Merci, Montmartre!
Love in the time of Coronavirus....
What the world needs now...is love -- more love!! Doesn't it seem like the paradigm is shifting? We've been asked to #stayhome for public safety to help stop the spread of an insidious virus that attacks at the very thing that keeps us alive: our breath. Some people are home alone, others in the safety of their families, and still others, whom I think about, trapped at home in desperate circumstances. Even though we are physically distanced, it just keeps dawning on me over and over, how we are all connected, all the time. Around the globe, not just with people we know but with billions of strangers. We fall together - and we can also rise above together.
How will you be a helper today? Can you call someone that's lonely or scared? Can you arrange a meal delivery (or a toilet paper drop!) for someone in need? Can you read a soothing story or raise a toast on Zoom to a friend that's far away?
And how will you help yourself to stay calm and centered on the things that really matter? Like kindness toward ourselves and others. Can you feed yourself something nourishing, or clean a cluttered space and make it lovely, or delve into a good book, or paint a picture? Can you spend a few minutes focusing on your breath and dwelling in gratitude for that simple, essential gift of life.
I'm not a doctor or nurse on the frontlines - I am so grateful to them and all the "essential" workers who are still at their jobs, day in and day out - the nursing home employees, and the delivery drivers, and the people harvesting and preparing groceries, and so many others. What I am is a storyteller and a poet, with a focus on writing books to inspire and heal children of all ages (that's the mission statement of Inner Flower Child Books, the publishing company I founded with my illustrating partner, Courtenay Fletcher).
Courtenay and I are giving away our Sun Kisses, Moon Hugs e-book for free on our website (and the bilingual edition, too, Besos de sol, abrazos de luna). It's a little thing, but as Elton John said "my gift is my song, and this one's for you."
How will you be a helper today? Can you call someone that's lonely or scared? Can you arrange a meal delivery (or a toilet paper drop!) for someone in need? Can you read a soothing story or raise a toast on Zoom to a friend that's far away?
And how will you help yourself to stay calm and centered on the things that really matter? Like kindness toward ourselves and others. Can you feed yourself something nourishing, or clean a cluttered space and make it lovely, or delve into a good book, or paint a picture? Can you spend a few minutes focusing on your breath and dwelling in gratitude for that simple, essential gift of life.
I'm not a doctor or nurse on the frontlines - I am so grateful to them and all the "essential" workers who are still at their jobs, day in and day out - the nursing home employees, and the delivery drivers, and the people harvesting and preparing groceries, and so many others. What I am is a storyteller and a poet, with a focus on writing books to inspire and heal children of all ages (that's the mission statement of Inner Flower Child Books, the publishing company I founded with my illustrating partner, Courtenay Fletcher).
Courtenay and I are giving away our Sun Kisses, Moon Hugs e-book for free on our website (and the bilingual edition, too, Besos de sol, abrazos de luna). It's a little thing, but as Elton John said "my gift is my song, and this one's for you."
From a Whis-purrrrr to a Roar: The Artist Who Loved Cats
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As she was strolling down the Rue Montcalm
with a fresh baguette tucked under her arm, Antoinette paused to see what was new in the cluttered shop window of Monsieur Arvieux.... Life inspires art. In 2014, I was the one strolling down the actual Rue Montcalm, a little street in Montmartre, trying to get in one last hour of absorbing the ambiance of Paris. It was drizzling, so I had my recently-purchased, ultra-touristy umbrella with the iconic "Le Chat Noir" haughty black cat emblazoned on it - purchased just the day before at a Montmartre souvenir stand near Sacre Coueur. I passed a cluttered shop window and spied a little cat figurine, about the size of my hand. Thinking to pick up a keepsake for my sons, I rang the bell at the front of the classically Parisian wedge-shaped building (almost like a slice of gateau), peering through the glass as I waited for the shopkeeper to wind his way to the door. Once inside, I realized it wasn't a junk store as the jumbled window had implied -- it was a treasure trove of antiques. And this cat was not a mass-produced trinket - it was ART. It took a few moments for the shopkeeper and I to understand each other - American me with just a few words of French, and elegant Frenchman with no English at all - but with smiles, and his showing me the signature engraved on the bronze and pointing to my Chat Noir umbrella - he informed me that this was a bronze by the very same artist. Theophile-Alexandre Steinlen. And, like a cat...my curiosity was piqued. The more I researched Steinlen and his cats and the amazing era during when he lived in Paris - the more I knew it just had to be a book.Courtenay Fletcher, my illustrating partner and co-founder of our publishing company, Inner Flower Child Books, agreed and rose to the occasion - developing a beautiful look for the book, and charming characters, including a black cat Noir who insisted on narrating the story. We released our picture book biography of Steinlen last May, and it's won several awards since it came out - including a Parents' Choice Gold Award and the SCBWI Spark Honor Award for indie books! I am so glad I rang that bell! As the shopkeeper in the book advises Antoinette: "The world is abounding in magic and mystery! Each thing as a past, each place has a history!" Ask questions - and see where the answers lead you! Be curious and creative - like artists...and CATS. |
Healing through the Expressive Arts...It's Official!
