Welcome to the 2023 ARIA Author Showcase and Giveaway Event! 

  

  

How to enter – Comment on the daily showcases to enter the daily Giveaways. Comments close one week after the initial Showcase post. GRAND PRIZE drawn on Dec 8th (1 -$250, 1 -$100, or a 1 -$50 Amazon gift card. One grand prize pp) – For every showcase you post on, you automatically gain one entry to the grand prize. 30 Authors = 30 entries.    

Brielle Lilygarten will be at the Rhode Island Author Expo   

On to the Showcase! 

 

What name do you like to write under? Brielle Lilygarten 

Where do you call home? Rhode Island 

What genre(s) do you write? Children's Books, fiction  

What genre(s) were you drawn to when you were younger? Was there a reason that genre(s) appealed to you the most? Fiction. I always gravitated towards fiction stories/books, not really sure why. 

What were some of your favorite books growing up? Why? The Babysitters Club series, Sweet Valley High series, The Very Hungry Caterpillar (still a favorite!) 

What are some of your favorite books today? The Book Thief, anything by Elin Hilderbrand or Emily Giffin 

What inspired you to become a write? I have always loved reading and spent 15 years as an ELA teacher. It has always been so important to me to share my love of reading and spread the importance of reading, so I decided to write books to share with others and encourage young children to fall in love with reading. 

 

Fishy, Fishy Goes to School

Fishy, Fishy is off to school! He is ready to explore the open ocean and find out what awaits him. Follow along on his first day of school and see what he is up to now! If you loved Fishy, Fishy's first adventure, you won't want to miss his next! 

Tell us a little about how Fishy, Fishy Goes to School came to be. Did it start with an image, a voice, a concept, a dilemma or something else? My first book is a board book titled Fishy, Fishy. I decided to write a follow-up to the board book, but make it a little more complex for a little bit of an older audience (ages 3-5). I came up with the character one day while I was reading The Rainbow Fish to my two daughters and the idea just kind of came to me. I wanted to write about a happy go lucky fish who was off on different adventures in the open ocean. I decided to have Fishy, Fishy off to school since it is a relevant life event in children ages 3-5 years old. 

Which scene, character or plotline changed the most from first draft to published book?  

Which character was the most challenging to create. Why? The teacher in Fishy, Fishy Goes to School. I wasn't sure how I wanted the teacher portrayed and she ended up being a little crab. 

What do you like best about being a writer? Being able to let my imagination run wild and come up with fun, vibrant stories for young readers to enjoy! 

If you could collaborate with any author past or present, who would it be? What would the title of the book be? (If possible) - Give us a one sentence blurb. Elin Hilderbrand - Summer Nights - It would be about four friends who lost touch and reunite every summer to embark on some wild adventures. 

You can follow Brielle Lilygarten here - 

www.brililybooks.com 

www.facebook.com/Brililybooks,LLC 

https://www.instagram.com/brililybooks/

 Brielle is giving away a signed copy of Fishy, Fishy Goes to School along with some activity pages/stickers 

To enter, comment below. --> What fun adventures do you recall from your elementray school days?

(Comments are open for one week)