On a rainy Monday night in September, I had an amazing visit to Red Balloon Bookshop in St. Paul, MN, where I participated in a "Great Baking Book Event," inspired by my middle grade novel, MIDSUMMER'S MAYHEM, and (of course) the Great British Baking Show! I talked about my story, read a little from … [Read more...]
LoonSong 2019
This September I returned for the second time to beautiful Elbow Lake Lodge in Cook, MN to gather with other writers for an incredible retreat called LoonSong. Created by Debby Dahl Edwardson, this retreat was nourishing for both the mind and spirit. The faculty this year included Elizabeth … [Read more...]
MIDSUMMER’S MAYHEM in Forbes!
I was thrilled that MIDSUMMER'S MAYHEM was featured on this list of "Ten 2019 Children's Book Recommendations from Children's Bookstores." … [Read more...]
Fun in the Windy City!!
I visited Chicago for two fantastic MIDSUMMER'S MAYHEM events! First, a panel at beautiful Anderson's Bookshop Downers Grove with awesome fellow MG authors, Karla Manternach, Malayna Evans, and Niki Lenz and moderated by Kim Long! I got to catch up with high school and college friends as well as … [Read more...]
Mayhem on Cape Cod!
I went to Cape Cod for TWO fantastic MIDSUMMER'S MAYHEM events in the same evening! First, I visited the picture-perfect Eight Cousins Books with fellow MG authors Susan Tan and Jennifer Blecher, where we had a lively discussion and played my new favorite game, "That's My Book!" where the lovely … [Read more...]
SECRETS AND MAYHEM at An Unlikely Story!!
I was thrilled to visit the absolutely spectacular An Unlikely Story bookstore with my friend and incredible author, Erin Dionne!! We ate yummy food (including some double-chocolate malted milk cookies I brought), talked about our books and the writing life, and answered questions from the fantastic … [Read more...]
nErDCamp NC 2019!!
I had an absolutely fantastic time in Charlotte, NC at nErDCamp NC!! I loved connecting with educators and other authors alike, and learning from and participating in some fantastic discussions! … [Read more...]
Park Road Books Panel!
I had a marvelous time at Park Road Books with fellow authors Amalie Jahn, Jodie Zdrock, Nicole Panteleakos, Gillian McDunn, Malayna Evans, Mariama Lockington, and Gail Shepherd!! … [Read more...]
Heck YA Book Fest at Main Street Books!
I was so fortunate to attend the Heck YA Book Fest at Main Street Books in Davidson, NC! In this celebration of book joy, authors participated in fascinating discussions on panels. The event culminated with a massive book signing!! I had such an amazing time with fellow authors Gillian McDunn, … [Read more...]
MIDSUMMER’S MAYHEM Event at Tatnuck Bookseller!
I had a fantastic time at beautiful Tatnuck Bookseller, which is an beautiful and enormous store, complete with a cafe! We had baked goods and air conditioning on a hot summer's day. I caught up with some friends, and met a twin pair of new MIDSUMMER'S MAYHEM fans! … [Read more...]
nErDCamp SoCal!!
In the final leg of my summer west coast tour, I met up with incredible kids, educators and authors in Torrance, CA at the inaugural nErDCamp SoCal! On the first day, July 18, many authors did workshops with kids at Camp Nerdling! The second day was the nErDCamp, where authors and educators shared … [Read more...]
ALL THE MAYHEM Tour Part 4: Once Upon a Time!
Our ALL THE MAYHEM tour continued at Once Upon a Time, a wonderful bookstore in gorgeous Montrose, CA! Chris Baron and I joined fellow MG author Henry Lien for a super-fun "Midsummer's Mania" event with young book lovers and writers!! We had tons of fun doing creative writing exercises, followed by … [Read more...]
ALL THE MAYHEM Tour Part 3: Public Square Coffee House!
I met up with Chris Baron again in his lovely hometown of La Mesa, CA, where we had an epic ALL THE MAYHEM event at Public Square Coffee House! The cafe was packed to the gills! We were graciously introduced by fellow debut author Laura Taylor Namey, talked about our books, and ate scrumptious food! … [Read more...]
MIDSUMMER’S MAYHEM Event at Books Inc!
On the third stop of the MIDSUMMER'S MAYHEM west coast tour, I traveled to the Bay Area to visit Books Inc in Campbell, CA! This was a truly special experience: one of the booksellers, Colleen, is a trained pastry chef, and she made lemon-lavender cupcakes, chocolate-chunk citrus thyme cookies, and … [Read more...]
ALL THE MAYHEM Tour Part 2: The Neverending Bookshop!
ALL THE MAYHEM continued when Chris Baron and I visited The Neverending Bookshop in beautiful Edmonds, WA! This lovely store has a special tiny room dedicated to kids' books! We had a great time with the crowd there, which included fellow debut MG authors Jody Little and Kristin Thorsness! I also … [Read more...]
ALL THE MAYHEM Tour Part 1: Third Place Books in Seattle!
This July I had the great pleasure doing a MIDSUMMER'S MAYHEM west coast tour with my wonderful friend and fellow debut novelist, Chris Baron, and his gorgeous novel in verse, ALL OF ME! Our first stop was Third Place Books in Seattle, WA. We met up and baked with my Pitch Wars mentor, Joy … [Read more...]
Awesome Midsummer’s Eve Panel at Silver Unicorn Books!
On June 23, Midsummer's Eve, I joined awesome MG authors Jarrett Lerner and Susan Tan for a fantastic Middle Grade Author Panel at the Silver Unicorn Bookstore! There were lots of great questions, laughter, and, of course, delicious treats!! I think the folks at the While Away Cafe would have been … [Read more...]
Release Day for MIDSUMMER’S MAYHEM!
On June 11, 2019, MIDSUMMER'S MAYHEM officially released to the world! I spent part of the day visiting two of my favorite local independent bookstores, The Silver Unicorn Bookstore and The Concord Bookshop, gazing at my book on the shelves and signing copies: . . I made sure … [Read more...]
A Dream of a Book Launch and Party!
On June 2, 2019, my writing dream came true! I was privileged to launch MIDSUMMER'S MAYHEM at The Concord Bookshop, the fantastic independent bookstore in my lovely hometown! It was an incredible event, with a packed store was packed full of family and friends from near and far, and we sold out of … [Read more...]
Book Expo 2019!
Book Expo 2019 in NYC was a blast! I got to hang out with my editor and the rest of the publishing team at the Little Bee Books booth. I visited other publisher's booths, including the publishers of some of my friends' books, and my forthcoming picture books! . . … [Read more...]