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Updates Made by Maggie Lyons
Thursday, February 27, 2014 10:10:26 PM
Maggie Lyons wrote a blog post titled What Do Your Kids Read Independently?:
Maggie said, "While we're on the subject of which books are most popular with middle-grade readers, I want to ask you parents, grandparents, and anyone who is around children ages eight through thirteen: What do you children read on their own, without the..." more
Thursday, February 27, 2014 10:10:26 PM
Maggie Lyons wrote a blog post titled 5 Mistakes to Avoid When Writing a Fiction Series:
Maggie said, "Writers Digest recently ran a helpful article by Karen S. Wiesner, author of Writing the Fiction Series. The magazine allowed me to reprint a portion of that article here. The advice, though not specifically targeted to children's series, certainly..." more
Thursday, February 27, 2014 10:10:26 PM
Maggie Lyons wrote a blog post titled Books for Boys:
Maggie said, "The School Library Journal recently presented a webcast discussing books suitable for boys, who are very often reluctant readers. Presenting their recommended lists of titles were representatives of three publishing companies: Cheryl..." more
Thursday, February 27, 2014 10:10:26 PM
Maggie Lyons wrote a blog post titled MG Fiction for Reluctant Readers - Part 2:
Maggie said, "I asked readers in my network to recommend books suitable for reluctant middle-grade readers and they came up with quite a few interesting titles. Many or most of these titles have appeal for boys, who, on average, tend to be less interested in..." more
Thursday, February 27, 2014 10:10:25 PM
Maggie Lyons wrote a blog post titled MG Books for Reluctant Readers - Part 3:
Maggie said, "Here are a few more books recommended by readers in my network for middle-grade reluctant readers, especially boys.Children of the Lamp series by Rick RiordanFake Mustache by Tom AnglebergerFlush by Carl HiassenGregor the Overlander, Book #1 of The..." more
Thursday, February 27, 2014 10:10:25 PM
Maggie Lyons wrote a blog post titled Creating Images & Resizing Photos:
Maggie said, "Here are some useful tools for writers who want to resize photos, create their own images, and make banners for their blog sites, websites, Facebook, and so on. But before you use any images you have downloaded from the Internet, read Karen Cioffi's..." more
Thursday, February 27, 2014 10:10:25 PM
Maggie Lyons wrote a blog post titled Review of "The Great Trouble" by Deborah Hopkinson:
Maggie said, "My blog this week is my review of a book published in September by Knopf Books for Young Readers: The Great Trouble: A Mystery of London, the Blue Death, and a Boy Called Eel by award-winning children's author Deborah Hopkinson. Page-Turning..." more
Thursday, February 27, 2014 10:10:25 PM
Maggie Lyons wrote a blog post titled Interview with Deborah Hopkinson:
Maggie said, "This week I'm delighted to have the opportunity to interview award-winning children's author Deborah Hopkinson, whose latest historical fiction, The Great Trouble: A Mystery of London, the Blue Death, and a Boy Called Eel, was published this fall by..." more
Thursday, February 27, 2014 10:10:25 PM
Maggie Lyons wrote a blog post titled Ten Secrets for Savvy SEO:
Maggie said, "Children's writers may find the following article on search engine optimization useful. It is reprinted from Penny Sansevieri's newsletter Book Marketing Expert that you can have e-mailed to you for free. Penny's website is Author Marketing..." more
Thursday, February 27, 2014 10:10:25 PM
Maggie Lyons wrote a blog post titled Case File #13: Zombie Kid - Review:
Maggie said, "This week I review Zombie Kid, recently published middle-grade fiction by J. Scott Savage. This is a book that should appeal to readers in the eight to twelve age range. J. Scott Savage's Case File #13: Zombie Kid (published by..." more
Thursday, February 27, 2014 10:10:25 PM
Maggie Lyons wrote a blog post titled Interview with J. Scott Savage:
Maggie said, "This week I'm delighted to share with you an Interview with J. Scott Savage, author of several books for middle-grade readers including Case File #13: Zombie Kid, which I reviewed in the last blog (see below).ML: Why do you write middle-grade..." more
Thursday, February 27, 2014 10:10:25 PM
Maggie Lyons wrote a blog post titled Christmas in Wales:
Maggie said, "And now for something completely different, to quote the famous line from the Monty Python TV show. Welsh national flaghttp://www.flickr.com/photos/giveawayboy/3315988466/The land of my birth is Wales, which has its own language and traditions,..." more
Thursday, February 27, 2014 10:10:25 PM
Maggie Lyons wrote a blog post titled Pot Pourri of Writing and Marketing Resources:
