I live in Mt. Dora, FL. I work close to home. I shop close to home. On Facebook, I have "friends" all over the world. Turns out, one of those friends is an author that also lives in Florida. Leona Bodie is the Vice President of the Florida Writers Association and she shared a touching story with me recently. It is about two other authors from Florida and I wanted to share it with you.....
Giovanni Gelati. That's right, Trestle Press's main man is back and he says something to say. Oh, this is a big deal and I am thrilled to be a part of it!
Amish Knitting Circle now occupies the numbers 2,3,4,5 rankings in short story fiction in all of Amazon Kindle, not by category, but overall.
Check it out HERE: http://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/digital-text/157087011/ref=pd_zg_hrsr_kinc_1_4_last
They also are topping the charts on Amazon UK. Congratulations to Karen Anna Vogel and all the authors of Trestle Press.
Why did I just mention all the authors of Trestle Press?
Quite simply, it is because they all share one common goal and one vision--- each other’s success and bringing quality reads to the market time after time.
One of the other visions they have embraced and ran with is the digital short series of the“Amish Knitting Circle”. There are more than 30 books now that Trestle Press publishes. Each month, a new installment of those series listed below will be released. The benefits to this are many, and just for fun I am going to list a few:
· New content every three to four weeks to be easily read on your favorite e-reading device (smartphone, laptop, computer, tablet, Kindle,Nook,iPad…), the reader can follow the progression of not just the characters but the authors development as well.
· A variety of genres to follow, so the reads can be rotated and fresh, low cost fun (the majority $0.99 each)
· 80 percent of U.S. families did not buy or read a book last year. (People don’t have time for full length novels.)
· Great way to discover a new and emerging author without much investment in time or money(many of these authors have full length work to purchase, don’t forget
· Great way to have fun and look forward to a ray of sunshine in your reading week (I love digital shor
Stop #1: Coral Way Bilingual Center
I arrived (arrived – past tense, remember, time machine) bright and early at this wonderful school. Parking was a challenge, they seemed very strict about the “staff only” parking. After two times around the block looking for street parking, I gave up and parked in the lot. I asked some staff walking in if it was okay and after I introduced myself, they guided me to the Vice Principal’s space. Luckily, the Vice Principal was going to be out that day. Or so they told me.
I went inside and met my lovely host, Cristina. School was just starting and the office was crazy. From experience, this is true in 122% of schools. I was way too nervous to try any of my Spanish, but boy was I itching to try. But I didn’t (they would have laughed for sure at my lovely Gringa accent). After things settled down, I was taken to the cafetorium (for those of you that don’t know, this is a large “Multi-purpose-room” that serves as cafeteria, gymnasium, and auditorium. Truly a money saving concept, but it doesn’t sound like an appetizing place for a meal. But there was a stage, a microphone and a room full of first and second grade children, so I was all set.
My lovely host, Cristina agreed to take photos of the performance.
Here’s a great shot of me talking to some front row kids as we waited to get started.
Great angle!
Then we got going, and they were an engaged, attentive, involved, impressive and a lot of other wonderful vowel-letter adjectives audience. Here they are after I asked a question.
Attentive students at presentation
And then I didn’t have enough hands to hold microphone and read the book – so I asked for a volunteer microphone stand:
Human Microphone Stand
Then we got to the “Vana White” section of the talk. This is where I walk across the stage and show everyone the beautiful art in “My Name is Not Isabella.”
school visit the vanna stage
We finished the performance with volunteers to hold
“The Adjective Flags:”
Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer Holm. Random House, 2010 (review copy from publisher)
Jennifer Holm spins the reader back to the perilous economic times of the Great Depression. Set in the 1930s, eleven year old Turtle is sent to live with her Aunt Minerva in Key West, Florida because her single mother has a new job as a housekeeper and the new employer does not want children staying at the house. Turtle settles into life in Key West, eating new foods and trying to fit in with her male cousins.
