2017 Southern Kentucky Book Festival (Part 2)

My four days in Kentucky and at the Southern Kentucky Book Festival every year makes such an impression on me that it takes two posts to share everything I want to share! Last week I shared Emily's book choices, pictures of what she and her father did while they waited for me, and some pictures of my friends and me. This week I thought I'd share a little bit of behind the scenes.

First of all, if you arrive on Thursday, as I do, for Children's Day on Friday, the local book club hosts an author salon at a private home. There is a beautiful hors devour spread, and a story request. This year's request was for a short story about an author or illustrator living or dead.

For some reason, there was a glitch and I didn't receive my request information, so I had to think of a story on the fly. Thankfully, I was sitting by my friend Mark who is one of the most awesome illustrators I know as well as a new Middle Grade author. I had a story to tell about the year when a little girl at the festival yanked her friend to my table exclaiming, "Here she is. She's the best drawer ever."

To fully understand this, you have to know that my drawing skills are barely above stick person compared to Mark's; and of course, he was sketching away brilliantly at the end of the aisle. But, the farm animal I had drawn for the girl apparently made an impact that I could never have imagined. Despite this coo, I heartily encourage you to check out the books Mark has illustrated and the ones he's written. Here are just a few I've read!

Friday evening, after the Children's Day event is complete, there is an author reception. This is where the public and authors mingle and they announce the winner of the Kentucky Book Award. This is an event I adore because there isn't much time to mingle with friends when you're signing books. This is where I hang with some of the coolest people I know and where I am introduced to authors I don't know yet, but people I will probably come to love.

Lois Sephaban, me, and bestie Lori A. Moore

Bestie Mark Wayne Adams, bestie Virginia (Ginny) Smith,
and the handsome Ray Peden

Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me next week for another exciting episode, same crazy time, same crazy channel. Also be sure to drop by Literacy Musings Mondays for more great blogs as well as my personal website Fun With Aileen where you will find more on reading, writing, and my very own chapter and picture books. And finally, you can find me on twitter @AileenWStewart if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.

Friends

Everybody wants to find a really good friend or two, and while I do have a some very wonderful local friends, I've also been blessed with a small group of literary besties. It has been my good fortune to be able to meet and hang out with these  fantastic people at events I attend. This weekend I attended such an event when I participated in the Marion Library's Read Local Author Fair, and I was thrilled to see my fellow Ohio author bestie Deborah Bence Boerema, proud book mother of The Innkeeper's Dog.

Deb and I met several years ago through our publisher and have since formed a close bond. We are sounding boards for each other when things seem bleakest. We are cheerleaders for each other, encouraging continued growth in our writings. And we even share the occasional recipe. Deb's Cinnamon Raisin English Muffin Bread is divine!

Deb and I usually only see each other in the fall and once in a blue moon in the spring, but this year we are planning on attending Nerd Camp this July, and I can hardly wait. Not only will we connect with teachers, illustrators, and other authors, this will be the first true test of our friendship__ we will stay overnight in a hotel. Here's hoping that neither of us snore.

At this weekend's event, I also met my social media friend Meghan Colvin for the first time. I can already tell that Meghan is going to be part of my literary bestie group which includes Deb, author Laura Eckroat, author Lori A Moore, author Lisa Tortorello, author Phyllis Griggs, author/illustrator Mark Wayne Adams, author Gail Nall, author/illustrator David Biedrzycki, author Paul Czajak, and author David A Kelly.

 

 

 

 

This group of fabulously talented people makes me want to be a better writer, they cheer me on, they encourage me not to give up, they help me revise and polish my work, they put up with damp shoulders when I need a good cry, they give me tips for achieving better rhyme when mine stinks, and they never ever tell me I talk too much even if they're thinking it!

And so of course, this week's reading selection from my library pile is about (drum role please...) friendship. I know, shocking isn't it. The book I read is Friends to the Rescue by Suzanne Chiew. It is a beautiful story of Badger, Mouse, Hedgehog, Rabbit, and how they work together to help rescue their new friend mole. The illustrations are colorful and quite adorable to boot.

Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me next week for another exciting episode, same crazy time, same crazy channel. Also be sure to drop by Literacy Musings Mondays for more great blogs as well as my personal website Fun With Aileen where you will find more on reading, writing, and my very own chapter and picture books. And finally, you can find me on twitter @AileenWStewart if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.

Nice, Nicer, and Nicest of All...

To receive a package in the mail is nice a few days before Christmas is nice. To receive a package that contains two children's books is even nicer. But the nicest gift of all is to receive pre-release copies of children's books illustrated by a friend and one of my favorite illustrators, Mark Wayne Adams.

And although these books don't officially release until January, I couldn't wait to read these gems. Mildred begged to read them with me, so we enjoyed them together. The first one we read was the Parts of Speech Parade New York City written by Irina Conickberg. It is a beautiful book that explains nouns, verbs, and so forth in a very fun manner. Each page shows a beautiful scene as the parts of speech come alive and tell their story as they parade through New York City. This book would be a perfect addition to any homeschool curriculum or a wonderful help to children needing that little bit of extra help remembering what each part of speech does.

The second book we read was Frozen Floppies by John Hope. This story actually came about after Mark created a pattern for a frozen floppy, and a pattern is actually included in the book. Floppies are a cross between a donkey and a kangaroo and they live in distinct groups that never mingle. That is until a horrible storm causes two of the three floppy groups to work together to help the third group which has become frozen floppysicles.

Reading books was a lovely way to spend Sunday afternoon seeing that I was a bit under the weather. I also managed to watch two programs of interest. The first was a short called The Gruffalo and is an Academy Award Nominee  based on a book by Julia Donalson. This story of a mouse taking a walk through the dangerous forest is absolutely phenomenal and I can't wait to read the book and compare it to the movie version.

And to finish off the evening, Bobby, Emily, and I watched A Charlie Brown. We watch this classic every year and never tire of it's message to remember the true meaning of Christmas.

Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me next week for another exciting episode, same crazy time, same crazy channel. And feel free to drop by my personal website, Fun With Aileen, any day of the week for even more on reading, writing, my very own early grade chapter book, Fern Valley, and my sequel, Return To Fern Valley! I'm also on twitter @AileenWStewart if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.