8.28.2009

Busy, busy

Wow, life has definitely become crazy as of late. So many things to do and so little time to play Yahtzee on my I-touch. Seriously, what a complete waste of time that is, but for those that care, I scored 530 points in a single game the other day. Yeah, that pretty much rocks!

So, let us start with some news shall we? The official/unofficial release date of The Adventures of Hashbrown Winters and the Mashimoto Madness is set for January. Now that could definitely change, but for the moment you can scribble that on your dry erase calendars. Crazy huh? January! That's like ... (one... tahoo... um... carry the four... pi... oooh pie, yum!) Well, not that many months away. I'm not good with counting and I don't want to take my socks off to double my ability at the moment. I still feel Hashbrown is taking his baby steps and already another whipper-snapper is on the way.

I did get some somewhat disturbing news though in conjunction with the upcoming release. I'm going to have to do some serious cutting and editing. How serious? Let's put it this way, Hashbrown will be born in January but missing some major functionality in some of his body parts. Oh well, that's part of the industry I suppose.

We're less than a month away from the official school tour and I'm getting the jitters. I've been trying out some jokes on my kids and they have not done as well as I would hope. Basically, the jokes are lost on them, but when I make reference to poo or pee, I'm suddenly a huge hit. Hmmm, I wonder if teachers will like poo and pee references? Probably not... So back to the drawing board.

I've also been doing some author signings at Costcos and those rocked! We actually sold out at the Costco the other night and they had a pretty hefty stack of books. Of course, I've convinced customers that half of all proceeds go to the STF Foundation (Save the Frank).

Oh, and though I literally had to buy this dude lunch to do this and we're not talking extra value menu, but James Dashner (famous author of the 13th Reality series and the upcoming-sure-to-be-NY Times Bestseller novel, The Maze Runner) had some nice things to say about Hashbrown. Check it out HERE.

Okay, let's do a little contest. Now the last one went well, but I want more. So, this is how this one will go down. Pretty simple, I'm trying to boost the appeal of my blog. Meaning, I want to be able to look at it and think, wow, people like me! I know, it's egotistical, it's childish, it's so... the way this contest is going to go, so I don't care. :) We'll do another drawing, but I'm going to limit the prizes to just one. If you don't like this book, I apologize, but you can always give it to someone else as a gift. The prize is Fablehaven 4 by Brandon Mull and, the best part, it's signed! Yeah, I know, Frank is so generous, kind and handsome. Thank you. I'm blushing.

That's it.

Wait a second, I didn't tell you what you had to do to partake in this generous, kind, handsome offering.

K... Here's the point breakdown:

1 entry for commenting on this post about this question: What is your all-time favorite children's picture book and why? It can be a short or long comment or one that just tells me how lame my contests are, whatever floats your boat. Think of it as a way to express yourself about the wonderful world of children's picture book literature and in the process give me some great ideas for ones I'll read with my kids.
and...
2 entries for following this blog (those that are currently following, automatically get entered. How cool is that?)

Now, here's the catch... I want to see at least 15 comments (from at least 15 different people) on the post and 25 followers of the blog (there are already 14) for anyone to be able to qualify for the drawing. So, that means you may have to tell your friends and family to go on and comment on my blog, because I'm afraid there may not be 15 people that read this thing. I know I might have to do this drawing over the next couple of months, but that's okay, I'm patient (so not true.) We'll go for a week and see where we're standing after that.
In the words of the Joker from the Dark Knight:
"And here... we... go!"

13 comments:

Melissa said...

My favorite book as a young elementary student was "The Top of the PIzzas" by Bill Bass. Out of print now, I finally found an old copy. Smells just like the library copy I checked out sooo many times.

numberonedashnerfan said...

K so of me favorites are HAROLDS PURPLE CRAYON and AMBER BROWN.......and I shall folow you....that kinda sounded stalkerish idk.....

Anonymous said...

fifth graders is surprisingly Island of the Blue Dolphins because I HATED the book when I had to read it. You have to be a storyteller because it can be such a suspenseful book. Where else can you get bloody battles, isolation, death, wild animals and elements. OK and I am so doing this for the free book and a chance to meet a famous author.lol

Anonymous said...

totally cut off my picture book favorite just now and caught me in mid sentence. Anyway, pic book is The Widow's Broom by Chris Van Allsburg (could be one l can't remember) with The Sweetest Fig a super close second. Hard for me to pick one because I love books.

