The Book-A-Day Giveaway Contest is Coming!

In honor of Food Allergy Awareness Week, a winner will be selected each day starting May 13 thru May 19th to receive a free copy of the newly released children's book: The BugyBops: Friends for All Time!


To participate, stop back regularly and post a comment right here on this blog to each Question of the Day. To double and triple your points, tweet and/or share the following comment on Twitter or Facebook:


Win a copy of "The BugaBees" #book sequel: "The BugyBops: Friends for All Time" by @AmyRecob #FAAW #foodallergy thebugabees.blogspot.com


Good luck and thanks for doing your part to create a little buzz about food allergy awareness!

Listen to Your Mother!

If you have not yet heard of the Mother's Day Phenomenon that is sweeping the nation, please allow me to enlighten you! For the past two years, women in select cities around the U.S. have been celebrating Mother’s Day by heading to the theater with local writers to share the joys, trials, and occasional absurdities of motherhood at Listen To Your Mother shows. If you have not yet been to a LTYM show, I promise, you will not want to miss out on another year of this inspiring series. 

Created by incredibly smart and talented friend, Ann Imig, LTYM has expanded performances to 10 cities across the country this year! As part of the cast in 2010, and part of the audience in 2011, I can personally guarantee that any level of participation in these shows will leave you uplifted, heart-broken, giddy, grateful and forever changed by the stories you hear. Best of all, a portion of the proceeds from all 10 productions go to local charitable causes that support mothers and families. What more can I say? It's brilliant.

Tickets are selling out so do not delay! I will be the first in line to the Madison show on May 13th.

Cool Book Trailers

It was an amazing day at the Annual Writers' Institute at UW-Madison! I thoroughly enjoyed signing books, attending workshops, and meeting other authors this weekend where I was introduced to (among many things) the super cool concept of creating a book trailer. Of course, this form of marketing makes a lot of sense, and thanks to Youtube, Vimeo and other online platforms, you don't need to spend thousands of dollars in air time for these mini commercials to promote your book.

If you want to get really fancy though, you could easily spend that in pure production costs, which what some of these authors (and one book council) decided to do for our enjoyment. Check these out with many thanks to writer and producer Susan Reetz for bringing these to our attention! My top three favorites are:

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Blueberry Girl by Neil Gaiman

New Zealand Book Council promo (pardon the distracting political ad beforehand - just skip it if you can!)

While it's probably difficult to accurately measure the full return on investment for these trailers, I can verify through my own personal focus group (involving one person, that being me), I find them to be highly effective and inspiring. I do believe I will be purchasing copies of both of these books at my earliest convenience. And who knows, maybe a trip to New Zealand is in my future too!

Have you seen any interesting book promos or trailers online? If so, please do share.

At long last -- the sequel to "The BugaBees: Friends with Food Allergies" is finally in production!

"The BugyBops: Friends for All Time" is dedicated to my youngest child, Max, and all the wonderful kids like him who do not have food allergies themselves, but try to help make life just a little bit easier for those who do.

From washing hands to reading labels, BugyBops show how a few simple steps can help prevent serious allergic reactions to foods like peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, milk, soy, eggs, and wheat. With more amazing illustrations from 64 Colors, this next book in the BugaBees series also introduces young readers to important concepts related to cross-contamination, Epipens, and the physical signs of an allergic reaction. Follow the BugyBops to learn how their kindness and compassion help their friends with food allergies stay safe, happy, and healthy.

Books will be available just in time for Food Allergy Awareness Week 2012 (May 13-19). Pre-order your copy today at www.BeaversPondBooks.com or look for ways to win online in the the coming weeks!

Heartache + Hope

This Valentine's Day, I'm hugging my kids a little tighter as my heart goes out to the family of Ammaria Johnson who died earlier this year from an allergic reaction to peanuts. While it's been just a few short months since her death, I remain hopeful that this tragic event has sparked a movement to provide more protection for the millions of kids just like her.

Since today is all about love, I'm sending out a special dose to the parents of Ammaria, and the friends and families of other young lives lost to food allergies, such as Katelyn Carlson, Megan Ayotte Lefort, and Sabrina Shannon. While the heartache of their loss remains, the hope they continue to give to the world lives on.

Wishing you all a safe and happy Valentine's Day....

If you haven't already done so, please sign the petition at www.change.org to support legislation requiring all schools to stock life-saving EpiPens. You can help make a difference!

The Thought That Counts

As 2011 comes to a close, I am filled with gratitude for yet another year of good health and well-being – for myself, my husband, our friends and family, but most of all, for the health and well-being of our children.

Food allergies are certainly a challenge every day of the year. And it comes as no surprise that with all the joys of the season, also come increased opportunities for accidental exposures and reactions. Through what seems like an endless supply of goodie bags, party treats, cookie platters and more, I feel extremely fortunate that we have been able to navigate our way through yet another magical holiday with the help of some very special people.

To our wonderful grandparents, aunts & uncles, neighbors, classmates, teachers, friends and family, we thank you for all your kind and caring ways of providing fun and festive options that keep our daughter Mollie safe! At 8 years old, she may not fully realize that it’s not really about the special nut-free treats you take the time to prepare and plan ahead for her…. it’s ultimately about the fact that she matters. And that her safety is priority. And that her happiness is important.

When it comes to receiving gifts, I have always been taught it is the thought that counts. This sentiment could not be more true, and its meaning extends well beyond any wrapped trinket or toy she could ever receive.

So on behalf of Mollie, and food allergic kids everywhere, this is a special thank you… to anyone who has been thoughtful enough to read a label, make the effort, and find the extra time it takes to bring a smile to a special child’s face. I promise you, those are the kind of gifts that will be forever appreciated … throughout the holidays and always. Wishing you peace, health and happiness in 2012!

FAHF-2

I was in Minneapolis last weekend attending AFAA’s annual conference and was so excited to meet their Keynote Speaker Dr. Xiu-Min Li. She shared some very inspiring news about the research she’s conducting at Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York involving the use of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for the treatment of food allergies.

Dr. Li explained that while TCM has a long history of human use in China and other Eastern Asia countries as part of mainstream medicine, the United States has not been as quick to follow --- until now. After a number of preliminary studies and testing phases, a new botanical drug called FAHF-2 (Food Allergy Herbal Formula – 2) is currently in Phase II clinical human trials. Containing 9 different herbs, FAHF-2 is proving to block peanut allergy anaphylaxis in an extremely safe and effective manner. Hurray!!Food Allergy Initiative is helping to fund this research, which has already been featured and revered in a wide variety of medical journals.

Additional research and regulation is required before FAHF-2 is widely available. Until that time, we have a very good reason to remain hopeful for the future of food allergy treatment and prevention!! Thank you Dr. Li and your awesome team of researchers and medical professionals.