​This week has been busy also with babysitting, reading to over 40 children at an author visit at a daycare, and attending the Author Showcase in Sapulpa, Oklahoma. Not to mention, my birthday is fast approaching. I will be an older decade. I will tell you though, I realize I do not have the energy of these children but I thoroughly love “being a kid at heart” and will continue as long as I can to “make a difference in the lives of children” by continuing to provide quality children’s books that  “come from the heart”,  provide the literary elements and themes for children to learn from, continuing promoting being a military Veteran, and encouraging children to read and write more.
 
During the daycare visit, I had the opportunity to read to 3–5-year-olds in the morning. They are so funny and enjoyable to read to. I use a lot of props with this age and interactive activities since the attention span is usually short. I read my book , “Did You Come Home for Lunch” which by the way will be on display in a couple of weeks at the Miami Book Fair which I am excited since it has been to San Diego Festival of Books, Times Square in New York with my publisher , and now on to Miami, Florida Book Fair.

​I came back in the afternoon to read to the school age children which consisted of children from four elementary schools. I really enjoyed the “Ask the Author” segment and reading my book, “Nicoli Picoli!” and “It Happens.”   This group of children was an amazing group to have the opportunity to read to. 

​ The event was held at the Sapulpa Library with 11 other authors besides me. The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (https://www.scbwi.org/) provided a panel discussion for authors and the public who attended.

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​Next, I was up on stage as the first of the 12 authors to read their work for five minutes each. Then, the public was invited to go shopping at each author’s table and speak with the authors. I ended up meeting someone there that I have been collaborating with about coming to speak to their reading group in Feb. 2025. It was a fun event that I thoroughly enjoyed, and it was a road trip since Sapulpa is over an hour away from where I live.

​Next stop is the upcoming “Picklemas” event all about pickles which fits nicely with my themed book, “Nicoli Picoli!”  in Edmond, Oklahoma on November 30th and the final event in December, “Christmas in the Park” at Choctaw Creek Park in Choctaw, Oklahoma on December 14th, 2024. 

​Boy, what a busy year! I have attended close to 50 events this year. I am excited to see what journey lies ahead for me in 2025 regarding events I will attend such as the Virtual Author Festival in February and the Books by the Bay Festival in Pensacola, Florida in March. I better get busy pre-planning the first quarter of 2025.

 had the great opportunity to volunteer my time to babysit my grandchild who has a tremendous amount of energy. I need to get some of his energy. It makes me reminisce of the days when I was a daycare teacher. I have been caring for infants, toddlers, school age children, and teaching college students.  This is why I write children’s books to make a difference in the lives of children.
 
  This week, I volunteered work a booth at Golden Corral for the Disabled American Veteran (D.A.V.) local chapter who works prior to and during the November 11th Veteran event where Golden Corral serves Veterans free meal. So, I worked many days working the afternoon shift. I like being a part of this great Veterans group. Currently, I am the 1st Junior Vice Commander of the post serving several terms in office.
 
 The D.A.V. helps Veterans with disability claims, transportation, job fairs, advocating legislation, and advocating for disabled Veterans (https://www.dav.org ). Our chapter also has an office day once a week for Veterans and widows to come and file disability claims and other Veterans claims. The chapter is also highly involved with the communities around them and Veteran events around the area.

​ In addition, I am also a member of a local American Legion serving as the local Boys State Recruiter for several high schools in the area for the last four years. Juniors in high school are recommended and nominated by their teachers and counselors to attend a week long event at a university to learn about how government works, being a part of a government in action run by the youth, participate in competitions such as athletic and oratorical, and participate if they want to in a band and talent show .  Usually, the week-long event will have a local representative or state representative come to speak to the youth. Also, the National Guard and State Troopers will also attend. However, the American Legion has more than just Boys State as a focus.
 
The four pillars of the American Legion focus on Veterans Affairs and Rehabilitation, Americanism, Children/Youth, and National Security. American Legion actively supports distinct groups and programs ( https://www.legion.org/).

Author on the Move!
 
On the 8th and 9th of November, I switched gears as a volunteer to get back to working as a Children’s Book Author. I set up a booth at the local military base with all eleven books available. I usually set up a booth several times a year and at other military bases when available to do so. I was so happy to show off my newest book, (Book 11-Eli’s Shenanigans which just came out October 21, 2024, with the print copy showing up prior to the event. This book is available on this site for ordering.

In conclusion, the week has been remarkably busy, but this is the life of a military Veteran who loves serving his community as well as being an Air Force Veteran/Children’s Book Author. It gives me purpose in life and serves as a passion for me.

​What does “collaboration” mean in the author world? For me this week, I collaborated with two vendors and one non-profit Adult Day Care for Veterans. This was a busy week from Sept. 22-28th, 2024. I had two events going on this week. Also, I was collaborating with other vendors online to work on a new logo and formatting my new 11th children’s book which is set to release this month. Authors are always busy behind the scenes working on different projects in writing, editing, formatting, publications, and marketing.

​FRIDAY NIGHTS IN THE PARK
 
I participated in the last Friday Nights in the Park event at Choctaw Creek Park in Choctaw, OK. In addition to selling, I was also promoting “Home Away from Home,” an adult Veteran Administration approved Adult Daycare located in Midwest City, Oklahoma. I was selling ceramics that Veterans had painted.

​SATURDAY CRAFT FAIR AT CHOCTAW UNITED METHODIST CHURCH IN CHOCTAW, OK
 
This was a long but rewarding day of selling my books I wrote and promoting “Home Away from Home” Adult Day Care by selling Veteran made ceramic items. I met so many people at the craft fair.
 
 So, authors collaborate with vendor coordinators, other authors, and other vendors. It is always good to free up my time to focus on writing as other vendors are working on my marketing and publication projects. This is what “collaboration” is all about. In the past, I have also had the opportunity to ‘collaborate” locally with two authors at different book signing events together.
 
The first author that I worked with is Ron Cisneros ( https://www.roncisneros.studio/roncisneros.html). We did an event together at Barnes and Noble. He is an amazing author in Oklahoma. He is also a local actor.

​Another author who is an Oklahoma children’s book author is Makenzi Fox ( https://www.choctawnation.com/biskinik/people-you-know/fox-releases-first-childrens-book/)
 I did a joint author event at Barnes and Noble near Quail Springs Mall in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma with her, myself, and another author who is a ten-year-old co-author of “Nicoli Picoli.”