Maggie said, "This week I'm adding to the blog's resources for writers who want to improve their writing and book promotion.Book promotion plan - detailed strategyhttp://florenceosmund.com/promoting_and_marketing_your_bookFacebook customization and other social..." more
Thursday, February 27, 2014 10:10:25 PM
Maggie Lyons wrote a blog post titled MG Books I Read in 2013:
Maggie said, "The following is a list of some of the middle-grade books I enjoyed reading in 2013. I've included a link to my review on Goodreads.com. Many of these books may have special appeal for boys, and some should attract reluctant readers.The One and Only..." more
Thursday, February 27, 2014 10:10:25 PM
Maggie Lyons wrote a blog post titled Kirkus Best MG Adventure Fiction of 2013:
Maggie said, "More ideas on what to buy for the children in your life. Here is the Kirkus best adventure fiction of 2013 for middle-grade readersThe Twistrose Key by Tone Almhjell (pub. by Dial Books) Age range: 9–13“Skillfully blending facets of classic high..." more
Thursday, February 27, 2014 10:10:25 PM
Maggie Lyons wrote a blog post titled More Lists of Recommended Children's Books:
Maggie said, "The following are the links to more lists of award-winning children's books.Cybils Finalists for 2013http://www.cybils.com/2014/01/the-2013-finalists.htmlThe School Library Journal's Top Ten Latino-themed books of..." more
Friday, September 6, 2013 2:09:39 AM
Maggie Lyons wrote a blog post titled Don't Spend Too Much Energy on Book Marketing:
Maggie said, "My past few blogs have focused on marketing tactics. I thought it would be informative to have a somewhat different viewpoint on marketing this week. I much appreciate the wisdom offered by successful author and school visits expert Kim Norman..." more
Friday, September 6, 2013 2:09:39 AM
Maggie Lyons wrote a blog post titled A Peek at the Wild Things of Writing for Children:
Maggie said, "This week, I'm resurrecting a blog I first wrote for Beverly McClure's blog, The Story of a Writer, in August 2012, about some of what must be kept in mind when writing for children. A Peek at the Wild Things of Writing for..." more
Friday, September 6, 2013 2:09:39 AM
Maggie Lyons wrote a blog post titled Writers' Free Newsletter Resources - Part 1:
Maggie said, "This week I'm listing more online resources for writers, ones offering free newsletters. These newsletter services offer help with marketing, publicity, technology, social media, publishing, networking, writing, industry news, and more. I subscribe..." more
Friday, September 6, 2013 2:09:39 AM
Maggie Lyons wrote a blog post titled How to Leverage Your Video Content:
Maggie said, "I'm very pleased to have a guest blog this week by author and marketing expert Jo Linsdell, who offers advice on leveraging the content of your video. Your comments on Jo's blog are very much appreciated.Get More Social Leverage for Your Video..." more
Friday, September 6, 2013 2:09:39 AM
Maggie Lyons wrote a blog post titled The Dos and Don’ts of Writing Middle-Grade Fiction:
Maggie said, "by Penny LockwoodWriting middle grade fiction is different from writing a picture book. I’d like to share with you some of the things I’ve learned to both do and not do based not only on my writing career, but also on my career as a line..." more
Friday, September 6, 2013 2:09:39 AM
Maggie Lyons wrote a blog post titled Why Children Should Read - A Lot!:
Maggie said, "How important is it for a child to read well? Some states predict their prison populations based on the number of students failing fourth-grade reading tests. (This fact was presented at a Congressional hearing by Dr. Reid Lyon of the National..." more
Friday, September 6, 2013 2:09:39 AM
Maggie Lyons wrote a blog post titled How to Make a Book Trailer Using Animoto:
Maggie said, "by Laura BowersHere’s the thing. I’m a borderline non-techy. PowerPoint? Sure, I can fudge a decent presentation. Video slideshows with music? Mine are rather good … after making a zillion mistakes. But creating a book trailer last year..." more
Friday, September 6, 2013 2:09:38 AM
Maggie Lyons wrote a blog post titled Skype Makes It Happen:
Maggie said, "My guest this week, children's author Margot Finke (who also has a manuscript critique service) talks about using Skype to make school visits across the country. ====================================================================I have always..." more
Thursday, February 27, 2014 10:10:26 PM
Maggie Lyons wrote a blog post titled Goodreads Popular Middle-Grade Books—Part 2:
Maggie said, "The following twenty-five books continue the list began last week. They are the middle-grade books that are appear most often on Goodreads members' bookshelves, ranked in order of popularity.The Bad Beginning (A Series of Unfortunate..." more