Marie LeTourneau

April 27th Hello mon petite chou! (That is "my little cabbage head!" Très affectionate!) Happy spring! So many of you have asked where you can ase "The Mice of Bistrot des Sept Freres". Some have told me you couldn't locate it at your local Barnes & Noble. This is becasue B & N opted NOT to carry it from the day it was published back in 2006. They certainly can order it for you, or you may buy it on their website, but the store does not have copies, and probably never will.

As far as I know, the only super-bookstore to carry "Mice" is Borders (I would call first to make sure they have copies in) They
also have it online. There may also be some local, little independent bookstores out there who carry it as well (click for a link to independent look-ups)...then of course, there is always the Amazon.

Merci for your continued support - Hugs to all
xoxo

April 22 -   Bonjour, mes amis! Once again, thank you everyone for your kind emails and support! And thank you to my publisher Peggy Tierney at Tanglewood Press - as ever.

We have been getting many requests for Mice magnets - très bien!!! Keep 'em coming! Some of you have asked for large quantities of magnets for school classrooms, and that is wonderful! We are happy to send them out to you! Teachers and parents, if you are looking for book-related activities, please visit my Activities Page for many free, PDF downloads. If you have an idea for a "Mice" related activity to use with your child or class, please send me an email detailing your idea and I will be more than happy to put it together for you (and post it on the website for others, too!) Merci, and bless you!

April 17th - WOW! The response I've gotten from the airing of the Ace of Cakes program last night has been overwhelming! I can't keep up with the replies!   Oh my gosh....I want to thank everyone who has written or visited my website in the last 24 hours! I'm truly humbled by your kind notes and support. Thank you! I hope you are all enjoying "Mice".

And to Duff and Katherine and the whole gang at Charm City Cakes (not to mention AuthenticTV!) a million thanks! Merci!!!!! I promise to post more party pics soon!

Remember to write in for your free Petite Michelle magnet! Just click this link

April 16th -   I've had my sister's two youngest boys (Mikey and Matthew) all week for the Easter break while she is on vacation, so I haven't had time to post anything (photos or blog). Instead, I've had a blast visiting all the best Long Island spots for kids. I haven't been to these places in quite sometime, since my own two children are teenagers now. Here's the week's exhausting rundown: Atlantis Marine World (pet some sting rays and played with the seals - FUN!), Adventureland (felt dizzy after the swings and ate a hotdog), White Post Farms (pet the baby camel and smelled like a goat when we left), Bowling (hurt my thumb, but got four strikes!), Arcade (my brother-in-law took them to this. I stayed home to clean the house - lucky me) Mined for fossils (found some ancient shark teeth - it was cool!) Tried my hand at Mario Brothers (not too bad!) Watched Madagascar 2 (the King Julien and Melman kill me!) Whew! What a week!

April 9th - The date is getting closer! I'm very excited! Ace of Cakes, April 16th 10 PM FoodNetwork. Don't forget to watch! Here's the official Press Release from Stories For Children Magazine....of which I am the Art Director.

March 31 - My what a glorious day in New York! 60 degrees, total sun - amazing!   I was outdoors all day painting in the sunshine at the farm (I'm painting a Cowboy Town to go along with our new "Mining VIllage") The sun, the warmth - wow! I even had bare feet!

March 17th - I'd like to give a plug to Stories For Children Magazine. As some of you know, I am their art director and very proud to work for such a wonderful, committed publication! Our team is made up of some truly dedicated, warm, and good-hearted individuals who donate their time and talents to make this magazine happen each month. But what I'd really like to mention is our current

Feb 1 - I have some great news. I received a call today all the way from the great state of Utah - it was my editor at Stories For Children Magazine, V.S. Grenier. She wanted to let me know that I won 1st Place as 'Best Artist' from 'Preditors and Editors' Website. This is a great honor. I couldn't have done it without all of you, so thanks so much to everyone who voted for me!

Jan 27th -     For those NOT in the know, we recently had a party for the award "The Mice of Bistort des Sept Freres" had won, and Ace of Cakes supplied the cake! It was also my sister Michelle's 40th birthday. They had such fun making the cake that they asked to do a segment on me, the book, the making of the cake, and my sister Michelle (who is also the namesake for the main character! Or vice versa?)

Dec 22 - "Merry Christmas Mr. Potter!!!!! Merry Christmas you old savings and loan!"

Dec 15th - Sadly, my dog Maddie passed away today, it's my birthday - sigh. I'm heartbroken, and will miss her very much.

Dec 1 -   Today I would like to wish my niece Jacqueline a very happy 20th birthday! Hope you have a fun day - oh, and my card will be late...(sorry!) :) Love you!

