Great News!

I'm thrilled to announce that Tilbury House has acquired my picture book, MY BUSY GREEN GARDEN. Woohoooo! This rollicking cumulative rhyming story has a tentative publication date of Spring 2017.  I'm so excited to have the chance to plant the seeds of reading in young people's minds with this story.

Former Student Finds Success!

This morning, I was thrilled to learn that former student Julie Dillemuth has sold her first manuscript! Julie worked on her manuscript with a cognitive-spatial focus in my course, Introduction to Writing Easy Readers. After some declines, Julie revised the story into a picture book format and the story sold! Now, that's what I call having brains and talent!

Congratulations, Julie! I can't wait for 2015, when I can hold a copy in my own hands.

And while we're on the subject, there are still spots available in the upcoming course, Introduction to Writing Easy Readers. Click here for info.

Happy writing!

"First Story" in Ladybug Magazine February 2011 Issue

Some things just take time. Aged cheese, fine wine, glacially-carved valleys...and my first story in Ladybug Magazine. No, not my first story to be published, nor do I mean my first story in Ladybug (although this is my first one). I'm referring to the first children's story I ever wrote. Twelve years ago.

I wrote "The Desert Snow" when I first got that spark of an idea that I should try writing for children. The story idea came to me when it had snowed in the California high desert, where I live. I worked on it as a picture book concept for a few weeks then eagerly submitted it for a critique at the upcoming SCBWI National Conference. All fifteen pages of it. Yep, I'd written a 15-page picture book manuscript that had more twists and turns than Lombard Street in San Francisco (!). BUT, I was fortunate enough to have had Lisa Rojany Buccieri as my critiquer. She kindly told me that while my writing had real potential (okay, she used the term "great" :-}, I had to learn the basics of writing a picture book. My story was way too long and lacked focus and structure, but if I could learn how to do those things, it had publishing potential. That was all the encouragement I needed. Thank goodness for good editors!

I kept at this story off and on for years, and after many, many revisions, it was picked up by Ladybug Magazine in 2006. Four years later, I'm proud to say that the story will finally be published, featured in the February 2011 issue of Ladybug Magazine. Not only do I feel the pride in seeing a project through and getting to see it in print, but I have the joy of seeing it illustrated by Siri Weber Feeney, a talented writer-illustrator and good friend of mine (which Ladybug independently hired to do the art work--talk about serendipity!).

Despite having other works published, this story represents a real personal victory for me, as it validates that first inkling I had so many years ago, and the payoff of being a determined writer.

Ladybug has made the entire issue about the desert. Lots of fun games, songs, stories and poems all centered around this theme. If you click here you can also find a desert snow game, amongst other things. So look for the February issue in bookstores soon!

My New Advisor!!!

Yes, it's been forever since I've posted as I've allowed my wrist and thumb to heal, but I just found out who my next advisor will be for my 3rd semester at Vermont College. Drum roll, please........ Julie Larios! Okay, I'll admit it, when I saw my name in her group I let out a whoop. Julie is a fabulous poet, brilliant and just plain delightful. I AM THRILLED!

THIS is Why I Write for Kids

Okay, I'm sitting here, teary-eyed. Truly touched.

Check out this article in the Chelsea Standard (it's short).

All I can say is: THIS is why I write for kids. It's just that simple.

National Wildlife Federation Reading List

I'm delighted to announce that Blackberry Banquet has been named on the National Wildlife Federation's Grab Bag list of recommended books.

I've always respected the NWF as a sensible animal conservation organization so I'm very proud to see my book included on their list. AND if you order a book through their website, NWF received a portion of the payment to help their efforts in conserving wildlife. How cool is that???

So please, hop on over and check out their Grab Bag list and learn more about their fabulous organization while you're there.

GOOD NEWS: Blackberry Banquet

Blackberry Banquet has been named to the 2010 California Collections. The book list is compiled by the California Readers (click here for full list). Listed books must display "excellence in literature" and be written or illustrated by a California author or illustrator.

I'm proud to be a part of the California Collections once again (Tae Kwon Do! made the 2007 list).

Doing the Snoopy Dance now...

