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1. 11 Books Not to Be Missed On Your Summer Reading List (9-12yrs)

By: Tracy Bartley, on 6/6/2013
Blog: First Book (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Books & Reading, books, list, reading, reading list, summer, summer reading list, summer slide, Add a tag

2013 Summer Reading List

Here are just some of our favorite titles for Summer Reading and available on the First Book Marketplace. Contributions are pulled from the fabulous lesson plans compiled by teachers on Share My Lesson.

Little House on the Prairie – Laura Ingalls Wilder

Laura Ingalls and her family leave their little house in the Big Woods of Wisconsin and set out for Kansas. They travel for many days in their covered wagon until they find the best spot to build their little house on the prairie. Sometimes pioneer life is hard, but Laura and her folks are always busy and happy in their new little house.

Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. – Judy Blume

It is the story of twelve-year-old Margaret Simon who is worried she’ll never have anything to put in her bra, won’t know how to kiss a boy when the time comes, and worst of all, will be the last in the PTS club to get her period. As if all that weren’t enough, she’s getting used to a new home and a new school. Her private talks with God are special to her, but is she supposed to be Jewish or Christian?

Sarah Plain and Tall – Patricia Maclachlan

Their mother died the day after Caleb was born. Their house on the prairie is quiet now, and Papa doesn’t sing anymore. Then Papa puts an ad in the paper, asking for a wife, and he receives a letter from one Sarah Elisabeth Wheaton, of Maine. Papa, Anna, and Caleb write back. Caleb asks if she sings. Sarah decides to come for a month. She writes Papa: I will come by train. I will wear a yellow bonnet. I am plain and tall, and tell them I sing.

Island of the Blue Dolphins – Scott O’Dell

“Winner of the Newbery Medal in 1961, this story of Karana, the Indian girl who lived alone for eighteen years on an island off the coast of California, still fascinates young readers. Her survival story–fighting the wild dogs and loneliness, hunting for food, and hoping to be rescued–is spellbinding.” — Children’s Literature

The Magician’s Elephant – Kate DiCamillo

When a fortuneteller’s tent appears in the market square of the city of Baltese, orphan Peter Augustus Duchene knows the questions that he needs to ask: Does his sister still live? And if so, how can he find her? The fortuneteller’s mysterious answer (an elephant! An elephant will lead him there!) sets off a chain of events so remarkable, so impossible, that you will hardly dare to believe it’s true.

Henry Aaron’s Dream – Matt Tavares

Before he was Hammerin’ Hank, Henry Aaron was a young boy growing up in Mobile, Alabama, with what seemed like a foolhardy dream: to be a big-league baseball player. He didn’t have a bat. He didn’t have a ball. And there wasn’t a single black ball player in the major leagues. But none of this could stop Henry Aaron.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz – L. Frank Baum

In L. Frank Baum’s original tale, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, readers will find themselves along a familiar yellow brick road and with their favorite beloved characters. After more than a hundred years since its first publication, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz continues to charm its readers on an adventure of self-discovery filled with excitement, Flying Monkeys, and Wicked Witches to the Emerald City.

The Indian in the Cupboard – Lynne Reid Banks

What could be better than a magic cupboard that turns small toys into living creatures? Omri’s big brother has no birthday present for him, so he gives Omri an old medicine cabinet he’s found. Although their mother supplies a key, the cabinet still doesn’t seem like much of a present. But when an exhausted Omri dumps a plastic toy Indian into the cabinet just before falling asleep, the magic begins.

Ramona Quimby, Age 8 – Beverly Cleary

All the Quimbys have their ups and downs, but none feels them more intensely than Ramona. Her low point is undoubtedly reached the day she throws up in class and Mrs. Whaley instructs the children to hold their noses and file into the hall. But three days later Ramona recovers her nerve sufficiently to give a book report in the style of a T.V. commercial, bringing down the house.

To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee

Through the young eyes of Scout and Jem Finch, Harper Lee explores with rich humor and unswerving honesty the irrationality of adult attitudes toward race and class in the Deep South of the 1930s. The conscience of a town steeped in prejudice, violence, and hypocrisy is pricked by the stamina and quiet heroism of one man’s struggle for justice—but the weight of history will only tolerate so much.

Mary Poppins – Dr. P.L. Travers

An extraordinary English nanny blows in on the East Wind with her parrot-headed umbrella and magic carpetbag and introduces her charges, Jane and Michael, to some delightful people and experiences.

The post 11 Books Not to Be Missed On Your Summer Reading List (9-12yrs) appeared first on First Book Blog.

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2. Ebook Sales – Best YA Fiction

By: Kathy Temean, on 5/28/2013
Blog: Writing and Illustrating (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: list, News, Young Adult Novel, 2013 Best Fiction for YA, ebook sales, YALSA, Add a tag

Ebooks made up 20% of trade publishing net sales in 2012. That’s an increase from 2011 when ebooks were only 15% of trade net sales.

The BookStat report shows prices are fairly stable for trade, ebook growth has slowed but contributes significantly to book sales overall, and that both romance and YA are growth genres, according to Ned May, VP and practice leader at Outsell Inc.

Ebooks single-handedly drove trade sales, accounting for $995 million in net new dollars last year. Total U.S. net book sales for the year were $27.1 billion.

The complete BookStats report will be available in June.

yalsa

2013 Best Fiction for Young Adults

Each year, YALSA presents the Best Fiction for Young Adults list after ALA’s Midwinter Meeting. This year’s list of 102 books was drawn from 200 official nominations. The books, recommended for ages 12-18, meet the criteria of both good quality literature and appealing reading for teens. The list comprises a wide range of genres and styles, including contemporary realistic fiction, fantasy, horror, science fiction and novels in verse.

In addition to the full list, the Best Fiction for Young Adults committee also created a Top Ten list of titles from the final list, denoted here by an asterisk.

“I am very proud of the hard work, patience and dedication each committee member took this year in selecting the 2013 BFYA list,” said Chair Ted Schelvan. “After much deliberation and discussion, our final list is comprised of books a library can be proud to add to their Young Adult collection.”

Anderson, Jodi Lynn. Tiger Lily. HarperCollins/HarperTeen, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780062003256; $17.99.

Before Wendy came into Peter Pan’s life, there was only Tiger Lily.

*Andrews, Jesse. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl. Abrams/Amulet Books, 2012; ISBN 13: 9781419701764; $16.95.

Greg and Earl are forced to spend time with a classmate recently diagnosed with leukemia. Will their lives change for the better or just stay the same as usual?

Bacigalupi, Paolo. The Drowned Cities. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780316056243; $17.99.

Mahlia and Mouse are cast-off refugees from the Drowned Cities of a war-torn future American Southeast when they meet Tool, a half-man genetically engineered for one thing: killing.

Bardugo, Leigh. Shadow and Bone. Henry Holt and Company, 2012: ISBN 13: 9780805094596; $18.00.

Alina discovers she has secret powers and must try abolishing the monsters of the Fold.

Barnaby, Hannah. Wonder Show. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children’s Books, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780547599809; $16.99.

Portia is looking for another new beginning and a place to belong. Does she have a strong enough constitution to do it at the travelling freak show?

Barnes, Jennifer Lynn. Every Other Day. Egmont, 2011; ISBN 13: 9781606841693; $ 17.99.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be something else every other day? Kali D’Angelo is just that; an “Other,” or so she calls herself, invincible one day human the next. When Kali comes across a student who has an ouroboros mark, giving her moments to live; she ventures into a dangerous world where few survive the things that go bump in the night.

Barraclough, Lindsey. Long Lankin. Candlewick Press, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780763658083; $16.99.

In a town paralyzed with fear over the presence of a nightmarish creature, sisters Cora and Mimi learn that Long Lankin may be the least of their problems.

*Bray, Libba. The Diviners. Little Brown Books for Young Readers, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780316126113; $19.99.

New age, old magic.

Brennan, Sarah Rees. Unspoken: The Lynburn Legacy. Random House Books/Random House Books for Young Readers, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780375870415; $18.99.

Your imaginary friend turns out to be not so imaginary. Meeting him brings its own mystery and conflicts. Which do you trust more what you’ve always known or what you see?

Calame, Don. Call the Shots. Candlewick, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780763655563; $16.99.

Sean, Matt, and Coop have pulled off a few schemes in the past, but can they manage to make a low-budget horror film?

Cameron, Sharon. The Dark Unwinding. Scholastic, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780545327862; $17.99.

Sent to prove her uncle insane, Katherine discovers another windup world.

Carey, Janet Lee. Dragonswood. Penguin/Dial, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780803735040; $17.99.

Tess has endured a lot in her short life. She has witnessed an execution, watched her siblings die, been accused of witchcraft and tortured. She’s now escaped to begin a magical adventure that could bring three races together for the common good.

Carlton, Susan. Love & Haight. Henry Holt and Company, 2012; ISBN 13: 97800805080971; $16.99.

Chloe and MJ are spending their Christmas vacation in San Francisco. While MJ is looking for a good time, Chloe is looking for an abortion, but in 1971, abortions, while legal, aren’t easy to find.

Cashore, Kristin. Bitterblue. Penguin/Dial, 2012; ISBN 13: 978-08373-4739; $19.99.

Katsa saved her life, but now Bitterblue has to save her kingdom

Coats, Jillian Anderson. The Wicked and the Just. Harcourt/Houghton Mifflin, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780547688374; $16.99.

In the late thirteenth century, Cecily practices a haughty style as befits a lady of the manor in occupied Wales where her father has landed them in search of cheap land. Gwinny, the servant is not about to accede to these upstart English who she knows are simply tyrants to the Welsh who used to rule their own lives.

Cronn-Mills, Kirstin. Beautiful Music for Ugly Children. Flux, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780738732510; $9.99.

Everyone knows the A side of the record but it’s time for everyone to know the B side.

Cross, Sarah. Kill Me Softly. Egmont, 2012; ISBN 13: 9781606843239; $17.99.

Your life is a fairy tale. That doesn’t mean it’s happily ever after.

Crowley, Cath. Graffiti Moon. Random House/Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780375869532; $16.99.

Lucy has a crush on Shadow, a local graffiti artist. Little does she know that Shadow may be closer to her than she thinks.

Damico, Gina. Croak. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children’s Book Group, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780547608327; $8.99.

Who would have thought being a grim reaper could give you a life?

Danforth, Emily M. The Miseducation of Cameron Post. HarperCollins/Balzer+Bray, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780062020567; $17.99.

Cameron explores her lesbian sexuality in small town Montana in the early 1990′s, and is sent to God’s Promise, a school to cure homosexual tendencies.

Derting, Kimberly. The Pledge. Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2011; ISBN 13: 9781442422018; $16.99.

Charlie knows that she is different. In a world where each class system had their own language, she can understand them all. What happens when people figure out her secret?

Doller, Trish. Something Like Normal. Bloomsbury, 2012; ISBN 13: 9781599908441; $16.99.

Travis, a young Marine, deals with life at home after his best friend is killed in Afghanistan.

Jordan, Dream. Bad Boy. St. Martin’s Press, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780312549978; $9.99.

Kate has been institutionalized her entire life, but things start to look up when she connects with a handsome stranger. But can she heed the warning signs of his abusive behavior?

Ellison, Kate. Butterfly Clues. Egmont, 2012; ISBN 13: 9781606842638; $17.99.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is not all Lo must deal with when she accidentally witnesses a murder.

Fama, Elizabeth. Monstrous Beauty. Macmillian/Farrar Straus Giroux, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780374373665; $17.99.

Syrenka, a vicious mermaid who’s a victim of circumstance, and Hester, a modern day teen who’s a victim of her family’s tragic past, have a lot more in common than they think.

Farish, Terry. The Good Braider. Amazon Children’s Publishing, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780761462675; $17.99.

This is a story of Viola’s escape from the Sudan, her long and arduous journey to the U.S., and her struggle with the emotional effects that still linger. Upon arriving in the U.S. she struggles with trying to fit it while maintaining the traditions of her family. This story, told in verse, immerses the reader in the struggles that immigrants have to face while trying to build a new life for themselves but still trying to maintain the ideals of their cultures.

Fforde, Jasper. The Last Dragonslayer. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780547738475; $16.99.

With magic drying up, it’s hard for a freelance magical agency to stay afloat, especially with the rumors and prophecies of the death of the last dragon.

Fitzpatrick, Huntley. My Life Next Door. Penguin/Dial Books, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780803736993; $17.99.

Samantha was always curious about the large, boisterous family next door since her family is quiet and orderly. One day, Jase, one of the boys, climbed up to her hidden perch. What happens next?

Gagnon, Michelle. Don’t Turn Around. HarperCollins, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780062102904; $17.99.

Computer hackers Peter and Noa stumble across a conspiracy targeting runaway teens.

Gaughen, A. C. Scarlet. Walker & Co., 2012; ISBN 13: 9780802723468; $17.99.

Scarlet, a spunky lady-thief, has made a home in Sherwood Forest with Robin Hood and his band of thieves, but a face from the past may put her forest life and people she loves in jeopardy.

Grant, Michael. BZRK. Egmont, 2012; ISBN 13: 9781606843123; $17.99.

