Did you read the title and wonder how Christmas and Word Power could be related? The Twelve Days of Christmas is a class for writers. At the end of the year, it asks us to look back for surprises, successes, and disappointments.

Disappointments are the guide to the future, and I took the next three days to figure out which steps to take next. To grow as a writer, and as an entrepreneur. 

​In 2023, I stopped on Day 3, and I let my writing guide me. This year I finished Day 11 and a new Word Power poster.

This is the title I’ve used since 2018. Come along with me, and I’ll show you where I was in 2023 and where I’m heading now that it’s 2025. ​

Did you read the title and wonder how Christmas and Word Power could be related? The Twelve Days of Christmas is a class for writers. At the end of the year, it asks us to look back for surprises, successes, and disappointments.

Disappointments are the guide to the future, and I took the next three days to figure out which steps to take next. To grow as a writer, and as an entrepreneur. 

​In 2023, I stopped on Day 3, and I let my writing guide me. This year I finished Day 11 and a new Word Power poster.

This is the title I’ve used since 2018. Come along with me, and I’ll show you where I was in 2023 and where I’m heading now that it’s 2025. ​

​Part 2 – Two More Things I’m Keeping: If you look below, the first row, those are the things I kept from the 12 Days of Christmas in 2022-2023. The second row were the things I kept from Christmas 2024.
 
If you look at both rows, the pictures on the left are the same. They’re both about marketing and searching for new ideas to promote my three published books. That’s something I’ll do as long as I live, for every single book I publish. I hope there are a few more in my future!

​One is about Neil Armstrong and his Wind Tunnel Dream. The other two are about my favorite place, the lake. Lake Fun is a picture book, and Zoe is a chapter book. Both of them have stories about the things my kids did on lake vacations. They both have journals that let readers draw and write about their own lake experiences.

The paragraph I just wrote, and this one too, that’s marketing! It’s about getting your product or service in front of people. Then convincing them they HAVE to buy it. If you’re interested in checking out my books, just take a look at my book link on rindabeach.com. It has a drop-down menu with all three titles.

The pictures on the right are about my search for an agent. In 2022-2024, I was querying agents with my zoo book. The main character, that blue poison dart frog. Would you believe he was playing hide and seek at the zoo?

I stopped querying in 2024 because I’ve been super- focused on writing a middle grade novel about the founding fathers, the men who signed the Declaration of Independence. This is the third year I’ve been revising and editing it, but it’s still not done. It’s getting closer, and I hope to send it out to agents sometime this year. Here’s to hope . . . I hear it springs eternal 😊

                                                                        Tomorrow – The New Stories I’m Writing 

​In 2023, I stopped on Day 3, and I let my writing guide me. This year I finished Day 11 and a new Word Power poster.

This is the title I’ve used since 2018. Come along with me, and I’ll show you where I was in 2023 and where I’m heading now that it’s 2025. 
​
​

​Part 1 – Things to Keep​: Up first, the things I'm keeping, the programs and tools that work for me. Look down below to see three things that powered me through 2022-2023.

Underneath, my new set. Did you notice I kept two things for 2025? The first, 12 x 12. It’s a community of writers, and I can take three video classes a month from the comfort of my living room in Wapakoneta, Ohio or Lafollette, Tennessee.

The second, my website. I love putting up posts and book reviews for you! I’m planning on updating it this year and giving it a tweak. I haven’t done that since it debuted in 2016. Now that it’s 2025, the time feels right!
​

​Did you notice the last box changed? Writing Magic ended sometime in 2022 or 2023. I replaced it with the Courage to Create Community. I miss Writing Magic, but I found a new home at Courage to Create.

​

​Part 2 – Two More Things I’m Keeping: If you look below, the first row, those are the things I kept from the 12 Days of Christmas in 2022-2023. The second row were the things I kept from Christmas 2024.
 
