Me recording the audiobook for Scampers Thinks Like a Scientist. Yes, I’m recording in my pantry. It was the only room in the house where I couldn’t hear the whine of my neighbor’s stupid weedwacker.
I can’t imagine that hearing me talk would be of much interest to anyone, but in the off chance I’m mistaken, I have good news! You can register for a free, online panel discussion where I’ll be blathering about my new book, Pirate & Penguin!
This book.
The event, hosted by New York literary institution, Books of Wonder, will held on Sunday, May 28, at 1 p.m. (EST).
Sounds great doesn’t it?
Well, there are other authors there, too. Jack Wong, author/illustrator of When You Can Swim, and Erica Root, author/illustrator of Close To You From Far Away, are both wonderful (and wonderfully talented) people.
If you ask me, it’s well worth the price of admission. (Free.)
All you gotta do is sign up and enjoy! And there’s a livestream, so you can ask me a question! How does that sound? (Answer: Groovy.)
Just click hereto register. Here’s hoping I’ll see you Sunday!
EDIT: 5/28
Well, that was fun! If you missed the event, no biggie! You can see the video here. (I read an except from the book in a pirate voice, so that’s something.)
The story is about a penguin who slips off his iceberg onto the poop deck of a passing pirate ship. The captain, perhaps a bit dotty from his many months on the high seas, mistakes the stowaway for a parrot and expects his new companion to govern himself accordingly. Penguin’s well-meaning efforts to talk, perch on Pirate’s shoulder, and keep things ship shape leads to mayhem. In fact, things get so out of hand, someone might end up walking the plank.
There is no feeling that can quite replicate the joy of opening a box of author copies.
Pirate & Penguin was the most fun I’ve ever had writing a picture book.
More importantly, I love the way the book turned out. (No one can do a better job at depicting seafaring chaos quite like illustrator extraordinaire, Jenn Harney.)
Pirate & Penguin has gotten good reviews, too!
“A pirate searching for a parrot and a clumsy penguin collide in this lively tale about friendship…. Inventive pirate speak and bright colors compliment this whimsical story.” — Foreword Reviews
“An amusing romp that will have landlubbers and scurvy sea dogs alike giggling.” — Kirkus
“Although children’s library collections are not lacking in pirate stories, this fresh and funny tale makes its case for inclusion by using a pirate-ship setting to explore the nature of friendship.”— Booklist
And Page Street, my publisher, believes in this book so much, they made up a batch of P&P buttons!
Cute, right?
But here’s the best part:
YOU CAN WIN A FREE COPY!
All you gotta do is head over to Kathy Temean’s blog and enter the giveaway.
And who knows? You may just receive a wonderful work of kid lit—a prize at least as valuable as a medium-sized chest of buccaneer booty.
It’s the time you’ve all been waiting for! Who will win a signed, hardcover copy of the picture book that’s sweeping the nation: Scampers Thinks Like a Scientist!
YAY!
As usual the impartial judge and ballot-picker-outer is this guy.
Oh, geez.
As longtime readers of this blog know, this particular ballot-picker-outer has a long history of wasting everyone’s time with excessive ballot stirring. Here’s proof:
Let’s go…
…on a trip…
…down…
…memory lane.
Dang, I’ve done a lot of these contests.
The kid has been pulling this crap since 2012.
This time, however, we’re doing something a little different.
Instead of stirring ballots, our esteemed judge has decided to THROW them.
So here are the rules: Any ballots that land face down after the throw are OUT. The judge will then grab the face up ballots and throw that stack—again discarding all the face down ballots. This throwing and discarding process will continue as long as necessary until only ONE face up ballot remains. THAT ballot will be the WINNER.
SO! Here we go.
Makin’ it rain…
And the entrants still alive after the First Round are… (click image to enlarge)
Congrats, everyone! You haven’t won anything yet.
And we’re off to Round Two!
And more rain making.
And the survivors of that round are…(click image to enlarge)
Onward! Round Three!
And the survivors are…(click image to enlarge)
This is getting pretty suspenseful, eh?
Round Four!
This is a lot like The Hunger Games, isn’t it? So let’s just say these last four competitors are The Careers.
Round Five!
Actually in Round Five all four ballots were wrong side up. So…Round Six!
A little less rain making and more throwing…
Round Seven!
Almost there!
And here’s where things got a little surreal.
For the next FIVE rounds the two remaining ballots did the exact same freaking thing—both ballots either landed face down or landed face up. It drove the judge a little crazy.
But there can be only one winner.
So.
After twelve rounds…
The winner is…
TAMAWI!
Congratulations! You won a signed, hardcover copy of Scampers Thinks Like A Scientist!
To collect your prize, all you have to do is head up to the Hire Me! menu item and write me a note!
***
Thanks to all the people who entered! And a very special thanks for publicizing this contest. Every bit of Scampers promotion helps a great deal.
And doesn’t the world need to know about a female mouse with an passionate interest in science?
As you might’ve guessed by now, this book has been a passion project of mine for a very long time. It is published by Dawn Publications, a small yet very well-regarded house that decided to take a risk on a manuscript that strays a bit outside of its comfort zone. I want to reward Dawn for its faith in me and in Scampers by spreading the word as far as I can.
***
If you’re interested in getting a copy of Scampers Thinks Like A Scientist. Head to Amazon right now; the hardcover is nearly five bucks off the cover price, and the paperback is a bargain for only $8.95!
Hey, Look! A Writer Fellow! 