A war is raging in the nano…where biots and nanobots battle in the brain for control of the human race. For the soldiers of BZRK and AFCG it victory or madness.

Grant, Michael and Katherine Applegate. Eve & Adam. Macmillan/Feiwel and Friends, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780312583514; $17.99.

What if you could design the perfect boy? Eve is given the chance; but what are the consequences of playing god?

Green, John. The Fault in Our Stars. Penguin/Dutton Juvenile, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780525478812; $17.99.

Hazel and Gus are both Cancer Kids with very different prognoses when they meet and bond over what they share outside of their disease. Funny, poignant, charming, honest and powerful.

Halpern, Julie. Have a Nice Day. Macmillan/Feiwel and Friends, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780312606602; $16.99.

Home after a stay in a mental institution, Anna discovers that maintaining her improved outlook is a challenge as the stresses of life that sent her there in the first place are pretty much the same. It’s really up to her to make a difference, and perhaps a sense of humor will help.

Hand, Elizabeth. Radiant Days. Penguin/Viking, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780670011353; $17.99.

Art student Merle and poet Arthur Rimbaud may live in separate continents and time periods but one night together will change their lives forever.

Harrington, Hannah. Speechless. Harlequin/Harlequin Teen, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780373210527; $9.99.

Chelsea could never keep her mouth shut, always having to tell the latest gossip as soon as she heard it. The latest secret she tells causes someone to almost die. What happens when she decides to take a vow of silence?

*Hartman, Rachel. Seraphina. Random House, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780375866562; $17.99.

Intriguingly, in this world, dragons can transform at will into the body of a human. Part human, part dragon, Seraphina must hide her heritage as the tenuous peace her country has with dragons seems likely to slip away as unknown elements are stirring up trouble that even Seraphina’s music can’t assuage.

Hiaasen, Carl. Chomp. Alfred A. Knopf, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780375868429; $16.99.

Wahoo lives with a bunch of animals, including his father. When they get contacted to provide animals for the show Expedition Survival they agree- but can they live through it?

Johnson, Angela. A Certain October. Simon & Schuster, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780689865053; $16.99.

After surviving a train accident that killed her friend, Scotty must reevaluate her life and find a way to forgive herself.

Kagawa, Julie. The Immortal Rules. Harlequin/Harlequin Teen, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780373210510; $18.99.

Allison lives in a society that requires humans to register as blood donors for the ruling class of vampires. Instead of surrendering to their demands, she survives on the fringes of the city by scavenging for food and banding together with other runaways. However, the situation changes drastically when she finds herself at the top of the food chain.

Kincaid, S.J. Insignia. HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen Books, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780062092991; $17.99.

Tom is great at one thing: gaming. He’s given the chance to make something of himself in the military and he jumps at it. Can he beat the best the enemy has?

Kindl, Patrice. Keeping the Castle. Penguin/Viking, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780670014385; $16.99.

The only way Althea can hope to keep the family home, Crawley Castle, is to marry a rich man. She must vie for the affections of too few men with her older step-sisters and the mysterious Miss Vincy.

King, A.S. Ask the Passengers. Little, Brown and Company, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780316194686; $17.99.

Astrid, who just moved from the big city to a small town, must discover her way in life, her sexuality and, most importantly, herself.

Knowles, Jo. See You At Harry’s. Candlewick Press, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780763654078; $16.99.

Harry’s, the restaurant owned by 12 year old Fern’s family, has always centered them but when tragedy takes Charlie, her sticky, smelly, younger brother, nothing will ever be the same.

Kokie, E.M. Personal Effects. Candlewick, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780763655273; $16.99.

Matt’s brother has died fighting for his country, and now Matt has the remnants of his brother’s personal belongings. In looking through these items, Matt discovers a side of his brother he never knew.

*Kontis, Alethea. Enchanted. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt/Harcourt Children’s Books, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780547645704; $16.99.

Sunday’s child may be able to find her story with the help of ….a frog.

Lacey, Josh. Island of Thieves. Houghton Mifflin Books for Young Children, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780547763279; $15.99.

An unexpected adventure with Uncle Harvey will leave Tom’s life changed forever..That is if they can make it out alive!

LaCour, Nina. The Disenchantments. Penguin/Dutton, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780525422198; $16.99.

Colby and his friends’ band, The Disenchantments, go touring for a week right after graduation. Will they use this time to figure out what’s next in their lives?

LaFevers, Robin. Grave Mercy. Houghton Mifflin, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780547628349; $16.99.

Ismae, a daughter of death and trained by the convent as an assassin, is assigned to assist Duval, the bastard brother of her ruler in this alternate medieval history novel.

Lake, Nick. In Darkness. Bloomsbury, 2012; ISBN 13: 9781599907437; $17.99.

Trapped in darkness on Haiti hundreds of years apart, the lives of gangster Shorty and slave rebellion leader Toussaint l’Ouverture are intertwined as Shorty tries to survive the 2010 earthquake.

Lanagan, Margo. The Brides of Rollrock Island. Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780375869198; $17.99.

On an ungenerous island where life is hard, Misskaella, herself unattractive, discovers she has the power to pull humans from the seals cavorting in the sea. A selkie tale that is unromantic and details the unlovely consequences for future residents.

Larbalestier, Justine and Sarah Rees Brennan. Team Human. HarperCollins/HarperTeen, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780062089649; $17.99.

Vampires may be an everyday part of life, but Mel still isn’t thrilled when her best friend Cathy suddenly wants to become one.

Leavitt, Martine. My Book of Life by Angel. Farrar, Straus and Giroux Books for Young Readers, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780374351236; $17.99.

Angel must escape her life of drugs and prostitution before she is forced to do the same for another.

Lee, Y.S. The Traitor and the Tunnel. Candlewick Press, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780763653163; $16.99.

Mary Lang cannot keep herself out of scrapes. Once again, she is thrown into the thick of a murder mystery. This time it involves both the British Royal Family and her own long-lost father. The clues bringer her closer to the truth, but deeper into trouble!

Lerangis, Peter and Harry Mazer. Somebody Please Tell Me Who I Am. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2012; ISBN 13: 9781416938958; $15.99.

Ben Bright makes the decision to enlist in the Army. His deployment to the Middle East stresses his relationships with his friends and family, but nothing can prepare them for the way he returns home.

Leveen, Tom. Zero. Random House, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780375869211; $16.99.

Zero didn’t get the scholarship to art school, so she’s stuck in Phoenix trying to figure out how to emulate Dali when she falls for the drummer of Gothic Rainbow.

Levine, Kristin. Lions of Little Rock. Penguin/Putnam, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780399256448; $16.99.

Painfully shy Marlee lives in Little Rock and makes friends with Liz the year after the ‘Nine” integrated. When schools close, these friends decide they can make a difference.

*Levithan, David. Every Day. Random House/Alfred A. Knopf, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780307931187; $16.99.

How can love survive if each day you wake up as a different person?

Lyga, Barry. I Hunt Killers. Little, Brown and Company, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780316125840; $17.99.

Jazz, the son of one of the most notorious of all serial killers, must come to terms with his upbringing by hunting down a new serial killer in his hometown.

Maas, Sarah. Throne of Glass. Bloomsbury, 2012; ISBN 13: 9781599906959; $17.99.

Left for dead in a notorious prison work camp, Celaena is given a second chance at freedom by the Crown Prince himself. However, this freedom must be won in a cut-throat tournament of assassins, and some of her competitors are not playing by the rules.

MacColl, Michaela. Promise the Night. Chronicle Books, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780811876254; $16.99.

Famous aviator, Beryl Markham’s childhood in Kenya with racehorses, lions, and the Nandi neighbors at a time when white women were expected to be ladies and Beryl is anything but.

Mackall, Dandi. The Silence of Murder. Alfred A. Knopf, 2011; ISBN 13: 9780375968969; $16.99.

An 18- year old, autistic boy has been put on trial for murder. Only one person thinks he’s innocent. Did he do it? What really happened that night?

Magoon, Kekla. Fire in the Streets. Aladdin, 2012; ISBN 13: 9781442422308; $15.99.

Maxie’s attachment to the Black Panthers in Chicago in the late sixties gradually confronts some of the other constants in her life, but she knows it’s her only way to make a powerful difference in the world.

Marchetta, Melina. Froi of the Exiles: The Lumatere Chronicles. Candlewick Press, 2011; ISBN 13: 9780763647599; $18.99.

Three years after Finnikin of the Rock completed his journey back to Lumatere, young Froi is sent away from Lumatere on a journey of his own.

Marillier, Juliet. Shadowfell. Knopf Book for Young Readers, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780375869549; $16.99.

Frightened of being made a king’s hostage if her powers are known, Neryn must decide whether or not to trust taciturn mysterious Flint who has won her in a bet.

Matson, Morgan. Second Chance Summer. Simon & Schuster/Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2012; ISBN 13: 9781416990673; $16.99.

Taylor’s family is spending one last summer together at their house on the lake, which means she can’t run away from the people she hurt five summers before.

*McCormick, Patricia. Never Fall Down. Harper Collins/Balzar + Bray, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780061730931; $17.99.

Arn is taken from his home by the Khmer Rouge and forced to become a child soldier. What will he do to survive?

McDonald, Ian. Planesrunner. Prometheus Books/PYR, 2011; ISBN 13: 9781616145415; $16.95.

Convinced his Dad was kidnapped, Everett uses his computer expertise, his soccer skills and his math knowledge to try to go after him—even as far as into another universe.

McQuerry, Maureen Doyle. The Peculiars. Abrams/Amulet Books, 2012; ISBN 13: 9781419701788; $16.95.

Lena, left destitute on her way to the frontier, is recruited as a spy, infiltrates the library and home of a wealthy recluse, and discovers genocide may be coming.

Meyer, Marissa. Cinder. Macmillian/Feiwel & Friends, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780312641894; $17.99.

Cyborg Cinder, a mechanic in the chaotic street market of New Beijing, threatened by disease and aliens, meets Prince Kai when he brings a beloved robot in for repair.

Michaelis, Antonia. The Storyteller. Abrams/Amulet Books, 2012; ISBN 13: 9781419700477; $18.95.

Anna falls in love not only with Abel, the boy she has a crush on, but also the fairy tale he tells his younger sister. When people in the story actually turn up dead, Anna has to choose between love and the right thing.

Mieville, China. Railsea. Random House/Del Ray, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780345524522; $18.00.

Sham Yes ap Soorap, a lousy doctors assistant aboard the Medes, has been given a dream to look at but may never see. The unending space of where the railsea ends and where angels may roam, is a legend, and it’s the place Sham wants to go. Captain Naphi, however, has other plans. She is after the great white moldywarpe, Mocker-Jocker, and will stop at nothing to capture it.

Myers, Kate Kae. The Vanishing Game. Bloomsbury, 2012; ISBN 13: 9781599906942; $16.99.

Still grieving the loss of her brother, Jocelyn unexpectedly receives a letter from him, a letter that sends her on a hunt through her past.

Nelson, Vaunda Micheaux. No Crystal Stair: A Novel in Documents, Based on the Life and Work, of Lewis Micheaux, Harlem Bookseller. Lerner/Carolrhoda Lab, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780761361695; $17.95

Lewis will do whatever people tell him he can’t which surprisingly turns the young thief into someone nobody ever expected, particularly the white banker who told him “Negros don’t read.”

Newman, Leslea. October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard. Candlewick, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780763658076; $15.99.

In 1998, Matthew Shepard was robbed, beaten and left to die tied to a fence in a field in Wyoming. The events surrounding his death are told through various forms of poetry and from varying points of view.

Nielsen, Jennifer. The False Prince. Scholastic, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780545284134; $17.99.

The ambitious Conner hand-picks four orphans with the intention of selecting one to pose as the lost Prince Jaron, heir to the throne of Carthya, then taking the kingship for himself.

Nix, Garth. A Confusion of Princes. Harper Collins, 2012: ISBN 13: 9780060096946; $17.99.

When Prince Khemri comes of age, he finds he has a lot to learn about the intergalactic empire he serves. This is the story of his first three deaths.

Oppel, Kenneth. Such Wicked Intent: The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein Book Two. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2012; ISBN 13: 9781442403185; $16.99.

Try as he might, Victor cannot swear off the two great temptations in his life: the power over life and death offered by the Dark Sciences, and his love for his brother’s fiancé.

Pearce, Jackson. Purity. Little, Brown and Company, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780316182461; $17.99.

Shelby promised her dying mother three things: listen to her father, love as much as possible, and live without restraint. What happens when promise one runs up against promises two and three?

Poblocki, Dan. The Ghost of Graylock. Scholastic, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780545402682; $16.99.

Be warned sometimes things follow you home.

Pratchett, Terry. Dodger. HarperCollins, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780062009494; $17.99.

Dodger is the canniest cove in all of London, scheming with Dickens, glad-handing Disraeli, and even getting the upper hand over Sweeney Todd in his quest to protect an anonymous girl.

*Quick, Matthew. Boy 21. Little, Brown and Company, 2012: ISBN 13: 9780316186193; $17.99.

A chronicle of grief paralleling Finley’s silence and immersion in the repetition of basketball with Boy 21′s belief that his murdered parents will return from space and take him to the cosmos.

