Here is the answer to Tuesday’s puzzle–if you’ve not already figured it out.

The scrambled words were

dOg

NoUN

vErB

suMmER

When all the numbers from ONE to TEN had a race, Number SEVEN won. In the race she was NUMBER ONE.

Have a great weekend!

I had the good fortune to attend Jody Feldman‘s book launch on Saturday at Main Street Books in St. Charles.
Jody was excited to present her newest novel, THE SEVENTH LEVEL, with middle-schooler Travis and his knack for getting into trouble.

This new title poses more suspense and puzzles like her first book, THE GOLLYWHOPPER GAMES.
For a fun & fast-paced summer read, grab a copy of THE SEVENTH LEVEL and a cool glass of lemonade. You’ll have it made in the shade.

I had a great day last Friday, May 7, visiting with all the students at Point Elementary in the Mehlville Schools in St. Louis. As I walked into the library, I was met with this great banner. Judy Carter, the school librarian, welcomed me. What a fantastic job she did arranging my day. I had the incredible privilege to meet about 450 students from Kindergarten through 5th grade.

Unfortunately, my camera was not working that day, but Ms. Carter and the students took lots of photos. So as soon as I receive some of their photos, I’ll post some of the day’s highlights.

And don’t forget, today is the start of CHILDREN’S BOOK WEEK.

Wishing all of you a most blessed EASTER!

This blog is now located at http://www.cynthiareegblog.com/
You will be automatically redirected in 30 seconds, or you may click here.

For feed subscribers, please update your feed subscriptions to
http://www.cynthiareegblog.com/feeds/posts/default.

Welcome to WordPress.com. This is your first post. Edit or delete it and start blogging!

Holly can’t quite seem to keep out of the limelight. She’s featured on author, Donna Shepherd‘s new blog, POODLE AND DOODLE. 

Here you’ll find the inside scoop on Donna’s adorable dogs, Sadie and Angel. Plus, you’ll see a sneak peak at Donna’s upcoming book, POODLE AND DOODLE, illustrated by a very talented, Jack Foster. 

Donna’s latest book from Guardian Angel Publishing is CHIZZY’S TOPSY TALE, illustrated by Kevin Collier. It’s a rhyming romp through the jungle with monkey Chizzy chasing after forbidden fruit. What a better way to celebrate National Poetry Month than with this clever story.

Holly wanted to share her snapshot from Opening Day with the St. Louis Cardinals. As you can see, in her excitement she forgot her baseball glove. But she usually catches the fly balls in her mouth anyways. Go CARDS!!!

Greetings to all ghouls and goblins!

Yesterday, I mentioned Margot Finke as a contributor to The Purple Crayon, Harold D. Underdown’s website for children’s writers. Now you have the chance to find out more about Margot in this interview by Mayra Calvani.

Interview with MARGOT FINKE, Children’s Author
Interview by Mayra Calvani

Do you consider yourself to be a born writer?
Yes. From childhood I scribbled down story ideas and wrote short stories.

Tell us about your recent release. What was your inspiration for it?
Guardian Angel Publishing will be releasing my picture book, Rattlesnake Jam, in the first half of 2008, in soft cover and CD. This rhyming romp tells about Pa catching rattlesnakes for crazy Gran. She cooks and bottles them as her “cure all” jam, but Pa longs for rattler served up on rice – just once! Artist Kevin Scott Collier’s illustrations are just crazy enough to make kid’s eyes pop! Rattlesnake Jam will be available from Amazon, the publisher, and through my website.

Tell us about your children’s books.
I have a rhyming, 6 book series, available on CD and download. Fun and educational, they tell about animals from the U. S. and Australia. Purchase through the BOOKS page on my website (Publisher: Writers Exchange)

Two of the illustrators for this series live in Turkey. One speaks no English and has no computer. The other has a little English and does use a computer. Both are celebrated illustrators and artists in Europe. Thanks to e-mail, and a generous English-speaking friend on a writing list, who acted as go-between and interpreter, Kangaroo Clues and Never Say BOO to a Frilly were delightfully illustrated. The other four artists come from various areas in the USA. They were chosen due to the marvels of e-mail and the internet.

Kids who want to discover more fun information about the critters in this series, can go to either the “Down-under Fun” or the “Wild US Critters” pages on my website.

Some writers go on long walks, others keep a journal, write at a café, or listen to music. What do you do for inspiration and unleashing your creativity?
Great writing thoughts usually pop into my head after I go to bed. I sneak into the bathroom in the dark, and close the door. I keep paper and pencil there – just in case. . .
So, enthroned upon the toilet seat, I scribble down my ideas lest they disappear with the dawn. There must be something about taking a shower, and cleaning my teeth each night, that prods my inspirational juices to flow.

Are you a disciplined writer? What is your working style?
I got a late writing start, so now my kids are grown and on their own. I write every day in my office/flower room. This is where, every winter, I bring my delicate plants to survive the Oregon chill. My husband fitted Gro Lux lights to wall shelves, in what was once our family room. My plants and I enjoy a cozy winter together. It helps mitigate all that gray Oregon drizzle!

Do you like to outline and plot ahead, or are you more of a stream-of-consciousness writer?
A general idea strikes me, and I develop it as I write.

Do you have a website/blog where readers may learn more about you and your works?
“Margot Finke’s World of Writing for Children” is my website. It has sprouted more pages on help for children’s writers than I can count – my BOOKS, Critique Service, Secrets of Writing For Children, WAHOO, School Visits, and much more.

What are you working on now?
Finding a publishers for two Aussie mid-grade boy’s adventures–a ghost mystery set in Oregon, and a letter-driven MG involving a Grandma and her grandson and the troubling forces that draw them together.

What was your experience in looking for a publisher?
Writing books is the easy part. Finding the right publisher is frustrating. Lots of research, networking with other writers, and carefully reading many submission guidelines finally did the trick.

What was your experience in working with an illustrator?
Very positive. I found all the artists for my rhyming animal series through writing lists I am on. Our minds seemed to be in harmony. We swapped thoughts and ideas until each was perfected. I am thrilled with the results.

What type of book promotion works for you? Any special strategies you’d like to share?
A good press release helped me get interviewed by a newspaper and a photo. School visits have worked very well so far, plus purchases through my website, and being a member of AuthorsDen and FaceBook. Lots of networking over the years, plus my “Musings” column, great reviews, and my website gives my name an excellent Google presence. I also sell my books where I do conference Workshops.

We hear again and again that picture books are incredibly difficult to write. Why is that?
Picture book writers need disciplined, sparse writing that makes the most of active and powerful verbs, and well chosen, evocative adjectives. The art of weaving in word clues for the illustrator, rather than whole sentences of descriptive clutter, is hard for many writers.
It’s all about choosing a few special words that paint unforgettable pictures in a child’s head. The craft of writing a really wonderful picture book comes with practice. Some writers “get it,” while others wisely decide their path lies with writing for older children.

How do you see the future of children’s picture books?
As long as there are children to delight and confound us, there will be picture books to do the same. In the near future, I think books read on light, easy to use, and affordable hand held readers, will come into their own. Kids today are computer savvy, and it is just a matter of time and technology, before books that talk and offer colored, animated illustrations, will be all the rage. The future is almost NOW!We hear again and again that picture books are incredibly difficult to write. Why is that?

What advice would you offer aspiring writers?
Read , read, read. Write, write, write. Go to conferences, and join a really good critique group. Stick-with-it-ness is vital.