Book Launch Party: What Larks!

 Here are a few pictures from the book launch party we had for A Buss from Lafayette on Friday, April 22. I'd never been to or organized such a thing before, so I just included activities that I enjoy myself: talking, singing, dancing, costumes and music!

"We had a lot of fun.  Thank you for creating such a warm and inviting event," said one father who attended the party with his kids.

Here’s an audio recording (with illuminating pix) of the Launch Party Presentation , featuring a short talk about my inspirations for the story, a few excerpts read aloud, singing, fiddling, and a Virginia Reel!


Ready for the presentation!
Here I am with my  Trusted Sidekick, Sienna Larson (left), and her daughter, Sara (right).














Before the presentation, Sienna and Sara Larson entertained the crowd with fiddle tunes – many from the story!







My son, Nate Jensen, and his son, Stuart, manned the reception table!













We had a “dress-up corner”, where children could try on clothes in the style of the early 1800s, the time  in which A Buss from Lafayette takes place. Here is Kelly Arnold posing elegantly in front of the Buss poster












And here is Kelly and her mobcapped younger sister Shannon.

Thanks so much for coming to my party, girls!















We also had a table with word games from Buss and coloring pages and paper “action figures” from the Izzy Elf books.














Here is the very special Buss  from Lafayette cake for the party. (No one wanted to eat the part with Lafayette and Clara on it. Interesting.)











An appropriate backdrop: a quilt with scenes from Hopkinton, NH, where the story is set.








The set-up: poster and copies of A Buss from Lafayette for sale. We also had free copies of the Buss reading guide (which can also be downloaded free from this website), bookmarks, postcards, and brochures.












My husband and I at the launch party. Good times!














There was also a display of items I wrote about in A Buss from Lafayette, along with printed quotes from the story mentioning each of these items. (Pantalettes, a pocket, an embroidery sampler, a “betsy” ruff, a mob cap, cone-shaped sugar loaf, several fans, etc.) Pictures of Lafayette, young and old, were also on display.













School Slate Board and Pencil















Cone-Shaped Sugar Loaf


















Goody Two Shoes
















 Embroidery Sampler











Accompanied by Sienna and Sara, I sang a couple of verses of the song in which New Hampshire was first called “The Granite State”, written for the June 22, 1825 Concord, NH, reception in Lafayette’s honor. Sienna and Sara accompanied me. (The full lyrics are posted on this website on the “Granite State Lyrics” page.)












My two grandsons helped with the raffle drawing. The prizes were two copies of  A Buss from Lafayette and a mug with the Buss cover on it. (Notice that both my grandson, Drake, and I have our eyes closed for the drawing, for an admirably fair and impartial selection!)













After the raffle,  I invited audience members to join me in getting a taste of the era of A Buss from Lafayette by dancing a Virginia Reel.  These pix are of the “core group” of my friends who demonstrated the steps first. Later, half the audience ended up dancing, the other half whooped and clapped! (To hear the music and a whoop or two, click on this link: audio recording


It was a wonderful party. I am so grateful to everyone who helped me with the event, and to everyone who came and joined in the merrymaking!