![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif?v=92.1){kind=small}
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
INTRODUCING NEW INTERACTIVE EZINE FOR KIDS!!!!
This darling angel gecko, GAK, is drawn by Kim Sponaugle.
This first issue contains one of the stories from my book The Misadventures of Rooter and Snuffle for you to read. Listen to The Sister Exchange or read Tracking the Twitchy Itch. There are drawing instructions and drawing boards where you can draw your own pictures.
Oh yes, you will also find articles for parents and teachers.
This is only the first issue and it promises to get better and better and better. http://guardian-angel-kids.com/
- Location:United States, Oregon, Sutherlin
- Mood:
excited
- Mood: excited
THRIFTY BOOK BUYS -Books on CD are GREEN - They Save Trees!
wants you to know:
The word is out...
Are the Bargain of the Year!
Cheaper than paper, they are the epitome of "Green."
<><><><><><><><><><><><><>
ADD to a LAPTOP or PC
and
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
- Mood: jubilant
Shari: Welcome Dixie. What should we know about you?Dixie: I am a pastor’s wife and mother of four grown children. My husband, Paul, and I have served the congregation of the Gospel Lighthouse Church in Floyd, Iowa, for the past twenty-seven years. We will have been married for thirty-one years next month. Our only son, John, gave Paul a kidney on June 12th, 2008. Our oldest daughter was married exactly a month after her daddy’s transplant and our second daughter was married on August 9th. It was a summer we will never forget. Our motto was “We are too blessed to be stressed.”
Shari: When did you start writing for children?
Dixie: I have been writing for twenty-seven years. When we first came to Floyd, I began writing Christmas and Easter programs for the children of our church. The little ones would “steal the show” and make my writing look better than it actually was. J
Shari: What is the appeal of writing for children?
Dixie: Children are full of potentiality! Their little hearts are like wet cement. They can be molded and shaped into whatever God wants them to be. I remember the stories my grandmother read to me helped shape my destiny. My prayer is that one of my stories will “stick to a child’s ribs” and maybe influence them at a pivotal point in their life.
Shari: What else do you do?
Dixie: I’ve been in fulltime ministry for over nearly thirty years.
Shari: Have you taken any creative writing classes?
Dixie: I have taken a few creative writing classes, but my writing springboard really came from a writing group on the internet called FaithWriters. They provide a free weekly writing competition. Writers from beginners to seasoned wordsmiths compete. I joined the group and began competing in the Weekly Challenge. Somehow I managed to place a few times. It was such an encouragement to me. It was their support and constructive criticism that helped me and continues to help me hone my writing skills.
Shari: Do you have any publishing credits we should know about?
Dixie: I have two drama books – “Glimpses of Heaven” and “More Speeches and Recitations for Young Children” from Abingdon Press. More of my writings are found in Eldridge Publishing and Standard Publishing. A true story about my grandmother was published by LIVE Publications. I am a contributing author in several books and for the past three years, I have ghostwritten ten books.
Shari: Tell us about your new book.
Dixie: “Angel Eyes” is a heartwarming tale of two cherubs – Kennedy and Tristan. The two little angels are curious and can’t figure out why Prince Emmanuel would have to leave the comforts of Heaven, where He was loved and adored, and go to Earth and become one of “them.” It gives children a peek behind the scenes of Heaven and let’s them see what the angels might have felt when Jesus left Heaven and came to Earth. Kim Sponaugle illustrated “Angel Eyes.” Her colorful illustrations take the book to another level.
Shari: Is this your first picture book? What was the inspiration for the book?
Dixie: Yes, this is my first children’s book. When our children were small, our youngest child, Libby, asked us how the angels felt when Jesus came to Earth and was crucified. Her question “burned” in my heart. After a few days “Angel Eyes” was born.
Shari: What are you doing to promote this book?
Dixie: I have two book signings at two Christian bookstores scheduled for November. There are two newspaper interviews also scheduled.
Shari: What is the best advice you can give to a new writer?
Dixie: Three words… Write! Write! Write! There is no substitute for experience. Join a writer’s group like FaithWriters and jump into the Writer’s Challenge. You will be amazed at how you can grow as a writer if you will just write and allow other writers to speak into your life.
Shari: What are you working on now?
Dixie: I am presently working on another children’s book that I am excited about. It is a humorous but poignant story. I’ve learned that when inspiration strikes and the creative juices are flowing, I need to stop what I am doing and find a place to write.
Shari: If you could be any writer in the world, who would you want to be?
