Laundry Day Book Launch and Youthcare Drive!

Wow! It's already time to welcome my third picture book, Laundry Day, into the world! It will be held at Secret Garden Books in Seattle on February 7th at 7pm. Not only will I be doing a book reading and giving out goodies, but I am also organizing a donation drive at the launch for YouthCare, a Seattle non-profit that helps homeless youth in the city. If you plan on coming, see if you could bring one (or more) of the items below. We'll be clipping up the donated items to a laundry line in the store in conjunction with my book's theme- hanging up laundry!

Any donations will be so greatly appreciated for this truly heroic Seattle institution! Here's a current list of items that YouthCare needs:

New underwear
New socks
Backpacks
Jeans and coats
Alarm clocks
Plus sized clothing & shoes
Reusable Water Bottles
Sleeping bags
Blankets
Travel-size hygiene supplies
New razors
Dental Supplies
Gift cards (Target, Fred Meyer, QFC, etc.)
Orca cards & bus tickets

I hope you can make it to the launch!

For more info about YouthCare, visit: http://www.youthcare.org/

One crazy summer!

Well summer, she came and went, and I'm left looking back wondering how/where did the time go?!!!

So I'll step back and do a catch up just so I know what happened over the last few months:

So June 30th was my amazing, fun, and emotional book launch for Boats for Papa! (I sort of dropped off the blogging radar after it happened). It was, in short, one of the best moments in my entire life. I was surrounded by friends and family all sharing in the exciting culmination of a life's work. 

Here is a me with Neal Porter (Roaring Brook Press) my AMAZING editor who surprised me and flew out for the book launch. Needless to say there were many tears of joy hat night. 

It was one of those nights that I wish I could relive over and over again! So much fun! AND I even made a cake shaped like a boat (like Buckley's Mama makes in the book).

After the book launch, I took a bit of a breather-for like a day- but I really was working hard already on Laundry Day, my third picture book. So was basically doing that for the rest of the summer. 

I recently did Story time at Queen Anne Book Company in Seattle for Boats for Papa! It was very fun and I have never been so nervous in front of a group children under the age of 4. 

Also this summer, SO MUCH great press for Boats for Papa has been pouring in. It was reviewed in the School Library Journal Boston Globe, Washington Post, listed on Huffington Post's top 50 picture books of 2015 list, and then a month ago it was reviewed in the NY Times Sunday Book Review! I'm just floored and humbled by the love its received. I couldn't be happier!

In between the book work (evenings & weekends), and my day job, I spent the summer with my husband and my son as much as possible. The rigors of working on a book sometimes mean little time for play, but I tried as best I could to maintain a good life/work balance. I've also been writing a lot. Trying to keep new ideas churning for future books.

And the just finished Laundry Day and sent it off to my publisher last week-YAY! I loved working on such a fun book about two little mischievous badgers. It's totally different that my other two books in a really fun way. 

My second book Before I Leave comes out in February which blows my mind! So I'll have to gear up for that in the upcoming months. I have some other pots on the stove for sure. But for the time being, I am going to try and breath, relax, and celebrate being finished with my book!

I'm sure there are more things in between that happened the past few month. But that's all my brain can recall at the moment...

I have learned though that emailing and blogging were the great sufferers of my time slicing-hence the terrible delay in blogging. But I'm slowly catching up.

I hope you all had a great summer and are as excited as I am that it's fall!

Jx

Final boat-final day-BOOK LAUNCH DAY!

It's finally here! BOOK LAUNCH DAY! My number one & last boat of #30boatsin30days is ready to set sail! Thanks for following along this past month! Now the excitement really begins!!! #BoatsforPapa is officially out in the world! Grab a copy at your local bookstore!!!

It is also available online retailers such as Amazon and Barnes & Nobel! 

This has been such a fun project this past month as I've geared up towards the big day. I'm soooooo excited to have reached this milestone moment in my life! Today is the birth of my picture book career and the culmination of my dreams and hard work from my entire life. It's all I've ever wanted to do. It's this such special moment in time and I've made the best book I could make to start my journey. It's a part of my heart and soul and I'm honored and humbled that I get to share it with the world and leave it behind for others to experience. And if I'm dreaming, don't wake me up.

