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Rick Riordan knew from the time he was young that he wanted to grow up to be both a teacher and a writer, but he credits his ninth grade English teacher, Mrs. Seaholm, with sparking a strong interest in reading and writing, and his "fascination with literature that combines humor and darkness."

Laurie Halse Anderson was introduced to how fun writing could be through a haiku lesson from her second grade teacher. Even though she enjoyed it, she thought she would grow up to be a doctor, not a writer. Happily, for the many folks who've read her books, she was wrong.

Wow, it’s my pleasure to host, my friend and creative author, Kathy Stemke. Her story is amazing: the first book she submitted for publication was picked up. And, then the second one was picked up by the same publisher. What a way to start!

To keep things moving while waiting for her books to be published and available, Kathy wrote another book, Moving Through All Seven Days. But, that’s not all: Kathy’s FREE monthly newsletter, “MOVEMENT AND RHYTHM” is listed in the “100 Best Blogs for Homeschooling Moms!”

So, let’s learn a bit about this fast moving and talented author, Kathy Stemke:

Kathy Stemke has a passion for writing, the arts and all things creative. She has a B.S. from Southern Connecticut State University and Covenant Life Seminary, as well as graduate coursework from New York Institute of Technology and Columbia University. Hanging her hat in the North Georgia Mountains, she has been a dancer, choreographer, teacher, tutor, writer and an antiques dealer for many years.

As a freelance writer Kathy has published several articles. She is a contributing editor for The National Writing for Children's Center. Kathy’s first children’s e-book, “Moving Through All Seven Days,” is now available on Lulu. Kathy's second children's book, “Trouble on Earth Day,” is slated to come out in the fall of 2009!

Now for a bit about Moving Through All Seven Day:

This book inspires movement as children learn about the days of the week. The lyrical rhymes also teach them how to spell each day! The 14 pages of activities at the end of the book are designed to reinforce the concepts as well as give impetus to movement exploration.

My review below gives a little more description of this impressive children’s book:

Title: Moving Through All Seven Days
Written by: Kathy Ann Stemke
Illustrated by: Tony Glisson
Ages: 3-7
Publisher: Action Alley Education
Reviewer: Karen Cioffi (May 22, 2009)

Moving Through All Seven Days is a wonderful way to teach young children the days of the week. The days move forward with playful activities, "Slipping, sliding, spin and play, Fun on Sunday, that's the way."

Reading and exercise – what a combination! With bold and colorful illustrations it is sure to hold any child’s attention.

As an added feature, Moving Through All Seven Days includes an activity and learning section with: in class activities, spelling the days of the week, rhyming words, coloring pages and more. This is sure to be a hit in any preschool or lower grade classroom.

Moving Through All Seven Days is also a great way to teach the days of the week to your own little ones before they start school. I’ll be reading it to my 3-year-old grandson!

Mine is just one of many great reviews of Moving Through All Seven Days. I highly recommend it.

You can find Moving Through All Seven Days on lulu by clicking on this link:
http://www.lulu.com/content/e-book/moving-through-all-seven-days/7386965#

And, don’t forget to sign up for Kathy’s FREE monthly newsletter, “MOVEMENT AND RHYTHM” on her blog. You’ll find great teaching tips, movement activities, and children’s book reviews. Head on over to: http://educationtipster.blogspot.com to subscribe.

Check out this impressive review by Suzanne Lieurance of The Working Writer’s Coaching Club:

Both parents and teachers of small children will want to subscribe to Movement and Rhythm, a valuable new resource from educator and children's author, Kathy Stemke. This free newsletter is chock full of original articles, activities, and other offers to make education and teaching more fun and effective both inside and outside the classroom.

Wait, we’re not done yet:

COMING SOON-The release of Kathy Stemke's new picture book, Trouble on Earth Day, is coming very soon. This adorable squirrel uses what she has learned in school about recycling to help her new friend. This book, like all of Kathy's books, has several worksheets, crafts, and recycle ideas pages for it's readers to enjoy.

You can see an illustration from Trouble on Earth Day above.

To learn more about Kathy Stemke and her books, please visit her websites:

Moving Through all Seven Days
http://www.lulu.com/content/e-book/moving-through-all-seven-days/7386965#

http://educationtipster.blogspot.com

http://www.helium.com/users/406242.html

http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/237923/Kathy_stemke_dancekam.html

http://kathystemke.weebly.com

Whew! Kathy sure has a lot going on. Be sure to stop back here on Saturday, the 3rd, for more with Kathy: a creative writing article that you won’t want to miss.

