I just flew in from the New York State Sheep & Wool Festival and boy are my arms tired!
Ba-da-boom!
Thank you, folks! I'll be here all week! Try the chicken cacciatore!
Seriously, though, I really did go to Sheep & Wool and I had tons of fun!
More than 3 people bought copies of Can't Sleep Without Sheep - awesome!
I saw MANY sheep - always fun! One was being led around like a dog on a leash, baaing plaintively to his mates behind in the pen. I didn't get a picture because I was carrying all my stuff, but he had very cool long ropy hair - kind of like Bob Marley but a different color :)
I got to read to a bevy of little munchkins in various stages of sugar overdrive from fair food :)
My signing table was right next to Nancy Shaw - yes, THE Nancy Shaw who wrote SHEEP IN A JEEP and many, many others - books I read over and over to my kids when they were little - and I got to meet her and be in a picture with her!
Here she is for real (in a surreptitious photo taken by my camera-girl) signing for her hordes of loving fans with my hair in the background - that's the closest I could come to an actual picture with both of us in it :)
I hope you enjoyed that Fun Photo Fest and my incredible drawing skills. (Now you know why I don't illustrate my own books :))
Oh, and before we go, now seems like a good moment to mention some upcoming fun stuff!
Next week, from October 28 - Nov. 1 we'll be having the 3rd Annual Halloweensie Contest! (Go HERE for details if you'd like to enter!)
Monday November 11 will feature an interview with the one and only Mike Allegra!
Wednesday November 13 we will have a very special Would You Read It!
Wednesday November 13 we will have a very special Would You Read It!
Monday December 2 we'll be having our Rhyme Clinic with Linda Ashman!
And who knows what other amazing things may happen by :)
So with all that awesomeness to look forward to, have a marvelous Monday, everyone! :)
I enjoyed the photos! How neat to have met Nancy & Iza!
ReplyDeleteI do adore those photos, even the hand drawn one that makes me feel pretty alright cause I think you and I are in the same artistic boat when it comes to drawing, though you may have an advantage since you actually drew the heads with nicely shaped circles lol!!
ReplyDeleteGlad you had a blast :-)
Haha, Susanna! I'd say you sold more than three books! I'd have asked to have a picture taken of both of us, but that would have meant interrupting the crowd lined up at your table! It sure was busy, wasn't it? Yesterday was the same. Finally slowed down after 3. I wish we'd had more time to chat...I loved meeting your daughter. She's delightful!
ReplyDeleteWow! I love Nancy Shaw. I'd have had trouble keeping it together with such a super-hero at the same table. So glad it went well for you. Sheep books rule!
ReplyDeleteYou can't pull the wool over our eyes! Sounds like you had a grand time with other SHEEPish authors.
ReplyDeleteLove these photos and especially the drawing of you and Iza - amazing likenesses! What a swell event. Sounds like you have some fun treats in store for us on the blog.
ReplyDeleteI totally did, Nancy! It was very fun :)
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My agent doesn't believe me when I tell her I can't draw :) Maybe I should send her over to have a look at this :) And I hope you'll enjoy the fun treats in store, Joanna :)
ReplyDeleteIza and I are old buddies and it is always delightful to get to spend time with her. Meeting Nancy was new though, and quite a treat because our house is such a fan of her books! :)
ReplyDeleteI'll tell you a secret, Angela... I used pencil and was forced to erase many times :) Glad you enjoyed the photos, and nice to meet another drawing-challenged writer :)
ReplyDeleteI know! I wanted more time to chat too! But seeing as we're there to sign books, I suppose we have to pay attention to that :) We should probably have lunch or a dog walk soon so we can chat our little heads off :) Katie was glad to meet you too since I've mentioned you many times and she is a huge fan of Itsy Bitsy Spider :)
ReplyDeleteLooks like a lot of fun, Susanna. :) And I like your drawing. Sometimes you've got to make it happen yourself, right? On that note, I wish I could draw myself a clean house. :)
ReplyDeleteIt was pretty cool to meet her in real life - I felt intimidated by her greatness, but she was very nice :) Whenever I go to Sheep & Wool I want to write another sheep book because sheep are so cute and everyone there is so nice!
ReplyDeleteI wish I could draw myself a clean house and a chef - someone to make a delicious healthy dinner eery night that I don't have to cook! :)
ReplyDeleteLove the picture of you and Iza! :)
ReplyDeleteThat sounds baaaeutiful! And what a fun load of posts coming up. Let's see how organised we can all be lol. p.s. I'm painting you next ;) Do you want me to use the lovely one on your blog or another one?
ReplyDeleteMe too. Coleen!
ReplyDeleteSame here. Although I think it's easier to draw cookies, than salads.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh! I'm so honored! You can use whatever you like, but it would be nice to have my dogs in it :) Plus it's your theme - women writers with their 2 dogs :)
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So true!!! :)
ReplyDeleteIt was clearly drawn by a great artistic talent :)
ReplyDeleteSheep and Wool Festival! I didn't even know that was a thing. Turns out to be the perfect thing for you! Lucky you captured it all in pictures. ....sort of.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know there was a Sheep and Wool Festival -- that's a pretty creative place to go promote books. Sounds like you had fun. You have some interesting guests lined up and a lot on your plate.
ReplyDeleteI recently reviewed The Field Guide to Fleece: 100 Sheep Breeds & How to Use Their Fibers for the Sacramento Book Review. I don't know why I picked that. I just thought it had to be fun. And it was. I'll bet there were a few copies of that floating around the festival. It sound like it must have been great fun. Glad you sold some books too.
ReplyDeleteThe festival is amazing, Rosi! It's the biggest on of its kind in the country! You can't believe how many sheep and wool enthusiasts there are. Such gorgeous yarn! So many beautiful sweaters and hats and scarves! So many books on how to knit and crochet, make your own yarn etc. And all these demonstrations of shearing, carding, spinning, weaving etc. It's really something. Also alpaca and llama!
ReplyDeleteIf you're crafty (or like sheep :)) you would love it, Pat. It's quite the event for knitting, weaving, and crochet enthusiasts as well as those who love and care for sheep, alpacas, and llamas. And everyone is so nice!
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I always have great plans to take pictures and then I forget... or don't have time. I wish I'd taken more. There were so many cute sheep of so many different breeds and colors. And they had demonstrations of shearing and spinning and all kinds of other cool stuff. You could go to workshops and learn how to do awesomely creative things with wool. One of these years I'll go just for the fun of wandering around. I always feel inspired to knit something afterwards even though I'm not that good a knitter and have no time to do it :)
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I enjoyed reading about your sheep adventure. Looking forward to your up coming posts. :-)
ReplyDeleteI like the illustration the best! How fun you were with fellow sheep lovers! I must look up to see if there is a festival for one of my animal characters. :) Just so I'll have a goal beyond the typical submit to agent and get it published, etc. Tiny details really. I'm looking for a festival.
ReplyDeleteYou illustration makes me think of a new book idea - "Diary of a Wimpy Author" ;) (not that you are one) :D The festival looks really fun! I wish I was there!
ReplyDeleteYou would love it, Erik! Maybe you and your family should plan a trip to New York on the third weekend in October next year :)
ReplyDeleteStick people are a valid art form. I hope. Because most of the time that's about my speed too. Great post! I'm slow as sheep dip in October about reading and commenting but I'm sincere. That counts, right? ;)
ReplyDeleteOf COURSE it counts! You are a dear to come by and read and/or comment at all! And if stick people are a valid art form, maybe I'll try illustrating my own stick book :) I'm not just a one-critter-wonder, you know. I can do stick dogs and stick birds and stuff too! :)
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