“Auntie Joanne, when you goin’ write another book? I liked With Grace; it’s a fun book. My favourite person is the girl and the tree faerie. I find Grace a little mean.”
December 2016, mere days before Christmas. That I was launching my book With Grace at this time was both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because, as a children’s picture book, I could market it toward the Christmas shoppers looking for gifts for the little ones in their lives. A curse because…Christmas. Is there a busier time of year. I was remarkably calm for how rushed and uncertain everything felt (getting the books here on time, promoting the launch, prepping for the launch in between lifeing…at Christmas). But we pulled it off and I’m happy with how it turned out. No it wasn’t perfect but by this point I’ve learned not to expect perfection, and to stay in the moment. I was so present in the moment, I neglected to get pictures of me posing with the book (cover side forward) and signing the book…you know, the kind of thing you need for marketing purposes. So I did some posed shots a few days later when I had to go in to the Best of Books (who again hosted my launch at their St. Mary’s Street, Antigua location) to sign a few books for customers who had bought them. All’s well that ends…sorta okay. And, yay, With Grace, my first fairytale ever attempted is now a published book and in the marketplace, hopefully to find itself in the hands of children all over the world (dreaming it out loud and working towards it!)
Shout out to Glen for emceeing, the kids from the Cushion Club for reading, to my niece for helping out and my fam for coming through (check my nephew up top all posed up with With Grace), friends and fellow book lovers too, wouldn’t be a launch without an audience, support and encouragement, nor a location – thanks to Best of Books for hosting; and congrats to Agnes, the giveaway winner, who copped a copy of Dancing Nude in the Moonlight 10th Anniversary Edition and Other Writings, and purchased With Grace, AND was among the first to post an online reader review (“Well done Joanne – it’s a lovely children’s book – a real keeper.”) – find all that I’ve found here. Respect. None of us do this alone.
Click my books for more on this or other books by Joanne C. Hillhouse. Explore the site for other launch galleries either already posted or coming soon. But don’t take and re-use any picture posted here for any purpose without first asking.
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