Contest reminder — and book award announcement

December 19, 2023 — First and foremost, this is a reminder about our contest and you can read all about how people of all ages can enter on a recent blog post: Children’s activity — with “surPRIZES.” Full disclosure, I don’t have any entries yet so your chances are quite good! And the prizes are pretty darn cute. There’s no purchase necessary and it’s fairly easy, yet creative and fun.

In other news, I’m OVER THE MOON to announce that “How Happy Is a Lark?” placed in all four categories entered in the Royal Dragonfly Book Awards by Story Monsters Ink. I received a second place (tie) for Best New Author - Fiction! And we received Honorable Mention in: Best Cover Design, thanks to John Gouin, Graphikitchen, our book designer; Best Illustrations, by the talented magic-maker Jenny Kalejs; and Picture Book 5 and Under. It looks like they haven’t yet had time to post the 2023 winners on their website, but that should be appearing soon and when it does, I’ll provide a link to it for those who might want to check out some of the award-winning books. 

This feels like such a validation and honor. Thank you to Story Monsters! The awards are especially gratifying because of a negative literary review the book received recently that really stung. It was from a major literary reviewer and I allowed the words of one person to affect me and my confidence for at least a few days. I’m still not happy about it, of course, but as we know, anyone who is going to write or create in any way and put yourself out there, needs to have a thick skin. We are making ourselves vulnerable and that can be scary. I’ve learned to let it go and realize that it’s simply the opinion of a single person. It wasn’t all bad, but it wasn’t good either. However, I will choose to focus on the positive — like these awards or a small uptick in sales, which mainly makes me happy knowing that my book will be in the hands of more children.  And, of course, countless other things, large and small, unrelated to the book. 

With the holidays approaching, I may not blog again until the new year, so I want to wish you and yours the happiest of holidays brimming with health, love, family and/or friends and may your fondest wishes come true! Remember, you’re as bright and shiny as a star …  how bright and shiny is a star? Why don’t you let me know what you think when you enter our contest. 

I’ll post part two of my marketing tips blog post after the holidays. I didn’t forget : )