A Day in the Country
Some friends joined us for a day at my parents’ house in the country. We took some photographs of our family and theirs and we also took some for a new project we’ve got going.
Pretty Flowers in the Backyard
The spring flowers are blooming all over the neighborhood. This Vinca is in our backyard. Richard took this with the Nikon D200 and the Tamron macro lens. I held a reflector for fill light. I love this time of year!
Next week is Spring Break so we’ll all be able to sleep in and generally take it easy. We plan a visit to my parents’ house in the country. I hope to find some trilliams.
Ordered Some Books
One of the myths that lurks out there in the world of readers is that authors don’t have to pay for copies of their own books. While it is true that authors typically get some free books from the publisher (how many is delineated in the contract), they must pay for the rest. Often the contract also includes a discount rate at which the author can get books from the publisher.
I placed an order today for 80 copies of Wolfsnail: A Backyard Predator. I already have some readings/signings set up in libraries. The librarians I’ve talked to have said I should bring some books to sell — or I could try to arrange to have a bookstore partner. I think I’ll try it both ways and see what works best. I know my friends who are authors say that it is always a good idea to have some books on hand — generally in the trunk of the car.
The manager of Oz, the children’s section at Lemuria, called today to ask how many books I thought she would need to order for my signing. That’s a hard question. We settled on 60 (though I did tell her that I’ll have a stash in the car). I know I’ve been to signings where I was among only a handful of people to show up. I’m going to be sending invitations to everyone I know (and I’ve lived in this city for 17 years and in this state for 27) so I am expecting a few folks to show up. I’ll keep you posted.
On the Radio
I’ll be a guest on Creature Comforts on May 1st at 9 a.m., talking about Wolfsnail: A Backyard Predator. Creature Comforts is a radio show on Mississippi Public Broadcasting, featuring information, discussions and call-ins about animals — both wild and domestic. The show will air two days before my book launch at Lemuria on Saturday, May 3rd at 11 a.m. I’ve been a listener since MPB launched the show in January and I am looking forward to talking about wolfsnails with Libby Hartfield, director of the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, Dr. Troy Majure, a veterinarian, and Gene Edwards, the show’s host.
In order to arrange the appearance, I called the show’s producer and followed up with a letter. I also wrote to Libby Hartfield. I had already been communicating with the museum’s education staff about an appearance at the museum, too. Libby was also familiar with my work from an appearance I did at the museum last year when my wolfsnail article appeared in Highlights for Children.
Once I was invited to appear on the show, I prepared a list of questions and answers about the book and about my work. Click here to see the Q&A.
More Quilting at Chastain Middle School
We had our second workshop at Chastain Middle School today with Crossroads Quilters. We got to see three new quilt tops made from our photographs and our string blocks. We also made more string blocks and started to quilt the newest tops. It was great to have another day with friends and fabric. We had visitors from the local NBC affiliate and the Women’s Fund of the Community Foundation of Greater Jackson. The Women’s Fund gave us a grant to pay for the workshops, fabric, and other supplies. We’re glad people in the community will have a chance to learn about this exciting project at Chastain. In this first picture, Tammy McGrew teaches Indrani Sai how to quilt.
We’ll be having one more sewing day together in April and we will present the finished wall-hangings to the school community in May. Patty Crosby took the photographs. She is the executive director of Mississippi Cultural Crossroads, which is the umbrella organization for Crossroads Quilters. In this picture, Geraldine Nash trims a string block.
A wall-hanging top that is ready to be quilted.
Another wall-hanging top.
Here I am making a string block.
Here I am showing the visitor from the Women’s Fund the photographs that have been transferred to fabric but haven’t been sewn into a top.
Jo Hosey shows Indrani Sai how to make a string block.
Susan Womack shows off a block she made that is a variation on the string block.