Wow. You guys and gals have given me even more ideas! Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, Ireland! All places I would love to see. Didn't know about the passes for Stonehenge at sunrise-what a great idea! And Highclere Castle, where they film Downton Abbey *sigh* Alaska cruise? Would love to try one!
Oh, my! I think I may have to give up my job and just travel. But I need the job to pay for the travel. What to do? What to do? :-)
Joy, Georgie's dogs are Airedales named Daisy and Buddha. Buddha, the male, is sweet-tempered and obedient. Daisy however lives up (or down) to her name - never name a dog after a flighty fictional heroine!
I think my wonderful artist did a great job, and I am sure that it's Daisy on the covers. Buddha would never be so badly behaved!
Glad to see all the comments! This was a great experience. I know there are kids who are not interested in books and reading, but I really believe there is a way to reach nearly every one. I would encourage anyone who loves reading to spend some time with the kids in your life and find something you can share with them.
Thanks, everyone, for coming by today, and for reading and commenting. I hope some of you will find the Lady Plumber boos and take a look!
Best Wishes, Christina York/Christy Evans/Christy Fifield
Sheila, I know exactly how you feel! It took a while for my daughter to find her way into reading. My feeling is that if they are reading ANYTHING - comic books, blogs, magazines - it's going the right direction. Maybe you can find something he's excited about - a novel or graphic novel based on a game he loves, a story based on his favorite TV show, or the novelization of a movie he likes - and get him started that way. I do know - from my experience with my daughter - that once they understand reading can open up new worlds or explore ones they already love, the battle is over.
Yes, Michelle, the Christina F. York that writes SF/F and Star Trek is also me. I took some of the Trek books with me and met a couple Trek fans at the Career Fair.
Robin, I wasn't expecting them to carry on conversations, but I was really pleasantly surprised at how easily they interacted with the adults.
The kids were great, and I'll go back next year if they invite me.
Thanks for the comment, Peggy. The visit was nerve-wracking for sure, but the kids were great! I love the covers myself - the artist is a fabulous guy named Brandon Dorman (he's got a gallery on the Web) and the cover designer did a great job. Enjoy!!