A New Path

Beginning in July, I'll begin a journey down a new path in my life, as a part of the Vermont College of Fine Arts Master's in Writing for Children and Young Adults Program. I'm very excited about this! I've dreamed of enrolling in this program since I first heard about it, many years ago. Now, with my son out of college, it's finally my turn!

Am I thrilled? Yes! Excited? Oh yeah! A little nervous? Absolutely! Terrified at times? You betcha! (but just once in a while and that's when Mary Ann and Dianne talk me down :-).

But it was time. Time for me to move on to something different--something that could take me to places I've never been before with my writing. New levels, new commitments, a whole new world.

And for anyone interested, my hope is to focus my blog on my VC experiences (which would entail the next two years). I have a feeling I won't have a lot of time for posting, maybe once a week or so, but for anyone who is interested in the program, maybe it will give you some insight.

So, there's my big news... Next week I'll give a little more details about what's happened up to this point. So please, stay tuned!

Good News!

Yesterday I received two nice bits of news from the publicist at Sylvan Dell. First, I'm the featured author this month at Stories for Children online magazine. Click HERE to read the interview (and surf their website--they have tons of great things, all kidlit related).

And, Blackberry Banquet has been listed live on the USA Book News website!

Children's Book Council News

The Children's Book Council has featured Blackberry Banquet on its 2008 July/August "Summertime Fun" list! Check it out--the ten books are about all kinds of summer fun. Pick yourself a reading treat from the list, pour yourself a frosty glass of lemonade, and settle down into a shady spot for some fun and relaxation.

Children's Book Council and Squidoo

Today I found out that Blackberry Banquet is being featured on the Children’s Book Council website’s “Hot Off the Press: A Sneak Peek at Publishers' Newest and Hottest Titles” (their monthly feature of anticipated bestselling titles). Okay, I’m stoked! Doesn't that just make you want to run out and buy a copy? ;-) And check out the other titles on the list--these are some fabulous books!

On a different note, this past weekend, I Squidooed—did you? Squidoo is a website that features “lenses” (single-page websites) that feature all kinds of interesting things, written by folks with a particular area of expertise. I wrote about Ten Things to Do with a Book to give parents and teachers some possible ideas to extend the reading experience with their children or students. Want to learn about Fibonacci Poetry? Check out Greg Pincus’s lens. There are all kinds of subjects (my husband found a interesting lens on green architecture that he’s planning to share with his students). I imagine there is everything from how to change the oil in your car to how to make a banana split. Check it out!

BLACKBERRY BANQUET IS RELEASED!

It's official! Blackberry Banquet is being shipped out today. Go to the Sylvan Dell website link (in the right-hand column) for ordering info. You can also find on their site FREE teaching activities (28 pages!) to accompany the book.
Happy reading!

TAE KWON DO! Nominated for Award

I love Google Alert! Yesterday I received a notice in my inbox that Tae Kwon Do! is on the list of nominees for The Garden State Book Award, in the Easy Reader category.

Wow--this is my first nomination for a state award, so I'm definitely doing the Snoopy dance! The winners of all book categories will be announced at the end of this month. The list is filled with many other terrific books, so I'm just honored to be right there with them.

Hi-ya!!!

Blackberry Banquet Good News!

I just found out from Lee German of Sylvan Dell that Blackberry Banquet can now be pre-ordered and shipped out mid-May. That's a two month jump on it's release date! I feel like I'm going into my eighth month of labor, eagerly anticipating the birth of my baby (only this won't involve any pain and I'll get to sleep through the night :-).

GOOD NEWS

I have a few good things to post. The first, my Snoopy Dance news is that I found out yesterday from my publisher at Sylvan Dell that I will be participating at Book Expo America this year at the LA Convention Center! They weren’t sure if Blackberry Banquet (click here for a sneak preview) would be available by then, but despite its July 10 release date, it will. They’ll have advanced copies available for me to sign, so mark your calendars for the last weekend in May.

I’ve never attended BEA and I’m very excited. It's such a huge event with so many publishers and authors—and to be a signing author is a thrill. My already overactive imagination is running amuck with thoughts of whom I’ll be seated near. I mean, isn’t it every children’s writers dream to get to rub elbows with Jane Yolen or Richard Peck (even if it’s from a distance and a line of people separates our elbows).

