Friday, June 25, 2010

Finally!

Yes, Zero has finally arrived in the United States! After arriving in the publisher's warehouse in Michigan on Friday, it is now being delivered to the distributors and should be available on Amazon and in bookstores shortly. It's been a long trip, but worth the wait.

There are books, however, at the Borders in South Portland, Maine, where I will be reading and signing tomorrow. Storytime is at 11am and will be followed by a signing time until 1pm. If you are in the area, please stop by and say hello.

Yesterday I had a wonderful visit with friends from California that I had not seen in ten years. For part of that time, I didn't even know where they were living. We vowed that would not happen again! Time is too short and people are too precious to be put off until later. There is no later, there is only now.

Have lunch with a friend, write a letter to a loved one, phone home:)

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Home Again, #2

Did you ever have a weekend that you thought was going to be so busy it would fly by and you wouldn't really enjoy it? But unexpectedly, time slows down and even though you do everything planned, the universe gives you precious unrushed moments to enjoy and cherish. That was my weekend!

The drive to and fro was smooth, with little delay for all the road construction going on this summer. I had a great visit with Grandma, who insisted on feeding me ice cream and strawberries and cookies and pretzels. Aren't Grandmas great? Thanks for my lunch money, Grandma. I bunked in with my youngest sister for the first time . She graciously took my MN sister and me in for the weekend, even though she was hosting a baby shower for her daughter on Sunday. She took me to two great places to eat, both in "downtown" Elizabethtown . Flavers is a restaurant where we sat out on the deck next to a little creek and enjoyed the atmosphere, great food and live music. Folklore is a coffee shop with free wifi, fabulous pastries and baked goods, plenty of drink choices, and the atmosphere tempts you to stay and enjoy one of those unhurried moments. Maybe, even, and unhurried life!

Elizabethtown has a beautiful library. The children's room is on the second floor and the reading space is in a round turret room. Perfect for any "once upon a time..." It was interesting reading and sharing both books with an audience that included small children, older kids and adults. But once again, the response was very positive. The little ones watched everything and the older ones really "got" the humor. When Harry began breaking the balloons the second time, one of the older boys threw his hands on his head and said, "Oh, no!"
These are the moments that keep you writing.

Saturday evening we headed to Mt. Gretna for a signing at the Gretna Emporium. I could write an entire blog about the happenings in Mt. Gretna, but suffice it to say that in the summer it is quite busy with the Playhouse, the Jigger shop, many cultural events and great music. Both books sold well and I had some interesting conversations with different folks that stopped by. I also visited with friends before going out to dinner with all three sisters and and other family members. Desserts at my sister's house - she should be on Food Network! Yum.......

Sunday was more family time and a quiet evening sharing the end of a wonderfully unhurried and delightful weekend. May you have one of your own very soon.

Saturday, June 12 - Book signing at Mariner's Compass Quilt Shop, 190 Front St., Bath, Maine. The event is from 11 - 1 and is sponsored by Mariner's Compass and the Bath Book Shop. Stop by and say hello:)

Thursday, June 3, 2010

On the Road, Again

I am leaving tomorrow for a busy, but fun weekend in Pennsylvania. There is nothing better than being able to share important events in your life with your family. So this weekend I will share the new book with Great Grandma, three sisters and their families, perhaps an aunt and uncle and with PA friends.

I am looking forward to my Saturday morning reading at the Elizabethtown Public Library. My sister, Kyle, arranged this visit and has been an awesome publicity agent for the event. I may need to hire her for other events! Late afternoon on Saturday, I will be signing books at the Gretna Emporium in Mt. Gretna PA. We grew up in Mt. Gretna and having a signing event there is very special for me.

The latest word from the publisher is that the books should arrive in country on June 12th. So if you can't attend any of these early signing events, you should be able to get the book after that date. The next events will be June 12th at Mariner's Compass Quilt Shop in Bath ME and on June 26th at the Borders in South Portland ME. Both events are from 11am - 1pm.

I'll post pictures from the upcoming weekend next week on my Facebook page - Wendy Ulmer, Author of Children's Picture Books. Have a great weekend!