Wildlife

When the Ugly Becomes Beautiful

/ still a dreamer / 5 Comments

A magnificent sky and moon this past Halloween night. You might not even notice at first that there is a cell tower next to the gigantic pine at the left.

When it was announced that a cell tower was to be built behind the last row of houses across the street from my own, my neighbors and I were appropriately incensed. We went to town meetings, complained, and did our best to keep our neighborhood beautiful and cell tower-free. We lost.

One upside — it was built much farther back than we had been led to believe. It’s there, kind of glowering, but not quite as intrusive as expected.

But here is the other upside …

The cell tower is a daily host to an array of crows and/or black vultures. In the morning, they tend to congregate on the lowest tier, but towards mid-late afternoon, they are perched on the top tier. (Seeing both occupied, as in the photo, is actually unusual.)

They chase each other back and forth from the tower to the pines, perhaps playing, displaying dominance, or jockeying for the best position. They sit up top after a rain, spreading their wings wide to dry in the sun, or wrap themselves up in the warming rays to keep out the cold. It’s hard not to watch them.

While the cell tower is not an attractive addition to our local “skyline”, its visitors bring a life and beauty we would otherwise not have known.

So much of how we view life is in our perspective, no?

Being Inspired

/ still a dreamer / 2 Comments

Never doubt it; there’s a lot goes into your beloved book getting into the hands of the reader who will cherish it. There’s writing, illustrating, and otherwise creating the book itself, and then promotion and sales.

And here’s one of the great results – at the Tinicum Arts Festival, I sold seventeen books in two hours! How did that happen? First, we have the gorgeous illustration of Stella Mongodi to draw one in. Then, the lovely new cover design, wrapped around a magical story (if I say so myself.) Lastly, we have someone who loves talking to people about her book … me.

All of that sells a book, but I think it’s the last one that “closes a sale.” When I’m talking about reading, writing, how the book came about, etc., it’s not sales — it’s just undeniable enthusiasm. I realize that not everyone is as outgoing as I am, but if the frame can be shifted from the “job” of selling one’s book to the sharing of excitement about it, that makes all the difference.

While Where Do Butterflies Go at Night, 2nd Edition was one of a handful of picture books available, it was a big draw for parents, grandparents, and even teachers looking for something to read to “their” kids. I was thrilled that Butterflies checked off so many boxes of what these lifelong readers sought in a book for little ones, and that was quite inspirational in me wanting to seriously get back to the book waiting on my desk.

My major purchase at the festival? a pair of earrings with the traditional Japanese Maneki Neko, literally, Beckoning Cat (or lucky cat), which is a symbol of good luck for its owner. I’m grateful for all the help I can get!

Is luck involved in selling our books? Maybe, but I think a genuine appreciation of our own talents, what we’ve accomplished, and the enjoyment of sharing that with others goes pretty far.

Find more photos of the 2025 Tinicum Arts Festival here.

Making It Worth It

/ still a dreamer / 4 Comments

I feel like I’m pretty safe in saying that anyone reading this post is at a point in life that if it’s worth doing at all, we want to make it worth it.

Please use your imagination and forgive the “sketch-like” appearance of the above image I created. I had a great school visit last week, and in all the excitement with the kids, we forgot to take any photos.

A school visit will always include a reading of one’s book, Q and A at the end, and some information for the children related to the book. In my case, I have discussed identifying butterflies, facts about them, plus information on the importance of pollinators, to which butterflies belong.

But it all wasn’t exciting ME. What would make ME excited about doing this book visit with “Butterflies”? What did I need to share that would have more value?

What could the story and the butterflies themselves teach? Now I had it!

Three takeaways: Use your imagination, based on our discussing Stella’s amazing interpretation of a butterfly’s appearance; always be kind to animals, based on advising kids never to touch a butterfly’s wings, lest it lose scales and be unable to fly; and embrace change, because life is full of changes, and we can be like the butterfly fighting its way out of the chrysalis, saying, “I can do this”, and “this change will make me stronger.”

Above are the 8.5″ x 11″ placards I made. The takeaways had the attention of these 6-8 year olds. And me.

Life isn’t getting any longer here. I feel a greater need to make whatever I do matter. Especially now. More than ever, we need our compassion and humanity not only intact, but strengthened. I hope I did that for a couple of those kids.

Book Giveaway!!

/ still a dreamer / 7 Comments

I’d love to give you a signed copy of my beautiful picture book, Where Do Butterflies Go at Night, 2nd Edition, so I am sponsoring a giveaway on Instagram from March 25th – April 10th.

To be considered, you’ll need an Instagram account, and then, just follow this link.

Once on my post, you only need to:
* Like my post ❤️
* Follow me @jeannebalsam
* Comment that you’d like to receive the book

You’re now in the mix to win!

The recipient will also receive 2 bookmarks and a butterfly coloring page. Offer only good in U.S. The winner will be announced the weekend of April 12/13. Due to the prohibitive cost of shipping outside this country, I regret that the offer is only good in the U.S.

Should you wish to purchase the book, Where Do Butterflies Go at Night? – 2nd Edition is available on Amazon.

When you have a book …

/ still a dreamer / 8 Comments

There’s a kind of almost-glamour that comes with having a book published. People suddenly look at you differently, with a kind of respect, a bit of awe, maybe amazement (they didn’t know you could actually do that!) It’s kind of funny, really.

As if writing the book were the greatest thing ever. But to me, it seems that who I am – who you are – and all the amazing thoughts and dreams we have, is the real deal. The everyday kindnesses we offer, the work we put into healing ourselves and growing so that we may be better humans on this planet – the untold efforts of just staying steady in the midst of so much going on in the world.

Don’t get me wrong. I was thrilled to finally have my picture book “Butterflies” published. And I am thrilled to have produced it myself in the face of my publisher closing their doors. But what I’ve been thinking about lately is how much work it takes to get a book out into the world, and then … all it takes to get the word out that it even exists. It’s daunting, truly daunting. Especially self-publishing.

If you are already published, you know. If you are working towards being published/self-publishing, be forewarned, it’s not for the weak of heart.

I love this book. I want to know that little ones are hearing and smiling to the rhyme and finding all the magical notes in the illustrations. And I will continue promoting it to make that happen. And I have more stories to tell and bring to the world. I have lots to do and will get there. As will you, so take heart and be brave. We can always hold hands on this journey.

Maybe the “news” today was just exceptionally toxic.