The Our Gang comedies come to mind as her cousin Bean and the neighborhood Diaper Gang work to provide babysitting and diaper changing services for the mothers in the area. The children pull the neighborhood babies in their wagon and provide a secret cure for diaper rash that is a the stuff of legend. Unlike today, these children enjoy a wonderful freedom, safe within their community and extended families. Turtle meets more of her mother's family for the first time, including her ill tempered grandmother, Nana Philly. Her grandmother is suffering from the after-effects of a stroke and a lifetime of ill humor. Happily, Turtle is not fazed by her grandmother's attitude. Holmes always writes such interesting grandmother characters into her stories. Turtle gains more insight into her mother's early life and the man who might be her father. There is also lost pirate treasure, a hurricane and a cameo appearance from a very famous literary resident of Key West.
Photos of Key West and some of the real life characters in the story are provided at the end. Holm's research and meticulous attention to detail pay off, giving the story a rich sense of place and time.
Jennifer Holm's characters, May Amelia (Our Only May Amelia
,) Penny (Penny from Heaven
,) and now Turtle are girls I love spending time with. 
By: Laura,
on 8/2/2011
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Lest you think from our Back to School post that we’re completely over summer, we thought we’d highlight a few books that will get you through the rest of the dog days. There are still several more weeks left until it cools down, and these great reads will help you hang on to the summer days:
I’M A SHARK by Bob Shea
Even sharks can be afraid… (watch the adorable video)
DUDE: FUN WITH DUDE AND BETTY by Lisa Pliscou, illustrated by Tom Dunne
Dick and Jane…surfer style!
JUNONIA by Kevin Henkes
10-year-old Alice Rice grows up during her family’s annual summer vacation in Florida.
JEREMY BENDER VS. THE CUPCAKE CADETS by Eric Luper
Check out this hilarious video of Eric Luper interviewing Eric Luper.
WITHERING TIGHTS by Louise Rennison
A summer performing arts camp? Boys, snogging, and bad acting guaranteed! Recommend to your fans of “Glee” or Georgia Nicholson.
FINS ARE FOREVER by Tera Lynn Childs
Mermaids are the next vampires…or werewolves…or angels…! This sequel to
I hope everyone had a wonderful, firework-filled Fourth of July! My fiance, his boys, and I are in Florida awaiting the launch of the space shuttle Atlantis. Not just any launch, but the final one. Not just the final one for Atlantis, but the final launch for the entire program.
After thirty years and over 135 launches, America's space shuttle program will come to an end. Atlantis is scheduled to lift off for the last time on Friday morning, July 8th at 11:26 a.m. And we're here to see it!
Officials here at Cape Canaveral are expecting a million people to pour into the neighboring towns to watch Atlantis soar into the sky one last time. We've already staked out our viewing location--12 miles away--and plan to get there wicked early to set up our lawn chairs, cooler of ice water, still cameras, and video recorders. If you've got deep pockets, you can pay for a ticket to watch the launch from the causeway--about 5 miles away. If you're one of the lucky ones who won tickets, you can view the launch from the area with the astronaut's families--3 miles away. This is the closest you can get to the orbiter.
The Crew of Atlantis
...or so we thought.
Patrick and I were at the Canaveral National Seashore to swim and hang out when we noticed something toward the end of Playalinda Beach. We walked and walked and walked...probably for a mile...until we reached a security fence protruding into the ocean. A man in a guard tower held up his hand to keep us from getting closer. But we were allowed to stand there with others and stare in awe...Atlantis in all of her glory sitting on Launch Pad 39A only ONE MILE away!
Truly a moment to cherish!
Have you ever seen a shuttle launch? It's got to be a magical experience...which we'll find out soon. We'll see if the weather holds off and Atlantis and her crew speed away on Friday morning! Keep your fingers crossed!
Godspeed the crew of Atlantis!
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By:
Susi Galloway,
on 6/13/2011
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Susi Galloway Illustration & Fine Art
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Mistress of the Glade
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A Divine Mistress
In Nature's pieces still I see Some error that might mended be; Something my wish could still remove, Alter or add; but my fair love Was fram'd by hands far more divine, For she hath every beauteous line: Yet I had been far happier, Had Nature, that made me, made her. Then likeness might (that love creates) Have made her love what now she hates; Yet I confess I cannot spare From her just shape the smallest hair; Nor need I beg from all the store Of heaven for her one beauty more. She hath too much divinity for me: You gods, teach her some more humanity.