Talk to you soon,
Karen

My guest today is Canadian children's author Simon Rose. His novels include The Doomsday Mask, The Heretic's Tomb, The Emerald Curse, The Clone Conspiracy, The Sorcerer's Letterbox, and The Alchemist's Portrait. He's also a contributing author to The Complete Guide to Writing Science Fiction: Volume One and founded the almost legendary networking group Children's Authors and Illustrators on Facebook. Here's what Simon has to say about his work.



CA: Welcome, Simon. Let's begin by learning a little about your books.

SR: My books are in the science fiction and fantasy genre for middle grades, around ages eight to twelve. You can see full details of each of them, including excerpts and synopses (and you can even listen to recording of my readings) at the Books page at simon-rose.com.

The Alchemist's Portrait is a time-travel story, in which Matthew journeys through the centuries using magical paintings which act as doorways into the past, in order to save the world from the clutches of an evil alchemist. The Sorcerer's Letterbox, another time-travel tale, is based on the famous mystery of the Princes in the Tower about Edward V and his brother Richard, Duke of York, who were supposedly murdered on the orders of Richard III in 1483. The Clone Conspiracy is a science fiction thriller involving clandestine laboratories and secret experiments, while The Emerald Curse, based on my own reading of comic books while growing up, concerns Sam's adventures in a bizarre, and at times deadly, superhero universe. The Heretic's Tomb is set in the medieval period once again, this time during the Black Death in 1349.
My latest novel, The Doomsday Mask, was published in the spring. It's once again for ages 8–12 and in the science fiction and fantasy genre. It's a fast-paced adventure about ancient civilizations, mysterious artifacts, and shadowy secret societies.


CA: How long have you been writing books for children?

SR: One of the best things about writing for kids is that I can write about the kinds of things that fascinated me when I was young. Stories can be very imaginative if they are for children, which makes writing them so much fun. And, of course, in science fiction or fantasy, more or less anything you can imagine is possible, as you craft stories involving ancient mysteries, the unexplained, the paranormal, science fiction, time travel, parallel universes, alternate realities, weird and wonderful characters, and a multitude of "what if" scenarios.
Once I had children of my own, I came into contact with children's books again for the first time in many years. Picture books initially, of course, but then early chapter books and novels. When I decided to try my hand at writing novels and stories, I found myself drawn to the types of things I used to read as a child. I read lots of science fiction, as well fantasy writers and ghost stories while growing up. I also read a tremendous number of comic books, in which the stories took me across the universe, into strange dimensions, into the land of the Norse gods or had me swinging from the New York rooftops. At high school, I studied a lot of history and have retained my interest in the subject up to the present day. I also read voraciously on ancient civilizations, mysteries, the supernatural, and the unexplained.

CA: Do you offer school and library visits?

SR: Yes, I offer a wide range of presentations, workshops, and author-in-residence programs for schools and libraries. I cover such topics as where ideas come from, story structure, editing and revision, character development, time-travel stories, history, and research. You can learn more about them here and I offer study guides for all the books.
I also conduct virtual author visits via video using the Skype network, and you can get some idea of how it works from my videos on YouTube.

I also offer workshops for adults, both in person and online, as well as online workshops for children, which are proving very popular. I did a lot of work in summer camps this year, some of which you can learn about here. In addition, here in Calgary I work as a writing instructor with home school children, the local school board's continuing education program, the University. I am also an instructor with the National Writing for Children Centre and will be presenting at schools libraries in the UK as part of the Off the Shelf Festival of Writing and Reading this fall.

CA: What are you working on now?

SR: I have another completed novel on a paranormal theme which I am seeking a home for, if there are any interested editors and publishers reading this. I'm working on a number of editing projects for other writers, have numerous projects of my own for future novels, and I am collaborating on several picture books with a local illustrator. In addition to novel writing, I offer copywriting services for business, such as editorial content for websites. I have a few of those types of projects, as well as upcoming articles for magazines and online publications on a wide variety of topics, such as the articles written for Dark Roasted Blend on a bewildering variety of incredible and fantastic topics You can search or my articles on the Dark Roasted Blend home page.
I'm also involved in a large local event set for the fall called the Calgary Children's Book Fair and Conference.

CA: Any advice for aspiring children’s writers?



Though Bill Peet's professional accomplishments included author, illustrator, and animator/filmmaker, drawing was his most cherished hobby - from as far back as he can remember. He said,

"I drew for hours at a time just for the fun of it, and yet I was hoping to find some practical reason to draw for the rest of my life."

