Balcony7's Newest Author - My Son, Josh!

I have said many many times that one of the great advantages of writing a blog is that I can basically say whatever I want.  It's up to you readers whether or not you want to read what I wrote.  Well, this time, I've got to say I'm a little more excited to post than usual. That's because I'm here to announce that my son, Josh, has just been signed by Southern California publisher, Balcony7 Media & Publishing, for his children's book, Little Boy Soup.  I could include a link to the Balcony7 website.  But, instead, I am including the entire intro below.  It's not like I'm making you read it.  Not really.  I have also added Jasmine Bingham's (Balcony7's VP/author) Facebook post from today.

I know this is just a tad self-serving.  But, hey, it's not all the time that a family member becomes a published author.  In this case, Josh is #2.  My wife, Joni, co-authored a book called The Everything Baby Shower Book, 2nd edition, back in 2008.  Pretty cool, huh?

I have very talented daughters, and I'm equally proud of all 3 of my kids (and Joni, too). But, after all, this is a book blog!

“My day job at Silicon Valley Creates lets me play the role of ultimate matchmaker: with my fingers on the pulse of trends and opportunities in SV, I help raise visibility for the arts and increase participation. At home, I’m a dad who’s always read to his kids, and I wanted to write a book that filled a void for me—one that would allow me and my son to read and play at the same time, especially in the bath, which is one of my little boy’s favorite times with his dad. So I wrote Little Boy Soup. It brings all our favorite toys into story time.”

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Little Boy Soup is Joshua Russell’s debut work, written for dads (or moms) and their sons, to turn bath time into play time through the concept of mixing favorite toys and your favorite little boy into a tub full of fun. Mark Spring 2016 to add this new title to your favorite bathtime books list.

Russell’s Silicon Valley roots are deep with over seventeen years in marketing, strategic communications and community based programming. He is currently the Executive Vice President of Silicon Valley Creates, a nonprofit organization whose mission is building community through arts and creativity. Before that, Russell was a professional blogger, having managed three separate blogs for two years, focusing on the San Francisco 49’ers, the Golden State Warriors, and the Oakland A’s.

Russell is a graduate of Leadership San Jose’s 2008 Class and is the former Board President of the San Jose Leadership Council. He currently serves on the board of the Silicon Valley Chamber Foundation as well as the Artspiration Steering Committee for the Santa Clara County Office of Education. Russell also serves on the Advisory Boards of City Lights Theater Company, Silicon Valley Reads and CreaTV San Jose. In addition, he is founder and past chair of genARTS Silicon Valley and past co-chair of the San Jose Arts Marketing Roundtable. He is also the former president of the Ad Club of Silicon Valley and was a co-founder of the Chamber’s young professional program (TYP) and of First Fest.

A graduate of the University of Arizona, with a major in Media Arts and a minor in Theatre, Joshua Russell currently lives in Campbell, California, with his wife, Jennifer and two children Haley (9) and Ryan (6). He has other children’s books in various stages of production, including Little Girl Soup and other whimsical stories.

Excited to be working with Balcony 7 Media and Publishing new author Joshua Russell. He's got an adorable series of bathtime books: Little Boy Soup, followed by Little Girl Soup. Click this image and read more. He's also an arts maven in Silicon Valley. A great talent and asset for Balcony 7 and young readers. Welcome Aboard, Joshua!