tanglewood hall: stepping back in time

September 19, 2013September 19, 2013 ~ jama ~ 21 Comments

Why, good morning!

You’re just in time for breakfast at the Inn at Tanglewood Hall. This charming 1880’s Victorian “cottage” in York Harbor is where Len and I spent our first two nights in Maine.

It was a good spot to celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary (obviously I was a child bride :)). During our early years as a couple in England we stayed at many, many B&B’s — everything from a farmhouse serving bacon so fresh it oinked when you bit into it, to a tiny room above Haworth’s Black Bull Pub, where Branwell Brontë pretty much drank himself to death.

No matter where it’s located, staying at a B&B is always an adventure — it feeds my interests in history, architecture, interior design, food and hospitality. With fond memories of our long ago stays in Yorkshire, it was good to fast forward to the Yorks in Maine.

rearview — View of entrance from parking lot.

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TRUCK STOP Giveaway and Mini Blueberry Muffins

May 22, 2013 ~ jama ~ 2 Comments

Don’t miss your chance to win a signed copy of TRUCK STOP! And these mini blueberry muffins look so yummy. 🙂

The Hungry Artist

Truck Stop was released just five days ago last Thursday and author, Anne Rockwell, and I have been enjoying doing guest posts and interviews on our blog tour. So far, here are our stops:

Just A Little Creativity

Kid Focused

A Mom’s Take

The Children’s Book Review

Five Minutes for Books

Susan Heim on Parenting

Kid Lit Frenzy

As They Grow Up

I’m also doing a giveaway of a personalized signed copy of Truck Stop on The Hungry Artist.

On Saturday I did my first signing of Truck Stop at the Greenlight Bookstore in Ft. Greene, Brooklyn. I took part in Artist Battles with Sophie Blackall, Melissa Guion and Sergio Ruzzier. There was a list of topics, and the kids would choose one for us to draw. Then they would clap for their favorites…

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TRUCK STOP Book Release and Baked Buttermilk Donuts

May 16, 2013 ~ jama ~ 4 Comments

Congrats to Anne Rockwell and Melissa Iwai! Can’t wait to see TRUCK STOP, which is officially out today!

The Hungry Artist

I’m thrilled to announce the release of TRUCK STOP, written by Anne Rockwell and illustrated by moi!! The official Viking pub date is this Thursday, but we are kicking off our blog tour today. TRUCK STOP is a fun picture book for young kids that celebrates all the different trucks and their drivers who gather for breakfast every day at the young narrator’s family’s truck stop diner.

When I first was offered the manuscript in 2011, I was so excited to see it was written by Anne. I’ve been a big fan for a long time. She`s written over 100 children’s books for all ages, on topics ranging from boats, history, mythology, to the first day of school, bugs, to the seasons. Go check out her collection of books here! Needless to say, I didn’t need much time to think it over and said “yes” to my…

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happy may: catching up

May 6, 2013May 7, 2013 ~ jama ~ 42 Comments

Aloha, Friends!

Yes, the cat in the hat is back.

It’s nice to be home again after spending the last several weeks in Hawai’i with my family. Both of my parents are doing as well as can be expected for now, but when you’re 88 and 98, each day brings new challenges and concerns.

While it was very unsettling to have to suddenly drop everything and fly out there, I’m glad I was able to go and be of some help. No doubt there will be more frequent trips in the near future, so if you know anyone who can arrange to move Hawai’i just a tad closer to Virginia, I’d really appreciate it. 🙂

Must thank you all so much for your support, good wishes, encouragement and advice. Your comments, emails, and surprise care packages really cheered me up and kept me going — proof yet again of the restorative power of chocolate, and that you are simply the best (and most good looking) blog readers on the planet.

Poetry for What Ails You

Though I wasn’t able to blog at all during April, I must mention how much I enjoyed reading your wonderful National Poetry Month posts. In past years, when I was tied up with my own Poetry Potluck, I didn’t have as much time to keep up with what everyone else was doing.

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unexpected blog hiatus

April 2, 2013March 31, 2013 ~ jama ~ 39 Comments

Happy April, Friends,

I was all set to serve up some delicious Poetry Month goodness, but now I’ve been called away because of family health issues. Though it’s likely I won’t be posting for most of April, I’ll try to check in when I can with those of you who are hosting special poetry events on your blogs — I really hate to miss anything.

I will continue to update my 2013 Kidlit Poetry Month Events Roundup, so if you leave a comment at that post or email me, I’ll add your info to the list. Have you checked it lately? It’s growing nicely and there are SO many cool things happening this month.

Sorry about this, thanks for understanding. Keep the soup warm till I get back?

♥,
jama
xoxoxox