Hammy and I Had a Blast at Vero Beach

I left home at 7 a.m. yesterday and returned nearly 14 hours later. Here's what happened in between . . .

I arrived at the Vero Beach Book Center -- a fabulous indie bookstore with a separate store for their children's and young adult books and programs.



Here's what you see as you enter this very special space:



The amazing Cynthia Grabenbauer orchestrated the day. Thank you, Cynthia!!!

Cynthia

I had the great pleasure of spending the day with Cynthia and Tiffanie. (Yes, Tiffanie was as much fun as she looks . . . and she draws a great map!)

Tiffanie

Our first stop was Storm Grove Middle School. The media specialist had Hammy Time playing on a giant screen when the students entered the cafeteria. The kids came in dancing. It was so much fun.

This sweet student, Ryan, stood at the podium and introduced me. Ryan was also running for office. Isn't this a cute poster?

(That's a mirror in the center.)

After that, we whooshed over to St. Edwards school. I talked to only 50 students, which was fun because we could interact more. I began my talk by saying, "I am a dork." Some boy near the front said, "I'm a dork, too!"

After lunch at Crispers, I had the pleasure of talking to the 6th graders at Oslo Middle School.

There, Anna, introduced me to the students and got waaaaaay more cheers than Hammy did.

Their media specialist, Alison Rhoden, was the kind of person you wish were at YOUR school. Alison has a contagious enthusiasm and bright smile. Check out her great idea: Students get "bucks" for reading, then spend their bucks at the "store" she sets up. An autographed copy of How to Survive Middle School is the newest item in their "store."

After that, I got a break to explore Vero. Cool town!

Then it was time for the meet and greet at the bookstore. This great group of tenth grade students from Vero Beach High School stopped by.

Here's Mykhue . . .


And Nick with Hammy . . .

These amazing kids made me want to write YA!

And my dear friend Carole, gave away a shift at work to be there. Thank you, Carole!



Now, I'm off to Michigan to have a fun time at the S.C.B.W.I. Conference this weekend.

I leave you with the obligatory cute doggies photo . . .



Tune in next week for Michigan conference photos and the new blog post: Sumo Wrestler vs. Hammy the Hamster. (Will Hammy win?!)

I Met Stephen King (Sort of)

When our family pulled into the Digital Domain Stadium in Port St. Lucie, we knew the FAMILY READING FESTIVAL was going to be a big deal. The parking lot was jammed with cars.

When Debbie Remington, President of the St. Lucie County Reading Council and Media Specialist at Manatee Academy, contacted me about speaking at a baseball stadium to promote reading, I thought it sounded intriguing.

What I couldn't have imagined was how many teachers, media specialists, parents and students would embrace the idea.

There was so much going on at once -- a used book exchange, authors talks, raffles, children performing reader's theater and much more. Such a festive environment!

Participants wore name tags sporting their favorite character's names, authors or books.

I had the great pleasure of meeting "Stephen King." She was delightful. I also met Nancy Drew, Hermione and well, The Bible!

It was a fun event centered around the love of READING!

Now, I look forward to meeting bazillions of sixth graders in Vero this Wednesday. I'll be sharing my talk, "6-1/2 Ways to Survive Middle School" with them. There will be a guest appearance by Hammy the Hamster.

Vero Beach Book Center will host me in their teen loft from 5:30 to 7 p.m. this Wednesday, April 28th. I'll talk, sign and generally cause a ruckus!

It's good to know people still get excited about BOOKS and the people who write them, like my, um, new friend, "Stephen King."

Places To Go And People To Annoy . . .

UPCOMING EVENTS . . .

April 24th -- FAMILY READING FESTIVAL at the Mets Stadium (Digital Domain Park) in Port St. Lucie from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. (I'll be speaking from 11:30-noon and will be signing books before and after.) The first 300 kids get FREE tickets to Saturday's game. (Baseball and books -- What could be bad?)

April 28th -- Storm Grove Middle School sixth graders, look out. Here I come! And my hamster, Hammy, might be coming with me. (This event is not open to the public.)

April 28th -- VERO BEACH BOOK CENTER will be hosting me in their Teen Loft at 5:30. I'll be meeting and greeting and having a fun time at an amazingly cool independent bookstore! Please stop by at your earliest inconvenience.

April 29th -- SUNFEST!!! This has nothing to do with books, but I'm super excited to go to this awesome venue -- "Where music meets the waterfront" to see and hear THE FLAMING LIPS perform. The whole family is going -- Whee! (Thanks Melissa. You are filled with wonderful!)

May 1st -- Hello, Michigan! SCBWI MICHIGAN'S SPRING CONFERENCE sounds like it will be a blast. I'll be talking about writing humor for children, creating quirky characters and my rubber chicken necklace. I'm just sayin'. There are oodles of cool presenters, like Jay Asher, Ruta Rimas, Jim Tobin, etc. (I think registration is full now. Are you going to be there?)

May 12th -- I'll have the great pleasure of speaking to the 5th grade students at GREENACRES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. (This event is not open to the public.)

May 16th -- BOOKS & BOOKS in Coral Gables! Stop by and browse this amazing bookstore. Grab a drink and snack in their cafe and enjoy it at their outdoor seating area. And if you happen to be there at 3 p.m., stop by and say HELLO! I'll be speaking and signing, but not singing because that would drive people from the store.

May 17th -- I'll be speaking at INDEPENDENCE MIDDLE SCHOOL, which has a special place in my heart. (This event is not open to the public.) It's just going to be me, a few teachers and, oh, 400 sixth graders. (And I'm going to tell them a secret.)

May 18th -- Collapse, with a big smile on my face!

Be There or Be Square

UPCOMING EVENTS:

• 2010 Erma Bombeck Writer's Workshop, April 15th - 17th, at the University of Dayton. I'll be presenting a workshop about how to write humor for children.
  

• At the Vero Beach Book Center on April 28th at 5:30, I'll be in the teen loft, talking about How to Survive Middle School.

• In Lansing, MI, I'll be speaking about writing humor and creating quirky characters at the Michigan SCBWI Spring Conference, May 1st.

I'd LOVE to see you at any of these events. Let me know if you'll be there (or be square).

I'll also be doing several school visits, but they are not open to the public.

Thanks for your support!