Visited the L.A. Festival of Books this weekend and finally met one of the authors I’ve worked with online in person. The festival felt bigger than ever — packed. Maybe audiences are turning back to books.

Check out this month’s #drawthis

I’m going to try to keep up with the monthly prompts, especially if I am in writing mode, like I am this year.

This one was fun and it was completed in time for tonights astrological event the spring Pink Super Moon.

Check out my newest coloring page, it features Cooper McGee and his horse McKinley.

You can download it via the link below.

Download here!

A quick update! A song I co-wrote for a secret project got recognized as a semi-finalist in the American Songwriter contest.

I don’t get to do music much so this was a fun happening and it is an honor to be recognized.

I recently sat down with Feathered Quill to chat about Guinea Pig Power, my journey from ghostwriting to accredited author, and what’s next! I shared how a guinea pig rescue inspired the story, the challenge of creating the book and it’s upcoming sequel.

Check out the full interview on Feathered Quill for more behind-the-scenes details!

Share Literacy – get a Free Book!

To celebrate my live author reading at Everest Value School as part of their Literacy Workshop, I am giving away my debut book “Guinea Pig Power” this weekend. Its free on Amazon KDP.

Click the link below.

https://a.co/d/2IEGmjM

Update: Guinea Pig Power flew to #1 and #2 in the Free Ebook charts on Amazon.com and reached #1 on Amazon.ca

Find out what he thought about Cowboy Cooper

Cowboy Cooper and the Ghost Town was such a fun read! What better way to educate children about the importance of historic preservation than having Cowboy Cooper learn the hard way the negative ramifications of taking historic artifacts for his personal collection rather than leaving them in place for all to enjoy and to learn about the past. Ben St. James is to be lauded for finding a relatable way for children to engage with historic preservation! This book should be required reading for all of the children and grandchildren of the members of my association. I look forward to being able to provide this book to many of the elementary school teachers that I know.

See what the Story Monsters team shared.

The team at Story Monsters was kind enough to put me on blast – in a good way by sharing a photo of me holding my winner’s certificate with their social media community.

Find out more above this live appearance

I was invited to join Everest Value School for a special reading event for students and parents Saturday January 25th. This literacy event will include educational activities related to reading and writing, as well as a giveaway.

For more information check out the poster below.

Congratulations to all the 2024 winners

The Royal Dragonfly Book Awards is an international contest that celebrates excellence in books across a variety of genres, including children’s literature. Open to authors, illustrators, publishers, and self-publishers, the program welcomes entries from any publishing year, ensuring a dynamic range of submissions.

Books are judged on their content, originality, readability, with an emphasis on creativity and innovation. The panel of judges includes teachers, librarians, and subject-specific and industry experts, making this recognition truly meaningful.

I’m pleased to share that my latest book, Cowboy Cooper, earned recognition in two categories! The book received an Honorable Mention in Picture Books 5 and Younger and took home 1st Place in the Western category. Cowboy Cooper & the Ghost town is the first children’s picture book to win or be recognized in the category.

My entry into the “ugly sweater” #scbwidrawthis challenge

I hadn’t done a drawing prompt in a while because I was so busy putting the finishing touches on some other projects and promoting “Guinea Pig Power”, but I wanted to finish off the year participating in one more #scbwidrawthis

I want to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday.

Sincerely,

Ben St. James

Take a look at the “local stories” feature I was included in.

My journey has taught me to stay adaptable and always learn from each step.

Ben St. James

Shoutout LA is part of the Los Angeles based Voyage Group of Magazines and their flagship publication, VoyageLA was started in 2015.  Since then they have grown to almost a dozen cities, generated millions of page views and helped tens of thousands of entrepreneurs and creatives share their stories.

Find out what Shoutout LA asked and what I had to say below.

https://shoutoutla.com/meet-ben-st-james-cartoonist-author/

Guinea Pig Power has been recognized as the Runner-Up Winner in the Children – K-3rd – General Genre category at the 2024 PenCraft Book Awards for literary excellence! This award is especially meaningful because it highlights stories that resonate with young readers and exemplify quality and creativity.

There is a brand new giveaway for the month of October

To celebrate the recent award win from Readers’ Favorite “Guinea Pig Power” is now included in the monthly giveaway on the platform. Click the link below to enter!

https://readersfavorite.com/book-giveaway/guinea-pig-power

In anticipation of spooky season and back to school time, here is my #drawthis entry for July/August.