Texas Book Festival

 

Back in July, I received word that Went Out To Get a Donut - Came Home With a Muffin had won First Place, Picture Book Children 7 and Under by the Texas Association of Authors . While that is really cool, I also found out that the TAA would have a booth at the Texas Book Festival in Austin and I could attend!

So on Friday, October 25, I came home from school and got all dressed up to head to Austin, TX for the awards dinner. Though I was thoroughly excited .... Muffin looked deeply heartbroken that I was leaving her for the weekend! Even though it was her book that was winning the AWARD! The drive to Austin was crazy -- traffic was horrendous as we neared Baylor and then the traffic stopped for a while because of an accident - I felt as if we weren't ever going to make it! Our GPS first said we'd get there at 6:30pm ... 30 minutes early ... but after all the snafus, we got  there fashionably late -- 7:25pm - just in time for dinner!

We ate dinner (lasagna and salad) and it was then time for the awards!

 My friend Patty Wiseman won TAA 2013

Romance - An Unlikely Beginning

a romantic, historical suspense

CONGRATS Patty!!!!

Visit Patty on FB at Patty Wiseman on FB

or her FanPage on FB at Patty Wiseman - Fan Page

 

After a great dinner and catching up with friends and a

glass of wine, Steven and I headed to the hotel to rest up for

The Texas Book Festival!

 

Below - some sights from the festival.

 

 

Yikes!!!!

A better title -- C R A S H!  lol!

Not a big seller ...

 

This cutie is a service dog (she is a READING BUDDY)

She was going to read with some children in the children as authors tent

 

Saturday morning - in the TAA Booth

 

After a couple hours in the booth, Steven and I took a stroll around

the Capital - and what is a walk without taking pics of cool trees!

Steven loved this tree!

I loved the tree in the middle - it looks like it's raising it's arms up!

I also liked the kids having FUN rolling down the hill!!

Kids doing a good old fashioned thing!

 

After a successful day at the Festival, Steven & I met up with

Mr. Jon Whitney. He was one of my very first bosses.

I worked for his Market Research Firm while on the work study

program in High School - he got me my start on one of the FIRST

home computers -- the TRS-80 - 5-1/4 floppy disks with that

wonderful DAISY WHEEL PRINTER ... and the rest is history!

We had a yummy dinner and lots of catching up at the Magnolia Café in Austin.

 

 The FAMOUS Texas Waffle

                                                                       from the LaQuinta - Sunday Morning

Mommy - please come home!

The picture Ashley sent me on Sunday morning

 My table on Day 2

My very supportive husband and me!

 

 I had a really awesome time at The Texas Book Festival

I did NOT see Laura Bush .... but I did meet a fan named

David who has commissioned me to write a special book for his wife.

I'm extremely honored that he has chosen me for this project.

 

I'm now keeping my fingers crossed that I make it into the San Antonio Book Festival for 2014!