erbstories-eleanor.blogspot

Arts and Craft Festivals

2011-03-05T07:27:00.000-08:00

I am getting ready for some shows that are happening in the summer, starting in June.
There are wonderful tips on line for setting up a booth so it is enticing to lookers and buyers. Some I knew already and have used, but a lot of them I had never thought of.
So I am working on display distribution. I get a piece of paper and plan out different settings for tables, grids, shelves etc.
Also there is a place in the front of my new tent for a banner across the top. It will say something like:
ART OF THE OCEANS and below over to the right KIDS BOOKS. Whimsical art will surround the lettering and I haven't decided on the background color for the banner.

Some people can't imagine where to place a piece of art in their home, so they need a little help. I set up an ocean art piece in my new bathroom and another one in the kitchen to show that art is wonderful in a kitchen.
When it gets warmer, I am going to clean out the studio and set up a children's corner with another painting.

2011-02-07T09:52:00.000-08:00

This has been a big bad winter in upstate New York. Lots of snow and ice, but not as bad as New York city.
I have been staying inside most of the time because I hate the cold, but on the other hand it has allowed me to do some more writing. I have also composed some music.
I dragged out some stories that I started years ago and am redoing them.
Also I sent in some short stories last week to a company who does cover, query letters, editing etc. for the writer. I'm scared of query letters, so I went ahead and hired them. We'll see if they are any good or not.
I'm setting up some book signings for the spring and summer. Also I'm going to try the farmer's markets. Maybe I can sell some art there too.
I took a picture of the lilac bush the other night when we had a short snow storm.

erbstories-eleanor.blogspot: Frank's ebook

2010-12-12T16:01:00.000-08:00

erbstories-eleanor.blogspot: Frank's ebook

concert, gallery

2010-12-10T09:26:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I played portions of the Messiah at Corning Community College. The college has grown tremendously since I was last there and it is a beautiful campus far up on a hill outside of Corning.
There were a lot of good musicians, both classical and jazz besides the good choral group that performed.
I really enjoyed it.
After the concert, I stopped at the West End Gallery downtown in Corning to pick up some of my fish art. It really wasn't the right venue for it, but they liked it and displayed it.
Finding a parking place was a pain. I had to park about 3 blocks away and the icy wind was whipping down through the valley. Good exercise though.
Everyone who visits the Southern Tier of New York should visit Corning. It is very hip and of course it's where the Glass Museum is located.

Pud & Beaky

2010-12-07T11:00:00.000-08:00

Pud and Beaky are now on the website. There will be more of them shortly. Hope you like them.

Logan Festival

2010-12-05T09:43:00.000-08:00

The Logan Festival was nice. Not a great amount of people, but they were buyers.
I sold quite a few books, but no art. I had made some small, less expensive art work but it just wasn't the right venue for them. People were mostly interested in the children's books.

The White Cat book sold out, which was surprising to me. I have to get more printed. People do love cats and it is a cute story.

The two little guys in the pictures helped me a lot. I gave them free coloring sheets and 50c for their assistance in bringing stuff in from the car and they wanted to bring me lunch from the choice of menu that was being provided by the ladies in the kitchen. I chose macaroni and cheese. There were many, many baked goods for sale. I chose a homemade lemon scone.

I unfortunately had to visit the outdoor bathroom facility. Awful!! I even had to wait in line in the snow to get in. If I win the lottery, I'll put in a septic system for them. But every one seemed to have a laugh about the situation. There were some remarks about it that I won't print.

That was the last event that I will be doing before spring. I am looking into other places to attend. I have found that people who come through where I've been before, have already purchased some of the books, and will not even stop, so I need to travel out of this area.

Have a great holiday, everyone!

Bazaar at the Methodist church

2010-12-03T09:57:00.000-08:00

The gig at the Methodist church was fun. I was especially interested in the high school boy in back of my booth. He was a terrific artist and I took his picture looking over the art in my clown books. I know he has a wonderful future ahead of him - he has a great personality to go with his talent.

My wonderful talented violin student passed by and stopped to look at my books. She also has a great future ahead of her.

I sold quite a few books and a couple of art pieces. I have decided to draw small fish pieces since the large ones are a bit too expensive.

Tomorrow I'm attending the Logan bazaar. It takes place in an old church that is gradually being restored. The only thing I don't like about it is that it has an outdoor toilet. It is really cold on the bum. They get very defensive when I mention that I don't like their bathroom facilities.

