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| FRAN SPEAKS OUT! Talk with Children's Book Author Fran Lewis |
| Writing Tips for Robins Falls Kids There are times when you are in school and you find it hard dealing with other kids that are mean or try to bully you. There are other times when they pick on you because of what you are wearing or the fact that you might be overweight. I know. I lived with being overweight as a child, teenager and as an adult. I managed to use my sense of humor and intelligence to handle the remarks, but that does not mean that I was not hurt and felt really bad. The character in all three of my children’s books is Bertha. Bertha is really I and everything that happens to her in all three books really happened to me. I would love for you to share in a letter to Bertha what you did or would do if someone made you feel bad because you were overweight or like me a total klutz. What would you do to handle a bully without using your hands to fight back? Writing Tip: Write a friendly letter or email to Bertha telling her .... ask your own questions of Fran at Writing and Promoting |
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Interview with Mayra Calvani
Multi-genre author, reviewer and animal advocate, Mayra Calvani, enjoys writing for children and adults. A regular contributor to BLOGCRITICS MAGAZINE and AMERICAN CHRONICLE, she's a member of SCBWI, CWCC and Broad Universe. She keeps two blogs, Mayra's Secret Bookcase and The Dark Phantom Review. Additionally, she's the co-author of the ForeWord Best of the Year Award winner, THE SLIPPERY ART OF BOOK REVIEWING. Visit her newest, fun blog, Pets and Their Authors, where her golden retriever interviews authors' pets. Mayra does Spanish translations of children's picture books, is co-editor of Voice in the Dark newsletter, and the National Latino Books Examiner for Examiner.com. Check out her children's books at Mayra's Secret Bookcase. When working on a story, what steps or process do you use? Click to read more at Writing and Promoting |
FRIENDS & WRITERS
Writing can become, ah, a bit of an obsession. Quiz yourself to see if you have a balance or if you are socially-impaired like me.Where did the myth of lonely writers come from? Real life. Probably mine. The weird hours, concentration and total submersion into our craft, take a heavy toll on our social lives. Friends are very annoying when they interrupt a creative roll, so we tend to brush them aside. It's hard for them to understand why we rarely return their calls, why we decide not to attend that new movie we've been waiting to open, or why we forget to come over when promised. "But I'm writing," we plea. "You can write later," they reply. It's especially difficult to sustain friendships with nonwriters, let alone nurture those friendships. Here's a quiz to see what kind of a friend a writer makes....Click to Read More of this Article |
TITLE: Emerald Ace AUTHOR: David Falash PUBLISHER: Black Leaf Publishing http://www.blackleafpublishing.com COPYRIGHT: 2009 The Black Leaf Publishing Group FORMAT: Paperback PAGES: 351 PRICE: $15.56 (US), £12.50 (UK) ISBN-10: 0955990319 ISBN-13: 9780955990311 Fifteen-year-old Mick Gallagher has a dream. All he wants is to become a fighter pilot and help free Ireland. Little does Mick know his dream of flying will come true sooner than he thinks! But how long will it be before Mick can help free Ireland? Mick is in awe when he witnesses a dogfight in the sky above Aunt Patti’s farm. The fight between a British pilot and a German pilot is a harrowing one. With guns blazing the German pilot shoots the British pilot down. However, the German soldier is injured and crash lands almost hitting Aunt Patti’s house! Before he realizes it, Mick travels to ...Read more at Book Reviews |
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Excerpt from Just Breeze The halls of Whispering Springs Middle School rang with laughter, joking, and teasing. High-pitched chatter and friendly shouts of greeting ricocheted off the walls. Locker doors clanged open, clattered shut. A banner reading GO COYOTES fluttered from the ceiling. The smell of freshly waxed floors stung my nostrils. I sighed. My first day in eighth grade started out the same as seventh grade, sixth grade, fifth grade, and all the way back to kindergarten. Unless a new student had enrolled, I was still the tallest person, boy or girl, in my whole school. And my feet ... I yanked open the locker door and ... |
There’s a Beetle in My Bed Book Review by Dixie Phillips If you want a fun, yet educational, read for the little ones in your life, you've got to get Bill Kirk's newest book There's a Beetle in my Bed. Mr. Kirk has delivered a grand slam with this amusing story. Who would think a gentle nudge from an imaginary beetle hiding in your bed could make learning so much fun? After reading this story, you will be giggling and chanting together with your children: "There's a beetle in my bed. I just saw him duck his head." The rhyming story is guaranteed to tickle the funny bones of children of all ages and the neatest part about the book are the ... Read more at Book Reviews |
Keeping It Together - Dellani Oakes |
If you're like me, you need an intervention. No, not with drugs, alcohol or
gambling, organization!
