Each time I glimpse the lovely Queen Mary, I am filled with awe at the majesty, beauty and history
of this celebrated ship.
On February 15, I had the great privilege of
returning to the Queen Mary --the
setting
for my historical fiction picture book Welcome to America, Champ!--this
time as a guest for a “Greet the Author” event.
Welcome
to America, Champ! with stunning illustrations by award-winning illustrator
Doris Ettlinger, takes place on the Queen
Mary following WWII and during the “Brides and Baby” voyages. At that time in 1946, an armada of ships took
part in what was also known as “Operation Diaper Run,” transporting tens of
thousands of European war brides and war babies of American and Canadian servicemen
to North America. The Queen Mary
alone transported 22,000 war brides and babies in a seven month span.
The Stacks onboard shop hosted the “Greet the Author” event during the Queen Mary Scottish Festival, with thousands in attendance. I met people from many parts of California -- and the world. Thrilling bagpipe music played that day as kids stopped by to create their own Queen Mary craft. You can see here some of their creative work.
The Stacks onboard shop hosted the “Greet the Author” event during the Queen Mary Scottish Festival, with thousands in attendance. I met people from many parts of California -- and the world. Thrilling bagpipe music played that day as kids stopped by to create their own Queen Mary craft. You can see here some of their creative work.
Lovely weather, a festive atmosphere and a remarkable
location made for a most memorable day. |
| Kids designed their own take-home Queen Mary crafts |
