Send a Postcard

It has been so long since I've seen the ocean. Having grown up in Monterey Bay, the ocean was a big part of life. I'd walk to the beach from my grandparents house, we'd go to the beach for celebrations, or just because. We'd go beachcombing, have picnics, and roll down the sand dunes. I love the smell of the salt air and the foggy mornings.

Living here in the high desert, I sometimes think of the things my kids miss not having the beach as a part of their growing up. Mountain life is fun in different ways. Soon though, we will be taking some time to enjoy the beach. And I am so ready!

As I'm thinking of our journey to the sea, I found that Lee Verday is having a super fun contest. He's giving away a signed copy of PROPHECY OF THE SISTERS by Michelle Zink. How do you enter? You just have to send a postcard.

Who doesn't love postcards?! I was just telling the kids that we should send some while we're on our trip. What a great idea for a contest. I already have a copy of PROPHECY OF THE SISTERS, but I might have to send Lee a postcard just for fun.

If you want to enter, and you should because this is one book you will not be able to put down, read the contest rules here. Mail your postcard by August 11th!

Bilingual Book Display

This week at the library I decided to put up a bilingual book display. Bilingual picture books in my library are usually designated to the Spanish language section where they don't get a lot of attention, which is unfortunate. Young readers can learn so much from bilingual books. It seemed like a good week to put up this display because our bilingual specialist, librarian Deb McVay, is coming to do her tri-lingual program for kids this week. She takes stories and tells them in English, Spanish, and sign language in her fun sing-song way. She brings books and puppets and decorates the room like a wild book adventure. She's got a way of getting the kids excited about books.

Here's some of the bilingual books I found on our shelves:

On Ramon's Farm: Five tales of Mexico, written by Campbell Geeslin, illustrated by Petra Mathers (This one is a family favorite.)
Oh Crumps!/Ay Carumba! by Lee Bock (Fun!)
Cinderella/Cenicienta adapted by Francesc Boada, illustrated by Monse Fransoy
Bebe Goes Shopping written by Susan Middleton Elya, illustrated by Steven Salerno (Cute!)
Tomas and the Library Lady by Pat Mora, illustrated by Raul Colon (Lovely story.)
Estrellita de Oro/Little Gold Star by Joe Hayes, illustrated by Lucia Angela Perez
La lagartija y el sol/ The Lizard and the Sun by Alma Flor Ada
Eight Animals Bake a Cake by Susan Middleton Elya, illustrated by Lee Chapman (Another definite family favorite. I see an animal theme here. We also love Susan's other "Ocho Animales" books.)
Counting Coconuts by Wendy Silvano (Spanish & math!)
Olivia's Opposites by Ian Falconer (Great for learning some simple words.)
Playing Loteria by Rene Colato Lainez (I didn't know what Loteria was until I read this book.)

I love this display. I hope the kids will see that there are fun books to read that contain words in both English and Spanish, and parents will notice that there are some fun books to check out in the Spanish section that they are able to read to their kids, even if they are not Spanish speakers. I also like this display because when my book comes out(Bedtime Monster/El Monstruo de la Hora de Dormir), it will fit right in!

The Unread - Interview with Stephanie Theban

Another great as yet unpublished writer has agreed to let me interview her for The Unread. She's also one of my wonderful critique partners! Stephanie Theban is one hard working lady. When she's not busy with her high powered job or taking her kids to their numerous sporting events, she's writing for children and studying her craft. She's on her way to the SCBWI LA conference soon. Wish I was going with her. I know she's going to learn all sorts of great stuff and meet lots of awesome people who love kidlit as much as she does. Here's a chance for you to meet Stephanie:


So Stephanie, why do you write?

What a good question! Writing is hard work, so anyone who writes has to have a passion for it. My passion for writing comes out of my love of stories. When I read a story that takes me out of my everyday life, I feel like the author has given me such a gift – the ability to be someone else, somewhere else, doing something else. It’s not that my life is bad - I have a very good life – but how wonderful it is that I’m not limited to my own life. The more I enjoyed the writings of others, the more I wanted to create my own stories. I want to share with others the joy that books bring to me. Besides, it’s fun to make stuff up!