I am so proud of myself! I have been wanting to do this wonderful program through UCLArts and Healing for a few years - and I finally cleared space in my schedule+soul+budget to make it a reality. It was an intensive 8-week program learning how to facilitate the expressive arts to help people heal from trauma and other issues.
I have nothing but praise for this amazing program - and for my cohort of 11 great women who studied alongside me. We were introduced to research, curriculum ideas and teaching strategies in 6 SEA areas, including: Drumming, Music, Dance/Movement, Theater Arts, Poetry and Visual Arts. All of these areas have played a huge role in my own personal healing and emotional well-being - especially, poetry, visual arts and dance -- and I am interested to see what opportunities these new skills and certification will open for me. I would love to create a social-emotional arts curriculum guide to go with my books - and I would also love to facilitate workshops and activities when we do school visits!
Just a reminder: if there's something cool you have been wanting to learn - or a place you've been wanting to go - find a way to make your dream happen. Those yearnings are worth following...even if it takes a little time to get there.
I have nothing but praise for this amazing program - and for my cohort of 11 great women who studied alongside me. We were introduced to research, curriculum ideas and teaching strategies in 6 SEA areas, including: Drumming, Music, Dance/Movement, Theater Arts, Poetry and Visual Arts. All of these areas have played a huge role in my own personal healing and emotional well-being - especially, poetry, visual arts and dance -- and I am interested to see what opportunities these new skills and certification will open for me. I would love to create a social-emotional arts curriculum guide to go with my books - and I would also love to facilitate workshops and activities when we do school visits!
Just a reminder: if there's something cool you have been wanting to learn - or a place you've been wanting to go - find a way to make your dream happen. Those yearnings are worth following...even if it takes a little time to get there.
Looking for Some Cool Summer Fun? Meet Me at the Library!
Books have always been a vital part of summer holidays for me! When I was little, my family spent summers in Galveston, Texas - where if I wasn't combing the beach for sharks' teeth and sand dollars, I was combing the local library shelves looking for literary treasures. I even entered my poetry and short stories in the library newsletter (and had my "tall tale of my dad's fishing trip" published!). In high school and college, all I needed was sunscreen, a towel and a great novel for a perfect day at the beach or poolside. So it is a great pleasure to be part of the Los Angeles Public Library's Summer Author Series for kids again this year! I had a wonderful time reading The Rhino Who Swallowed a Storm (co-authored with LeVar Burton and illustrated by Courtenay Fletcher) at Chatsworth Public Library in June - and through the generosity of the Library Foundation which sponsors this great program, we handed out 20 copies of the book to kids who attended! July brings even more library fun - three more branch libraries in Los Angeles, as well as a trip to Boulder City Public Library near the Hoover Dam in Nevada. So find a spot on the rug, and let me tell you a story! xoxo
How to Throw a Launch Party, Muse-Style!
On May 6, 2018, INSPIRED was officially released! And as everyone knows, Muses like to celebrate EVERYthing (especially art, poetry and writing). So I gathered friends and family, added music (thanks to my friend Peter) and art (make your own tiaras and togas!), and we piled the banquet tables high with delicious Greek goodies like dolmades, baklava, tabouleh and hummus! Add in a giant floating Pegasus, friends bearing flowers, book signing, a little silliness and my adorable dog Poppy -- and it was a party that everyone (not just Goddess Mnemosyne!) will remember. I am so grateful for all the people who came in person to launch this Rocket...and for all those who were there in spirit, too.
GET INSPIRED...and See Where it Takes YOU!