Rivers, Karen. The Encyclopedia of Me. Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780545310284; $16.99.

Pick a letter and let Tink take you on a journey.

Rossi, Veronica. Under the Never Sky. HarperCollins, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780062072030; $17.99.

Aria has grown up living in the safety of the domes, while Peregrine is a savage outsider. When a series of events leads to Aria’s banishment, Peregrine helps her survive.

Rubens, Michael. Sons of the 613. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt/Clarion, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780547612164; $16.99.

Having skimped on his prep sessions for his bar mitzvah, Isaac gets schooled in what it means to be a man by older brother Josh, who could use some lessons on responsibility and sanity himself.

*Saenz, Benjamin Alire. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe. Simon & Schuster/Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2012; ISBN 13: 9781442408920; $16.99.

Aristotle and Dante could scarcely be more different, but through the years of growing up, they become more to each other than they ever imagined.

Schrefer, Eliot. Endangered. Scholastic, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780545165761; $17.99.

A book of friendship that endures through hardship. A book of human cruelty and human compassion. A book that crosses cultures and species, to connect us with one another.

Schumacher, Julie. The Unbearable Book Club for Unsinkable Girls. Delacorte Press Books for Young Readers, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780385737739; $16.99.

What would you do if you were forced to join a book club with girls that you never met? But that’s not the worst part your mom and their moms are part of this book club as well, a mother-daughter book club. Ugh, that is exactly what Adrienne Haus thinks when her mother informs her that she is now part of this endeavor and has no choice but to join.

Selfors, Suzanne. The Sweetest Spell. Walker, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780802723765; $16.99.

Emmeline Thistle has survived sure death a couple of times due to cows coming to the rescue but will she be able to find true love and the long lost secret of chocolate?

Sherman, Delia. The Freedom Maze. Big Mouth House, 2011; ISBN 13: 9781931520300; $16.95.

Forced to spend her summer at her grandmother’s Southern house in the 1960′s, Sophie unwittingly finds herself transported to the Civil War era as a slave of her ancestors.

Schreiber, Joe. Au Revoir Crazy European Chick. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011; ISBN 13: 9780547577388; $16.99.

Perry’s priorities shift when the geeky Lithuanian exchange student his parents make him take to the prom ends up being a vengeful assassin in need of transportation to her “hits.”

Sonnenblick, Jordan. Curveball: the Year I Lost My Grip. Scholastic, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780545320696; $17.99.

After Peter endures a sports ending injury, he discovers that life can curve in new directions, not always the way he anticipates; a new girl and Grandfather’s Alzheimer’s among them.

*Stiefvater, Maggie. The Raven Boys. Scholastic, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780545424929; $18.99.

Blue Sargent has been told her entire life that she will kill her true love. She stays away from boys, but when one boy’s ghost shows up on the corpse road, which is a promise of death within a year, Blue understands that she can no longer avoid the Raven Boys. When she teams up with them to search for ley lines and lost kings, she knows that something has started and that her life will never be the same.

Summers, Courtney. This is Not a Test. St. Martin’s Griffith, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780312656744; $9.99.

Meet the girl who doesn’t want to survive the zombie apocalypse.

Tregay, Sarah. Love & Leftovers. Harper Collins/Katherine Tegan Books, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780062023582; $17.99.

When a summer vacation with her mother turns into a permanent move, Marcie realizes her life will never be the same.

Vivian, Siobhan. The List. Scholastic/Push, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780545169172; $17.99.

The list of the hottest and ugliest girls of Mount Washington High is finally out. Meet the eight teens whose lives will changed by one piece of paper.

Volponi, Paul. The Final Four. Penguin/Viking, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780670012640; $16.99.

Experience March Madness from the point of view of those who know it the best: the players. Who will triumph and who will fall?

Wasserman, Robin. The Book of Blood and Shadow. Alfred A. Knopf, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780375868764; $17.99.

In one night, Nora’s best friend is murdered and her boyfriend disappears. When she starts looking for answers, she finds cryptic clues that lead to more danger and, perhaps, the answers to much more than she bargained for.

*Wein, Elizabeth. Code Name Verity. Disney/Hyperion, 2012; ISBN 13: 9781423152194; $16.99.

Verity and Maddie are friends working in the war effort. When the Gestapo captures Verity, she trades information for freedom. Meanwhile, Maddie tries to free her. This is their story.

Woodson, Jacqueline. Beneath a Meth Moon. Penguin/Nancy Paulsen Books, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780399252501; $16.99.

When Laurel moved to a new town, she was introduced to the drug moon. What happens when she can’t get enough?

Woolston, Blythe. Catch & Release. Lerner/Carolrhoda LA, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780761377559; $17.95.

Body parts are among the things one-time pretty girl, Polly, and football star, Odd, lost when they were struck by flesh eating disease. Can a road trip heal them?

Zettel, Sarah. Dust Girl. Random House, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780375869389; $17.99.

“Oh Brother Where Art Thou” meets Rapunzel.

I was shocked that there were only seven books I have read or have in my Kindle to read on the list. Glad Veronica Roth’s Under The Never Sky showed up on the list. The nice thing is I have more books to consider down the road, while I am waiting for the next books from my list of favorite authors.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

Filed under: list, News, Young Adult Novel Tagged: 2013 Best Fiction for YA, ebook sales, YALSA

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3. The Master List!

By: Leslie Ann Clark, on 3/21/2013
Blog: Leslie Ann Clark's Skye Blue Blog (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Kicking Around Thoughts, Work is Play....?, cross it off, doodle, highlight, list, make a list, organize, start, The Master List, thoughts, to do, visual, work, Add a tag

Hooray for The Master List! There is nothing like getting all your thoughts on paper…. and yes, I said paper! Sitting right in front of me where I can doodle on it, cross it off, highlight it etc. I have tried the electronic list making but nothing quite satisfies this artist.

All my ideas are added to my The Master List. For a creative person, this list is quite freeing! I can stop trying to shuffle all of this around in my head. Yes, these items and more have been yelling at me from my head! ha! Everything was fighting for recognition… saying things like, “Me first!”, “NO! Me first!”

Now I can decide who is first! Does this sound a little scary to you? Leslie is hearing things? I assure you, this is the world of many of us who are visual thinkers! The world speaks to us! Being the cartoonist that I am, I can actually imagine people as cartoons. Many of my Facebook friends can attest to that fact. It’s quite fun!

Okay, Now to the next step. Working at crossing off all these things on the list! I will keep you posted.

So what do you have on your list?

Filed under: Kicking Around Thoughts, Work is Play....?

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4. On Target? – What are you living for?

By: Leslie Ann Clark, on 3/20/2013
Blog: Leslie Ann Clark's Skye Blue Blog (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Inspiring Websites, Kicking Around Thoughts, accomplish, decisions, direction purposeful, goals, life on purpose, list, plans, Add a tag

I have thought about how important it is to live a purposeful life each day! I am always busy, but I want to be busy doing the right things each day. I don’t want to waste a moment! Think of December. Will you carry out any major goals before then? Do you have a goal? Your chances of accomplishing goals are better if you keep them in front of you! Write them down and then look at them each day. It’s okay to change your mind about a goal too. We are complex beings. We can change our minds! It only means we are growing!

Look at this website I found for girls in Dallas.

http://gllopinc.org/about_ourorg.html

Our Vision

To empower girls from the inside-out. We envision girls celebrating their femininity. We envision girls at the conclusion of each program level possessing the understanding, wisdom and knowledge to live life on purpose.

We envision girls better equipped to make good, sound decisions to do all that they purpose to do. We envision girls developing a plan and taking action, not allowing their race, gender, community, or financial status to limit their potential.

Our Mission

Our mission is to inspire girls from all walks of life to discover who they are, to connect with other like minded girls and to pursue their purpose with passion

After reading this I found myself wanting to attend! We did not have anything like this when I was growing up. Empowered with wisdom, knowledge and understanding, making sound decisions, taking actions, no limits due to race or finances. (those are excuses) inspired! discovered!

What are your first steps in the right direction this year? Mine is to make the MASTER LIST! Then I can fill in times and plans to carry out the things on my list! Perhaps I will even share my list with you in another blog. For now, I leave you with this.

Ephesians 5:15

Amplified Bible (AMP)

¹⁵Look carefully then how you walk! Live purposefully and worthily and accurately, not as the unwise and witless, but as wise (sensible, intelligent people),

Filed under: Inspiring Websites, Kicking Around Thoughts

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5. 2012 High Book Sales

By: Kathy Temean, on 1/12/2013
Blog: Writing and Illustrating (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Book, list, News, Publishing Industry, Book Sales, Dow Phumiruk, Nielsen's Book Scan, Publishers Marketplace, Top 15 dollar sales for 2012 books, Add a tag

This January illustration was sent in by Dow Phumiruk who is a pediatrician with a passion for art. www.artbydow.blogspot.com

Using Nielsen BookScan dara, Publishers’s Marketplace takes their annual look at the top sellers in multiple categories. (Nielsen tracks print book sales only, at the point of sale.)

Total print book sales for 2012 as recorded by BookScan were 591 million units, down 9.3 percent compared to 2011 (and those sales were down 9.25 percent from 2010). The 2012 data reflects both the absence of Borders from the marketplace, as well as the harder-to-quantify increase in ebook sales. Year-to-year comparisons are tricky, since the 2011 data included the deeply discounted inventory from the Borders sell-off (Nielsen BookScan tracks unit sales, but not dollar expenditures)–and next year’s comparison will also be difficult since Nielsen is growing the data pool significantly for 2013 with the addition of WalMart data.

Trade paperback sales declined more in 2012 than in 2011, down 8.6 percent. Hardcover sales fell 5.7 percent and mass market paperbacks were down 20.5 percent.

EL James’s Fifty Shades books sold over 14.4 million prints units, and Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games books sold over 9.6 million print books. Collins’ 2012 total is only slightly lower than all the top 15 children’s books in 2011,which sold roughly 10.2 million books altogether.

On the children’s list, Collins taking 6 places left fewer slots for Wimpy Kid author Jeff Kinney, who occupies 3 places this time around, compared to 6 books on the 2011 list. and 2 for Rick Riordan.

2012′s Top 15: Juvenile

1. THE HUNGER GAMES*, Suzanne Collins (Scholastic; trade paperback 9780439023528) 2,810,000
2. CATCHING FIRE*, Suzanne Collins (Scholastic; hardcover 9780439023498) 2,612,000
3. MOCKINGJAY*, Suzanne Collins (Scholastic; hardcover 9780439023511) 2,302,000
4. THE THIRD WHEEL, Jeff Kinney (Amulet; hardcover 9781419705847) 1,402,000
5. THE MARK OF ATHENA, Rick Riordan (Hyperion; hardcover 9781423140603) 705,000
6. THE HUNGER GAMES*, Suzanne Collins (Scholastic; hardcover 9780439023481) 652,000
7. THE HUNGER GAMES*, Suzanne Collins (Scholastic; trade paperback 9780545425117) 631,000
8. THE HUNGER GAMES TRILOGY*, Suzanne Collins (Scholastic; hardcover 9780545265355) 599,000
9. DIARY OF A WIMPY KID # 6: CABIN FEVER*, Jeff Kinney (Amulet; hardcover 9781419702235) 584,000
10. ELF ON THE SHELF, Carol Aebersold (CCA&B; hardcover; 9780976990703) 467,000
11. THE WIMPY KID DO-IT-YOURSELF BOOK*, Jeff Kinney (Amulet; hardcover 9780810989955) 446,000
12. THE SERPENT’S SHADOW, Rick Riordan (Hyperion; hardcover 9781423140573) 440,000
13. THE LORAX, Dr. Seuss (Random House; hardcover 9780394823379) 368,000
14. OH, THE PLACES YOU’LL GO!, Dr. Seuss (Random House; hardcover 9780679805274) 359,000
15. GREEN EGGS AND HAM, Dr. Seuss (Random House; 9780394800165) 348,000

*These editions were first published prior to 2011; underscored books appeared on the 2011 list in the same edition +Means the title was on the 2011 list in a different edition.