~ by Thomas Carew
Prints, Posters and Cards
available here
By: Laura,
on 5/12/2011
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We’ve just returned from the IRA conference in sunny Orlando! We’re still getting our feet back under us and assure you that we’ll get back to our regularly scheduled programming soon. In the meantime, though, here are a couple of highlights from our booth at the conference:
Happy 15th Birthday to the adorable Biscuit!
Attendees received a free My Weird School book when they signed up for Dan Gutman’s My Weird Classroom Club.
Thanks to all the teachers, librarians, and media specialists who made the IRA conference such a great time!
More pictures coming soon…
By: Brian Minter,
on 3/28/2011
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“With this grant, our library was able to purchase 100 books for our library collection, as well as provide books for 87 preschoolers from low-income families. With proration hitting so many non-profits, it was truly a blessing to receive this grant for our library. HOOORAY to FIRST Book and Walmart for helping us!”
– Debra Grayson, White Smith Memorial Library, Jackson, AL
First Book was able to distribute over 75,000 brand-new books to teen and young adult readers in Alabama, Florida, Rhode Island, Oklahoma and Georgia, thanks to support from the Walmart State Giving Program.
Fifty programs in each of the five states received a $500 credit for the First Book Marketplace, our online store available exclusively to programs serving children from low-income communities. In addition, programs across those states received thousands more books – free of charge – from our National Book Bank.
“In the past we haven’t been able to provide books to older readers to the extent needed,” said Kyle Zimmer, First Book’s president and CEO. “But that’s changing fast; the selection of young adult titles we’re able to offer to our network of schools and programs is growing, and we’re on track to deliver even more resources to this under-served group this year.”
We know how hard teachers and program leaders are working to get teenagers reading, so we’re excited to be able to offer more books that appeal to older readers, and get them into the hands of kids that need them.
If you work with young adults, get in touch or leave a comment below, and let us know about the books they’re interested in and what we could do to help your program.
We move a lot of books at First Book. Over five million books last year, to schools and programs serving kids from low-income communities, and those cases of books are HEAVY.
Sometimes people assume we have a warehouse somewhere, maybe at our national headquarters in DC. We definitely do not. (Our staff is doubled up in many of our offices, so there is definitely no room for giant pallets filled with books. Not to mention the difficulty of driving great big trucks through the streets of our nation’s capital).
So where do all these books come from?
When our friends at publishing companies donate books to First Book, we need warehouses to put them in. In years past, we have relied on a network of generous volunteers throughout the country, and we continue to do so. But with donated space you sometimes have to move inventory in and out quickly, and it can be hard to plan in advance.
So First Book, in partnership with an innovative high school program in Martinsburg, West Virginia, decided to put students to work moving our books around.
“What First Book has been able to do has totally revitalized the program,” said Doc Greenfield, who runs the warehouse program in Martinsburg. “Now, working with First Book, we have real product, real purpose and real customers.”
Warehouse management and materials handling are useful skills to have in today’s job market, and there are programs in high schools all over the country that teach them. But not many companies want to trust their inventory to warehouse workers who lack experience, so the students in these programs often resort to moving empty grocery boxes. Helpful, but not as helpful as dealing with real inventory.
However, it just so happens that First Book has TONS of real inventory, in the form of books. And we mean tons. And, since we want to spend every last penny we can getting new books into the hands of kids in need, we’re happy to trust those pallets to students in warehouse programs. (It turns out that the students do every bit as good a job as the professionals). On top of that, every school warehouse program we work with gets to keep a small portion of the books for eligible programs their community.
Greenfield runs a two-year program, and he has many success stories; it’s been easier for his students to get work with their hands-on experience. “I’m trying to get them ready for the real world,” he said.
In addition to Greenfield’s program in West Virginia, First Book works with warehouse programs in Altoona, Pa., Rock Hill, S.C., and Lake City, Fla., and we’re working to sign up several more.