Amy said...

Only one?! Seriously, that is an impossible request. I can't even begin with favorites from my childhood, so I'll skip it and list some favorites now that I'm a mommy. "Goodnight, Moon" by Margaret Wise Brown (it's a classic and criminal for any parent not to own a copy); "The Chick and the Duckling" by Mirra Ginsburg (because it is SOOO Emma and Maddalyn); "Llama Llama Red Pajama" by Anna Dewdney (because you have to respect someone who can write a good story AND illustrate the book - plus the line 'please stop all this llama drama' is priceless!); "Skippyjon Jones" by Judy Schachner (a Siamese kitten who is convinced he is actually a chihuahua, need I say more?); "Olivia" by Ian Falconer (again with the great writing and illustrations, and true to life); "Fancy Nancy" by Jane O'Connor (because I have little girls that LOVE to play dress up with lots of accessories) all of Lauren Child's "Charlie and Lola" books (but not the ones adapted from the cartoon because they leave something to be desired). I'll stop here because I did just think of one of my own personal favorite children's authors: Beatrix Potter. I love everything she's ever written, and talk about a fabulous illustrator!!! Plus, was there ever any better warning than 'don't go into Mr. McGregor's garden: your Father had an accident there; he was put into a pie by Mrs. McGregor?'

(Frank, no more absolutes. I need wiggle room, especially where books are concerned!)

Joanna said...

I love "Giggle, Giggle, Quack" by Doreen Cronin. The duck makes me laugh. Actually anything by Doreen Cronin makes me laugh.

Melissa said...

I really couldn't pick just one. It's probably a collection of Fairy Tales and I'm pretty sure I loved it because of the illustrations, they were amazing. I know, I know, you're an author. So, Nancy Drew books? I'll go with those for writing department and probably because there were so many...and the fun didn't have to end in a couple hours.

Angie said...

I've already won so I don't even need to be entered again, but I thought I would help the numbers go up so someone else can win. :)

We like to check out "On top of Spaghetti" at the library. I never remember the authors name, but it comes up when we search it so we put it on hold. It's a book from the song, but we love to sing the words with a southern accent.

Don said...

I'm going to say Goodnight Moon because we read it to my daughter nearly every night, and getting that kid calmed down enough to sleep was the highlight of the day!

Plus, that little mouse on every page is so cute. Every time we'd turn the page, my daughter would point out the mouse while we read.

Mark and Kattie said...

The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry and the Big Hungry Bear by Don and Audrey Wood

Love this book and always have! Don and Audrey Wood are wonderful authors.

Kristen said...

How could I ever choose a favorite. I have so many that I love. The Monster at the End of the Book, Frog and Toad are Friends, Tikki Tikki Tembo, Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, I could go on and on but I will stop.

Jodi Carroll said...

My favorite book in elementary school was, "Alexander and the terrible, horrible, no good very bad day". As a child I always messed something up and my sisters were just like his brothers, and always blamed me, I so related with the character, it's my favorite book to read to my kids. As a mommy one I love to read is "Junie B. Jones" she totally cracks me up it is exactly the way my kids are and her adventures are a blast.

Lindsay said...

I don't know what is classified as a "picture book"... but here are a few hits at the Hickok house (mine, that is. Not Barb and Rick's.) :)

1. We recently checked out a book entitled Rolie Polie Olie. I was never sure about the page that said "The rolie polie olie dance was always done in underpants"...but it was a cool book nonetheless.

2. Hunter is completely sold on Charlie and Lola. We read the books, we play games on the website, we pretend we're CHarlie and Lola all day.... such a hit! (Who knew??)

3. When I was younger (older than preschool), my favorite books were Choose Your Own Adventure books. I also recall a book called "The Fledgling" that made me cry. I don't know if that's the kind of reaction you want from your readers, but let's just say I've never forgotten that book.

4. I also used to love The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. Come to think of it, I loved anything by him. We had all his books.

5. I also loved the Miss Nelson books. I loved that Miss Nelson pulled one over on those kids. Anything that involved trickery or mystery was right up my alley.

:) I could probably go on and on. This was fun to think about!