What Makes a Children's Writer Smile...

As a children's author, many things make me smile. Working in my fuzzy cat slippers, being able to do something I truly love every day, seeing kids connect with my books, hearing from parents that my books hooked their child into reading. Oh yes, and let's not forget the big bucks we children's writers make (yes, I'm joking about that one!).

This morning, friend and writer  Jean Ann Williams, sent me this photo of one of my books that has been in her family and passed down from child to child. Seeing this love worn copy of Blackberry Banquet just makes me smile from ear to ear, and reminds me that of all things that make a children's writer smile, seeing a well-loved copy of your book is truly at the top of the list!



An Interview...with Moi!

Children's author Robin Dobson interview with me this morning! Click here to read about Blackberry Banquet and writing in rhyme. Robin is also giving away two signed copies of my book!

What I found to be delightfully surprising is that Robin created a math activity to go with Blackberry Banquet, where she uses the Montessori Division Board. Why was this surprising? Robin had no idea that I hold an AMI (Montessori) Teaching Diploma and taught Montessori preprimary classes for twenty-two years. Now, that's serendipitous!

         

+

 

=  FUN!



Ya Gotta Love Squidoo!

This link came across my desk this morning. Don't you just love Squidoo? If you're not familiar with it, it's a site where folks can post articles. For example, this one is about "Picture Books about Bears" and features a few favorite titles of the author's. And of course, Blackberry Banquet is featured!

Click here to find a Squidoo article that I wrote called, Ten Things to Do with a Children's Book.

You can find almost anything on Squidoo---now keep in mind that anyone can post an article, and there's a sort of "honor system" that people write about things with which they actually have some expertise--in other words, reader beware! I wouldn't want my doctor gleeming info from this site about practicing medician, if he's written a book and wants some book promotion ideas, then let him have at it!

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.

Quick Note

Just a quick note--check out the new photo on the right, Blackberry Banquet's # 1 Fan. Isn't that just too cute? Now, that's what I call putting your nose into a good book! Thanks to my writer friend, S.W., for sharing the picture of her adorable granddaughter while reading her favorite book.

Blackberry Banquet Art Activities

This morning I discovered some fun art activities to use with Blackberry Banquet, on the Growing & Learning by Leaps & Bounds blog. This clever mom showed her children how to paint with blackberries AND they created blackberry Playdough. How fun would that be? I can just see the little berry-stained hands of small children and the berry-scented Playdough as it squishes through their fingers. Definitely worth checking out!

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...

New Sylvan Dell E-Books!

Sylvan Dell, my wonderful publisher of Blackberry Banquet, has launched its "new, improved next generation ebooks" on their site. Company publicist Sara Dobie has all the details on her blog. Check it out!

BLACKBERRY BANQUET SAVES THE DAY!

Last week I read a delightful blog post on Family Briefs: A Few Briefs Along the Parenting Journey sharing how the reading of Blackberry Banquet actually saved a blackberry bush from sure death (a near tragedy, for sure).

Apparently, the encroaching bush was merely doing what all blackberry bushes do, taking over everything around it, which included the blogger's family garden. Mom was prepared to get rid of the bush, but through the insistence of her children and their desire to see if Mouse, Bird and the rest of the characters in Blackberry Banquet really were right about the delicious nature of blackberries, the bush was spared (but it doesn't sound like Mom was too thrilled ;-).

In my mind, I envisioned Mom heading towards the bush with an axe, the children at her side, begging her to stop (yes, a bit like Fern trying to save poor Wilbur).

For a sweet chuckle, and the full read, click HERE.

Blackberry Banquet Reviewed on Katie's Literature Lounge

Katie's Literature Lounge has posted a review of my picture book, Blackberry Banquet (Sylvan Dell Publishing). This is a nice blog for folks who are interested in children's book reviews. I especially like how Katie ties her reviews into themes (I'd bet that comes from her teaching experiences--this is something I can totally relate to). This week, she posted a list of past reviews that tie into National Wildlife Week.

Crawl, hop or jump on over for a look!

How to Make Bear-Shaped Cookies

My recent book, Blackberry Banquet, is a terrific spring and summer title, but that doesn't mean it has to hibernate for the winter.

I recently saw this video on how to make bear-shaped cookie pops! It's a fun, kid-friendly cooking project from the Betty Crocker's Kids Cook cookbook. IMHO, it's a great activity to do with kids in combination with reading Blackberry Banquet. Mmm...imagine your warm, cozy kitchen, the smell of cookies sweetening the air, as you and your child read Blackberry Banquet together. There just isn't a better winter indoor treat than a good book with a yummy snack.