The program has been a great partnership, with major benefits for First Book – letting us control our inventory of books to make sure they go to the places that need them.
“At any given point in time, we can hold half-a-million books,” said Rachael Voorhees, who heads up First Book’s logistics team. “We’ve never been able to say that before. It’s huge.”
We'll be in Florida for Thanksgiving this year. So we've already been planning how we'll swing the feast. My sis is having the shin-dig at her place so the least we could do is make the food, right? Well, at least some of it. So we decided to continue our tradition of having a deep-fried turkey. Now, we've never fried one ourselves. My husband's brother always has. And the turkey has been beyond fabulous [and cooks SOOOO fast]. And we have lots of instructions. And so I bought and shipped the turkey fryer out to my daughter and her boyfriend so they can cook one before the big day. So we'll have it down.
Hope all goes well!!!!!!
Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm
Because her mother gets a job with a woman who doesn’t want a child around, Turtle has to move across the country from Pennsylvania to Key West to live with her aunt and cousins. Set in 1935 during the Depression, the book captures the unique character of the Florida Keys as well as the poverty and joblessness of the time period. Turtle finds herself surrounded by boy cousins who have started their own business that pays in candy. They look after babies by pulling them around in a wagon for a few hours to give mothers a break. They also have a secret diaper rash formula that helps keep them in business. Their small town is filled with characters all with interesting nicknames. Turtle discovers a lot during her summer in the Keys: the ties of family, the power of hurricanes, and how to find buried treasure. This book is an ideal summer read.
Holm packs such a great story in this brief book thanks to her stellar writing. It features a heroine who is smart, sassy, and very brave. She has specific ideas about things and is never afraid to say them, even though they will have readers cringing at her bald honesty. Holm beautifully creates a town of characters who are constantly surprising, always more complex than expected, and delightfully depicted. Her writing is clean as an ocean breeze, moving along at a brisk pace. Dialogue is at the heart of the book and is written with a great ear and accuracy.
Highly recommended, this book based on Holm’s family history, offers a window into the Great Depression and into Key West with a Little Rascals feel. It would make an excellent read aloud but an even better beach read. Appropriate for ages 9-12.
Reviewed from copy received from Random House.
Also reviewed by:
TURTLE IN PARADISE, by Jennifer L. Holm (Random House 2010)(ages 8-12). It's 1935, and eleven-year-old Turtle has been shipped off to live with her aunt, uncle, and a boatload of cousins in Key West, Florida, where, to her, everything is strange. How will she adjust to life as a Conch? Will the boys ever let her into the Diaper Gang? And will her mother ever come back for her?
Drawing on family history, Holm provides a fun and fascinating look at a young girl trying to learn the ins and outs of a strange, new world. Evocative of a bygone era, and with just a touch of The Little Rascals, TURTLE IN PARADISE is an enjoyable and sometimes bittersweet read.
It's June 1935 and Turtle is headed down south to Key West. She's being driven by her mother's latest boyfriend's friend who owes him a favour. Her mother's latest housekeeping gig doesn't allow children, and since it's the heart of the Great Depression there is no choice in the matter, so Turtle is being sent off to live with the relatives that she's never met.
Turtle has heard her mother's stories about growing up in paradise, but it seems that she was a little shaky on the details. When they finally find Turtle's people, the house is so small "you could probably sneeze from one side to the other." (p. 15) There's a barefoot boy on the porch named Beans and when his Mama comes through the door, it's clear that Turtle's mama's letter letting folks know that she was coming never showed up. Turtle's aunt is all on her own with her husband being up in the Northern Keys finding work, and she's got her hands full with 3 kids and an angry aging mother to deal with. But family is family and soon Turtle is finding herself at home on an island where she seems to be related to just about everyone.
Soon Turtle, Beans, Kermit, Buddy and Pork Chop are busy getting into all sorts of adventures. Mean old grannies, pirate booty, rum-runners, and cranky babies are all in Turtle's future. Throw in a hurricane and an old fashioned adventure filled with unforgettable characters is born.
