The American Library Association (ALA) Conference was totally worth putting up with dashing between 106+ degree (41 c) outdoor heat, and the interiors that have to be air conditioned so people don't die. What a trip!
That said, the Henny signing went extremely well:
Game Face
The Signing
Henny's line began forming at the Simon and Schuster booth about 15-20 min before start-time.
I donned my chicken hat, and away we went--or, I should say, away the Hennys went.
The entire case of books was gone within the half-hour time slot.
I donned my chicken hat, and away we went--or, I should say, away the Hennys went.
The entire case of books was gone within the half-hour time slot.
Yay! All those Henny's in the hands of the best book people in the world-- librarians!
Best of all, I got to meet/hang out with some AMAZING picture book people:
--with fellow PNWer Nikki McClure at her signing for "May the Stars Drip Down"
--with Caldecott winner ("Locomotive") Brian Floca!! What a super nice guy!
with the delightful Caldecott honoree ("Flora and the Flamingo") Molly Idle
with the talented Llama's mama Anna Dewdney (holding her new gnu book)!
YES! That IS Jon Klassen!!--also in the super-nice-guy category!
with the hilarious and ALSO super-nice-guy Dan Santat holding his book, "Beekle"
My adoration for Judy Schachner (Skippyjon Jones) is obvious. What a gracious, sweet person!
--with writer/librarian/new-favorite-person Carter Higgins--and the creator of NINJA, Arree Chung (yet another in the super-nice-guy category)!
I got to meet and chat with THE Doris Kearns Goodwin at a beautiful S and S dessert reception.
(I was so proud of my Simon and Schuster red author beads. I guess Doris decided not to wear hers.
I guess that's cuz maybe everyone KNOWS who she is ;) ).
Here's Henny looking delicious among the desserts: deftly and briefly placed for a photo-op
by Lori Kilkelly (see below)
and, last but not least, my ALA roomie and PB debut sister-soul-mate, Toni Yuly.
Here she is holding her acclaimed debut picture book, EARLY BIRD, flanked by her devoted lit agents, Paul Rodeen and Lori Kilkelly. I had so much fun with these guys!
There were so many other amazing, kind, and talented people I met,
not to mention ALL those awesome librarians!
In the end, it IS all about the BOOKS!
Here's a stack of some of what I hauled back. SO much talent and fun in one pile!
And one last highlight-- I can now kick going to Las Vegas off my bucket list.
Thanks for stopping by, everyone!
WOW! It really looks like you had such a fun and successful trip to Vegas! Love all the photos, especially you in your Henny disguise. Good for you, Beth, and may you have many more fun-filled success trips like this. :)
ReplyDeleteKathryn
It was super fun, Kathryn. Exhausting, but fun. Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteGrinning ear to ear. What a fabulous post, sweet Lizzie.
ReplyDeleteBwaaaaaaak!
Thank you, sweet Suzzzieee :)
DeleteYAY! And a good time was had by all! Glad it was such a roaring success for you and Henny! :)
ReplyDeleteI'd say more like a bwwaaakin' success ;) Thanks, Robin!
DeleteWhat an incredible experience! Thanks for sharing!!! So great to see Henny hitting the big time!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mit. It's turning out to be quite the experience! Glad you stopped by :)
DeleteWTG
ReplyDeleteInspiring.
Lisa G.
Thanks, Lisa! Keep on keepin' on!
DeleteELIZABETH! Henny has donned wings on her arms! teeeheee....I love your new banner with her welcoming and wide-open arms/wings! Your grand success is so invigorating and promising, as you share other hard-working writers and artists who I'm sure are having fun. Bravo to you!
ReplyDeleteYou are writing and illustrating another book? YAHOOOO! Henny has wrought quite a bit of work for you, but we are thrilled and also happy to see a new post. Your kind words upon visiting my blog are much appreciated and thank you for coming over!
Be well, enjoy the sweet success (and I love your Henny hat!)
Anita
Anita! I always love it when you stop by and leave me such wonderful, thoughtful comments. Yes, I have another picture book in the works. I'm actually in the throes of producing the final art for it now. When I'm done, I can't wait to spend some delicious time catching up with YOUR blog! xo
DeleteCongratulations on selling out so quickly and a successful fair.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sue! Give Degas a pat for me ;) :)
DeleteOh, Elizabeth!! How wonderful. I saw Henny at the Barnes and Noble in Minneapolis on Wednesday and just about cried I was so pleased! What a wonderful book and SUCH wonderful illustrations.
ReplyDeleteThat chicken is a delight.
Pearl
Pearl-- your sharing this means a lot to me! Thank you!!
DeleteI feel happy in your happiness and laughed out loud at your Henny hat! Bravo for you, and so cool to meet all those people. I'm glad to know so many of them are nice too.
ReplyDeleteThey really are just the nicest, Linda-- and you are so nice for stopping by and telling me. Thanks so much! Oh, and glad you like my author head-gear ;)
DeleteHow exciting! Good for you, Elizabeth!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Ted! Btw, thanks for all your laffs. I just love your comics!
DeleteCongratulations Elizabeth! Great to see Henny and yourself doing so well :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Melissa! And thanks, as ever, for stopping by :)
DeleteBetter late than never, right? Congrats, Elizabeth--looks like such a wonderful, inspiring trip! So fun to follow your journey with Henny via your blog!
ReplyDeleteI've just discovered Henny (from the other side of the world!) and blogged about it. She's adorable.
ReplyDeleteHow exciting for you to rub shoulders with such fabulous, inspiring authors and illustrators in Texas. And I love that hat - it's great to have a gimmick that brings a smile to people's faces :-)