Category Archives: FREE FRIDAY
Want the Easter bunny to bring a book?
redbud in bloom
Today I’m enjoying a beautiful spring day: sunny, cool, low humidity. These are the types of days when I’m especially thankful to be a Texan! Redbuds and fringe tree are in their glory right now. I hate to gloat because so many of my friends are in misery with Old Man Winter breathing down their necks. In celebration of this spring and especially the EASTER season,
Gus, the Wonder Cat, peaking out to see if it’s time to draw a name from the box yet.
I’ll be getting a book in the mail to you tomorrow, if you want one. That is, if Gus the Wonder Cat wants YOU to win one. (He’s open to bribery, if you happen to have any fish flavored treats on you…..)Head over to my author FaceBook page to get in on the fun.
Baby E’s upcoming baptism has me wanting to diss work and head out to Abilene ASAP, however I’m speaking to the Houston SCBWI next Monday (come and join us for the FREE event!). I’ll speaking to the group about my summer spent at The Publishing Institute at University of Denver. It’s a difficult task to write or illustrate a children’s book and almost as hard guessing what those “books” might look like in the next couple of years. I’ve been trying to get a handle on the direction of publishing, looking at which format my readers might be meeting me with in an every-changing techno-world. That’s one of the reasons I went to grad school last summer. I’ll have out my crystal ball for the Houston writers and illustrators at their regular meeting, hoping my literary prognostications are more accurate than our weather forecasters lately. I realize in looking over my notes and photos just how much I’ve missed my friends and instructors in Denver – especially roomies Emily and Jen.
A room mate sandwich with me in the middle. Miss you, Jen and Em-dash!
The other reason I went to Denver turned out to be a lie…Colorado in summer promised a respite from hot, humid Houston last summer, but promptly reneged on the deal. After a FREEZING 1st week of spring, I’m betting Colorado’s wishing she were a Texan right now, too!
Books, books and more books!
DPI class of 2012 trip to Frederic Printing, Denver
As I’m finishing up The Publishing Institute at University of Denver, I’m thankful to return to Texas. It’s beautiful and certainly not nearly so humid as we enjoy in the Houston area this time of year, but it is time to put into practice all I’ve learned. There will be lots of tears tomorrow when we graduate and I’m thankful for the many friends I’ve made and I know some will be life-longers. I’ve been encouraged, discouraged, sleep-deprived, and stretched. Cannot believe my +51 year old brain kept up with the many 20 somethings in my class, although it certainly did not run rings around any of them!
Speaking of publishing, I’d like to give away another copy of BLOOMIN’ TALES. Want one? I’m also receiving a shipment from my publisher of OUR SHADOW GARDEN, so if you’d like that instead, I’m happy to send it on to you. 
How can you win? Go to my author Facebook page and let me know you want one. It’s that simple! A relatively unbiased judge will choose a lucky winner next week. If you send someone else my author page and they tell me you sent them, you’ll be entered TWICE!
Send your gardening questions to me for GardenDishes. I’ll be cranking back up when I return to the real world next week.
c:
FREE FRIDAY
Or you can comment here if that’s easier for you. A relatively impartial judge (she a RELATIVE, and sort of impartial) will let you know Monday who won and we’ll get an autographed copy in the mail to you.
a giveaway!
albeit by many who paid the ultimate price: their life.
In honor of that, how about if YOU receive a gift for your garden? I got a box of cool gadgets from DRAMM CORPORATION a few weeks ago and I’ll be sharing them in the next few weeks.
Just go to my FB author page and
comment on the entry to win.
Don’t do Facebook?
Comment on here and I’ll send you the rules.
Don’t forget to thank a veteran, an active military person, or family of someone serving as our country’s protector.
And pray for those who give us the
gift of freedom every day. c:
happening in my life.
seeds of hope: Join The Conversation!
Join the conversation! Do you have a story or have you heard someone else’s story that planted a seed of hope?
If so, go to my Facebook author page and share it with us. You can post your own story or a link to one you’ve found.
My garden is full of pass-along plants from friends and family. In that spirit, I am always storing seeds to continue the tradition. So, when you share a story, I will send you a few seeds, because that’s where growth begins.
FREE FRIDAY!
I’M DOING A TRIPLE WHAMMY GIVE AWAY…
a gift that gives over and over!
For anyone who purchases two personalized copies of Our Shadow Garden from me, I’ll GIVE ONE AWAY for them to give-away! Your free book can go to your favorite public library, school or church library, or even to a Christmas gift project dear to your heart. All my royalties for this book go back to The Children’s Art Project at MD Anderson Cancer Center (www.childrensart.org), so you’ll be supporting them, too.
ORDER BY 12/8 and your name will go into a drawing for a FREE SCHOOL VISIT to the school of your choice. (It needs to be within an hour’s drive for me here in The Woodlands, TX, or it can be a “virtual” school visit with Skype.)
The books are $20 apiece (I’ll pay the sales tax). Please add $3 per book for shipping. To order, email me at - comments at cheriecolburn dot com - and I’ll get all your info.
OUR SHADOW GARDEN ($20 plus shipping)