Jennifer Holm has written a character driven story that is ripe for reading aloud. Turtle is a spitfire, and her cousins aren't to be left out of the spotlight either. I would love to read some more adventures about these conch folks. Turtle is one of those characters that readers won't want to let go of, and they will find their hearts alternately soaring and breaking for her.
Simply wonderful.
Florida decided to restore state aid to Florida’s public library system. This is good news. There’s also a quirky feel good story about one Florida librarian a systems librarian at Wilderness Coast Public Libraries, who dedicated his vacation
to hanging around the Capitol which he did last year as well.
This year Paul spent days at the Florida Capitol, holding signs in suppport of State Aid funding for public libraries. At midnight on April 26 as funding was restored, Senator J.D. Alexander acknowledged that advocates could learn a lot from Paul’s example.
FLA blog mentions this, and Paul comments “Together, as a team we won a victory for the many patrons who rely on their libraries.” Thanks Paul, and Co.Longer story over at Tampabay.com and Library Journal.
By: Jessamyn West,
on 3/24/2010
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So, I have some free time this week since I am supposed to be at PLA. My slides and my notes and links are online: Library 2.0 and Reader’s Advisory. I read about what the other speakers had to say, it sounds like it was a really lively pre-conference.
I came back to a facebook full of pleas for library assistance including the Save Libraries umbrella group for all the assorted campaigns. Apparently this is a very bad time to be a library. I’ve been meaning to do a wrap-up of some of the save the library campaigns. My apologies that it’s taken me so long to do this.
- Charlotte & Mecklenburg County libraries [in NC, original home to 23 Things] may have to close 12 branches depending on what happens with the budgets. I was alerted to this via the $2 million in one week facebook group. Clicking on “learn more” on their website takes me to a donation form with a little more information but I think this budget page is most useful and this news release explains what’s really happening.
- Los Angeles Public is in trouble again and their Save the Libraries website is back up and running with newly updated information and some good action items including sample letters you can send to the mayor. There is a meeting today. Facebook page has some more details.
Florida is looking at wiping out state aid for libraries. Coming from a state that has no state-level funding for libraries, I know what a mess this is going to be. I’ve also been to two different Florida library systems in the past few months. They’ve got a good thing going on, it would be a shame to screw it up. Blog is here. Here’s the FLA’s statement and list of links.
The New Jersey Library Association has posted a Critical Legislative Alert (pdf). There’s more information on their legislative page. Looks like budget cuts and furlough days for state library employees.
There’s a mostly-empty Save Libraries website up at LISHost. ALA has an undated page which may or may not be relevant. The pages it links to seem to be from 2009.
Ohio has a very attention-getting website at Save Ohio Libraries with links to some great tools by OPLIN including a find-a-library tool.
In a little bit of good news, it looks like after the hubub of the past few years Providence Public Library is doing okay.
If people want to add more in the comments, please do. Times are tough all over, b
I arrived home yesterday. Funny experience arriving home, landing at an airport I'd never traveled to before. I've flown into and out of lots of airports, living in Big Sur. Monterey, and San Francisco mostly.
Yesterday on the way home, Joe and I stopped at Moss Landing and had some seafood. We watched the sailboats and kayaks as we got caught up. Loved showing pictures, sharing stories. I bought a couple of cigars back for Joe from The Colombia Restaurant.
My daughter and I had a great time reconnecting. I read about an antique, used book store called Haslam's Book Store in St. Petersburg so we headed over there. Of course, I bought three books. I had a whole pile I wanted to buy. Like taking a pirate to buried treasure. I spent most of my time in the mythology section. Got a book about folktales in Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Dominica Republic and Spanish South America; a book about New England Folklore, and Joseph Campbell's "The Power of Myth with Bill Moyers." Years ago, while doing research for one of my manuscripts I watched the video of the interview and I'm so happy to have it in print.
