Thank you, BookFest!

Posted on May 15, 2015 by Catherine Austen

It was a pleasure to be part of the 29th annual Vancouver Island Children’s Book Festival this year. I met hundreds of young readers at schools and libraries in the Nanaimo area during a week-long author tour that culminated in BookFest on May 2nd: a day-long celebration of children’s literature in which I joined with ten other authors and illustrators, along with drummers, puppeteers, face painters, booksellers, volunteers, parents, and kids of all ages. (Check it out on the BookFest website.)

So why did it take me two weeks to blog my thanks? Because I ended my BookFestivities with a three-hour drive to Tofino, where I went hiking, boating, sea kayaking, strolling on beaches, photographing starfish, annoying sandpipers, eating, drinking, and being merry and enjoying this view from my room at the Long Beach Lodge:

The Pacific Ocean as viewed from bed. — The Pacific Ocean at sunset as viewed from bed.

It took a while for a central Canadian like me to descend from that heavenly landscape and consider something like blogging as being worth one moment of precious life on this beautiful planet. (Meaning that, as it was a sunny 28 degrees celsius when I got home, I didn’t feel like working.) But now the VISA bill has arrived so it’s back to business. I have an annual report to write, a novel to submit, and a new middle-grade comedy to plan. So yeah, I should go write something now.

But thanks for such a wonderful time on the west coast!

That’s all for this Friday. Have a great weekend.