When our youngest was prek and early elementary age, she had a one-track mind about her birthday.

It’s in August, but the topic was year-round. It was such a mindset she forgot other people had birthdays as well. We had to ban her from talking about HER birthday so her brother would feel remembered on HIS!

I remember as I approached 50, I thought hey, this is a biggie. I wanted to really have fun with it. I made all these plans and then it was the pandemic. It was early pandemic so no one even thought of the drive-by parades celebrations. I turned 50 with a whimper.

Although I didn’t adopt my daughter’s love for the day so much it is a daily event, I decided to do something fun for each birthday in my 50’s. A favorite was attending a rage room with two of my dearest friends. We looked ridiculous in our overalls and helmet shields, but we broke a lot of stuff!

This year I wanted to do something that encourages others. The author life is lonely and it’s been especially difficult these last few years. We understand if a reader needs to purchase gas for their car or a book, we aren’t going to see a lot of purchases. I don’t know if I can solve all the world’s problems, but I thought I’d create a fun event that puts authors in touch with readers and vice versa.

54 Minutes with Julie Arduini and Friends is just that. Tomorrow night from 7-8 Eastern I’m hosting an event on my Reader Group Page featuring ten other authors. Each author, myself included, has five minutes to share whatever they want. They might post once, or as many as three times. But the challenge is they have those five minutes.

—Julie Arduini

Now if you do the math, 11 authors and five minutes equals 55 minutes. That’s what I love, I’m not a mathematician! The good news is we are only taking less than an hour of your time. And I have a feeling you will see giveaway opportunities. Trust me, you want to be there!

The authors represent all kinds of genres, so I’m pretty sure you’ll find an author worth following, hopefully more!

Here is the list of participating authors:

Julie Arduini, Jennifer Arrington, B.J. Bassett, Marie E. Bast, Kate Darroch, Bonnie Engstrom, Linda Hoover, Linda Shenton Matchett, Leagh Matthews, Terry Overton, and LoRee Peery.

I’m so excited. Chances are you love to read given the blog is called Christians Read. You are invited to join us. If you know other readers, share this with them. We’d love to see a huge gathering.

Were birthdays a big deal to you as a child?