After a great dinner at 400 Beach Seafood and Tap House [srsly I had purple mashed potatoes topped with their fish special so moist and tasty]. If you are in St. Petersburg Florida you have to have dinner there. Then it was off to Cavalia on opening night. A beautiful show that any aspiring writer of magical realism would love:)
with a lot of questions. Lots and lots of questions. They just bubbled out of me. Questions about my dad. Questions I'd never asked him. And so I told my husband all about it and that I wanted to spend some time visiting Mom and Dad to get caught up and to ask Dad all the questions I had. Joe was great and said "Do it!" So I've been here, in Florida doing it. I came to Florida by way of Chicago where I spent a weekend celebrating my bro's 50th Birthday. I flew down with my sis to Florida and stayed with her and her family for a few days. So fun. We had an Oscar party. My brother-in-law made some great appetizers and Suz and I brought some Oscar cookies we bought in Chicago as a prize for the person who picked the most winners. That cookie tasted great! And then the question-fest began. And it was so fun. Dad was amazing and had such great patience with me. And Mom was so supportive.
If there is one thing I'd recommend it would be to sit down and figure out all the questions you want/need to ask your mom and dad and do it, soon. You'll enjoy such an amazing time together.
Of course for me a big, big bonus is that by visiting my sis and her family and my mom and dad I also get to catch up with my daughter. I'm here at St. Pete's beach. It's been a bit cold and rainy since I arrived here, but every day at the beach is a good day at the beach. Yesterday on a beach walk I saw some kite surfers in the surf of The Gulf. Very unusual sight to see The Gulf with those kind of waves. Reminded me of The Pacific. Candy and I got caught up over a wonderful dinner at an Italian restaurant here in St. Pete. I was happy to hear all about the "British brotherhood." She has a British boyfriend and they've befriended a lot of British ex-Pats who take care of each other.
Saw Alice In Wonderland with my nieces in 3d Imax. Fabulous:
I am going to Florida on Sunday, so I have Florida on my mind. I found out about the Florida Library History Project and was pleased to know the entire thing is available online as a big PDF. Some enterprising student could, with the permission of Kathleen de la Pena McCook get it online crosslinked and searchable.
The Florida Library History Project (FLHP) began in January 1998. Letters requesting histories were sent to all public libraries in Florida with follow-up letters sent after an initial response was received from the libraries. E-mail messages were sent out to FL-LIB listservs encouraging participation in the project. A poster session was presented by USF research assistant Catherine Jasper at the 1998 Florida Library Association (FLA) Annual Conference, an event that marked FLA’s 75th anniversary. At the end of this funding period, 89 library systems and organizations had provided histories. These have been compiled and are reproduced in this volume as submitted by participating libraries. Highlights include library founding, collections, services, budgets and expenditures, personnel, funding, survey results, technology, and developments.
[via]
I firs met Bubba an Stone one midnight when dey was gettin chased across de Interprovincial Bridge by Andre St. Pierre an is karate club. Dey flag me down an I elp em out, giv em a lif. I booted er to Ottawa, lef a buncha drunk black belts pantin an cursin at de moon. What dey did in de tavern to piss off de karate club, I dunno, but I seen St. Pierre an is boys get some guys, after a few beer one night, an it weren’t no pretty sight. So I give em a lif an we ad a few beer in de Market. I never see em again till las mont when dey come in de club on Elgin Street where I work behine de bar.
“Frenchie!” Bubba roar an crush my an like a big, drunk bear. E’s even bigger now dan den. Stone, got a black eye but, as usual, e got a good lookin girl wit im an cement on is boots. I don tink Bubba an Stone learnt much in school excep ow to drink an fight an play football.
Dey could play football cause dey were real tough an Bubba strong like a bull an mean when e put on de pads. Stone, e was jus mean alla time.
After dey cripple some guys in university ball an fail all deir courses, dey end up in de construction business. Stone learn ow to build ouses from is fadder, got is own company. Bubba started out as a labourer for de city. Now dey give im is own truck. Dey’re bot pissed off at de wedder dis winter an, like mos people, dey’re about to crack aroun de end of Fevrier. Dey want to go to Florida an look up an ole football buddy. Dey invite me along dat night at de club. An I say yes.
Tabernac.