Holiday Bazaar at St. Mary's

2010-11-14T10:48:00.000-08:00

I had a wonderful day yesterday at the St. Mary's bazaar in Watkins Glen. There were lots of good booths with interesting things to offer. In back of me was a lady who was selling items made by people in Bolivia. She got the items while visiting there as a volunteer. Her items were almost sold out at the end of the day.

There was a lot of jewelry - all very nice and original. The pottery table was nice - the maker had invented a lid that was atop a small deep dish. The lid formed a peak that would hold rings. If I had wanted to spend some of my money gotten for my books, etc, I would have bought one of those.

Good food was offered and there was a long line for a buffet lunch. I chose a meatball sub - so good, but I couldn't eat it all.

I sold a good amount of books - I had to call my husband to bring me more of the A. C. Robat books. Also sold 2 art pieces.

I always try to take a picture of a child to accompany the children's books. There was a darling little girl who was dressed in a Santa suit. She was adorable and her mother gave me permission to take her picture. Took about 5 before she smiled, but we got a good one.

2010-11-09T10:26:00.000-08:00

I have directed the designer of my website to delete 3 pages on the site, so they are now gone. I am trying to think of what to put in their spaces. I've got several ideas. Maybe a grown up section with short stories. Maybe a cartoon section, or maybe a "finish the story" for kids.

I'd like to change the stories and pages every month. I already have one ready for the Christmas season.

The 2 critters, Pud and Beaky are in the process of being copyrighted and I think they would be cute on a graphics page that would also change monthly.

Frank's ebook

2010-10-29T09:20:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I filled out Frank's submission form for his ebook, Band Director's Handbook. We are going to put it on Teachers Pay Teachers, where I have some of my Wheel of Arts stories and activities. We are also going to find more music education sites for his book. It's a great book for instrumental music teachers. It is full of problems and solutions for every instrument (except strings).

Site changes and recycling for the future

2010-10-27T12:44:00.000-07:00

I am going to replace the pages that I'm taking away from the website with new stories and coloring sheets.
I'm learning that the site can't stay stagnant. I've run a lot of ideas through my head besides the Murph and Pud comics. Several other possibilities in my busy mind.

I am going to diverge here for a bit. I have been thinking a lot about people who don't have the money to buy clothes for themselves and their kids. Or, for that matter, for all of us who would like to save money.
Here are my ideas:
1 - Take your old clothes and fashion them so that they look like the modern ones in the shops. Just look at magazines (I get a ton of them in the mail every day) or in the newspapers.
2 - Get together with friends who have large houses with a room where friends can set up sewing machines. Take yours there if you have one and make all kinds of stuff - dish towels, baby blankets, quilts, smaller sheets from larger ones that are tattered, skirts, etc, etc. We have enough stuff right here in our country that can be recycled rather than buying it "Made in China"
3 - We can start our own styles right here in our country. Use your imagination!
4 - Visit junk shops and find old tables that you can paint with shiny colors.
5 - Make a home fashion statement with different style dishes that aren't chipped that can be bought for a nickel.
6 - Don't buy a lamp made in China - find the base at a garage sale of junk shop, spray paint it and find a shade to fit it at the same places. I painted one and it's adorable.
7 - Old dressers are in - find one that's beat up at a junk shop and paint it.
9 - Find sturdy boxes at junk shops or yard sales. Paint them. Turn the tops facing the front and stack books or folders in them. No need to buy file cabinets made in China. Also use them for electronic equipment.
10 - Find sturdy branches from trees and hang colorful fabric from old clothes on them. Put them on your walls for art.
11 - There are millions of old chairs hanging around junk shops and yard sales. Drag them home and paint them. Make colorful pads out of old clothes for the seats and backs. Nothing there made in China.
12 - My kids loved cardboard boxes to play with more than anything I ever bought from the store. I found all sizes and I made bean bags out of old clothes with beans inside. Game 1. The most difficult game was tossing the bag in the inside of the smallest box. Put little boxes inside of the biggest ones. On and on - your creative mind can come up with stuff better than what you pay for the trash that comes from China.
13- It's time now to be more creative than ever before. Reuse and make it different every once in a while with paint, cloth, paper, markers, etc. I wish we could open some of those old factories that abound in towns. They are just waiting for the creative mind to do something with them. We don't have to pay a fortune to build anything - they are right in front of us, waiting for someone to fix them up for the future of our country's economy. You could even start a winter garden in them!

