Once again, thank you IBPA for awarding me a scholarship! Attending the conference on April 3-7 in Chicago was an enriching experience. 

Watch this book review of Jaxon! He nailed it again! This boy is a pleasure to watch as he gives a great review on Michael H. Lester's first children's book. According to his grandma, Carol Raisfeld, he doesn't like being coached on what to say. 

This book by Michael H. Lester is the second non-self published book that Purple Cotton Candy Book Arts has published. I'm so proud of this book because the author and I really worked hard to make it as perfect as we wanted it to be. Of course, nothing really is perfect. There is always something we could have done better. Just like in launching the book there were two things that I overlooked:
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1.) Make sure that the book launch event on Facebook is "public" and not "private". Whenever I asked someone to check out the link to the book launch event, I am sometimes told that he/she couldn't view anything. Why? Because he/she was not invited. If your event was made "public", this would never be a problem. 
2) Speaking of invitation, you are only allowed to invite 500 people. Make sure that you invite first the people who you think will attend.
For more tips, I have a post here on my website that talks about how to launch a book event on Facebook.

Here's the poster I made to advertise the book launch. 

Hosting the book launch online was fun. I believe it was a success! We got the exposure we needed and Michael had a few sales. Well, even if he only had a few, I think just people knowing that he has a children's book out there and that I collaborated with him through my imprint Purple Cotton Candy Arts is already a marketing investment. Because of the online book launch, I had an inquiry and a possible book publishing contract. 

I think  56 attendees is not bad at all!

I managed to come up with 30 engaging posts to keep the guests glued to the event, two of which are the most favorites - the book trailer that I created and the most-awaited interview with Michael H. Lester.

I hope you enjoy this book trailer!

Below, you will be able to watch me with Michael, my first time as an interviewer in front of a camera. This video was taken the night before the online book launch. 

If you missed the LIVE book reading of Zoobooloo: With Filipino Translation on Facebook, you can watch it here ~ ​

I am so grateful to my brother Perry Villa for providing these awesome banner and balloons for me. I showed a sample of how I wanted them to be and he did more than enough. Thank you so much to Andrea Villa, my niece, for making the banner more appealing and visible! It felt so good to have my family supporting me. ​

These are pictures of my brother Perry Villa, my sister-in-law Luchi Villa, my niece Andrea Villa, and my two best friends Dianna Olegario and Lene Adiova. They were my fantastic volunteers during the event!

Included in the pictures below are my other volunteer and former schoolmate Ruby Torres and the staff of U!Happy Events. If you need help with organizing your events, this non-profit organization will do a superb job for you. All you have to do is fill up their form "Create You Own Event" and the rest is worry-free! My event is posted here on their website - http://uhappyevents.com/ate-christine-celebrates-with-nicanor-elementary-school/​

These moments warmed my heart! The best part was knowing that they appreciate me sharing some time with them. 

​Thank you so much to EVERYONE who supported my project, Help Chrissi Educate Filipino Kids! https://www.gofundme.com/help-chrissi-educate-filipino-kids Thank you for trusting me and believing in me. This would not have been possible without your help. I want all of you to know that you had made so many kids at the Nicanor P. Garcia Elementary school very happy. I'm sure this was also an amazing and an unforgettable experience to them. Thank you so much to my family - Villas, Gallaghers, Reyeses, and the Quisumbings. U! Happy Events, you are simply awesome! U! God bless you all! Thank you so much Lester Gallagher, Donna Gunst-Musselman, Sonja Wilke, Perry Villa, Luchi Gopez-Villa, Andrea Villa, Inna Villa, Shloka Shankar, Elizabeth Alford, Maria Montecillo, Jocelyn Reyes, Ed Bremson, Debbie Strange, Katrina Lim Quisumbing, Hazel Phillips, Manny Reyes (Claire Reyes), Carol Raisfeld, Terri Hale French, Tia Haynes, David John Terelinck, Susan Furst, Susan Burch, Paresh Tiwari, Adelaide Shaw, Kirsten Cliff Elliot, Paul David Mena, Gillena Cox, Ruth Aniceto-Lim, Charu Asperin, Martha Magenta, Pat Geyer, Laura Davis, Michael H. Lester, Claire Vogel Camargo, Kathabela Wilson, Paul R. Berger (Jane Berger), Beth Reyes-Quismundo, Olegario Dianne, Lene Adiova, Ruby Teresa Torres, Kathrina Iris, U! Happy Events, the kids of Eskwela Natin (to whom I am have dedicated the book) and many others!