(That's beautiful-to think of a great story as a gift. I love that!)


How many manuscripts have you written?

One middle grade novel, one young adult novel, eight picture books, one chapter book, so a total of eleven.

(Go Stephanie!)


What have you done with them?

My marketing efforts have been sporadic, at best. I’ve spent more time trying to learn craft than I have spent marketing. Some of the rejections have been encouraging, with remarks like “made me laugh out loud,” “well-constructed plot”, “adorable character”, and “better than most of the submissions I receive.” It’s really scary to send your work out into the world for people to criticize and reject. However, as one of my friends keeps telling me, no one ever knocks on the door to ask if they could buy a manuscript, so I’m going to get braver and get my stuff out there.

(It sounds like you're doing pretty well with what you do get out there! Too bad there aren't door to door manuscript buyers. That would be awesome.)


What are you working on now? Tell us about your work-in-progress.

It’s a middle grade novel about a boy who moves from an urban academy for gifted students to a tiny, rural, school that lacks a science lab and a sixth grade teacher.

I’m also doing research on another project. It’s historical fiction, and will be a bit tricky, as I want to tell the story from both sides of the historical event and have the two main characters cross paths.

(I can't wait to see how you tell your historical story from both sides. Interesting.)


How long have you been writing and what keeps you going?

When I was in sixth grade, I wrote a story about a girl who became a witch. (See below for more about my sixth grade obsession with witchcraft). I’m sure that I wrote fiction before that, but that’s the first I remember clearly. My essay that made my middle class home sound like a shack in the woods got posted for parents’ night. It amused me to tell the truth in a way that gave a false impression. My mother was not nearly as amused.

My serious writing efforts started five or six years ago. After my first SCBWI conference, I hid out for over six months. I was afraid to attend any events, convinced that everyone else knew everything about writing and I knew nothing. Then a postcard arrived in the mail. The Regional Advisor for Oklahoma’s chapter of SCBWI, Anna Myers, was signing books in a local bookstore. When she signed a book for me, she asked me to a Christmas party for writers. Well, she didn’t just invite me. She ordered me to show up. She has been encouraging me ever since. She was the first of many wonderful people I’ve met in the writing world. When the journey seems discouraging, I connect with other writers, and get my mojo back.

(Writers are awesome.)


How do you make the time?

I do have a stressful full-time job, and a family, but I have a great support system. My retired husband is fabulous and has taken on many of the daily household tasks. I can’t write every day, but on weekends or occasional days off, I ignore the clutter, close the door, and write.


How does your family feel about your writing?

My husband drove me to my first SCBWI conference. I had recently had surgery, and couldn’t drive the hundred miles. I had decided that I would have to miss it. He said, “No, this is important. I’ll take you.” My brother is a writer. We don’t live near one another, but we exchange manuscripts, helpful hints and encouragement via email. My mother has been heard to say, “How did I end up with two children with writing ambitions?” It’s okay, Mom, your third child is sane and doing well. My kids like it because I’m much less likely to fuss about clutter and unmade beds when I’m in my own little imaginary world. Actually, my kids are both avid readers and want me to get a book published. They think it’s cool that I have met some of the people that write the books they love, too.


What are your writing goals and what have you done to further your writing goals?

So, okay, a lot of people say that they write for the love of the writing. And that is true, but I want to see my books in bookstores and libraries. And I want those books to be excellent. After all, it wouldn’t be any fun to have stuff out that embarrasses me. That’s why I’ve sought out workshops, professional critiques, and classes. Over the last years, I have participated in Anastasia Suen’s Intensive Picture Book Workshop, Bootcamp for Children’s Authors, Darcy Pattison’s Novel Revision Workshop, Darcy Pattison’s Picture Book Workshop, several regional SCBWI conferences and one Los Angeles SCBWI conference. The only way that I will succeed is to keep working and keep learning.

(When I write the ending to a book I always think of the great advice Stephanie gave me: the end of the story needs to shake hands with the beginning.)


How far would you go to get your book published?

Well, let me see. I’d go to Timbuktu. I’d eat snails. I’d keep writing and submitting until the right editors and agents find me. It’d be okay if that was sooner rather than later. I’m just sayin’.

