If you’re thinking of writing that book, Miami’s Books & Books has a writer’s workshop every two weeks. If you’re an ice cream lover like me, you’ll be as excited as I am that Miami is getting a permanent museum dedicated to ice cream. I’m doomed. I’m meeting Miami neighbor Lauren Sanchez on Monday night. You can too. I am so impressed with Nicklaus Children’s Hospital that I volunteered to offer them my PR services. So excited they said yes!

The Book in You 

Most authors will tell you that everyone has a book in them. Whether you decide to write it is a whole other story. If your excuse for not writing a non-fiction, or novel, at this time is because you need coaching, I have the right place for you.

Miami’s Books & Books has a writer’s workshop every two weeks. It’s under the direction of Dana Swift, YA book buyer and author of two novels.  Over 30 writers showed up last Monday night to have their work critiqued. It was a full three hours of constructive criticism that was helpful and encouraging.

It takes a lot of guts to read your story in front of strangers, but this group was anxious to do it. These writers wanted feedback, and this was the best way to get it. Everyone talked to each other professionally and provided great new ideas. I’m writing a book about a murder at CES, a trade show. That should get a lot of tongues wagging.

I Wish I Could Live on Ice Cream

There is something about ice cream that puts me in the best of moods. It’s a cure for depression, anger, rejection, boredom, frustration, plus, plus. It just makes me smile and puts me in a better frame of mind. There is only one negative about ice cream.  It makes you fat, especially if you eat it every day.

I keep telling myself that I’m not going to eat any more ice cream so I can lose weight but then I find an excuse every day why I need two more scoops. Frankly, I wish I could swim in it.

I’m packing on the pounds, so I swore to myself that this was it, no more of my fat-feeding friend. Of course, I promised myself this over 1000 times but now I may be forced to be a fatty forever.

I just found out that Miami is getting a permanent museum dedicated to ice cream. I’m doomed. The Museum of Ice Cream, in the heart of Miami Worldcenter, is a 14,000-square-foot immersive experience that is bigger than its pop-up version from 2018.

Spokespeople for the museum say they have “interactive rooms, unlimited ice cream, and new, never-before-seen installations that encourage visitors to unleash their inner child.”

The journey begins with a “sweet flight,” where guests are welcomed aboard the first-class “Creamliner Express” to “Orange Dream Island.”

I just gained weight writing that sentence.

Each room offers a different interactive experience from exploring secret passageways to bouncing through a room full of giant bananas. They also have a carnival section — an area packed with games and photo opportunities that feel straight out of a childhood fantasy.

Miami’s local 10′s TV station shows the “trippy” Hall of Freezers, where visitors wander through surreal cold rooms and a slide that takes you from the second floor to the bottom in a flash.

Wait there is more. The museum is widely known for its world-famous sprinkle pool — a humungous  basin filled with thousands of plastic sprinkles, where visitors can take a celebratory dip at the end of their journey. Ariana Grande, Kim Kardashian and Beyoncé have already tried it.

The museum also offers a  café, where visitors can purchase themed cocktails like the “Pinktini” and other sweet treats. Though tickets include unlimited ice cream throughout your visit, the café’s menu offers more gourmet options for those looking to indulge even further.

Local 10 viewers can click here for more information on the menu and how to purchase tickets.

New York City, Austin, Singapore, and Chicago already have The Museum of Ice Cream. Boston is in the works. https://www.museumoficecream.com/

Meeting Miami Neighbor Lauren Sanchez Monday Night

The minute I saw the ad from Books & Books to meet Emmy Award-winning journalist, pilot, and philanthropist Lauren Sanchez, I asked hubby Eliot to get us tickets. I want to meet the gal who stole Jeff Bezos’s heart.

Lauren will be at Books & Books Monday night to discuss her first book for children called The Fly Who Flew To Space. Adriana Cisneros,the CEO of Cisneros, a privately-owned enterprise with a 95-year legacy in global business, will have the pleasure of interviewing Lauren.

It’s going to be a very interesting evening. Lauren is going to take readers on a high-flying space adventure with Flynn the Fly in her picture book debut. Inspired by her childhood battle with dyslexia and a lifelong love of flying, The Fly Who Flew to Space will have little readers learning about early STEM concepts and reaching for the stars. This sounds like a good lesson for big readers too.

Eliot is planning to bring his children’s book, Fearless Flying Fannie, to the event as a gift to Lauren.  I hope there is an exciting exchange so I can call it into Page 6 of the New York Post and get an editorial item placed.

Visiting Miami’s Children’s Hospital

I made a promise to myself that I would bring whatever talent I had in the world of networking to Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Miami. Eliot and I have recently been visiting the hospital so that he could do a reading for his children’s book, Fearless Flying Fannie. I was so overwhelmed by the campus of buildings that make up this institution that I knew immediately that I wanted to volunteer my services.

After working 58 years in public relations, I think I have made enough connections that could help bring technological advancement and cheer, to the good work that is being done at Nicklaus. I made the offer, and I have just received the first call from the hospital to see where I fit in.

This past Wednesday. Author Eliot Hess and Artist Jayda Knight presented Fearless Flying Fannie at Nicklaus. Eliot did a reading, and Jayda led the way with a bird-making arts and crafts activity. It was very gratifying to work with the children. I wish they didn’t have to be there.