My desk and files are an organizational nightmare! I'm not the most
disorganized person I know, but I'm close. Being an author with O.D.D.,
(Organization Disability Disorder), I've come up with a couple very simple tricks.
Since I work on more than one story at a time, I'm juggling characters and story
lines. To keep myself straight, especially with minor characters, I keep a three
ring binder with sections and tabs for each story. Using the file name from the
computer file, I write it on the tab. On one page, I keep a list of characters, all of
them, no matter how small a role they play. On another, I keep a list of chapters
and their page numbers. It's very easy to continue writing until a story is
complete, but it's good to give the story some natural stopping or slowing
places.
Every author has to do ... Click to read more at Writing and Promoting
| American Education: The Media Effect by Kenneth Weene, PhD-- |
| The educational level of the United States is slipping. Measures such as percentage of high school students graduating, achievement on standardized tests (especially in math and science), and portion of population attending to college all show the slipping of American education in comparison to the rest of the developed world. Even as we become more and more dependent on technology, it appears that America is becoming less able to compete in a technological world. Of course, we continue to have many fine universities in which the highest levels of science, math, and technology are pursued. Often, however, the best students in those colleges are from overseas. Worse, the work done in those universities is becoming farther and farther beyond the comprehension of our citizens. As a grandparent I watch the decline with concern; into what kind of economy will my great-grandchildren be born? How will my grandkids make a living? And what are they learning in school right now? The crisis in education has become a time bomb. How long do we have before ....... |
| A Roll on the Wild Side by Michelle Debenport |
While customizing my twitter page I came
across some fun photos from last summer. I
thought I’d share them here. I was looking for
some nice, large modern art for our den and a
girlfriend suggested that I let the boys make
the art by rolling around in paint on large
canvases. I wasn’t sure about it at first, but
after we started we had so much fun! Below
are pictures documenting our modern art
project. The boys loved the experience and I
LOVE my art (and the memories attached).
Take a look:
across some fun photos from last summer. I
thought I’d share them here. I was looking for
some nice, large modern art for our den and a
girlfriend suggested that I let the boys make
the art by rolling around in paint on large
canvases. I wasn’t sure about it at first, but
after we started we had so much fun! Below
are pictures documenting our modern art
project. The boys loved the experience and I
LOVE my art (and the memories attached).
Take a look:
Step by Step instructions at Kids Activities
| Add your book cover, art, or banner Intro Offer - $10 yearly Send jpeg to aprilrobins@hughes.net |
| Add your book cover, art, or banner Intro Offer - $10 yearly Send jpeg to aprilrobins@hughes.net |
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What city in the United States has a River Taxi and you can take a ride to the Market on a Trolley? Send your answer to aprilrobins@hughes.net to be in the drawing for a free copy of "Zachary Goes Treasure Hunting" by April Robins. |
DARLA’S DREAM a child of the Appalacian..... I DREAM THAT SOMEDAY THERE WILL BE ENOUGH FOOD FOR MOMMY AND ME. THAT WHEN IT’S COLD WE WOULD HAVE HEAT GLOVES FOR HANDS, AND SOCKS FOR FEET. THAT MOMMY WON’T HAVE TO WORK NO MORE THAT SHE’LL HAVE ENOUGH MONEY AT THE STORE. THAT SHE CAN SOMEDAY BUY A DRESS TO LOOK AS NICE AS ALL THE REST. I WANT TO HAVE MY OWN LUNCH MONEY I WANT OTHER KIDS NOT TO THINK I LOOK FUNNY. I DREAM THAT MY TEETH ARE STRAIGHT AND WHITE I DREAM THIS WOULD HAPPEN, IT COULD, IT MIGHT. I DREAM OF BUYING STORE BOUGHT SHAMPOO SO OTHER KIDS DON’T LAUGH AND SAY EWE. I DREAM ON MY BIRTHDAY I’LL HAVE A BIG CAKE I DREAM, I DREAM, OH, I’M AWAKE…… by Connie Hall |