The other good news is that I recently heard from Roxyanne Young of SmartWriters.com. She has decided to run the WIN competition (Write It Now) again this year. It will be open for entries beginning in August 2008, so mark your calendars and watch the SmartWriters website for updates.

One last bit of cool information. Author Bruce Hale, of Chet Gecko and Underwhere fame, is offering a 39% discount on the first four CDs in his Teleseminar series on writing and publishing (targeted toward beginning and lower-intermediate writers). Each recording addresses a different aspect of the process. You'll find insider tips from editors and agents, plus time-tested information on how to write, edit, and sell your story. Click here for more info.

Happy Writing to All!

Shrinking Violets Promotion

Those introverted ladies at Shrinking Violets Promotions sure know how to recognize a good title when they see one. I just found out that little old me won their most recent contest. Yippee! Oh, the joys of feeling validated! The contest was to use a book or song title and rewrite it from an introvert's perspective. What was my entry? Ahh, you must click here to find out!

GOOD NEWS: AEP Awards

This morning I was doing some marketing research and surfed to the Picture Window Books website. To my delight, right there on their home page was my recent book series, MOTHER GOOSE RHYMES.

Why the honor of being featured on their homepage when they published over 200 books on their spring list? Well, it seems that the series was not only a finalist in the Association of Educational Publishers Golden Lamp Award, but it also named a 2007 Winner of the Distinguised Achievement Award (by their definition, "The Distinguished Achievement Awards honor the top products within the categories of Curriculum, Periodicals, and Professional Development. The finalists are evaluated on traits such as efficacy, usability, and educational value.").

What an unexpected surprise--time for a little Snoopy dancing!

New Joke Book: A Real Jokefest!

Knock-knock.
Who’s there?
A nutter.
A nutter who?
A nutter joke book!

A few posts ago, on April 13, I talked about mistakes in the publishing business and then went off on one of my silly mind warps :-}. It all started when I saw my name listed online as a co-author of a joke book of which I’d never heard. Well, as it turns out, I was the one who was mistaken.

The book, A Little Giant Book: Laughin' Jammin' Slammin' Jokefest (A Little Giant Book), co-authored with Jacqueline Horsfall, is a joke collection of jokes and riddles from previously published books by Sterling Publishing Co., the same company who has published my other three joke books (I guess they just forgot to inform me about this new collection). So, to this little author’s delight, I’ll have a fourth joke book coming out in August of 2007. Wow! Talk about a gift! A new book and I didn’t even have to write any new material for it (maybe this will make up for all those rejection letters and other frustrations that come with this business...hmm...nah! Not even close!).

So, keep those eyes peeled (and potatoes and bananas) in August, for the next collection of humor, ala Terry (and Jacqueline).

FRIDAY FUNNIES: And the Winner Is...

After careful consideration and consulting with two other judges, I’m happy to announce the winner of the “Belly Laughs from the Blog” adult joke writing contest. Drumroll, please...

Rebecca Langston-George!

Congratulations, Rebecca. Your autographed copy of Greatest Goofiest Jokes is on its way to you. Here is Rebecca’s winning entry:

Q: Why did Captain Ahab lose his personal injury lawsuit against Moby Dick?
A: Legally speaking, he didn’t have a leg to stand on.

Very clever—incorporating humor and high literature are just the ticket for this kind of contest!

I’d like to thank the other “closet-comedians” who submitted jokes. You certainly gave the other judges and myself something to think (and chuckle) about.

Five Things That Give Me Goosebumps

1. Creepy movies--not gorey, chop up the stupid teenagers, don't-go-in-there-alone movies, but the creepy kind that pull you in then BAM! Make you jump out of your seat (i.e., "What Lies Beneath" with Harrison Ford).

2. Hearing Yanni live in concert. His music makes causes me to "chair dance," "aisle dance," cry, laugh and definitely gives me goosebumps.

3. Sleeping at 10 below zero in the mountains. 'Nuf said.

4. Reading authors like Richard Peck and Graham Salisbury.

5. Getting an email message from my Random House editor (a phenomenal editor, BTW) telling me that my easy reader, Tae Kwon Do! has been named one of The Best Children’s Books of the Year for 2007 by the Children’s Book Committee at the Bank Street College of Education. Hearing that news (only my second "list" ever) not only gave me goosebumps, it made me do a little chair dance as well :-).