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Upcoming Interview

I’m very excited to announce that I will be on Suzanne Lieurance’s Book Bites for Kids this Friday (Feb. 22 at 2 pm CST.)

Here’s the link: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/bookbitesforkids and here’s the phone # if you’d like to call and make a comment or ask a question: 1-646-716-9239. (Just please don’t make it too hard of a question though. 🙂

But if you can’t listen in on Friday afternoon, don’t worry. You can always come back at your convenience to hear the recorded interview.

Now I’m off to practice on my enunciation…

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Picture Book Secrets


Today’s treat is courtesy of Margot Finke and her February Musings at Harold Underdown’s PURPLE CRAYON website. Click on the link below where you’ll discover Margot’s “Checklist for Writing Picture Books,” help on plotting, her “5 C’s of Compelling Fiction,” advice on choosing powerful verbs and adjectives, tips on tight writing, and so much more.
Margot has two other websites you’ll want to visit as well:

As Margot would say, “HAPPY WRITING, MATES!”
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ROOTER & SNUFFLE

Today, you’re in for a treat–
an interview with author, Shari Lyle-Soffe. Below you can read some of her insights into writing…and make sure to click on the links to find out more about her lovable racoon brothers, ROOTER & SNUFFLE. They’ve been colorfully brought to life by master illustrator, Kevin Scott Collier.

The MISADVENTURES of Rooter & Snuffle
Author: Shari Lyle-Soffe http://www.sharilyle-soffe.com/
Illustrator: Kevin Scott Collier http://www.kevinscottcollier.com/
E-books ISBN-10: 1-933090-43-X ISBN-13: 978-1-933090-43-6Print ISBN-10: 193309088X ISBN-13: 978-1933090887
http://www.amazon.com/Misadventures-Rooter-Snuffle-Shari-Lyle-Soffe/dp/193309088X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1203014149&sr=1-1

On the Go with Rooter & Snuffle
Author: Shari Lyle Soffe http://www.sharilyle-soffe.com/
Illustrator: Kevin Scott Collier http://www.kevinscottcollier.com/
E-books ISBN 10: 1-933090-51-0 ISBN 13: 978-1-933090-51-1

Tell us about your children’s books.

I have a picture/storybook series with Guardian Angel Publishing. Each book is made up of three separate stories about brother raccoons and their friends on their romps in Cathedral Woods. They deal with the same problems as real children do . The first book, THE MISADVENTURES OF ROOTER AND SNUFFLE, is available in a number of electronic formats and has just been released in paperback. The second book in the series, ON THE GO WITH ROOTER AND SNUFFLE, is available in electronic formats and will be available soon in paperback. The third book in this series, TROUBLE FINDS ROOTER AND SNUFFLE, has not been released yet but will be out this Spring! My books are available at http://www.guardianangelpublishing.com/rooter&snuffle.htm and at online and brick & mortar booksellers.

What do you do for inspiration and unleashing your creativity?

Winter is a struggle because I get inspired when I am out in nature, and as much as I love snow, I don’t like the cold. In warm weather I love to walk or just sit outside. I live in the woods of Southern Oregon with lots of wildlife, trees and fresh air. Occasionally I sit outside and journal. I enjoy doing that but I’m not very good about keeping it up on a regular basis. I have a new laptop, and I am anxious for the weather to warm up so that I can sit out under a tree and write.

Describe your working environment.

I have an office in my home. Unfortunately it is small and I share it with a treadmill. I also share with a cat, Amber. It is pretty cluttered in here and in need of paint, but the walls are covered with my published works to remind me I am a “real” writer. The room is full of files, books, my computer desk, a phone, a small television for when I actually use the treadmill. I am blessed with both a desktop computer and a laptop.

What advice would you offer aspiring writers?

Never, ever give up! Read everything you can find about writing for children. Read every book in your genre that you can beg, borrow or buy. Network with other writers online or in person. If you can afford it, take a writing class. I learned a lot in the beginning in the ICL chatroom, and I was not an ICL student. Write! Write! Write!

Is there anything else you’d like to say to our readers?

Don’t allow the negative opinions of others to hold you back. Don’t be a snob. There are a lot of small publishers that would like to look at your work. Not everyone is published by Random House. Writing for magazines is still writing. Books are not the only writing format. Write what you love. Write what inspires you. Don’t let family and friends tear you down. Don’t quit because of rejections. If you can’t take rejection, you have chosen the wrong field. Share what you have learned with others.

Do you have a website or blog where readers may learn more about you and your work?

Yes, you can learn more about me and my work at http://www.sharilyle-soffe.com/ . Click on the links in my site directory.

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Congratulations to STORIES FOR CHILDREN

Congratulations to Virginia S. Grenier and her staff at the amazing children’s eZine, STORIES FOR CHILDREN (http://storiesforchildren.tripod.com/). They just won a top 10 spot in PREDITORS & EDITORS 2007 Readers Poll!!!(http://anotherealm.com/prededitors/votefictzine07.htm)

STORIES FOR CHILDREN ranked among the very best in 3 categories: Fiction, Nonfiction, and Poetry. “I can’t believe it,” said Ms. Grenier. “This is our first year out and we actually placed in the Top Ten in many different categories. A dream come true for all of here at SFC.”
Look for my short story, “BF’s & Butterflies,” to be appearing in STORIES FOR CHILDREN’s April 2008 issue. Here’s a synopsis of my upcoming story:
Small town girl, Leya, wants to figure out a way to befriend Kari, the new girl, before Nasty Nona–self-crowned queen of fifth grade–claims her. Leya’s just lost her BF—Best Friend—Lucy, who’s moved all the way to Florida. Now as Leya struggles to find a new BF, as well as her place in her fifth grade class, she discovers that butterflies can lead to friendship.