Calla & Bela vist

2010-10-24T12:12:00.000-07:00

A beautiful fall weekend when granddaughter Calla and fiance Bela came down from Rochester to visit. It isn't often that they get time off, especially together, from the rotation schedule in Med school. They are usually tired and hungry. They are also hungry for walks and activity. They hit the sack at 8:00 last night. Bela mowed the lawn today and Calla helped me with my blog, with which I have had a hard time getting published. I think I can make it work now.

A lot of bazaars, signings and festivals are coming up, so I have been getting prepared with the books, t-shirts, cards, art and some coloring books. I love doing these events.

erbstories-eleanor.blogspot

2010-07-22T13:47:00.000-07:00

I had a busy July with the books. There were 3 successful book events. One at the West Elmira Library, a signing at the Seneca Lake General Store and one at Mackeral Sky in Honeoye where she is stocking my books. The General Store in Watkins is also stocking the books. Little by little I'm getting there!
Saturday I will be doing a book signing at Scandia House in Hammondsport. Looking forward to that. Meanwhile I have started 2 new writing projects.
The website is being redesigned and should be good by the end of August. I am offering some of the books as ebook formats. I'll be anxious to see if that works.

Week of visitors

2010-05-19T08:20:00.000-07:00

We have been visited by my granddaughter and her finance this week. They recently returned from El Salvador after spending a year there as medical volunteers.
Another visitor came with them. He received his medical degree last week at the U of Rochester Med. Sch. He is now Dr. Patrick Francis. He is also a terrific violinist and he and I played duets all evening. We are going to continue playing this morning after he returns from hiking with Calla and Bela.
Calla and Bela will begin their 4th year at U of Roch. in July.
It is wonderful when they can get down here for a weekend.

erbstories-eleanor.blogspot: Fish paintings

2010-04-19T13:53:00.000-07:00

erbstories-eleanor.blogspot: Fish paintings

Fish paintings

2010-04-19T13:47:00.000-07:00

I have painted a lot of fish now and have left them at various galleries. I'm thinking of doing a web site with just those. Here is one:

2010-04-16T08:47:00.000-07:00

I've been all over visiting wonderful little shops and children's stores. Went to Hammondsport yesterday and found a unique shop called Lime Berry. It is mostly an art gallery. They have wonderful carpets and one of a kind gifts with a Southwest flair. The owners are from Colorado and are so interesting.
I have to go back there and stop in at a children's shop to show them my books.
The library in Hammondsport is new and I want to visit that too to see if I can get a children's reading session set up.

ellysblog: book trailer

2010-04-04T11:04:00.000-07:00

ellysblog: book trailer

book trailer

2010-04-02T07:44:00.000-07:00

The Ring of Rats is on YouTube now. There is already a lot of good feedback.

Festival of Women in the Arts

2010-03-31T11:08:00.000-07:00

Last night I attended the Festival of Women in the Arts at the Montour Library. I told about my background and showed and read from some of my books.
It was interesting to hear the poetry that was read. There are so many gifted writers in this area. I was honored to be part of it.

ellysblog

2010-03-26T19:42:00.000-07:00

ellysblog: "Gandley The Goose!"

Women In The Arts

2010-03-26T12:09:00.000-07:00

I will be reading from some of my books at the Festival of Women In The Arts event next Tues. at the Montour Falls Memorial Library. There will be other writers and poets reading some of their works also. It will be interesting to hear what others are doing.

ellysblog

2010-03-19T14:44:00.000-07:00

ellysblog

New Reading

2010-03-19T14:37:00.000-07:00

I have been to a few libraries this week with good success. I will be doing readings for children 3-8 in a couple of them. The others haven't gotten back yet as to when an event can be scheduled. Steele Memorial Library in Elmira has a date set for book readings on April 29. I will be reading the clown books to little ones. I'm really looking forward to it.

2010-03-17T14:04:00.000-07:00

I took some books to a library today for a possible reading and book signing.

On the way home, I stopped at Chequagua Falls in Montour Falls to take a picture of the melting snow from the hills, raging down over the rocks.

It was awesome with the bright blue sky. The picture doesn't do it justice.