(Mmm. Snails.)


And the question I always want to know the answer to, if you could live in any book which one would it be and why?

Boy, this is a harder question than I thought it would be when I first read it. There are a lot of characters that live such interesting lives, but I really just want to visit. I think it’s like what they say about being a grandparent – you can enjoy the grandkids when you want to, but you always have the option of sending them home when it gets to be too much. For instance, I love the Harry Potter books and I would, of course, be Hermione, but the danger factor is a bit much for me.

The second reason that this is a really hard question is that I tend to love whatever book has most recently captured me. From my childhood, I would have to pick Jennifer from Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth, by E. L. Konigsburg. When I moved and had to go to a new school, town and state in sixth grade, I found making friends difficult, and actually told a girl named Susan that I was a witch, and told her all the things she had to do to become a witch with me. It’s true -- I channeled Jennifer completely. I wonder how many nights that girl pulled her bed out from the wall and walked around it three times counterclockwise before going to bed in order to avoid the curse that would result from disobedience. I had a mean streak.

From the most recent book I have known and loved, I would choose Lacie from Paper Towns by John Green. She’s so normal, and yes that means that as a senior in high school, she is worried about being pretty and having the perfect prom, but it also means that when she gets to know some kids that she has never considered part of her circle, she can see the good in them, help them and become loyal to them. Besides, being able to take off on an adventure because it seems important THAT MOMENT would be so much fun. In real life, I’m very much someone who sets goals, and then studies and plans to reach the goal. Spontaneity would be fun – for a while.

Thanks, Stephanie, for letting me interview you. Good luck at SCBWI LA!

My Dad And Me

I’ve often heard that there aren’t as many books about kids and their dads as there are about kids and their moms. Huh. Well, there are definitely some good ones about dads anyhow. One I just discovered is MY DAD AND ME by Alyssa Satin Capucilli and Susan Mitchell.

My Dad and Me is a simple story that shows kids having fun with their dads. The story follows the seasons. A child and father raking leaves in autumn, playing in the snow in winter, hiking in spring, playing at the beach in summer, and there’s a twist. Each page shows a different child and dad, and readers get to learn how children say dad in Hebrew, Mandarin, Hindi, and Spanish. My little guy really got a kick out of it.

Susan Mitchell’s illustrations are fabulous too. Sweet faces and playful scenes are made even more fun with foldout pages. They don’t fold out only once, but twice. I marvel at the planning and creativity it took to make the pictures come together. It’s just lovely, and fun for the little ones. The story is short and simple picture book perfection that my little guy wants to read over and over again.

MY DAD AND ME, written by Alyssa Satin Capucilli and illustrated by Susan Mitchell is published by Little Simon(2009). It was previously published as ONLY MY DAD AND ME by HarperFestival(2003).

Badminton Season

Finally, the badminton season is off to a start around here. When I say badminton season I mean that we have put up the net in the yard and it's actually been wind-free enough to play.

I wait all year for badminton season to arrive. You see, badminton was the only sport I played in high school and is the only sport I was ever any good at. I'd never even played before my bff Tini forced me to join the team. Badminton--how dorky. Now softball, soccer and volleyball, those were the sports the cool girls played.

Fortunately, I was never really into cool. Okay, I wasn't that into it. Plus I couldn't stand waiting around to actually do something on the softball field, hated all the running that soccer required, and as far as hitting a volleyball over the net went, I sucked.(Hitting probably isn't even the right word!) Apparently badminton was the sport for me so I went with it. It was a lot of fun. It still is.

And now, badminton is the only sport I can beat my husband at. I mean, I love having a big strong man around to do all the heavy lifting but jeez, it's nice to be able to beat him at something sometime. He runs fast, he's a kick-butt tennis player, I can't even beat him in scrabble anymore now that he knows all the fancy two letter words. But with badminton I still have a shot at least. I was down on the season, two games to none, but I pulled out a win last night. He better watch out.

I think I'll add a scoreboard on the side of the blog for inspiration. I'm going to need all the help I can get.

