Gift Store Extraordinaire!

2nd Annual Book Signing at Ma Maison

Friday, NOVEMBER 27th

10 AM – 1 PM

Near Starbucks at the corner of McBean Parkway and Valencia Boulevard.

Day after Thanksgiving on Black Friday (but there is nothing Black about Ma Maison!, possibly one of the cheeriest and brightest gift shops in the entire Santa Clarita Valley).

Ede and the ladies make this a very special event indeed.  They also bring in a selection of holiday cookies and healthy drinks for the kids.  See you there!

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Greenthumb before the SNOW!

A Second 2009 Book Signing at Greenthumb Intl. – Newhall

Friday, NOVEMBER 27th

2 – 5 PM

After signing at Ma Maison, I’ll be jumping in a sleigh to quickly fly across town to Newhall, back to a magical nursery that really transforms into Santa’s SoCal workshop away from the North Pole!  Thanks to Bryan and Kirki for having me back a second time this year.  With more cookies and cider than you could possibly partake in, come and enjoy a wonderful sampling of the Christmas Season.  Signing here is really fun, so come and join us all!

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Even the Palm Fronds folded up for this Christmas event!

Four Book Fair Signings at the B&N – Valencia Location:

DECEMBER 4th (Friday)

DECEMBER 8th (Tuesday)

DECEMBER 9th (Wednesday)

DECEMBER 14th (Monday)

DECEMBER 23rd (Wednesday) – Added Date

Evenings, 5 – 8 PM

My special “Thanks” to Lori Christian for including me this year.

I’ll be happy to Personalize and Emboss all books for that special someone’s Christmas gift.  Hope to see you there.

Semper Ferians! (Always Keeping Holidays)

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The Great Mrs. Claus at

THE GREAT INDOORS

A unique book signing with author Chris A. Shoemaker and a SPECIAL APPEARANCE by Mrs. Claus herself!

Sunday, DECEMBER 6th

1 – 3 PM in the afternoon

Don’t miss this unique opportunity to meet the author and get your (and your children’s) photo with the incomparable and very delightful Mrs. Claus.

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An inviting view of this charming tea house. A great place to escape to and indulge the tastebuds!

2nd Annual Book Signing and a Special Appearance by none other than

The Great *Mrs. Claus herself!

THE TEA GARDENS

Friday, DECEMBER 20th

3 PM until Closing

Bring your camera and family for this fun event.

We had such a marvelous time last year, I just had to return.  Elda and her family run a first-rate tea house, and they have a fantastic menu that makes The Tea Gardens much more than a place for a spot of tea and a scone.

*NOTE:  This is the real Mrs. Claus that inspired the book!  You won’t want to miss her.

Mrs. Claus takes a Trolly ride in Beverly Hills. She gets around too!

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At the heart of The Valencia Town Center

The Great Mrs. Claus Book Signing at

Valencia – Borders Book Store

Saturday, DECEMBER 19th

Time:  11 AM

We are planning that I’ll read an excerpt from my book and do a signing afterwards.

The poem in the book will be fun to share with the kids.  I’ve blown up the illustrations that relate to the poem on big boards.  It’ll be my first public sharing of that.  Hope to see you soon.

The Mom’s Choice Awards® Names The Great Mrs. Claus Among Best Products of 2009

Today is a wonderful day.  Although raining in LA, the sun is shining at the North Pole!  The Great Mrs. Claus received the Mom’s Choice Gold Award and is among the best in family-friendly media, products and services of 2009.

The Mom’s Choice Awards® (MCA) is an annual awards program that recognizes authors, inventors, companies, parents and others for their efforts in creating quality family-friendly media, products and services.

Parents, educators, librarians and retailers rely on MCA evaluations when selecting quality materials for children and families. The Mom’s Choice Awards® seal helps families and educators navigate the vast array of products and services and make informed decisions.

An esteemed panel of judges includes education, media and other experts as well as parents, children, librarians, performing artists, producers, medical and business professionals, authors, scientists and others. A sampling of our panel members includes: Dr. Twila C. Liggett, ten-time Emmy-winner, professor and founder of PBS’s Reading Rainbow; Julie Aigner-Clark, Creator of Baby Einstein and The Safe Side Project; Jodee Blanco, New York Times best-selling author, Priscilla Dunstan, creator of the Dunstan Baby Language; Patricia Rossi, host of NBC’s Manners Minute; Dr. Letitia S. Wright, D.C., host of the Wright Place™ TV Show; Catherine Witcher, M.Ed., special needs expert and founder of Precision Education, Inc.; and Tara Paterson, Certified Parent Coach, founder of the Mom’s Choice Awards.

