A Dream Come True....Sharing and Celebrating My New Books At The AASL Conference!

When I was little, my sister Heather and I wrote and illustrated handmade books all the time.  It was one of our favorite things to do.  After they were finished, we would add cards to the front and stamp them as we checked them out to one another and to our little brother Ryan.  

I still have the wooden box that we used to keep the cards and the stamp. We had a basket for books that were checked in before we proudly placed them on our very own library shelves.  

It was one of my favorite childhood memories.  

And one that means so much to me, because as I went to college I dreamed of becoming a fine artist and illustrating children's books...or Hallmark greeting cards.

This year when my first picture books with Cantata Learning were published, I thought about these memories dozens of times and can't help but smile when I know my dream has finally come true.  

You can read more about the road to becoming a children's author with Cantata Learning here. 

Last week, I had another dream come true.  

At the AASL (American Association of School Librarians) Conference in Phoenix, Arizona, I had the honor of sharing and celebrating my books at three different events.  

I would love to share this week and a few memories with you.  

When Eric and I arrived in Phoenix on Wednesday, we went to a wonderful event that Follett hosted at a local school.  Librarians and teachers came to meet authors and add several new books to their libraries and classroom collections at the Follett School Solutions Publisher Marketplace. 

I met so many local teachers and librarians....and saw several old friends from around the country too. 

I loved signing Find a Book for all of them.  

After the Follett Marketplace event, Eric and I went to dinner with two of my most favorite people, my Uncle Grant and Aunt Nancy, who live in Phoenix.

This was one of the best moments yet in sharing my books.

They were so excited and happy...It was just the best.  I loved signing them and know they will have a special place in their home library.

The next day I couldn't be more excited for the author signing that took place in the Capstone booth at the opening of the AASL exhibit floor.  

I hoped that lots of people would show up and guess what? They did!

I was super happy and couldn't wait to see who was there.

I loved sharing and celebrating my books at this event.

I signed Fiction or Nonfiction. 

 I met lots of new friends and...

loved seeing several dear old friends too.  

I loved it when Andy Plemmons, 

 

Diana Rendina (who shared her new book with me too!), 

 

and two of my besties, Joyce and Michelle, showed up.

This meant the world to me and I couldn't be more thankful to have them there. 

The next day, Follett sponsored me to sign in the AASL Authorpalozza.  This was a neat experience because I was signing with other authors at the same time in this space.

I signed Manners in the Library.  

As the conference went on and we shared the Library Skills with other librarian friends, I had the honor of sharing and celebrating the books with them.

This was a week I will never forget.  It was a dream come true.

And I can't wait to continue to share and celebrate my new books with you and your students too.