Blog - Page 10 of 70 - Jennifer Chambliss Bertman

Looking Back #16: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Ferry Building

Looking Back #19: Musical Cryptogram

Looking Back #20: A Dream-Come-True Day

Looking Back #21: Paperback Tour

I’m counting down to the publication of The Unbreakable Code with highlights from the past two years since Book Scavenger was published. So much has happened in such a short time, and I’ve been so busy trying to keep up, that I’ve neglected to share many of the big and small moments. So here we go, in no particular order . . .

* * *

Last spring my publisher sent me on a tour for the publication of the Book Scavenger paperback. I was so excited they were doing this for my book, but I was a little anxious about all the travel and public speaking too. In seven days I traveled from Denver to the San Francisco Bay Area, Albuquerque, Washington DC, Atlanta, and North Carolina. It was a whirlwind, but it was also a lot of fun!

The fantastic librarian at this school had this welcome banner waiting for me. Isn’t it wonderful? The library walls were also lined with memorabilia from previous author/illustrator visits. What a wonderful reading environment for those students!

At Kepler’s in Menlo Park, CA.

Remember the amazing teacher I mentioned in the Detective Day post? She and several of her students drove an hour to see me at Kepler’s–on a school night!!–and brought a very special scrapbook as well. I <3 this class!

Everything travel-wise went smoothly, and the weather was beautiful everywhere I went, which definitely helped keep stress levels low. And it turns out spending a week meeting young readers, booksellers, teachers, and librarians is SO MUCH FUN. I loved getting an inside look at a variety of schools and libraries across the country, talking with different educators, and sharing stories with kids about my love of books and writing Book Scavenger.

This was a Monday morning at Politics and Prose where three schools came to listen to my talk. Also in this audience is a reader who didn’t go to one of those schools, but it was her birthday and because she loved Book Scavenger, her dad let her miss school to come listen to my talk and get her book signed. I was so touched that was what she wanted to do for her birthday!

Next week I leave on another tour for The Unbreakable Code, and looking through these photos and remembering these special days is getting me excited about the new readers of all ages that I’ll meet.

In case you missed it:

Looking Back #16: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Ferry Building

Looking Back #19: Musical Cryptogram

Looking Back #20: A Dream-Come-True Day

I’m counting down to the publication of The Unbreakable Code with highlights from the past two years since Book Scavenger was published. So much has happened in such a short time, and I’ve been so busy trying to keep up, that I’ve neglected to share many of the big and small moments. So here we go, in no particular order . . .

* * *

I was going to post this memory tomorrow, but then Facebook reminded me this happened exactly one year ago today, so I hope you’ll enjoy this little walk down memory lane with me.

I was in Southern Pines, NC, for the last day of my paperback tour. Southern Pines is the most charming town, and if you are ever out that way looking for a place to stay, I loved the Jefferson Inn.

Bright and early that morning, I walked from my inn to a coffee shop around the corner called Swank. Great coffee and they also sold all sorts of creations from local artists.

Since it was the last day of my tour, I decided to treat myself to a pair of earrings and chose this pair because #5 was my son’s favorite number. (I can still hear his little voice and how it sounded then, dragging out the “i” sound: fiiiiive.)

I had two school visits that went very well–attentive, polite kids who asked great questions–and then the Country Bookshop put on the nicest store event, hosting a fun trivia game that I competed in with the kids.

Walking back to my inn late that afternoon I was feeling tired, but very content because my long week of travel was coming to an end and it had really been a lot of fun. I looked at my phone and saw there was a voicemail from my editor, which seemed weird. Her message said to call her right away. She said it was good news but I was still feeling nervous–I don’t know why, but I was. It took me by complete surprise when she told me the Book Scavenger paperback had debuted at #2 on the New York Times Bestseller list.

I couldn’t believe it! Honestly, it’s a year later and I still can’t quite believe it. I called my husband, I called my mom. I walked back to the bookstore to tell Angie Tally, the owner, but they were closed so I took a selfie in front of their store window display.

I celebrated with a nice meal, got some mint ice cream to go (which tasted just like Baskin Robbins’ mint, even though it wasn’t Baskin Robbins’ mint, which seemed like a magical coincidence since that is my most favorite ice cream and probably the first thing I would choose to celebrate a special occasion with).

I sat on the patio at the Jefferson Inn with my ice cream and a good book and enjoyed the spring evening and live music and marveled at what an amazingly great day it had been. To add to the magic of it all–guess how many weeks Book Scavenger stayed on the bestseller list last summer? Fiiiiiiive.

In case you missed it:

Looking Back #16: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Ferry Building

Looking Back #19: Musical Cryptogram

Looking Back #19: Musical Cryptogram!

I’m counting down to the publication of The Unbreakable Code with highlights from the past two years since Book Scavenger was published. So much has happened in such a short time, and I’ve been so busy trying to keep up, that I’ve neglected to share many of the big and small moments. So here we go, in no particular order . . .

* * *

Did you know your name could be put to music? At the Youth One Book One Denver launch party different organizations shared fun activities related to Book Scavenger. From the Colorado Symphony I learned that famous composers like Bach “sign” their musical themes by encoding their name with musical notes. Here is a video of my “Jennifer” theme music:

Isn’t that cool? Here is the worksheet they gave out that explains how it works. If you know how to read and play music, or know someone who does, you can listen to your own name as well.

In case you missed it:

Looking Back #16: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Ferry Building