Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Cinderella Writer Goes to the Ball

What a week it was! My every day life is usually about as exciting as watching paint dry (which is just fine by this little ol' introvert), but last week I made two school visits, to the high desert city of Apple Valley (home of Yucca Loma Elementary--a gem of the high desert) and the Central Coast community of Santa Maria (home of Liberty Elementary). The latter event was part of the San Luis Obispo California Reading Association's Central Coast Author Fair.

On Saturday, I visited the Santa Maria Valley Children's Discovery Museum (more on that later--awesome place for kids and adult who are kids at heart), Dandelion Wishes Children's Boutique and B Wise Supply. I was able to hobnob with fellow authors Teri Sloat, Alexis O'Neill, John Archambault, Sherry Shahan and Greg Trine.

Yes, I felt a bit like a Cinderella writer getting to step out of her normal work routine of sharpening pencils, tidying stacks of manuscripts that consume her office, pouring through piles of books, and madly scribbling down story ideas and working on those pesky revisions, and getting to dress up in her finest authorly clothes and spend time at the finest ball in the land (well, central coast California land) and spend time with royalty (although there was no ballroom dancing, I'm sure to Sherry Shahan's disappointment, but Alexis O'Neill, the Recess Queen was there :-).

It was indeed a joyful weekend. I really do believe that time spent with children and authors does not count against one's life on earth. It only adds to it!
PS: Photo courtesy of Alexis O'Neill :-)