An author’s thoughts from the ALA Midwinter Conference

Guest blogger: Amanda Noll, author of I Need My Monster and Hey, That’s MY Monster! and two more upcoming monster books!

In January, I had the unique opportunity to participate as an author at the ALA Midwinter Conference in Seattle, Washington, The number of vendors and professionals was staggering, and the whole experience was tremendous. I was hosted by IPG (Independent Publishers Group), the awesome, hardworking team who distribute my books and the entire Flashlight Press line to bookstores.

Librarians began lining up even before it was time for me to start autographing the free copies, and that line didn’t end until we ran out of books, all 100 of them! I’ve never had people queue up to meet me; I almost felt famous! I credit IPG for creating the buzz: they promoted my signing front and center at the Friday night opening session, and that’s when the excitement started to build. Cynthia and the rest of the IPG team kept the line moving and made sure books were ready for the enthusiastic librarians awaiting them.

It was thrilling to be at an event where peers and professionals knew and loved my books, and were excited to meet me. I connected with many local librarians, and had a chance to greet and speak with librarians from as far as Brazil and Asia, and from all around the world.

The librarians shared countless stories of reading my books to their young library patrons or students, and to their own children at bedtime. They told me they were absolutely thrilled to see the upcoming board book Are You My Monster (July 2019) as well as the upcoming picture book prequel, How I Met My Monster (October 2019). Flashlight Press prepared gorgeous sell sheets, which the librarians eagerly snatched up.

Signing my books at an ALA conference was a defining moment in my journey as an author. I’m grateful that this milestone can now be checked off my bucket list.

Amanda’s monster books are available through IPG, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and your local bookseller.

Authors of the Future with Holly Niner

Authors of the Future
Blog Post by Holly Niner, author of The Day I Ran Away

The release of The Day I Ran Away has given me some wonderful opportunities to connect with students.  While I’m not sure it’s deserved, the students are usually a bit wide-eyed that they are meeting an author.  In turn, I am inspired by their questions and their belief that they too CAN be an author!  While I often receive a thank you after the visit, I don’t get to see the student’s stories.  Until this year, when a unique opportunity was presented to me.

Denise Phillips, owner of Gathering Volumes and mother of 2^nd and 4^th grade students at Woodland Elementary in Perrysburg OH, was putting together a pilot Young Author program for the school and asked if I would be one of three (two authors and an illustrator) to speak to the 4^th and 5^th grade excel classes.  In May I would return to hear the student’s stories and do an author signing at her store.

So in February one author spoke about getting ideas, I presented on picture book construction and creating a “page turner” and an illustrator talked with the classes.  The students began writing…

Meanwhile, a second grade teacher was interested in having an author visit via Skype.  When I “appeared” on the big screen in the student’s classroom their faces were priceless.  They quickly positioned themselves on the floor so we could all “see” each other.  In spite of a few frozen screen moments, it was a success with students asking great questions.  The teacher summed it up:

Thank you for meeting with us Holly.  The boys and girls were so excited to Skype!  With all of the technology available to us, that is one thing they do not do.  It was a lot of fun and your conversation with them was perfect!  They heard things from a REAL AUTHOR that their boring, old teacher has said.  🙂

Then on May 6 I returned to Perrysburg where a wonderful day of celebration was planned for the young authors.  Throughout the day 30 of the 40 students read their book to family and friends and then signed copies for their families and a party for all followed in the evening.  It was a wonderful example of partnership between an independent bookstore and its community.

It was a treat to speak with these young authors and their families and to hear them read their stories. I was impressed by unique story lines, wonderful illustrations and soaring imaginations.  While the future is uncertain in many ways, rest assured there will be wonderful stories to transport you, created by the next generation!

Super School Visit

“Had the most splendiferous visit with the bright eyes & minds at Fairview Elementary in Bloomfield, NJ yesterday, sharing When a Dragon Moves In and When a Dragon Moves In Again. Warm squishy hugs & love to all the students, teachers, and of course, the library goddess, Nancy Clark!” -Jodi Moore, Author

Too Much Glue Author’s Skype Visit a Success!

