Princess Peepers Recipe!

Check out this scrumptious recipe fit for little hands. It's written by dietitian and author, Mary Ann Dames: Princess Peepers Party Glasses

Can't wait to try this myself! I'll post the pics when my little princess and I are done. :-)

What a Turnout!

When I headed over to Modesto last night, I was praying there would at least be five children there. I have this fear of crickets playing as I'm sitting at a signing table, twiddling my thumbs in a huge Barnes and Noble. People might squint at Princess Peepers, make a quick smile, then slide away so I won't force them to buy my books.


Well, that nightmare didn't happen! Thank God!

I knew things might be going well when I approached the store. I could see the bright children's center teeming with kids. I couldn't believe it!

Most of them were wearing sparkly specs and adoring eyes for their favorite book, Princess Peepers. It brought tears to my eyes. A dream come true. Really. I never imagined children would want to see me read a book that I wrote. It's something I'd hope would happen one day, but never allowed myself to believe it.


Now I've been a children's author for a while. I've done school visits. I've had book launches with children lining up to get my autograph. But this time it was different. Maybe it was the place or the children or the book. I don't know...

When I was finished with the reading, it was time to sign. The children crowded around and it seemed like forever until they cleared out enough for there to be a real line.

What fun!

If you're reading this and wishing it could happen to you one day, I'm here to say it can. Your dreams can come true. It just takes perseverance! Princess Peepers was rejected 13 times before Marshall Cavendish picked it up. Thirteen! And I'd submitted it for over two years. I'd actually almost given up on it until a friend told me to send it to her publisher.

I want to say thank you to the children of Our Lady Fatima school who made me feel very special last night!

HUGS TO ALL!

Oh, and one more thing...check out THE BOOTS!!!! YES! I broke down and got them last week...tee hee! ------->

Don't tell my hubby! SHHHH!!!!

Book Signing!

I'll be in Modesto, CA tonight at the Barnes and Noble on McHenry Avenue, doing a book signing and reading for Our Lady Fatima school students. They will be wearing their royal peepers and far out wacky specs in celebration of Princess Peepers and their book fair!

I'll post pictures tomorrow.

If you happen to be in the area, stop by!

I love being a picture book author!!!

I just got in the new sketches for Princess Peepers Picks a Pet! Oh MY!!! Peeper's pet is ADORABLE and Peepers' face when she discovers this pet...well...I want to say I have THE most talented illustrator! I wish I could give you a sneak peep! But since the book won't be out for at least a year, I can't...sigh...

But know that all you PP fans out there will want to wrap your arms around the book because I do and it's not even finished. HA! (And no...the horse to the left is NOT Peepers' pet. That is too normal for my unique princess!)

Today is a PP eyewear meeting...I'm very excited about this. Details will come but business stuff happens first (I never knew how much until this happened.) Hopefully, we'll have a line of adorable eyewear for all of you Princess Peepers out there sometime next year.

Fans...for all my books! Wee!!!

Today was a great mail day. After the events of the past week, I really needed some cheering up and that happened with a 10 x 13 manila envelope! In it was a whole class full of letters, each saying which of my books were their favorites. I've never had this happen before. Usually, I get letters about my latest book, but this class read all of my books at once and then chose. Way cool!

Which book won their heart? Well, since I LOVE statistics, this is how it played out:

Okay...to be FAIR, there were 13 boys and 7 girls...and you KNOW that little boys are NEVER going to say they love Princess Peepers (I mean, with all that glitter and pink? No...not gonna happen.) So, really there isn't a clear winner because each of my books appeal to a different sex. And that was so true in the voting!

That said, this is how it played out amongst the gender differences:

Multiplying Menace came in as the ClEAR winner among the boys. Ten votes! They seemed to like the multiplication, the king getting his nose multiplied, and Rumpelstiltskin getting his in the end. There was one little boy who really liked the Rumpelstiltskin! HA!

Mystery at the Ballpark got three votes--all boys. Most of them loved the humor, that it was a mystery, and yes, because they love baseball!

Princess Peepers was the CLEAR favorite among the girls. It got 6 out of 7 votes! They all loved the happy ending, the humor, and it had a princess in it who wore "glasses that matched her dress" in the end. That's what it's all about, people!

Multiplying Menace got one vote among the girls. This girl touched me because I loved how artistic she was. Here's a picture of her letter--don't you dig the six noses? I also really liked her fancy script.

Yay for kids who love books (and those teachers who encourage them)! They really warm my heart.

Peanut Butter Bread Mold??? NO! It's PiBoIdMo!!!

What's that???

Well, it's the picture book author's valiant attempt to get rid of the greenies during the month of November. You know what I'm talking about--those novelist-who-get-to-do-everything-fun-in-November blues always hit this time of year. When NaNoWriMo happens and you only write pb's? Well...yeah, I know you...

Anyway, here's your antidote for those blues right now!!! It's PiBoIdMo!!! In order to play, all you need to do is come up with ONE picture book idea each day for the month of November. By the end of it, you'll have THIRTY ideas to choose from to develop throughout the year! If you'd like some inspiration, just go to Tara Lazar's blog here: TARA THE STAR!!!

Here's to some FAB picture books happening! Cheers!!

A Sorrowful Day...

With woeful regret I report to you that my mother-in-law passed to be with God today. As I posted earlier, she was much beloved by all her family, including her two daughter-in-laws and son-in-law. She really had been doing so well and yesterday was her best yet. She was breathing very well and was so strong, visiting with friends. But this morning, she fainted and never recovered. After she was admitted to the hospital, she was gone. I know she didn't like going to the hospital. God was being gracious to her. She was peaceful.

We shared something together that was very special. She loved to write! Here is a poem that I think she would love for me to share. She wrote it in 1993--the year my sixteen year old daughter was born.

I am human
I want to transcend
And yet that is not me
I transcend the flesh with power from on high
A power which eludes me unless I am bonded with this force
Each moment, each day, each year
Jesus cries out--latch on, give up
I will carry you--your thoughts--your desires can be mine
Desert the earthly, come up high with me
Move about below, but live on high with me

She is living on high with Him and she showed me this whenever I was around her.

Live on high, Kay. Live on high!

All I Want for Christmas...

Are these BOOTS!!!

I went to DSW for the first time ever--if you haven't been, DON'T!!! You'll save a lot of money...

I have a hard time even finding boots that fit because I have exceptionally...um...well, I'll say it...LARGE calves and nothing ever fits. I haven't worn boots like this since the go go's in the 70's. (And I was 10). So, can you imagine my DELIGHT when I tried these on? They FIT!!! But they were a bit pricey and I had a friend with me who is my conscious. She said, "Oh, you can get those back home if you want." A DSW at home is about 45 minutes away from me. We were in Denver at the time.

And guess what? I can't find these boots. And they're about $50 more expensive online...

Sigh...maybe I should start believing in Santa Clause now and I'll get them by Christmas. Tee hee!