launch - Laurie Ann Thompson

MY DOG IS THE BEST news and #giveaways!

Laurie Thompson — Fri, 05 Jun 2015 21:23:16 +0000

It’s almost release day for MY DOG IS THE BEST, available Tuesday, June 9th!
Here’s what the critics have had to say so far:

“… the simplicity of both the words and the pictures creates a charming, toddler-sized ode to man’s best friend.” —Booklist
“This simple, quiet story conveys the enduring bond between child and dog, with the added appeal of a joke that younger children just beginning to understand humor can enjoy.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Though ‘a boy and his dog’ may not be a groundbreaking theme, it’s often a popular one—and this gentle tale of friendship is no exception.… While this is a familiar story, it’s a well-executed and charming one.” —School Library Journal
“… simple wording helps young children who are learning to read.… I really enjoyed this cute children’s book and enjoyed its depiction of man’s best friend.…or should we say ‘boy’s’ best friend!” —Curling Up With A Good Book blog
“#Bookaday My Dog is the Best by @LaurieThompson & @PaulSchmidBooks. Made me think of http://t.co/mlzJYBYVm1″ … “In my opinion, it is a perfect candidate for The Baker’s Dozen.” — John Schu (@MrSchuReads) February 26, 2015

The launch party is Friday, June 12th, at University Book Store in the University District. More info here.
There’s a giveaway happening on Goodreads:

Goodreads Book Giveaway

My Dog Is the Best

by Laurie Ann Thompson

Giveaway ends June 16, 2015.
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to Win

Our adorable pup and boy pair are going out on a blog tour beginning Saturday, June 6th. Here’s where to find them (and me) in the next few weeks (note, many of these will have giveaways, too–more chances to win!):

6/6/2015	Booking Mama	http://www.bookingmama.net/
6/8/2015	Jean Reidy	http://jeanreidy.com
6/9/2015	Watch. Connect. Read.	http://mrschureads.blogspot.com/
6/10/2015	5 Minutes for Books	http://books.5minutesformom.com
6/11/2015	KidLit Frenzy	http://www.kidlitfrenzy.com/
6/12/2015	Unleashing Readers	http://www.unleashingreaders.com/
6/16/2015	Anastasia Suen: Booktalking #kidlit	http://anastasiasuen.com/
6/19/2015	Kirby’s Lane	http://kirbyslane.com
7/1/2015	Library Lions	http://LibraryLionsRoar.blogspot.com

And, last but not least, if you’d like buy a copy:
You may pre-order a signed copy from University Book Store.
Also available on:

Amazon.com,
Barnes & Noble,
IndieBound,
Powell’s,
or directly from the publisher at Macmillan.

The Emmanuel’s Dream book launch party!

Laurie Thompson — Fri, 09 Jan 2015 05:03:31 +0000

With the holidays right before, I must admit that the launch party day sort of snuck up on me. I was rushing to get everything ready, had to give up on some things that I wanted to do, and didn’t have as much time as I would’ve liked to prepare. Still, I think a great time was had by all. I know I enjoyed every minute!

Check out the awesome poster they had up!

Look at all those books for sale!

Local writing buddies, including current Emu’s Debut blogger (and the next one of us to launch!), Kevan Atteberry!

During the presentation

Clutching the mic for dear life, apparently.

The audience listening to my talk.

Can you believe this line of people waiting to get their books signed?

Signing books is even harder when you have to stop and pose for photos.

Recognize this Emu’s Debuts emeritus and founding member? It’s J. Anderson Coats!

Young fans are the best fans.

Many thanks to Emmanuel for inspiring me; to Sean Qualls for his beautiful artwork; to my family for supporting me all this time; to my critique group for helping the manuscript rise above the slush (especially Dana Sullivan, for taking these great pictures for me!); to my agent, Ammi-Joan Paquette, for not giving up; to the University Book Store in Bellevue and their event planner, Olivia Ahl, for throwing such a wonderful party; and to all the friends, writers, teachers, parents, neighbors, and community members who took the time to come out and cheer me–and the book–on last Tuesday night. You all ROCK, and I am one extremely lucky gal! xoxo

The Emu’s Debuts launch party for Be a Changemaker

Laurie Thompson — Sat, 13 Sep 2014 22:44:21 +0000

One of the most rewarding experiences of being a debut author has been participating on the Emu’s Debuts group blog (for clients of Erin Murphy Literary Agency who are in between deal and publication). Last week, my fabulous friends and fellow Emus threw me THE BEST LAUNCH PARTY EVER to celebrate the upcoming release of BE A CHANGEMAKER! (They went a week early, since Lindsey Lane’s EVIDENCE OF THINGS UNSEEN is releasing at the same time. I’ll be helping them celebrate that launch next week!)
They were all so generous, authentic, and hard-working in bringing the daily posts to life (as they are with everything they do!), and I was thrilled anew every morning to see what they had put together. In case you missed them, please go check out their posts. They’re fun, informative, and inspiring!
Here’s the roundup:
On Monday, Lindsey Lane (with some backup support from Tara Dairman), posted Welcome to the World: BE A CHANGEMAKER by Laurie Ann Thompson!, which included stories of and interviews with five other Erin Murphy Literary Agency authors who are changing the world in their own meaningful ways:

Chris Barton, who came up with the idea for the BookPeople Modern First Library Program;
Ann Bedichek Braden, who helped start Gun Sense Vermont;
e.E. Charlton-Trujillo, creator of Never Counted Out and At-Risk Summer;
Corinne Duyvis, co-founder of the Disability in Kidlit blog; and
Lynda Mullaly Hunt, who created Book Train.

Tuesday featured several videos compiled by Megan Morrison, BE A CHANGEMAKER: Words of Wisdom. The clips contain contributions from fellow Emu Debuts bloggers offering their own words of wisdom, sharing quotes that motivate and inspire them, and giving advice they wish they’d gotten at the beginning of their journey. Great stuff, and so personal! It’s a great way to get to know these wonderful people a little better.
For the Wednesday post, BE A CHANGEMAKER: Celebrating with Quotes!, Jennifer Chambliss Bertman compiled and created a collection of gorgeous images featuring quotes that inspire and motivate the members of the Emu’s Debuts blog team. If you want to spice up your Facebook or Pinterest feeds (or your office walls!), there are some fantastic finds here. Plus, they included the explanations behind why the quotes are so meaningful for them, making them even more special.
For Thursday’s post, Penny Parker Klostermann, gave readers a sneak preview of Be a Changemaker with excerpts of the first 25 pages as well as the event planning chapter. Her post, BE A CHANGEMAKER: A Tool for Change, gives a sense of how the book can be used as a tool by individuals, teams, and classrooms.
On Friday, Tamara Ellis Smith closed out the party with Music to Be A Changemaker By, an inspirational and motivating Spotify playlist of songs recommended by the Emu’s Debuts bloggers, along with the explanations of why they included them. Spanning genres and emotions, you’re sure to find something of interest here–I know I did!
I’m so grateful to the awesome authors at Emu’s Debuts! Thanks to them, the Be a Changemaker pre-launch week was better than I ever could have imagined. I’m looking forward to each and of every one of their debuts–coming soon!