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I had an amazing time on my birthday...because it was also the day I celebrated receiving proofs of my new young adult novel INSPIRED! I gathered my friends, a few books and some props and headed to the Getty Villa for an impromptu photo shoot and celebratory lunch (mmmm, hummus and pita and feta cheese and olives...). Of course, scenes from the book were directly inspired by this amazing museum of classic Greek and Roman artifacts - especially the Hall of Muses (in my book, the Muses come to life, much to the surprise of my main character Rocket!).
Brainstorming creative ways to promote my book is so much fun - it taps an extremely bubbly part of my brain, where ideas spill forth - too many ideas to put into action in one sitting, but it's fun imagining them all! These are a few that have popped into my head today:
The book is going to be officially released on May 6, 2018, and it is available for pre-order on Amazon now!! https://www.amazon.com/Inspired-Firefly-Tribe-Schaefer-Bernardo/dp/0971122830/
Brainstorming creative ways to promote my book is so much fun - it taps an extremely bubbly part of my brain, where ideas spill forth - too many ideas to put into action in one sitting, but it's fun imagining them all! These are a few that have popped into my head today:
- A celebrity audiobook recording?
- Partnering with an organization that mentors teen girl writers?
- Having a PJs and Books launch event featuring delicious Stan's Doughnuts?
- A giveaway featuring a sightseeing trip to some of the LA venues in the book (like the Getty Villa, Rodeo Drive, Malibu Creek State Park, Venice Beach and a glassblowing studio!).
The book is going to be officially released on May 6, 2018, and it is available for pre-order on Amazon now!! https://www.amazon.com/Inspired-Firefly-Tribe-Schaefer-Bernardo/dp/0971122830/
Check Out What We've Been Doing with the Los Angeles Public Library
Courtenay Fletcher and I are honored to have been selected for the Los Angeles Public Library 2017 Summer Author Series! We read to kids at three branch libraries in LA this summer. We were also featured speakers at Indie Author Day, October 14th, 2017 at the Central Downtown Los Angeles Public Library, presenting on the topic of CROWDFUNDING & INDIE PUBLISHING. Here we are at one of the events, along with Wendy Westgate of LAPL, and Christine Kimsey, the children's librarian at Sherman Oaks Branch Library.
Great Big Adventures with Tiny House...All Across the USA!
It has been a very busy eight months since we released The Big Adventures of Tiny House - we have been on a whirlwind tour of tiny house festivals and school visits all around the country...including Georgia, Chattanooga, Seattle, Portland, San Diego, New Jersey, Boston and more!
We have made so many new friends, and even seen real-life versions of the characters in our book (like this Big Truck look-alike at a farm in Eatonton, Georgia). At the Jamboree in Texas, and at the Florida Tiny House Festival, we met some of the BIG names in TINY houses, like Zack Giffin, Jay Shafer and Bryce Langston. We love going to festivals, creating a kid zone and reading on stage, and connecting with all these great people (and we usually manage to squeeze in a school visit, too!). Next stop: New Orleans in January to do a special storytime from the tiny front porch of artist Dominique Moody, whose exquisite tiny home The Nomad is on exhibit at Xavier University!
We have made so many new friends, and even seen real-life versions of the characters in our book (like this Big Truck look-alike at a farm in Eatonton, Georgia). At the Jamboree in Texas, and at the Florida Tiny House Festival, we met some of the BIG names in TINY houses, like Zack Giffin, Jay Shafer and Bryce Langston. We love going to festivals, creating a kid zone and reading on stage, and connecting with all these great people (and we usually manage to squeeze in a school visit, too!). Next stop: New Orleans in January to do a special storytime from the tiny front porch of artist Dominique Moody, whose exquisite tiny home The Nomad is on exhibit at Xavier University!
A Writer's Life for Me!
Courtenay and I had the privilege of reading our books to kids at Cincinnati Children's Hospital, via their beautiful Ryan Seacrest Recording Studio which streams the broadcast right to patient rooms. It felt so great to be part of this amazing program that I also visited Boston Children's Hospital this summer after the New Jersey Tiny House Festival!
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One of the things we love about indie publishing is being involved with all aspects of the process. Here's Courtenay doing a press check at Bang Printing when we did our first paperback print run of Sun Kisses, Moon Hugs.
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Life imitating art imitating life...Alexis and Christian of Tiny House Expedition turned their tiny house into a character from our book (that was based on their house!) for the Tiny House Jamboree in Texas!
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Ready...Set...ROLL! The Big Adventures of Tiny House released on 4/25/2017!