If you look at both rows, the pictures on the left are the same. They’re both about marketing and searching for new ideas to promote my three published books. That’s something I’ll do as long as I live, for every single book I publish. I hope there are a few more in my future!
​

​One is about Neil Armstrong and his Wind Tunnel Dream. The other two are about my favorite place, the lake. Lake Fun is a picture book, and Zoe is a chapter book. Both of them have stories about the things my kids did on lake vacations. They both have journals that let readers draw and write about their own lake experiences.

The paragraph I just wrote, and this one too, that’s marketing! It’s about getting your product or service in front of people. Then convincing them they HAVE to buy it. If you’re interested in checking out my books, just take a look at my book link on rindabeach.com. It has a drop-down menu with all three titles.
​

The pictures on the right are about my search for an agent. In 2022-2024, I was querying agents with my zoo book. The main character, that blue poison dart frog. Would you believe he was playing hide and seek at the zoo?

I stopped querying in 2024 because I’ve been super- focused on writing a middle grade novel about the founding fathers, the men who signed the Declaration of Independence. This is the third year I’ve been revising and editing it, but it’s still not done. It’s getting closer, and I hope to send it out to agents sometime this year. Here’s to hope . . . I hear it springs eternal 😊

                                                                        Tomorrow – The New Stories I’m Writing 
​​

Danbi’s Favorite Day comes from her home in Korea – Children’s Day. Kids
the world over will love how she finds a way to celebrate.

Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come! This is the custom book every child
gets when they turn five. Its job – to make them feel confident and excited about starting school.

And the other ten, they include titles about books, folk tales, and school.
One even started as a song, Dolly’s Coat of Many Colors.
​
No more tips. This used to be the last set of books for kids born in 2019. Now it’s for kids born in 2020.
And the last two books . . .
Note – These titles stayed the same in 2025.

Can you ever have too much snow? The animals in Rabbit’s Snow Dance
think so. . . especially in the summertime!

Are you ever as busy as a bee? Find out what they really do in You Are a Honey Bee.
It’s the first in a STEM nonfiction picture book series for young readers.

And the other titles, they’re as diverse as these two!

Here’s the link if you’d like to check out Dolly’s other choices . . . 
United States Book List - Dolly Parton's Imagination Library
And now the link has been updated . . .  for babies arriving in 2025!​

Ask questions. Talk about words and pictures. Pick books. Set goals and rewards.

Your preschooler is growing into a reader! Just look at the skills they’re learning
​and the kinds of books they get from the Imagination Library.

And now, those book picks . . . 
Note – These titles stayed the same in 2025.​

K is for Kindness, is about being nice. That’s a social skill. It’s also
 an ABC book; a literary skill, and littles need both.

Where Do Diggers Sleep at Night is more than a truck book. It’s also a bedtime story
with rhyming text and great illustrations. Plus, it’s a series of stories . . . with steam trains,
jet planes, and speed boats who need sleep too.

Animal stories are still in the library, along with a variety of others. Here’s the link if
you’d like to check them out . . . United States Book List - Dolly Parton's Imagination Library
​And now the link has been updated . . .  for babies arriving in 2025!

Tomorrow – Reading tips for toddlers ages 3-4 and 4-5

​Pointing, naming, talking, playing games – they’re so natural. I’m glad Dolly highlighted them.
​
They’re what my kids did, what my grandkids do now.
They’re also great tips to use beyond the book, in everyday life around the house. 

And now, two book picks . . .
Note – These titles stayed the same in 2025.

​Babies in the Imagination Library get 12 books by the end of the year.
Here are two. BTW, I only had the title, so I hope I found the right cover.

The first book, always, The Little Engine that Could. It’s a custom version just for Dolly.

Llama Llama is another early title. If you look at the others, you’ll find animals,
their sounds, and nursery rhymes. They’ll help your baby point, name,
talk, and play games. On the page or around the house.
 
