We are meeting so many fun moms and kids here in Atlanta and on the road (some dads too!) that we want to provide a place to have more of a conversation. I'm also getting lots of questions on writing and the publishing process so we will have future blogs divided into family and parenting stories and stories about creating our books and launching our publishing company. Sometimes they overlap since my business partner is my husband. : )
Occasionally I'll ask YOU for your stories and answers to MY questions. Building a business and raising a family have a lot of similarities. It's all about making good decisions. And sharing learned experiences can help us make informed decisions. So get a cup of coffee or tea, or pour a glass of wine and let's chat!
February 23rd, 2010
Oak Brook, IL Thursday, Feb. 11 So I’m looking out at about 20 or so bright hopeful faces and in my peripheral vision I see my parents, my daughter and my aunt and uncle and I’m being introduced by the Barnes and Noble CRM (Community Resource Manager) and…I’m off! Reading to young children is like jumping off a cliff. IT’S DANGEROUS. There are potty breaks, sniffles, interruptions, fidgets, and even pint-size hecklers occasionally. Before going on, I did not say a prayer for good sales. I said a prayer that I could connect with the children and draw them into the stories in our books.
So I dove off the cliff and it felt ELECTRIC. We danced through Dear Baby, Let’s Dance! We played “what’s that color, and “where’s the frog” as I read an advance copy of Dear Baby, It’s a Colorful World. When the children got a bit rowdy we played “FREEZE.” Then I asked them to sit down so I could read a Valentine to them from their parents. We played pretend as we wrapped blankets around us to get cozy and picked up a teddy bear or puppy to snuggle. Precious moment: I heard one little boy say to the girl next to him, “I don’t get it. Where are the blankets?” The little girl looked at him in exasperation and said, “IT’S PRETEND.”
When we were all snuggled in, I read Dear Baby, What I love about you!, a little board book Valentine. One effervescent little girl kept smiling and laughing and saying “awwww.” This is the kind of day that makes me think I have the best job in the world.
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February 10th, 2010
Wow, I turn my back for a few weeks and all of a sudden there are lots of comments on my blog. Cool! Mostly, I’ve been amusing myself for awhile. It’s nice to see that others are enjoying it too. For those of you who have asked about the RSS feed or a newsletter keep checking back here. I will ask with Doug the web guru to see if something needs to be tweaked on the feed signup and I am starting to put together a newsletter with the first to go out by mid March.
It’s been a strange but wonderful few weeks! First there was that quick look at Dear Baby, What I love about you! on Keeping up with the Kardashians. So weird to see it on TV. I have been getting some wonderful letters from parents who enjoy reading this book to their babies. It’s so meaningful to me to connect with parents and teachers. It’s inspiring. Then there was my reading at the Sandy Springs Library as part of a new early literacy program spearheaded by the Atlanta Junior League. Awesome group of ladies. I had an adorable 4 year old heckler. I’m not kidding. She kept interrupting and answered EVERY question. On the other hand she was very animated.
I want to thank my friends and family in Chicago who have generously been spreading the word about my book signings this week. It’s just…moving to see how excited people are for us. Several months ago I wrote a blog about how “Some Dreams Look Good on a Shelf.” I’ve been getting emails that the Barnes and Noble store where I have 2 of the signings this week has an endcap spotlighting my books and has been handing out flyers at the register. Now that’s surreal.
This process has also brought me back in touch with a few friends I have not seen or talked to in a long time. I’m excited to catch up with them on where all our lives have taken us since we graduated ten years ago.
Okay, so it’s not ten years ago. It’s…It’s…It’s none of your business. Let’s just say there was a lot of debate about Jimmy Carter, Michael Jackson had his lovely original face, and phones were GIGANTIC.
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January 8th, 2010
Erin and Leah and Ava and I met up for an impromptu lunch yesterday. I love these informal gatherings. It’s like an uplifting little present in the middle of a tough work day. We stopped first at a Pottery Barn and Ava and I discovered the absolute best place to hide was in the rug rack. After a few games of “YOU CAN”T FIND US” with Leah and Erin playing Sherlock Holmes and Watson, we headed out to lunch. An hour later I headed back home with Ava in tow to put her down for a nap so that Leah could have a few hours of toddler-free silence to run some errands.
We snuggled up to read several books prior to the nap but when I went to leave, Ava got uncharacteristically aggressive. She jumped all over the bed laughing loudly trying to entice me to stay. Then she moved the pillow on my head and jumped! This is one time Grandma was happy to have a little meat on her bones. If I was one of those spindly elderly grandmas with brittle bones I think she could have done me in!
I moved 35 pounds of pillow and toddler off of me and said sternly, “Please don’t smother Grandma,” to which she replied, “That hurt my feelings.” Don’t you just love how kids’ minds work? A few minutes later she settled down for her nap and I went back to work with a smile on my face and the cozy feeling of a sleeping child upstairs.
