Category: Holidays (Page 4 of 13)

A Fall of Events and Writing in Pictures

December 4, 2018 / Katie L. Carroll

Okay, so it’s been a crazy busy fall here. Bookish events abounded; I added over 10,000 words to ELIXIR SAVED in November (so close to finishing this draft finally and really pushing to make my end of year deadline on it); and lots of soccer, school things, and fun stuff with the boys. Now that December is here, the craziness of the holiday season had already started.

So it’s a picture post! (From top to bottom: A book signing event at Barnes & Noble, the boys playing in the driveway, Halloween cookies, Halloween night, writing workshop for kids at the Norwalk Public Library, voting on Election Day, One City One Story event at the Milford Public Library, the two older boys reading PIRATE ISLAND in the green screen pirate ship at the One City One Story event, and a snowy Mark Twain House for the New England SCBWI Day of Craft.) Pop down to the comments and share what you all have been up to.

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year

December 25, 2017 / Katie L. Carroll

Happy holidays and a very happy New Year from my family to yours. See you in 2018!

Fall 2017 in Pictures and Looking Toward 2018

December 20, 2017 / Katie L. Carroll

The hustle and bustle of the season is in full swing here at chateau Carroll. The boys have been making out their Christmas lists for Santa, we’ve been baking, and I’ve been fitting in a few words here and there on Elixir Saved. So that means it’s time for a picture post!

But before we get to that, I’ve been thinking about what I’ll be blogging about next year. I’d like take some time to feature some books and authors I’ve been enjoying, but in a way I haven’t done before on the Observation Desk. I also haven’t officially introduced The Gentleman here on the blog, though he’s now 5 months old (sorry third kiddo!). So I might try and get a feature on his birth story up here, ya know, before his first birthday. 😉 I have some fun news in the works that I’ll be sharing soon. And I think I’d like to talk more about creativity in 2018, particularly as it fits into my life as a writer/mom.

And now to look back on fall:

Happy Turkey Day

November 23, 2017 / Katie L. Carroll

The boys and I drove by a rafter of turkeys (yup, a group of turkeys is called a “rafter”…I looked it up and everything) the other day. We like to open the windows and gobble at them to see if they will gobble back (which they often do!). Since it was so close to Thanksgiving, we decided to yell at them to be careful cause we all know what happens to turkeys on Turkey Day! Happy Thanksgiving to all those who celebrate.

Celebrating International Talk Like A Pirate Day

September 19, 2017 / Katie L. Carroll

September 19 is International Talk Like a Pirate Day (see the origins of this auspicious occasion here)! With a book called PIRATE ISLAND coming out in less than a month (Eeeek! Less than a month!) was there any doubt that I’d be celebrating?

Billy, the main character in PIRATE ISLAND, and his best friend, Andy, naturally enjoy talking like pirates. Andy even has a book that tells you how to talk like a pirate (and, I might also have a book like that as well–it’s called The Pirate Primer 😉 ).

For your entertainment, here are some of Billy’s and Andy’s favorite pirate talk and insults:

Get yeeself to the poop deck and fetch me some grog.

I’ll squeeze yer squeezy cheese-head off yer body.

There is more of life in me little finger than in all yee carcass.

Yee be a bilge-sucking, cutthroat tarrmagant.

Why don’t ya use yarr swivel-tongued mouth ter scrape thee barnacles off thee poop deck.

Yarr a hen-hearted curmudgeon.

And finally here’s a lovely toast from Billy himself:

To success on arr ventures. To fortunate preeceedin’s an’ gooder friendship. Let us drain a garrblet, clink cannerkin an’ toss a pot ter thar great makees of Chinese grub. Drink arrp, me hearties, yo ho!

Happy International Talk Like Pirate Day! Arrrgghh!