Tomorrow – Reading tips for toddlers ages 1-2 and 2-3

Meet The Imagination Library – You’ve probably heard of Dolly Parton and her Imagination Library. Did you know she gives books away to kids from zero to age five? Each child gets twelve specially selected books a year, without ever paying a dime, thanks to Dolly and her local partners.
​
Dolly’s photo was taken in 1983. Did you know the imagination library started in 1995? Her inspiration came from her father. He couldn’t read or write so Dolly started with preschoolers from her home in Sevier County, Tennessee. Did you know Dolly sends books to kids in five countries today, including the US, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, and Republic of Ireland?

Did you know Dolly gives over two million books away each month? When she was growing up, she believed in dreams. Kids are still dreaming, and books have the seeds to help them grow.

Did you know according to their website Dolly registered 3,197,250 kids and counting? Or that she has given away 260,942,488 books so far? Impressive, and Dolly’s not done. Not yet!
​
                   To learn more, check out: Dolly Parton's Imagination Library | USA, UK, IE, CA, AU
  
​

​
How This Post Came to Be – A year ago I saw a post online from the Imagination Library with reading tips for families. I saved it because those tips, they were great.

They’re not just about literacy. They’re also about building oral language and vocabulary skills for preschoolers. If you’re curious about the kind of books Dolly and the Imagination Library picked, click on this link: United States Book List - Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. And now the link has been updated . . .  for babies arriving in 2025!   

​                                                                                           And now, those tips . . .

​Pointing, naming, talking, playing games – they’re so natural. I’m glad Dolly highlighted them.
​
They’re what my kids did, what my grandkids do now.
They’re also great tips to use beyond the book, in everyday life around the house. 

And now, two book picks . . .​
Note – These titles stayed the same in 2025.

I picked Good Morning because it had a + sign beside it. That means it has bilingual text
or Hispanic content. So does another book from Richard Scarry. I hope I found the
right covers for you; I only had the titles to go on.

I picked Madeline’s 1 2 3 because it had a dot, like an asterisk. That means it’s a new book.
Madeline has been around forever, but 1 2 3 is a new title. There are two other new ones on the list. Writers like me hope that someday . . . Dolly will pick one of our stories too.

The titles include shapes, homes, family, animals, body parts, and nursery rhymes.
You and your child will have lots of pages to turn, things to name, and questions to answer.
​Enjoy! Time flies!

Ask questions. Talk about words and pictures. Pick books. Set goals and rewards.

Your preschooler is growing into a reader! Just look at the skills they’re learning
​and the kinds of books they get from the Imagination Library.

And now, those book picks . . . 
Note – These titles stayed the same in 2025.

K is for Kindness, is about being nice. That’s a social skill. It’s also
 an ABC book; a literary skill, and littles need both.

Where Do Diggers Sleep at Night is more than a truck book. It’s also a bedtime story
with rhyming text and great illustrations. Plus, it’s a series of stories . . . with steam trains,
jet planes, and speed boats who need sleep too.

Animal stories are still in the library, along with a variety of others. Here’s the link if
​you’d like to check them out . . . United States Book List - Dolly Parton's Imagination Library
​And now the link has been updated . . .  for babies arriving in 2025!

Tomorrow – Reading tips for toddlers ages 3-4 and 4-5

Point to letters and numbers. Find a story in the illustrations.
Talk about plot and characters. THESE are the skills that prepare kids to read!
 
And now, two more book picks . . .
Note – Both titles are gone in 2025.

Corduroy is a book my kids loved, at home and at school.
It’s the story of a teddy bear who only wants a home.

I got The Snowy Day in second grade. I was excited to see both books
on Dolly’s 2024 list. And so disappointed to see them leave.

But don’t worry! There are still twelve great titles to help your
child learn about the world around them.

Tell the story. Write and draw responses. Talk about words and story meaning.
It’s almost time for Kindergarten!

And now, two more book picks . . .

Note – These titles stayed the same in 2025.