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January 6th, 2010
I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! We are just weeks away from the debut of Dear Baby, Let’s Dance! and I can’t wait to share this book with everyone. It is a great read-aloud and kids love to get in on the action showing all their dance moves. For some reason they think the Grandma and Grandpa spread is really funny. Go figure. I read the book to Ms. Mandy Newport’s first grade class at River Eve’s Elementary School in Roswell GA and the kids were so fun. They were up on their feet and dancing. When I finished one little boy asked, “What else you got?!!”
I loved how Ms. Newport disciplined the kids. She took care to find a child who was following directions and would say, “I like how John is sitting quietly with his back pack ready to go.” “I see Julie is sitting in her seat and raising her hand to ask a question.”
It was such a smart tactic and effective. It had the kids vying for her attention with positive behavior. I am currently scheduling author visits in Atlanta, Birmingham AL, Chattanooga, TN and Chicago so if you are interested in booking a visit, email me at carolcasey@dearbabybooks.com. I don’t want to be immodest but my author visits now come with a magic wand that makes that tinkly happy sound. : ) I got it for Christmas from my daughter.
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December 18th, 2009
I’ve had a couple moments in the last few weeks that let me know we are on the right path. We were put on a recommended books list on buybooksfortheholidays.com. Books a million ordered a couple hundred copies of our first book Dear Baby, What I love about you! and our 2nd book Dear Baby, Let’s Dance! that is being released February 1st. Thank you to the BAM folks and to National Book Network ace rep Janet Fairchild. We’ve also been getting some wonderful mail and mommy blogger reviews. Updates on all of this can be found on the home page. And for my big news….. Dear Baby, What I love about you! has been quoted in an important letter to Santa.
Our daughter-in-law Leah called to let me know that she and Ava were “writing” a letter to Santa. Ava would tell her what to put in the letter and on her wish list and as they were finishing up, Ava had one last thing to add. “Tell Santa he’s my one of a kind wonderful adorable YOU!” I can’t imagine having one of my books quoted will ever make me feel quite this good again.
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December 9th, 2009
I’m in Chicago and it’s snowing. Big fluffy snowflakes just raining down from the sky. I was supposed to go back to Atlanta yesterday or today latest but I’m stuck here waiting out the storm. I must say I’m not altogether unhappy about it. I’m all cozy in my parents’ condo that sits next to a train station in the western suburb of Downers Grove. The condo is on the top floor of a 4-story building and has a large circle of windows overlooking the town. Huge Christmas trees are lit up with lights and decorations. Steam pours out from the trains as they pull in and out of town dropping off groups of bundled up commuters headed for their cars and homes. I feel like I’m trapped in the most picturesque Christmas postcard imaginable.
Inside, the condo is decorated with all the familiar ornaments and holiday pieces from my childhood. And then there is Mom and Dad. They are 81 and 86, respectively, and as full of fun and life and romance as a pair of teenagers. This trip started off as kind of a favor. Mom and Dad came to Atlanta with my sister and brother-in-law to celebrate Thanksgiving with us. They were going to fly home but I could tell Dad wasn’t feeling good about flying after a recent medical procedure. So even though it’s not the best time to leave work, I said I’d drive them back to Chicago. It allowed me to help them get their tree up and get all their Christmas shopping bought and wrapped. We did all that but in the end I think I was the one who received the better favor. I love our Atlanta home and life but I do miss snowy Christmases with my parents and siblings. This stolen time with them has been a holiday blessing.
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November 10th, 2009
Quick picks of favorite Ava moments the last few weeks. Hats off to Mommy Bloggers. I don’t know how you do it every day!
The last day of Ava’s week long visit with us I was working at home in 5 and ten minute spurts, I managed to get some of my business list checked off. But the funny thing is Miss Ava definitely knows when she is being given the brief toddler brush-off. I finished my work and said brightly “LET”S COLOR SOME PUMPKINS NOW!” Ava’s response: “Not now, Grandma. I’m WORKING!” She climbed on my office chair and busily clicked away at the keys. I’ve got to respect a girl who knows how to maker her point. A few minutes later we colored together and signed the pages with a flourish. Did you know you can dowload free coloring pages from the Internet? It’s great! Is it bad to admit I still like to color?
Taking Time to See the Rain
The best thing about hanging out with a young child is they make you stop and see things you might pass by. We were on the way downstairs to start our day after a leisurely read and snuggle when Ava pulled me to a stop midway down. “Look Grandma. Let’s stop and look at the rain.” “Okay, I said pulling her further down but first let’s go get some breakfast.” No, NOW. Let’s watch NOW!”
So we did. We sat on the stairs and looked through the windows at the rain coming down. She shook her head sadly. “Rain is nasty.” She was no doubt thinking about how our trip to the pumpkin patch would be cancelled. This led to a discussion about what was good about rain. How all the flowers are SO thirsty and look forward to a good long drink. How you can wash your hair in it and kick water up from puddles. Eventually she got up and looked at me with those big brown eyes and said “Rain is good….AND NASTY.”
Ava has been back home with her mom and dad for a few weeks now and we’ve seen her several times since but we do treasure these occasional overnights and long visits, however disruptive they are to our schedule. She sure knows how to light up a room. Plus, it’s always good for a writer to spend time with her muse. : )
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