Feb 8 - It's been a long time since I last posted. I've been very busy with life in general, but mostly getting my new online shop up and running on ETSY (pronounced like "Betsy", without the "B") The announcement above says it all, but briefly: I am selling prints, original artwork, greeting and specialty cards, ACEO cards (sort of like baseball cards, except they are "art cards" - very collectible) I am constantly working on new products...go have look! (CLICK HERE)

Also happy to say I caught the Tim Burton Exhibition at the MOMA (in NYC) recently with my daughter, Hannah. It was AMAZING to see his work live and up close. Not only did they have original artwork, sketches, notes, paintings, etc...they also had movie props, the claymation figures, childhood drawings....oh my goodness!!!! It's hard to pick a favorite item, but I loved seeing Johhny Depp's costume for Edward Scissorhands! The hands are made from real scissors and blades in complete working order! Wow!

If you are in the city between now and April, I URGE you to go see it....just incredible stuff :)

Jan 25th - I've uploaded a new illustration to my portfolio - it's called "Blue Koi". I started giving myself daily assignments to keep my skills fresh, and this was yesterday's project. I uploaded it to my Facebook and got a really nice response from friends. Several of them were asking for copies - so I ordered some. Therefore, this illustration is now available for purchase in the form of a 12" x 14" print (glossy heavy stockboard). If you'd like a signed copy, please go to my portfolio for details. I only have 20 available from this run.   Normally I don't sell my work to the general public at all, but since I've already had a few requests for it, I decided to get copies professionally printed.

Jan 14th - Not too much happening around here. I'm off from my regular job (artist at a local zoo) until early March. I've been sending work to agents and publishers, working on manuscripts and doing some artwork - trying to stay busy during the long winter days. I'm not a big fan of winter and the lack of sunlight that goes along with it. I miss being outdoors, the beach, my garden. Hurry up summer!

Jan 8th - Thanks to everyone who wrote in for magnets last night. They will go out Monday. I didn't know the Ace of Cakes episode was on again, and was surprised to see 300 bazillion hits on my website this morning! (Okay, not quite that many) :) Thanks everyone for your support - hope you enjoy the book!

Second order of business: I mentioned I was working to revamp my website and launch it Jan 1. However, this didn't happen because the holidays were so hectic (but good!) I hope to get it launched relatively soon...we'll see.

Dec 30th - The New Year is almost upon us. As John Lennon sang: "What have you done?" How was your year? Have you left someone better off than they were last year? Have you extended your help to someone in need, a simple courtesy to a stranger on the street, or a little hello to a neighbor you rarely speak with? You know what I'm getting at...It's the time of year when we should all review our past actions, and hold ourselves accountable. The time of year to look into our hearts and really see ourselves for who we are and what we've done. (And most importantly) upon doing so we need to decide whether or not to change.

Extend the courtesy of kindess and compassion to all - even when you feel somone doesn't deserve it - because you never know, it could be you on the receiving end. Happy, Joyous and Peaceful New Year to all!

Dec 20 - To everyone shoveling out on the east coast, I feel your pain! We got 18 inches here on Long Island and I admit that I love it! We haven't had a good bangin' Nor' Easter in awhile. I think the last big blizzard was '96 - everyone was off for 3 days in 3 feet of snow. This isn't quite that much, but with the drifts it feels just the same. So good luck to all, and don't work too hard!

Dec 17th - Thanks to my family and friends for the wonderful 40th surprise party they threw for me this past weekend! I love you all! See my photos for party pics.

Dec 8 - Hellooo! Merry Christmas to everyone! It's that time of year again!    For some reason I am really in the Christmas spirit this year! Some years not so much, but this year I guess I got lucky :)   Soon (as they say) it will be out with the old, in with the new! In light the New Year, I've decided to revamp my website. I've been working everyday to completely redesign it, and hopefully I will launch on January 1st. It's a lot of work and so far I've put in about 10 hours on the main page alone! Sigh....why do I take on such things? Truth be told, I have a long way to go! Hopefully I will be ready for the 1st. I'm looking to make the website fresher, brighter and more fun to look at. I'm moving away from the "Mice-themed" site, to broaden and encompass my full body of work. Mice will still have it's place, just not the main part of the site, that's all. So that's my main project right now - that and getting ready for Christmas! Also big weekend coming up. My sister will be visiting with her children for my granddad's 87th birthday bash. All 60 of my relatives will be there....We will also have a tree-trimming party at my house with all the kids, including sugar cookies and Christmassy-treats! I'm always stuck trimming my tree by myself these past few years, so it will be nice to have a little help this year! Ho ho ho!

Nov 30 - Shout out to my friend's Veronica and Steven's children, Claire and Anna! Also belated birthday wishes to Bartsch, and early birthday wishes to my niece Jacqueline - she turns 21 tomorrow. Yikes! I remember the day you were born, girl. And a shout out to my mommy in Florida! I miss you mom!

