Something to be Thankful For

Wow! Thanksgiving is upon us, and I'm happy to report some great news to be thankful for!

Little Bunny Kung Fu's been discovered by Borders Bookstore and they have chosen me for their "Original Voice" Award.

Here's a blurb about the award:

The Award --- consisting of a $5,000 cash prize --- recognizes "innovative and ambitious" new books and music from emerging artists, and will be presented in January to one winner in each of five categories.

Children's books is a category, and I'll be the Feb pick, so I guess Jan 09 I may win (fingers crossed).

I'm just thrilled to be going into my second major printing. I'll be tweaking the cover a little to make it a little less serious (a chance for me to include some things I've wanted to have in the first cover). They've got an order for 4500 so far! Hopefully the other big bookstores will want in on some LBKF, too, now.

I'll report when I find out more. I'm just so blown away. My own personal belief is that God is love, so when that book buyer fell in love with my book, I've got God to thank for that. Man, Life's a hoot!

Ebony and Tawny

(can be sung to the tune of Ebony and Ivory)

Ebony and Taw-ny
Live together in not quite
Harmony

Side by side
on our sofa, with Mike, Oh no,
Where is Rhi?!

*muzak to follow*


Mike with Latka, the pomeranian we're petsitting... been a little bumpy, but tonight, a reprieve.

My Birthday Wish

Yes, another year rolled by on the odometer this week, and my wish?

That People Stop Talking Through Movies in Theaters!!!

Now, that makes me sound petty, but I'm serious, it's pandemic here in Austin. And it's not like the talking in movies that I occasionally came across growing up. I don't know if Netflix or home movie watching is changing the etiquette of how people watch movies in public, but I'm paying money I worked hard for in one of my 3 jobs, and I didn't pay for the Dumbass Commentary to be playing in the seats behind me, thankyouverymuch.

What's it come to? Am I supposed to field the occupants of the seats behind us: "Hi, yes, we don't know each other, but would you say you like to run your mouth through films?" Or, Mike suggests, we make our own signs that golf officials use in tournaments "Quiet please" and then don't put them down to they do what it says (has potential).

As it is, we've already given the mindless masses the weekends and early shows, knowing that either infants or chair climbing toddlers are going to ruin it for us. So we go to the art house theaters, or a late show and crawl into bed after midnight, all because we just want to watch a movie on the big screen without someone's verbal flatulence wafting our way.

There. Is the birthday fairy listening?! Yeesh.

ps Gone Baby Gone is a great movie, just de-select the Clueless Old Ladies Commentary when you go see it.

Sorry, Mom!

Scroll down quick, Mom! Don't look!

Yes, apparently Mike and I going to a reptile Expo is a bit like an alcoholic going to Mardi Gras, though in our defense, we did leave more than we took home with us! *drum kick*

Ok, ok, there's a backstory about the hognose snake: We've been in the market for nearly 5 years. What stood in our way was that the southern and eastern hognose species were picky eaters and preferred lizards and frogs over the much easier to find frozen mice. So we had passed on the cute hognose, but then we talked to some reptile breeders who said while the other species of hognoses were finicky, the western variety is hardier and will eat mice, especially if it's only had mice. So we named our hognose Dexter, after the Showtime show by the same name that we love.

Fun facts about Hognoses (c'mon, Mom, you might like these!)

• Part of the Heterodon family of snakes, they're also called "Blow Snakes" or "Puff Adders" because when confronted, the snake flattens out his neck into a hood and hisses loudly like a cobra.
• If this doesn't work, some try to feint a strike, but since they're rear fanged, they don't actually bite (their fangs are designed to deflate frogs), so it's a bluff.
• And, best of all, if that doesn't work, they play dead. And they go all out, on their backs, belly up, mouth open and tongue out in the "Q" sign! If you turn them back over, they'll just roll back over and play dead some more. Pretty funny, huh? Dexter hasn't done any of these because he's been handled so much, but I imagine one day we'll catch him off guard.
  

Another TX Book Festival!

I'm having one of those "It's been a year already?!" days, where I realize how fast time flies. Seems like yesterday I was going to my first TX book festival and seeing Little Bunny Kung Fu early that Saturday morning for the first time, and trying not to lose it in front of the publisher, when inside I was caught between crying and shrieking.

Today was my third festival, and people came up to me while I was signing to tell me how they'd bought my book the year before and that it'd been a big hit (always fun to hear). We also heard that some signed books bought the year before brought in some big money for silent auctions they were featured in, which is great! And I'd say about a quarter of my sales today were repeat customers, one lady who almost kept the first book I'd signed for her last year, but I'd signed it to "Monica" so this year the book was for her! Those were fun folks to talk to, and they are all excited to see my next book(s) next year.

I will say, not be negative, but the TX book festival didn't get the advertising/buzz it had in years past. Jenna Bush and Kristin Gore were the headliners, but Jenna had a book signing in town just a few weeks ago. I think attendance was down today, too, but then it would when it wasn't advertised like before. I hope it's not a downward trend, because it is fun, and people really do want the festival. People from Corpus Cristi drive all the way in for it.

Well, now if feels like the holidays are upon us with the festival behind me. Whew! That year went FAST!