5 days!!

Today's #30boatsin30days is a caravel- a 15th century Portuguese sailing vessel used for exploring during the Age of Discovery! #boatsforpapa

6 days!

Today's #30boatsin30days boat is a pusher boat which is designed to push barges! #BoatsforPapa

I love the big fancy ships, but some of my favorites are rusty old barges and tug boats. There is something magic In the power of these quite small boats.

Yo ho ho!8 days to go!

Today's #BoatsForPapa #30boatsin30days Boat fact: When pirates seized a ship they'd have to ready it for piracy by reinforcing the decks to support the weight of heavy cannons. 

9 days left!

#30boatsin30days Boat fact:If you see the nautical flag pictured here (representing the letter H) then it means a pilot is on the ship. #boatsforpapa 

7 Impossible things!

Hey everyone!
I am SOOO thrilled to announce that today Boats for Papa was featured on Jules Danielson's awesome book blog 7 Impossible Things Before Breakfast! It's such an honor to be recognized on this site where so many other amazing picture books have been featured and reviewed! I've learned about a ton of great picture books and illustrators because of this site and got to have a special sneak peek at their process. Now I get to be part of that! So please check out the link to get a look at my upcoming book- but fair warning: **SPOILER ALERT** The post does contain a lot of details about the story so keep that in mind if you'd rather read the book first.

Thank you thank you thank you, Jules for including me on your blog!

Repost: 15 days

So there were some technical difficulties and I realized that day 15 didn't post. So in case you missed it on Intagram or Facebook, here it is:

I can't believe I'm halfway there.It's exactly two weeks until my book hits the shelves! #30boatsin30days #boatsforpapa

12 days left!

#BoatsforPapa #30boatsin30days boat fact for the day: The rope used to raise a sail is called a "halyard. 

The term comes from the phrase "to haul yards," as in yards of fabric. 

13 days-port!

Today's #30boatsin30days Boat fact: On a boat "Port" means "left" and "starboard" means right. #boatsforpapa

You can remember this because "port" and "left" both have four letters.

14 days left!

Today's #30boatsin30days for #BoatsforPapa is a floating home called a houseboat (or a boathouse).

In parts of China, thousands of people live on houseboats permanently and they buys their goods off of supply boats. Take that land dwellers!

17 days left!

Today's #30boatsin30days boat fact: A cabin boy is a boy who waits on the crew and passengers of a ship! #boatsforpapa

  "Cabin Boy" is also a Chris Elliot movie I have yet to see. Something tells me I'm not missing much.

18 days to launch!

Today's #boatsforpapa #30boatsin30days is a "junk." A junk is an ancient Chinese sailing ship!   

There are many different kinds of junks and they have been used for over 1000 years!

19 days!

Boat fact:An outrigger is a beam or framework projecting from the side of a boat to stabilize it. #30boatsin30days #boatsforpapa 

Boooooooks!

At long last my shipment of Boats for Papa have arrived! I really felt amazing seeing the one book- but then to get a box full in the mail made it that much cooler!!! So thrilled- and nervous! It hits the shelves in just a few weeks! I get butterflies just thinking about it! I'd love to hold all of the books in my arms at one time. Needless to say, this was the best price of mail I've ever received.

20 days!

Today's #30boatsin30days is a lanteen: A long triangular sail set on long yard going from one end of the boat to another. 

Sometimes they are twice as long as the length of the ship! And they were the favorite sail during the Age of Enlightenment! #boatsforpapa

21 days and counting

Today's #30boatsin30days is a "skiff." Skiffs are basically small boats, but there are many types of skiffs. 

Saying "skiff" more than three times in a row will turn you into one.  #boatsforpapa 

22 days and a yo ho-ho!

Did you know in nautical terms a "fathom" is six feet? #30boatsin30days #boatsforpapa 

 

"Fathoms below" always makes me think of The Little Mermaid. Now I want to watch the little mermaid...

23 days and a bottle of rum

23 days! Boat fact: The deck that forms the roof of a cabin built in the rear of the ship is the "poop deck." #30boatsin30days #boatsforpapa

I don't know about you but I don't think I'd want to swab that deck.