First, I got to participate in a huge author panel at Anderson’s Bookshop in Naperville, IL. The kids’ books extravaganza on July 11th included some of my best friends in the industry, including Christine Hayes, Ruth Barshaw, Lynda Hunt, Keyan Atteberry, Jennifer Chambliss Bertman, Tara Dairman, Janet Fox, and Amy Finnegan. It was even more wonderful because I got to meet the very special someone who wrote one of my all-time favorite reviews Emmanuel’s Dream, Keegan Knott, and it was her birthday, too! I got a hug. It’s a day I won’t soon forget, let me tell you. Thank you Anderson’s and Keegan for the wonderful memories! =D

Next I headed to the Erin Murphy Literary Agency client retreat at The Abbey Resort at Lake Geneva. I can’t even begin to explain what a powerful, amazing this annual event is for me, and this year was no different. We do lots of fun, silly things like the costume party, but we also do a lot of learning, networking, sharing, connecting, growing, and more. I feel so blessed to be a part of this community!
From there I continued on down to St. Louis to sign books at ILA and conduct a research trip. Our first stop was the National Mustard Museum.

What am I researching there, you ask? Well, you’ll just have to wait and see! St. Louis was beautiful, ILA was a lot of fun, and I even got to go to
Cynthia Levinson’s book launch party for Watch Out for Flying Kids while I was there. Plus, the research trip was a huge success. I can’t wait to get back to work on that manuscript!

I had the opportunity to appear at several summer camps, including one on being a changemaker and another on early literacy, which I loved, and I did interviews on two different live radio programs.

Last but certainly not least, I also spoke at the Pacific Northwest Library Association (PNLA) annual conference in Portland with two of my favorite nonfiction authors, Mary Cronk Farrell and Elizabeth Rusch, and I did my first storytime for My Dog Is the Best at University Bookstore in Bellevue.
It was a busy, fulfilling summer, and now I’m looking forward to some quiet writing time!
 

Many thanks to these fantastic bloggers for their dedication to promoting great books for kids! I hope you’ll check them out for their other reviews and posts, too.

• Books make great gifts, so consider holidays, birthdays, and other celebrations as well as graduations, retirements, new babies, and other milestones coming up in the lives of your friends, family, teachers and coaches, and co-workers.
• Many places are thrilled to receive donations of new books, too. Think about buying extra copies for your local food bank, hospital, shelters, schools, and libraries.

2. Help get the word out. 

• Ask your local bookstore if they carry the book. If you’re bold, you can even tell them why they might want to consider stocking it!
• Request the book from your local library, and then check it out when it arrives.
• Ask for help finding it on the shelf in bookstores and libraries, even if you already know where it is, so the booksellers and librarians will know where it is, too!
• Ask the author for some bookmarks or other swag, which you can hand out to bookstore employees, librarians, and teachers or leave behind in coffee shops, doctor’s offices, waiting rooms, etc. as appropriate.
• Share photos of “in the wild” sightings of the book to increase awareness of the cover and title.

3. If you like the book, share your thoughts with others!

• Write a nice review on Amazon, BN.com, Goodreads, and/or elsewhere. It doesn’t have to be long or profound: Five stars and a simple “Loved it!” can go a long way!
• Mark well-written good reviews you see on those sites as helpful (and, conversely, if you see reviews that are just mean or unfair, mark them as not helpful).
• Share your thoughts on the book with your friends and followers on your social media outlets like your blog, Tumblr, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.
• Tell the author! Not all reviews are positive, and hearing from someone who liked the book might be just what the author needs.

 
And here’s what is still to come:

 
This incredible lineup has been assembled and managed by the lovely ladies at Blue Slip Media. Thank you, Sarah and Barbara!