Danbi’s Favorite Day comes from her home in Korea – Children’s Day. Kids
the world over will love how she finds a way to celebrate.

Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come! This is the custom book every child
gets when they turn five. Its job – to make them feel confident and excited about starting school.

And the other ten, they include titles about books, folk tales, and school.
One even started as a song, Dolly’s Coat of Many Colors.

No more tips. This used to be the last set of books for kids born in 2019. Now it’s for kids born in 2020.
And the last two books . . .
Note – These titles stayed the same in 2025.​

​Can you ever have too much snow? The animals in Rabbit’s Snow Dance
think so. . . especially in the summertime!

Are you ever as busy as a bee? Find out what they really do in You Are a Honey Bee.
It’s the first in a STEM nonfiction picture book series for young readers.

And the other titles, they’re as diverse as these two!

Part 1 – Map Quest: This is a map of six continents. Let’s go continent exploring to find New Zealand. We’ll skip Antarctica – it’s not on the map. Start on the top left. Can you find North America? Go southeast, and you’re in South America. Two continents – check!

Did you find Australia in yellow? And New Zealand? It’s the big green island to the east.
​
A dear friend from Wapakoneta just moved there. Melissa does it all, from Art to Therapy. She’s exploring New Zealand and sharing photos with her friends in Ohio, like me

​

​ Part 2 – The Essence of Estuaries: They’re found all over the world wherever freshwater from rivers runs into the salty sea. They’re home to unique plants and animals who have adapted to the brackish mix of fresh and salt water.

Some estuaries form when lake and river water come together. The chemical and physical composition from the two sources is completely different. You’ll find a few estuaries around the Great Lakes, and in other places across the country and around the world. Source: What is an estuary?

​There are paved paths for bikes and people to enjoy. There’s even a wooden path that runs right through the middle of the Ahuriri Estuary.
 
   
​                                               

​Part 3 – A Few Plants: The paths along the Ahuriri Estuary are lined with Spanish broom bushes and sweet pea. 

Part 4 – Signs of Life #1: These three bird photos, below, were taken of the Bar-Tailed Godwit. My friend, Melissa, took the last one, the big one.

If you’re having trouble reading the sign, me too. I blew it up so I could read it. Its two images show the Bar-Tailed Godwit feeding and flying. Here are some of the things I learned from it and from a New Zealand bird site.

- The Maori, New Zealand’s original people, called godwits Kuaka or birds of mystery. They didn’t nest on the islands, and they disappeared each winter. So they’d ask each other, “Kua kite te kohanga kuaka?” Translation – “Who has seen the nest of the kuaka?” The Maori thought godwits hung out with the spirits of the dead.

- Godwits are endangered because they’re losing the habitats along their flight path. They’re protected in New Zealand where feeding grounds are safe from pollution, construction, and predators. But they’re not safe in other places.

Sorry, I couldn’t read the Fast Facts.
But if you want to learn more about godwits, check out these websites.

Bar-tailed godwit | Kuaka | New Zealand Birds Online….
My other source, and it includes bird calls!

The Bar-tailed Godwit’s Annual Migration Is Utterly Astounding | Audubon
Bar-tailed Godwit Overview, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
​
​The sign includes: www.hbtrails.nz.... www.nzbirdsonline.org.nz.... www.doc.govt.nz

​
​Part 5 – Signs of Life #2: I love this sign, and I thought I could use it like the first one. NOT! I tried reading my blown-up version, but I still had to go find information and pictures online.
​

That’s where I hit the next snag. I couldn’t find the exact plant or animal I wanted. I found relatives, and I still wanted to share this sign. It goes into the estuary ecosystem and the plants and animals who live there.

So Plan B . . . I’d find the closes relative and share its link. I also found a great online encyclopedia from New Zealand. Most of the information matched up. Some of it was new, but I decided to share it anyway because I trust it.

