Yes, Kids Heart Authors Day was a success! The Alphabet Garden played warm host to seven authors and many dozens of patrons.
I sat at a table with Tony Abbott and Leslie Bulion — which was a great move. Tip to all aspiring authors: if you only have a few titles to sell, it helps if the person sitting next to you is a household name. It was fabulous seeing all these emergent readers shyly coming up to Tony, eager to have him sign their books. He was so gracious and engaging. They gushed about his Secrets of Droon series and eagerly looked at his many other titles on the table. And when they were done being thrilled by Tony, parents and siblings cocked their heads and noticed Leslie and my books. “What are these about?” they asked.
Across the store, Donna Marie Merritt and Kate Duke sat at one table, while Kathleen Kudlinski and Pegi Deitz Shea sat at another. They drew a steady flow of younger children with adults who looked at (and purchased) their beautiful picture books (and a few novels). All the while, the wonderful folks at the Alphabet Garden helped kids make Valentine’s Day cards with paper, cut-outs, scissors, glue, markers, crayons, and all kinds of glittery items.
What fun for all!