Jason Lefebvre, author of Too Much Glue, held a skype visit with a school in New Braunfels, Texas. Check out the video below to see how the kids are glued to his every word!

When a Dragon Visits BookfestPA

Jodi Moore – author of When a Dragon Moves In – attended the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts’ Bookfest on July 13th, 2013 along with the dragon himself, made from recyclable materials by Jodi’s son, Steve.

Here are some pictures from the event!

Sendak & Co.: Children’s Book Illustrations Since “Where the Wild Things Are”

The work of Courtney Pippin-Mathur, author and illustrator of Maya was Grumpy (Flashlight Press, to be released May 2013), was showcased in Sendak & Co.: Children’s Book Illustrations Since “Where the Wild Things Are,” an exhibition at the Appleton Museum of Art in Ocala, Florida, that opened this Sunday, November 18, 2012.

In addition, Courtney’s watercolor image of Maya with bright orange curly hair, was featured on the promotional postcards. —>

Read about Pippin-Mathur’s exciting experience at the opening via her blog post.

The exhibition runs until January 20, 2013.

Author Jodi Moore on Accepting Award for When a Dragon Moves In

When a Dragon Moves In, written by Jodi Moore, illustrated by Howard McWilliam

Jodi Moore accepted the Library of Virginia’s Annual Whitney and Scott Cardozo Award for Children’s Literature for When a Dragon Moves In last weekend!  Here is her account of the event:

WOW! The evening – the weekend – was extraordinary… just amazing! I am still pinching myself…what a star-studded, lovely weekend I had!

Virginia is a beautiful state, filled with warm, wonderful people.

The day started out with a scrumptious luncheon at the Convention Center, where all nominees were honored with medals.

We were treated to a Q&A session with the incomparable Tom Robbins, who was honored with a Literary Lifetime Achievement Award. What a fascinating man!

Following the luncheon, people were encouraged to buy the honored authors’ books and we were positioned at tables for signing. I’m thrilled to report that lots of people “adopted” Dragons! I was also interviewed on Sirius radio!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Beware! Pirates-in-Training at the Rose Marie Bryon Center!

Carrie Clickard, author of Victricia Malicia: Book-Loving Buccaneer, visited the Rose Marie Byron Center, an after-school program in Daytona, FL, on October 8, 2012.

The little buccaneers made pirate crafts designed by Carrie (available on www.victriciamalicia.com), including pirate hats and paper parrots. The students also indulged in some homemade pirate edibles.

Check out the pictures below!

Ernestine Visits Rotterdam

On May 14th, Linda Ravin Lodding — author of The Busy Life of Ernestine Buckmeister, (illustrated by Suzanne Beaky) — appeared at the First Annual Book Carnival at the American International School in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Prior to the book signing, the students enjoyed Ernestine-themed activities in the library, including kite making!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Celebrate National Children’s Book Week!

Children’s Book Week was founded in 1919 by Boy Scouts of America librarian Franklin K. Matthiews, and is the longest running literacy event in the country. Since 1944, Children’s Book Week has been sponsored by the Children’s Book Council, a nonprofit trade association that organizes educational events, author and illustrator appearances, and other book-related events at schools, libraries, bookstores, and museums across the country.

Here are some ways to celebrate:

Visit some of the 120 blogs sponsoring book giveaways and gift card raffles! For a full list of participating blogs click here.

If you are in the New York area, come meet our author Lori Sunshine (I’m Really Not Tired), at 3:30 pm on May 10, at Stoopher and Boots, a boutique located at 385 Amsterdam Ave. between 78th and 79th Streets in New York City.

Grab your child’s favorite book and be sure to schedule some storytime. Full PDF files of all of our award-winning Flashlight Press books, plus activity guides for each book, are available on our website to extend the fun!