Stone, e bin through a couple marriages an lotsa udder women an got some kids scattered aroun. E says e can handle everyting excep women. Bubba got no kids an e’s fightin wit is girlfrien. De one Stone call “de douche” when Bubba can’t ear im. I shoulda known better when Stone tole me to bring an extra suitcase. One of is wives got all deir luggage an Bubba’s girlfren got de cops to keep im away from de apartment.
My brudder, Guillaume, e’s smart, but e’s stupid. Smart wit money, stupid wit women. E always know ow to make a buck but insteada bein appy wit a nice little business in ull, e get tangle up wit a good lookin woman from Montreal. E moved down dere an got busted wit six keys o toot. I figured my brudder won’t be needin is suitcase for a while. I get it from my mudder’s an bring it along. It was a Monday mornin, not too early. We bin on a tour of de otels upriver in de Pontiac since we lef ull some time Saturday mornin. So our stomachs not de bes when we jump in Bubba’s new Corvette an ead for de border. Wit me an de suitcase in de back seat.
Bubba, e’s big and tough, but e loves is Corvette. Is girlfren’s mad at im cause e spent money on de car e was spose to spen on er. He yell an take a slap at me an Stone if we spill somethin in de Corvette. Bubba can eat tree family size bags o chips, while e’s drivin, witout spillin a crumb. E takes a big paw fulla chips an stuff de whole ting in is mout while we ‘re bootin it outta town. De boys are ungry when we get to Kemptville an we all need a beer so we stop at de otel dere to join de farmers an rednecks in de tavern. Dey make de good meatball sandwich in de otel in Kemptville. Pretty soon, Stone gets inna game a pool wid some rednecks. De waitress, Katie, she’s stoppin longer to talk to me at de table, every time she bring de beer. It ain’t so bad bein small an French wit de long eyelash. Women love de long eyelash an get real mudderly when dey’re bigger dan you an tryna speak French. So dey usually come onto me firs. Sometime, it work, sometime, it don. Dis one came onto me firs. Definitely. Me? I’m small,
After spending most of Oct-Dec in bed recovering from surgery for a herniated lumbar disc, I'm going to be zooming around again. Here's my events schedule (so far) thru May.
3:00-4:30pm ET (12:00-1:30 PT)
Includes Q&A, Marketing Plan Worksheet & private 15-minute follow-up consultation.
January 29 & 30 - Space Coast Writers Guild Conference Cocoa Beach, FL
- "Book Promotion 101"
- "Polish Your Pitch"
- individual 10-minute pitch coaching sessions
Guest speaker: Alison Larkin, author of The English American
March 18, 7:00pm - "Candy & Booze: Good for the Jews?"
Moderator; with Katharine Weber (True Confections) and Max Watman (Chasing the White Dog: An Amateur Outlaw’s Adventures in Moonshine).
March 19, 4:00pm - "The Business of Book Reviewing: Changes & Challenges"
It is now 1°F in Denver. (Celsius=Too F*cking Cold!) It's colder and snowier here than in Minneapolis, Toronto and Portland, Maine. The snow squeaks underfoot and it hurts my lungs to breathe outside. Feh!
Consequently, I'm very happy to be working on our next Bella Terra Maps product: Florida Lighthouses. We plan to have it printed in time for me to bring copies when I go to the Space Coast Writers' Guild Conference in Cocoa Beach at the end of January. One of my half-sisters lives nearby, so I'll visit her for a few days--along with as many lighthouses and maritime museums as possible.
I also plan to visit Gilbert's Bar House of Refuge, below.
Click here for entrancing 360° view. I've been looking at it A LOT.
Oh, and HMS Bounty and the 1812 privateer schooner Lynx (below) will be docked in Palm Beach. Both offer dockside tours and the Lynx has daily Adventure Sails. I am so there! (Along with a bottle of scleranthus, the Bach Flower Remedy for motion-sickness.)
Photo by Chris Woods - courtesy of The Lynx Educational Foundation
Boy Wonder reminded me that I'd told him that if I ever moved to Florida, he should have me committed--or shot. I pointed out that a short midwinter trip requires no such action on his part.
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Acreage prices accept risen about 150% over the endure 8 years and this has apparent a huge access in the re-sale bulk of some of the accommodation in the area.
Property Management