Incredible Signing!!! And a giveaway!! (My Town Monday: The Yellow Book Road, La Mesa, CA)

Yesterday afternoon was an INCREDIBLE INCREDIBLE HEART-STOPPING signing event at the Yellow Book Road, San Diego's largest independent children's bookstore. Seriously, it's THE place to shop. The people who work there know EVERYTHING about kid lit.

Here are some photos of the event. They were taken by various people who picked up my camera and clicked away. Be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the post for a link to Vodka Mom's blog and a great giveaway.

There were A LOT of people. As in over one hundred! A huge thank-you to all these folks who came out during a busy season.

This is me and Detective Sergeant Joe Bulkowski of the San Diego PD. Joe's my go-to guy when I have questions for the books about police procedure and evidence and crime. I talk about some of the stuff I've asked him and how that's shown up in i so don't do mysteries, i so don't do spooky and i so don't do makeup. This detective has actually won an award for catching so many San Diego crooks via fingerprints. He talks about one of the cases, does a fingerprinting demonstration and then fingerprints kids for free. It's a pretty fun presentation. Joe and I have known each other for forever and we can really kibbitz around. Although I'm funnier than he is. Oh, hi Joe!

My good friends, the Eileens, setting up the food table. These women are THE best with the best name. My mother was also named Eileen. And my daughter's middle name is Eileen. Pretty much, I've never met an Eileen I didn't love!

The cupcake cake! Ta da! Thank you, Judie McElroy. Cute AND scrumptious.

The fam! Except for Child #1 who was home with a yucky fever :(

Last but not least, a shout-out to Sydney from Encinitas. She's a very bright, articulate, interesting 8th grader I met at a Barnes & Noble signing last year. I was THRILLED that she talked her dad into driving all the way to this event. Watch out for this kid. She's going FAR!

What can I say about Vodka Mom? She's hilarious. She has a huge heart. She's a teacher. A mom. A blogger. And she has a couple of i so don't do spooky giveaways--a book and a t-shirt! You'll love her. You can find her and details on the giveaways right here.

And click here to see what the other My Town Monday folks are posting about.

My Town Monday: Oasis Camel Dairy Revisited

Guess what I did???

Yup. Yesterday, DH, Child #4 and I drove to the Oasis Camel Dairy in Ramona, CA. It was the one evening in July that the dairy farm was open to the public.

Meet Sampson, a 3 year old, 700 pound male. He'll be mature at 6 years at which point he'll weigh about 1500 pounds. Sampson's one of 21 (hmmm...I think I got that number right!) camels on this 43-acre ranch. Sampson is short for his age. He was rejected by his mother at birth. He's been fixed. Male camels are snipped at about one year.

Other trivia: Bull camels rut in the winter, beginning about November. Romeo, the bull at the dairy, likes to take care of business about 2 A.M. Camels are very noisy with lots of yelling and screaming. The Rieglers, the dairy owners, let their neighbors know that it's "that time of the year," so that there are no worries about what's going on down at the ranch. What else? Apparently, Romeo is very popular with the females.

A little more trivia: Camel yarn sells for about $40 an ounce.


This is the back end of a pregnant camel. Camels gestate for 13 months! Yowzer! And they lactate for 18 months.

And here's some camel speak for you: The pregnant female's raised tail says to the male: "Go away! I'm pregnant. And I am not the least bit interested in fun times with you."

And from the back end of a nursing male, here's some more camel speak: In this case, the raised tail means, "Yay, the milk is here!"

Admit it! You were so hoping I'd snap a shot of CAMEL POOP. Next to a nickel (the only change I had) for perspective.

Yes, I did it! I rode a camel. Child #4 (at the front) talked me into it. It was VERY bumpy. I would never make it as a Bedouin.

Thank you, Nancy and Gil Riegler, for a great and informative evening.

(I'm a little appalled at how frumpy I look. That hat, while I love it, is doing me no favors! Neither are the capris. Or the t-shirt.)

The second I hear, I will inform you guys of the date Dirty Jobs will air the Oasis Camel Dairy segment on TV. It was shot back in February.

FINALLY....A GIVEAWAY!! I bought a bar of pomegranate-scented camel milk soap. Just for you guys. Well, for one of you guys! The soap was made at the dairy. Leave a comment by this Friday at midnight Pacific time. Child #4 will pick a name from a bowl. The soap's supposed to be great for your skin. It certainly smells good.

Clair Dickson (Thanks, Clair!) set up a very adorable My Town Monday blog with links to all the participants. Please hop on over and check out everyone else's MTM posts.

