Summer is definitely here in Florida...in the 90's daily, with little or no rain...and supposedly the 'rainy season' begins in May. Nice to be warm, though...sometimes I have to go outside to warm up, with all the air conditioning down here...don't dare to go into a store or restaurant without a sweater.
Recently I attended the WALK FOR AUTISM in Orlando as a vendor. It was fun. I enjoyed talking to all the people who stopped by, handed out a bunch of promotional materials, and even sold a few books.
I have moved forward with my writing, too...got a couple more chapters revised in my WIP, and hope to have it completed by the end of June. Other than that, and some promoting...have been working with my cousin, who is going to make a presentation on KJ to a school she used to work at as a librarian in Vermont, and doing some emailing, etc...I have been staying busy with day-to-day stuff. Am looking forward to having my grandson for five days next week, and to my other two visiting from Germany later in the summer.
Yesterday I had my first official school visit since KNOWING JOSEPH came out, and it was fun. I made a powerpoint presentation, which I have not done in YEARS (surprised I could still figure it out) and presented to a sixth grade for their career day...on being a writer, of course. They asked some really good questions, more about their writing than the career aspect of it. One boy said that he heard that no one can EVER make their writing perfect, and did I agree with that? And of course I do--I could go back through Joseph now, and make MANY changes that I think would make it better...I have learned so much about writing between the time I finished it four years ago and now. Thanks, Mrs. Dodd, for inviting me. 
I also visited Ms. Troxle's fourth grade class and talked about "Show, don't tell," in writing. We didn't have very much time, so I didn't get to finish the whole presentation, but hopefully they got something out of it. I enjoyed being back in the classroom, anyway.
Then later that afternoon I ran into (literally) another teacher from Palm Bay in a parking lot...a preschool special needs teacher...and we had a very nice conversation about autism and teaching, etc., while waiting for the policeman to arrive to fill out an accident report.So mostly it was a good day...but not completely.
Knowing Joseph is an engrossing, touching book about a young boy trying to deal with his 6-year old autistic brother.
For 10-year old Brian, living with his brother Joseph isn't easy. Joseph doesn't play with other children, screams when something bothers him, and constantly needs special attention. To make matters worse, Mom and Dad are so preoccupied with Joseph's ups and downs that they hardly have the time to pay attention to Brian, which isn't fair.
Yet Brian tries to do what's best and always tries to make Joseph comfortable and to protect him from the school bullies. But does he really know Joseph?
Then one day at the beach, during a family camping trip, Brian meets an older boy who enlightens him about autism. He not only opens a whole new window of knowledge for Brian, but for other children as well. As a result, Brian and Joseph become closer than ever.
Later, back at school, the children are given an assignment. They must work in groups and make a presentation on their chosen subject: children with disabilities. To Brian's chagrin, the teacher announces that the class' bully must be part of their group. As the children make their presentations, it becomes obvious that the class bully has some special needs as well, not like those of Joseph, the boy he had been bullying all along.
Knowing Joseph is a must read for children ages 9 and up. In an engaging style, Mammay teaches the reader what autism is all about, especially how to treat children who have this disability. She does this by presenting the characters and the story, not by preaching, which is why this novel will be enjoyed by middle readers. The plot is interesting and compelling. The dialogue, characters and plot appealing to young readers. Ultimately, it is a book that not only informs, but one that teaches the true meaning of kindness and compassion.
For more information about the author and the book, visit Judith Mammay's website
Yesterday a box of ARCs for KNOWING JOSEPH arrived at my door...and they look great. But even better, my publisher said there will be a different cover on the actual books when they come out, and it is SO much better than the one above, and even better than the one on the ARCs. Here it is.
I have a couple of ARCs to give away to people who are interested in doing a review of it. If there are several, I'll do a drawing. You can read more about the book at my website, www.judithmammay.com .
Other than that, I am busy preparing for two conferences in the next two weekends. The first, SCBWI-FL, is in Miami, and I will be speaking as part of the First Books panel--SOOO glad I have my ARCs so I will have something to show. The following weekend is the Space Coast Writers' Guild conference at Cocoa Beach, of which I am the conference coordinator. Have been really busy pulling together all the last minute details on that. It's fun, though, to be able to talk to so many great authors, editors, and agents in person in the process of setting it up.
By: Rebecca,
on 10/8/2007
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Earlier today we introduced you to The Complete Writing Guide to NIH Behavioral Science Grants edited by Lawrence M. Scheier and William L. Dewey. Below are some additional tips from the book that should frame the way you write grants. Good luck!
Here are some editorial pointers you may want to implement the next time you submit your grant application:
- Connect the different sections of your grant. One means of doing this deftly is to write a summary of specific aims at the very end of the grant (last paragraph before Human Subjects). Use this space to help summarize the research goals, unique features of your scientific approach, and strengths of the investigative team. (more…)
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Not much happening around here, but DO have some good news. Just got an email from my editor over at Blooming Tree Press, saying the edits on KNOWING JOSEPH are completed and the book will be going to the printer by the end of the week. AND that it is still on schedule for an October release. I am delighted! It's been a long wait, but the end is finally in sight.
The other good thing is that I have almost finished my next mg--finally! Just one more chapter to go before starting the rewrite.
In other news, we are taking a flying trip to New England this weekend--a funeral in Vermont on Saturday, a wedding in Massachusetts on Sunday, and somewhere in between we are going to connect with my son somewhere else in Massachusetts to meet his new girlfriend.
Have been reading Mother Reader's blog about her review of The Secret...wish our library had it available. Might have to get it at the bookstore...good stuff--all that positive thinking...I believe it really does help!
by Aldous Huxley
illustrated by Barbara Cooney
Random House 1967
Weekly Reader Children's Book Club edition
I have been meaning to write about this for a long time now and finally got the push when I was over at Bottom Shelf Books. The kick in the rear was this line in a review of The Flower by John Light: If Aldous Huxley and Edgar Allen Poe teamed up to create a children's book, this would
Congrats on the progress on your WIP. That always feels great!
Have fun with your summer plans!