Met lots of fantastic people at this year’s NELA Conference. Our beach bag “basket” giveaway was won by this lucky attendee! Can’t wait for her to read the beach towel decorated with all the sayings you’ll only hear in the Massachusetts beach areas, while chewing on authentic salt water taffy, straight from Rockport. Congratulations!
This first prize winning creation built by the Kraus family is on exhibit at the Topsfield Fair, the oldest agricultural fair in the country. It’s the perfect blend of the farm and the sea, two of my passions.
This “octopus” has an eggplant body, two radish eyes, and carrots for tentacles. It could have been painted virtually any color, since the octopus is a master of camouflage, changing both the color and texture of its body to coordinate with its surroundings. With fall colors, and fruits and vegetables all around it, this octopus blends perfectly with its environment!
An octopus has two eyes that are remarkably very similar to human eyes. Each eye has a retina, a cornea, an iris, and a lens. Unlike humans, an octopus has the ability to rotate its eyes which eliminates blind spots. Although an octopus has great vision, it only sees really well up to about eight feet away.
This vegetable octopus will be on display at the Topsfield Fair until Columbus Day. If you’re in the area, be sure to check it out. If not, you can build your own octopus with one quick trip to your local farm stand. Happy Fall!
I thought a great analogy for an Indie author with very few book reviews would be like a fish without water. They soon die, or so I thought. But not in all cases. Check out this amazing video about the lung fish. Like the Indie author, it never gives up! It actually is encased in clay bricks for 4 years, waiting for rain. When rain comes, it emerges from the brick and continues its life. That’s a no quit attitude, for sure!
If you’re a reading teacher, you know how important it is to activate prior knowledge and build background information before reading a new story. This is an introduction that I presented for my book, “Did You Make the Hole in the Shell in the Sea?” to a group of children in a Storytime at Barnes & Noble Booksellers. It was lots of fun being a part of Barnes & Noble’s “Finding Dory” event. Enjoy!!
One in three people surveyed didn’t pursue a career in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) because it seemed too difficult. I’m trying to change that perception by writing and illustrating entertaining, fun books about sea life. I’m hoping that my books will help attract both boys and girls to understanding and enjoying science.
Follow this link for the full survey results by Emerson: http://www.emerson.com/en-us/careers/Pages/STEM-survey-results.aspx
Check it out! “Something’s Tugging on My Claw!” is on the third page of this week’s Publisher’s Weekly issue celebrating independent publishers. Excited to have a tiny toe hold in the massive publishing industry.
When you’re looking for a great book for a gift or to read yourself, try picking up a book from an independent publisher instead of going with one from the big five publishers. You’ll be in for a pleasant surprise, and be helping out authors who are passionate about their stories, but don’t have the network TV shows at their disposal for advertising.
E-books are really convenient when traveling, but there’s nothing like a printed, illustrated storybook when tucking a child into bed. It was one of my favorite times with my kids.
Article Link: http://nyti.ms/2ca8pgK
Congratulations to the four lucky winners of our Seatales Summer Newsletter Giveaway: Noel Gilbert, FL; Sarah Foster, FL; Erin Gray, MO; and Cheryl Darnell, KY. Your copy of “Something’s Tugging on My Claw!” has shipped. If you’d like to sign up for our quarterly newsletter, which always contains a giveaway, please scroll down until you see, “Subscribe to our Seatales Newsletter” on the right. Fill out your email address, first name, and school or organization’s name, and that’s all there is to it!
Just dropped “Loki’s” molted shell off at the local taxidermist, Rick Page of “Classic Taxidermy”. The shell was really starting to fall apart at the end of our summer school programs. Rick’s going to soak the shell for a month in salt water to hydrate it, and then wire all the pieces back together. Rick didn’t even think it odd when I told him the lobster’s name, just in case he wanted to talk to him while he was working on his shell. Thank you so much, Rick, for your help!
We recently released the lobster that we used as a model for the illustrations in our book, “Something’s Tugging on My Claw!” We’re thrilled that Loki’s back in the sea again, and are excited that he lives on in the pages of our illustrated children’s book. Check out the video, and help us say good-bye!