More May Highlights, Grant News, & Author Visit Info!
- vintage1318
- May 25
- 2 min read
Updated: May 26
With Asthma Awareness Month 2026 now winding down, I thought I'd share the rest of May's highlights regarding My Life as an Asthmanaut and its promotion. Let's get right into it!
After a busy World Asthma Day, Lit Kids Magazine posted an interview with me on May 8th. What I love about this site is that it's kid-centered, and I had so much fun thinking over imaginative questions like: "If you could travel anywhere in the world to do your work, where would you go?" and "If you could invite any three people for dinner, who would you invite?" My answers may surprise you!
May 11th felt surreal when Mia Fritsch-Anderson, who is essentially the biggest influencer in the asthma world, reviewed my book on Instagram! Give it a watch! https://www.instagram.com/reel/DYNttMLpaX6/
Author April Berry has been running a fun series on her website where she creates a postcard around a specific book. I got to fill in a postcard for my picture book with a message from my character to readers. I hope you enjoy what my character has to say! https://aprilberrybooks.com/my-life-as-an-asthmanaut/
On May 22nd, children's author Susanna Leonard Hill reviewed my story for her Perfect Picture Book Friday feature on her blog, where she also provided links to asthma-related activities for kids to explore.
Back in March, I was interviewed by journalist Colette Costlow from the Altoona Mirror, one of my region's largest newspapers. The full feature was released in the paper's print edition in May, and I've put it below. My sister, who also has asthma, was interviewed as well and gave me a stellar endorsement!
And finally, the BIG news! The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts awarded me a Creative Entrepreneur Accelerator Program grant in the amount of $2,000.00 for small business formation or development! After years of hard work and aiming to become a traditionally published author as an actual job, I feel validated that my efforts and successes are being recognized by my state. These funds will help me grow my small business as an author and asthma educator, allowing me to upgrade my website, pay vendor fees for festivals, and cover travel expenses for author visits/events outside my region! This is the jumpstart to my career that I really needed, as I don't have enough of a steady income to support my author endeavors.
And now that my book and I are seen as a legitimate business focused on spreading asthma education and promoting literacy, I've finished work on my AUTHOR VISIT RATES! I've included them here, but they are also on my website.
I'm also working on a larger asthma-related program to go along with My Life as an Asthmanaut, but planning is still in the early stages.
To me, Asthma Awareness Month 2026 turned out to be epic, though full of learning curves. And it will end on a high on May 30th at the Hiller Family Memorial Library in Houtzdale, PA! At noon, I'll be doing my first live book reading for families! After that, I'll be taking a short break in June to enjoy summer while preparing promotional efforts for Disability Pride Month, which is in July. Huge plans are brewing for that month!
Until then, stay stellar!
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