by jphilo | Jun 3, 2022 | See Jane Run!
See Jane and Jolene saying ay yai yai yai yai? Do you know why they’re saying it? Because the release date for See Jane Run! is only days away.
Jolene’s not sure she’s ready to hear from people who don’t like her baby.
Jane’s not sure she’s ready for people to get to know her.
As a result, they’ve resorted to making faces at each other while fiddling with their glasses.
Juvenile behaviors to be sure.
Or maybe nervous habits.
Whatever the case, there’s only one thing to say about the situation…ay yai yai yai yai!
by jphilo | May 26, 2022 | See Jane Run!
The See Jane Run! release countdown continues! The June 7 release date is less than 2 weeks away, a fact that fills me with equal parts of delight and dread.
Delight in my book baby’s entrance into the world. Dread of all to be done before, on, and after Book Baby’s birth. These are familiar emotions to parents experiences awaiting the arrival of their human or literary offspring. For those of you who would like to be part of the birth plan, here are some things you can do:
- Pre-order See Jane Run! on Amazon through June 6. Pre-orders are a big deal because they boost release date sales. Those sales increase the likelihood for a book to be designated as a best seller, which improves visibility. If you do pre-order, you will receive a free bonus. Instructions on how to claim your bonus can be found here.
- Write an Amazon review when you finish reading See Jane Run! Amazon grants greater visibility to books with 50 reviews and yet greater visibility after 100 reviews. Every review adds to that total, whether it is posted a day or a year after the book releases. So thanks to everyone who reads the book, then writes and posts an honest review whenever you can. I truly appreciate your efforts.
- Come to the book launch party on June 18 at The Chocolaterie Stam (230 Main St, Ames, Iowa 50010). There’s going to be live fiddle music, an author reading, a question and answer time, door prizes, and yummy chocolates and gelato available for purchase at The Stam. Print copies of See Jane Run! will also be for sale at my book table. Those who purchased print copies through Amazon can bring them to be signed, too.
For those of you who live too far away to attend the party, more fun is on the way! The launch party for the second book in the series, See Jane Sing!, will be held in August during the Harding County Fair in Camp Crook, South Dakota. Also, a virtual launch party is in the works for See Jane Dance!, the third book which will is scheduled for release sometime in the winter of 2023. Whatever the weather, wherever you live, the virtual party is gonna happen.
by jphilo | Sep 11, 2015 | Family
A favorite post about one of the best days ever for this Fantastic Friday. Hope you enjoy the memory as much as I enjoyed that lovely day!
Yesterday morning, I was tapping away at my computer when the doorbell rang. Surprised, I headed for the kitchen and spied the Hy-Vee floral delivery truck. “That’s weird,” I thought. “Who would send flowers to me?”
The friendly Hy-Vee delivery man waited at the door. “Does Jolene Philo live here?” he asked.
“That’s me.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Special day for you, is it?”
I thought a minute – no birthday, no anniversary, no windfall on Wall Street – before it hit me. “Well, my first book is being released today.”
“Congratulations!” He held up a finger. “I’ll be back in a minute.” And he was, carrying a huge balloon bouquet up our rather long sidewalk.
I went partway to meet him. “Thank you so much.”
Then, as I grabbed the bouquet and turned toward the house, he held up a finger. “We’re not done yet,” he said.
Surprised, I hurried into the house, set down the bouquet and ran outside in time to meet him halfway down the sidewalk and grab the second bouquet. “Thank you so much.”
He held up a finger. “We’re not done yet,” he said and headed for the truck.
By the time we were done yet, the two of us had met our exercise quota for the day, and he’d delivered five very large balloon bouquets from Mom, my sister’s family, my brother’s family, and my Le Mars relatives. The kitchen was full to bursting, and having seen the Pixar movie Up not to long ago, I was a little bit worried. (How come my son didn’t have “house uprooted by helium balloons” on his worry list Sunday night?)
But I was more flabbergasted than worried. See, I don’t come from a gifty family. Now, we’re darn good at birthday cakes, because birthday cakes are dessert and our family is exceptionally gifted at consuming desserts. And over the years, we’ve gotten better at saying “I love you,” sending birthday cards, and the occasional hug. On the other hand, no one will ever engrave “Our beloved celebrated special events with hoopla and flair” on our tombstones.