2012′s Top 4: Adult Fiction -

1. FIFTY SHADES OF GREY, EL James (Vintage; trade paperback 9780345803481) 6,345,000
2. FIFTY SHADES DARKER, EL James (Vintage; trade paperback 9780345803498) 3,834,000
3. FIFTY SHADES FREED, EL James (Vintage; trade paperback 9780345803504) 3,441,000
4. FIFTY SHADES TRILOGY, EL James (Vintage; trade paperback 9780345804044) 787,000
5. GONE GIRL, Gillian Flynn (Crown; hardcover 9780307588364) 701,000
6. THE CASUAL VACANCY, JK Rowling (Little, Brown; hardcover 9780316228534) 590,000
7. THE RACKETEER, John Grisham (Doubleday; hardcover 9780385535144) 553,000
8. BARED TO YOU, Sylvia Day (Berkley; trade paperback 9780425263907) 506,000
9. THE LAST BOYFRIEND, Nora Roberts (Berkley; trade paperback 9780425246030) 319,000
10. THE LUCKY ONE*, Nicholas Sparks (Grand Central; mass market 9781455508976) 317,000
11. WINTER OF THE WORLD, Ken Follett (Dutton; hardcover 97805259529232) 315,000
12. THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNET’S NEST*, Stieg Larsson (Vintage; trade paperback 9780307454560) 309,000
13. CALICO JOE, John Grisham (Doubleday; hardcover 9780385536073) 308,000
14. THE GREAT GATSBY*, F. Scott Fitzgerald (Scribner; trade paperback 9780743273565) 301,000
15. NOTORIOUS NINETEEN, Janet Evanovich (Bantam; hardcover 9780345527745) 290,000

2012′s Top 15: Adult Nonfiction

1. NO EASY DAY, Mark Owen (Dutton; hardcover 9780525953722) 908,000
2. KILLING KENNEDY, Bill O’Reilly (Holt; hardcover 9780805096668) 861,000
3. KILLING LINCOLN*, Bill O’Reilly (Holt; hardcover 9780805093070) 781,000

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

Filed under: Book, list, News, Publishing Industry Tagged: Book Sales, Dow Phumiruk, Nielsen's Book Scan, Publishers Marketplace, Top 15 dollar sales for 2012 books

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6. Thoughts on a year ended

By: Hazel Mitchell, on 1/1/2013
Blog: Hazel Mitchell (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: illustrator, Hazel Mitchell, reflection, art, goals, achievements, New year's resolutions, touchstones, childrens cooks, list, Add a tag

It's 7.37am Jan 1st, 2013. I'm at the desk, drinking tea and nibbling blueberry pie. Well, it is still a holiday! I'm thinking on how we humans need touchstones and wondering why that is. Reflection and thinking forward seems our peculiar fate.

Enough with the philosophizing. I'm on a book deadline this week and am looking forward to a full day off sometime soon. Possibly. Here's the other thing - it's brilliant to be doing something you can't wait to leap out of bed to get on with.

But, before I pick up my pencil, I wanted to underline the highlights (mostly!) of 2012 for myself. Writing it here, on my blog, is an affirmation and a reminder of where I have been and where I am going (see para.1). I can see if I hit the goals I had in mind - or what came along on it's own two feet. There are things on the list I didn't think I would see. It's a reminder that the future always has some great things in store if we work hard at our dreams.

I could also write a list of things I didn't achieve or that went wrong. But that would be a bunch of negative and you don't want to hear me moaning (not on New Year's Day anyway).

MY BEST OF 2012 LIST

Published - 5 books
Illustrated - 2 more coming 2013
WIP - graphic novel and MG illustrated adventure
Got shingles - :-(( (See below)
Attended ALA - 2 signings
Attended 1 conference
Attended a Highlights Foundation course
Attended R.Michelson Gallery opening and was part of the group photo (awed)
Attended an awards ceremony in NY Times Center for 'How to Talk to an Autistic Kid'
Won a gold medal from Foreword Reviews at ALA for Autistic Kid book, a couple of other awards and mentioned on lists
Mentioned in Publisher's Weekly
Exhibitor at Princeton Book Festival and several others
Did school visits (learned a lot!)
Heard some great authors and illustrators speak (feeding the soul)
Met new friends
Sadly said goodbye to old friends
Met up with wonderful old friends
Sailed on the sea several times
Art in a couple of exhibitions and visited some great ones
Received fan mail (means I gave back to someone)
Read a good amount of books (but not as many as I would like!)
Started a couple of new blogs
Sketched and drew more than I ever have
Stopped worrying about my style and just did it

Writing that list just made me realize what a fantabulous year 2012 was! I did so much more than I remembered. Thinking of those things gives me vitality and optimism for 2013. Except shingles ... and I nearly took that off the list. It wasn't an achievement or a good thing ... but it does remind me that in the list I write for 2013 looking after my health must be high.

So off to write me a list of goals for the coming year - I know already it's going to be a good one. I will do my best not to let myself down. Check back in next year to make sure I didn't.

Happy New Year to you all and I hope your resolutions bring you happiness and peace in 2013.

Toodles!
Hazel

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7. Names All Children’s Writers Should Know

By: Kathy Temean, on 12/25/2012
Blog: Writing and Illustrating (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: article, Author, list, need to know, Gwen Connolley, Horn Book, Katia Raina, Newbery Medal, Shelly Tanaka, Vermont College of Fine Arts, Add a tag

qwen conneleyCard-2012small

This Christmas card was sent in by Gwen Connolley.

Even before the recent nightmare in Connecticut, the spirits of many seemed a bit dampened for the holidays this year. Sometimes it can require effort, at least for us grown ups, to see beyond our troubles and discover that simple joys can be found even in dark or stressful times. I think most holidays were created by and for those who need to find reason to be joyful in otherwise dire times. I would like to encourage others to seek and to find that life and light and love perpetually surround us. You can find more of my illustrations at www.gwenconnolley.com

Best wishes to you for the holidays and in the coming new year!

Names All Children’s Writers Should Know How To Spell: A Tribute to Kidlit Greatness

Though the below descriptions/explanations are mine, this list is from a lecture by Shelley Tanaka, an award-winning nonfiction children’s author, Canadian children’s book publisher and editor (link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shelley_Tanaka).

In preparation of starting my studies at the Vermont College of Fine Arts in pursuit of an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults in less than a month from now, I came across a handout from one of my teachers, Shelley Tanaka, which, with her gracious permission, I would like to share with you. This list is more than a checklist of names with tricky spellings – although it’s that too. It is a reminder of our roots as children’s writers. These are the names of the great kidlit warriors, whose shoulders we are all trying to stand on.

(Note: Don’t feel bad if you don’t know all of them. I had to look up a couple!)

Newbery Medal. Named after an English bookseller John Newbery, the medal aims to recognize excellence in young people’s literature.
Hans Christian Andersen. Yes, we all know the wonderful andwhimsical storyteller from Denmark – author of numerous fairytales, novels, poetry and more — but some of us sometimes confuse his name with Anderson, as in M.T. Anderson, another name to know in young people’s literature, by the way).
Noel Streatfield. A Carnegie-medal winning English author.
Katherine Paterson. The beloved author of many young adult and children’s novels, including my personal favorite, Newbery-winning “Bridge to Terabithia.”
Stephenie Meyer. Some in kidlit circles like to look down on this author of the wildly popular “Twilight” saga. But she has definitely proved herself a force to be reckoned with, luring millions of girls to her romance with a vampire. Did you know that in addition to writing, Meyer is a film producer? Her production company is behind a movie based on Shannon Hale’s adult work, “Austenland.” (Yes, Shannon Hale’s another great one.)
Kate DiCamillo. Best known as theNewbery-winning author of sometimes tender, sometimes whimsical fiction for children, DiCamillo has also written picture books, early chapter books and published stories for adults.
Diana Wynne Jones. Born in London in 1934 and having passed away just last year, Jones was best known for her numerous fantasy novels for children and adults.
Ursula K. Le Guin. This author of several popular children’s series (as well as standalone stories), was a huge influence on many of the fantasy and science-fiction novels we read today.
Kenneth Grahame. This Scottish author wrote such children’s classics as “The Wind and The Willows,” and “The Reluctant Dragon,” both of which became Disney films.
Rosemary Sutcliffe. This British novelist was best known for her exciting historical fiction for young readers – especially her Arthurian stories (some of which were for adults).
Arthur Ransome. Another Englishman, considered one of the classic children’s authors, best known for his “Swallows in Amazons” adventure series set in between two world wars.
J. R. R. Tolkien. Though he didn’t write for children specifically, one could easily call him one of the founding fathers of fantasy, influencing such modern works as the “Harry Potter” series by Tolkien’s fellow Englishwoman J. K. Rowling (and yes, I trust we’ve all heard about her, and know her name’s spelling). Though of course fantasy was written before his time, it seemed his “Lord of the Rings” series resurrected the once-dying genre.
Madeleine L’Engle. Much beloved and missed, this American Newbery-winning author passed away in 2007. In her obituary, the New York Times described her work as “childhood fables, religious meditations and fanciful science fiction” that “transcended both genre and generation, most memorably in her children’s classic ‘A Wrinkle in Time.’”

(link: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/08/books/08lengle.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0)

I love the quote on her website: “You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write it for children.”

Horn Book. This magazine publishes articles about trends in children’s and young adult literature in print and online, including its influential reviews. Each year, the staff chooses a list of what they considered to be the very best titles from among 500-plus books they have reviewed. (link: http://www.hbook.com/2012/12/choosing-books/recommended-books/2012-horn-book-fanfare/)

There are two more I’d like to add to this list:

15. Laurie Halse Anderson. Another great author name with literary spelling, this versatile YA giant writes books on difficult subjects spanning from rape and anorexia, to slavery.

16. SCBWI! Founded in 1971, by several Los Angeles writers, including the versatile Stephen Mooser, author of more than 50 works, including picture books and chapter books, and the middle-grade series author Lin Oliver, our beloved Society of Children’s Writers and Illustrators is a source of knowledge and support, organizer of conferences and forger of great ties, and a promoter of children’s literature all around the world.

Of course this list only barely scratches the surface, and if she chose to Ms. Tanaka could probably have come up with a book filled with names of importance. But if there is anything you’d like to add to the list, please post a comment, below.

Katia Raina is the author of “Castle of Concrete,” a young adult novel about a timid half-Russian, half-Jewish teen in search of a braver “self” reuniting with her dissident mother in the last year of the collapsing Soviet Union, to be published by Namelos. On her blog, The Magic Mirror, http://katiaraina.wordpress.com Katia talks about writing and history, features interviews, book lists and all sorts of literary randomness.

Katia will start her MFA program in January 2013 at the Vermont College of Fine Arts, pursuing a degree in Writing for Children and Young Adults. (link: http://www.vcfa.edu/wyca)

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

Filed under: article, Author, list, need to know Tagged: Gwen Connolley, Horn Book, Katia Raina, Newbery Medal, Shelly Tanaka, Vermont College of Fine Arts

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8. List Weather Related Words and Disasters

By: Kathy Temean, on 8/6/2012
Blog: Writing and Illustrating (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: list, reference, words, ideas, List of weather related words, Other word lists, sparks, Tara Lazar, Weather Words, Add a tag

I have discovered many of you like lists. Here is one you might want to use this one to add some weather related event to one of your scenes. There are a few other word lists on this blog:

101+ Descriptive Words for Food
200+ Descriptive Words for Hair
Onomatopoeia Word List
Funny Words List

But you don’t want to miss Tara Lazar’s list of the things kids like. It is one worth saving in your file. 400+ Things Kids Like

Here is the Weather List:

Sunny
Clear
Mild
Cloudy
Hot
Humid
Cold
Damp
Still
Close
Severe
Tornado
Twister
Funnel Cloud
Cyclone
Waterspout
Squall
Tempest
Hail
Dust devil
Super cell
Hurricane
Howling wind
Ripping Wind
Whipping Wind
Thunderstorm
Electrical Storm
Lightning
Lightning Bolt
Firebolt
Thunder
Clouds
Spit
Sprinkle
Drizzle
Rain
Showers
Pouring
Sheets
Windstorm
Sand Storm
Haboob
Simoom
Dust Storm
Gail
Monsoon
Typhoon
Blizzard
Snow Storm
Ice Storms
Freezing rain
Wintery Mix
Graupel
Ice Pellets
Snow Showers
Flurry
Snowflakes
Sleet
Windy
Biting
Bitter
Raw
Nasty
Freezing
Frosty
Frostbite
Frigid
Icy
Arctic Blast
Chilly
Fog
Dew
Frost
Wind
Bleak
Gloomy
Inclement weather
Blast
Boom
Clap
Cracking
Crash
Detonate
Explode
Roar

4 Comments on List Weather Related Words and Disasters, last added: 8/8/2012
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:Donna Marie said, on 8/6/2012 10:58:00 PM
List Lover, List Lover, List Lover here! Kathy, you are great for lists, and finding even more! Yay Thanks to all involved!

And I’m thinking these are the July “blown away” illustrations. They are fantastic! The rabbit cracked my up They all reminded me of a book I recently discovered that I have to mention here. If you haven’t seen it, you really need to. I love the subject matter and the story, but the illustrations literally “blew me away!”

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-fantastic-flying-books-of-mr-morris-lessmore-william-joyce/1107331314?ean=9781442457027

Then, when I found out a film short, that was based on it, won an Academy Award, I found it on YouTube. It’s totally worth taking the 15 minutes to watch this. It’s amazing!

Rosi said, on 8/7/2012 8:56:00 AM
Great, fun list. Thanks for this and the links to the other lists. Sometimes it just takes a word to inspire a story.
Tara Lazar said, on 8/7/2012 7:51:00 PM
Thanks for the mention, Kathy!
Brian Bowes said, on 8/8/2012 3:43:00 PM
What a fun list! Thanks for including my work!