And if you do this during berry season, you could even use fresh berries as part of the decorations--a berry bow tie, a littel berry juice drizzled on the mouth, a berry nose, whatever. Get cookie! I mean, get kooky!

Happy reading and eating!

Get Out and Vote: For Blackberry Banquet!

Can't wait til November to vote? Then head on over to the New Covey Book Trailer Awards and cast your vote for the Blackberry Banquet book trailer! It's entry #3, so you'll have to scroll down a bit (and check out some of the other "steamy" looking trailers--nice work!).

My sweet little Blackberry trailer definitely is different, but I don't think anyone could find a juicier pick!

It's Official: Blackberry is Launched!

I had a nice book launch on Saturday. Not a huge turnout, but lots of fun with the wee folks and their parents who did attend (next time, will someone please remind me when Labor Day is!). The kids (and grown-ups) all seemed to enjoy squeaking, tweeting, slurping, yipping, and chomping along with me as I read the story. Blackberry cookies and candy abound, and there were bear bracelets created and works of art in progress.

And of course, the highlight was the actual "launching" of a stuffed bear into the crowd (didn't want to take any eyes out with a real book), with the catcher of the bear receiving a free book in addition to getting to keep the bear. (thank you, Dan Hanna, for the launching inspiration).

And then, to keep the magic of my launch weekend going, this morning I opened my email to find that Blackberry Banquet received a lovely review on Stories for Children Magazine. If you haven't seen it before, please check it out! It's a great online magazine for kids that has editors with impeccable taste in books ;-).

Thanks again to those who could attend the launch and a HUGE BEAR HUG to those who contributed to the Women's Center book donation drive. I think there will be a few berry happy kids thanks to the generosity of others.

BOOK LAUNCH!

I hope you'll "bear" with me, as I send out one last reminder about my book launch for Blackberry Banquet, this Saturday at 11:00 AM at Red Rock Books in Ridgecrest. I hope to see many of my friends and professional colleagues there! We'll have refreshments, activities for the kids, I'll chat a bit and do a reading (not to worry about time--the book is under 500 words!).

If you can't make it, please remember that you can still purchase a book to be donated to the High Desert Women's Center, where the books will be given to children who come into the center with their mothers as they embark upon on a new start in life. That's like getting a bear hug with pages!

All you have to do is call Red Rock Books at (760) 375-3454 and request to buy a $10.00 gift certificate for the Terry Pierce signing for The Women's Center. This will allow children at the center to get their own autographed copy of the book. It's as easy as pie (blackberry pie, of course! ;-).

If you have any questions, you can email me but all donation orders must go through the bookstore.

Here are the bear necessities:

What: Blackberry Banquet Book Launch
Where: Red Rock Books, 206 W. Ridgecrest Blvd., Ridgecrest, CA 93555
When: Saturday, Aug. 30 at 11:00 AM.

I hope to see you there!
Terry

Blackberry Banquet to Help Women/Children Charity

One of the things I love about being a writer is seeing my books used for good causes, and I recently read about an idea that just about knocked my socks off because I loved it so much (thank you, Mary Hershey!). Mary had the terrific idea to use her latest book launch as a means to donate books to Girls, Inc., a local girls' organization in Santa Barbara, CA.

When I read about this, I called my local bookseller and shared Mary's idea. She loved the idea too, so together Red Rock Books (in Ridgecrest, CA) and I are going to be donating books to The High Desert Women's Center, as part of my book launch. The Women's Center is a non-profit organization that helps women and their children who have left abusive home environments, and helps them get started on a fresh, new life. Because that kind of a situation can be so uncertain and a bit scary for young children, we thought that having each child receive a new book of their own would perhaps offer them a little comfort (and on a separate note, a quilting local club donates homemade quilts, so this way each child will receive a new quilt and a new book).

Red Rock Books is making available to the public a chance to purchase a gift certificate in the amount of $10.00. The certificate will be designated to buy one copy of Blackberry Banquet and that copy will be donated to the Women's Center. You can call Red Rock Books at (760) 375-3454 and request to buy a $10.00 gift certificate for the Terry Pierce signing for The Women's Center. This will allow children at the center to get their own autographed copy of the book. How easy is that?

And of course, if anyone wants to join in the festivities of the launch, the date is Saturday, Aug. 30 at 11:00 AM. I'd love to see you there (and of course, if anyone wants to buy copies for themselves, that's okay too :-).