MCA judges are bound by a strict code of ethics that ensures expert and objective analysis free from any manufacturer association. The evaluation process uses a propriety methodology in which entries are scored on a number of elements including production quality, design, educational value, entertainment value, originality, appeal and cost.

Honestly, I’m thrilled!   I can’t think of a more appropriate organization to affirm the quality of The Great Mrs. Claus than mothers.  Mrs. Claus would certainly approve!  It’s a great bit of fuel to stoke the creative fires as my wife and I are in the thick of writing our follow up to “Mrs. Claus.”

Ma Maison co-owner Katie LaKamp and Chris Shoemaker

Black Friday was ushered in on what felt like a tropical breeze in Valencia, California this year.  The temperature must have hit a high of nearly 80º F!  Who could believe it was nearly December already?

Our book signing was a success with many stopping by to see what the activity was all about.   Katie and Claire set up a table outside the store (their unique way to promote anti-doorbusting I’d like to believe!) to take advantage of the beautiful weather and attention grabbing location as folks scrambled around to take advantage of the Black Friday Sales.  I met several people who attended last year’s signing and stopped to chat about the how their young ones were doing with the seek and find games in the book.

My thanks to Katie, Ede and Claire once more for setting up the signing at their expertly appointed store.  I’ll hope to swing by and perhaps do one more signing at Ma Maison if they’ll have me.

Rich Samuels, a Freshi Films colleague, joined me for a time and kept me chuckling between signings!

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I moved my book boxes across town and finished out this shopper’s day of frenzy at the Greenthumb International Nursery.  Kirki and crew were on the ball as usual, and we had a stellar day that just got busier and busier as the day wore on.  I was especially surprised by a woman who came in with 8 purchased books to sign for her friend who was out of town and could not attend the signing.  The Christmas trees have arrived but are still packed in a shipping container awaiting pricing and organizing.

We switched over to an artificial tree a few years ago due to allergies, or we’d be first in line at the start of next week to get our Norfolk pine for our entryway.  This was my second signing at Greenthumb this year – a palpable joy for the Christmas spirit lives in this store, and just as with Ma Maison, I truly love these hometown stores for their care of its local customers and the time the merchants take to visit and chat with all the shoppers throughout the day.  I truly love to shop at boutique and personable stores – it is the people and their special touch that make it such a wonderful time of the year.

Some of the exquisite Egyptian Art Glass that Greenthumb offers. By the way, the gold is real on these pieces. These two are now part of my collection.

I’m not sure how Bryan, Kirki and their wonderful staff keep doing it, but they make this open house event more colorful and festive each year.  This store is noted for their all out Christmas decorating and tree dressing, but this year they added a bookend walk in Christmas display near the front of the store that really boosted the store’s holiday charm.

They had a wonderful signing station set up for me, and with live music, cookies, cider and multiple giveaways of Christmas themed gifts, it was a splendid open house to kick off the season just right. I saw return visitors from last year that purchased a book who even picked up another copy for new friends and family this year.  Lots of children dropped by too – a few tried the game and even found a few of the hidden clues on the fly!

I really enjoy signing at the store, and hope to see you out there soon.  We are working out a follow up date for this season, and I’ll post it to this blog as soon as it’s firm.  I buy many of my Christmas ornaments at Greenthumb and have for years.  Maybe I’ll bump into you around the ornament section.  Cheers.

So much more than a first - rate nursery, it's becomes an enchanting Christmas must stop!

The Great Mrs. Claus Book Signing

November 14th, 2009

Saturday, 9 am – 1:30 pm

Cookies and Warm Cider will help get you in the mood.  I’ll be signing and sharing stories about the book, so please stop by.

By the way, Bryan, Kirki and all the rest of the Green Thumb Staff are exceptional at helping you find what you need.  This nursery is a fantastic place to get to know year-round.  Looking forward to seeing you soon.

