I’m not much for resolutions, but this year felt different. I’m looking forward to a productive writing year and hope you all have productive years as well. In that spirit, here is a poem I wrote in 2017 describing my writing resolution for the new year. It feels all the more needed for the world … More Happy New Year to all of Poetry Friday!

For the holiday season this year, I wanted to share my “Christmas Crab” poem, in hopes of bringing a little joy to the world with these beautiful, colorful crabs! Though this year has been grim, there is still much in the world to celebrate, such as Christmas Crabs performing their mating rituals uninterrupted. I look … More Happy Holidays to all my Readers!

Thanks to GoodReads with Ronna for a fabulous review! Ronna says: “…a greedy gator gobbles a bellyful of animals…and readers get the belly laughs.” In addition, she goes on…“You know that fab feeling you get when you hear a good joke and notice the corners of your mouth pushing out a huge smile? Well that’s … More Great Review from GoodReads with Ronna

Maria had this to say about why she liked the book: This is a fun, regional tweaking of the well-known fable/tale “There Was An Old Woman Who Swallowed A Fly.” In addition to the gator, all the poor swallowed animals are from Florida. David’s fun illustrations increase the humor of BJ’s rhyme. Especially the cut-away … More Blog Tour Stop #10: Perfect Picture Book Wednesday with Maria Marshall

Thank you to News15 for choosing There Was An Old Gator Who Swallowed a Moth as their KidLit Pick of the week! They celebrated on air with my book, some yummy Gator Pie, and a visit from a live baby gator! Here’s why they loved the book: In this cute picture book, a hungry gator … More Gator is KidLit Pick of the Week!

Want the lowdown on all the publishing details of THERE WAS AN OLD GATOR WHO SWALLOWED A MOTH? Join me today on Tuesday Debut with Susanna Leonard Hill, where she asks all the hard questions about royalties, publication timeline, advance, author copies, editorial process, art notes, reviews, marketing and promotion, etc. Click here to visit … More Blog Tour Stop #9 – Tuesday Debut with Susanna Leonard Hill

Join me on Vivian Kirkfield’s Perfect Picture Book Friday for a wonderful review, interview, giveaway, and delightful alligator craft. Vivian is away on her world tour of New Zealand, Australia and Europe, but she managed to do this post while embarked on her great adventure. Click here to visit Vivian’s blog

Here are some more pictures from the book launch of There Was an Old Gator Who Swallowed a Moth, hosted by Tombolo Books at Boyd Hill Nature Preserve March 10th. I was lucky enough to have the illustrator David Opie attend, and we did a joint book launch presentation, which included signing, reading, drawing, Q&A … More Gator Day Book Launch Pictures

Today I had the pleasure of joining Kirby Larson on her blog Friend Friday. I had fun discussing the non-fiction aspects of my fictional picture book, There Was an Old Gator Who Swallowed a Moth, and revealing why my book is not called There Was an Old Gator Who Swallowed a Skeeter. Click here to visit … More Blog Tour Stop #7 – Kirby Larson

On Sunday, March 10, Illustrator David Opie and I launched our book at Boyd Hill Nature Preserve in St. Petersburg, Florida, hosted by Tombolo Books. We had a lot of fun presenting our book, There Was an Old Gator Who Swallowed a Moth, reading, drawing, signing books, Q&A, and raffling off prizes. Thank you also to … More Gator Day Book Launch