January 26, 2020: Flower Power Launch

Yesterday was the first book signing for my newest book, Flower Power! It was at our local Barnes & Noble and functioned as the unofficial ‘launch’ of the book. It was also paired with a book fair for my school, so proceeds benefitted the library at my elementary school. A win-win for all. Even better, it coincided with a sleep-over for my oldest granddaughter, Ellie, so she was able to come and be my assistant at the book signing!

Book signings are a funny thing. They can be wildly successful, or a painful failure. I have experienced both.

Yesterday’s was a great success!

It is always wonderful just being in a bookstore. The books and the people are a magic combination. Bookstore people, whether it is the ones who work there or the ones who shop there, are a special kind of people. They love ideas, information, imagination, creativity, and knowledge. They are thinkers, wishers, dreamers, and wonderers.

Book signings are so fun because it gives writers a chance to chat with old friends, loyal readers, fellow writers, book lovers, and perhaps introduce a new reader to your work.

It is so exciting to get Flower Power out and into the hands of readers. It is like launching your child into the world. As an author, you have invested time and energy into making them the best they can be, and now you just hope and pray the world is ready for them. You hope that your readers grow to love the characters like you do. Will they understand the messages you tried to weave into the storyline? Will they be drawn into the struggles your characters face? Will they laugh and cry at the places you did as you wrote the story?

Flower Power is a story about three 4th Grade girls who initially bond over their flower names. But as they all face individual obstacles, challenges, and personal issues, they discover the power of friendship. While the universal themes of friendship and perseverance are braided into the story, the bigger message is that we need to be careful when we make assumptions about people. For there is always more than meets to the eye.

If you read and enjoyed Flower Power, please consider nominating the book for inclusion in the Sunshine State Young Readers Book Lists.

Simply go to: https://www.floridamediaed.org/ssyra.html

Go to the very bottom of the page for the Suggestion Form