It's Monday and time for me to announce the winners of my picture book critique giveaway! I used
RandomPicker to randomly choose my winners because the old fashioned way of cutting up strips of paper seemed unfair. I always hate it when some people's strips would get larger or smaller and then I'd probably choose the largest. SO everyone was on equal footing here!
Here are the five and I know some of you, so I'm very excited to see your work!
Cindy B.
Aodle
Ruth Shiffman
Sue Frye
Melissa Payne
Congratulations! Just email me at
[email protected], attaching your picture book manuscript or you can paste it at the end of the email--whatever is easiest for you. I will get back to you with my critique this week.
Thank you to all who participated. I'm very excited to restart this blog and focus on picture books. There aren't enough blogs out there for picture book writers (when compared to say...YA!) and I feel more is always best. If you'd like to start following, just click the follow button at the top. My new postings won't start until June when the blog is finished, but I'll be starting off with a bang--author interviews and listing of picture book agents, so you won't want to miss out.
Happy writing!
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| Win a free picture book critique! |
Oh, about two years ago, I made a New Year's resolution to revamp my blog. Two years came and went and then the spiderwebs and dust accumulated around here and well...
Yeah. My blog is in desperate need of a spring cleaning.
SOOO...I've hired
Designer Blogs to redo the look. That will be coming in June.
Along with this new look, there will be new material aimed at picture book writers. If you are an aspiring picture book writer, I will be giving away five free picture book critiques. All you will have to do is sign your name at the bottom of this post, and I'll put your name in a drawing. Once you receive the critique, I'll just ask you to link my blog when the new design is finished. That's it!
My new blog will have picture book tips and tricks, interviews of picture book authors, and a few random insider secrets about school visits, marketing, etc. I'm also hearing about new opportunities for writers in the app world and let me tell you, it's exciting!
I will also list agents who represent picture book authors. This list is very tiny, but I will be posting on how a picture book writer can snag an agent and what it takes to do this seemingly impossible task.
PLEASE NOTE: This contest is over. To view the winners, click here: Picture Book Critique Giveaway!
When I set out to write math books, I read all I could. The top publishers producing these types of books were my publisher,
Charlesbridge, with their brilliant math adventure line, Stuart Murphy, and of course, the great Marilyn Burns. I'd talked with another math author at the time when I was about to send out my manuscript--she told me to contact her publisher (Scholastic's Math Solutions by Marilyn Burns). They really liked
Multiplying Menace, but it wasn't quite right for their line. I sent it off to Charlesbridge, and the rest is history.
But what's very interesting is that
Multiplying Menace is now a Marilyn Burns book being licensed by Scholastic, and I'm very happy to announce this! It is online in the collection here for 5th graders:
Math Reads.
It will also be in the Scholastic Book Clubs catalog.
You just never know--a rejection letter doesn't always mean no.
Multiplying Menace proves it.
The other day I was at the library, researching picture books for my next manuscript. Always, I have my idea, I write it then I go see what's in the marketplace that might be similar. I really don't want to redo something that's already been done. I've gotten into trouble by not checking out books that could be similar to mine...SO!
I noticed a book I'd been looking for since I started on this writing journey. I couldn't think of the name but remember the images vividly from my childhood (back in the 70's). This book is entitled, The Big Tidy Up, by Norah Smaridge. After perusing the rhyming text, it most decidely has a moral--Jennifer's room is a big mess! Mom lets her drown in her own mess until at the end, Jennifer decides she better clean up her act.
What transfixed me the most was the artwork done by Les Gray. It was a Golden Book, which is not surprising since my family wasn't rich and all of my books came from the grocery store. I doubt I'd ever entered a bookstore until I was an adult!
Although this book probably couldn't get published today (the moral is way too overt), it's one of those books that brings back heartwarming memories to me. I'm thrilled I found it! (And it's very PINK!)
Here are some of my favorite inside pages:
Jennifer in her state of MESS! (notice the desheveled hair!)
Here's Jennifer all cleaned up. I loved how the illustrator made her match. I, too, liked wearing dresses at the time (I was four) and matching hair ribbons. I never owned a pair of shoes like these, but I slipped into Jennifer's world whenever I'd read this.
Do you have a favorite childhood book?
I just got back from another week of visits. :-) Kids are the BEST!