Librarian's Special

 

I don't get to work at the library much, but when I do I love it. Since I'm so into children's books (yeah, I barely think about anything else) the picture books and junior reading are my sections. I try to keep books on display that the kids are into. I'm always happy to see when things I put on display have been checked out and take note which books aren't.

Every week I put up a new themed display in the picture book area. Sometimes it's tricky. The library is small and the books on the shelf don't always jump out at me in categories. I try to order in books from the library system, 28 libraries in all, but that takes planning and organization and if you've read my blog much you know that I am organizationally challenged. But, I usually manage to pull things together.

With the start of the Summer Reading Program this week I decided to go with the display I like to call "the librarian's special", all books about reading and the library. Here's the books I found on the shelves:

OUR LIBRARY by Eve Bunting, illustrated by Maggie Smith (Clarion Books, 2008) is about a raccoon and his friends going to great lengths to save their library. Quite inspirational as our library is in need of some saving, the building is falling apart.

CHARLIE COOK'S FAVORITE BOOK by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Alex Scheffler (Dial BFYR 2006) is a circular story. Each character in the book is reading about the next and it begins and ends with Charlie Cook. A fun read and my head librarian's favorite.

I.Q. GOES TO THE LIBRARY by Mary Ann Fraser (Walker & Co. 2003) is about a school mouse's first trips to the library and quest to get his own library card.

LIBRARY LION by Michelle Knudsen, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes (Candlewick Press 2006) has a sweet lion who loves the library and helps out, but it is a story about following the rules, and knowing when to break them. It's one of my favorite books.

AMELIA BEDELIA, BOOKWORM by Herman Parish, pictures by Lynn Sweat (Greenwillow 2003) is literal word fun with Amelia at the library.

RICHARD WRIGHT AND THE LIBRARY CARD by William Miller, illustrated by Gregory Christie (Lee & Low Books 1997) is based on a scene from Richard Wright's autobiography. Based on a scene from Wright's autobiography, Black boy, in which the seventeen-year-old African-American borrows a white man's library card and devours every book as a ticket to freedom. This one we recently got into the library and is on my to read list.

CLARENCE THE COPY CAT by Patricia Lakin, illustrated by John Manders (Doubleday BFYR 2002) is a fun story about a cat who isn't welcome anywhere until he finds the library but doesn't want to hurt mice--and it's his job to keep them out!

BEVERLY BILLINGSLY BORROWS A BOOK by Alexander Stadler (Silver Whistle/Harcourt 2002) Beverly's book is overdue, and she is afraid she's going to get into big trouble--maybe even go to jail!

READING MAKES YOU FEEL GOOD by Todd Parr (Little Brown 2005) is of course about reading. The illustrations are a big hit with the young ones.

I TOOK MY FROG TO THE LIBRARY by Eric A. Kimmel, illustrated by Blanche Sims (Viking 1990) shows how disastrous it can be to bring your pet to the library. And when I say disastrous I mean funny, if it's not at my library, of course.

So that's my display for the week. I wanted to add THE LIBRARY DRAGON by Carmen Agra Deedy, illustrated by Michael P. White (Peachtree 1994), but it was checked out!

Like I said, the library is small as is my town so check out rates aren't as high as in a big city, but I'm looking forward to seeing what gets checked out this week.

If you have any favorite books about reading or the library I'd love to hear about them!

Interview with Dawn Jeffers, publisher at Raven Tree Press & author of BEAUTIFUL MOON/BELLA LUNA, plus a contest!

Haven't we all had a day we wished would never end? Dawn Jeffers did, and she wrote a book about it. BEAUTIFUL MOON/BELLA LUNA is the story of a girl's wish for a never ending day. One problem--a never ending day has consequences!

As you may or may not know, my picture book, BEDTIME MONSTER, is coming out next spring from Raven Tree Press. Besides being an author, Dawn is my wonderful publisher. When I asked if I could interview her she was happy to oblige. Yippee!

Not only has Dawn let me ask her questions about writing and publishing, she's giving away a signed copy of her new book! Stay tuned for details at the end of this interview.

On to the questions:


Dawn, what inspired you to write Beautiful Moon?