Dixie: Wow! That’s a tough question. I have so many favorites. Amy Carmichael is my all-time favorite author. Her books offer comfort and hope. That’s the kind of author I want to be…. Someone who gives a parched soul, a cool drink of water, or as a children’s author, I would love to write stories that bring hope to children in hopeless situations.
Shari: What is your writing space like?
Dixie: I usually try to find a quiet corner somewhere. Being in fulltime ministry is a busy life, but I take my laptop with me and squeeze in as much time as I can to writing.
Shari: What do you do to overcome writer's block?
Dixie: The stresses of life can lap up all of our creative juices. I have found that if I can stay inspired and well rested it helps keep me motivated to write. So, I try to surround myself with inspirational music, good books and great friends.
Shari: That’s good advice for all of us. What has been the most difficult thing for you to learn about writing for children?
Dixie: Because I have written so many plays, I find dialogue comes naturally, but to make the story visual I have to work at interesting, descriptive sentences that appeal to children. Something that makes the story come alive to the child and also inspires the illustrator. I have to really work at this and not end up with a story that has two “talking heads.”
Shari: Do you have a website or blog that we may take a look at to get to know you better?
Dixie: I have a section on our church website at http://www.floydslighthouse.com/ Just click on Writer’s Block and it should take you to my “From the Heart of Dixie” page.
(c) 2008 Sharon A. Soffe
Marilee: I am an assistant PE teacher in a special education school. I have been married to my best
friend for 32 years. We have one daughter. I have been writing off and on since I was twelve years old. I have been published in magazines and in an anthology called, Reading For Little People. Before my first children’s picture book came out, I had a romantic suspense novel published. In my earlier days, I was a competitive gymnast and went on to run a gymnastic center with my husband for eighteen years. After leaving gymnastics I went into the school district as an assistant teacher in special education and have been in that field ever since.
My books released this year are, Montana Madness, a romantic suspense and Down By The Shore, a children’s picture book.
Shari: Did you always want to be a writer?
Marilee:Yes. When I was eleven, I was into the Nancy Drew Mystery series and the Hardy Boys. I tried to write my own mystery novel at the age of twelve. When I was really serious about writing novels, and children’s books, I started taking classes and in one of the classes I found out that Carolyn Keene was a made-up name, a fictitious name and many people wrote the Nancy Drew Mysteries under that name. I was shocked at first, then I thought, “hey, I should have turned in that story I wrote when I was twelve years old.”
Shari: Tell us about your recent release. What was your inspiration for it?
Marilee: My recent release, Down By The Shore, is a book that shows life down by the shore through poetic prose and enchanting photos. Originally, I had written the book in rhyme, but it had a lot of problems with meter, beats, etc. I decided I needed to take a poetry class and learn the correct techniques. I’d never heard of blank verse before, but I took my ‘shore’ piece and put it in blank verse. It got such a great response from the class that I decided against putting in back in rhyme.
I did some more tweaking and luckily, Lynda liked it enough to publish it.
Shari: Tell us about your children’s books:
Marilee: The books that will be coming out soon are: Cartwheel Annie, Alley Cat, & Does Heaven Get Mail?
Cartwheel Annie is about a young girl trying to be accepted in her own family for being a little different. She likes being upside down more than she likes being right side up. When other children start chanting, Cartwheel Annie, Cartwheel Annie, gonna get dizzy and fall on your fanny, her siblings are embarrassed by her.
Alley Cat is about a cat who has grown up in an alley, but hears stories from one of the other cats about houses with fireplaces, warm milk, and people who cuddle with you and love you. One day, Alley Cat ventures out of the alley to find himself one of those houses. Does Heaven Get Mail? is about Tina, who wants to send her grandmother a letter, but she can’t because everyone keeps telling her Heaven doesn’t get mail. Tina finds a unique way of getting her letter to Heaven.
Shari: What do you do for inspiration and unleashing your creativity?
Marilee: I love to go through magazines and pick out interesting pictures. I keep a notebook with all the pictures. For instance, I have a picture of a postcard that has a dog that looks like Dirty Harry, with a frog sitting on his back. I don’t have a dog of my own, but I must like them, because I have several pictures with dogs. One is a white pug, nose to nose with a snow dog. I also have a file with all the funny things my daughter did while growing up. A couple of things have been published in magazines: like the time she thought a waffle was a pancake that got run over by a car.
