First order of too-fun-to-be-business, the Super Tuesday book reading with my dad at the Secret Garden Bookstore in Ballard. Great turnout and I am eternally grateful for everybody who showed up despite the risk of heat stroke. And if you like celebrities, there was even a Talking Potatoes sighting!
Two really cool booksellers.
Thank you Christy and Suzanne!
Somebody get that guy a towel.
Suzanne, the events and public relations superhero with WWA SCBWI superhero, Kim Baker. Kim's getting ready to head to the LA SCBWI annual conference.
Have fun!
Martha Bee and Jaime T (see I can rhyme) even brought their really cool hubbies along. Such nice guys. I love it when wonderful people find each other and just seem to fit. Makes sense to me. You can't find two funnier, wittier couples. You can't. I've tried.
Nearly newlyweds looking amazing next to me doing my best sweaty Nick Foley (Chris Farley) impersonation. Jaime CocoaStomp is the creator of our awesome Mario Beartali painting.
Thanks to the very talented Karen from i, chihuahua for making an appearance as well.
That tall drink of water in the back is my single buddy Ryan. Any takers? Here's his front.
Ryan and Simone are really great friends (both single!) of ours for a long time. They also have enough dirt on me to bury me. Still, I can't resist. Who else thinks these two should just get over it already and snog? E-harmony meet Ben Watson, children's book writer and cupid.
Happy birthday to these two kids.
That's Chuck on the left and Christy, who owns the joint.
Good times, thank you Ballard!
Looks like so much fun. Wish I coulda been there!
ReplyDeleteYou have Mario Beartali? I have Jacques Pepig!
ReplyDeleteSounds like an awesomely wonderful writerly trip and now can enjoy the quiet of home for a bit. You might, however, need to start a new blog for matchmaking--the front and back shots are sure to ring your stat meter.
ReplyDeleteWelcome back, Ben! I missesd you.
ReplyDeleteYour event looks like a blast. What a cool bookstore!
Shelley
So glad the reading went well with good turnout! Coolness. And no more drippy-causing celebrity dunk-tanking-for-charity before book readings for you. Ah Ben, you're so generous with your giving! ;)
ReplyDeleteAnd you got to hang with Kim, Jaime and Aaron?! No fair! TOO fun I'm sure.
Thanks Corey! Me too.
ReplyDeleteMartha Bee, I do. We should have a reunion with them someday. They could cook, we could eat. By they, of course, I mean Amy and Aaron cooking and us eating while admiring our lovely paintings.
It is VERY good to be home. I missed my computer, Gandalf, I missed my chair. I missed my hobbit hole. Yes, next on the list, ruining people's lives one whim at a time. Who's first? Or I could just start a relationship column. All of the women writers I know could write in for guy advice. Here's one from Cuppa Jolie, "Dear Benswers, my husband thinks I spend too much time writing an excellent blog, what do you think?" - Glad you asked Cuppa, you do spend way too much time blogging, in fact so much that your slick blog is making mine look bad. Please stop. Yours, Doc Benjamin
I missed you too Shelley. Thank you.
Jimbo Jabba! The man. This is the second time I've said it, but I am REALLY going to need to do a very public gushing about you, or about both of you. And your dog. And your precious little girl on her way. Aww. And by gushing, I don't mean the sweat-sprinkler kind I so generously dole out, but the other, dryer kind.
It was fun but, unfortunately I didn't bring my camera out until people were already gone, including Martha and her husband Adam, so I didn't get a picture of them in here unfortunately.
You know, the Northwest SCBWI communities sure are supportive and cool. Really glad to know these people.
Wow, Ben, you've been busy! How cool that you and your dad can do book readings together! It looks like it was a ton of fun. Welcome back!
ReplyDeleteIt looks like you had a great time. Definitely doesn't look like work from my end. Fun!
ReplyDeleteLooks and sounds like you had a great time! Welcome back.
ReplyDeleteBen, your blogging talent is putting us all to shame! So thanks for jumping in and following my *sigh* little blog. ;)
ReplyDeleteP.S. Get your butt over to Flashy Fiction!!!
Glad it went well! I'm drooling now with jealousy! Congratulations!
ReplyDeleteHi Dawn, missed reading your great posts. Yeah, nothing like drinking from my coffee mug. It's actually really cool to do stuff with my dad because at a certain point he starts sketching and I get to sit back and make witty comments. Or not so witty, depending on if you're inebriated or not. Thank you, good to be back.
ReplyDeleteHi Casey! Not so much work, just having fun with book junkies. Though the hour and a half border wait without shade or ac was close to work, if I worked in the Sahara.
I really admire how you take an unplugging week BJ. Sounds like you've been gone a lot as well. Look forward to your always enjoyable posts when you get back home.
Deb, I promise I will head to flashy fiction as soon as I finish my novel. Just kidding. Wouldn't make you wait THAT long. I'm sorta on a deadline now, but I foresee flashy fiction in my near future, like maybe sometime this week or next or next. Not super accurate with my fortune telling. Thank you for the compliment but your blog and others are a pleasure to read/follow/imitate. And a famous blogger once said, there are no small blogs, just small type. Or something like that. Not real accurate with the quotes either. Hey I just found a fortune cookie, it reads: your little grasshopper will grow and overpopulate the world, raze the crops and be worshipped. And taste great with chocolate. I think it was referring to your blog.
Yeah Lazy Writer, my simpatico blog-namer, here's a handkerchief for the drool. You're getting it all over your keyboard. Must be the pizza I just had for dinner. You can have a piece if you really want to. Delivery might take a few minutes...
Hurray booksellers! This site is awesome. I'm just starting to follow it! I am also looking for follwers of my blog. Could you please visit and comment on some of my posts at http://inkladendiary.blogspot.com/ ? Thanks. I'm a writer too, so I'm trying to get my voice heard.
ReplyDeleteBen, not only are you a rockin' writer, but you're a modern day Yenta (you know- matchmaker in Yinglish.) Did you manage to get any friends of your to snog after that sell job?
ReplyDeleteWelcome Shigune. Thanks for visiting. Good luck with your blog. Love the illustration on your blog. cool.
ReplyDeletea Yenta Amy? Wow, now who's the dubber? Still working on my misguided attempt to control romance. Will keep you posted. Great interview with Heather Vogel Fredrick.
Congrat for the readings and I love the 'talking potatoes' title or idea!
ReplyDeleteGreat to meet other people, write about them, speak to them, take their portraits too as we can do now easy (with small digital cameras).
At the end, home, sweet home and back to work with pleasure (I just arrived home after three weeks too). Now, I can go deep into my 'usual' but being away did help and enriched me with new events and new books discoveries too, new thoughts for sure.
Julie, the Talking Potatoes are the real thing. If you click the link, you'll see their book reviews. They're brilliant. Welcome back home. And is home England? Wow. I loved England and can't wait to go back someday. Amy, my wife, even wants to go live and work there for a bit, but we'll see about that. Thank you so much for visiting. Take care.
ReplyDelete