Mark Therrien- Author

I was invited to read my book to 40 new friends from Rainbow School today! They were a lot of fun and they came up with some very cool custom Megavans in our coloring time.

This was a part of a field trip for the kids and they walked from their school to the Anoka County Library Mississippi Branch to meet me for a fun morning. Thank you Rainbow School- especially my good bud Simon!

I love sharing my story with kids and would be thrilled to to visit any school in the area. If you are involved in a school or have kids in a school that may be interested, please reach out to me as I would be interested too!

Who out there has a name for their car? We’ve gone through Max, Earl, and now Let’s over here.

Thanks Anoka County Library for showcasing The Megavan!

Today is National Name Your Car Day. October 2nd pays homage to those who love their rides so much that they name their car. Why do we do this? Studies reveal when we name inanimate objects, we assign a more human-like attribute, giving us a sense of control. Does your vehicle have a name?

A perfect read for today comes from Featured Author, Mark Therrien- Author. His children’s book “The Megavan” is a story about a growing family and the shared experiences that they go through during the early childhood years, told through the eyes of their trusty minivan. Mark is the proud driver of a minivan, which was his inspiration for his book. & learn more about the author here: https://ow.ly/BMRg50Toqs4

Today was one of my favorite events- I got to partner with the best library and be a part of such a cool experience for the kids!

Thank you to Anoka County Library, Johnsville Elementary School, Blaine Police Department, Spring Lake Park, Blaine, Mounds View Fire Dept., and US Postal Service for supporting a local author, and thank you to everyone that joined us!

Doing events in the community and getting such a generous response really makes this whole book thing pretty special.

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Had a great time at Forgotten Star Brewing today reading The Megavan! Thanks to everyone that joined the party! 😀🚗👍🏻📚

Nothing better than a summer road trip! Celebrate National Road Trip Day by reading The Megavan and then give your trusty ride a double pat to show your love. 🚗📚👊🏻

Today is National Road Trip Day and we suggest "The Megavan" by Mark Therrien- Author. This story of a young family is told through the eyes of their trusty minivan. and learn more about this Featured Author here: https://ow.ly/6Hen50REoRy and check out his interview with QCTV here: https://ow.ly/gi4A50REoRx

It’s hard to believe, but my book The Megavan was published one year ago this week! It’s been an unbelievable experience and I owe so much thanks to all of you for your support. With your help, we’ve had a huge rookie year beyond my wildest dreams, including:

📚 1,250 books sold

🏢 39 MN & WI bookstores carrying

📖 6 libraries circulating

🚌 12 school author visits (my favorite part of this!)

📔 10 community book readings

⭐️ 16 online 5 star reviews

👥 14 public events

🏥 200 books distributed to children with physical and mental illness in partnership with Healing Chapters Foundation and Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC)

📰 4 state and local media appearances

🥳 2024 Anoka County Library Featured Author honor

Thank you all for a very memorable year and for giving a new author a shot! I really hope you and your kids have enjoyed the story!

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I was thrilled to be asked to be a guest author at Jefferson Elementary’s Reading Night tonight in Blaine! I had to chance to talk through and read my book to so many great kids. I also had maybe my favorite custom Megavan ever- Say hello to fourth grader Dominic’s “Michael Jackvan”! 😆

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I get to be a part of this tomorrow! Come hear from an amazing author and meet some great local writers at the Northtown library branch for the Anoka County Library 2024 Local Authors Fair! 😀📚🚗

It's almost here —Anoka County’s literary event of the year! Join us tomorrow, 2/24 at Northtown Library for our 7th annual Featured Local Author Fair with keynote address by best-selling author Curtis Sittenfeld at 10:15 am, followed by the fair at 11:00 am.

Read local Minnesota and come chat with 16 selected authors from the community. There's something for everyone at this event with titles for all ages and spanning different genres. Attendees will have the chance to purchase books directly from the writers, making it a unique and personalized literary experience. Read more about the featured authors here: https://www.anokacountymn.gov/3981/Read-Local

The fair is also the highlight of ACL's Winter Reads Challenge which runs through 2/29. All ages can complete activities and earn digital badges. Use the Beanstack Tracker app to track your reads & share book reviews year-round; visit https://ow.ly/AXlR50Qi8rJ. Kids and teens can Read Down their fines through 2/29 (some restrictions apply).

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Thank you for the feature, Anoka County Library! I’m excited for the library’s Local Authors Fair coming up in two weeks on Saturday, February 24th at the Northtown Branch! Hope to see you and your kids there!

Today is World Read Aloud Day. Why read aloud? Studies show that children are exposed to a larger vocabulary from picture books read aloud compared to having conversations with adults.

Our next featured author Mark Therrien knows all about the power of reading aloud. His children’s book “The Megavan” is a story about a growing family and the shared experiences that they go through during the early childhood years, told through the eyes of their trusty minivan. Their adventures brings them closer together, establishing a firm family foundation & creating memories to last a lifetime. Mark is a stay-at -home Dad and the proud driver of a minivan, which was his inspiration for his book. & learn more about the author here: https://ow.ly/vLaj50QtmFX and Mark Therrien- Author

I am very honored to announce that I’ve been selected as a 2024 Featured Author by Anoka County Library.

This is extra special for me because the library has become such a favorite place for my kids over the years.

My library author page along with an interview can be seen here: https://www.anokacountymn.gov/4298/Mark-Therrien

Thank you to all of you supporters for contributing to this fun journey! Special thanks as well to Beaver's Pond Press and Kevin Cannon!