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: As the founder of Purple Cotton Candy Arts (www.purplecottoncandyarts.com), I am proud to announce the publication of my first non-self published book, a picture book written by Alena Hansen.
In celebration of her first book, I am happy to give away two copies of her book. All you have to do is leave a comment here or on the Purple Cotton Candy Arts Facebook page. 

https://www.facebook.com/purplecottoncandyarts/?ref=settings

Two most responsive winners will be picked on Christmas day!

Alena Hansen's book is available on Amazon here.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1732989702/ref=sr_1_1?s=amazon-devices&ie=UTF8&qid=1545452213&sr=8-1&keywords=alena+hansen
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Enjoy the book trailer!

I am so blessed! I thank the Lord every day for paving the way to a more professional publishing business. Last December 12, I received an email that I've been awarded the NORTHERN CALIFORNIA PUBLISHERS & AUTHORS’ affiliate scholarship to attend the Independent Book Publishers Association's (IBPA's) Publishing University 2019! I'm attending the conference in Chicago in April 2019!!! I thank the Lord every day for paving the way to a more professional publishing business. 

I am so honored and grateful to see my name among other more accomplished authors and publishers. Here are all the winners of the 2019 IBPA Publishing University and their short bios.  https://www.publishinguniversity.org/scholarship

My short bio:

Christine L. Villa (www.christinevilla.com) is the founder of Purple Cotton Candy Arts. What started out as a small business to explore her creativity in the field of arts and crafts, later expanded into self-publishing her children’s picture books. As a graduate of one of the courses offered by the Institute of Children’s Literature, “Writing for Children and Teenagers (2010),” she has been inspired to write for children and pursue her dream of publishing. Christine has published eight children’s book titles since 2014, one of which won first place in the 2018 edition of the Northern California Publishers and Authors (NCPA) Book Award Competition.

If she is not busy attending NCPA meetings and speaker presentations, she is immersed in her duties as social media director, webmaster, and photographer of the group. Recently, Purple Cotton Candy Arts started offering publishing services to other aspiring children’s authors and publishers, so her days are also filled with tasks such as editing, collaborating with illustrators, and creating eye-catching book trailers. 

Aside from being a recognized children’s writer, Christine is also a gifted poet. Her passion for haiku and tanka writing has resulted in the publication of her work in some of the most renowned online and print journals worldwide, has garnered her a few awards, and has seen her bring out her debut full-length collection of Japanese short-form poetry entitled The Bluebird’s Cry. She is the founding editor of Frameless Sky—the very first DVD haiku and tanka video journal that is a collaboration of art, poetry, and music. In early 2019, she is set to launch a haiku book by another author under her own imprint, Velvet Dusk Publishing.

​Christine is looking forward to attending the IBPA Publishing University in order to network with others who are also learning the ropes of the publishing business. She is grateful for the opportunity to personally get her questions answered by experts and to learn valuable tips on developing concrete marketing plans.
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​​Christine Villa accepts the IBPA Publishing University Scholarship on behalf of Northern California Publishers & Author

From October to December, I enjoyed being a vendor in some of the crafts fairs in Sacramento and other nearby places. My greatest joy was when I knew my books were going home to a child's heart. Here are the pictures that I took during the craft fairs. 

Annual Craft Boutique and Bake Sale by Grace Church

Vine St. Mercantile by St. Rose of Lima 

Arts & Crafts Festival at Elks Lodge, Riverside Blvd.

Annual Arts and Craft Fair at Rusch Park Community Center

Blacktop Theater, Rocklin 

These two pictures were not at a craft fair. These were my last book sales of the year made during the Author Display of NCPA at Denny's, Auburn Blvd. 

I didn't expect to receive a bunch of thank you letters this afternoon. I was over the moon! I couldn't believe how much I had inspired so many of the students. I'm ecstatic that I had also helped them in their story writing. I will treasure these forever!

When I was invited on short notice to visit Grant Union High School as a guest speaker for two classrooms, I didn't hesitate at all. I thought it was my chance as a children's writer to stand in front of a class and inspire younger people to write their own unique story. Fortunately, it turned out to be a very memorable experience. As a first timer, I managed to pluck up the courage to present to teenagers who did not expect me to just read one of my stories to them. I came more prepared equipped with my past experiences and with some knowledge that I learned from the writing course that I took a few years ago. While sharing with the 9th graders my writing and self-publishing journey, I was able to give them some tips on how to write a good children's story and how to self-publish their books if they decide to choose that route.
Did they learn anything? I hope so. Because it was a requirement to attend the class, most of them seemed bored or forced to sit through a 50-minute presentation. It was a challenge to keep talking in front of an unresponsive class, but I appreciated those who showed interest, those who nodded, smiled, or who asked questions and seemed curious about the subject matter at hand. I kept telling myself that If I had inspired just one student, my efforts were all worthwhile.