To my surprise most of these kids I visited at Shriners had flown in from all over the world for the intimate care at Shriners. Shriners caters to kids under 18, accepts no payment from parents or insurance companies and all their money is raised by donations and the hard work of the Shriners.

Half of the children I visited spoke little English and were under care to receive prosthetics or some type of surgery , due mostly to being born with a certain defect.

These kids were bright and creative as we made our own “book” to leave in their hospital library. They titled their “combined-efforts book”,   Danny and Friends to go with my book, Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy.

It was an amazing day, to say the least. The knowledge I gained afterwards truly opened my eyes to the many needs and the various ways to help out in society.

Note: The little girl sitting in the wagon next to me (above photo) had no legs “yet” but she handle this with pride and in her own way. She hid an assortment of chocolate pudding, bags of candy and 3 cans of Gatorade as well as all sorts of stuffed animals tucked under her blanket covering her legs. I am smiling at her as she had taken a break from our coloring to get a bit too much pudding on her face rather than in her tummy. She was a charm and the staff were amazing with all these kids!

Enjoy!

Tina Turbin

Therefore it was only fitting that I become a member of the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance (SIBA), as a way to get acquainted with the booksellers close to home here in the U.S., and establish some great partnerships along the way.

We’re gearing up for a very exciting promotional and marketing campaign. More exciting news to come shortly!

Tina Turbin

Sunset Park Elementary School, located in Windermere, Florida, welcomes author Tina Turbin on Thursday November 19^th, to share her Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy book with over 500 students, teachers, and parents. She will be sharing her work with large groups and will talk about what it is like to write children’s books. In January, Danny the Dragon will make a return appearance when the school cafeteria celebrates “Appreciate a Dragon Day” on January 16th. We are thankful to have stumbled upon Ms. Turbin’s character building and nutritionally themed-works and can’t wait for the kids to be introduced to the delightful characters!

I do hope you’ll visit. And when you do, if you could please take a moment to drop us a comment (and a 5-star vote!), that would be a HUGE help with increasing Danny’s popularity. Thank you!

Tina Turbin

I just wanted to tell you that Maria has shared your fantastic news with me about your nominations to be announced in Arizona and New York!

All I can say is that when true and honest people do true and honest things from their heart – and then are recognized for the beauty it creates…all is well with the world.

From the bottom of my heart…Congratulations – to all of us here at Blossom you have already won, hands down.

Hugs , Carol D. aka “Danny’s hands”
Blossom Montessori School for the Deaf

Through the hard work of authors, writers, concerned citizens and the coordinated efforts of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI), the book collections have been re-built as a result of generous book donations from around the world.

(Above: Photo of Corinne King of SCBWI Australia holding some of the book donations)

I am very pleased to have been able to donate a copy of my Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy to the collection, plus it’s great to know that the local Victoria, Australia children will have the opportunity to get to know the lovable storybook characters: Danny and his traveling companion Skipper.

I do hope that the book brings joy and sparks the imaginations of the children, in the same way that it has done here in the States!

John A. Sexson Auditorium – main performing arts venue on the campus of the Pasadena City College.

I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with the distinguished conductor of the Pasadena City College Orchestra.

On October 30th, as part of a very special “family” concert that the Orchestra will perform to an audience of 2,000, we will be releasing my Danny the Dragon DREAMS CD and the “Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy” DVD (sign interpretation for the deaf), based off of my award-winning children’s book of the same name. The CD which also features the “Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy” audiobook, is composed of beautiful classical music, and one of the classical pieces will be performed live for the first time ever at the concert.

Profits from the sales of the CD will be generously donated to the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University Medical Center, to support Dr. Peter Green’s research and efforts to raise celiac awareness.

Profits from the sales of the DVD will be donated to the Blossom’s Montessori School for the Deaf.

The concert promises to be a wonderful event. It is the Orchestra’s most sought-after and prestigious concert of the year. More details to come!

I haven’t shared with you a number of schools I was doing readings and Question and Answer periods with of my children’s book Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy. One school I need to pay my respects to is a Florida Montessori School for the deaf I visited before I left on my trip. I was honored to do a reading at their school while one of the teachers did sign language.

The kids’ eyes were huge as they took in the concepts of Danny the Dragon, and followed along with the story. I can not tell you the feeling in the room. I am also happy to say my own education began at a Montessori School in Brentwood, California.

To this day I remember the freedom and space the school allowed each of us kids to evolve and reach out to the world in our chosen time. I am happy to have been there then and now again, recently.

 Thank you, Blossom Montessori School for the Deaf. It was MY pleasure.