BTW, if you want a plant or animal’s exact image, or you want to learn more about them, google their name. Add New Zealand; then search. I can’t share those images . . . think copyright. So, here’s Plan B. Fingers crossed!
​
At the upper reaches of the estuary where there’s fresh water and less salt, you’ll find these plants and animals. First up, dense beds of sedge and raupo. 

​​

​Sedges, or Cyperaceae, are a family of grass-like plants. Flowers are often the only way to identify which sedge is which. Photo: Cyperaceae - Wikipedia
​
And the encyclopedia said there are as many as 60 different kinds of sedges in New Zealand’s wetlands. I guess, an estuary is one kind of wetland. My source was a specific kind of sedge: Tussock sedge – Wetlands – Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand

​
​

This is a relative of raupo. I think it looks like the cat tails in Ohio. Its name – typha orientalis. You could also call it bulrush, cumbungi, or raupo. It’s found in Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Mongolia, Myanmar, the Philippines, China, and Russia’s far east.  Photo: Typha orientalis - Wikipedia
​
And the encyclopedia said it grows in fertile swamps with high water tables. The one species from New Zealand is also native to Australia and south-east Asia. It dies down in the winter and comes back in the spring.  Raupō – Wetlands – Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand

I couldn’t find a marsh crab, but after looking at the New Zealand Encyclopedia, I found this name – Hemigrapsus crenulatus. Wikipedia said it’s also called the hairy-handed crab and papka huruhuru, the same two names in the encyclopedia. It also said they’re a marine crab native to New Zealand’s coastline.  Photo: Hemigrapsus crenulatus - Wikipedia
​
The Te Ara Encyclopedia said the crabs are found in the intertidal zone. They hide under rocks or in the soft sands and mud. Melissa’s sign said marsh crabs live in the upper reaches of the estuary, and that they hide in the plants too. I hate when I’m not sure if the words match, so I shared both. Just in case.  Small animals of the estuary – Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand

 
​

​Check out this bittern hunting for prey in the wetlands of New Zealand.  Photo: Australasian bittern - Wikipedia
​
The Australasian bittern or matukuh have long necks and legs. They’re mottled brown with creamy throats. Notice the posture – neck stretched up to blend into the reeds, AND their eyes, they can still look down to spot tasty fish, frogs, and eels. YUM!   Australasian bittern – Wetland birds – Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand



In the salty lower reaches of the estuary, you’ll find these plants and animals. First up, sea lettuce, glassworts, rushes, and reeds. 

​You’ll also find glassworts in this part of the estuary. There was nothing in Te Ara about them, but Wikipedia said they’re succulent plants that thrive in the saltwater of sea coasts and marshes. This photo came from the Greenfields Wetlands in Dry Creek. That’s in South Australia. Photo: Glasswort - Wikipedia


​

​
Sheltered estuaries like the one at Ahuriri in New Zealand provide rich feeding grounds for birds like golden plovers, the bar-tailed godwits, and many others. Larger animals of the estuary – Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand
​
Photo: Pacific golden plover - Wikipedia


​

​Birds like godwits probe the mud for shellfish, marine worms, and insect larvae. They push their beaks down deep into the sediments to find them.   Larger animals of the estuary – Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand
​
Did you notice the bird in the center? It’s red and looks nothing like the bar-tailed godwits in sign #1. That’s because it’s a male. Many males in the animal kingdom are better looking. It helps them attract females. Photo: Bar-tailed godwit - Wikipedia

When you query an agent or publisher, you pitch your manuscript to them. Comp titles are part of that letter. Comps are books published in the last three years. They’re similar to your manuscript, and they give the agent/publisher an idea where your story could fit into the marketplace.

