Diving Through Summer
Summer!!!
It's been crazy, full of swim team, and... what? More swim team? This is not how I envisioned June and July, but since the kids have taken to swimming like frogs, why not embrace the Maryland lifestyle and a pool just a five-minute walk away.
From my pool chair pulled under an umbrella, I have created an exciting lineup for Passports and Pacifiers.
Event 1: Audio Medley
The audio version of Passports and Pacifiers launched yesterday on Barnes and Noble! Or the day before.
Maybe sometime earlier this week; I seem to be the last to know. I had it scheduled for July 1, but after some false starts and last-minute editing, Amazon notified me that they published their copy today. (Guess they had a lot going on with Prime Day swimming the A meet.)
The audiobook is narrated by yours truly, through a professional sound studio a few miles from here. Recording around my work schedule and parenting four crazy kids was a long but fun process. It's a medley of beautiful sounds: Brooklyn voiced many of the chapter intros.
Event 2: Radio Backstroke
Check out my radio interview with RMWorld Travel Connection on Saturday, July 16th. I'm told it will air around 10:30am. America’s #1 Travel Radio Show, they have a weekly audience reach in excess of 1 million via 490 affiliated weekly network stations, a 24/7 TuneIn.com channel, growing social media platforms, frequent remote broadcasts, online showcasing and more. I'm a little nervous since back in the day, I was known to say things in front of large audiences like, "I'd like to spank the football team" in front of said football team. Thank goodness this was pre-recorded but don't be too surprised if you hear Ella in the background.
Event 3: Freestyle
I signed books for my adoring fans at the ALA National Convention. Well, random librarians that the promoters found to snatch a free book and that grandmother I accosted in line for Gale Galligan to sign Freestyle (which Brooklyn enjoyed). A highlight was meeting Nathan Hale, praising him like a mom-fangirl, sharing with him how my dad and Brooklyn had an in-depth conversation about the title of his Donner Dinner Party book, and exchanging books. (Brooklyn read Cold War Correspondent that night and I'm confident he's enjoying reading about Lucas visiting Estonia.)
Event 4: Breaststroke
With the final dash of a pen stroke, I will be releasing my second book to a couple of beta readers (okay, AJ and Brooklyn are two of the three). The non-fiction novella shares our adventures in Scotland, England, and Ireland (with my lovely MIL). A new character, Easy Queasy, joins us with some perfect timing (i.e. on the way to see a beloved animal on a quaint and adorable isle).
Event 5: Butter-Fly out West
Just a little longer until we fly out to the Pacific Northwest using (not) frequent flyer miles. We are excited to drink coffee in Seattle, spot some orcas in the San Juan islands and Big Foot in the North Cascades, climb sand dunes in Oregon, and race a lap Crater Lake. Seriously, AJ signed up to run 26.2 miles around the country's deepest lake. The kids will be swimming in hotel pools, some lakes and maybe a river, and definitely the ocean.
The season went quite swimmingly. It may have felt like we were throwing our kids in the deep end, but we're all glad we joined! Lucas, Brooklyn, and Sienna did amazing, in that non-swimmer way. They won many heats (good), dropped a lot of time (great), and had fun (yay!). Ella served as cheerleader extraordinaire and concession stand groupie.
Now, we've got to start packing! The ocean is calling and I need to find a few more last-minute deals.