Book Launch Party And World Asthma Day Highlights!

Happy Asthma Awareness Month! I know this post is coming a bit late, as we're now halfway through May. But I've just been so busy trying to push my book out there in what is essentially one of the best months of the year to promote it. And I have SO many updates! Too many, in fact, to put in a single post. I took a while to decide what to announce here, what to leave out, and what to save for next time, content-wise. In this post, I'll be focusing on the time around World Asthma Day, which was on May 5th, 2026!

Asthma Awareness Month began with a bang when Patricia Brown posted her interview with me on her fabulous blog. Pat has been one of my biggest supporters, so it was a pleasure to be featured and also share my recipe on how to make grape juice. https://patbrownbooks.com/2026/05/02/celebrating-asthma-awareness-month-with-jacob-lockett/

May 5th was a whirlwind of promotion and well worth all the months of preparation for that big day, where asthma jumped to the national conversation. For starters, Writers' Rumpus released my interview with the site, hosted by talented author Marcia Strykowski. Marcia asked so many great questions! She revealed in the feature that May 5th was also National Astronaut Day! Who knew? https://writersrumpus.com/2026/05/05/meet-jake-lockett-and-enter-to-win-my-life-as-an-asthmanaut/

May 5th was also the day when I did my book launch at the Penn State University Bookstore! I had brought along bookmarks, stickers, and even cupcakes! Unfortunately, I didn't receive the turnout that I had hoped for, even after doing some online promotion and outreach beforehand. But it was well worth it because I met so many kind booksellers at the store and had some meaningful conversations with them. And look at that table! Once I saw how it was set up and official it all looked, I couldn't stay away from it. Didn't I look like a happy camper? I could have sat there all night!

Another blog interview followed on the Seasons of KidLit website, where I got to talk with children's author Heather Macht about my love for Halloween and costumes! https://www.seasonsofkidlit.com/post/celebrate-world-asthma-day-with-jake-lockett?utm_campaign=89d5a405-c7e6-4bd2-a810-6cfe3a96b4d8&utm_source=so&utm_medium=mail&utm_content=60e587c4-ee0f-42b9-9874-8f96c1991ffd&configurationId=dcf914f1-7669-4e66-b972-88e3398e9302&actionId=06f0e59b-4c78-49b5-986a-d71185ce7db1&cid=0abf671f-2f60-4fa4-8af3-410f7713064c

World Asthma Day ended with, you guessed it... yet another blog interview! This time with fellow Free Spirit author Christine Alemshah for her Grow Your Writing Challenge: Creator Interview Series. What a great discussion about writing! https://christinealemshah.com/creator-interview-jake-lockett-sharing-his-debut-picture-book-my-life-as-an-asthmanaut/

Expect another post toward the end of the month. In it, I'll reveal a major development that will help me spread asthma awareness to tons more readers!

I hope to see you at my next event on May 30th at the Hiller Family Memorial Library in Houtzdale, PA! At noon, I'll be doing a book reading!

Until then, stay stellar!