And to go along with the holidays, I thought I'd share this cute-ism. When I start my program, I always ask kids what they want to be when they grow up. This varies from grade to grade, but the kindergarten and 1st grades are always funny. Usually, what one says, all the rest will mimic. "I want to be a firefighter!" And then I'll get ten more firefighters.
This time, one kid said, "I want to be one of those people who stand outside and ring the bell."
I said, "You mean, like the Salvation Army people for Christmas?"
His face brightened and he pointed at me. "Yes!"
And then I got a bunch of kids wanting to be bell ringers when they grow up. CUTE!
Okay, I'm back from a whirlwind of five school visits last week and I must say, I've been laughing at some of the funniest things that were said to me. Kids are so perfect. I wouldn't want to write for anyone else!
Here are some hilarious things that were said to me (the funniest is at the bottom of this post):
1. CK1 (Cute Kid #1): Wow! We just saw your limosine outside. What does it feel like to ride in one of those?
Me (gasping, eyes wide): Limo? Outside? Mine? Erm...
CK2: Yeah! We saw it!
Me (gasping some more, eyes huge now): Oh, well, that wasn't mine...and anyway, people rent limos all the time. They aren't that expensive.
CK1: To YOU! I live on a street that looks like the hood. No one keeps their houses nice. It was funny when I saw a limosine drive down my street.
Me (feeling ultra stupid and tiny): Um, well, I just drove here in my very old car. Heh...
(I guess they were used to celebrities. The last author that came to visit them was Marc Brown who, btw, charged the Title 1 schools $3500 for ONE SESSION! He did two schools per day and made $70K that week last year. Some librarians broke their budgets to bring him in...)
****
2. CK 3: How did you become so famous?
Me (gasping, tongue tied): Who me? Famous? I think I'm famous only to my mother.
****
3. CK 4: Are you rich?
Me (gasping, choking on my gum): Rich? Me? Nah...
CK 4 hits CK 5: See? I told you she wasn't rich.
****
4. CK 6 (pulls bangs up): SIGN MY FOREHEAD!
Me (thinking about what his mother will do to me when he shows up with my name scribbled on his head): I don't sign heads, but I will sign your arm. (I use a ballpoint pen.)
CK 6: OW!! That hurt!
Me: Oops.
****
5. I'm walking down the hallway after my presentations are over and after I signed some autographs (probably about fifty as kids surrounded me in a flurry.)
CK 7: Ms. Calvert, you signed an autograph for me, didn't you?
Me (wide eyed, had-no-idea-if-I-did, smiling): Oh, well, yeah, of course!
CK 7: THANKS!
CK 8 (shakes head): Un uh! He forged your signature and is charging kids $2 an autograph!
Me (stomach plunges)
Here are some pics of those cute kids. I'm going back and doing five more visits in November. I wonder what other things they'll have to say! HA!
I'm happy to announce that
Princess Peepers is finally now in paperback. At $7.99, it's more affordable for a princess to enjoy. In fact, if she tatters one, you can buy another one for a total of less than the list price of the hardcover!
Stock up!
And make sure to check out the sequel:
Princess Peepers Picks a Pet, if you haven't already. There's lots of pet plus a BIG surprise your princess is sure to love.
Happy reading!
Now that it's unplugged August, I'm plugged in more than ever (isn't that strange? Kinda like prohibition! LOL!) Anyway, I've discovered some amazing things in my self-imposed unplugged-ness so I thought I'd share.
1. Pinterest: This is for those who obsess over all things. Yeah. THINGS! Anything you can think of or care about that's in pictures, you can "pin" and share with your friends. This is good if you have a book that needs a little ambiance. You can search for mood pics, characters, anything and put it in a book folder. I haven't done it yet, but I had fun looking at my daughter's pinterest folders. AWESOME! Can't wait to start. I'll share my own later. Have you started this?
2. Angry Birds: Yes, I'm late to the party. I had no idea about this incredibly addicting game because as my kids would say, I have a ghetto phone. I'm one of the only holdouts that doesn't have an iphone or droid. Hubby has a droid. Kids have iphones. I'm soooo uncool. Hubby was playing this game on his phone during my birthday. I fell asleep watching him annihilate green pigs with the most dastardly birds. Fun stuff. So, I got my own game on Google Chrome. Dumb when you're not supposed to play (@!($)#*@ unplugged August!)
3.
My agent: Can't help it. She rocks. I'm going to post all about her once she gives me the green light. (I haven't asked her yet.) You can read about one of her amazing deals with another client here:
Jenn Johansson.
