I love Labor Day weekend. For many people, it’s a good time to relax, or sneak in a last summer getaway.

Considering that it’s my anniversary weekend (9 years ago today: you brave, brave man), you would think we’d be packing our bags for a romantic inn. But there’s just too much happening to go anywhere!

Here in Atlanta, Labor Day is the worst time to try to do anything productive, or drive… anywhere, but the absolute best time to dress up, soak in the festive atmosphere and do some major people watching. During these three days, my hometown hosts the college football kickoff game, DragonCon, Black Gay Pride Week, and my personal favorite (by inches), The Decatur Book Festival, in addition to several other smaller music and food festivals around the city. If you can’t have fun in Atlanta on Labor Day weekend, your fun-erator may be broken.

My boys and I will be hanging out at the DragonCon parade Saturday morning

(best thing ever for little padawans), and then we/I will make our way to the DBF to rub elbows with the Literati and eat funnel cake. I’m not attending as an author this year (next year, perhaps…) but I will be stalking, I mean, having totally socially appropriate interactions with some of my favorite local authors and making faces at Becky Albertalli from the back of the room during her YA panels.

I love book festivals. No matter how digitized the world of publishing gets, I will always get a little high wandering sweaty between balloons and gyro vendors and stacks and stacks of books, discovering something new, meeting people, and occasionally getting to listen to an author I already love.  I will try to tweet periodically while I’m there, so follow me at @MJPullen or the hashtag #dbf2015 if you want to attend virtually from your seat by the lake, recliner, or beach chair.

NOW. Regardless of what you’re up to this weekend, you should know that I am celebrating my favorite weekend by doing a Kindle Countdown Deal on EVERY OTHER SATURDAY! If you haven’t had a chance to download my latest quirky romantic comedy, today is the day!

(Well, not today. Saturday. Saturday is the day. Sunday and Monday* aren’t bad either.)

*EOS will be just 99 cents for the first 24 hours of the deal, starting in the wee hours of Saturday morning, September 5th. Sunday and Monday, the price will go up to $1.99 (half the current retail price).

If you take advantage of the deal, leave me a comment here, would you? I always love to know who’s reading. (Reviews are very much appreciated too!) Or just tell me what you’re up to this weekend. Any interesting Labor Day traditions out there? Curling up with another book everyone should know about?

Whatever you’re doing, I hope you stay safe and take some time to relax this weekend, so we can all begin again on Tuesday with clear, rested vision.

MJ Pullen

M.J. Pullen is a distracted writer and the mom of two boys in Roswell, Georgia, where she is absolutely late for something important right now. Her books include quirky romantic comedies and playful women's fiction. She blogs erratically with writing advice, random observations, and reflections on raising very loud kids and dogs. Join her Distracted Readers newsletter list for updates, free content, giveaways and more.