Our First Blog-Winner

It's a brand new day. If you look out my window you'd be tempted to play the Carpenter's classic, "Rainy Days & Mondays" but today I'm in charge of my own barometer. I eagerly jumped from bed to get started on this day and it's unique opportunities. It's really amazing to me that due to Facebook, I suddenly have blog-followers..... Good morning, friends!! Pictured above is the first recipient of my blog-follower contest. Meet seven year old Emily, beloved grand-daughter of Sherry. (I've snatched up these two photos from Sherry's FB page to share with you.) This family is 'following' my little diary -- all the way from Oklahoma. Do you just love it?

How awesome to have a reading seven year old join my fanclub! I think you can see from Emily's smile in the first picture that she thinks it's pretty sweet to have a personalized book from an author/illustrator. It's a thrill to me that my work can travel across the country and land in the lap of a mature reader.

As of this minute we are up to a little FB follower-tribe of 86. Here's the most amazing part. There are now actually people 'following' our little steam engiene who I'm neither related to, nor have I met at conferences, nor are they BCO members. OMGoodness. Actual "followers" from the big cyber world!! My widget shows me that some of you have sent followers from your family & circle of friends. Oh happy day!! Oh happy day and an enormous thank you!!

In my thirteen years of music-lady travels, I've received such 'wonderful' support & feedback from those who meet me @ schools & libraries & conferences. People fall in love with my little ditties when they hear them, but for 13 years I'm scratched my brain about how to get my work 'out there' into the bigger world with my non-existant budget and even less existant skills for marketing. Word of mouth apparently only takes you so far. Wouldn't it be wild and crazy if FB's NetWorkedBlogs ap brought me a little further into the light of day??

This is year number fourteen of travels and it promises some brand new potential and that's exciting. The next drawing will be when we reach 113 followers. There's plenty of time to get your family & friends entered. I am now #18 of FB's top 50 blogs with the subject: children. I'm looking for the light of day. Your 'following' me could quite possibly boost me onto someone else's radar screen. Did I say thanks??