Then, after coming home I saw hundreds of geese flying north. I noticed one white goose in the gaggle. I think it might have been Gandley The Goose!

ellysblog: Gandley The Goose

2010-03-15T16:34:00.000-07:00

ellysblog: Gandley The Goose

2010-03-02T12:28:00.000-08:00

It has been suggested that I share my experience with my self-publishing journey. I think it's a great idea.
So I would like to hear from anyone with questions about how I started and what I've done. I would be happy to help in any way that I can.

Lots of stuff

2010-02-27T15:15:00.001-08:00

Between the snow and getting some stories out there, it has been very busy.
Today the snow is still falling and we have a "snow muffin" on the patio. That's what it looks like - a muffin that would melt (pardon the pun) in your mouth. It's about 18" high and round, since it is on a picnic table. The table is covered with a tarp for the winter.
I am finally getting the book " The Pink Shoes" done. This book has tried my patience. There have been a lot of glitches with it getting printed. But next week, hopefully, it will go to the publisher.
Also the book trailer should be ready next week.

Special feature on Etsy

2010-02-12T12:22:00.000-08:00

Today I put 2 of the clown books on Etsy showcase. It can be put on for one day as a feature.
I'm trying out all of the opportunities that are offered that don't cost a bundle. It's not enough to just have a website.
The book trailer will be coming soon. I've had to change that a little. It's going to be really nice.

I put a picture of my circus art on on Etsy. No takers yet, but the items can stay on longer than ebay and it's not expensive.

2010-02-01T12:55:00.000-08:00

Today I signed up for Etsy. It's a wonderful site where you can put your handmade stuff on. It was suggested that I put my art on it, so I put about 5 circus art, 2 fish pieces and an abstract music watercolor on. It's easy and very inexpensive. I plan to put on some books too.
I put on a watercolor of a dolphin that I did a while back. Sometimes I hate to let them go.

This week

2010-01-27T19:39:00.000-08:00

I have a book trailer coming soon. It will be on U Tube. The Ring of Rats is featured on it. I'm excited about it.
Today a high school Senior came to the house and helped me get some of the books on TeachersPayTeachers. It's a wonderful site that allows teachers from all subjects to sell their lesson plans, experiences in teaching, books, reading materials and lots more. I submitted the Wheel of Arts, The Pink Shoes and All The Things I Might Be When I Grow Up. I plan to put more books on it.
I hope I can learn the steps for doing all this technical stuff before the young man goes to college next year. I try to write all the steps down as he flies through them.

This week I have had to correct a lot of my text pages on one of the books because of margin errors. I've learned from that. Also when you do a cover for your book, the margins have to be correct. If you are self-publishing, you need to be very aware of all those details that the printer will ask for. Writing the book is easy - all the picky things afterward aren't. But when you get your book after it's done and it's all beautiful, it's worth it.

January sparkles

2010-01-11T07:06:00.000-08:00

The snow is sparkling and beautiful today and the sun is finally out. The road is plowed and I am going out.

Yesterday the boys across the road brought their sleds over and they slid down the little hill that goes down to our glen. I envied them.

The deer come down to the fish pond in the glen every night and Bridget, our Cairn Terrier goes wild. She has a barking session until we make her come in.

It's a lazy time and good for writing more stories. I'm wracking my brain for the plot of the 3rd Mary Warin book. Ruthy and Fiona will be, no doubt, getting into more trouble. Fiona will be the ring leader. That much I know.

website

2010-01-04T09:09:00.000-08:00

I'm sitting here watching the huge snow flakes as I wonder if my blog is really drawing anyone to my website.

I need viewers to look at my site; www.windowsillstories.com and critique it for me. I would so appreciate that! I am thinking of removing the WHEEL of ARTS from the site and creating a website just for that. I want to make a CD of the music I have written for the WHEEL. Tell me what you think. I will orchestrate the music with fiddles, pipes, piano, and banjo.

Here is a sample of one of the short stories on the WHEEL.

