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/

What floats my boat!

Hey all!
I hope you've all been having a lovely spring! I've been busy plugging away at my next picture book, Laundry Day, and things have been going awesome! With having a new baby we are doing A LOT of laundry, so my inspiration is very close to home these days.

Recent news, my ARE's (Advanced Reader Editions) of Before I Leave arrived a couple of weeks ago! I was SOOOOO excited to have those show up in the mail! It's still a surreal thing to have a book I created in my hands know that it's going to be a part of the world! Before I Leave comes out February 2016! I have to admit also, it was wonderful to see my little hedgehog and anteater again. I just loved those little characters so much!

I really big news news, momentum for Boats for Papa has really been gaining these past couple of months. It has received 4 starred reviews which has blown my mind!

Kirkus Review
Booklist
Publisher's Weekly
School Library Journal


Boats for Papa was also selected by the incredible non-profit First Book that gives access to new books for children in need. It was such a HUGE honor to have my book chosen to be a part of their Stories for All program. The books they choose are geared to expose children diverse books that they can relate to and that promote inclusivity. A lot of the children they target are from economically disadvantaged backgrounds or from underrepresented backgrounds. Being selected means that 10,000 copies of my book will be made available in trade paperback so it is more accessible to the kids who need it. I couldn't be more thrilled to know that my book will be helping kids and hopefully making them excited about reading as well as feeling connected to the book and comforted by its message.

And with that, my book launch is getting closer and closer! I am getting so anxious!!! Tuesday June 30th at Secret Garden Books in Ballard at 7pm is where we are having the party- the day my book comes out! I'm planning on having some fun and yummy stuff at the launch so hopefully you can make it out and join the party! If not, I'll be signing at the Urban Craft Uprising the weekend before!

Also in preparation for the big launch, I will be posting a boat a day on social media! So keep your eye out for my flotilla!

Hopefully more news is to come, so keep your eye out!
All the best!
Jessixa

Busy beaver!

Well it's been a long while since my last post. Things have been quite busy for me with having a new baby and such so I'm going to ride that excuse train on not posting sooner.

He past few months I was just enjoying lots of time with my husband and baby before I had to go back to work and get started on my new book. Now everything is back in full swing and I haven't got a square to spare! But it's all good! I'm just trying to manage the life/work balance.

As for books and such, I am just getting started with my picture book "Laundry Day." I've been getting the sketched finalized and will start painting in the next week or so. I'm excited to work on this book because it's so different than my last two books. It's funny with lots of silly details making it very fun to draw and paint. I'll be spending the bulk of the year working on it, since my time is limited at the moment.

In other news, my book "Boats for Papa" is nearly out! I've just got a few months to go, but I'm already planning for the launch! My official book launch will be at Secret Garden Books in Ballard in Seattle on Tuesday June 30th at 7pm! I'm pretty excited and am thinking of fun things to do for the event. If you can't make it on Tuesday, I'm also going to be at the Urban Craft Uprising the weekend before- June 27th & 28th at the Seattle Exhibition Hall at the Seattle center. I'll be selling and signing books. Hopefully you can make it to either event!

Also in preparation for my book coming out, I've been making these little driftwood boats! They will be shipping out to various bookstores and book buyers around the country to introduce my book! I collected the driftwood on the beaches of Seattle and handmade the little flags. The flags are the letter "B" in the nautical alphabet ('B' for Buckley)!

They are really fun to make and it's gotten me extra in touch with my character.

Other than that, my second book "Before I Leave" is off at the publisher having its magic happen. Stayed tuned for more info to come,  but it should be out early 2016!

Okay! It was great to catch up. Back to the grind I go!

Jx