So if you haven’t visited STORIES FOR CHILDREN yet, be sure and give yourself a treat and stop by soon. And remember to check back at SFC for my April story–which is only about a month away. Don’t worry…I’ll be sure and remind you again when it’s published.

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Robin Falls

Today I’ve discovered a new children’s book author, April Robins, with a lovely website I’m sure you’ll want to visit.

There you’ll find a winter coloring page to download. Wouldn’t this wolf picture make a wonderful project to work on while the icy winds and snow keep you inside?

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Guardian Angel Book Ranks 3rd at Fictionwise

Congratulations to author Donna J. Shepherd an illustrator Keven Scott Collier for their Guardian Angel Publishing eBook, OUCH! SUNBURN, which is the third most requested eBook right now at Fictionwise.com. Here’s a description of the book from Fictionwise:

Donna J. Shepherd’s snappy rhymes along with the colorful and fun illustrations by Kevin Scott Collier help children see the need to protect their skin in the sun. Sun Safety Tips in the back of the book reinforce the book’s theme. 15 illustrations, 94 words, 27 pages

Here are some links to find out more about the book and its creators:

And coming soon from the dynamic duo is NO MORE GUNK!–a book that makes dental hygiene fun.
Way to go, Donna & Kevin!!!
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A Pair of International Reviews

Many thanks go out to Mayra Calvani–writer and reviewer in Brussels, Belguim–for her lovely reviews of GIFTS FROM GOD and KITTY KERPLUNKING. Read what she has to say:

Beautiful and spiritually inspiring, Gifts from God is a tribute to God and all the things that are pure in our lives–the innocence and laughter of our children, the tenderness of a newborn, the magnificence of a sunset, the ‘laughter’ of a waterfall. With a few simple lines, some taken from the Bible, some from her imagination, author Cynthia Reeg has created a lovely book for the entire family, one to be read not only at bedtime, but at any hour of the day. The photographs and imagery are, in one word, captivating. This is a must children’s book for your Christian fiction bookshelf.

In Kitty Kerplunking: Preposition Fun, Reeg teaches children, in a light and fun way, the uses of prepositions. How does she do this? With the help of one very cute Kitty and his antics about the house. Each page features an engaging, colorful illustration and a sentence showing a preposition. For instance…
“Preppy the kitty … pitter-pattered ON the piano keys.”
Each time the preposition in the sentence is capitalized. At the end of the book there’s a useful study guide as well as six pages of activities, including a criss-cross puzzle, word search, seek & find, and fill-in-the-blanks. This is the perfect book to introduce young children to prepositions.

To read more of Mayra’s reviews, visit her at Mayra’s Secret Bookcase http://mayrassecretbookcase.blogspot.com/2008/02/reviews-of-gifts-frm-god-and-kitty.html

There, you can also find out about her children’s picture book, THE MAGIC VIOLIN, and her soon-to-be-published book, THE SLIPPERY ART OF BOOK REVIEWING.

And if you’d like to find out even more about Mayra, journey to her other blog, THE FOUNTAIN PEN NEWLETTER at http://thefountainpennewsletter.blogspot.com/

Happy reading!

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Every Day Can Be A Snowy Day!

A PAPER snowflake day, I mean!

Here’s a link to Paper Snowflakes for Children where there are directions for making all types of paper snowflakes: http://www.papersnowflakes.com/

This next link takes you to a page with the photograph of Snowflake Bentley, the first man to photograph snowflakes. http://usasearch.gov/search?v%3aproject=firstgov-noaa-images&v%3afile=viv_898%4024%3aoFpMHb&v%3aframe=viewimage&v%3astate=%28root%29%7croot&id=Ndoc0&rpaid=&

Here at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration you’ll find page after page of Snowflake Bentley’s snowflake photographs. You won’t believe your eyes at all the different designs. http://usasearch.gov/search?v%3Aproject=firstgov-noaa-images&query=snowflake+bentley

You can also check out my speedy snowflake directions here on my website: https://www.cynthiareeg.com/kids/snowflake.html

Two great books to go along with your paper snowflakes are The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
and Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin.


Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!

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LUCKY PENNY

Just in time for Valentine’s Day…

LUCKY PENNY by Hill Kemp & Siena Kemp

Henry, my kitty, says this tween chapter book highlighting the importance of friendship would be the purrrfect treat for the special young lady in your life.

Here’s a review of LUCKY PENNY:

Hill & Siena Kemp’s story shows young girls that they can solve their problems with each other. Such friendships are the “True Prize” in anything. Best, these girls solve their friendship problem without intrusive advice from the adults in their lives.–Deborah K. Frontiera, Golden Spur Award Winner, North Texas BookFestival’s Children’s Book Festival, 2007