I actually was on vacation with my sister and brother-in-law in Italy. At the end of one of our first days we were sitting under the moonlit sky wishing that the day would never end. It was absolutely perfect and we had so much more we wanted to do. That is the basis of the book. Since it was also produced as a bilingual title, Beautiful Moon is translated to Bella Luna in both Spanish and Italian.






Are there any similarities between you and your main character?

The similarity between the main character and me exists because we both run out of time in a day to continue to do everything that appeals to us.


Why do think readers will relate to the story?

Kids are always hoping that their wishes come true. Wishing under the stars on a moonlit night is such common experience for kids of all ages.


How do you find the time to write? Do you write regularly? What do you do with your manuscripts?

Writing finds me. It could be when I am in the doctors office, stuck in traffic or by the pool. I always have a tablet with me and am jotting notes, dialogue or stories. It does come in spurts. I used to save my handwritten scribbles…the ones on napkins, envelopes, and tablets. Now I put everything in a Word document and hit save.


What are you doing to support the publication of your book?

I have developed a private electronic list of book buyers, book reviewers and friends and family. I send press releases and sell sheets to influence purchases. This list will also get updates on any reviews or awards for the book. I am doing signing events and a few school visits next fall.


Do you have any other books in the works? Tell us about your work-in-progress.

I actually just wrote a musical theatre production. All that is left is the musical score so I have been at a small electronic keyboard with my lyrics hoping songs flow out.


How does being a publisher change you as a writer?

I do know how to present material to prospects knowing both sides of the book business. I know that it is important to do your research and only send when they are looking and what they are looking for. If you have built in marketing and sales outlets it makes a stronger case for the book also.


What’s the most essential part of your education that applies to your work as a writer and publisher?

My business degree is a daily help from the Publisher perspective. I think writing all of those term papers helped me practice as a writer.


I love that Raven Tree Press publishes books in both Spanish and English. How did Raven Tree Press come to be?

There is a burgeoning Spanish speaking market in the US and we determined there were not high quality bilingual picture books available. There were bilingual books in the marketplace that were culturally based or with Hispanic theme. We wanted to have universal family oriented storylines in our books, so there would be readers in both English and Spanish regardless of ethnic background. Raven Tree Press was born.


What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

Write to what you know and what you are passionate about. Do your homework before sending to publishers and find a good support system to bounce your writing ideas with. Don’t work in a bubble. Your writing is stronger after you get feedback.


What sorts of books really strike your fancy?

I live everyday in the picture book world. I love the art as much as I love the story. If an illustrator can make a subtext with pictures the book is much more interesting.


As a publisher, what kinds of stories do you look for?

We are very specific because our books are bilingual. They must be low word count, entertain and educate with universal appeal and be illustratable.


How does publishing bilingual books affect your acquisition decisions?

The word count must be low, we do not use rhyme or word play, and word choice is sometimes also changed.


Raven Tree Press was acquired by Delta Systems last year, how has that changed Raven Tree’s publishing program?

All of the operational functions are handled by the home office. That frees me up to concentrate on acquisitions and creative work. We now co-produce English-only, Spanish-only and bilingual books in both paperback and hardcover editions. I am working currently on expanding our line in foreign markets with other languages.


What do you like to see in a submission? Any pet peeves?

We want to see the full text… we are only taking 750 words or less. PLEASE have your name, contact information and any marketing or sales suggestions. It does get attention and makes it easier when I need to contact someone. You cannot believe how many packets of information have no contact details, typos or manuscripts for books we do not produce. Know what the publisher is looking for by doing your homework.

(You can see Raven Tree Press submission guidelines here.)


Finally, if you could live in any book, which one would it be and why?

I would love to live in Under the Tuscan Sun. There is something about an Italian villa in the vineyards that has great appeal.





BEAUTIFUL MOON/BELLA LUNA by Dawn Jeffers and illustrated by Bonnie Leick is available from Raven Tree Press in both bilingual and English-only editions.

Like I said, Dawn is giving a signed copy of BEAUTIFUL MOON to one lucky winner. Just leave a comment on this post. If you want you can tell us what you'd do if you had a day that never ended. I, of course, would write!

Contest is open to U.S. addresses and closes Sunday, June 14th. I'll post the winner the next day.Good luck!