SATURDAY NITE
Every Saturday night, over at the Grange Hall, there would be a square dance and a covered dish supper. The Grange Hall was a Farmer's Association. Thay had their meetings there and their wives helped out with social happenings in the farm community.
The covered dish suppers were oh, so good - I loved all the casseroles, like Scalloped Corn and Spanish Rice. And the homemade rolls were so good that I ate a lot of them with homemade butter. Then there were all the relishes that had just been put up. I especially liked the piccalilli relish on those rolls. Then the pies - oh the pies - cherry, apple, blueberry - those were my favorites.
Afterward, two fiddlers played waltzes and square dances 'til late at night. All the elders sat around the outside against the wall and sometimes you could hear a cane hitting the floor in time to the music.

There are arts activities to go with each story. Music, Art, Drama and Dance.

Coming Home

2009-12-29T12:17:00.000-08:00

I hope you all had a nice holiday. We certainly did. We were worried about an ice storm that went through the route we would be taking home from Saratoga, NY. But the ice had melted by noon and as we came down off the high hills, the temperature kept going up until finally at Binghamton it was up to 43. It's risky to travel on some of these highways in upstate NY. It's a plan ahead thing.

I'm working on the 4th clown book. This one features Frankie and friends. But unless the weather gets better, I haven't got any more art paper for the illustrations. There's always tomorrow.

The picture is a sketch of Frankie and friends learning a new trick. The 3rd one - the highest - is hard to see since it is only in pencil as yet.

Winter Solstice

2009-12-21T13:37:00.000-08:00

HAPPY WINTER SOLSTICE DAY!

Each year my husband balances an egg on solstice day. It's not an easy task and as far as we know, it can't be done any other time except during the spring solstice.
The sun is just about ready to set, so we quickly got a picture of it before the darkness set in.

A Poem by Elly

2009-12-19T13:53:00.000-08:00

I wrote this poem about 10 yrs ago.

AIN'T SO BAD

I got my social security check,
it ain't so much but heck.

I can bag the groceries down south,
an look at pretty girls with red on their mouths.

Five bucks an hour ain't so much,
but I got me my trailer, food an such.

I got myself a colored TV,
so's I can choose what ever I wanna see.

Don't know how much longer I'll live,
but I'll go by what the boss upstairs is willin to give.

Don't know what more I could ask for,
if ya got lots of money, ya just want more.

I got all the folks at the trailer park,
and they never lived on a big ole yacht.

So guess I'll just thank my lucky stars,
the guy upstairs' been good to me so far.

cold & cozy

2009-12-17T07:54:00.000-08:00

It's soooooo cold today. But our house is cozy with 2 gas fireplaces keeping us warm.
Bridget, our Cairn Terrier is like the bears - she lays around all day and sleeps. It's hard to get her to go out. I'm sure she has owl in her blood because she likes to go out at night. She hears animals out there and she has to tend to the estate with her threatening bark. The only way I can get her to come back in (when I'm ready to go to bed), is to get the cheese out. She comes running when she hears the wrapper.
My husband has a ritual with her every night. He whispers "brush" to her and she looks up at him in anticipation, then leaps off the couch, runs to the brush cupboard, and waits. After a nice fur treatment, she gets a treat. She is a smart little dog.
Maybe Santa will leave a toy in her stocking.
Merry Christmas and Happy Hanakah everyone!
Eleanor Russell Brown

2009-12-13T15:54:00.000-08:00

I have an idea for the third clown book. It's going to be about Morris the monkey, who is part of the A. C. Robat gang. I'll get busy this week on the illustrations, after which I'll write the text.
We put up the Christmas Choir on our antique buffet this last week. We began to collect the figures many yrs ago. They were given to us as gifts from students, my husbands civic band members and we purchased a few from holiday shops. In front of the singers is the Christmas Village. It is a glass collection of children doing their outdoor things in front of a barn that is lit up.
I love to decorate with things that have memories from many yrs ago. Students have made and gifted us with little tree ornaments that still grace the tree. They may not be in great condition and are crudely made, but they mean so much.
I hope for everyone who reads this a wonderful holiday. Peace.

ellysblog: Book Signings

2009-12-06T19:22:00.000-08:00

ellysblog: Book Signings

Sweet Millies Blot

Book Signings

2009-12-06T18:59:00.000-08:00

What a nice weekend it was. Saturday I was a vendor at a Community Center in Logan, NY. It's an old church that is gradually being fixed up. There were many people who came around noon to eat the great lunches they offer, and there were all kinds of cakes, cookies, pies, etc to buy. At one time, a group of hunters came in and bought a bunch of sweets, then left. They were not interested in anything that the vendors had to offer.