Cheers,
Terry

Best Blackberry Recipe Contest Winner!

Drumroll, please!!!

We have a winner! The winning contribution for the Best Blackberry Recipe came from writer Jean Ann Williams of Santa Maria, CA. Jean Ann’s recipe, On-Top-of-the-Stove Blackberry Cobbler, has been in her family for three generations and originated in Oregon, the birthplace of Blackberry Banquet. It's one of those old-fashioned recipes that doesn't require many ingredients or measuring because you suit it to your own taste.

Congratulations to Jean Ann and a huge thanks to all of the other entrants. It was fun baking, assembling and tasting the various recipes; and it truly was a difficult decision to make. In fact, I couldn’t decide alone—I ended up soliciting a “panel” of judges for their opinions. What was one judge's comment on Jean's winning entry? "It's like blackberry pie in a cup!" So, without further ado, here is the winning recipe:

ON-TOP-OF-THE-STOVE BLACKBERRY COBBLER
By Jean Ann Williams

INGREDIENTS:
1. As many blackberries you managed to pick.
2. Sugar to taste and added in before dough strips.
3. Favorite pie dough recipe made with shortening or lard, not butter.

STEPS:
Prepare pie dough for either one or two crust pie, depending on how many berries.

Wash berries in a colander, careful not to squeeze berries and therefore losing juices. Dump into a pot, not filling more than 2/3 full. DO NOT ADD WATER! Simmer on low to medium heat. Stir occasionally. Add the sugar to taste.

Pull an apricot-sized ball of pie dough and roll thin on a cutting board. Cut long strips like for lattice weave about ¾ inches wide. Then, cut the lattice in half to accommodate layering into pot of berries.

Once berries juices flow and thicken and boil slightly, add first layer of dough strips. Let simmer for five minutes to set the dough, and then stir into berries. Repeat the rolling of dough and continue this until all dough is gone or you have enough dough to suit you in cobbler. After last layer of dough is stirred in, let simmer for five more minutes. Take off stove and let cool to warm in the pot or in bowls.

This cobbler is very tasty warm and with a side of ice cream. IF you have leftovers, refrigerate. Eating cold is another treat, but if you wish to reheat, then add a bit of water to stir into bottom of pan so as not to scorch.

TIPS
I make this for at least twelve servings and use the double pie dough recipe (with maybe a little leftover). We’ve never measured our ingredients, except for the dough and it always comes out tasty. Did I say never add water when making? That is a sure way to lose some of your rich berry flavors. Enjoy! Our family has for three generations.

My own notes: (from Terry)
Because I’m one of those people who likes things in measurements, I'll share the amounts I used:
four 6-oz. containers of berries (fresh berries are unavailable where I live)
½ cup sugar
Also, I kept a lid on the pot while it simmered to retain the heat and “bake” the piecrust pieces.
I served in custard cups with a choice of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream for my judging team.

Blackberry Banquet's Youngest Fan

Children's author Debbi Florence sent me this photo. I think this little cutie pie has got to be Blackberry Banquet's youngest fan (or maybe she's just fascinated by her foot ;-).

It just goes to show that you're never too young to appreciate a good book!

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.

Catching Up: Recipe Contest Reminder + More

Time is sailing by during my visit to Oregon. I had a fun reading of Blackberry Banquet last weekend at the Hood River Library, followed by a book signing at the Waucoma Bookstore, a fabulous indie located in downtown Hood River. The folks there are terrific and I’m happy to say the store is going strong. They have a nice children’s section and are they’re very supportive of local educators. It's my kind of bookstore!

I also wanted to remind folks that only two days are left to enter the Blackberry Recipe Contest I’m holding here on my blog. The deadline is July 10. Please scroll down to find the contest details. I’m salivating just thinking about all of the delicious recipes I get to make in helping me determine a winner; and for those of you who are waiting to the last minute (perhaps adding a final touch to that perfect blackberry cheesecake recipe), I’m looking forward to receiving your recipes soon.

Happy baking!

Oops! Missed a Stop

How does that old saying go? Well, slap my face and call me silly! Yesterday, it was pointed out to me that Valarie Giogas, author of In My Backyard (Sylvan Dell Publishing), had hosted me on her blog as part of my book blog tour a few days ago. Thank you, Valarie, for bringing it to my attention! :-}

Valarie had asked me some really fun questions for the interview, so please hop on over to her blog for a look (scroll down to June 13)!

Thanks, Valarie!