First Book Signing = Success!

There is so much I could say about this book signing, but instead I've opted for a photo album approach. Enjoy :-)

First, I walked into the library to find this in front of the main desk. I didn't get a chance to find out who took the time to draw this, but I gave them a great big imaginary hug in my mind.


  Part of being a self-publishing author is being your own PR specialist. So, yeah, I had to take a picture of my first effort at making a flyer.

 

Photo credit to Ashley —>

 Sometimes I like having an artist friend...and sometimes I LOVE IT!!!! This was a marker board in the Konnie Room, on the wall beside the signing table.

My first signing :-)

 <—Of course, haha.

Rach gave me violet colored flowers as a congrats gift. :-)

And Ashley gave me this.

Before hot water...





After hot water (below — start from left)

 Yep...both my friends know me pretty well :-)

Anyway, that's pretty much it. I'm very happy with how the signing turned out, and I'm grateful to everyone who supported me during this process. Now that I know planning something like this isn't too complicated, you can bet there will be more events in the future. To all those who bought a copy of Violet Eyes, I sincerely hope you enjoy it.

Thank you, and happy reading!

How I Know I'm Old...According to my Sisters.

"What do you want to do tonight, Katie?" My little sister looked up at me with hopeful eyes. She loves it when I babysit, especially on Friday nights.

"I dunno, what do you want to do?" I asked in return, shrugging my shoulders like the vultures in The Jungle Book.

"I don't know. That's why I'm asking you." Then...crickets.

It's times like that when a hard truth hits me square in the face. I'm on the far end of a very large age gap between me and my two little sisters, ages eight and nine.

The thing is, I've been noticing this a lot lately. Most of the time, it only happens when I'm discussing movies with the girls, but there are other signs of a gap between us. If you don't have siblings who are much younger (or much older) than you, it might be hard to understand. But sometimes I think I know how my parents must have felt when I was small.

Just for fun, I tried to find the top five "really old sister moments" I've experienced and put them together for your enjoyment. Who knows? Maybe you can relate.

1. As previously indicated, they don't get any of my classic cartoon Disney references unless the movie has been released from the vault on DVD. Sometimes not even then. Some major movies will never go out of style: Cinderella, The Lion King, etc. But I can't help noticing that my sisters remember more about the sequels than the originals. They can quote The Lion King 1 1/2 all day long, but they look at me like I'm crazy when I start belting out Be Prepared at the top of my lungs. Of course, they tell me it's because I'm "being weird," but I'm not convinced yet. And when it comes to lesser known movies (nowadays) such as Robin Hood...well...it's best to let sleeping dogs lie. They watched it on Netflix, and I'm still icing that blister.

2. They roll their eyes if I start dancing to my music while I'm cleaning. Hey! Kids don't have a monopoly on having fun. However, they've apparently cornered the market on cool dance moves. My layman's version of the moonwalk doesn't quite cut it with these little critics.

3. They ask me to tell them about a time before Game-boy Advance, DS, and X-Box. Ummm...I had a huge Game-boy Color that weighed five pounds, made little blipping sounds when I pressed the control buttons, and all the graphics were pixelated. Just kidding, not really. I actually don't remember my old GBC that well, because I was more of a reader/ movie watcher/ go-outside-and-play-with-a-stick kind of person.* However, I do remember owning a Tamagotchi back in the late 90's. To show the girls or not to show the girls? That is the question.

4. I'm out in town, and someone compliments me on my "lovely daughters." Okay...I'll give the general public that one. My sisters do look a lot like me. But the girls aren't small anymore, and it makes me wonder how old I look, ha ha.

5.  "I love my brother, my sister, my Dad, my Mom...and Katie too." My youngest sister was only six at the time, and she was trying to be nice to me. That was the first moment I realized she thinks of me as another adult in the house, not a kid. Needless to say, it was kind of bittersweet, yet it pretty much sums up our relationship. I'm at that unique point where I can mother them without having the responsibility of being their mother; but I can still relax, let loose, and just be their sister.

There it is — the top five "really old sister moments" of my life. If you have any experiences with small children who are close to you (they don't have to be your siblings), please don't be shy. Share them in the comments section. Maybe someday I'll have to update this list to include all the differences between twenty somethings and "the next generation."

* I'm not anti-video games. Most of my closest friends are gamers. I just wasn't as into that stuff when I was little, save for a few selections (Harvest Moon). If I had discovered Zelda back then, that might have changed, ha ha.