Cheers,
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9. Crafting A Book Dummy

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By: Kathy Temean, on 5/14/2012
Blog: Writing and Illustrating (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Advice, authors and illustrators, demystify, How to, list, need to know, picture books, Process, Leeza Hernandez, Picture book dummy, Steps to make a picture book bummy, Add a tag

Making children’s book dummies can be a frustrating process-pages buckled, type cut off, spines not lining up—to a point where you don’t want to make dummies at all. But as an illustrator of children’s books, you know that making dummies is an essential part of the process. Here’s a step-by-step guide for making a 32-page picture-book dummy with, hopefully, less fuss:

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

Manuscript
2 small binder clips
Sketches
Pencil
Glue stick
Metal ruler
X-acto knife
Cutting mat*
* Paper trimmers work too, but the knife/mat method gives you more control.

BEFORE STARTING

Decide what size your book will be. Some illustrators choose to make dummies at one hundred percent, others create smaller dummies. Making dummies at a smaller size reduces photocopying costs. At fifty or sixty percent, you can usually fit a full spread on a sheet of 11” by 8.5” piece of paper.

Set your manuscript in a basic typeface such as Times or Helvetica and at a smaller size suited to the size of the dummy. The width of the text on any single line cannot exceed the width of a single dummy page, so make sure you give the text some room.

Illustrators usually include one or two finished color samples with the submission package. Some paste the color spreads directly into the dummy, and some include separate printouts. It’s your choice.

ASSEMBLY

1. Photocopy your manuscript and each spread of your sketches. Don’t forget to include title page, copyright/dedication page and end papers. End papers are used to adhere the pages of a book to its cover. Not all illustrators use or show end papers, but they can be a way to tell more of your story visually.

2 & 2b. Cut each spread to dummy size.

3. Fold each spread in half.

TIP: Make an extra copy of everthing in case of mistakes.

4. Mark the back of each spread with page numbers to keep track. Most picture books follow this sequence:

1 Title Page
2&3 Copyright/Dedication/half title
4&5 Opening spread for story
6&7 Second spread
And so on …
32 Last page of story

TIP: Odd-numbered pages appear on the right and even-numbered pages on the left of a book. If you use end papers, don’t include them in the page count, even though they’ll appear at the front and back of the dummy.

5. Cut the manuscript into blocks of text. Lay out the spreads and decide where each block of text will go. Try to evenly distribute the words unless the context of the story calls for something different.

6. Glue your text to the pages.
1 Comments on Crafting A Book Dummy, last added: 5/16/2012
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Writerlious said, on 5/16/2012 7:20:00 AM
Thanks for sharing, Kathy! I’m always learning something new here.
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10. Possible Scenes: Choose the Most Dramatic

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By: Darcy Pattison, on 4/16/2012
Blog: Darcy Pattison's Revision Notes (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: novel revision, dramatic, list, scene, select, Add a tag

What is you realize that your opening scene is not working, but really, you can’t think of what to do next? You’re STUCK on that opening that you wrote and can’t imagine what to do next.

The problem is the same as always. The first draft of a story is to tell you what story you want to tell; every draft after that is to help you find the most dramatic way to tell that story.

Here’s one way to approach the problem of what scenes need to be included.

If you are writing a story about the Three Little Pigs, let’s make a list of possible scenes for the story.

Momma and Poppa pig meet
Momma and Poppa Pig court (sharing slops, watching the rooster, taking a roll in the mud togehter)
Momma and Poppa Pig marry
Momma and Poppa Pig enjoy their marriage night (Anything from G to X rated!
Momma Pig discovers she is expecting
Momma Pig tells Poppa Pig he’s going to be a Daddy
The birth of the three babies.
The babyhood of the babies (first time they suckle, weight at one month, first time they eat solid food, first time they fight over slops)
The teenage years of the three pigs (fighting over slops, barnyard tricks, etc.)
Momma and Poppa Pig decide to kick them out of the house
Telling the three little pigs they must leave
Three Pigs decide which road each will take

And so on and so on.

Usually, the story just jumps in when the pigs leave the house. But you COULD do any of this back story as a scene. And we could give just as detailed a list for the actual story.

And that’s the technique. Make a list of POSSIBLE scenes.
As you do this, think about which scenes will give the best range of developing the story you want to tell, with the emphasis you want.

If you are stuck on what opening scene you should write, list the ones that are possible, given the story you want to tell. The richer the list the stronger the possibilities, the better.

If you can’t tell immediately which scenes will work, well, at least you have some places to start writing. Start working through the scenes until you find the ones that excite you. Where do the characters hurt the most? Where is the conflict sharpest? Which is the most unusual?

In short, which is the most dramatic choice?

Nook

Kindle

PDF

Look for it in the iBook store.

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11. Being Pitch Ready

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By: Kathy Temean, on 3/31/2012
Blog: Writing and Illustrating (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Advice, How to, list, need to know, Tips, Agent pitches, Helpful tips, Pitch, Add a tag

One of the main goals of the New Jersey SCBWI Conference is to get you in front of as many editors and agents as possible.

That is why you get to have lunch each day with a member of the faculty; why we have a Mix and Mingle on Friday night with the faculty; why one-on-one critiques and consultations are set up; why we have over an hour to network during the book fair; and why you are given the opportunity to pitch to two agents.

You may laugh and say, well at least I don’t have to worry about giving a pitch, I didn’t sign up for one.

WRONG!

Now is the time to prepare a pitch, whether or not you chose to schedule yourself a 5 minute agent pitch. Why should you prepare, when a pitch isn’t on your agenda? Precisely because of the lunches, the Mix and Mingle, and the other networking opportunities available during the weekend. Members of the faculty really do want to talk to you and they will ask, “What are you working on?”

If you do not have something prepared, you will stumble and ramble around trying to get to the point of your story. Think how you work on your story and revise and revise to get the rhythm and pace down to match your story. Think about how you pluck out unneeded words? Remember how long you worked to get a strong hook for your story? All those things took work and thought. So if you don’t give some thought and work to what your answer will be if an agent or editor asks you that general question, you will ramble on trying to get to the point of your story and their eyes will glaze over.

I was on the phone this week with a writer who was registering for the conference. I asked her what her book was about and she rambled on to the point where she said, “It really is a good story. It just doesn’t sound like it the way I am explaining it.”

That was perfectly fine, since she was talking to me, but she would have lost all chances of enticing an editor or agent into saying they would like to read it, if she had floundered around like that.

I am pointing this out, so you will take the time to prepare. Start with coming up with a one line pitch.

Here are some one line pitches you might recognize:

A cop comes to L.A. to visit his estranged wife and her office building is taken over by terrorist. - Die Hard

A businessman falls in love with a hooker he hires to be his date for the weekend – Pretty Woman

A newly married couple must spend Christmas Day at each of their four divorced parent’s home. – 4 Christmases

A just-hired employee goes on a company weekend and discovers someone’s try to kill him. – The Retreat

A risk-averse teacher plans on marrying his dream girl but must first accompany his overprotective future brother-in-law — a cop — on a ride along from Hell. - Ride Along

Now that you have the idea, give it a try. After you perfect your one line pitch, try it out on ten people and use the feedback you get to improve it further.

Here are some tips for your 5 minute pitch:

1. Write down what you want to say about your book.

2. Read and time it, so you leave a minute for the editor to respond.

3. Now e-mail it to a few writer friends to get their opinions.

4. Tweak your text accordingly.

5. Pr

9 Comments on Being Pitch Ready, last added: 4/3/2012
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:Donna Marie said, on 3/31/2012 11:39:00 PM
This is ALways excellent advice! Thanks for the reminder, Kathy
kathytemean said, on 3/31/2012 11:47:00 PM
Donna,

Are you still up? I just made it to number six with the letters that need to be sent out. Since it is 2:45am now, I doubt if I am going to make my goal of ten before I go to bed.

Kathy
:Donna Marie said, on 4/1/2012 1:34:00 AM
Yeah, I was still up. I just finished a painting as a gift for one of my best friend’s daughter. It’s her bridal shower tomorrow. We are two wild women with these ridiculous hours! That’s ’cause there will NEVER be enough of them! lol
MaryZ said, on 4/1/2012 5:25:00 AM
Pleasant dreams, Kathy and Donna.

Excellent pitch advice–I’ll come to the Conference prepared.
:Donna Marie said, on 4/1/2012 3:45:00 PM
Yay, Mary
Carol Federlin Baldwin said, on 4/1/2012 4:47:00 PM
ANother blog for my class wiki! Thanks.
kathytemean said, on 4/2/2012 10:25:00 PM
Carol,

You should let me know if there are any topics you would like to blog about. Maybe I could fill in those holes.

Kathy
kathytemean said, on 4/2/2012 10:27:00 PM
Mary,

The conference will probably keep me so busy that I will not be able to follow my own advice.

See you soon,

Kathy
orples said, on 4/3/2012 5:49:00 PM
You bring up some excellent point, Kathy, and my verbal skills in book descriptions are a real weak spot for me, so these points are much appreciated. You did a great job on your examples, so thank you for sharing. Enjoy the conference, while you are there. Marcy
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12. Constance Foland’s Fabulous Categorized Picture Book List

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By: Kathy Temean, on 2/14/2012
Blog: Writing and Illustrating (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: children writing, demystify, list, Author, Booklist, Constance Foland, Literacy Consultant, Add a tag

Have you ever found yourself writing a story and wish you could think of a book that dealt with something you were writing about? Well, I have. So when literacy Consultant Connie Foland showed me her mostly picture book list, I thought it would be something that writers could use, even though it was developed for teachers. These are books that Connie has read, loves and uses in her various workshops.

Different Kinds of Endings

One Word

Cowley, J. Yuk Soup
Crews, D. Night at the Fair
—-Sail Away
Feiffer, J. Bark, George
Hooks, B. Homemade Love
Kalan, R. Rain
Stiles, N. On My Very First Day of School I Met
Swaim, J. The Hound from the Pound

Beginning and End Match/Are Similar

Eaton, M. The Adventures of Max and Pinky
Gray, L. My Mama Had a Dancing Heart
Gray, L. Dear Willie Rudd
Henkes, K. All Alone
London, J. Puddles
Thompson, B. What Cows Do When No One is Looking

The End is in the Illustration

Schwarz, A. Tiny and Hercules
Willems, M. Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus
—-The Pigeon Wants a Hot Dog
—Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay up Late

Surprise

Bunting, E. The Wednesday Surprise
Twist at the End

Asch, F. Just Like Daddy
Ginsburg, M. The Chick and the Duckling
Mayer, M. Just My Friend and Me

Thinking/Feeling

Brinckloe, J. Fireflies
Juster, N. The Hello, Goodbye Window
Rao, S. My Mother’s Sari
Rylant, C. When I Was Young in the Mountains
Yolen, J. Owl Moon

Lesson Learned

Crews, D. Shortcut

Wishing/Wanting/Problem/Solution

Allen, D. Dancing in the Wings
Asch, F. Happy Birthday, Moon
Banks, K. Max’s Words
Barber, B. Saturday at the New You
Blake, S. 2 Comments on Constance Foland’s Fabulous Categorized Picture Book List, last added: 2/15/2012
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Tracey said, on 2/15/2012 8:03:00 AM
Wow. What a great and thorough list. Thanks!
Carol Federlin Baldwin said, on 2/15/2012 10:25:00 AM
Thanks for this comprehensive list! Another link for my classroom wiki!
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13. Edwardian/WWI-era fiction at Edwardian Promenade

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By: Melody, on 2/1/2012
Blog: Redeeming Qualities (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: books, 1870s, 1890s, 1900s, 1910s, alicebemerson, arthurgleason, bertaruck, clairwhayes, coningsbydawson, edgarwallace, elinorglyn, emilypost, ephillipsoppenheim, erskinechilders, franceshodgsonburnett, georgegibbs, georgetompkinschesney, grantallen, herbertgeorgejenkins, johnbuchan, johngalsworthy, lillianbell, list, margaretvandercook, margaretwiddemer, marie belloc lowndes, marionpolkangellotti, maryrobertsrinehart, mrs.alexander, mrsvcjones, percykeesefitzhugh, releake, reviewsatep, richardhardingdavis, stellabenson, stratemeyer, templebailey, williamjohnlocke, williamlequeux, williamsons, Add a tag

There have been a lot of articles and blog posts floating around lately about what to read if you’re into Downton Abbey. One in particular, which talked about Elizabeth von Arnim apropos of one character giving a copy of Elizabeth and Her German Garden to another, made Evangeline at Edwardian Promenade say, “hey, what about Elinor Glyn?” Which, obviously, is the correct response to everything. And then I read it, and thought, “yeah, Elizabeth and her German Garden was popular when it came out in 1898, but would people really be trying to get each other to read a fifteen rear-old(ish) novel by a German author during World War I?” And then we decided that we could probably come up with an excellent list of Edwardian and World War I-era fiction that tied in the Downton Abbey. And so we did.

It’s a pretty casual list, mostly composed of things we came up with off the tops of out heads, a bit of research on Evangeline’s part and a bit of flipping through advertisements on mine, so we’re making no claims to be exhaustive. If you have suggestions for additions to the list, leave a comment.