I sold a lot of books - mostly the clown books. Warm clothes were needed because it is a hard place to heat and the doors were opening all the time.

It started to snow around noon and by the time it was 2:oo there was an inch of snow on the ground. That's when we all began to pack up and leave. It felt good to get home to my warm fireplace.

Today I signed my books at a charming place in Millport, NY. The Millport Mercantile. It is owned by an exceptionally creative girl who has a blog called Sweet Millies Blog. She served coffee, lemon water and Christmas sweets to everyone who attended the open house. I didn't sell as many books as yesterday, but did a lot of networking. Great fun to just be there.

Calla's blog

2009-12-01T11:33:00.000-08:00

You may be wondering why I have another blog on my blog. The other one belongs to my Granddaughter, Calla Brown. She is a med student at the U. of Rochester. She will return for her 4th year after her work in El Salvador, where she and her fiance are medical volunteers.

I love her stories and the picts she sends and I hope to make a little book when she is finished, about the children there.

Hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving - we certainly did. About 3lbs worth.

Gigi and the story book

2009-11-25T11:42:00.000-08:00

My husband teaches classical guitar to a 12 yr old student. His lesson wasn't today, but his mother made a visit with some of the kids. She brought some pumpkin bread with her. So gooood! While they were here, Gigi (3 yrs) wanted me to read her the White Cat story book. My husband took a picture of us. Gigi knows where the camera is and what she is supposed to do when her picture is taken.

Holiday Bazaar

2009-11-22T09:42:00.000-08:00

I went to a Holiday Bazaar yesterday and did very well with my books. I don't have any of the 3rd clown book left, so I have to get more printed. Money in, money out. But I love to do it all.

I even sold a few of the Mary Warin books - the kids like gorey science fiction. I was surprised that those books went so well. I have none of the cat books left, so those have to be printed too. There are more events coming in a couple of weeks, so preparation is needed.

I also made little stocking stuffers, teachers giftees, etc. out of old buttons, lace, linen and silk.

They smell nice and a lot of them sold.

Morris the monkey, A. C., the clown and Laila, the lion.

2009-11-16T15:26:00.000-08:00

Here is a preview of the 3rd clown book.

The text for this page reads:

Morris threw a ball that hit Laila in the eye,

I'm very sorry, said Morris, to make you cry.

Morris, the monkey, is a main character in this book. He is a sweetie. Always around for an audience laugh.

I hope you can see the tear in Laila's eye. Do lions cry? Laila did. But she will be ok.

new books

2009-11-13T14:52:00.000-08:00

I'm getting stuff ready to go to a show next week. I now have 10 books to take.

The third book, "Break A Leg" They Yelled To The Clown, is now ready and bound. It turned out really well. My favorite pict. and text in it is one of a small horse with a contraption on his foot. Frankie the dog, and Morris the monkey are balancing on the horse's back. A. C. Robat is working with some rings.

The accompanied text reads:

Horsing around is not good for a pony,

Hildie jumped the rope and broke her big toeny.

There is a gallery down in Watkins Glen that is full of all kinds of good antiques. They also have some very nice art. My original art from the books has been included. They are also carrying the clown books and the original fish art.

centerpiece

2009-11-10T12:23:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I needed a break from the books, so I messed around with some wood stumps from a cherry tree that fell during an ice storm. I felt creative. Got the glue gun out, went outdoors and cut some grape vine, went up the road and picked up some chestnuts off the road and went to work. I put some little glass candle holders on top and voila, I have a center piece.

Seems like my mind is always thinking of new stories, but I seemed to be lazy about writing the ideas down. I may have to carry a little writing pad around my neck all the time. But then will I be ambitious enough to pick up the pad and jot down my ideas?

My granddaughter is a medical volunteer in El Salvador. When she gets home, I think I'll quiz her on some of the details of her experiences with the children there, and maybe write a story about that. Sounds interesting to me.

Break A Leg, They Yelled To The Clown

2009-11-06T18:43:00.000-08:00

Back to the print store today. The 3rd clown book is ready for the www.windowsillstories.com site. It should be on within the next 2 wks. A. C. Robat falls off the highwire in this book. He is such a farce. But he is a very cute, sweet clown.

What I've done to start the ball rolling with my website

2009-11-06T16:21:00.000-08:00

I decided to have a rubber stamp made with my website on it. When the bills or any other mail goes out, I stamp the website on the back of the envelop.