What a heartwarming, housewarming celebration we have had since we launched The Big Adventures of Tiny House two weeks ago! From readings at four festivals around the nation the weekend before our launch, amazing reviews like this one from Publisher's Weekly, radio interviews and podcasts with Cyrus Webb, the ChitChat Cafe and Tiny House Podcast, and a wonderful storytime and book signing event on Indie Bookselller's Day at Once Upon a Time Books in Montrose, CA. Not to mention our very favorite thing - school visits! We've done four of them since the launch and we have more on the calendar. We've already read our new book to more than 2000 kids!
This indie author-publisher experience can be exhausting at times, but it also EXHILARATING. Courtenay and I love brainstorming together (every minute we are churning out new ideas - big and tiny - from story concepts to event banners and bookmarks!). For this book, we are even working with a savvy new publicist (Ann-Marie Nieves of GetRed PR) who's helping us get the word out about our books. We love working with bloggers, and we are getting very comfortable on the air, too. It is FUN talking with people about our journey creating books, and the inspirations behind each story. (That's the focus of our Tiny House school presentation, too: INSPIRATION - where to you find it? What do you do with it?).
With each new book, we learn so much - from nuts and bolts stuff like how to get catalogue data blocks for the copyright page to expanding our distribution opportunities. Our books are now carried by wholesale giant Baker and Taylor, as well as Once Upon a Time (go indie!) and Amazon - and we are in the process of distributing our ePubs to iTunes, Axis 360 and Kobo through Smashwords. There have definitely been some boppity-bumps along the way - but that's all part of the adventure!
This indie author-publisher experience can be exhausting at times, but it also EXHILARATING. Courtenay and I love brainstorming together (every minute we are churning out new ideas - big and tiny - from story concepts to event banners and bookmarks!). For this book, we are even working with a savvy new publicist (Ann-Marie Nieves of GetRed PR) who's helping us get the word out about our books. We love working with bloggers, and we are getting very comfortable on the air, too. It is FUN talking with people about our journey creating books, and the inspirations behind each story. (That's the focus of our Tiny House school presentation, too: INSPIRATION - where to you find it? What do you do with it?).
With each new book, we learn so much - from nuts and bolts stuff like how to get catalogue data blocks for the copyright page to expanding our distribution opportunities. Our books are now carried by wholesale giant Baker and Taylor, as well as Once Upon a Time (go indie!) and Amazon - and we are in the process of distributing our ePubs to iTunes, Axis 360 and Kobo through Smashwords. There have definitely been some boppity-bumps along the way - but that's all part of the adventure!
Rolling Out Our New Book The Big Adventures of Tiny House is SO FUN!!!We have a new book coming out soon - hooray! It is so exciting to be scheduling events, creating promotional materials such as fun bookmarks and coloring sheets, and seeing those early reviews come in! Every day is chock full of work - but it's not stressful. It's exhilarating! My days are spent in a creative blur.
Here's the main reason why it's so awesome: I absolutely LOVE working with my fabulous friend, illustrator Courtenay Fletcher. We're just like the Big Truck and Tiny House - rolling from one book adventure to the next. I love the fact that we have creative control over our projects and that we can believe our dreams right into existence. Less than a year ago, the idea for this book wasn't even born. It was March 2016 when I met Christian and Alexis of Tiny House Expedition (they parked in front of our house in LA for a week). I fell in love with their little house on wheels from the minute I saw it. I was so inspired by their use of repurposed materials --like an old farmhouse, trees knocked down in a North Carolina tornado, and fabric mill castoffs -- which to me stood as metaphors for how we can rebuild our lives after even the most catastrophic events. There is such beauty in that - the assembling of a new life after the old one is lost. The Tiny House Movement overall is inspiring: so many people building their own shelter and trading in the treadmill of crazily chasing "MORE" - instead seeking simple, sustainable living spaces that enable them to pursue more fulfilling goals. Less stuff, more time - for family, quiet reflection, artistic dreams. The tiny house community is rich in shared purpose and creativity and friendship. I am also incredibly grateful to our amazing Kickstarter backers, who made this creative dream of ours possible. They believed in this grand adventure of ours, and supported us so generously. We have so much going on with this new book that we have created a whole separate website for it: Check us out at www.thebigadventuresoftinyhouse.com |
Susan and Courtenay are pleased to announce their upcoming release - The Big Adventures of Tiny House! Available to the public on April 25th.
