Two more days until the arrival of Eve on bookshelves.  It feels a bit surreal.  It’s a little like hanging your laundry out to dry, and having people comment on the type of underwear you wear.  Indeed, I’m guessing this is how artists of all mediums feel–a little exposed, a little vulnerable.  But, as I’ve stated before, I know that not everyone will like the way I’ve told the story, and that’s all right.  I’ve told it from my heart, and there’s just no other way I could have done it.  Certainly, Eve might have been different if I had written it ten years down the line.  But isn’t that the way it is with life?  You can only do what you can do–at a certain point in time.

Update: two more great reviews from Library Journal and MN Daily (University of Minnesota’s newspaper).  You can read these on the Media page.

Whizzing on to better things.  Today, Dan and I took Liliana to The Current’s Rock the Cradle event (you can view details here), put on by MPR, The Children’s Theatre Company, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, MacPhail Center for Music, and Whole Foods.  We got there early and picked up tickets to a 3 and under story-song performance by Sara Waters (which was fabulous!).  While waiting for the theater doors to open, we danced on the Kid’s Disco floor, complete with hanging disco ball and twinkling lights and a rotating selection of The Current’s DJs’ songs.  And let me tell you, the music was tailored so that moms and dads could get down, too.  No Raffi here.

There was a musical instrument petting zoo (try them all!), a HUGE room for storytelling with a HUGE screen for illustrations, live music concerts–everything a music aficionado would love, and that’s our daughter to a T.

She even begged to go through some of the halls of paintings, which surprised both of us (isn’t this art-loving thing supposed to be later in her illustrious childhood?).  But she went from painting to painting, making facial expressions which fit the mood of the piece.  There was one particular painting that was in the modern hall–a cubist painting of a man and a woman that was difficult to make out.  She studied it for a minute, then said, “Broken.”  “Yes,” I said.  “It does look like it’s broken, huh?  Lots of pieces jumbled together.”  Then she said, “Naked,” and pointed to the woman.  Yes siree, Bob, she was!  Then Dan asked, “Is the man naked?”  And she said, “No,” like couldn’t Dan see that he wasn’t?  The man was in a suit.  For crying out loud, could it get more gratuitous than that?  Ha, ha.

Afterwards, we hit up Hell’s Kitchen in Downtown Minneapolis, where you can get breakfast all day, down in the bowels of the city.  Excellent food and even better company.  Little L. even got a temporary tattoo of butterflies!

A happy musical day for all of us!  I hope your day was as uplifting, and if not, perhaps tomorrow, my dear readers?