So I stood in the kitchen for a long time staring at the balloons and wondering what on earth possessed them to spend money so frivolously and where on earth I will put the bouquets this weekend when the rellies – Mom, sister, nephew, brother’s family, uncle and aunt, cousins and their families and my kids – arrive for our Labor Day Reunion weekend.
And then, gone giddy with the scent of latex, Mylar, and slowly leaking helium, I lost my head and did a little happy dance. What else can a girl do when her family says, “We love you?”
by jphilo | Aug 17, 2015 | Book Updates
The advance copies of my newest baby book, Does My Child Have PTSD? What to Do When Your Child Is Hurting from the Inside Out have arrived. As you can tell from the picture, meeting this 9″ X 6″, 186 page, soft-covered beauty made me very, very happy.
But I feel a little guilty about its arrival, too. Since it’s the third baby book to arrive in less than a year, the poor little tyke didn’t receive the undivided attention my firstborn book did. Truth be told, the box sat on the dining room table for three days before I got around to opening it. Then it received only a cursory once over and didn’t have an in-the-box picture taken for two more days.
I keep meaning to do a happy dance, but taking care of the other four kids blogging about and marketing my other four books keeps distracting me. And to add insult to injury, this baby can’t go out in public for two more months the official release date won’t arrive for two more months, though it can be pre-ordered on Amazon now.
In addition to feeling guilty about the lack of attention the new baby book has received, I’m consumed by worry. Because, as the book makes clear, neglect can be very traumatic for children. So I’m not even practicing what I preach to other parents.
Therefore, I am taking steps to rectify the situation. Step one is to make regular eye contact with the baby book, so it learns to trust its mother author.
Step two will be to sit down with the baby book on my lap and read it from cover to cover as soon as time allows. Because as I also learned during my pregnancy during my researching and writing, babies and very young children who have experienced trauma can experience great healing when they have a loving and consistent primary caregiver to provide security and reassurance.
Which means that in the next few months, given a choice between spending time with our three grandchildren, all under the age of three, and reading or marketing my latest bouncing baby book, I’ll choose the grandkids every single time.
by jphilo | Sep 2, 2009 | Family
Yesterday morning, I was tapping away at my computer when the doorbell rang. Surprised, I headed for the kitchen and spied the Hy-Vee floral delivery truck. “That’s weird,” I thought. “Who would send flowers to me?”
The friendly Hy-Vee delivery man waited at the door. “Does Jolene Philo live here?” he asked.
“That’s me.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Special day for you, is it?”
I thought a minute – no birthday, no anniversary, no windfall on Wall Street – before it hit me. “Well, my first book is being released today.”
“Congratulations!” He held up a finger. “I’ll be back in a minute.” And he was, carrying a huge balloon bouquet up our rather long sidewalk.
I went partway to meet him. “Thank you so much.”
Then, as I grabbed the bouquet and turned toward the house, he held up a finger. “We’re not done yet,” he said.
Surprised, I hurried into the house, set down the bouquet and ran outside in time to meet him halfway down the sidewalk and grab the second bouquet. “Thank you so much.”
He held up a finger. “We’re not done yet,” he said and headed for the truck.
By the time we were done yet, the two of us had met our exercise quota for the day, and he’d delivered five very large balloon bouquets from Mom, my sister’s family, my brother’s family, and my Le Mars relative. The kitchen was full to bursting, and having seen the Pixar movie Up not to long ago, I was a little bit worried. (How come my son didn’t have “house uprooted by helium balloons” on his worry list Sunday night?)
But I was more flabbergasted than worried. See, I don’t come from a gifty family. Now, we’re darn good at birthday cakes, because birthday cakes are dessert and our family is exceptionally gifted at consuming desserts. And over the years, we’ve gotten better at saying “I love you,” sending birthday cards, and the occasional hug. On the other hand, no one will ever engrave “Our beloved celebrated special events with hoopla and flair” on our tombstones.
So I stood in the kitchen for a long time staring at the balloons and wondering what on earth possessed them to spend money so frivolously and where on earth I will put the bouquets this weekend when the rellies – Mom, sister, nephew, brother’s family, uncle and aunt, cousins and their families and my kids – arrive for our Labor Day Reunion weekend.
And then, gone giddy with the scent of latex, Mylar, and slowly leaking helium, I lost my head and did a little happy dance. What else can a girl do when her family says, “We love you?”