Tagged: 1870s, 1890s, 1900s, 1910s, alicebemerson, arthurgleason, bertaruck, clairwhayes, coningsbydawson, edgarwallace, elinorglyn, emilypost, ephillipsoppenheim, erskinechilders, franceshodgsonburnett, georgegibbs, georgetompkinschesney, grantallen, herbertgeorgejenkins, johnbuchan, johngalsworthy, lillianbell, list, margaretvandercook, margaretwiddemer, marie belloc lowndes, marionpolkangellotti, maryrobertsrinehart, mrs.alexander, mrsvcjones,

6 Comments on Edwardian/WWI-era fiction at Edwardian Promenade, last added: 2/3/2012
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Shay said, on 2/1/2012 3:14:00 PM
Fanny Goes To War would be another good edition to the nursing section.

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/16521/16521-h/16521-h.htm
mel said, on 2/1/2012 6:07:00 PM
Downloaded “The Type-writer Girl”, as I really like Grant Allen, and missed this one due to the nom de plume. It sounds as though it will be just my thing.
Melody said, on 2/3/2012 3:24:00 PM
Yeah, I haven’t read it either, but the combination of the description and the fact that it’s by Grant Allen makes it very appealing.
Melody said, on 2/3/2012 3:24:00 PM
Cool. I will check it out. Thanks!
Shay said, on 2/3/2012 5:44:00 PM
ADDITION. Not edition. Yeeks. I’ve forgotten how to spell.
Melody said, on 2/3/2012 7:38:00 PM
:) It happens to us all at times.
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14. Illustrator Saturday – Best of 2011

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By: Kathy Temean, on 12/16/2011
Blog: Writing and Illustrating (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: illustrating, Illustrator's Saturday, list, Best of 2011, Illustrator Saturday, Year in Review, Add a tag

I went back to January 2011 and picked one piece of art from each illustrator featured this year. It was a hard process and I am sure your choices would be different. Heck, if I went back in a few weeks my choices probably would not be the same, either. I loved so many of the illustrations, but I do have a Christmas tree to decorate and just this much was hours of work.

Below you will find one illustration from each Saturday, the name of the illustrator and a link to their featured page. Hope you enjoyed what the illustrators shared with you this year.

Susan Jeffers – http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2011/01/08/illustrator-saturday-susan-jeffers/

Ponder Goembel – http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2011/01/15/illustrator-saturday-ponder-goembel/

Lean Shiffman – http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2011/01/22/illustrator-saturday-lean-shiffman/

Andrew Cox – http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2011/01/29/illustrator-saturday-andrew-cox/

Nathan Clement – http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2011/02/05/illustrator-saturday-nathan-clements/

Katia Wish – http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2011/02/12/illustrator-saturday-katia-wish/

Hazel Mitchell – http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2011/02/19/illustrator-saturday-hazel-mitchell/

J. H. Everett – http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2011/02/26/illustrator-saturday-e-j-everett/

Lee Harper – http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2011/03/05/illustrator-saturday-lee-harper/

3 Comments on Illustrator Saturday – Best of 2011, last added: 12/17/2011
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elenacaravela said, on 12/17/2011 5:03:00 AM
Wonderful illustrations all! Thanks for the gallery.
Rosi Hollinbeck said, on 12/17/2011 9:08:00 AM
Wow! What a treat! I don’t know how you could choose only one from each of these incredible artists, but great job on this.
Jeanne said, on 12/17/2011 3:59:00 PM
At the risk of repeating what Rosi said … Wow! Kathy, Thanks for putting these all together. I will bookmark the post and go back from time to time, re-looking at some of the many artists whose inspiring work is here. It’s a “Best Of … ” Gallery!
Jeanne
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15. How to Turn off a Prospective Agent

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By: Kathy Temean, on 12/1/2011
Blog: Writing and Illustrating (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Advice, Agent, article, list, need to know, Agent Turn offs, Author/Agent John Cusick, Scott Treimel Agency, Ten Way to Turn Off and Agent, Add a tag

Ten Surefire Ways to Turn Off a Prospective Agent

Here is an article by Agent John Cusick. I thought it doesn’t hurt to point out what make agents cringe. Here is John:

An author myself, I know how confounding and stressful the agent hunt can be. The etiquette is not always clear. Can you ask for an update after a few weeks? Can you address the agent by first name? Is it okay to submit new work after a your first manuscript gets a no? For me, the answer to all these questions is yes!I’m a pretty informal guy, but a few common author gaffs really drive me banana sandwich. Some of these are just a little annoying, others have me breathing into a paper bag. If you’re already guilty of one or (god help you) all of these, don’t panic; there’s always time to change your ways. But from now on, no more excuses. You’ve been warned!

Calling with questions, like whether we have a website. No, I can’t hold on while you look for a pen. Same goes for feedback. Email, if you must, and I’ll try my best to respond.

Sending a snide response to a rejection. Getting rejected is part of the job, as is receiving a form rejection. We’d like to respond personally to every query, we just don’t have the time. If you can’t be a professional about rejection, quit. Sending an agent an angry email more or less guarantees they will never work with you. And remember, we talk to each other. I know it’s frustrating, but take it out on your stress-ball. You can put my picture on there, if it helps.

Failing to follow submission guidelines. Thanks for your sample pages about serial killers on mars, but we do kids’ books.

Citing “market testing,” especially when your test group is your kids, spouse, or students. They’re obligated to love you. Don’t trust them.

Opening your query with rhetorical questions. “Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a flying hippo?” Nope.

Talking about your “real-life” inspirations. I’m glad your protagonist is based on your adorable daughter who has the same name— we all draw inspiration from those around us. But what if an editor thinks Little Mindy should die of Typhus at the end? Would you be willing to discuss the personality flaws and physical shortcomings of Jillian, who’s based on your wife? A healthy separation of reality and fiction is a prerequisite for discharge from psychiatric wards, and for writing fiction.

“Selling” the Book. Don’t tell me you know your book will sell a million copies, or that you’re the next Stephen King. I love the confidence, but let the work speak for itself.

Playing the Field. Telling me you’ve queried seventy other agents doesn’t exactly make me feel like the prettiest girl at the ball. I’m far less likely to request a full manuscript if the odds are high a competitor is going to scoop you before I finish chapter one.

Billing yourself as “The next____.”
Again, confidence is baller, but I’m not sure I believe it, and I hope you don’t either. Few successful authors are “the next” anyone. They’re just themselves.

Citing grammatical errors on our website—and being wrong.

If you a regular reader of my blog, you know how much I loved John’s novel GIRL PARTS. If you are a guy, you really have to read it. In my mind the spark of the book is every man’s dream. Of course, I am a female and I loved it – so creative. Anyway it is coming out in paperback in February and it has just been printed in German. He also has another

1 Comments on How to Turn off a Prospective Agent, last added: 12/2/2011
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Mary Z said, on 12/2/2011 8:06:00 AM
How to turn off an editor: When I tried to send a requested pdf of a PB dummy, my e-mail kept telling me that the message was taking too long to send, and I should try again. The result: the e-mails HAD gone through–a 16mb pdf delivered THREE times. Ooops. I have not heard back.
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16. What’s Your Rejection Letter Threshold?

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By: Kathy Temean, on 11/28/2011
Blog: Writing and Illustrating (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: inspiration, list, rejection, Famous Authors, Harry Potter, J. K. Rowling, Rejection Letters, Rejection Threshold, Add a tag

After reading about so many rejected famous authors, I thought you might draw enough inspiration to keep writing and illustrating and continue to submit after reading this post.

REJECTED:

Author Dick Wimmer passed away on May 18, 2011, at 74 years old. He received 160+ rejections over 25 years! He spent a quarter of a century being told “no.”

He could have quit after 20 years, or 150 rejections, and no one would have blamed him. But he kept submitting. Maybe he had his own list of famous author rejection letters to keep him going!

Finally, his novel Irish Wine (Mercury House, 1989) was published to positive reviews. The New York Times called it a “taut, finely written, exhaustingly exuberant first novel.”

REJECTED:

Dr. Seuss got rejection letters, too. Here is one:
“too different from other juveniles on the market to warrant its selling.”

Here’s a rejection letter for THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK:
“The girl doesn’t, it seems to me, have a special perception or feeling which would lift that book above the ‘curiosity’ level.”

Madeleine L”Engle’s A WRINKLE IN TIME was turned down 29 times.

Jerry Spinelli was rejected for 15 years, before getting his first book contract for SPACE STATION SEVENTH GRADE.

THE TALE OF PETER RABBIT was turned down so many times, Beatrix Potter initially self-published it.

Rudyard Kipling received this: “I’m sorry, Mr. Kipling, but you just don’t know how to use the English language.” Editor of the San Francisco Examiner.

H.G. Wells had to endure the indignity of a rejection when he submitted his manuscript, “The War of the Worlds” that said, “An endless nightmare. I do not believe it would “take”…I think the verdict would be ‘Oh don’t read that horrid book’.”

And when he tried to market “The Time Machine,” it was said, “It is not interesting enough for the general reader and not thorough enough for the scientific reader.”

Here is a rejection letter for Harry Potter:
30 June 1997

Dear Mr./Mrs./Ms./Miss J.K. Rowling:

At this time, we must decline your submission of HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER’S STONE. Unfortunately, the manuscript reeks of being completed on a manual typewriter. For heaven’s sake, it is 1997. Do you own a computer?

The second major problem with this manuscript is its sheer length. Who do you think you are, Charles Dickens? We don’t pay by the word here. Plus, how do you expect parents to muddle through 309 pages to explain the characters, plot, subplots and themes to their children? What if the child has to do a book report on this thing? Can you imagine how long the CliffsNotes would have to be? Also, if parents and children spent time actually perusing the book together, the hours they would be stuck in the same room would be agonizing. Bringing families together is not something you would like to have on your conscience, I guarantee it.

In addition, the subject matter of HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER’S STONE leaves a bit to be desired. Why would children want to read about a dorky, bespectacled tween’s experiences with the world of wizards and magic? And what about the lightning bolt on the main character’s forehead? What does it mean? How did

11 Comments on What’s Your Rejection Letter Threshold?, last added: 11/29/2011
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:Donna Marie said, on 11/28/2011 10:06:00 PM
Excellent question, Kathy Mine is pretty high, I think. I haven’t nearly hit my possible “limit” with any of books, especially since I’ve slowed down my submissions to a near halt. (I need to work on something specific before I can submit my work to an agent, so I’m not actively submitting just now.)

I find it amazing the things that have been said about these books and how “off the mark” they were. Are you sure the Harry Potter one is real? I’m pretty sure that’s one that was written to show how ridiculous rejection letters can be.

Anyway, good point as to NOT STOP TRYING! Thanks! onna
elenacaravela said, on 11/29/2011 6:10:00 AM
Thank you. Needed this post today;)
Jan Romes said, on 11/29/2011 8:57:00 AM
Rejections are like a rite of passage. Or like having to sit the bench the first year you play softball. They maim but fill you with determination at the same time
Mary Z said, on 11/29/2011 9:08:00 AM
Yes, I can’t imagine that Potter letter is real.
:Donna Marie said, on 11/29/2011 9:15:00 AM
Agreed! We all have to pay our dues…
kathytemean said, on 11/29/2011 9:16:00 AM
Mary and Donna,

I’m not sure about that, since it has appeared on places like Writer’s Digest.

Kathy
kathytemean said, on 11/29/2011 9:17:00 AM
Elena,

My pleasure.

Kathy
kathytemean said, on 11/29/2011 9:19:00 AM
Jan,

Good way to look at it. Of course, there is a big difference between sitting on the bench for one year, compared to sitting there for fifteen. I wish we all could sit on the bench for one year. Wouldn’t that be grand?

Kathy
kathytemean said, on 11/29/2011 9:26:00 AM
Donna,

I need to start submitting, too. I remember the time about eight or nine years ago when I decided to submit to artist reps and to editors. I sent out a bunch of submissions to both and then the double rejections started coming in. That was really tough.

You could be right about the Harry Potter letter, but it has been published on Writer’s Digest. You would think they would vet those things.

Kathy
:Donna Marie said, on 11/29/2011 9:49:00 AM
Yeah, but I remember there being an article or something somewhere (very possibly Writer’s Digest) with bogus rejection letters of successful books. I REALLY wish I could remember where, and that one sounds too familiar to me. It’s also signed “Harriet Plotter.” lol Pretty funny, I think!
Carol Federlin Baldwin said, on 11/29/2011 9:57:00 AM
great post! Thanks for putting it all together.
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17. Editors for Published Book

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By: Kathy Temean, on 11/7/2011
Blog: Writing and Illustrating (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Book Contracts, Editors, list, need to know, Process, publishers, Publishing Industry, Editors and what they publish, Publishing Survey, SCBWI, Add a tag

Just wanted to point out that SCBWI members can log into www.scbwi.org to see a list of publishers with the books their editors have brought to market. This publication is a useful tool in targeting your manuscript submissions. By providing you with information about each publisher/editor’s tastes and acquisition decisions, this document can help you determine where to submit your manuscripts and/or illustrations.

Listed under each publisher’s or editor’s name are the books they listed as indicative of their preferences, tastes, and sensibilities. Understanding these editors’ tastes can help you better target your submissions—not by duplicating the books on their list, but by learning what types of stories and voices interest them.

Here is an example of what you will find in the Resource Library Tab and Getting Satrted. If you are not a member you this is a good reason to join.

