I took a deep breath, swallowed. “I’m a new reader! Although I’ve been reading romance for years, the first books of yours I’ve ever read were the Inn BoonsBoro trilogy!”

Nora laughed easily and smiled. “That’s perfectly all right,” she said. “It just means you have fresh eyes, and that’s something everybody needs.”

Andrea Briggs and Nora Roberts

After the signing, it was time to meander on to the main event – the Girls’ Night Out! Local participating businesses were staying open until 9:00 p.m., and us ladies were encouraged to visit each location and gather a stamp to be entered to win prizes. The shops were teeming with ladies – romance readers, J. D. Robb mystery fans, mothers and daughters, grandmothers and friends. There was a clear bond of sisterhood between all of us that had been brewing from the start, standing in line at TTP, and it spilled over into the rest of the evening as we browsed the shops.

Although the Inn BoonsBoro was closed to the public, we did stop by the porch for a quick photo op.

   Andrea Briggs on the porch of the Inn BoonsBoro

It was easy to imagine Hope Beaumont, the innkeeper in the trilogy, playing perfect hostess to the private garden party being held in the courtyard out back, making sure her guests were well-attended without being intrusive, thankful for the gorgeous evening.

Inn BoonsBoro

Visiting all the shops took us right until the end of the event, and we turned in our slips at TTP and crossed the street to collapse on a bench in front of Dan’s Restaurant and Tap House, owned by one of Nora’s sons.

Dan's Restaurant and Tap House

The sun had set and the streetlights were on, and we could hear the chatter and warmth from inside the restaurant behind us.

Flight of beer at Dan's Restaurant

We decided that since the night was still young, and we were enjoying Boonsboro so much, the perfect way to end the evening was to do a beer tasting at Dan’s. Since I was driving, my date ordered the beer (I merely sampled a small sip from each), and we had fun discussing the merits of the different craft brews. It was a sweet way to finish a day about celebrating romance, and I can’t wait to come back in November for the next Girls’ Night Out.


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Banner background: "Vintage Romance Novels" by Stephen Coles, used under CC BY / Modified from original