Marilee: I am working on a story of a squirrel with an extra long tail, hence the title: A Short Tale About a Long Tail. Although the young squirrels adore him because they are able to use his tail as a jump rope and a swing, the older squirrels laugh at his unusually long tail. Of course, the squirrel will save the day and be admired by all. I haven’t thought of a name for him yet, but that’s because it’s still a work in progress.
Shari: Do you have a favorite children’s book from childhood?
dMarilee: Unfortunately, I don’t remember my mother or father reading to me as a child. I do remember having the flashlight under the blanket reading the Nancy Drew books. I do have a favorite book that I read to my own daughter. It is Where The Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak. That is definitely my favorite. I remember reading that book for the first time and just staring at the art work trying to take in every detail until my daughter would say, “Mom, turn the page.” To me it was the most carefully laid out story ever.
Shari: Do you have a favorite place to write?
Marilee: I have a writing room with bookcases and a computer. On my breaks at school, I may layout a story in pen or pencil, but I do the actual writing on the computer. I try to put in two days a week for the children’s books and two days a week for the romance novels. It doesn’t always work out that way if I’m on a roll with one or the other. Two days a week, I belong to a critique group for picture books. We help each other out a lot. That leaves one day to keep my house in order.
Shari: They say that picture books are incredibly difficult to write. Why do you think that is?
Marilee: I think it’s because the text has to stand alone. Our critique group has taken books and typed out the text and read the book without the pictures. In most cases, the text was so strong that you could visualize the pictures as you were reading. There were a few, however, that had us scratching our heads and wondering how in the world did that one make it. But not many.
- Mood: cheerful
When the big day arrived I dressed as professionally as I could. With book in hand I introduced myself to the owner, showed him the book and suggested a book signing. To say he was underwhelmed is an overstatement. He looked the book up on his computer and said nothing. After a long pause (I thought it best to keep quiet.) he mumbled something about not making much money, grumble, grumble, and would I sell him the books at my discount so that he would get a better deal? I said "No." Another long pause. Finally he said, "How are you planning to promote this book?" I mentioned that I would contact the newspaper, etc. He said, "If you find out when it will be in the paper I will think about it."
To make a long story short....I contacted the newspaper and the radio station. I told them I couldn't afford to advertise but I was available to be interviewed. The radio station invited me to be interviewed and the newspaper offered their help. I called the store owner back and gave him dates. I said, "The ball is in your court. When do you want to do the book signing?" I asked him what he wanted from me and what I could expect from him.
The interview was great, and the newspaper put the book signing in two different issues and ran an article about me all before the event.
In conclusion, the book store owner just called to say it was the most successful book signing they have ever had. Don't be afraid to get out there. Be friendly but believe in your work and let people know that. Give them a reason to get your book in. Go the extra mile to make it happen.
- Mood: happy
Improving your writing.
Begin with a great start. Grab the reader from the first sentence. You have an editor's attention for a matter of minutes (maybe) before she moves on to the next slush pile story. Start with gusto. Bam! Wham! Kapowy! Just like in the old Batman TV show make sure your audiences can feel, see, and hear the action. Start with a problem or intriguing dialogue. Read some of the opening lines or first pages of stories that you like or stories that have become children's classics or best sellers. Study and perfect the art of a good beginning.
Let your characters do the talking. Provide them with realistic voices. Interesting voices. Voices that the reader wants to hear more of. Voices that move the story along. Voices that reveal the character.Don't dilly-dally around with small talk. That's for everyday stuff in the real world but not in fiction. Create drama with dialogue. Show the characters emotions and opinions.Mix the dialogue with action, creating rhythm in your story, and using body language to further reveal your character. People are more likely to form their opinions of someone from what they do rather than what they say. The same applies to your story characters. Visualize each scene as though the characters are performing on a stage before you. Simply take down notes as they move and speak. Watch closely for their facial expressions, shoulder shrugs, sighs, raised eyebrows, glares, tapping foot. Write these into your story to create an amazing mix of dialogue and action. Think of creating a symphony. You must orchestrate all the various mix of instruments.
Revel in the tension. Don't rush through the really exciting parts of your story. And for the reverse, don't drag out less thrilling but substantial sections. Make them as tight and thoughtful as possible; then move on to the fun stuff.Slow down the important scenes. Pretend you've pushed the slow-motion button on your recorder. Study each action in great detail and write it down in clipped, fast-paced sentences. Power-packed with emotion. Strong verbs and nouns, few adjectives and adverbs. Make the scene even more suspenseful by compacting the time frame needed for the hero to accomplish the goal. Hear the clock ticking in your head. Feel the tension down into your fingers. Then let them type away.
