Things I Love Thursday

I love my critique group!

How lucky I am that I've been a part of this amazing group for....

.....TWENTY-FIVE years!!!

We've been through life's ups and downs...

...publishing/writing/illustrating ups and downs...

We've laughed and cried and offered sage advice and warm hugs and honest words and kind looks and finger wags and encouraging words and all those things one needs in life.

We've been serious and silly and sad together.

They let me bring my timer (tick tick tick) and loved me, the gentle dictator, anyway.

Yesterday was my last (sniff, sniff) meeting with them before my move.

They gave me a gift certificate to White Flower Farm, so I can "enjoy these new blossoms as a token of our love and appreciation." (Waaaaah)

They gave me these great garden ornaments:

And this adorable dog:

And this amazing framed photo that I will cherish forever (On the background is printed all of the books we have critiqued together. So cool!) 

 I feel so blessed.

Thank you, friends.

Tick Tick Tick

Bats in the Band

Now THIS is how you throw a book launch party!

Holy cow!

I have the good fortune to be in a critique group with the uber talented Brian Lies.

I'll let the photos speak for themselves, but trust me, this was an AMAZING event for the launch of the glorious Bats in the Band.

The event was coordinated with the South Shore Music Conservatory, who provided amazing musical performances to enhance Brian's reading of the book.

Brian MADE the bats on the car, y'all!

Brian had a giant version of the book to read from. He thinks of everything!

Brian's talented and beautiful daughter

Brian signing books (a lot of them!)

Critique group - Love these gals (and guy)!!!

Writers group

My writers group at our annual summer potluck dinner:

(l to r) Mary Wisbach, Kim Marcus, me, Brian Lies, Leslie Guccione, Deanna Garland, Wiesy MacMillan, Carolyn DeCristofano, Delia Weikert, Valerie Kerzner

EXPOSED Book Launch Party

Yesterday was the book launch party for Exposed by my dear friend, Kim Marcus

Kim Marcus (left) and me



My writers group celebrating the happy occasion:

(l to r) Carolyn DeCristophano, Delia Weikert, Brian Lies, Kim Marcus, me, Mary Wisbach, Valerie Kerzner, Wiesy MacMillan

Kim reading from Exposed:

My Pals

My writers group has been together for TWENTY years!!!

Here is our annual holiday dinner.

standing (l to r) Brian Lies, Deanna Garland, Delia Weikert, Kim Marcus
seated (l to r) Mary Wisbach, Valerie Kerzner, Carolyn DeCristofano, Wiesy MacMillan

Same as above but me seated far right



Delia opening her gift:

Brian, Carolyn and Valerie as Deanna opens her gift:

Carolyn reading The Taking Tree as Brian looks on:

Valerie showing her gift to Kim and Delia:

Kim and Mary happy with their gifts:

Wiesy showing her little froggy gift:

We ended the night with this cake (which, before it got mangled, said To a Year of Great Writing):

My writers' group celebrates!

Here's my writers' group (which started TWENTY YEARS AGO) celebrating Brian Lies's amazing new picture book, Bats at the Ballgame. Just WAIT until you see it!

Brian gave us all Bats at the Ballgame baseball caps and a set of adorable "bat cards."

(l to r, standing) Mary Wisbach, Brian Lies, Delia Weikert, me, Valerie Kerzner, Weisy MacMillan; (seated) Kim Marcus (not shown: Deanna Garland, Leslie Guccione)

(l to r, standing) Mary Wisbach, Delia Weikert, me, Valerie Kerzner, Carolyn DeCristofano, Weisy MacMillan; (seated) Kim Marcus

Critique group holiday dinner

I have the most amazing critique group ever. We started SEVENTEEN years ago!

We've been through it all together, both professional and personal: joys, sorrows, frustrations, triumphs, contracts, no contracts, mistakes, embarrassments, recognitions, awards, no recognitions, no awards, acceptances, rejections, hallelujahs, gosh-darn-its, ups, downs, ins and outs.

Here we are at our annual holiday dinner:

(l to r) Carolyn DeCristofano, Wiesy MacMillan, Valerie Kerzner, Kim Marcus, Delia Weikert, Leslie Guccione, Mary Wisbach, Brian Lies, Deanna Garland

Same group except far left (back row) is me instead of Wiesy.

(l to r) Kim, Delia, Leslie

Wiesy (back to camera) Kim, Delia, Leslie, Brian, Mary's shoe

(l to r) Mary, Me, Valerie

(l to r) Deanna, Mary, Carolyn

(l to r) Delia, Leslie, Brian's shoe

Wiesy

(l to r) Wiesy, Mary, Brian, Deanna, Valerie, Kim