BOOK GIVEAWAY!!!

Eileen Cook and WHAT WOULD EMMA DO?


While juggling friendship issues (her best friend isn’t speaking to her), a love triangle-turned-square (okay, maybe she shouldn’t have kissed her best friend’s boyfriend…but it was totally an accident!…sort of), and escalating mayhem in her small religious town (uh-oh…what would Jesus do?), Emma realizes she has to stop trying to please everyone around her and figure out what she wants for herself. It’s time to start asking, “What would Emma do?”







Hi bloggy peeps! I'm baaack!. It's ME, the slightly chubby, super sassy and trailer-trashy KELLY Couric! I'm taking over the blog today to interview Author EILEEN COOK who has a fantastic YA out now, WHAT WOULD EMMA DO? I called Barrie and told her Eileen had called in sick with food poisoning. Due to a moose meat burrito. Eileen lives in Canada, you know. Land of ice fishing, toques and moose meat burritos. I've done my research.


(knocks on door, then cautiously opens it) Hello...hello.....Barrie are you here?




(rushes over to Eileen and does the air kissing thing) So, nice to meet you daahling. I'm Kelli Couric. Barrie BEGGED me to do this interview. I loved WHAT WOULD EMMA DO?I could so relate because I kissed all my girlfriends' boyfriends!


(looks momentarily confused, but quickly reverts to cute, intelligent-looking self) Oh, okay.




So, Eileen, now that you've achieved your publishing goal, are you actually working on anything new? Or do writers publish, then chill on the couch, guzzling cocktails and bonbons?



I keep waiting for the cocktail bonbon stage to arrive. I also note that so far I haven't been invited to any fancy literary parties where I hob nob with famous authors and laugh at their stories.

While waiting for my party invitation to arrive I have been working on something else. My next story is a tale of friendship, betrayal, revenge, and a love of classic movies. I hope to have a publication date for it in the New Year. The working title is Black and White.


Keep me in mind if Black and White gets optioned for a movie. I'm all about betrayal and revenge. (hands Eileen a business card) And now a question everyone's been dying to ask. Do you pay for your ideas? If not, where do you get them? Please be honest. And generous.




Target. I find they have the best value for dollar.






(jumps up in excitement) Seriously??? I'm at Target all the time. Good wine prices.




Uh, no, that was a joke. Really I'm one of those people who collects scraps of ideas, stories, conversations the same way clean black pants collect cat hair and lint. I write them down or tear them out of magazines and newspapers and stuff them into a file. I'm pretty sure my brain works like a compost heap. I just keep piling things on top and eventually something new is created.


Do you, like, outline? Or just write whatever?





I want to outline. I envy the outliners, they have such a clear idea of where they are going versus those of us who sort of wander aimlessly around the story until we sort it out. I've tried to outline. I make a great outline. It looks very snappy on the page. Sometimes I use color coding and regimented lists. Tragically, the outlines I create end up having nothing to do with the story I write.


Tell us something weird about yourself. Preferably juicy and scandalous. We're all friends here. Seriously. What's said on this blog, stays on this blog. And if it's something like a unibrow you've never had taken care of professionally, feel free to include a pic.

I can't do a cartwheel. I've tried. My mother even hired someone to teach me how so I wouldn't be mocked in gym class. Can't do it. I start off good. I have the commitment, but in the end my legs sort of flop over. It's pathetic. My dreams of being an Olympic gymnast crushed.

(frowning) You consider not being able to do a cartwheel scandalous?? Remind me never to let you interview me! (licks lips) And now for the most scrumptious question of all... What is your favorite dessert?



I am not a dessert snob. I'm open to a range of fattening treats. Sometimes I go for the simple- a good chocolate chip cookie or brownie and sometimes I want the high end molten chocolate lava cake. In the summer I like things like lemon bars and fresh strawberries swimming in whipped cream.

                 Is it just me or is anyone else hungry now?


Oh, honey, I'm always hungry. Which explains why I'm Queen of the Muffin Tops!





Thank you, Author Eileen Cook for the marvelous interview. And for writing the marvelous WHAT WOULD EMMA DO? And especially for agreeing to giveaway a signed copy of your book.

Here are the rules:
Leave a comment to this post to be entered once.
Link to this interview, then let us know to get entered a second time.
Contest closes midnight Pacific Time, Sunday, Jan. 18.



Now....hop on over to Eileen Cook's blog for her interview with Barrie Summy and a chance to win a signed copy of I So Don't Do Mysteries!