I enjoyed reading The Megavan to the awesome Kindergarten students of Cross of Christ Lutheran School yesterday! A big thank you to Ms. Kohl and my little buddy Gage who invited me. A great school with great kids!

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Thank you to the St. Paul Pioneer Press for the nice feature of The Megavan that hit newsstands last week- my first time being in the Sunday paper! 📰

Having my story called “delightful” by Mary Ann Grossmann is enough to make my day! 😀

The full article can be found online at https://www.twincities.com/2023/11/05/books-for-kids-from-minnesota-authors-illustrators/.

Beaver's Pond Press

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You can find me today and tomorrow at the Holiday Bazaar in Maple Grove signing copies of The Megavan!

Books make great gifts for the holidays, along with items from over 30 different local creators here this weekend!

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Thank you to my friends at Sand Creek Elementary for inviting me to Literacy Night! School families heard from me and two other great local authors as well as enjoying writing activities, prizes, and pizza.

Special thanks to Principal Anderson, the numerous staff volunteers, and three of my favorite students who wanted to show me just how my “author pose” picture looks to other people 😆.

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While in St. Paul today I visited Next Chapter Booksellers and found The Megavan! I love being able to have signed copies out there so I hope someone enjoys this one!

Thank you Next Chapter team for supporting local authors. There are also many books, maps, and puzzles from my amazing illustrator Kevin Cannon here so check this store out!

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I had two fun mornings this week reading The Megavan with my friends at Peace Preschool in C**n Rapids! Thank you for having me and thank you for your big imaginations! 😀

Reading at schools has easily been the most fun part about being an author as I really get to feel the kids’ enthusiasm and hopefully help spread a love a reading. I’d love to visit any classroom, so if you’re involved with a school then I’d be thrilled to connect with you! 📚🚗

Thank you to the great story time audience at Avant Garden Bookstore this morning! I had a great time reading The Megavan, and also had a chance to read the latest from the great MN author David LaRochelle- 100 Mighty Dragons All Named Broccoli!

I’ll be reading story times at Avant Garden the next two Saturdays at 10 am- I’d love to see you and your kids there! 🚗📚

I was honored to be a part of Avant Garden Bookstore’s Grand Opening yesterday in Anoka! Amazing people, amazing books, and amazing coffee! Very grateful to be included along with exceptional authors like Frank Weber and Denise Williams - Author.

If you missed it… great news! I’ll be back for the *NEXT 3 SATURDAYS* for children’s story time at 10 am! Join us right on Main Street in Anoka!

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More on Grand Opening: Tears came on immediately after our children’s story time began. It was overwhelming to see all of our work this year suddenly come together. Having a dedicated space for childrens’ books and story times was the primary goal when we took on this project. Growing up, books allowed me to visualize a life that was much more appealing than what I was taught would be my place in the world. Reading books saved me.
I had the idea, the vision for this bookstore, but cannot take credit for making it happen. I am fortunate to have the most amazing network of friends and coworkers who did the real work: Kelly, owner and founder of River Yoga
and primary caretaker for Sparkles, our bookstore dog: Let’s just say among many other things Kelly has done for us, our Grand Opening would never have happened without her. It was Kelly who coordinated author readings, henna and the gorgeous floral arrangements from Toni's Flowers. Kelly’s event planning has included everything from arranging the painting for our duct work to creating spice rating stickers for blind date books. She makes things happen.
Bringing in Amber, owner of Metta Coffee was a total game changer. Amber roasts our beans, arranges staff schedules and supply orders. She’s done training, plumbing and HR for us as well. I don’t believe there is anything she can’t do.
Emily, my fellow book nerd, has taken on most responsibilities in our bookstore: orders, receiving, and managing book clubs.
Our amazing coffee bar team has bravely taken on our new ordering process with utmost positivity and professionalism.
Thank you Denise Williams - Author for traveling all the way up from Des Moines for our event. Thank you Frank Weber and Mark Therrien- Author for taking time out of your lives to make our day special. Thank you Wandering Spirit Henna and Mau Loa Sweets Ginny Bites for your contributions. It was truly a great day ✨

Very excited to be a part of Avant Garden Bookstore’s grand opening on Saturday! Come on out to Anoka at 10 am for a great children’s story time!

The schedule of events for our GRAND OPENING this Saturday 🥳
We are honored to have three authors coming in to help us celebrate: Mark Therrien- Author Frank Weber Denise Williams - Author

Super excited to have my story now available at GoodThings! You can find The Megavan at its locations in Maple Grove, White Bear Lake, and on Grand Avenue in St. Paul.

GoodThings is a family owned business that spotlights Minnesota products and has been loved by shoppers for the past 50 years. I’m proud to be part of this store!

GoodThings are to come! (A pun made by my son this morning when delivering the books, and fully endorsed by this dad joke-making Dad)

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A pretty cool moment having my son spot The Megavan on the shelves of Anoka County Library! There are currently two copies in circulation, this one was at the Johnsville Branch- about 20 feet away from the very computer on which I typed the final draft of the book in March 2022. I guess its really come full circle! 🚗📚😀⭕️

Excited to be signing today at Bookstore At Fitger's in Duluth! Should be a fun time!

Join us on Saturday, August 5th, from 12:00-2:00 p.m. for an author signing with Mark Therrien for his new book "The Megavan"! This story follows a young family sharing life experiences and building their family foundation, all told through the eyes of someone who is there for it all: their trusty minivan!