Reading is FUNdamental!

In the merry, merry month of March, . . .

I hosted and/or participated in 20 book events. To be more specific, I had 3 book launches, 5 book signings, 11 book readings, and 1 arts festival. All in one month. Whew! This involved a tremendous amount of work and quite a few hours on the road. In preparation for these events, it was the norm to have 12-hour work days—sometimes longer. Sigh.

It sounds like I’m complaining, doesn’t it? But I am not. Just stating the facts.

One of my favorite Hallmark movies is The Irresistible Blueberry Farm. (Yes, yes. Guilty as charged. I like Hallmark movies. Please do not judge me. I prefer movies with zero swear words and a happy ending.) In this movie, Ruth (played by Shirley Jones) encourages her granddaughter, Ellen (played by Alison Sweeney), to take a break from her hectic work schedule as an attorney and to also reconsider her current romantic interest. Ellen questions why she has even come to Maine and considers returning immediately to her home in New York City. With a twinkle in her eye, the wise grandmother replies, “Stay, Ellen. You’ll get your answer. Besides, it’ll be fun. Remember fun?”

Fun? I think that I’ve heard that word before—somewhere!

I’m guessing that you have had periods in your life when you felt like this. Work those fingers to the bone. Keep your nose to the grindstone. Apply some elbow grease. Work, work, work becomes the daily mantra.

And like Ellen, at times, we probably have all (temporarily,) forgotten how to have fun.

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Silver and Gold

After working for years to publish my first picture book, the aforementioned events have been exhilarating and the most fun that I’ve had in a long, long time. Family, friends, food, fellowship. I’ve enjoyed every single minute of the festivities.

Remember these lyrics from Brownie Scouts?

Make new friends,
But keep the old.

One is silver,
And the other gold.

That pretty well sums up the book events experience. Seeing childhood friends. Meeting distant cousins for the first time. Being with immediate family members. Witnessing a total stranger morph into a friend within a few minutes.

Now, that’s what I call joy! A HUGE thank you to each of you for sharing this experience with me.

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Was the hard work and effort worth the reward?

You bet it was!

The book readings and craft times with children have reminded me of something that I’ve known for a long time and something that I’ve even sung about—although not as well as Cindy Lauper. Girls (and boys) just wanna have fun.

Parents and grandparents are telling me that Huck, Chuck, & Bruce: At the Shore is a “big hit” at their house, and some are sharing that it’s the first book that their little one has read independently. As an author, you can’t get any better than that!

A bedtime story is being shared with young children, and they are learning that reading is fun. Hopefully, my book will be a launching pad of sorts for the ultimate discovery that reading is also FUNdamental.

Look at the faces of these precious children. Yep, I’d say that’s definitely worth a little elbow grease on my part!

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Thank you, love.

One of the bonuses of having a crazy-busy schedule overflowing with book events is the opportunity to spend quality time with John.

(At this point, I’m confident that John is wishing that I hadn’t singled him out in this manner. Had he known, he never would have agreed to this. And that’s exactly why I did not tell him in advance. Sorry, sweetie. Take a deep breath. You’ll be okay.)

I don’t suppose that any wet-behind-the-ears author/illustrator has ever had a better salesman, financial adviser, chauffeur, luggage carrier, husband by her side.

What a blessing from God. Words cannot express how grateful I am to be on this journey with you. Love you bunches!

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