Englishwoman Liz Kessler has always wanted to write. Not only that, but she was convinced from a very early age that she would become a poet. She was nine years old when her poem, "Jinx's Shop," was published in the Manchester Evening News, in 1976. Yet, fate had different writing goals in mind for Ms Kessler: by the time she'd reached her 30's, she had decided to write books - switching her job to part-time in order to have more time to write.

Growing up in New York City, Rebecca Stead was a voracious reader. It was an intensely private experience for her: she loved to read books, but hated to discuss them with others. She wanted to believe that the worlds she read about were only hers to enter (and hated that it wasn't true).

One could say that Linda Buckley-Archer is something of an accidental novelist. Originally trained as a linguist, she started writing what came to be known as The Gideon Trilogy in June, 2000, to entertain her children.

Are you a published children’s or YA author or illustrator? If you are, you can enter to win 1 of 6 spots at JacketFlap’s booth in The Orange County Children’s Book Festival (Southern California) for Oct 4.

To qualify, you must be a published author or illustrator of children’s or young adult books, and at least one of your books has to be listed on your JacketFlap profile in your published works section. To enter, all you have to do is post a comment saying “I want the space” on the Event’s page on JacketFlap.

It’s my pleasure to start the NEW monthly Virtual Book Tours rotation with Pamela Devor.

Welcome, Pamela. It's always so interesting to learn about authors. Would you tell us a little about yourself?

Hello! I am an author of children’s novels. My first book is available at my website: www.PamelaDevor.com. I have a lively imagination and include a lot of fun and magic, as well as good family values in my books. Many of the experiences in my first book originated from visits to my cousins’ farm as a child. I am currently finishing my second novel, which is a sequel to The Troll Door, The Trunk & The Compass.
I am a wife, mother, and grandmother to ten beautiful talented grandchildren.
I live in Southern Illinois with my family.

I love the cover of your book. Please tell us a little about the story.

“The Troll Door, The Trunk, and the Compass” is about five siblings who spend the summer with their Aunt on the farm. There are lots of fun farm experiences for the kids who are thrilled to be there. Their aunt has had a hard time for about six months because her fiancé disappeared (literally). She needs the children to distract her from her problem.

Alexander explores in the attic & finds an old trunk. Inside the trunk is a diary from a scientist who lived in the house over 20 years before. In addition to the diary is a compass that the scientist invented. The compass has dials for different years and different worlds. Alexander tries it, travels back in time and meets the scientist. Then together they set off to try to rescue his Aunt’s fiancé from another world, if it is not too late.

Wow, life on a farm and time travel. This sounds like a wonderful fantasy story.

Please let us know where we can find out more about you and your book.

The Troll Door, The Trunk & The Compass can be purchased on my website: www.PamelaDevor.com.

It is also available online at Barnes and Noble, and Amazon.

You can also visit me at my blog:
http://pamdevor.blogspot.com/

Thanks so much for visiting today, Pamela!

And, to our readers, please stop by again on March 4th – we’ll have questions and answers with Pamela.

See you in blog world,
Karen

Columnist, journalist and novelist Carl Hiaasen uses news headlines and stories, a healthy dose of satire, and his own passion for environmentalism to fuel his writing for both children and adults.

It was John Green's childhood ambition to be an oligochaetologist. (That's an earthworm scientist, to the uninitiated.) However, young John proved to have "a general inability to care for pets," resulting in the demise of his entire earthworm farm. 

Louise Fitzhugh spent her life devoted to the arts. She was an accomplished painter and a writer. She is perhaps most well known for her children's novel, Harriet the Spy (1964). Her written work's themes centered around contemporary social issues.

It is a writer's dream: Patricia Thomas' first published children's book - "Stand Back," Said the Elephant, "I'm Going to Sneeze!" (1971) - has never gone out of print. 

Lene Kaaberbol started writing at 12 years old. She published her first book age 15, in 1975 - a novel about a girl named Tina and her horses - and added more to make a series throughout her high school years. She moved into fantasy writing when she was 18 years old, after discovering the work of J.R.R. Tolkien.

Janet and Allan Ahlberg - husband and wife, and one of Britain's most successful author/illustrator teams - worked together for over 20 years, writing and illustrating well over 100 award-winning children's books together.

Richard Peck has this advice to young people hoping to be writers: "get to know people who don't conform to the group" (from the Carol Hurst article referenced below) - a common theme in many of his own titles.

Kate DiCamillo writes for children and adults, and thinks of herself as a storyteller. Born in Philadelphia, PA, but raised from the time she was five years old in Clermont, Florida, she earned a BA in English from the University of Florida.