I really wanted to write today but friends over for a cookout stayed longer than I thought they would. Now I am so tired from four days of chronic pain. Hopefully will be back on track tomorrow.

If You Give Fans Some Cheer

This article originally appeared in PW’s Children’s Bookshelf. Sign up now!

By Claire Kirch — Publishers Weekly, 8/27/2009 12:30:00 PM

Laura Numeroff, author of the bestselling If You Give… series, is trying to spread some cheer during these challenging times by bringing people together—publishers, as well as parents and their children. On September 13, Numeroff, whose latest releases are Would I Trade My Parents? (Abrams) and What Brothers Do Best/What Sisters Do Best (Chronicle), is embarking on “Laura Numeroff’s Bringing Families Together Tour.” Abrams and Chronicle are teaming up to send Numeroff to primarily independent bookstores in two economically stressed Midwestern states: Michigan, which, with a 15% unemployment rate and an already fragile economy, has been devastated by the recession; and Wisconsin, which has also been hit hard during the economic downturn, with its 9% unemployment rate ranking it #29 among the states and D.C. in terms of economic stability, according to the U.S. Dept. of Labor.

The tour will kick off at the Oak Park Jewish Center in suburban Detroit, with books sold there by local bookseller Book Beat. The Michigan leg of the tour will include five more stops over four days at some of the state’s most renowned bookstores, including the original Borders bookstore in Ann Arbor, two Schulers’ bookstores in Okemos and Grand Rapids, Horizon Books in Traverse City, and McLean & Eakin in Petoskey, a resort town in northern Michigan. Numeroff will then travel west to Wisconsin, and spend three days visiting six bookstores and one college library in the southeastern, more heavily populated part of the state: Butterfly Books in De Pere, Apple Blossom books in Oshkosh, Barnes & Noble in Madison, Books & Co. in Oconomowoc, Next Chapter in Mequon, Boswell Book Co. in Milwaukee, and Carthage College in Kenosha. The “Bringing Families Together” tour will conclude on September 21, with an appearance at Wonderland Books in Rockford, Ill., yet another state reeling economically, this one with a 10.4% unemployment rate, ranking it #38 on the U.S. Dept. of Labor’s list.

In keeping with the theme of the tour, and, of course, the themes of her two fall releases, Numeroff intends to talk about her own family, hand out family-themed activity sheets, and ask the audience about their own parents, brothers and sisters. “I want this tour to be different,” Numeroff says of her tour, which will take her to a region often overlooked on the children’s author tour circuit. “Bringing some good old-fashioned fun in the form of readings and talks to Michigan and Wisconsin feels good.”

When asked if sending an author to an economically depressed region to promote her new releases might prove awkward for financially strapped parents attending events but not able to purchase books for their children, Jason Wells, Abrams’s publicity and marketing director, emphasized it’s not just about selling books for either the author or the publishers, it’s about bringing families together to listen to Numeroff talk about families.

“No one is pushing book sales, nor is it a requirement of attendance at this free event,” Wells said, explaining that while Numeroff will sign books after her readings, she will sign books that her fans have brought with them, not just the books available for purchase.

“We’re just hoping this will lift spirits in the states of Michigan and Wisconsin,” he said.

Would I Trade My Parents? by Laura Numeroff, illus. by James Bernardin. Abrams, $16.95 Oct. ISBN 978-0-8109-0637-2

What Brothers Do Best/What Sisters Do Best (flip book) by Laura Numeroff, illus. by Lynn Munsinger. Chronicle, $15.99 Sept. ISBN 978-0-8118-6545-6

 As a Michigan resident for many years, I’ve seen first-hand how tough the times have been. I salute this tour, Author Laura Numeroff, and Publishers Abrams and Chronicle. It is not the choice most parents like to make. But, feeding your family has to come first. It is super to see that this author and her publishers are making the effort to cheer up Michigan families. My hat goes off to them.

As a critique group moderator, I sometimes send my groups an exercise to spark their creativity. In the exercise, I select three words at random and make a first line or paragraph of a story using those three words.

Here is an example of one for a young adult story/submission starter.

The three words that I selected were: Startled, Shattering, and Stomach.

     Startled, Meghan twirled toward the shattering glass. Gasping, her  hands grasped her stomach. The thing she has always feared would happen stood before her.

 They say a picture is worth a thousand words.

What thousand words would you come up with for this beauty?

Each writer who chose to write something about a picture like this writes from their experiences. Use what you know, and if you can’t then just imagine what can be going on. Something as simple as trying to find a baseball can spark a great story.

Can you think of a story that could be made from this simple graphic? Ask yourself the five w’s?

What about this one?   This simple coyote has a devilish grin that might be a great story starter. Let your imagination run wild.

Need another one to get the creative juices rolling?  How about this one? Who is this boy? What is this boy thinking? Why are his hands on his hips? Where is he at? How will he solve the conflict that is on his mind? When will that happen? It is up to the writer to make their story come to life.

  Angela Hoy is one of the most successful writer/entrepreneur in the writing field. I look forward to receiving her newsletter. 

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WritersWeekly.com – August 19th, 2009
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Freelance Jobs and Paying Markets for Writers
(All job listings are less than one week old.)

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In This Issue:

1.) Publishers Desk For August 19th
2.) News From The Home Office: Dumb Woman Tests My
Ire by Locking Her Puppy in a Hot Car!
3.) AngelaHoy.com: ATTENTION DEADBEAT PUBLISHERS:
Trying to Threaten Your Victims Into Silence DOES NOT WORK!
4.) Letters To The Editor: Letters To The Editor For August 19th
5.) Feature Article: PTMD or Post Traumatic Memoir Disorder
By Karen Carver
6.) Ask The Expert: Ask the Expert will return next week.
7.) Success Story: WE NEED SUCCESS STORIES!
8.) Whispers And Warnings For August 19th
9.) Paying Markets And Jobs For August 19th
10.) FreeBookExcerpts.com For August 19th
11.) Interview Requests For August 19th

For easier clicking, read this issue online at:
http://www.writersweekly.com/

Back issues:
http://www.writersweekly.com/backissues.html

                     Good Avro, Jackeroo and Jilleroos.

