News/Events
I really enjoyed participating in the recent Local Author Expo at the Hillsboro Brookwood Library. March 8th was for authors of adult and young adult books. I was one of 27 authors invited to participate and was there with my adult poetry collection, Ripples in the River. I had some interesting conversations with other authors, learned a lot, and even sold a couple of books.The second day of the event was the following weekend on March 15th and was for authors of children's books. It was more fun and livelier, mostly because of all the kids running around. I was one of 24 authors invited to participate and was there with my illustrated children's book, Natalia and the Monarch Rangers. What made the day even more enjoyable was that my sister, Patty Van Dyke, was at the event with me. She illustrated the book and was instrumental in getting it off the ground. Our main goal at this event was to get kids interested in butterflies and, to that end, we handed out over 50 plastic butterflies on a stick, offering one to every kid that came near our table. We also gave out quite a few packets of Milkweed seeds, which Monarch butterflies lay their eggs on and is the only plant that Monarch caterpillars will eat. We met some really interesting authors, some wonderful families, and even sold a few books. A really fun day!
