A Mini NJ/NY Book-Signing Tour

This week, my husband and I set out on an impromptu mini book-signing tour to the Garden State and New York City. On a lark and in inclement weather, we visited several New Jersey locations that were selling PARTY ANIMALS. One of the shops was even closed for the day, but the salesperson was happy to unlock the door and welcome us in out of the rain for a private signing. 

Everyone was so lovely—even at the big chain stores. They made me feel like a rock star, like I’d really brightened their day, and they couldn’t wait to track down a sharpie and their “Autographed Copy” stickers. 

In this job that can be somewhat isolating, there’s no replacement for meeting booksellers, librarians, educators, and (especially) readers face to face. It just goes to show, there’s nothing quite like community. And I’m proud to be part of the community of book lovers. 

Also, it’s amazing where a supportive spouse, the love of books, and a voucher for a free car rental day will take you!😅❤️📚

In Conversation with Joann Hill at Fanfaire NYC 2025

On Sunday, April 6th, I’ll be appearing at Fanfaire to benefit the New York City’s renown High School of Art & Design. I’ll be in conversation with my wonderful Art Director, Joann Hill, discussing my journey as an illustrator as well as our collaboration bringing Party Animals to life. Fanfaire is an incredible event for anyone interested in the visual arts. Here’s how the school describes it:

“FanfaireNYC is our annual multi-day festival created by the Art & Design High School Parent Teacher Association. It is a celebration of creativity, entrepreneurship, and technology in the arts from cartooning and animation through graphic design, architecture, and fashion. 

The event features over 100+ artists and vendors selling comics, prints and merch. Award-winning guest speakers provide insights about their careers and creative process. Additionally, fans and aspiring artists attend costume contests, panel discussions, workshops and portfolio reviews.”

For tickets and more information, please visit the Fanfaire NYC website here. I hope to see you there!

Storytime with Tara Lazar and me…at Watchung in New Jersey!

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Hey…that rhymes! This Sunday, March 16th at 2 PM, Party Animals creators, Tara Lazar and I will be at one of my favorite, Northeast, independent bookstores—Watchung Booksellers in Montclair, New Jersey.

We’ll be celebrating the publication of our new book from Disney-Hyperion, which released earlier this week. As Tara would say, it’s going to be “a humdinger, hullabaloo, rip-roaring good time!” In addition to a reading, we’ll have a craft activity, some drawing, and other treats!

Keen-eyed readers will notice a few special details from the story that we’ll be sharing. Sample a “Horace d’Oeuvre!” Take home an actual Horace walking stick facsimile…No joke! And if you purchase a copy of Party Animals, you’ll get a free stickersheet featuring all of four characters.

So grab you favorite party animals, and come join us! Watchung Booksellers is located at 54 Fairfield Street, Watchung Plaza, in Montclair, New Jersey. For more information, visit their website here.

Party Animals Out Today!

It’s today! PARTY ANIMALS is officially out in the world—gotta say, I’m pretty proud of this one. PARTY ANIMALS is a hilarious, sweet tale of friendship and empathy written by Tara Lazar, of whom I’ve been a fan for a long time. This was a real labor of love and laughs for me, adding all the details and hidden jokes as I immersed myself in this crew of characters. I hope readers have as much fun with it as I did. Big shoutouts go to our wonderful editor, Sylvie Frank and fabulous art director, Joann Hill at Disney-Hyperion who really helped nudge me to all the right places.

Tara and I had the pleasure of giving the students of Parkview School in Milltown, NJ a sneak peek at PARTY ANIMALS last week. And guess what? They loved it! 😁

To purchase a copy for the party animal in your life, please visit your favorite indie bookstore or bookshop.org. Thanks for reading and celebrating with me! 🥳

Guest Blog Post for Storystorm

Each January, author Tara Lazar organizes Storystorm, a month-long brainstorming challenge for children’s book creators eager to jumpstart their creative engines. Participants write down a story idea every day in a ritual that results in 30+ new ideas that may or may not become books. Much like a muscle-building exercise, it’s a tune-up for our brains as the year kicks off. It’s also a wonderful event for the broader kidlit community with excellent blog posts by authors and illustrators who share a peek underneath the hood of their processes. (Hmmm…how many exercise and car references can one person slip into one paragraph?)

Tara, has written several books for children—most utterly hilarious—including our own collaboration, PARTY ANIMALS which is out March 11th. I was honored when she asked me to contribute the post for January 30th. I reveal how I immersed myself in the inner lives of our motley crew of characters, including the “dossiers” pictured above. I hope you enjoy it! Here’s a link.