]]> http://thegreatmrsclaus.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=195 0 http://thegreatmrsclaus.com/blog/?p=187 http://thegreatmrsclaus.com/blog/?p=187#comments Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:11:22 +0000 Chris http://thegreatmrsclaus.com/blog/?p=187

What could be better than starting off the Holiday season at the beautiful and quaint village of Carmel-By-The-Sea?

On Monday, November 9th from 3 – 6 pm, I’ll be signing The Great Mrs. Claus at Kris Kringle of Carmel, a most charming Christmas store tucked in the Doud Arcade off Ocean Avenue in downtown Carmel.

Shop proprietress Carol Montana and her able staff have put together a unique and tasteful selection of Christmas gifts and ornaments.  I’m delighted they will also offer The Great Mrs. Claus this year.

Nestled along the California coastline on the scenic Highway 1, Carmel is a truly outstanding destination that might just become your favorite seaside village – and it’s full of the holiday spirit.  I hope to see you soon, swap a few Christmas stories and simply have a good time.  Cheers!

The Greenleaf Book Group based in Austin, TX now distributes The Great Mrs. Claus book for The Claus Family Christmas, LLC.

Greenleaf Book Group (GBG) is a publisher and distributor that specializes in the development of independent authors and the growth of small presses. In addition to the books they publish, they distribute select titles from small and independent publishers to major trade outlets, including bookstores, libraries, and airport retailers.

Justin Branch, Senior Consultant with GBG, said this about The Great Mrs. Claus, “We look for the same things in the books we accept that book buyers at national retailers look for: strong marketing efforts, solid author credentials, and above all, a quality product. We see all three in your book. The high-end production quality and the enjoyable storyline make the book attractive to consumers, and the unique addition of activities and the creative illustrations increase its value. We are excited to work with you!”

To date, The Great Mrs. Claus has been purchased by several national distributors including Ingram and Baker & Taylor. Sales have also been made to several regional gift store chains. It looks to be an exciting year! My thanks go out to all the competent and supportive folks at Greenleaf.

My author page is being built at: http://www.greenleafbookgroup.com/author.cfm?AuthorID=103

I’m working on my podcast interview.

Check back later for more exciting details and and as always, thanks for your support.

The Great Mrs. Claus may now be purchased on Target.com! They love RED too!!

I was so surprised to read this wonderful review from “Busy Dad” in LA. It was gratifying to learn that the adults liked the book as much as the kids, since this was a true goal of mine. Afterall, we are all grown up kids who developed a love for reading and the printed story. I also was afraid to lose the adults, since I wanted to publish a book that appealed to both the young and older kids alike!

I really like shopping at Target as well, so I hope to schedule some Los Angeles based Target book signings for November/December ‘09. One thing is certain – we all got the memo that “RED” is a great color and in fashion this year! Cheers to Target!

If you made it, a big thanks for attending this event and hanging out with a bunch of book people, hearing some festive music, funny storytellers and eating some delicious but bankable unhealthy fair food!!

I signed books beside Alva Sachs, first time author and fun creator of Circus Fever, a really cute young readers picture book about discovering the circus, met a lot of new folks and saw a few friends from the past. Hart Park, the venue for the signing, is the homestead of the late great silent picture cowboy/film mogul William S. Hart whose mansion (now a museum worth a visit to) sits atop a hill that borders the park. A small bit of trivia – there is a herd of buffalo that roam a field adjoining the Hart Museum in the hills of Santa Clarita just 25 miles north of LA! Isn’t Los Angeles full of surprises?

Hanging out in Hart Park in Mid-December without a jacket!

The weather was postcard perfect – sunny, warm and unbelievable for a late November day. Just the kind of weather people move to Southern California for!

My thanks go out to all of you who came – several folks purchased a book weeks earlier and came back for an inscription – I’m touched and grateful for your support. A special thanks to Sophia and Brandon, who sat with us for some time and searched the North Pole maps over and over to find all the hidden clues. They may still be looking for a few, but then that’s what it’s all about.

The Great Mrs. Claus will be sold at Ma Maison throughout December, so please stop by and check out this unique and personable store. Katie, Ede, Claire and their staff are fantastic to visit with and informative about their products.

(l. to r.) Katie, Claire & Chris resisting the cookies!