Every time I visit a store, the clerk gets one of my business cards. It never fails to create interest.

I email my site, facebook any one I can without being a pest. I have to know them first.

Now the blog - this is fun and a good way to connect with people who have the same interests as mine. www.windowsillstories.com

Tomorrow I am going to a rummage sale with some stuff (sample of items in pict) I need to get rid of, but I will take the clown books, plus a couple of others. There won't be much room on the table, but I'll shove the junk together. My business cards will be on the table.

I hope to make a bit of money - this is an expensive business!

Networking at Kinkos

2009-11-02T19:22:00.000-08:00

I have been getting my books printed over in Ithaca at Kinkos. Everytime I go there, someone sees my clown art and remarks on it. Did I do it? What are you going to do with it? I answer that I write children's books and some of them are about an endearing little clown called A. C. Robat (acrobat). The art plus the text about the clown's actions make up each book.

Today I met some very interesting people from Cornell who wanted my card. I have been handing out a lot of them.

My husband says that I need to go there every day.

Today's book was getting the art and text together in book form. I always get a CD with it.

Ranking frustration

2009-10-31T12:02:00.000-07:00

Have been trying to find sites that have ways to get ranked other than by Google's AdSense, etc.

There are so many children's books on the market that it's next to impossible to get a good ranking. There must be some secrets out there that websiters are using to get ranked. I know keywords, links and ads are vital, but those don't necessarily get the rankings either.

I have decided on a plot for the next Mary Warin book. It's going to be exciting! And scary!

My husband just brought in a beautiful bird's nest that he found in the yard. I've never seen one like it and we are wondering what it's made of and what bird made it. We'll keep it as long as it lasts.

new books

2009-10-28T06:52:00.000-07:00

I'm working on the 3rd Mary Warin book. I've come up with lots of ideas for the plot, but nothing seems to pop into my head as the one that I could do anything with. Maybe Mary Warin morphs into a person from another galaxy and can't be recognized for who she really is. She might lead the girls through another time in space. My mind is full of far-out stuff, so I'll come up with something weird.

The 3rd clown book is done. I have to take it to the printers so they can put it together. Then I will send it to the publisher.

I've heard from a few people who have viewed the site. All good reviews. Now for some orders! Yeah!

WHEEL of ARTS CLASSES

2009-10-21T14:19:00.000-07:00

I had a lot of fun with the curriculum that I created when I taught in a school for the gifted. I called the program THE WHEEL of ARTS. The kids were doing all sorts of creative stuff. I have videos of some of their presentations. I often wonder where those kids are now and what they have done with their lives.
Sometimes when I filmed them, I laughed so hard I could hardly hold the camera. They made their own theatres out of boxes (we sure went through a lot of tape and glue), and acted out the stories and plays they had written.
There were commercials that they wrote that would compete with any comics. Of course they tore into the costumes I had brought from home. I remember a certain tie that they all liked and would grab the first thing after coming into the room in case they needed it. My classes lasted for 2 1/2 hrs. That wasn't really long enough to do all the presentations - I had to continue those in the next session.
Junk jewelry was very popluar too, even with the boys.
I really miss those kids and if I had the chance I would start a program in my area.

The clown isn't afraid to try.

2009-10-19T11:03:00.000-07:00

I'm new at this, so stay with me. I tried to delete one post - didn't work. The paragraph about Frankie, the cairn terrier, should have been first and about the clown next. But I'll leave the pict of Frankie on because she is so cute and is featured in the 2nd and 3rd books.

My books all carry messages for kids. A. C. Robat, the clown, isn't afraid to dream about and try different things that he might be when he grows up. He messes up, but he goes right ahead and attempts to try something else.

2009-10-16T08:34:00.000-07:00

A. C. Robat, is a funny, happy clown who doesn't know he is a clown and wonders what he will be when he grows up. He is, as one reviewer related, very endearing. I hope you like him as much as all the kids who have read the books about him.

Frankie, the cairn terrier is featured in the clown books along with Morris the monkey. They go everywhere and do everything with the clown. They are learning more tricks in the 3rd clown book the is entitled, "BREAK A LEG" THEY ALL YELLED!

There is another cairn terrier in the WHEEL of ARTS section of the website. Her name was Cassie. She could talk. Read about her.