I will save all my info about her (and our meeting which was miraculous, really) in my future post.
4.
Water for Elephants: I saw this movie on the plane coming home from LA and now I see Robert Pattinson in a whole new light. He can act! LOL! Anyway, once this movie gets on DVD, I'm buying it. I need to read the book!
5.
Princess for Hire series: I saw Lindsey Leavitt in LA and we decided to exchange books--her second book in her series for my second book in mine. And they looked pecularly similar:
Okay, so I'm going to plug in for a little bit because I have to report about my SCBWI experience before I lose the memory. When you pass 40, you never know what might fly out of your brain at any moment.
Now, you'd think my experiences would be full of things like meeting Jon Scieszka (a man whose work I admire, adore, and would love to copy I mean...love to cherish), chatting with Harold Underdown of The Purple Crayon (he's YOUNG! We told him to get a new picture! NOW!), seeing Judy Blume IN THE FLESH (what an amazing woman! So graceful and inspiring--I cried at the end of her talk,) meeting editors (the WONDERFUL Jenne Abramowitz--so adorable and nice,) meeting MY FABULOUS AGENT (that will be in another post), and hitting the pavement in my light up fairy costume for the PJ ball. Oh...did I have fun or what? (Um...I have NO pictures because I lost my camera after the ball...another story...egad!)
But that's not what I'm going to talk about. The most memorable experience happened like this:
My friend, Meg O Hair, and I had just finished a fun filled lunch at the Pink Taco. Earlier in the week, we'd made friends with the owner, general manager, and assistant manager. That meant free kamakazees for us. Yum! So, Meg and I were happily shopping at Gelson's market in the trendy mall on the Avenue of the Stars. After we'd made our purchases, chatted with the lovely cashier, and scared a few customers by our over-the-top behavior, we skipped toward the sliding glass doors. On the way, I noticed a very tiny, yet beautiful woman paying for a salad. Instantly, I recognized her as Paula Abdul. I pointed (yes, kamakazees make me VERY annoying), and said to Meg, "Oh, isn't she cute?"
Paula waved at us and smiled.
Then we walked out.
I thought this was very strange. Why, you ask? Well, for anyone who knows my friend, Meg, you know that she's not scared of any star with or without the consumption of kamakazees. In fact, the last time we were in LA together, we met John Edwards (yes--before the scandal). He looked like a movie star waltzing through the lobby of the Century Plaza Hotel.
Several years ago, my husband and I got sick of how our children would constantly want to watch movies, tv, videos, and play on the computer during the summer. So, we decided to unplug for a whole month just to see if we could do it. And I mean we because I'm probably the worst offender. I don't watch much tv but I'm an incessant blogger/social networker. (I also LOVE video games--I got a PS3 for my birthday. I wonder how many 40 something women ask for that from their loving hubbies?) Well, once we did it, we found we actually played games with each other at night, read more books than ever, and had real conversations with our teens. (I also got a lot of writing done, too!)
It was awesome!
Since we did it in August, that's been our tradition. The kids hate August--it means unplugged and school starting. LOL!
But I'm looking forward to it. I won't be back until September. Maybe I'll finally get that novel done. I have five chapters to go but that's been the same all summer. HA!
Wish me luck!
Summer is winding down and as I'll be out of town (SCBWI LA!) and then it's family vacation (CANCUN!), I decided to do something fun with my little girl while the big kids and dad were gone (camp and work). :-)
I bought a fun magazine with some amazing recipes entitled, Taste of Home FUN FOOD. You can access some similar recipes here: Kid Friendly recipes.
We decided to do the cute cupcakes on the cover. :-)
So here was our process!
First, we took a box cake mix and whipped up the ingredients. My daughter carefully poured the mixture into baking cups.
Next, we put them in the oven according to pkg directions!
Don't forget hot pads!
Now we waited until they were done!
Once they cooled, the fun began! We frosted!
(The lighting was very strange...sorry about that!)
I was really excited last week to be going to Alabama. A bookseller who helps out his local schools by contacting and coordinating authors from all over the nation chose me to visit. I was very honored.
The first school visit went well. They welcomed me with a dazzling display in their window. The kids were so smart and I loved every moment! This was going down as one of my best visits. Here's a pic of their welcome! It says: "PAM + CALVERT = VIP" in a nod to my math books. Very clever!