Throw out your swag and stay a while.  Tucker is almost ready.

Fill up your billy and sit back and enjoy the barbie.

A new (pretend) Aussie.

What did I just say?  Basically, I invited the cowboys and cowgirls to throw out their bedroll, fill up their tin can with their tea and enjoy the barbecue. 

There was a time when I would have bulked at going to the library to do research. I hated doing research. Now I sit and savor the times that I can find a quiet place and a comfy chair as I look through a kids’ magazine. Today, I even learned a few words that are used by Aussies in the process.

As I browsed through Kids Discover Australia,  I was amazed at how much information the magazine had in it. I learned several new facts about Australia’s unique habitats/animals.

I discovered several ideas that can be elaborated on and developed for a magazine article or two as well as enjoyed my reading time.

You’ll be pleasantly surprised at what you find tucked on one of the shelves when you take the time to visit your local library.

Disclaimer: Other than the satisfaction of seeing someone be appreciated for her talents, I am in no way compensated.

As a writer and a critique group moderator, it is my sincere hope that I can use my skills to foster the growth of other aspiring writers. One of my critique group member has had a piece that was accepted. A  chance to win some monetary gain from her work has her making this appeal. 

You can vote for 3 stories . . . so make your choice and help a writer out. If you don’t choose to vote for Sally, then find another writer and vote for them. Let your voice be heard;  support our talented writers.

This letter is from Sally, a great writer who is just starting out. She is a valued critique group member in one of my three groups.

Ladies,

Nothing heals like success! I have been accepted for publication by Knowonder magazine. My story, “Princess Pollywog’s Lovely Wish” is very different from the one you critiqued for me. I drastically changed the ending and added a lot more words (1100 total). I think it makes for a more complete and satisfying story.

Now comes favor time. If I have the most votes I will win $300! There are also $200 and $100 prizes too. I don’t know a lot of people and I don’t know if you can vote more than once but I would be super thrilled to win $100. Surely the readers of the site can vote too. Those are the only ones that really matter. This is a bit like a popularity contest. I was never good at them.

My story will be published next month–hey, that’s real soon. Anyway, you can vote for my story (please) on their website until the end of the month. I’m attaching the email from Knowonder.

Sally

Congratulations! Your story has been chosen…‏

From:	knowonder! (info@knowonder.com)
Sent:	Thu 8/20/09 2:59 PM
To:	sallymp72@hotmail.com

This summer was a hectic one with me having to take every little moment I could steal to write. As a result, now that school for the kids is back in session, I am struggling to write for longer periods of time. It is like I am having to reprogram myself.  Do other writers have this problem or is it just me that is the “strange one?”

This is from the email newsletter put out by Publisher’s Weekly. I love browsing through it to see what is new in terms of books. Click on the link to  read the rest of the article.

http://www.publishersweekly.com/article

Q & A with Loren Long

This article originally appeared in PW’s Children’s Bookshelf. Sign up now!

By Sally Lodge — Publishers Weekly, 8/20/2009 11:30:00 AM

Loren Long began his children’s publishing career as the illustrator of books by authors with familiar names, among them Madonna’s Mr. Peabody’s Apples and Angela Johnson’s I Dream of Trains, Walt Whitman’s When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer, Watty Piper’s The Little Engine That Couldand Randall de Sève’s Toy Boat. Winner of two Golden Kite Awards, Long quickly became a familiar name in the industry in his own right. His debut solo picture book, Drummer Boy, came out last year from Philomel, which will publish his newest picture book, Otis, next month. Bookshelf spoke with Long about his latest book, which tells the story of the friendship between a caring old tractor and a needy young calf, and about factors that have influenced his work.

Loren Long. Photo: Paul Schliesser.

Otis has a classic, playful feel. What inspired the look of this art?

Well, to back up a bit, The Little Engine That Could marked a new direction for me, from the standpoint that this was the first book where I was obviously digging into a tried and true classic. I’m very proud of the books I did beforehand, but The Little Engine That Could opened up a new world for me.

In what way?

The approach I took in Mr. Peabody’s Apples and I Dream of Trains was more one of conventional realism. I am a huge fan of the American regionalist painters, the WPA muralists and N.C. Wyeth, and before The Little Engine That Could I never viewed myself as someone who would paint appealing trains with eyeballs and cute little purple elephants and toys. For the first time, I began realizing who my ultimate audience is: little children who would actually be holding one of my books. This was an epiphany for me. I suddenly realized that this is my career, that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life. And I started thinking about the classics that I liked as a child. The Little Engine That Could was a favorite, as was The Poky Little Puppy, The Story of Ferdinand and Virginia Lee Burton’s books. I began thinking about creating books that, like these, might someday become a child’s favorite, become classics.

So that led to the retro feel of Otis?

Yes, I know it’s a warm and fuzzy, maybe corny thought, but that is what I was thinking when I did Otis. I know you can’t set out to create a classic—only time will tell that. And who am I to think I can create a classic? It’s too assuming, too arrogant to think that. What I did was set out to do a book that has what I think of as classic elements—by those I mean warm, appealing characters and a fun reading experience not only for a child but for adults reading it to them. I want it to be an experience that not only entertains, but gives readers comfort, security and happiness.

And why did you choose to center the story on a tractor and a calf?