Part 1 - Why This Title? My middle grade novel is about the men who signed the Declaration of Independence. The first ten chapters follow them to the end of the American Revolution. One Dead Spy is a graphic novel about Nathan Hale. It starts when he joins the Continental Army, and it ends with his death, September 22, 1776.
​
My manuscript and this spy novel are both works of middle grade historical fiction. They’re both set during the Revolution. Charles Carroll of Carrollton is my main character, and you’ll meet the first nine dead signers through his eyes. Nathan Hale, the spy, tells his story to a British officer, and the hangman.
​

Part 2 - The Real Nathan Hale: No, not the author/illustrator of this book. I’m talking the REAL dead spy. The one who died almost two months after the founders signed the Declaration on August 2, 1776. And no, only John Hancock and Congress’s secretary signed on the Fourth of July.

I couldn’t find a painting of the real Nathan Hale, but I found his statue from City Hall Park in New York City. I also found a sketch from the day the British hung him. That’s where my comp title begins, with the hanging. Now, the facts from a link attributed to the CIA . . .
​
Nathan came from a prominent Connecticut family. He attended and graduated with honors from Yale in 1773. He got a job right away teaching in New London, Connecticut. When the War began in 1775, pre-Declaration, he immediately joined the militia. Within five months he was promoted to First Lieutenant. That’s how far Nathan goes to tell his real back story. It goes into his bad luck, which I didn’t find, but remember, my source was a CIA file. Maybe it’s still top secret, LOL!
​

Part 3: Who Was Henry Knox? I’ve heard of Fort Knox in Kentucky and Knoxville in Tennessee, but lately I’ve wondered how they got their names. Then I read One Dead Spy, and they were named after Henry Knox.

So who was he? One Dead Spy said he owned a bookstore, and that he was in charge of artillery during the American Revolution. Bookstore and artillery, they just don’t match, so I looked him up. His story is fascinating!

Henry’s dad died when he was nine, so he worked as a clerk in a bookstore to support the family. The owner inspired his love of books and learning. Between shifts, Henry taught himself French, philosophy, and math. Would you believe he even studied the wars of ancient Greece and Rome? 
​

Knox didn’t just read about war. He joined a Boston street gang and learned to fight. Then a local artillery company. He turned his knowledge and experience against the British.

By 1771 Knox owned his own shop. Its titles included books about military history and strategy. He loved chatting with the soldiers who stopped by. A year later he started the Boston Grenadier Corps and joined the local Sons of Liberty. He was on guard duty for the Boston Tea Party and joined the militia in time for the Battle of Bunker Hill. He set up the fortifications and directed his cannons at the British.

The battle turned into a siege. That’s when Knox got a brilliant, but crazy idea. He’d make the 300-mile trek to Fort Ticonderoga, New York, then return with the cannons and supplies the Americans captured. The crazy part – Knox reached the Fort on December 5 and returned with 60 tons of cannon, plus other munitions. For bonus points, he hauled them through the icy Berkshire Mountains and across a frozen lake. Knox delivered them on January 27, 1776. After his cannons started firing, the British army and navy decided to retreat to Halifax, Nova Scotia. 

Knox continued on as the artillery chief for the New York and New Jersey campaigns. By the winter of 1778-79, he had a new job, head of the first artillery and officer training school. He drilled over 1000 soldiers during that horrible winter. His school inspired the military academy at West Point.

In 1780 he served on the military tribunal that sentenced John Andre to death by hanging. Andre was the spy who got Benedict Arnold to turn traitor. A year later Knox and his French counterpart helped end the war. They positioned the cannons at Yorktown. BTW, this is a portrait of Henry painted in 1806, long after the American Revolution ended.

