Guernsey Cow Watercolor in the Arboretum and ACCC Gallery Show

Guernsey Cow Watercolor in the Arboretum and ACCC Gallery Show

To celebrate the beauty of Carver County and the creative efforts of its artists, the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum and the Arts Consortium of Carver County are hosting a major art exhibit in the Arboretum’s Reedy Gallery. The show will run from Aug.1 – Oct. 31, 2012. The opening for the show is Friday August 3^rd at 4:30. Please come to this awesome event, entrance to the Arboretum is free for it. I am honored that my “Guernsey Cow” watercolor was selected to be part of the show. Hope to see you there!

Tomie DePaola Illustration Contest

Thanks so much to everyone who posted their submissions for this contest. I gave it a try this year too. It was my first try using Photoshop for color on scanned in line art. I ran out of time because I was learning so much as I went along. No time was left for adding dimension and shadows. I submitted anyway. Thanks again all you fabulous illustrators :)

Summer Fun

The summer brings time for me to recharge and renew. As a school teacher, I’m committed to being a life long learner. To plan for this, I have a little bit taken out of every paycheck and put in a savings account. The catalogues start to arrive in early March. This is a very exciting time for me because there are so many interesting classes to choose from. My passions include both writing and illustrating so I research workshops or classes in both that I can afford. This summer I’m planning on a writing class with The Loft, and an illustration workshop with Split Rock at the University of Minnesota. The benefits include not only learning new techniques, but also meeting people with similar interests.

Award Stickers Help Sell Books

On January 27th, 2010, “There’s a Frog on My Forehead” was honored with a Mom’s Choice Award® for Children’s Picture Book, Basic Concepts. I was thrilled when I got the news and even happier, today, when the stickers arrived. They are beautiful and enhance the cover. My picture book was also a finalist in the Indie Excellence Awards. Since this is the beginning of the second year for my book, I decided to try a marketing experiment. I was at the same venue, same date, with my book for a story time and book signing event. I put stickers on the cover of the books this year. I didn’t have them last year. I sold three times as many books with stickers as without. Many buyers inquired about the stickers and I had information about the awards to share with them. This may seem obvious to some, but I was a little hesitant to use stickers on my cover when I received my first award. My ah! ha! is that submitting your book to carefully selected award competitions, can help sell your book, particularly if you are a finalist or win. So if you haven’t used your award stickers, give them a try!

1st Anniversary of “There’s a Frog on My Forehead” Book Launch

As I mark the anniversary of the launch of my first children’s picture book, “There’s a Frog on My Forehead,” I find that I am so grateful for many things. To name just a few, the people that I’ve met, the helpful coaches, mentors, and teachers who made this dream a reality, and the guides who familiarized me with a road map for the marketing process that has been such a journey. My family has been such a fantastic source of support and joy as we move through many new adventures together.
I’ve also had the privilege of meeting many other authors and illustrators who are helpful with advice, strategies, and ideas. This voyage has been so wonderful that I’m going to start it all again with the New Year. Happy New Year to all!

Marketing My Children's Picture Book, The Journey Continues

This week I had two opportunities to learn about the processes of publishing, marketing, and promoting children’s picture books. The first was at the Twin Cities Book Festival, Saturday, October 10th. I was an exhibiting author and sold enough copies of my book, “There’s a Frog on My Forehead,” to come away with a smile on my face. However, the book sales weren’t the main reason for attending this event. I was surrounded by wonderful authors, illustrators, editors, and publishers all sharing and exchanging stories, successful tactics, and strategies. Thank you to RAIN TAXI for allowing me to participate in this great event.
The second event was the 2009 Education Minnesota Professional Conference. I was an exhibitor with Beaver’s Pond Press. Our booth was filled with authors, some of them also educators, who have recently published books. This was a wonderful opportunity to meet with educators from a variety of school districts to discuss school visits, and our books. I enjoyed meeting so many students and student teachers, who were filled with excellent ideas for educating our kids.

Beaver's Pond Author Picnic

Last Wednesday I had the privilege to attend the Beaver’s Pond Press Authors Picnic. It was wonderful to see so many authors and illustrators that I know, and to network and meet new people.
The presentation was great and one of the things that Dara and Amy discussed is the importance of blogging. I realized that it was past time for me to get my feet wet with the bloggers of the world. So, with help from Jason, of Three Eyed Bird Design, I am attempting my first post!
Thank you to everyone at Beaver’s Pond Press for a delightful evening and an informative event.