A few fun photos from a very enjoyable day on the Yard of the US Naval Academy. On 12/12/22, sixty vendors were authorized to sell their wares in beautifully decorated Dahlgren Hall to provide a holiday shopping experience for midshipmen as well as for parents and civilians looking for special gift items. It was festive, lively and busy! We made new friends and met old. Looking forward to next year already!
Category: News
BOOK THREE CHESTER MIDSHIPMOUSE TIME AND TIDE
The third and final book in the series is now available. The deluxe color, hardcover edition of CHESTER MIDSHIPMOUSE TIME AND TIDE launched on Black Friday, November 25, 2022. Copies are available ONLY via special order on the Chester Midshipmouse website and at the US Naval Academy Midshipmen Store and Gift Shop.
(Hopefully) Coming Soon! Chester Midshipmouse Time and Tide
After delays and snags, the third and final book in the Chester Midshipmouse series, Chester Midshipmouse Time and Tide, has gone to the printer! (Cheers and wild clapping) As an author, this has been one challenging and frustrating experience, to say the least. However, one of the smoothest and most gratifying elements of the publishing journey has been working with artist, Maggie Vandewalle. I am excited for readers to discover the nine color (hardback) or black and white (softcover) full page illustrations plus four thumbnail sketches throughout the pages. She is an incredible talent. Before the cover reveal, please enjoy a sample from the book. ~ Susan Weisberg
BOOK SIGNING October 1-2, 2021
It is an honor to once again be invited back to the United States Naval Academy to conduct two book-signings. Meet the author on Friday, October 1st in the Midshipmen Store from 9-12 and 1-3. On Saturday, Susan Weisberg will be in the USNA Gift Shop signing her newest book, Chester Midshipmouse The Second Third as well as the first book in the series from 9am-1 pm.
Podcast interview: “Behind the Walls with Chester Midshipmouse”
Check out an interview with the author in the USNA MidMoms and More Podcast.
“What goes on behind the walls at Bancroft Hall? In this episode we will get insight into the world of Bancroft Hall, Midshipmen, and the mice that have lived there since the beginning, with special guest Susan Weisberg, USNA Mom and author of the beloved book Chester Midshipmouse. We discuss life, writing, our journey, Mother B, and being a USNA Mom.”
BOOK GIVE-AWAY CONTEST CHESTER MIDSHIPMOUSE THE SECOND THIRD
Enter to win one of three new hardcover editions of Chester Midshipmouse The Second Third signed by author Susan Weisberg and illustrator Maggie Vandewalle!
The contest will be hosted on Facebook, www.facebook.com/chestermidshipmouse beginning on Thursday 05/13/21. Watch Chester’s page for the event post! The contest will be open until Saturday, May 15th at noon.
Contest Rules:
***No Purchase Necessary***
-Participants must “like” the Give-Away post and answer the following question in the comment section: “Besides Chester, who is your favorite character in the Chester Midshipmouse books?” HELPFUL HINT: There is a list of characters on Chester’s website: www.chestermidshipmouse.com Click on the Band of Rodents tab. Click on each rodent’s picture to read about them!
~Contest begins on Thursday, May 13th when the post goes live, and ends on Saturday, May 15th, 2021 at noon.
-Only one entry per person.
-Only one prize per entrant.
-US participants only (sorry!)
-Winners will be selected by a computer random number generator. Each participant will be assigned a number after their comment. It is truly a random winner selection process!
-The three winners will be announced on Facebook and notified by message.
-All prizes will be mailed in excellent condition via media mail.
-By entering you give understanding that this promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed, administered or associated with Facebook. Entrants for this give-away release Facebook from any liability.
Chester Midshipmouse The Second Third
The long awaited sequel to Chester Midshipmouse published on 02/02/21!
Chester Midshipmouse The Second Third, an upper middle grade novel with black and white illustrations by Maggie Vandewalle, is now available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, bookshop.org, the Midshipmen Store at the US Naval Academy, US Naval Academy online and the USNA Gift Shop.
The flagship Deluxe Color Illustration hardback edition is ONLY AVAILABLE by special order here on chestermidshipmouse.com and at the Midshipmen Store at the US Naval Academy.
More exciting news to follow!
New Illustrator for Chester Midshipmouse The Second Third!
Follow the illustration process for book two—Chester Midshipmouse The Second Third as talented watercolor artist, Maggie Vandewalle, magically brings Chester and his band of rodents to life in a series of color and black and white art images. Maggie combines her amazing ability to paint wildlife (especially mice!) with the whimsical yet realistic details of the noble world of Bancroft Hall.
Rigorous plebe year begins with a heavy class load. Professor Haselmaus’s Propulsion Class puts everyone to the test, and Chester is determined to succeed.
Follow Chester on Facebook for an insider peek at Maggie’s interior art as she illustrates Chester’s exciting story! www.facebook.com/chestermidshipmouse.
Chester’s Public Service Announcment during the Covid 19 pandemic
Life in Bancroft Hall during Coronavirus…
***Originally posted on Facebook @Chester Midshipmouse 3/26/20. Update: The midshipmen at USNA are finishing the semester utilizing distance learning, and very sadly, Commissioning Week has been cancelled. Utmost sympathy to the mids and their families who more than earned a grand celebration during their four years “by the bay”.
Four thousand midshipmen who normally live within the walls of Bancroft Hall, affectionately known as “Mother B”, have remained home following Spring break due to the coronavirus, leaving a scant two dozen who remain for various reasons, along with six battalions of…mice. Behind the massive stone walls it is business as usual for the midshipmice as they follow standard procedure for “Procurement” (a class every plebe mouse is required to take). This is the reassurance I provided on a recent USNA Parents Facebook page when someone expressed the concern of their midshipman who had left some oatmeal in his dormitory room. Rations. Chester sends his thanks.
One of the many phrases taught at the Naval Academy is Adapt, Improvise and Overcome. In all seriousness, that is what the brigade of midshipmen is being called upon to do right now.
I leave you with a character study of Bodie on Induction Night. He arrived unused to wearing a uniform and with barnyard manners, which he was soon divested of thanks to some dedicated detailers. It is important to note here that the author had great difficulty in figuring out how to paint mice in trousers, let alone how to paint mice. I am consoled by the words of one of the illustrators of the wonderful Redwall book series who told me that he had Great Difficulty in painting mice and usually placed them in a corner of a scene “eating a scone”. True story. Thankfully I had a talented artist who illustrated Chester Midshipmouse book one. Stay tuned for exciting news regarding who may be illustrating book two!
The important goal for Bodie was to envision him as a new plebe in his unaccustomed white works, eating like a slob (that crunchy morsel was obtained in room 5016, by the way), for which he got in Great Trouble.
Susan Weisberg- Author