Write in a rush. Initially, while the idea is hot and the scene is flowing, write without looking back. Feel the need to rush on. To reach the finish line. Take deep breaths. Listen to some mind-enhancing alpha brainwave music like Mozart selections. Don't let your inner critic come out to play during this writing phase.I find it's helpful to let this story concoction rest for a while before coming back for serious editing. Depending on the length and complexity of the story, the down time may vary from a day or two to perhaps weeks or even longer.
Edit with determination. Believe in the story that you've written. But believe that it can always be better. Read it out loud. Listen to the music of it. If you can't hear a beat, then you haven't written it in yet.Look for the strong foundation of story elements: plot, setting, characters. Beef them up with subtle word shifts and tight editing. Paint colorful character strokes, especially with the main character and supporting characters. Expand your palette and your painting techniques for each new story. The reader should feel he knows enough about each character to like or dislike them. The characters should be real enough that the reader almost feels as though he is a part of the story, too.Then read your work like a copy editor. Line by line. Letter by letter. Correct the typos and punctuation errors. The more professional looking your story is the more believable it is for an editor.
Read! Read! Read! Probably the most important thing you can do to improve your writing is to read. Read great stories like you want to write. Read some stories that aren't that good. Study the differences. Why did one work and not the other?Read a variety of works by a variety of authors. Expose yourself to different writing styles and genres. Reading poems is a great way for me to loosen my writing and help generate ideas. Reading nonfiction often leads to ideas for fiction stories as well. Read the newspaper and adult magazines for a wealth of ideas.Keep a record of what you read and who publishes it. This way you can refer back to your notes when trying to remember which publishing house likes romantic picture books or which one walks the line with edgy stories. Is there a pattern to what they like to print or what a particular editor likes to work on? Or which writer crosses the boundaries between picture books and young adult. How does she do it?Read. Study. Read. The only way to be a writer is to be a reader first.
© 2007 Cynthia Reeg
Mighty Machines, Bombers, Capstone 2007
Mighty Machines, Submarines, Capstone 2007
The Wright Brothers, Enslow 2007
Elizabeth Bloomer, Young Heroes series, Kidhaven Fall 2006
Visit www.jennifer-reed.com and
Wee Ones Children's Magazine, www.weeonesmag.com
Why doesn't someone tell you that after your book is published promotion becomes your life. Generating press releases, arranging for book reviews, doing interviews, trying to line up school visits and book signings consume your life. Well they have certainly consumed my life...maybe it's just me.
I tried to learn all I could about writing for children, but I purposely avoided information on what to do after your book is published. "I'll learn that when the time comes," I thought. Big mistake. Suddenly my first book, "The Misadventures of Rooter and Snuffle" was published by Guardian Angel Publishing and I was overwhelmed. So much too learn and I needed to know it NOW. Fortunately I belong to some writing groups online so I asked the writers what to do. The answers flowed but there was so much information I was drowning in it. Panic set in. "I can't do this," I thought.
One of my favorite phrases is "baby steps". It seems to work for everything. By taking one little step at a time and analyzing every promotional tip I hear to see if it is something I can use, I am learning to promote my books. Yes, my second book, "On the Go With Rooter and Snuffle" is out now. There are a lot of options out there and sometimes it still overwhelms me but I'm not giving in to the panic.
My advice to newbie writers would be to study everything about writing and promoting from the very beginning. Then when you have a book published you will already have a leg up. I am sure it will make for smoother sailing.
My books are ebooks and are not in traditional bookstores. Marketing them is different than paper books. I am always looking for new ideas for promoting ebooks. If you have some tips I hope you will share them with me. What is working for you?
- Mood:determined
http://www.guardianangelpublishing.com
Now the fun begins....I write and submit press releases, contact the local newspaper and radio station about possible interviews, contact local schools about school visits, and contact reviewers about reviewing my books. The response has been wonderful. My first school visit was great fun and I got great response from the class and teacher.
I arranged for a tie-in with a local wildlife refuge, and donations from sales. I have done readings at my church. I sent flyers to family and friends about my books. The wheels are always turning...I have some ideas I haven't tried yet.
The reviews have been terrific. My customers love the book and are coming back for more. What am I forgetting? What more can I do?
Do you have an ebook? What are you doing to promote it? What has worked for you?
(c) 2007 Sharon A. Soffe
- Mood: jubilant
