Bring Your Pre-teens for a Reading of “Tyler Passes the Golden Key”

Hey, Atlanta – Bring your preteens to Decatur Book Festival. I’m reading from the Future Business Leaders’ Series on the:

Local Prose Stage

Saturday Sept 4th, at 5pm

I think I might read from Book #2 (Tyler Passes the Golden Key) this year. Change it up. Thoughts?
http://www.decaturbookfestival.com/

Few Pics from Decatur Rotary Club Presentation

Here are a few photos from my speaking engagement at the Decatur Rotary Club on Oct. 2nd.  Thanks Decatur Rotary for your warm reception!!

Decatur Rotary Club – Oct 2, 2009

Scott Thompson Gives Invocation

Jeff makes everyone laugh

President Downs and Rev. Briley

Scott Drake introduces Jennifer Bouani

Jennifer Bouani Presents “Teaching Kids Business”

Jennifer Bouani speaks

President Bryan Downs Dedicates Book

I’m Reading from Book 1 at Decatur Book Festival (Sat, Sept 5th)

Decatur Book Festival

If you’re in the Atlanta area on Labor Day weekend, come out to the AJC Decatur Book Festival. And bring some kids with you!  I will read from Tyler & His Solve-a-matic Machine on Saturday afternoon.

DATE: Sat, Sept. 5
TIME: 2:15 PM – 2:30 PM
LOCATION: Local Prose stage

Other Info

• Local Prose Stage Schedule
• All Children’s Book Authors Participating
• Directions to the Festival

Pictures from Book Signing

On March 28th, I signed books for kids at the Atlanta Jam Session at Lark & Loon.  We has a great time listening to all the talented kids play.  They take lessons at Eclectic Music, this great music school for kids in Virginia Highlands.

One adorable kid started reading Book 1 of the series (Tyler & His Solve-a-matic Machine) right there at the signing table.   Then he disappeared with it, and his mom found him off in a corner completely captivated by it. By the time his parents were ready to leave, he was already on page 77!

Boy Captivated with Tyler & His Solve-a-matic Machine

Here I am signing the book for him.

A feline fan made himself comfortable at the signing table.

Another boy reading the book

Today it Happened

This is the moment that every writer anticipates.  There so many good writers out there that when an organization recognizes your work, it really means a LOT.   Today, iParenting announced their winners for the 2007 Excellent Products.  I found out this morning when I woke up that  Tyler & His Solve-a-Matic Machine won the iParenting Media HOT Award for Juvenile Young Adult Book.   I spent the rest of the morning typing away on Book #2.  I want to get it into kids’ hands this summer before the new school year starts.

FYI, I’m going to have another book signing event.  This one will take place at Barnes & Nobel @ Georgia Tech in Midtown Atlanta, June 15th at 6pm.  Hope you can make it!

•  iParenting Media 2007 Excellent Products Awards
• Barnes and Noble at Georgia Tech (venue for June 15th book signing event)

Introduced Tyler & His Solve-a-matic Machine to the City of Decatur, GA

We had a great time at the Decatur Book Festival. It was rewarding to be in our own community getting a chance to talk to parents and kids about the book. We met some really neat kids – some even entrepreneurs already. One sells mica rocks and her own homemade lemonade, another is working on a joke book to sell, and another sells anything he can get his hands on, to name a few. They all bought books.

One mom told us about her son who had thought of a machine to help him do his homework — just like Tyler does in the book! So, she bought him a copy. She thought he would get a kick out of it.

We also met several entrepreneur dads who bought the book for their kids.
One woman said this book is just what America needs. She had just watched Friday night’s 20/20 episode “Stupid in America” and as a result wanted to take her daughter to Belgium to get her a better education. [A 4-min commentary by John Stossel about the episode (they play a commercial first)] Although I did not see the episode, I did watch this 4-min video about it. This woman who wanted the Belgium education for her daughter, instead bought my book for her.

My daughter (who’s only 2) was a great sport at the festival. I can’t believe how well she did without taking a nap. That’s not to say she didn’t have her fussy moments, because she did…and she ended up in the time-out chair several times over the weekend. She ate a lot of candy and junk food (nothing but veggies and fruit for her today!) But all-in-all, she kept the temper tantrums to a minimum and even helped us out where she could. The best part — she learned to say, “Buy some books, please!” -an entrepreneur in the making.

Getting ready to Sign Books at Decatur Book Festival

Today, I read a great article on Joi Ito in Strategy+Business magazine (Issue 44 Autumn 2006). What an interesting entrepreneur. He’s helped pioneer blogs, wikis, social networking software, etc. I have a lot of questions for him, but it doesn’t look like he’s blogged lately.

I’m getting ready to exhibit my book at the Decatur Book Festival next weekend. I’m signing books in booth #9, and I’m so excited! It should be a lot of fun. There will be many reknown authors there that we will get to mingle with.

Earlier this summer I put the book on Amazon.com.