After a warm introduction by Clara Kaplan and Marcy Schickler, Treasurer of the Westchester Reading Council, I discussed my road to becoming a published children's book author and how important it is to teach our children about the Underground Railroad. Tying bullying into the theme. Bullying you may say? Consider this, the owners of slaves beat them into submission to suit their needs. Isn't the school bully on some level cruel like a slave owner? Seeking out an individual to tease and taunt and sometimes hit to make themselves feel superior? It's essential to instill in our children appreciation and tolerance of others and that it will not be tolerated on any level to be mean to others.
I also shared with the members that a teacher's guide covering Language Arts, Math, Social Studies, Science and Art activities is in the development stages at no additional cost to someone that purchases The Golden Pathway; and I would email or snail mail a copy to those that are interested. Every member in attendance expressed great interest in the teacher's guide and they all signed my guest book so that I can do so when available.
The Westchester Reading Council members are a delightful and welcoming group and the ease of conversation continued to flow with a Q&A session and then an open discussion on keeping our children interested in reading from the onset. Ideas and tips were exchanged. The hour prior to dinner flew and I completely forgot about showing The Golden Pathway book trailer and was elated to handout FREE cd's of the book trailer at the end of the evening.
To cap off the enveing, several teachers expressed interest in scheduling school visits for next fall and for Black History Month next February. Interest was piqued and the purchasing of books in hard cover, soft cover, and e-Book format flew off the tables. Yippee!
A heartfelt thank you to Marcy Schickler for arranging such a special evening!
Wishing you all a safe and happy summer!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Best wishes,
Donna M. McDine
Award-winning Children's Author
The Golden Pathway ~ August 2010 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc.
http://guardianangelpublishing.com/pathway.htm
Awesome that you had this opportunity and that you are filling your calendar now - lol. Before too long, you will be so busy with book stuff you won't have time for much else. Hope you continue to do well - E :)
ReplyDeleteElysabeth Eldering
Author of the JGDS, 50-state, mystery, trivia series
Where will the adventure take you next?
http://jgdsseries.blogspot.com
http://jgdsseries.weebly.com
Congratulations on a successful evening.
ReplyDeleteDonna,
ReplyDeleteThank you, thank you for sharing such a tremendous post. I am so very elated the teachers responded so well to your presentation. Wow! I love the way you tied bullying to slavery. It is so very true. Great job! Your book is so very important and the message that it conveys, it will always hold a special place in my heart.
Wishing you the very best in all of your endeavors
Nicole Weaver
Trilingual children's Author
http://mysisterismybestfriend.blogspot.com
You're such an inspiration to all of us children's writers, Donna. It's always great to hear about your success. So glad you had a great event!
ReplyDeleteAll the best,
Lori
I am so proud to know you. What a wonderful experience and an important subject. I envy your natural talent as a speaker. Blessings for more success.
ReplyDeleteWarmly,
Terri
This is great. Very happy for you, Donna.:)
ReplyDeleteThe Golden Pathway is a book that should reach as many children as possible.
Congratulations on the future school visits. Bravo!
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
J. Aday Kennedy
The Differently-Abled Writer & Speaker
Children's Author of Stella the Fire Farting Dragon (April 2011)
http://jadaykennedy.blogspot.com
Sounds like a super event all around, Donna. Thanks for giving us a rundown.
ReplyDeleteMargot’s Magic Carpet
Kids Books With a WOW Factor!
http://perfectmagiccarpet.blogspot.com/
Congratulations! Good things going on!
ReplyDeleteThis is lovely news, and why am I not surprised! It's such an empowering thing to do, and you made a difference. You are going from strength to strength.
ReplyDeleteWay to go, Donna. I'm sure you represented yourself and your book well.
ReplyDeleteHey, Donna,
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! Wish I could have been there to hear you speak!
Thank you one and all for your heartwarming words of support. You have certainly made my day and it's a terrific way to start the weekend.
ReplyDeleteWishing you all the best,
Donna
Fabulous. Sounds like you had a great time. You've written a wonderful book, so I'm glad you received excellent response.
ReplyDeleteBest of luck,
Cheryl
Very impressive Donna, congratulations. It's great the way you tied in contemporary bullying to your story.
ReplyDeleteYour book well deserves this type of visibility.
Very nice, congrats. Stopping by & following back. Thank you for following. I hope you have a blessed weekend. :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a great event! I hope the kids learn a lot from your book.
ReplyDeleteI'm so happy to hear that you had a successful event. Selling books is great and even better is making the contacts for future visits. Congrats, Donna. It's going to be a busy year for you. :)
ReplyDelete