​                                                     Source: National Museum of the United States Army
​
                              PS – Nathan Hale, the real dead spy, made the trip to Fort Ticonderoga
                                                  and back with 60 tons of artillery, in the dead of winter 
​

​
Part 4: Meet The Ohio Digital Library: It’s where I find the books for Saturday Reads. But I picked it for One Dead Spy because I can read it online, on my computer screen. That means I can make the page bigger. Much, Much BIGGER than my kindle screen. And that’s an amazing tool when you’re trying to read the cartoons in a graphic novel!
​

​                                                                           The Ohio Library’s Description:

​Experience the New York Times bestselling graphic novel—now as a deluxe, oversized edition featuring 15 brand-new pages of mini-comics

The Bigger & Badder editions of Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales continues! Nathan Hale (the author's namesake) was America's first spy, a Revolutionary War hero who famously said "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country" before being hanged by the British. In Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales, author Hale channels his historical döppelganger to present history's roughest, toughest, strangest stories. This book tackles the story of Nathan Hale himself, who was an officer for the American rebels in the Revolutionary War and was eventually hanged for spying. This special edition of One Dead Spy features a larger trim size, a deluxe package, and 16 pages of bonus material, including research photos, sketches, and mini-comics from the author.

Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales are graphic novels that tell the thrilling, shocking, gruesome, and TRUE stories of American history. Read them all—if you dare!

Hello from the Findlay Hancock County Library! That was me back on November 1, when I was there for Author Fest night.
​
If you didn’t make it and would like to meet some of the local and not-so-local authors who were, click on this link:  Newsletter - Findlay-Hancock County Public Library
​

​Part 1 – Meeting People: One of the best things about an author event – meeting people – like readers and other authors. There’s nothing like it, and if you know me . . . I love to talk!

When I talk to readers, we talk books. My favorites. Theirs. I also love to talk about what makes my books special; then show them. With Neil, it’s obviously him. I’m blessed that I met him, by writing about him. When I finished my last edit, I felt like I was saying goodbye to a best friend, and it turns out I was. I don’t see another Neil book in my future. Except . . . I do have an idea, but I haven’t pursued it yet. Maybe . . .

With other writers, I love to talk to them. To find out what makes them tick, where they find their ideas, or writing/marketing tricks they can teach me. Nothing’s better than finding a new/better way to do something. But most of all . . . I love hearing their stories!
​​


​Part 2 – Meeting the Authors Next-Door: Hello to my neighbors, from the tables beside me. They’re the writers I talked to the most. When there was a lull in the action, we had fun chatting and  talking books.

​At the table to my left was Theresa Konwinski. She’s written poetry since childhood. Now she writes stories about life. She finds her words in her experiences as a nurse, wife, mother, and now in retirement. You can find her three published novels and five short stories on her website.

At Author Fest she was excited about meeting people who want to write. People who are just beginning. Theresa loved talking to them, encouraging them to keep going, to keep writing. Listening to her reminded me how much joy I feel when the right words find their way into a story😊

                        If you’d like to meet Theresa Konwinski and her stories, check out her website:
                                                              theresakonwinski.online – Stories about life…
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Meet Jean Mueller and Audrea Mancinotti at the table to my right. They’re a team in lots of ways. Jean does the writing, and Audrea does the illustrations. They’re also related. Jean is the aunt, and Audrea is her niece. They’re both educators. Jean is a school librarian, and Audrea teaches sixth grade. Best of all they work together creating children’s books.

Their adventure started when Jean dreamed of writing a picture book about her father’s woods. It came true when she asked Audrea to do the illustrations. That first book came out last June, and their second one is brand-new.

             To read more about them and their books, check out their website: AudreaJean Books



Part 3 – Meeting New Books: There’s nothing better than meeting a new book, except . . . discovering someone has a copy of your old one.

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And that was Jean! She stopped over when I was setting up my table. Picked up my old copy of Neil Armstrong’s Wind Tunnel Dream. Then told me she had a copy in her school library. She’d even read it to her students. Jean’s story made my week, and I’m glad I have a photo to remember it.

Snow Day, their second book, is brand new! If you ask teachers and kids across Ohio about their favorite kind of day, they’ll tell you it’s got to have snow. Who doesn’t like a day off?!
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​If you’re looking for a snowy adventure, and there’s not a flake in sight, cuddle up with this book. Want to peek inside the cover? Click on their Facebook link and scan down the page.   (2) Facebook. ​