Poetic Gems: Entry One — "The Reading Mother"

I'm not a big fan of poetry, but every now and then I find a gem that touches me deeply. This one is special because my Mom read to me a lot when I was little. She read me so many books that I could sight read most words by the time I was in Kindergarten. Love for reading begins when we're very young, as well as our taste in literature (in my opinion), and God blessed me with a mother who knew that.

On behalf of all children whose mothers read to them when they were small, I'd like to say thank you.

Thank you very much.

The Reading Mother

By Strickland Gillilan

I had a Mother who read to me

Sagas of pirates who scoured the sea,

Cutlasses clenched in their yellow teeth,

"Blackbirds" stowed in the hold beneath.

I had a Mother who read me lays

Of ancient and gallant and golden days;

Stories of Marimon and Ivanhoe,

Which every boy has a right to know.

I had a Mother who read me tales

Of Gelert the hound of the hills of Wales,

True to his trust till his tragic death,

Faithfulness blent with his final breath.

I had a Mother who read me things

That wholesome life to the boy heart brings —

Stories that stir with an upward touch,

Oh, that each mother of boys were such!

You may have tangible wealth untold;

Caskets of jewels and coffers of gold.

Richer than I you can never be —

I had a Mother who read to me.

 

February 2014 Favorites

It's that time of the month again, when I come to you and give my thoughts on random things. There's not a whole lot this time around, because I've been sick for most of February and doing nothing but watching Netflix. But there are a few stand-out items I've found, and I can't wait to share them with you.


Favorite Book: I've only read one book this past month, but I thought it was worth mentioning. Mira Mirror, by Mette Ivie Harrison, is about the magic mirror that Snow White's stepmother possessed in the classic fairy tale. But the story is not about Snow. Instead, it tells the tale of what happens after the stepmother disappears and the mirror is abandoned in the woods for one hundred years. Mira, the young girl who was trapped inside the mirror by the witch in order to make it magic, retains her sanity with a yearning to be human again. Then, when she is just about to give up hope, another young girl finds her in the forest. She is lost, innocent, frightened...and the perfect tool for Mira to regain her humanity.

Don't make the same mistake I did and think that this story must be romantic because it's a fairy tale. In fact, if you're looking for a love story, this book will probably frustrate you. Although it does contain some romance and adventure, it is mainly about Mira's inner struggle to choose between what she wants and what is right. Don't worry, I won't give away any spoilers. But this book was actually pretty deep, and it left me significantly impressed with its depiction of filial love, anger, the slow descent into evil, how we justify wrongdoing to ourselves, and forgiveness.

Favorite Movie: I'm going to choose Austenland this month. For those of you who haven't heard of it yet, it's about a fictional vacation experience in England where women go and immerse themselves in the regency era. They dress according to the times, speak and behave as ladies would have back then, give up all modern technology, and men are hired to play the part of gentlemen who court the visistors like Jane Austen's heroes would have. This story revolves around a woman who is the ultimate obsessive Austen fanatic and blows her life savings on a vacation in Austenland.Iwas a little worried when I first saw this movie, because I've seen some pretty terrible Austen fan-girl knockoffs. In fact, I haven't seen any movies I've liked besides the major BBC productions (think Colin Firth). But by the end, I thought it was actually a fitting tribute to the Austen legacy. Full of hilarious moments when the modern and regency cultures collide, Austenland is an excellent girl's night in movie. Just make sure you have plenty of tea, sandwiches, and cookies, haha.

The only thing I feel compelled to warn you about is that there is some adult humor in the movie. It's not heavy enough to make the plot vulgar, and I still say it's great for older teenagers and adults. But I would personally recommend discretion if letting children (under thirteen) watch with you. Otherwise, I'm sure you ladies will enjoy it.

Favorite Artwork: When I went to visit my friend, Heidi of Aspenglow Photography, earlier this month, she gifted me with this gorgeous framed photograph. It's the Cascade Range in Oregon, but it made me think of the Northern Mountains of Madonia (a mountain range in Violet Eyes). This is exactly how I pictured them in my mind. Heidi is an amazing photographer and sells her artwork at very reasonable prices. If you want to take a look at her other wares, just click on the link above. You won't regret at least browsing — trust me.

That's all for this month. Being sick doesn't enable me to do a whole lot of exploring of any kind. Hopefully I'll have some extra categories for you in March. Until then...