Nov 21 - From the upcoming December issue - my editorial column in this months "Stories For Children Magazine"

In addition to the holiday traditions celebrated in the month of December, some people also have traditions that have to do with the winter season itself. I live in New York where the winters are cold and often times, snowy.   Our house is located on a little hill, perfect for sleigh riding close to home. When my kids were little, my husband and I would create "toboggan-runs" for them. Each year we would chose a different part of our property. We'd use shovels to pile snow into starting platforms, create hairpin turns and mini jumps. We'd curve the track down the hills, through a gate, or around trees. It was an all-day, exhausting affair, but well worth it.   It was such fun, and my children looked forward to it each year. Our family toboggan run quickly became a tradition!   My children are older now, Alexander is 19 and Hannah is 17 and needless to say they don't play in the snow very much these days. But they remember the toboggan run fondly and the times spent together as a family playing in the snow. They speak of those time often, "Remember the toboggan run that curved around the big tree?" I'd hear one say. "Yes! That was awesome!" The other would respond.   And my heart would secretly smile.

What is your family's winter tradition?

Oct 8 - Over the past 3 weeks, I've visited stores such as Home Depot (needed a new bathroom sink), Ikea (my daughter needed storage for art supplies and a funky red rug that she absolutely NEEDED or else she might just cease to exist!) and BJ's Wholesale Club (general stuff). While shopping, I decided to look for Halloween decorations. Halloween is a favorite of mine, mostly because I've always seen it as a "creative" time of year - making costumes, decorations, etc...not to mention the candy - chocolate in particular - but anyway...I usually buy one or two new decorative items for occasions such as this. To my horror, all three stores totally by-passed the fall/Halloween season and went straight to assembling Christmas trees, mangers, ornaments and Christmas light displays. Hold it....Really? Christmas in September? I did one of those cartoon, jaw-shaking double takes. This cannot be! In the past I've seen Christmas go up right after Halloween (which I still think is too soon) but summer has barely left the building and we have Santa ringing his animated bell? I don't know about anyone else, but I don't want to be thinking about Christmas right now. I want to focus on the absolutely beautiful God-given gift of fall in New York. Pumpkins, piles of leaves, corn stalks, fall festivals, crisp air and sunshine, Halloween and Thanksgiving.    I feel like the retailers are wishing my life away! Sadly, it's all about the stores making an early buck. The economy is bad, and they probably figured extending the Christmas season would turn a profit. But I say NO! No gosh darn-it! NO to it all! I'm not buying it! I VOW right here and now to NOT purchase one single Christmas item until after Thanksgiving is over! I won't - I promise. I will not give in. (Hey, wait a minute - what's that? They're so shiny and hypnotic...the cutest, polka-dotted christmas bulbs I've ever seen! Maybe I'll buy just ONE pack. Okay...two packs. Three, but that's it! And maybe that cute little Ice Cream shop addition for my snow village...and that wreath......see what I mean? Merry Christmas everybody!

Sept 24th - Check it out, a mention on the Ace of Cakes Website. Thanks to the gang down in Baltimore.

July 30th - It's been sometime since I last blogged - busy summer! I was in the Bahamas for 8 days and that was lovely. I mean LOVELY. I think I could live there - hmm, maybe someday. On the donwside, while I was gone, my teenage son had 5 theme parties ranging from "Harry Potter Night" to "Formal Night" to "Punk Rock" night (to which the local police made an appearance) We weren't completley cluesless that some of this would take place - I mean he is 19, so we expected a certain amount of shenanigans, but we didn't know there would be 5 parties, and weren't happy about the new floors that were completely ruined or the industrial staples that were all over the back patio (apparently there was a staple gun fight - don't ask) That shifted me back into reality very fast!   I don't like reality.

Anyway, I want to thank all the great people writing in for magents and to send their good wishes about the book. I am so humbled by your kindness. Please, if you haven't done so already, send me an email and get your free magnets - they are FREE! No charge...really. I promise! And you can have as many as you'd like! Just my way of saying thanks to all you wonderful folks out there...xoxo

June 8 - Good morning everyone. Hope you had as lovely a weekend in your hometown as we did here in New York. Sunshine and blue skies for two straight days! I even made it out to the beach yesterday :) Alas, the clouds have rolled in once again this morning - oh well....

I've received many kind letters over the past couple of months from "Mice' fans asking if I have another book coming out. I cannot say I do presently, however I do have 5 manuscripts with an agent (all unrelated to Mice).    A lot of you Petite Michelle fans out there are asking for another mouse book. Believe me, I would love to do one (I actually have 3 follow-ups already written) however a series will only happen if Mice does very well in sales! So tell your friends! Also, you are more than welcome to write my publisher at Tanglewood Press and let he know how much you love Mice, and that you'd like to see more of them!