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Sun Kisses, Moon Hugs Featured for Multicultural Children's Book Day
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We were so proud to be included in this year's list of diverse books for Multicultural Children's Book Day!
Sun Kisses, Moon Hugs was written as a means of coping with our and our children's grief after loss - but it was always intended as a book to help EVERY child. It was important to us that the illustrations reflect that - so that children of all colors and abilities could see themselves reflected in the pages of the book. Love is forever - it transcends distance, time and differences. We all see the same moon, the same sun. The rain that falls on our faces travels around the globe and flows from sky to ocean and back again in an infinite water cycle. We are always so touched when people reach out to us to tell us how the book has made a difference in their lives. We've had readers give the book to kids dealing with their parents' divorce, to couples coping with a premature baby, or the loss of a beloved grandparent. Parents use the book to help kids deal with separation anxiety when they go on business trips. Child Life specialists love it for helping sick kids cope during prolonged hospital stays. And recently, a hospital reached out to say they needed 50 copies for a special memorial service to honor the families of children who had died in the hospital the previous year. These are such sad occasions - yet we are grateful our book is being used to bring some healing and love where it is needed. |
Susan and Courtenay are so honored to have Sun Kisses, Moon Hugs included as a 2017 pick for Multicultural Children's Book Day!
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New Healing Resources on Our Website
Courtenay and I have expanded the Sun Kisses, Moon Hugs website to include lots of art and nature activities to accompany our books. We hope these resources will be a source of comfort and healing for families coping with grief, loss, separation anxiety and trauma.
We have worked extensively with A Window Between Worlds - a wonderful non-profit that trains social workers to use art as a healing tool for trauma victims. Both of our books are in use in AWBW's wonderful programs, which reach kids and families in a wide variety of settings (including hospitals, domestic violence shelters, Habitat for Humanity, prison programs, community centers, grief programs, public schools and more). We are so honored to be part of their amazing work. Check out our book website for more information: www.sunkissesmoonhugs.com |
Susan and Courtenay have added more healing art
and nature activities to their Sun Kisses, Moon Hugs website.
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First Lady Michelle Obama Reads The Rhino Who Swallowed a Storm with LeVar!
The "All We Can Hold" anthology will be released soon!
I am so delighted to announce that All We Can Hold, an anthology of poems about motherhood, will be released on April 16th, 2016 by Sage Hill Press. What an honor to have my poem "Breakage" selected for this beautiful collection! Readings from the anthology will be featured during Get Lit!, Spokane and Eastern Washington University's week-long literary festival. UPDATE: See my "Poetry + Art" page for my poem and details about the anthology release event - it was wonderful!
Rhino Makes His Debut in Skybrary, the Reading Rainbow App!
Check out the very cool interactive version of The Rhino Who Swallowed a Storm, developed by the amazing peeps at RRKidz, the home of Reading Rainbow! The book app is narrated by LeVar Burton and full of fun interactive elements that kids will love.
The Rhino Who Swallowed a Storm is orbiting Earth!
"Journey your journey" is one of the central messages of The Rhino Who Swallowed a Storm...and what a journey this little book with a big heart has been having! It seems unbelievable but it's true: The Rhino Who Swallowed a Storm was one of 7 children's books sent to the International Space Station in December as part of the "Storytime from Space" program. Just imagine: our book's message of hope and healing is now orbiting Planet Earth. One of the last lines in the book is "as they curled up together, he felt loved and protected, and he dreamed of a world that was safe and connected". To me, the ISS embodies that vision of global connection and cooperation. I feel so honored to be part of this stellar "enterprise" to connect children to the space program - through stories.
Who ever could have guessed that following our dream in 2012 and self-publishing Sun Kisses, Moon Hugs would have led two moms into space? Courtenay Fletcher and I have been so blessed to be part of LeVar Burton's extraordinary vision to help children heal from trauma through storytelling. Since it was released in October 2014, The Rhino Who Swallowed a Storm has traveled the globe with LeVar Burton. The book has been featured on Good Morning America (my name was 10 feet tall in Times Square when they showed the cover on their big screens!), a special filming for military kids at the home of Vice-President Joe and Dr. Jill Biden, the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, Israel (read to children at a Bedouin encampment!), the Chicago Printers Row Literary Festival, and all over the country! Heck - they even carried the book at Costco for a few months - it's the American Dream! Next stop: SPACE...but I don't think that will be the FINAL frontier for Rhino. With LeVar Burton at the helm, anything is possible. (Cue Music..."I can go anywhere...I can be anything! Take a look, it's in a book...a Reading Rainbow!"
