Showing posts with label A Duck in Her Pond. Show all posts
Showing posts with label A Duck in Her Pond. Show all posts

Monday, June 14, 2010

Author, author!

As some of you know, I write. Not for a living, although I've sold a few things to magazines (Ladybug, Babybug, Outdoor Indiana). Because I write, it stands to reason I enjoy reading too.

For daily doses of whimsical stories, I read The Blonde Duck's blog. Here, I'd like to highlight other writers that I have some connection to, real or tenuous. :)

One of the most delightful authors I've had the pleasure to meet in real life is Helen Frost. I took a workshop from her at an IN SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Publishers) conference and will remember it always for her wisdom, terrific ability at imparting knowledge, and warm personality. She is an amazing poet!Another wonderful Indiana author is Elsa Marston. I've taken a class and a workshop with her, as well as attended a talk given by her. She is a brilliant lady.
This next book is interesting because it's a beautiful collaboration: written by April Pulley Sayre, also a fellow member of the IN SCBWI (whom I've not met yet, but hope to soon), and illustrated by Annie Patterson, an inspirational blog-friend.
Douglas Florian is also a blog friend. His poetry is way cool, and his art is incredible. I highly recommend his science-poetry books for any child on your list!
The incomparable Lisa Yee is now both a blog-friend and a Facebook friend. She keeps her fans in stitches with her hilarious insights and thoughts on every topic under the sun. Someday, I hope to meet her in person. :)
We once attended a talk given by Lawrence Krauss. I am still speechless with awe. I love this book of his:
Remember when I said "tenuous"? Well, this one is it. I follow Phil Plait on Twitter. Lame, yes, but that doesn't mean this book isn't a darned good read. And most of the general population could stand to read it:
What have you been reading? Share some good books with me!

"I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be." ~ Douglas Adams

Sunday, November 01, 2009

And the winner is...

...everyone who supports handmade! ;)

Seriously though, I want to announce the winner to my I-am-on-Artfire Giveaway! Bet you thought I'd forgotten, didn't you? I guess that's understandable given how extra flakey (like my pie crusts) I have been lately.

I hate it when I make it hard on myself, but I had to go through all my postings for September and October and count up how many times each entrant for the giveaway had commented.

Wendy (Athena Academy) led the pack with 16 comments, followed closely by Blonde Duck (A Duck in Her Pond) with 14, and Michelle (Chocolate and Marmalade Tea) with 12. Anyone who commented at all during that 2 month period were given an entry, and because Michelle (Blog of the Soap Pixie) had so many comments, I gave her 5 entries just for the halibut. ;) I differentiated between the 2 Michelles as "Michelle Q" for mommy of Quincy (the cutest cat ever!), and "Michelle P" for Pixie!After printing all the names out, I cut them into strips. Boy, do I love my paper cutter:Then, I tossed all the names into our little plastic jack-o-lantern, and swirled them about:I had ds#2 reach in with his tiny hands (at age 11, his hands are still a bit smaller than mine), and pull out the winner:Statistically, you'd think those three with the most comments would have really good chances of winning this. But, here you are. Congratulations, Anne-Marie (Soap and the Finer Things in Life)!! I will be sending you this bone-bead:And just for fun, I had ds#2 pull a runner-up name (alas, stupid me forgot to take a photo), which turned out to be Michelle P! So, Michelle, I will have a little surprise for you soon. :)

Thanks to all for entering, but, more importantly, thanks mega-bunches to you for gracing my blog with your presence and leaving me comment love!! I really appreciate all of you!

"I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be." ~ Douglas Adams