Hello, dear readers!

A thousand thanks to everyone who came to my book launch party for Tree of Dreams! I had loads of fun, and I hope you did, too!

I’m grateful to Everyday Joe’s Coffee House in Old Town, Fort Collins, for hosting… their space is GORGEOUS and the staff is super-friendly and helpful!

My talented friends Gloria Garcia Diaz and Mary Dean sang my favorite song, Gracias a la Vida… it made my heart soar!

There was chocolate galore… and I was so proud of our guests who ate almost ALL the chocolate… you are kindred souls, my friends!

There was an all-ages self-directed chocolate-tasting station… I absolutely love orchestrating these chocolate-tastings… and I’ll be doing this at many of my upcoming book events in Colorado, Maryland, and California, too!

I had fun chatting with friends— new and old— and signing books (thanks, Old Firehouse Books for selling books there!)

I had slides of my Amazon rainforest research playing on a loop throughout the party, along with a rainforest soundtrack of birds and insects and raindrops… I also did a short presentation about my research in the Ecuadorian rain forest and chocolate farms, factories, and shops.

And of course, no book launch would be complete without some live heavy metal music… courtesy of my 12-year-old rock star son, Bran! ;-)

His dear librarian from Harris Bilingual Elementary School, Martha, started a mosh pit and I joined her in the head-banging…

I did giveaways in Spanish and English for my other books…. to enter, you had to write your name and favorite rain forest animal or plant… sloths are definitely getting popular these days! And there’s a bit about sloths in my book…. :-)

Thanks so much for swinging by! If you didn’t make it to the book party in Fort Collins, I hope to see you at one of my other events this spring! And I hope you love Tree of Dreams! Don’t forget to check out the chocolatey book club party guide and many other resources I’ve created for you!

xo,

Laura