#Armchairbea Day One-Introduction

Waving hello from Alberta. Hmmm, I really do look like a crazy 

library lady!

Hi all! Happy first day of #armchairbea. Wish we could all be there, lining up for book signings, attending sessions, gathering arcs, meeting up with each other, meeting long time online friends in person...BUT...how cool is this? Pretty darn cool that our fellow lovers of books and reading came up with the awesome that is Arm Chair Bea and I swear every year it just gets better. Now with that said, here is my intro:






Please tell us a little bit about yourself: Who are you? How long have you been blogging? Why did you get into blogging?  

I am a former public library youth services assistant manager, ECE teacher (daycare), afterschool care co-ordinator who is starting up a new job as a librarian for a k-3 school in Fort MacLeod, Canada. I'm also a professional storyteller with a non-fiction mg book about Russia coming out sometime this year. I live and breath bringing kids into the world of life long learning. That is what got me into blogging. Love talking books, mg in particular. That will be expanding when I start a new blog to go with being in the division one library, thinking "They Call Me Mrs. Marshall" or something like that. I have been blogging for almost two years.

Where in the world are you blogging from? Tell a random fact or something special about your current location. 

I am blogging from the teeny weeny town of Granum AB. Random fact is that we live in an old Catholic church we are renovating...AND...on Sunday I told my husband who is a carpenter that it would be cool to read and write in a treehouse and guess what? He said he will build me one in the huge poplar tree we have in the yard. EEK!

Have you previously participated in Armchair BEA? What brought you back for another year? If you have not previously participated, what drew you to the event? 

I have participated in one, followed along with others. The only reason I didn't join up the other times was that I was pretty busy and honestly, too shy. 

What are you currently reading, or what is your favorite book you have read so far in 2013? 

Currently reading a middle grade by Jacqueline West called The Shadows. It is book one of the Books of Elsewhere. Two books (cheater, I know!) I just added to my 2013 favorite reads are The Farwalker's Quest by Joni Sensil (man, that is some serious good MG Fantasy) and Navigating Early by Clair Vanderpool.

Tell us one non-book-related thing that everyone reading your blog may not know about you. 

I used to play bassoon, guitar and piano...all at the same time! Okay, not really. But I did play them.

Name your favorite blog(s) and explain why they are your favorite(s). 

Oh my gosh. I have many. I am going to say the blogs of all my Marvelous Middle Grade Monday Peeps (see link above) and of those I especially love Ms. Yingling Reads because of her solid and honest reviews that include her thoughts on how her students receive or will receive the books she reads. Andrea Mack's That's Another Story because of her booktalks and her posts on writing, Betsy Bird's A Fuse # 8 Production, because of its depth on children book reviews and her Sunday features and I could go on. And on and will say that any of the blogs I follow, I follow because they are good at what they do and they keep me informed and inspired to read, write and share...

Which is your favorite post that you have written that you want everyone to read? 

You know, one of my favorites is a post I did for Tuesday Tales (a feature that will be part of my new librarian me blog). It took me a looooong time to just put my face out there and just dooooo it. It is not the first post I did, but the second and it is one of my all time favorite stories to perform in front of a group of kids. It's for kids, teachers, anyone who loves story and I 'd love for you to listen or read it and get on out there and tell it too! Here it the LINK!

If you could eat dinner with any author or character, who would it be and why? 

Anne of Green Gables because I think she is the most awesome, funny, dramatic character I ever did meet. We will not drink Rasberry Cordial.

What literary location would you most like to visit? Why? 

I would love to go to where the Bronte Sisters lived--growing up and in university I was fascinated with them. Hmmm, they would be all kinds of cool to have lunch with too.

What is your favorite part about the book blogging community? 

Without a doubt the passion and commitment to sharing their love of books and reading.

Is there anything that you would like to see change in the coming years? 

Nothing comes to mind...oh...how about a chat room session or opportunities to connect via skype of a webinar of some sort? Not sure if the size of our community of BEA-er's would make that kind of impossible. 

Ta for now all. Enjoy your first day!