Adventure, Ink hosts Bunnies and Books & more
September 8, 2026 — We had a really fun event for our picture book, Into the Thicket, Saturday, August 22 at Adventure, Ink, Milan. They brought together Keirstie Carducci of Out-Back Wildlife Rehabilitation, John Megahan, the illustrator, and me.
This was the first time I’d met Keirstie in person, which was great in itself! Keirstie was the expert I called on when I was editing the book for publication. I had originally written it some 20 years ago and realized the wildlife rehab info likely needed updating and I wanted to add some more detail. This was the first time John met Keirstie also. I heard them talking after the event about him possibly going to her place for inspiration for his art. I donate half of my share of the book proceeds with Out-Back Wildlife Rehabilitation.
Our neighbors were there with their granddaughter, 8, who is an absolute sweetheart. This made me happy and I really appreciated their support. Her little brother was going to attend, but I heard that he was at home playing with PlayDo. I can totally understand the little guy’s priorities. I loved PlayDo. What a great idea for a toy!
A friend of the event coordinator, Melissa, was there with her daughter. Another friend of mine, Peggy, who has shown up at a few of my book events, was there. Such a kind and supportive gesture of hers. We were in a back room where they hold book club and game sessions. We heard children’s voices in the bookstore before we began. My friend went out to rally them (it was two boys and a young man, possibly their dad) into the event. She told them they did not want to miss this! I thought that was pretty funny and it worked out great. We had two girls and two boys, along with several adults. Not a bad little turnout for a stormy afternoon.
I read Part 1 of Into the Thicket, which took about 10 minutes. I try to really engage children with the story by asking them to repeat some of the onomatopoeia that Patrick hears from inside the thicket like “CRASH! Whoooosh. Crunch.” And when his brother startles him and he screams, “AAAAH!” Each part of the book ends on a cliffhanger. I didn’t want anyone worried (and didn’t want to spoil the ending either), so I just let them know that everything is going to be alright in the end. I probably could have read part 2, but I wanted to be sure to leave enough time for all the presenters.
John led step by step rabbit drawings with the children. I think that once he’s had time to create his own version of a rabbit for kids to draw, it will be even more fun.
Next, to let the kids get any wiggles out, Melissa taught them a dance. Any guesses? You got it! The Bunny Hop. The kids were quick learners and seemed to have fun moving and hopping around. This great idea of Melissa’s is one I may use at future events.
Keirstie talked about her fascinating and life saving work with animals. This year she’s working with fawns, rabbits and squirrels, I believe. Somewhat surprisingly, she doesn’t have any helpers, it’s just her. She hasn’t had a day off in (I can’t recall how many) years. Wildlife rehabilitation is truly a labor of love. And it’s incredible how much they’re able to treat, help and save animals. She told us when to leave fawns alone and how to know when they’re in need of rescue. If a fawn is curled up like a dog, it’s just fine. If there are flies on and around it, it’s likely in need of help. Likewise, if it’s on its side (not comfortably curled up), it probably is in distress. The best thing to do is to call a wildlife rehabber for advice.
September is upon us! Along with that, as I’ve done in the past, I’ll throw in some spooky show recommendations. We recently started “The Vampire Diaries,” which we’d not previously seen. We’re on season one. It’s a bit reminiscent of “Buffy, the Vampire Slayer,” which we loved. TVD is less campy, less funny than Buffy, but perhaps more dramatic, and not without some humor. This was a great recommendation from our son’s girlfriend over the weekend. She was so happy when she walked in and saw us watching! And that made us happy — what a lovely contagion — can’t get enough of it.
And while it’s not spooky, I can’t help but mention Ted Lasso, if you haven’t seen it yet. Or if you don’t know the new season is being released one episode a week. What a brilliant show. Not only really funny at times, but holds so much wisdom. I remember hearing about it during COVID days, but we didn’t watch it until a couple years later.
As for books, I’ve started Resting Witch Face by Juliette Cross, it’s fifth in the Stay a Spell series. They’re perfect books to read this time of year, with Halloween on the horizon. They’re fun and spicy. This one features a rekindled romance between a witch and a vampire. Many of the characters are the same from previous books, so it’s like getting back with old friends.
I gave a copy of How Happy Is a Lark? to someone with a 4-year-old daughter. He told me that she liked trying to say “Annie Anemone” from the “How happy is a clam?” page and that her favorite is the peacock. She loves birds and when they’re at the zoo, she especially loves seeing the peacocks. Do you want to hear something funny? Well, I’m not sure if it’s funny but, it wasn’t until well after publication that I realized there were two different pages about happiness: the lark and the clam! Well, regardless, we can never have enough of it. Speaking of which, it always makes me super happy to hear what kids like and think about the book. It’s really what it’s all about.
If you have any feedback of your own or from children, grandchildren, students you’ve read one of my books to, I would be absolutely DELIGHTED to hear it.