The next day started out no differently. The school welcomed me with a huge poster signed by all the students and the library was decorated with TONS of cute glasses on everyone and everything. Take a look:
I knew there had been reports that we were to receive bad weather later in the day, but thought nothing of it. Of course. I'd lived in tornado alley cities much of my life and really only had one scare to show for it. But in the middle of my third session, right before lunch, we were told to go into the hallways and take cover. I wasn't frightened at this point. The librarian had the weather radar on her t.v. and we could see the red zone was to our north. Nothing to worry about.
The poor children had to wait in the hall for nearly an hour. They did so well trying to be quiet. Since there was no impending danger, I sat in the library signing books and discussed how I'd make up my last session the next day. By this time, my stomach was growling. They'd offered me the sandwiches they were giving the children for lunch, but I thought I'd get something later.
Wrong decision.
As I was dropped off at my hotel, I waved good-bye to the coordinator, and ventured into my room. I was about to walk over to Applebees when I thought, "It's raining so hard, I'll wait until it goes away and get an early supper."
So, I fell asleep.
In my dream, people I knew were hiding in the lobby of the hotel, and I was discussing things with them as a loud tornado siren blared in the background. I felt the noise was so realistic. And then suddenly, I woke up to an ACTUAL air horn blasting outside.
This was no dream.
My hotel phone rang, and I was told to go into the hallway to take cover. This lasted about two minutes as everyone congregated to the floor to ceiling window filled lobby. Curiosity sent all of us outside. Video cameras caught a large swirling wall cloud several miles away pas
In this episode, Meg and Pam run into three bad girls of Montgomery County. They also force a store owner to open her shop to let them peruse her bling (at the Rhinestone Cowgirl: http://www.rhinestonecowgirlwear.com/
In this episode, Meg and Pam make cookies with the recipe from Alice's blog: Savory Sweet. YUM! And in a spoof on the Housewives series, they discuss the finer points of living with acrylic nails. PLUS! Meg offers encouragement to writers submitting manuscripts to publishers.
Come join Meg and I on the first episode of the Housewives of Children's Literature in TEXAS!
I have seventeen school visits this spring and I've done about twelve of them. All have gone so well, I thought I'd share a few of the photos.
From a school in College Station! Some librarians should be artists!
The next one is from Plano:
This is my Paradise visit! :-)
They went all out!
My camera broke for most of the visits and I just bought a new one, so this is all I have, but if you're thinking about doing school visits--they are really fun (as you can see!) I receive many questions from the kids, but mostly they want to know if I'm famous. I tell them I'm only famous to my mother--but that's not good enough for them. They WANT me to be famous! LOL! One kid got SOOO angry with me that he crossed his arms and "Grrrd!" at me when I said I wasn't. Then he wanted to know if I made
I was overjoyed when I finally got to see the Celebrity Apprentice episode this week. Princess Peepers did indeed receive her FIVE SECONDS of fame!! And believe me, this is five seconds more than I would have ever thought would have appeared on that show or any other show for that matter. So, I was IMMENSELY HAPPY!!
There's a lot to talk about behind the scenes--mainly that Margery Cuyler gave A LOT of advice to the contestants, but it only appeared that she quipped a few sentences. I loved seeing her sparkling face during the skits when the contestants presented their plays, and overall, thought the teams did a fantastic job in the little amount of time they had.
It's HARD to write a good children's book.
Neither team wrote a particularly charming children's story and both didn't have much in the way of creativity. I knew that Margery had given Princess Peepers as an example of story structure and it looked as if the men's team's offering was a blatant copy of that structure--(kids making fun of a child who was unsure about their looks; kid finally realizing they were great just they way they are.) Unfortunately, there wasn't anything to escalate the drama nor did the child solve the problem--the teacher did. So, don't lose heart, children's authors! They didn't produce a winning children's book in a day (as most people think it's easy to write a picture book). And neither did the women's team, but I liked their rendition better--the kids seemed to enjoy it more, and it was way more kid-friendly, imho.
Overall, I was pleased with the show--especially when the screen flashed all the Marshall Cavendish books! If you didn't get to see the show, you can enjoy it here:
Celebrity Apprentice: Child's Play And you can do what I did--pause the video when all the books are being shown! Maybe obsess over Princess Peepers being on the table--in the hands of some of the contestants. LOL! ;-)
If you want to read more about some people's thoughts on the show, here are a few funny and interesting blog posts:
1.
Lynne Kelly's blog: More Children's Books from Celebrity Apprentice2.
Michael Rex's take: My Time in the Tower
What does Donald Trump...
