Pegasus has long been my symbol for imagination. You put wings on a horse and imagination takes flight. Of course, my fondness for Pegasus may have been fostered by the number of trips we would make by car from Southern California to Northern Washington during my childhood. We made the trek at least twice a year, and invariably we would gas up at the Mobil stations.
Kudos to Mom
Since it’s Mother’s Day and I didn’t get a chance to see my mom today (although I did call and talk with her on the phone) because she’s been sick. And before you go off on how I’m a heartless daughter not to visit her sick mother on Mother’s Day, she didn’t want me to come by. . .really. I have an upcoming procedure in a few weeks, and if I get sick it will have to be postponed. She enjoyed herself by reading Janet Evanovich’s The Naughty Neighbor, chortling to herself about the missing pig. Just the title alone captured her. She read it sitting on her new bench which has a bower that the birds like to perch on. Boy were they surprised to find out someone was actually using the bench. They usually have it all to themselves.
I Wanna Balloon!
One thing that happened at the San Diego Children’s Book Festival, which I forgot to put in my recap of the event had to do with the AuthorsDen booth. As with the Los Angeles Time Festival of Books, Matt and Jackie Miller brought balloons to hand to children who came by the booth. Their sons worked all throughout the festivals blowing the balloons up with the helium tanks and tying the ribbons on. Early on in the day, Jackie had a handful of balloons and was standing outside the booth, hoping to draw attention to the AuthorsDen booth and provide additional exposure for the authors who were conducting signings.
The Trip to San Diego
The day dawned gloomy and overcast. After the mini-heat wave which gave us a taste of the summer weather to come, we were glad to have a bit of a chill in the air. After loading the car up, Denny and I headed out to make the 80 mile drive down to the San Diego Children’s Book Festival. I, for one, was hoping the weather would stay a little on the chilly side. A little gloom never hurt anyone, and I tend to melt in the heat. As we were approaching San Diego, horror of horrors, precipitation was falling out of the sky and landing on my windshield. I didn’t want the weather to be that gloomy.
Strange Phenomenon
Today has been a somewhat strange day. I started off laughing this morning over a video by Jackson Pearce about the line editing process. Since I am in the middle of that process with Nowhere Feels Like Home, I can completely relate to it. So, the day started off well enough, and then as the day wore on, it started to lose its bubbles. While I was working, I noticed I kept getting email notifications of new people following me on Twitter. It happens once in awhile, but today was extraordinary. Being at work, I didn’t have time to check it out and see why I was getting so many followers. In fact, I didn’t have time to do much more than think wow, that’s a lot of followers.
Signing Times Received
This is going to be a very short post to let everyone know the times I will be conducting signings at the San Diego Children’s Book Festival. I will be signing from 10:00 – 10:30 and then again from 15:00 – 15:30 (3 – 3:30 PM for those of you who have difficult with military time). So, I will pretty … Read More
Thoughts From the Morning Commute – Book Previews
Since I review books for Lulu Book Review I am frequently looking at other author’s websites to gain a little understanding about the person behind the work I am making a determination on whether I want to read their submission for review or not. For those who do not know how the process works, I’ll give a brief overview. Authors who would like to submit their work for review will post a query on the Lulu Book Review blog Pick Me! tab. Along with the name of the author and the title they would like reviewed, we request a link to where we can take a peek at their work along with a brief description of the work itself and why we should review it.
A Wonderland of Marketing
Allyson and Sondra Ames are living their dream. Every day they arise knowing that Wonderland awaits them. This mother and daughter duo run the acclaimed Wonderland Bakery in Newport Beach, CA. Allyson recognized her passion for food at a very early age and has been encouraged in her endeavors by her entreprenurial and visionary mother, Sondra. Together the two of them have created an enchanted bakery to dazzle and delight all visitors.
Construction Coming Soon to Griffie World
Griffie World, my main website will soon be under construction. I think I’m going to (finally) bite the bullet and upgrade it this weekend. So, if you stop by, please excuse the dust (isn’t there always dust with construction?), and the two by fours laying all over the place. I want to get it torn down and back up as quickly as possible, so hopefully the interruption will be minimal.
Thoughts From the Morning Commute – The Young Adult Genre
As I read through some articles this morning, I ran across a great video called YA haters by Jackson Pearce which was a video response to some ridiculous remarks by the New Yorker, Entertainment Weekly, and The Atlantic about the young adult genre. I have embedded the video in this post so you can enjoy it as well. Jackson Pearce is an up and coming writer, who has her debut novel, As You Wish
Meet Me in San Diego
I had such a good time at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books that when the opportunity to attend the San Diego Children’s Book Festival came up, I jumped at the chance. I think this might be even better for Misfit McCabe and figuring out which cover I want to make the new cover. There’s actually no reason not … Read More
Thoughts From the Morning Commute – Festival Aftermath
In the aftermath of the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, my mind has been mulling over lessons learned. I think it’s important to look for opportunities to grow and learn, and I usually find them. Especially when you are experiencing something new. So, as I drove to work this morning, my mind was busy critiquing the weekend and letting me know the areas where I need improvement.