The DISNEY CHILDREN’S BOOK GROUP – Disney-Hyperion

Stephanie Owens Lurie, Editorial Director

»» Hothead, Cal Ripken, Jr. with Kevin Cowherd

»» A Friend for Einstein, Charlie Cantrell and Rachel Wagner

»» You’re Finally Here!, Melanie Watt

»» The Heroes of Olympus Book 1: The Lost Hero, Rick Riordan

»» The Enemy, Charlie Higson

»» The Intergalactic Bed & Breakfast Book 1: Aliens on Vacation, Clete Smith

»» Blackout, John Rocco

»» Dinosaur vs. the Potty, Bob Shea

»» The Ring of Solomon, Jonathan Stroud

»» Apple Pie ABC, Alison Murray

Emily Meehan, Executive Editor

»» Hush, Hush

»» Crescendo, Becca Fitzpatrick

»» Elixir, Hilary Duff

»» It’s Not Summer Without You and We’ll Always Have Summer Jenny Han

»» Lost In Time, A Blue Bloods novel, Melissa de la Cruz

»» The Wolf Pact series, Melissa de la Cruz

»» Beta, Rachel Cohn

»» Eclipsed, Erin Downing

»» Black is the Color, Alexandra Bracken

Abby Ranger, Editor

»» The Gray Wolf Throne, Cinda Williams Chima

»» The Near Witch, Victoria Schwab

»» Fetching, Kiera Stewart

»» Vanished, Sheela Chari

»» Life Eternal: A Dead Beautiful Novel, Yvonne Woon

»» The Hop, Sharelle Byars Moranville, Niki Daly

»» One Special Day, Lola M. Schaefer, Jessica Meserve

»» Goodnight, Dragons, Judith L Roth, Pascal Lemaitre

»» The Darlings in Love, Melissa Kantor

Christian Trimmer, Editor

»» Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, The Graphic Novel, Rick Riordan, Adapted by Robert Venditti, Art by Attila Futaki, Color by Jose Villarrubia Misguided Angel, a Blue Bloods Novel, Melissa de la Cruz (October 2010)

»» The Amulet of Samarkand: A Bartimaeus Graphic Novel, Jonathan Stroud, Adapted by Jonathan Stroud and Andrew Donkin, Art by Lee Sullivan, Color by Nicolas Chapuis

»» Bloody Valentine, a Blue Bloods Novella, Melissa de la Cruz, Illustrations by Michael Johnston

»» I Broke My Trunk!, Mo Willems

»» Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale Special Edition, Mo Willems

»» Queen of the Dead (a Ghost and the Goth novel), Stacey Kade

»» Should I Share My Ice Cream?, Mo Willems

»» Deadly Little Voices (A Touch Novel), Laurie Faria Stolarz

»» Ditched: A Love Story, Robin Mellom

Hope this helps.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

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Cheryl said, on 11/8/2011 6:40:00 AM
Could you be more specific about where you found this information on the website? Thanks.
kathytemean said, on 11/8/2011 2:24:00 PM
Cheryl,

Go to http://www.scbwi.org
Log in
Click on the button that says Resource Library.
Look at the pull down Menu and click “Getting Started: Preparing and Submitting Your Work.”
Then scroll down to Edited By: A House-by-House Listing of Editorial Credits.

It look different if you don’t log in.

Kathy
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18. 15 Tips to Prepare for NaNoWriMo’s 50,000 Words

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By: Kathy Temean, on 10/26/2011
Blog: Writing and Illustrating (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Advice, How to, list, Process, Tips, Writing Tips, kathy temean, NaNoWriMo, Tips to prepare, Add a tag

Brian A Klems wrote an article for Writer’s Digest about the two times he took the NaNoWriMo writing challenge to write a 50,000 word novel during the 30 days of November. Here are three things he said:

1. It was unbelievably fun.
2. Being that productive gave me the shot of adrenaline I needed to write more.
3. I was terribly unprepared both times and ended up with 50,000 words of useless material.

I have never participated in NaNoWriMo, because I am always under so many deadlines, that I didn’t want to inflict another one on me. But if you think about it, it is only 1667 words a day. That is like writing one chapter each day, so it is doable and it would be great to get a new first draft completed. Downside is – It’s November – Holidays approaching and tons of things are flying at you screaming, “You need to do this!” But I’m starting to think with a little planning, it might be possible to do; end up with something worth keeping and still keep your sanity.

Here are my ideas:

1.  Pick a theme for your new story.

2. Decide on your genre – fantasy, sci-fi, historical, adventure, contemporary, etc.

3. Think about the setting. Where will your story take place?

4. Who is your main character?

5. What is unique about your protagonist?

6. Do a quick character sketch. Describe physical characteristics and personality traits.

7. What other characters will be needed to tell your story? Friends, family, teachers, etc.

8. What does your protagonist want?

9. What stands in the way? What obstacles does your MC have to overcome to achieve what they want?

10. What steps does your MC take to get what he/she wants?

11. Consider some scenes that might show the above.

12. Think sub-plot. What could be going on in your protagonist life that is not connected to the main plot, but effects the main character and the decisions they make?

13.  What are the turning points in the plot.

14. On a piece of paper layout a map of the journey your MC will take to get to the end of the story.

15. Now look at your calendar and layout a time plan. Saying you are going to write 1667 words a day is not going to do it if you are not going to be home on Thanksgiving.

Remember even if you plan, things will happen that will throw you off your game. Just keep adjusting to try to stay on track. Most likely, you will not have time to go back and edit as you go along. I find that I want to read what I wrote the day before in order to get back into the story and then I start reworking sentences, etc. Before I know it an hour or two has ticked by without anything new added to the story. That is a pleasure you don’t have with NaNoWriMo. Just stay with your story map and time map you created before you started. There will be lots of time in the months that follow to revise.

Click here to read Brian A Klems article or to look at books on this novel in 30 days exercise.

Would love to hear your stories & tips if you have taken the challenge in the past.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

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3 Comments on 15 Tips to Prepare for NaNoWriMo’s 50,000 Words, last added: 10/27/2011
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:Donna Marie said, on 10/27/2011 12:08:00 AM
Makes you wonder why, when they first initiated this, they chose November, one of the busiest, most hectic and pressure-filled times of year for SO many people! Great tips, Kathy
Donna
chris tugeau said, on 10/27/2011 7:13:00 AM
what a wonderful ‘organizer’ for a start to writing (painting and life too!) thanks K…. enjoy you fall weekend…c
gailshepherd@twitter.com said, on 10/27/2011 4:22:00 PM
I agree, Donna Marie, a hideous month for a writing marathon. But we all do it anyway. Think how much we’d get written if this happened in, say, August?
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19. R.U.E. – Resist The Urge To Explain

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By: Kathy Temean, on 1/11/2011
Blog: Writing and Illustrating (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Advice, Book, How to, list, need to know, Process, Tips, writing, How to Edit, R.U.E., Self Editing, Add a tag

Like people, your characters get depressed. They get angry and they find relief, but they do it in their unique ways. So simply convey that in your scenes. Showing how your characters react and express their emotions makes your book dynamic. Resist the urge to explain those feelings to your readers.

Here are some things to check for when you revise:

1. How often do you use narrative summary?

2. Are there long passages where nothing happens in real time?

3. Do the main events in your plat take place in summary or in scenes? A scene is where your character is doing something, saying something, sharing what he sees with the readers.

4. If you do have too much narrativc summary, which sections do you want to convert into scenes?

5. Does any of it involve major characters, where a scene could be used to lesh out their personalities?

6. Does any of your narrative summary involve major plot twists or Surprises? If so, start writing some scenes.

7. Do you have any narrative summary, or are you bouncing from scene to scene without pausing for a breath?

8. Are you describing your characters’ feeling? Have you told us they’re angry? irritated? morose? discouraged? puzzled? excited? happy? elated? suicidal?

9. Keep an eye out for any places where you mention an emotion outside of dialogue. Chances are you are telling what you should show.

Remember to R.U.E.

You might want to check out this book. It gives talks about this subject, give examples and writing exercises to test your ability to recognize these things in other manuscripts.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

Filed under: Advice, Book, How to, list, need to know, Process, Tips, writing Tagged: How to Edit, R.U.E., Self Editing
3 Comments on R.U.E. – Resist The Urge To Explain, last added: 1/13/2011
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Classic said, on 1/11/2011 10:02:00 PM
Brilliant posting, wonderful tips! Thanks!
Kayeleen Hamblin said, on 1/12/2011 3:21:00 AM
I just got this book for Christmas and I love it! It’s helpful not just on the editing side, but also for drafting. It gives an idea of what to pay attention to. Thanks for the post.
chris behrens said, on 1/13/2011 12:43:00 PM
I like this book too along with other editing books, but I still can’t say enough about having a writing partner or a pro offer advice, as well!
CB
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20. Top 10 Underappreciated Children’s Books 2/3

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By: Melody, on 5/17/2011
Blog: Redeeming Qualities (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: books, 1940s, 1950s, 1970s, 1980s, cecildaylewis, childrens, ebwhite, historical, illustrations, jeanleelatham, list, marthaalexander, stuff, Add a tag

Here’s part two. You may notice that the formatting is unbelieveably horrible. I tried to fix it, but I’ve given up now.

7. The Trumpet of the Swan, by E.B. White

The dust jacket on my copy is long since lost.

So, here’s an unpopular opinion for you: this is the best E.B. White book. Charlotte’s Web is pretty good. I like it a lot. Stuart Little coasts on the fact that tiny things are cute. The Trumpet of the Swan is better than either of them. When I was little, I also thought it was completely hilarious — I would reread bits and sit there giggling to myself — but it’s probably only moderately funny. That’s okay, though, because it’s clever and thoughtful and enormously weird, and when it comes to children’s books, that’s what I want most.

The Trumpet of the Swan, for those of you unlucky enough not to have read it, is about a mute trumpeter swan named Louis. He can’t attract a mate without being able to make trumpet-y noises at her, so his father goes off and steals him a trumpet, and the rest of the book is all about people being wowed by his excellent trumpet-playing skills, which makes me happy because one of my favorite things in books is characters who are really good at what they do (cf. Carry On, Mr. Bowditch, two of the three books in the final section of this list, and that post I will someday write on Trustee from the Toolrom). Anyway, it’s a wonderful book all around, and a deeply satisfying one. Most books that I like leave me wanting to know more, but I think it’s actually better when a book gives you exactly as much as you need, and this is one of those.

***

6. Carry On, Mr. Bowditch, by Jean Lee Latham

I think this cover is gorgeous.

Okay, here’s one I read several times when I was, oh, maybe twelve? I ran across it at a used bookstore last summer, and thought, “I adored that book. Why haven’t I thought about it for the last dozen years?” And then I reread it, and, as it turns out, I still adore it.

This is a fictional take on the life of Nathaniel Bowditch, who revolutionized navigation in the late 18th century. Latham introduces us to Nat as a kid about to be apprenticed to a ship chandlery in Salem in the 1770s, and from there we follow his struggles to educate himself and others. It’s a sad book, because massive numbers of people die, but it helps to know that they’re real people who died, rather than characters the author is gratuitously killing off. And also, it’s an incredibly moving book, and I think it owes some of that to the historical environment. Nat’s family is very poor, and a career at sea includes the possibility of death, and Latham doesn’t minimize those things.

And then there’s the people-being-really-good-at-what-they-do thing. It’s fun to see Nat surprising people with his surreptitiously acquired book-learning, and it’s even better to see him winning over his shipmates with his expertise on practical matters. Especially

0 Comments on Top 10 Underappreciated Children’s Books 2/3 as of 1/1/1900

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21. Writing Tips from Top Novelists

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By: Kathy Temean, on 6/20/2011
Blog: Writing and Illustrating (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Tips, writing, authors and illustrators, Writing Tips, list, Guardian.co.uk, Elmore Leonard, 10 Rules of Writing, Add a tag

    Inspired by Elmore Leonard’s 10 Rules of Writing, we asked authors for their personal dos and don’ts. Below are some of the tips offered by the authors that I thought were worth noting.

PD James

1 Increase your word power. Words are the raw material of our craft. The greater your vocabulary the more effective your writing. We who write in English are fortunate to have the richest and most versatile language in the world. Respect it.

2 Read widely and with discrimination. Bad writing is contagious.

3 Don’t just plan to write – write. It is only by writing, not dreaming about it, that we develop our own style.

4 Write what you need to write, not what is currently popular or what you think will sell.

5 Open your mind to new experiences, particularly to the study of other people. Nothing that happens to a writer – however happy, however tragic – is ever wasted.

Anne Enright

1 The first 12 years are the worst.

2 The way to write a book is to actually write a book. A pen is useful, typing is also good. Keep putting words on the page.

3 Only bad writers think that their work is really good.

Diana Athill

1 Read it aloud to yourself because that’s the only way to be sure the rhythms of the sentences are OK (prose rhythms are too complex and subtle to be thought out – they can be got right only by ear).

