Dear Reader, When I read "A Fish in a Tree" to kids, I often start out talking about fish--asking them to make fish faces and then asking where fish live. Sea or ocean is the most common answer, but I do get the rivers and lakes and ponds too. Some think of aquariums before I ask if they have ever been to one. I ask if anyone has ever had a pet fish and some have. After building that up, I then pull out the poster of my book and ask incrediously, "But did you ever see a fish in a tree?" Well, at one reading, the inevitable happened as one boy told me he had a pet fish but it died. I said, "That's sad but it sometimes happens." He then continued, "My Dad flushed it down the toilet." Kids gasped and looked at him in disbelief. One asked, "Why did he do that?" My presentation had been derailed by a dead fish spiraling down the toilet. I was off guard but tried to bring them back to happier times and my story. I am sure some lit
Dear Reader, This holiday season has just squeezed by me so fast. With all the usual preparations, celebrating, gift buying and decorating, etc. I forgot that Christmas season I should have been trying to make more book sales, promoting online and doing some local holiday craft fairs. I did do a couple of fairs, but no way as much as I could have or should have been doing. Life just pushed me along. It sure didn't help with two different bouts of sickness this fall. (Not covid, but miserable. I am wondering if being cooped up so long weakened our immune system.) Anyway, I am still learning this marketing part of being an author. Doesn't seem fair that you just can't write a book and after writing, re-writing, editing, and learning all the other things that go into writing and publishing a book, that when it's done you can't just sit back, well, you can, but you won't make many sales that way. As I was looking at my Christmas tree, I wanted to share the ornament