Florida Book Award

This week, I received wonderful news. My novel, As If Being 12 3/4 Isn't Bad Enough, My Mother Is Running for President!, won a silver medal in the children's literature category of the Florida Book Awards.

Hearty congratulations to the gold medal winner -- Newt's World: Beginnings by Susan L. Womble and the bronze medal winner -- Missing Math: A Number Mystery by Loreen Leedy. And hats off to all the Florida authors included in the competition.

In other news, I've been invited to speak at a conference in Fort Lauderdale to a group of librarians, media specialists, educators and parents. If you fit into any of these groups, I'd love to hear what you'd hope to learn from an author presentation.

I'll also be talking with students at a middle school and at an area library the day before the conference, and am really looking forward to meeting the students.

My editor sent another revision letter for my novel, so I'll be busy thinking, rethinking, researching and revising during March.

But for now, I'm off to watch our 14-year-old son compete in a 3-point competition at half-time during his league's basketball playoffs. I will be the crazy lady in the stands screaming, "Go, Gephart!"

Hope you all have a lovely weekend as we say so-long to February. When I lived in Pennsylvania, I was happy to see gloomy, chilly, icy February pack it's bags and go. But here in sunny South Florida, I savor February days. With breezy, spring-like weather, I stroll through street festivals, choose brightly colored veggies at green markets, kayak at a state park and enjoy strolls through parks or along the beach. It almost makes up for the terror of hurricane season in the early fall!

Have a wild and wonderful weekend!

All best,
Donna