It's Celebration Time

In Their Own Words: Penny Warner

2009-01-14T05:51:00.000-08:00

Penny Warner is an award winning author of over 50 non-fiction and fiction books for adults and children, including 10 party planning books. Visit her website for more information. Penny graciously accepted my interview request. Please welcome Penny Warner!

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I have two children, both grown now, and two grandsons. so it's all coming around again!

I have a BS in Early Childhood Education, a Masters in Special Education, and have been

teaching Child Development at the local college for nearly 30 years. I began teaching Parent-Infant

classes soon after my first child was born--a great way to learn about the interests and needs

of new parents.

2. How did you get into writing party planning books?

I started writing party books when I found nothing on the bookshelves that offered ideas and was overwhelmed thinking about how to entertain a bunch of kids for two hours--for the next several years!

I asked several parents for suggestions and compiled them into my first birthday party book for kids--Happy Birthday Parties.

3. What is your favorite party planning idea?

The best party my kids still remember today was a Reverse Surprise Party....we told the guests' parents that we would be picking up their kids early Saturday morning--in their pajamas!--and taking them to a restaurant for breakfast in their pjs! It was a blast!

4. What tips do you have for someone planning a birthday party?

1. Plan in advance to make sure you cover all the details. 2. Pick a theme of interest to your child and wrap the party around it, everything from invitations and decorations, to games, food and favors. 3. Get help--hire a babysitter to offer a hand at the party. 4. Keep the number of invited guests to a minimum and keep the party short and sweet.

Giving Parents A Voice

2009-01-09T07:30:00.000-08:00

I created a short survey on surveymonkey to get the top 5 questions parents want to know from birthday vendors for future books. If you are interested in taking the survey let me know and I will send you the link.
One of the few times I will post my info on here, most of the time it will just be on my business website.

What to Expect

2009-01-08T13:02:00.000-08:00

I will be visiting the Danvers Monster Mini Golf and getting an inside view and interviewing Peter Cali on January 31st for my blog. I am reading "Making Birthday Cards: 24 Easy Projects for a Special Birthday Greeting" Stephanie Weightman and I will be reviewing it when I am done. I ordered a bunch of birthday supply catalogs and will be comparing them when they come in.
I will be hosting a birthday card craft-time at Franklin Public Library on Tuesday January 27th from 3:30-5 in the public meeting room. All the cards will be given to Birthday Wishes for the children living in shelters, who will be receiving birthday parties courtesy of this fabulous organization. Artbeat in Franklin is also interested in this endeavor. I'll keep you posted on the details for this. I also have a lot of exciting things happening with my book, the details are posted on my website.

My first blog

2009-01-04T06:26:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my blog, It's Celebration Time! I recently published my first book through Createspace, Amazon's self-publishing service.
"Abracadabra to Zany: A Smorgasbord of Birthday Vendors in Central & Eastern Massachusetts"
I have a lot in store for my readers: party planning tips, interviews with vendors, reviews of party-related goods and services. Let's Celebrate!
More information is available at http://partydirectorynewengland.com