Who ever could have guessed that following our dream in 2012 and self-publishing Sun Kisses, Moon Hugs would have led two moms into space? Courtenay Fletcher and I have been so blessed to be part of LeVar Burton's extraordinary vision to help children heal from trauma through storytelling. Since it was released in October 2014, The Rhino Who Swallowed a Storm has traveled the globe with LeVar Burton. The book has been featured on Good Morning America (my name was 10 feet tall in Times Square when they showed the cover on their big screens!), a special filming for military kids at the home of Vice-President Joe and Dr. Jill Biden, the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, Israel (read to children at a Bedouin encampment!), the Chicago Printers Row Literary Festival, and all over the country! Heck - they even carried the book at Costco for a few months - it's the American Dream! Next stop: SPACE...but I don't think that will be the FINAL frontier for Rhino. With LeVar Burton at the helm, anything is possible. (Cue Music..."I can go anywhere...I can be anything! Take a look, it's in a book...a Reading Rainbow!"
LeVar Burton Rocks the Schoolhouse...
This spring, LeVar Burton wowed Lanai Road Elementary School's students and teachers with a high energy Reading Rainbow assembly. Classic Reading Rainbow video field trips, bookended by live storytelling from LeVar. Listening to him read The Rhino Who Swallowed a Storm and honoring Courtenay's and my collaboration with him in front of my 5th grader and his classmates was an incredibly moving experience for me. After 12 years of being a mom and volunteer at this school, it felt like a culmination ceremony for me, too! As Rhino says, "We're all on this earth to learn and to grow" - and it feels that I have learned and grown so much right along with my children. I have learned how to be a mother, grown through the pain of divorce and loss, remembered how to see through the optimistic eyes of a child, and embarked upon my dream career as a children's author. What an incredible journey it is to be a human in this world.
(Pictured left to right: Courtenay Fletcher, Macallan, LeVar Burton, me!, Charlie. Photo by Leslie Talley Photography)
(Pictured left to right: Courtenay Fletcher, Macallan, LeVar Burton, me!, Charlie. Photo by Leslie Talley Photography)
Sun Kisses, Moon Hugs Gets a Digital Do - Over 20,000 downloads so far!
Sun Kisses, Moon Hugs is available on the Reading Rainbow app. It's gorgeous..... Courtenay's bright and delightful illustrations look as vivid and crisp on an iPad as they do in hardcover. There are all sorts of fun little interactive elements -- and the app has a really lovely voiceover option for children who want the book read aloud to them! 20,000+ kids have already "checked out" Sun Kisses, Moon Hugs and placed it into their virtual "backpacks" within the Reading Rainbow app this month, and it will also be available as a stand-alone download for iPads soon! High tech hugs and kisses :)
Coming to a School...or Festival...or Museum...Near YOU (We hope!)
Courtenay Fletcher and I absolutely love visiting schools and getting to meet our readers. We've been taking the book out to schools throughout Southern California, and I was also honored to speak to several schools in New Orleans when I visited there last fall. It's such a joy to share our creative process with kids and inspire them to follow their own dreams.
In September, we got to play with paint and make books with families at the California Center for the Arts in Escondido (Courtenay's illustrations were featured at the Writing with Pictures exhibit of picture book illustrators).
On Sunday, October 4th, you'll find us at the Orange County Children's Book Festival. Stop by the Reading Rainbow booth near the Main Stage and say hello! We'll be signing books and handing out lots of free bookmarks.
Can you say FUN? We're giving the word "work" a good name.For more information about the book or author+illustrator visits, please visit www.sunkissesmoonhugs.com.
In September, we got to play with paint and make books with families at the California Center for the Arts in Escondido (Courtenay's illustrations were featured at the Writing with Pictures exhibit of picture book illustrators).
On Sunday, October 4th, you'll find us at the Orange County Children's Book Festival. Stop by the Reading Rainbow booth near the Main Stage and say hello! We'll be signing books and handing out lots of free bookmarks.
Can you say FUN? We're giving the word "work" a good name.For more information about the book or author+illustrator visits, please visit www.sunkissesmoonhugs.com.
Let me read you a bedtime story....
Want to hear Sun Kisses, Moon Hugs read to you by the author? Snuggle up with me as I sit in my rocking chair and read the book aloud! Just click here!