Childlike Play

For my birthday, which was back in the summer, Rebekah wanted to sign us up for a local venue's painting event, which featured waterscapes.

But the amount of was out of her budget.

So she went to a craft store and picked up two children's paint kits and brought them home. We did nothing with them because we could not find several hours where both of us were free.

Until this past Sunday.

For most Sunday afternoons over the last two years, I've met with a woman in her mid-90s to listen to her stories and take notes, as I was hired by her family to write her memoir.

But last Sunday, she celebrated Thanksgiving with her friends. Rebekah does not work on Sundays.

So, finally, we painted!

We had no time pressures. No looking at our phones to check the time or messages.

We listened to music (because my art teacher in sixth grade always played classical music during art projects and because my sister and I loved to listen to music while we colored, hours and hours of coloring) and we painted.

We did not talk much, except when asking to borrow a color of the other's paint.

It was several hours of background classical music and brush strokes.

Here's Rebekah's

Here's mine.

Bertrand's First Paint Night, in Pictures

Remember "The Count" on Sesame Street?

Well today, was sponsored by the letter "W." Let's "count" them:  work, workshop, and wedding.

Isn't that wonderful?

Well (get it, another "W"), while I was at the wedding, Bertrand attended his first paint night and made a new friend, a Stegosaurus named "Cheetah."

Below is a recap his fun. For more photos of Bertrand's adventures, follow him on Instagram at bertrand_bryonyseries.

Buy his books at www.bryonyseries.com.

Want Feedback on Your Writing? This Event is for You

From 7 to 9 p.m. Jan. 12, I will be offering writing critiques for a donation $5 per fifteen minutes of time.

Bring any writing sample, and I'll assess its strengths and weaknesses. All writing assessment donations go to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Will and Grundy Counties. Yes, you may write a check to the organization.

The writing assessments are part of the Paint night and Art Gala at Nelson’s Furniture, 209 Bridge St. in Wilmington.

In addition to the paint session by The Acrylic Zebra (which is $30 per person and must be preregistered),other artists will be displaying talents and selling their art. One artist, Matt Coundiff, illustrated two of the BryonySeries books: Visage and Memories in the Kitchen: Bites and Nibbles from "Bryony," which is the official BryonySeries cookbook and a fundraiser for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Will and Grundy Counties.

I'll have all five published BryonySeries books for sale at the event. In addition to the two Matt illustrated, one may also purchase Bryony, Staked! Bertrand and the Lucky Clover and even flip through my marked-up proof copy of Cornell Dyer and the Missing Tombstone, which we hope to release soon.

And, yes, Bertrand the Mouse will be there, too. And you can get your picture taken with him. For free, LOL. Follow him on Instagram at bertrand_bryonyseries.

For more information on registering for the paint night, visit visit https://www.facebook.com/events/357742544583421/

No registration is necessary to attend and browse.

For more information on the BryonySeries, visit www.bryonyseries.com.

Happy Monday, vampire fans! :)

Art Gala, Paint Night, and Writing Assessments

I was recently invited to join the following event:

"Join us for a Paint night and Art Gala at Nelson’s Furniture. This is a Free event to see local artists of all media outlets. Some artists will be offering art to purchase, others will be displaying their talents. We will also be offering a Painting session, that will be instructed by The Acrylic Zebra it will be $30.00 dollars per person. We do ask you pre-register with Nelson’s Furniture for the paint night."

The event will  be from 7 to 9 p.m. Jan. 12 at Nelson's furniture, 209 Bridge St. in Wilmington. Matt Coundiff, the illustrator for Visage and Memories in the Kitchen: Bites and Nibbles from "Bryony," will also be there selling his art.

At the event, I will have copies of all three books in the BryonySeries trilogy (Bryony, Visage, and Staked!), as well as the first book in the children's Bertrand the Mouse series. Alas, Cornell Dyer and Missing Tombstone won't be available for purchase, but I'll have the proof copy to flip through and, hopefully, an update on the release date,which should be this month.

Basically, I just need a few minutes to fix formatting errors, LOL.

Also for sale will be copies of Memories in the Kitchen: Bites and Nibbles from Bryony. All proceeds benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of Will and Grundy Counties.

I will also be offering writing critiques at $5 per fifteen minutes of time. Bring any writing sample, and I'll assess its strengths and weaknesses. I don't keep any of the money, FYI; all is donated to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Will and Grundy Counties.

For more information on registering for the paint night, visit visit https://www.facebook.com/events/357742544583421/

No registration is necessary to attend and browse.

For more information on the BryonySeries, visit www.bryonyseries.com.

Thank you and have a fantastic day! :)