2 Cut (perhaps that should be CUT): only by having no inessential words can every essential word be made to count.

Richard Ford

1 Marry somebody you love and who thinks you being a writer’s a good idea.

Margaret Atwood

1. You can never read your own book with the innocent anticipation that comes with that first delicious page of a new book, because you wrote the thing. You’ve been backstage. You’ve seen how the rabbits were smuggled into the hat. Therefore ask a reading friend or two to look at it before you give it to anyone in the publishing business. This friend should not be someone with whom you have a romantic relationship, unless you want to break up.

David Hare

1. The two most depressing words in the English language are “literary fiction“.

Hilary Mantel

1 If you have a good story idea, don’t assume it must form a prose narrative. It may work better as a play, a screenplay or a poem. Be flexible.

2 Be aware that anything that appears before “Chapter One” may be skipped. Don’t put your vital clue there.

Here is the link to read all the tips offered: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/feb/20/ten-rules-for-writing-fiction-part-one

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

Filed under: authors and illustrators, list, Ti

1 Comments on Writing Tips from Top Novelists, last added: 6/21/2011
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:Donna Marie said, on 6/21/2011 12:21:00 AM
This is great stuff, Kathy I started reading them and got lost in it (I don’t agree with the overly rigid opinions of Elmore Leonard, though—-a bit much, in my opinion. I DO love when writers talk about writing. In fact, I have two books called “Writers on Writing.” There are two volumes. I’ve only picked at them, but LOVE them!
Donna
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22. 50 Sentences to Spark Ideas

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By: Kathy Temean, on 7/20/2011
Blog: Writing and Illustrating (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: authors and illustrators, children writing, inspiration, list, Writer's Prompt, writing, writing excercise, Writing Tips, Memories, Spark Writing Ideas, Add a tag

Tap into your childhood memories by completing the following sentences.

1. The first thing I ever remember was…

2. The things that made me mad as a child were…

3. I hated it when my mother…

4. I loved it when my mother…

5. I hated it when my father…

6. I loved it when my father…

7. I wish I’d learned how to…

8. My favorite food as a small child was…

9. The foods I hated as a small child were…

10. The foods that I loved as a pre-teen were…

11. The foods I hate when I was twelve were…

12. The foods I loved at 17 years old were…

13. At 17 years old I hated eating…

14. When I was a child I hated…

15. When I was a child I loved…

16. My best freind made me mad when…

17. As a small child it really bothered me when…

18. When I became a teenager it really bothered me when…

19. As a small child I was really scared of…

20. As a teenage I was really scared of…

21. The things I loved about where I grew up were…

21. The things I hated about where I grew up were…

22. What I loved during reccess…

23. What did I hate about reccess…

24. The things I liked and disliked about high school gym were…

25. The saddest thing that ever happened to me was…

26. What was the happiest moment you can remember from childhood…

27. The things I loved about winter were…

28. I hated winter due to…

29. The fun things I did during summer were…

30. Every summer, I hated…

31. The worst things about spring were…

32. The best things about spring were…

33. The best things about fall were…

34. The thing I hated most about fall was…

35. When I was young my parents made me…

36. The most fun thing I did with my grandparents was…

37. My best memory of my brother and sisters…

38. The most iportant adult in my life other than my family was… why?

39. My favorite pet was… because…

40. The games I liked to play when I was six were…

41. The games I liked to play when I was twelve were…

42. I didn’t like to play… when I was six.

43. At twelve I really hated playing…

44. The things I worried about as a child were…

45. The most embarrassing moment in my childhood was…

46. Sometimes I felt different because…

47. I would like to be able to do over from my children these things…

48. My favorite books were…

49. As a child my favorite TV and movies were…

50. My favorite friend was… and why?

Write as much as you can. Stop and try to bring back the memories. They might make good additions in one of your manuscripts.

2 Comments on 50 Sentences to Spark Ideas, last added: 7/21/2011
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jgavinallan said, on 7/21/2011 4:44:00 AM
Thank you…this list is terrific…very stimulating to a writer
Great…Jaye
Stacy S. Jensen said, on 7/21/2011 8:02:00 AM
I enjoy your blog. So, today, not really adding to the conversation, but wanted to say thanks.
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23. Picture Book to Novel Checklist

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By: Kathy Temean, on 8/9/2011
Blog: Writing and Illustrating (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Advice, children writing, list, Middle Grade Novels, need to know, picture books, Tips, Young Adult Novel, Before submitting your manuscript, Book Writing Checklist, narrativve arc, novels, Add a tag

So you think you are done with your book, but it would be a mistake not to consider the following before submitting. Note: Ask these questions after your first draft and each revision draft. You should be using this list many times before submitting your manuscript to an editor or agent. The most often mistake writers make is to send their writting in too early.

1. Who is the manuscript meant for? Does it have a clear audience?

2. Is your manuscript emotionally engaging?

3. Does it meet a specific childhood developmental or emotional need?

4. Are your characters memorable and relatable?

5. Does your manuscript have a high concept, structure, execution or something else that will set your story apart from the other manuscripts submitted?

6. Does it use clever, evocative language? No matter what you have written, editors, agents and finally readers look for that “It” factor. Achieve this and you are well on your way.

7. Does youor story have a strong narrative arc?

8.  Does the story have strong pacing and fun page turns? This one is extremely important if you have written a picture book. Every page should be a fun poage turn in a picture book. If you have a novel, ask yourself: Do I keep the reader interested? Do you continually give the reader a reason to turn the page? This is very important for chapter endings?

Last two specific to picture books:

9. Does it leave room for artwork that is rich with detail and tells part of the story? Is there text that could be told by the illustrations? If so, this would be a good place to reduce the text.

10. Is it a story that kids will want to read over and over again? This is extremely important for every picture book. If an editor doesn’t see that in your books, he/she will not be wowed and it is the wow books that get published. For you novelists, the great novels are always being read again, so not a bad question to ask yourself either.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

Filed under: Advice, children writing, list, Middle Grade Novels, need to know, picture books, Tips, Young Adult Novel Tagged: Before submitting your manuscript, Book Writing Checklist, narrativve arc, novels, picture books 3 Comments on Picture Book to Novel Checklist, last added: 8/10/2011
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:Donna Marie said, on 8/9/2011 10:39:00 PM
As always, Kathy…thanks for this great list! Nice to be home? (Though I’m sure you could do without the disgusting heat and humidity!
Donna
Stacy S. Jensen said, on 8/10/2011 7:30:00 AM
True on the wow factor. I ask myself: Do I want to read this 50 times?
Mimi Cross said, on 8/10/2011 10:57:00 AM
Great advice!
And perfect timing Kathy, as always.
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24. 39 Clues To Drive Traffic to your Site

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By: Kathy Temean, on 10/17/2011
Blog: Writing and Illustrating (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Advice, article, How to, list, marketing, need to know, Tips, Blog and Website Traffic, Free ways to increase traffic to your blog, Increase traffic to your site, Add a tag

One of the things we discussed at the Writer’s Retreat was how to get noticed. There were lots of questions like, “Do I need a Webite?” “What about a blog?” I pointed out how much Twitter changed things for me. Blogs were around before Twitter, but they were not easy to find. But Twitter entered the mix and very quickly started driving traffic to websites and blogs. It also has lead to many other Internet options bloggers can use to increase traffic to their sites. If you have a website, I would add a blog, as long as you can tie in content that your visitors would be interested in reading.

If you don’t have a website and you want to build name recognition, I would seriously think about developing a blog. The nice thing, blogs are free. Well, free as far as money. Not so free when you consider the time you will spend trying to provide the content you’ll need.

First, decide on the theme of your content. Then decide how much time you can devote to blogging. Let your readers know when you plan to post – once a week, twice a week, three times a week, every day. Then stick to your schedule and try a few things from this list below to help people find you.

Turn your articles and blog posts into PDFs. Then submit your PDFs to document sharing sites like Scribd and DocStoc.

Order some T-shirts and have your website or blog’s URL printed on them and give them away. People will check out your URL!

Submit your blog to social bookmarking sites like Digg and StumbleUpon.

Hold a contest and give prizes to your readers. Use social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook to let people know about the contest. A good contest with good prizes will attract a lot of people. Great idea for your new books.

Write articles that are educational, informational, and not self-promoting, then build a wiki page for your blog.

Turn your articles into videos and submit them to video directories such as YouTube and DailyMotion. Animoto is a free video creation service you can use.

Readers love posts like “10 ways to make money” or “15 ways to write a better novel.” List posts are amongst the most popular kinds of posts, and people tend to share them with others more often than they do other posts.

Post often and on a regular basis and establish a schedule, but don’t sacrifice quantity for quality. Both search engines and visitors like to see fresh, quality content. The more content you have, the more chances you have of search engines picking you up. This means more traffic.

Use Squidoo to make a few lens and place a few links back to your blog.

Submit your blog to search engine directories relevant to your niche. Example: InsLink.com

Submit your blog to search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing. Or use something like AdMe.com
to submit your site to over 25 search engines for free.

Answer questions related to your niche on YahooAnswers and other Q & A sites. Include a link to your blog in the resource box.

Have your posts automatically post on Facebook.

Do the same with Twitter.

Make use of plugins such as, “Like it” or 14 Comments on 39 Clues To Drive Traffic to your Site, last added: 10/19/2011
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:Donna Marie said, on 10/17/2011 10:09:00 PM
Kathy, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I can’t help but admire how you accomplish the many things you do, and this blog is only one (which in itself is a major accomplishment!).

This is extremely valuable info, and you obviously practice what you preach. You’ve made your blog a wonderful place for people to share their good news (like in yesterday’s blog with Nanci’s “win” for WD, and Leeza’s cover and Doris’s event), to showcase their work (oooooh, especially Illustrator Saturday!) and for we followers to learn SO many valuable things.

Thank you for all of it!
Donna
kathytemean said, on 10/18/2011 12:08:00 AM
Donna,

Don’t admire me, I am completely exhausted. Can never seem to catch up. I missed getting a first page from you this time. I hope I didn’t miss it by mistake.

Good night,

Kathy
Mimi Cross said, on 10/18/2011 7:31:00 AM
Love this post!
Now, I just need someone to do all these things for my blog!
Haha!

I know you’re going to reveal the secret of how to generate more time in one of your posts Kathy, I’ll be back each day until you do

Seriously, this post is an excellent resource, thank you!

xo
Mimi

PS Registered for the SCBWI winter conference yesterday, maybe you can get a lunch bunch going for Friday or Saturday?
elenacaravela said, on 10/18/2011 9:14:00 AM
This helps tremendously! Thank you so very much. I’m just about to launch my new book, and this is a treasure trove of excellent information.
Once again, Thank you Kathy!
Elena
http://www.elenacaravela.wordpress.com
http://www.portraitofagirlandherart.wordpress.com
:Donna Marie said, on 10/18/2011 11:00:00 AM
Kathy, are you talking about the 1st page that was due by the 14th? I actually sent that one in a few weeks ago, at the same time I sent in the one for Anita to critique. I’ll send it again.

And maybe you need to cut back on your blog frequency, my dear. None of us are going anywhere if you don’t do it every day, that’s for sure! I’m sure I speak for everyone when I say it’s not worth you being so exhausted by spreading yourself too thin.
Donna
:Donna Marie said, on 10/18/2011 11:01:00 AM
Elena, what’s your book? When? I’d love to see it!
Donna
chris tugeau said, on 10/18/2011 11:07:00 AM
love this…so helpful to everyone… well done. you do NICE WORK kathy! c
Ken Baker said, on 10/18/2011 11:18:00 AM
Kathy, great information. You provide a lot of ideas that I hadn’t thought of before. As I read this along with other blog posts on Author Platform, it got me thinking about the constant emphasis that publishers and agents put on author self-promotion and how that could ultimately leave them without a role in the publishing process. As a result, I ended up writing about it in my blog today (http://kenbakerbooks.blogspot.com/2011/10/author-platform-friend-or-foe.html) and would appreciate your comments on this aspect of self-promotion.
Tricia said, on 10/19/2011 6:36:00 AM
Kathy, this was an amazing wealth of ideas and resources. Thanks,
Tricia
kathytemean said, on 10/19/2011 4:13:00 PM
Tricia,

Thanks for letting me know you found it helpful. There are so many new things coming out. It is hard to keep up. I have some others that I will post in the future. Hope you stop back.

Kathy
kathytemean said, on 10/19/2011 4:26:00 PM
Ken,

I left you a message on your blog. I think you did a great job with the article and I will try to use some of it to send people over to you.

Kathy
kathytemean said, on 10/19/2011 4:28:00 PM
Chris,

I am so happy that you are out their in my audience. I have more stuff like that to share in the future. Why don’t you try to put a fire under Priscilla, so I can feature her on Illustrator Saturday? Keep in touch.

Kathy
kathytemean said, on 10/19/2011 4:32:00 PM
Elena,

Thanks! It is nice to hear the information is useful. Are you coming out to the Craft Day on November 5th?. I hope so, I know you will love seeing Adam Gustavson and his artwork.

Kathy
kathytemean said, on 10/19/2011 4:35:00 PM
Mimi,

Boy if I knew the answer to that, I would be busy writing a book on that subject and making tons of money. As soon as I get the November stuff off my plate, I will work on the lunch or dinner thing. I have to remember to register for the conference, myself.

See you soon,
Kathy
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