The Adventures of Bella and Finny Series » News

Albany Children’s Book Festival

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 01:50:07 +0000

Albany Children’s Book Festival

Albany Academy for Girls

140 Academy Road

Albany, NY

Saturday April 28, 2012

10-4

What a Fabulous day! 70 Authors and Illustrators for you to meet, greet and have your book personalized by your favorite author. There were many different programs through out the day for you to enjoy and participate in. I love meeting new Bella and Finny fans and catching up with friends.

Poodle Bloggers!

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 02:11:16 +0000

Bella and Finny are thrilled to announce they have their own blog: “Bella and Finny, a poodles point of view!” This will be a fun way to keep up with Bella and Finny’s daily adventures! We will also be featuring a ”Guest Dog” spot on Fun Fur Friend Fridays! Please contact me at: bonnie@bellaandfinny.com if you would like to have your dog in the spotlight as a friend of Bella and Finny’s. Happy blogging Bella and Finny!

Bella and Finny 2012 Calendar!

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 20:26:13 +0000

Here is the new 2012 Bella and Finny calendar cover!

Guest Speaker at Literacy Thank You Event

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 04:28:15 +0000

Love talking to the voluteers.

June 14,2011
Capital Region Jewish Coalition For Literacy
Annual Thank You Celebration
The Golub Center
Albany, NY
Today was all about thanking the volunteer reading coaches of ROAR. They work with children kindergarten through third grade and make a firm commitment to give one hour a week throughout the school year. They read to the students and help the struggling readers. They have approximately 200 reading coaches serving in 20 inner-city schools in the Albany, Schenectady and Troy city school districts. They are making a difference in so many children’s lives. THANK YOU Reading Coaches!!

SCBWI Eastern NY Conference

Mon, 13 Jun 2011 04:44:06 +0000

Susan Campbell Bartoletti

I just love going to these conferences!! A great opportunity to catch up with old friends and make new ones. We had a dynamic Keynote Speaker, Susan Campbell Bartoletti. She is an award-winning author and a fearless woman! She digs deep for the untold story.

Awesome Illustrator

We had excellent workshops with an impressive line up of Conference Faculty. Award-winning Authors, Illustrators, Editors and Agents. It was a fabulous day!

Interview with Simon Rose on Children’s Authors and Illustrators

Thu, 09 Jun 2011 00:45:00 +0000

Our guest today is author Bonnie Wayne.

Tell us a little about yourself.

I live in Upstate New York with my husband Tom, we have two adult daughters Tiffany and Taryn, a son-in-law Scott and we are proud first time grandparents of a beautiful healthy boy Harper! We also reside with the two stars of the award- winning The Adventures of Bella and Finny Series©™. Bella and Finny are my two very photogenic standard poodles.

My background is in Human Services and I have worked with children in different capacities for just about three decades. Through my professional and personal experiences, I have found humor to be a very effective way to teach. I combined my love for children and humorous photographs to create books that are entertaining as well as educationally sound. Pictures of Bella and Finny in everyday situations, driving a car, taking out the garbage, washing dishes and yes, with an apron on and rubber gloves, help teach basic concepts to young children. I take a laugh and learn approach!

The books have received the prestigious Mom’s Choice Award along with the Dove Award. They are awards giving for excellence in family friendly media.

What is your latest published work?

I have four books out and last book was “Opposites with Bella and Finny”.

Where do you get your ideas from?

Everyday life and in everyday situations! When I have a book in mind, I just start thinking, how can I make this fun. How can Bella and Finny best convey this concept. I could be out shopping and see something and think, ahh this could look great on Bella! The creative ideas in my head just never stop!

What are you working on right now?

Right now I am working on ABC’s with Bella and Finny. I’m using fruits and vegetables with a Bella and Finny twist to it! It’s going to be hilarious!

Do you have any tips or advice for aspiring authors?

In my opinion, you must be passionate about your writing. You have to love with your heart and soul what you do! Next, I would suggest to become a member of a professional organization. If you write books for children, an example would be the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). Join a local chapter and attend their meetings and critique groups. It is also a good idea to attend workshops and conferences. If you want an agent, look for agents that represent your genre and the same would hold true for a publishing house. Be prepared for a lot of “no’s” but remember it takes just one “yes”! There are also many opportunities for people to self- published these days. Do your homework and just be aware there are many “publishing houses” that just want your money. A traditional publisher will never take your money. No matter what route you take, traditional of self-published you have to be your own best cheerleader! Which goes to the next piece of advise, market, market, market, network, network, network! The BookExpo America, BEA,(the book industry’s largest premier trade show) is a great opportunity to network and to market. I guess it boils down to work hard, be persistent, love what you do and everything else seems to fall in to place!

What you have a crazy story about an aspect of the writing life, perhaps from a school visit or event?

One time during a school visit, I was showing a picture of Finny with a shower cap on. To help with recall and memory retention I asked the children to name the dog in the picture.One little boy shouted out “grandma” I laughed so hard and told him not to tell grandma she looked like a dog!

Is there anything else you’d like to add, such as a website or blog
We have a website: www.bellaandfinny.com

You can find us on Facebook: The Adventures of Bella and Finny

https://www.facebook.com/pages/THE-ADVENTURES-OF-BELLA-AND-FINNY/93884594949

You can follow me on Twitter: Bonnie623

Tanglewood School Visit!

Thu, 09 Jun 2011 00:18:15 +0000

What a nice surprise I had when I first walked into the school. In the main hallway there was a disply of the students “Pet Stars” of the week! In honor of Bella and Finny Week, the students took pictures of their pets dressed up in varies costums! What a great idea to get the children ready for my visit. Finny was a BIG hit with everyone. They loved it when I put different outfits on him. In between presentations I was able to meet the children during their lunch period. A BIG Thank You to Mr. Hills, Teachers and Staff for the warm welcome to your school! I hope your Summer is full of wonderful adventures!

3rd Annual Albany Children’s Book Festival!

Sat, 09 Apr 2011 11:33:15 +0000

This is a great family event! They have an Author’s breakfast from 8-9:30am, a Storybook Parade for the children at 11am and workshops throughout the day. Over 50 Authors to meet and greet and sign their books for you. Please stop by and say “hi”!
Saturday, April 9, 2011
10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Silipigno Athletic Facility at the Albany Academy for Girls campus.

Happy Dog Contest!

Fri, 07 Jan 2011 02:49:08 +0000

The Stars!

Bella and Finny were selected as one of the best pictures for the Happy Dog Contest. Their picture will be published in the digital magazine Happy Dog Connections.

The 2011 Bella and Finny calendar is here!

Tue, 21 Dec 2010 18:17:30 +0000

Cover of the new 2011 Bella and Finny calendar

We are happy and pleased to let you know the 2011 calendar is ready! Bella and Finny will make you smile all year long!!