Greetings from a basement out here in the middle of Minnesota. Hope this missive finds you all doing well, and feeling hearty and hale.
Today is Independent Book Store day, and to participate I traveled to Red Balloon Bookshop in Saint Paul for the launch of Max Brallier’s latest entry in his Last Kids on Earth series, The Last Comics on Earth. I’d never been to this store before, but it got rave reviews from my counterpart at work.
Red Balloon Bookshop lies on Grand Ave, nestled amongst a variety of restaurants and boutiques I passed on the walk from my car to the store.
Out front, a steadily whirring bubble machine tossed bubbles into the air while a totem pole of two bears holding a red balloon looked on. Inside, the store was packed with an ever-growing crowd of both Max Brallier fans and IBSD patrons. I snagged a copy of the latest book, and found spot near the back of the area set aside for the author’s chat.
After a brief intro by a store employee, out came Max Brallier and Drew Brockington—author and illustrator of Catstronauts—for a conversation about Brallier’s new book, how it came together, Brockington’s illustrations in his books, and the fun Easter eggs that pop up in the books. They solicited ideas from the audience for a special mad libs they’d put together, and then took some questions.
The final part of the event was an opportunity to get a book signed by Brallier. I had my copy made out to ERP, ALP, and GRP, and thanked Brallier for an email he’d sent me months back in response to some questions I had about his outlining process. With book in hand, I headed for home.
It was a great trip, and I’m looking forward to returning soon with the whole family.
So long for now. Be well. Take care of yourselves and others. As always, thanks kindly for reading.
-Purdy
Ryan L. Purdy 
Sounds like a great day.
💕📚
LikeLike