Latoya Jackson....
And Princess Peepers have in common?
They all might be on the show,
Celebrity Apprentice on March 13th 9/10 pm ET/PT! Well, for sure the first two. I just got word that my publisher, Margery Cuyler of
Marshall Cavendish, was asked to be a judge for the show's project of writing a children's book. And Margery chose to show
PRINCESS PEEPERS as a good example of story structure! WOW! Of course, it "might" be mentioned. It also could get cut in the final editing. SO, now I'm praying!!!
At least Margery chose it to be a great example. I feel very blessed and honored even if it doesn't make the cut. :-D
In the past, I've watched the show incessantly, but this year I haven't simply because we moved and I don't have a good cable provider (I hate Suddenlink! We're switching to DirectTV like TODAY!) You can bet that I'll be glued to the set this Sunday night!
My very own Princess Peepers picked the winners today out of a pink treasure chest. And here they are:
GRAND PRIZE!
Mary Tara!!!!
Winners of the new Princess Peepers Picks a Pet:
Daisy Haffner
Becky B
Tragic Optimist
Lovingmama
Williams Family
Congratulations!
If you won, please email me at
[email protected] with your mailing address and I'll get those out! Thank you SOOOOOOOO much for participating. I love celebrating new books. Oh, and tell everyone you know about Peepers! If it sells well, there will be more coming (but we're waiting to see!)
HUGS!
Well, I have over 100 entries for the Princess Peepers Picks a Pet contest! Wee! But you still have a little more time to earn more entries. If you had wanted to post a pic of your little princess (or prince), it's not too late.
BUT
I'll be announcing the winners tomorrow--by noon, CST.
Good luck, everyone!
In honor of
Princess Peepers Picks a Pet which came out today and received a glorious review by Kirkus:
Princess Peepers Picks a Pet review, here's a special princess who has entered the
PPPP contest!
What a cutie! I love all those glasses wearing pets and friends--just like in the first Princess Peepers book! This little darling will receive princess bubbles, a bookmark and TEN entries into the
PPPP contest (plus she has many more entries since her mom has been flitting all over the internet spreading the news about the new book! YAY!)
If you have a picture of your little princess (or prince) holding Princess Peepers, please send it to me at my email:
[email protected]
Have a royally splendid day!
Princess Peepers is back in a charming new book:
PRINCESS PEEPERS PICKS A PET And I'm so excited that I'm running a contest fit only for a one of a kind princess like Princess Peepers.
Here's the Grand Prize!
A HUGE bag full of goodies for your princess worth over $100 which includes:
--a princess skirt
--matching flower headband
--matching glasses
--8 sparkly hair clips
--matching satin handbag
--princess crown
--princess bubbles
--princess candy ring
--princess candy necklace
--a stuffed dragon (guess whose pet that is?)
AND a hard cover copy of Princess Peepers Picks a Pet
But that's not all! Included is a $30 gift certificate to a bookstore of your choice PLUS a $25 gift certificate to Starbucks (for the royal parents!)
I'm also giving away FIVE Princess Peepers Picks a Pet books for the five runners up. Now what do you need to do to WIN?
Choose one or all of these ways--the more you do, the more entries you'll receive AND the better your chances of winning!
1. Just write something here about Princess Peepers. You will receive ONE entry.
2. Announce the arrival of Princess Peepers Picks a Pet on Facebook, Twitter, your blog, or some other social network. Make sure you tell me so I can give you credit! (1 entry for each!)
3. Like Princess Peepers on Facebook (if you haven't already) here:
Princess Peepers on FB Make sure to tell me on FB so I can give you credit! (You will receive one entry.)
4. Go on
amazon,
barnesandnoble.com, or
Here's a sweet girl who got all dressed up for her Princess/Pirate day at school. Which princess did she pick to emulate?
Ariel?
Snow White?
Sleeping Beauty?
Cinderella?
I'm excited to announce that my newest math adventure is released today! It's entitled,
The Multiplying Menace Divides! After being banished to the Abyss of Zero in my earlier book, Multiplying Menace: The Revenge of Rumpelstiltskin, Rumpelstiltskin is back! And he's got a sidekick, the diva witch, Matilda, helping him. Through the use of The Great Divide, Rumpelstiltskin seeks to divide the kingdom into frogs. Wayne Geehan did such a great job with his illustrations. I feel so blessed. I hope everyone likes it. :-D
Praise God it's finally here!
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