"I have a birthday this year!"
and other things kids told us on the road
We’ve been touring. Kristi even made us matching hoodies. That’s what cool touring bands do, right?
The above photo is us in front of one of my new favorite bookstores in all of the world. The Story Shop is in Monroe, Georgia. It is magical. Truly.
There’s an actual wardrobe that opens up into a special storytime room!
I’m on a mission to find as many excuses as possible to return there.
For a limited time, The Story Shop has signed copies of Fail-a-bration on their shelves! You can also order signed copies from Parnassus Books, Blue Willow Bookshop, The Bookies, novel., and Rakestraw Books. Supporting these booksellers goes a long way and helps some fantastic humans.
To celebrate the release of this book, Kristi and I visited seven cities in 7 days. Here are a few things we learned:
Sometimes, your bag ends up in Canada.
Baggage claim desk people find it funny that your bag has ended up in Canada, you are not in Canada, and you are on tour for a book called Fail-a-Bration.
Spending an entire week with only librarians, teachers, indie bookstore sellers, and students will spoil you. These folks are the best of humanity.
People are eager to share their fails.
Students had huge things to share. During Q and A, they often had big scary stories they needed to share about times they wrecked bicycles or dropped food or, yes, peed pants. This would always unleash a lot of stories of peed pants. (Rachel Michelle Wilson, I think we’re setting the runway for your new book How To Pee Your Pants* the right way 😂)
Often, students would raise their hands for questions and say one of the following:
“Oh! Um… I forgot!”
“I, um, I’ve read a book one time.”
“I have a dog!”
“I have a birthday this year!”
An educator once told me something that’s helped me better understand student Q and A’s. Kids often raise their hands, not because they genuinely have a question. They raise their hands simply because they want to connect, to be part of what’s happening.
I get it. I want to connect to.
So, I’ve embraced it.
‘YOU have a birthday this year?!? No way!!! I do, too! Let’s party!”
This launch week has truly been something special. I’ll be attempting to process the last several days for a long time. In addition to visiting with hundreds of kids, extraordinary educators, and beautiful booksellers — I also got to see many of you!
So many of you tracked us down during the tour! You came to signings, brought loved and tattered books, sent notes, and purchased books. Whether in person or digitally, you showed up.
I’m realizing how much of my work is tied to whether or not people show up. It’s humbling. Maybe all of our work is this way? We need each other.
It’s been a long road, but wow—you showed up. Thank you.
Here’s the poem I ended each visit with. I’ll end this message with it for you.
S O M E B I G T H I N G S !
Do you have your copy of Fail-a-bration yet? Have you thought about supporting our work, wanted to encourage someone in your life, or needed to find an excuse to add something to your cart? Now is the time! The first week of sales go a *long* way toward helping a new book succeed! Go go go go!
I’ve been TALKING TO PEOPLE!
The funniest headline 😂: “Brad Montague has failed a lot in life, so now he's inviting everyone else to celebrate their own mistakes” via The Good Newsletter
Feature profile via The Great Discontent Here I was honored to be in conversation with a publication I love. Plus, I got to chat about my friend Hugh Weber.
Chris Guilllebeau has been keeping a wonderful Substack, A Year of Mental Health. Loved getting to do this interview:
LAST CALL! Story Salon: Kristi and I will be in Nashville, TN, tonight to wrap up the final bit of launch week. If you’re around, there’s still space! RSVP free here.
Your message of magic, not spoken down to kids but bringing it simply and positively to them, is phenomenal medicine in this uncertain world.
And I’m happy you included the ex-kids, too. So often we forget that the magic of our creativity still resides within us, ready to raise its hand in enthusiasm if we call on it.
“Baggage claim desk people find it funny that your bag has ended up in Canada, you are not in Canada, and you are on tour for a book called Fail-a-Bration.” 😂😂😂😂😂 I mean, it’s hard not to see the humor in this.
What a beautiful poem. Magic is meant to be shared. My copy arrives today, and I’m so excited!