Every so many weeks I head to Barnes & Noble and allow myself some time to catch up on recent picture book releases. I can easily load two or three dozen books into my basket per visit (thank goodness they now have ones on wheels!), then Continue reading
Over a month ago (yes, that’s how busy life can be) I was fortunate to catch a tweet about a book signing at a bookstore in northern New Jersey, my “neck of the woods.” The tweeter? The lovely Holly M. McGhee, gifted author of a variety of children’s books. The book? Come With Me, Holly’s newest picture book release (a smash hit, by the way!). The place? The Curious Reader, an independent children’s bookstore in Glen Rock, NJ, one I hadn’t yet had the opportunity to visit.
I was looking forward to the event, for sure. It was a “win-win-win,” right? You bet it was! But it turned out to be even more of an afternoon than I’d expected. Not only was the book signing a “gold/silver/bronze” event, but I even ended up with an unexpected, celebratory “closing ceremony,” all of which I want to share with you 😀
I’m not sure if I’ve ever mentioned here that I don’t really place much significance on the shifting from one year to the next other than prepping a new datebook and having to remember to change the number when filling out documents like bank checks. Now, if you’ve followed this blog for a while, you are well aware of what an organizational nerd I can be, so you can imagine what I do to a datebook with all the color-coding and reminders and such. It’s a project, for sure, so it’s not like it’s something I actually look forward to, but over the past few years the ONE thing I do look forward to as a new year begins is the annual meme that Sheila at Book Journey hosts: “First Book of the Year.” Continue reading
Poster Art by Greg Pizzoli
It may have been a drizzly morning, but it didn’t dampen the mood and prep for what would be yet another abundantly successful 2016 Princeton Children’s Book Festival. This being my fourth year attending, with each festival I’ve become a more seasoned veteran, leading to my being that much more organized.
Last year was the first year I’d figured out, before hand, which books I was going to buy because there’s a “pocketbook problem” when you “buy on the fly.” If I hadn’t narrowed it down, I would’ve given into purchasing ALL the books I wanted! Having had that color-coded (tents), numbered (tables) strategy in place, I executed the same thing this year, only this time my charts were even more refined to help the day go as smoothly as possible. And, yes, I know how persnickety I am with such things 😉 . Also, I have to include my standard apology for the “less than clear” photos. There are only a few! 🙂 Continue reading
Well, gang, it’s one of my favorite times of year again 😀 Yep, as you can plainly see — unless, of course, the post title and this little image of Peter and Paul Reynolds somehow escaped you 😉 — it’s International Dot Day!
Once I launched my blog, I was able to participate in this worthwhile event, so I made dots—most gleefully—in 2014 and 2015. Since I first learned about it, having interviewed Terry Shay, the creator of the celebration, I was compelled to make my mark, so here I am, my third year in, with another dot 😎 Continue reading
Writer Side UP! 