Florida Kids Heart Authors is Expanding!

WOW! With only a few weeks to get the word out and prepare for this exciting and unique Valentine's Day event, I'm receiving e-mails about more authors joining the FLORIDA KIDS HEART AUTHORS DAY! (see below for schedule)

Publicity has been printed in Children's Publisher's Weekly, American Horse Publications and local newspapers plus online sites like Book Tour: http://booktour.com/author/sharon_miner

The purpose is to promote reading, children's books and independent bookstores. All the authors will be signing from 10 am until noon on February 14, 2009. There will be readings & signings, free face painting and bookmarks, and dramatic presentations in Florida!

There will be 3 authors now in Ocala at Baroni's Twice Read Tales and one in Jacksonville. May hear from a few more soon, so keep checking this site!

SCHEDULE 10 am - noon:

In Ocala at Baroni's - Readings & Signings by:

Sharon Miner, Beloved Horses series, mystery novels for middle grade & YA and Woogie's Travels dog book for Beginner Readers. Will give out bookmarks and horse stickers, and do horsey face painting!

Neal Tiffany, Bachelor Father Pioneer (memoir of raising an adopted boy), Will give out Valentine Candy!

Henry Grady, The Coin (suspense novel set in Florida)

In Jacksonville, Location TBA:

Nancy H. Murray, Gullah, The Nawleans Cat Meets Katrina, children's book. Visit: http://www.gullahmeetskatrina.com/, Will give a reading, with dramatic presentation of book.

You can learn more about their books on Amazon.com!

Visit a bookstore on Valentine's Day! Updated 1/22

Mark your calendars: Febraury 14, 2009 is Kids Heart Authors Day! Children's authors from New England to Florida are banding together to promote reading, children's books and independent bookstores. Visit the New England Blog at http://www.kidsheartauthors.com/

Florida Kids Heart Authors has joined the campaign. I'll be at the Baroni's Twice Read Tales Bookstore in Ocala (Six Gun Plaza on Rt. 40) from 10 am until noon. I'll be doing free face painting, readings from my BELOVED HORSES SERIES and signings. Read about the books & Search Inside at Amazon.com. Visit the book store site at http://www.twicereadtales.com/webic2/

UPDATE!! Local author, Neal Tiffany, will be joining me as well! His book, BACHELOR FATHER PIONEER, is about his journey to adopt a boy and Neal was one of the first bachelor fathers to do so. It's a great story and shares how a family can be non-traditional in form. Visit http://www.authorsden.com/nealtiffany

Another Florida children' s author, Nancy H. Murray, of Jacksonville, Florida, will also be participating. learn more about her book, GULLAH, THE NAWLEANS CAT MEETS KATRINA, at http://www.gullahmeetskatrina.com/, She'll offer a reading, with a dramatic presentation of the book. Store TBA. Nancy won First Place in the Roya Palms Literary Award for unpublished novel: The Night the Elephants Cried - A Story of the Tsunami. Contact her for more info at author@gullahmeetskatrina.com

I'll be adding more authors as they contact me! Keep checking back!

Florida Kids "Heart" Authors on Valentine's Day!

New England children's authors I know through Society of Children's Books Writers & Illustrators are holding a great marketing event on Valentine's Day. They are teaming with independent bookstores to hold signings at the same time all over the region. Visit: http://www.kidsheartauthors.com/

I'd love to set up a similar event in Florida. I even have the New England group's permission to follow their idea & have friendly links to each other.

Please e-mail me at sharonminer@yahoo.com to sign up & I'll start a Blog on it. I couldn't believe how quickly the northern stores signed up for it - from less than ten when I first learned to 23 shops today! They were even written up in the children's edition of Publisher's Weekly!

Let's promote literacy, encourage kids to read, support the “Indies” and sell some of our books!

All I need is your name, hometown, a book or series title, your URL & contact info, which bookstore will host you & their contact info (you need to set that up, maybe at your local shop or a favorite one) and if you will offer anything else besides a book signing. Such as: face painting, arts & craft project, reading, refreshments, brief talk etc.

Get those creative juices flowing and let’s inspire the youngsters!

Happy New Year!