For this month's Virtual Book Tour, I am happy to be hosting the talented, and very, very busy Lea Schizas. Lea is the author of Bubba & Giganto: Odds Against Them
Lea Schizas is an award-winning author and editor, a short story competition winner, living in Montreal with her husband Jimmy and five children. She describes herself as “finally woke up after a 23-year self-induced coma taking care of the family, and rediscovered my passion for writing.”
She is the Founder and Editor in Chief of two Writer’s Digest 101 Top Writing Sites since 2004 and recipients of several Preditors and Editors Awards: Apollo’s Lyre, an online writer’s Zine: http://www.apollos-lyre.com/; the online writing critique community The MuseItUp Club, http://museitupclub.tripod.com/;
-Founder of The Muse Online Writers Conference, http://www.freewebs.com/themuseonlinewritersconference/
-Founder of The Muse Marquee, http://themusemarquee.tripod.com/
-Founder of The Muse Book Reviews, http://themusebookreviews.tripod.com/
-Reviewer for the award-winning site AllBooksReviews.com
-Editor for Double Dragon Publishing
-Submissions Editor for Red Rose Publishing.
She is the author of the Young Adult paranormal suspense/thriller “Doorman’s Creek”, co-author and editor of the nonfiction writing reference book “The Muse On Writing” (http://www.freewebs.com/themuseonwriting ) and the fantasy “Aleatory’s Junction” (http://aleatorysjunction.tripod.com/ ), and author of “The Librarian Who Wasn’t”, a short story appearing in the EPPIE award-winning Anthology “Twisted Tails II”, and an article published in the book, “Hollywood Experts” a Silver Foreword award winner.
In 2009, she has been offered three new contracts:
Libby the Odd Squirrel and Robbie and Katie Get A Hairy Scare
both contracted by Guardian Angel Publishing and 4RV Publishing has offered her a contract for I Don’t Want A Haircut
You can read more of Lea’s bio and accomplishments at:
http://leaschizaseditor.com/
Lea, tell us a little bit about Bubba & Giganto.
Bubba hates it when his dad gets a contract for a new project. That means uprooting the family from one city and moving to another. Attending a new school is a major pet peeve of his. His smart alecky nature attracts the bullies in every school he’s attended.
On the first day of school, Bubba bumps into this rather large student. Fearing a confrontation, he wears his tough guy attitude and waits for the punches to begin. Remarkably, the new student apologizes, and Bubba and David (aka Giganto as Bubba eventually nicknames him) become best friends.
Bubba and Giganto try out for the high school soccer team, and that’s when trouble begins. Bubba knew eventually he’d meet the bullies of the school, and he was right.
In the first initial weeks, Bubba learns about a death that occurred the previous year; faces the bullies on several occasions; helps Giganto practice soccer before tryouts; and challenges the bullies to a scrimmage.
Little does Bubba know Giganto holds a secret - one that will place Giganto in a deadly situation.
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By: Kevin McNamee,
on 4/24/2010
Blog: Kevin McNamee: Children's Author (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Virtual Book Tour, Lea Schizas, Muse Online Conference, Bubba and Giganto, Add a tag
By: Mayra Calvani,
on 3/26/2010
Blog: Mayra's Secret Bookcase (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: book reviewing, muse online conference, how to write a review, the art of reviewing, Add a tag
Muse Online Conference
One-Week Workshop: The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing
By Mayra Calvani & Anne K. Edwards
Registration is FREE!
Is your nose always stuck in a book? Do you enjoy sharing your ideas about books with readers? Become a book reviewer!
Day 1: Why do you want to
By: Shari Lyle-Soffe ,
on 7/20/2009
Blog: Shari Lyle-Soffe (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Guardian Angel Publishing, Pump Up Your Book Promotion, Musing Our Children, Muse Online Conference, Cheryl Malandrinos, The Kids Book Connection, Writer2Writer, LongRidge Writers Group, Add a tag
CHERYL: Thanks for having me here, Shari. I’m a married mother of three kids, ages 22, soon to be 8, and 5. I’ve lived in Western Massachusetts all my life. We actually live in the town my husband grew up in, though where I lived is only 20 minutes away. Our home also includes three adorable cats.
SHARI: HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WRITING? HAVE YOU TAKEN ANY COURSES IN WRITING? WHAT WERE THEY AND WOULD YOU RECOMMEND THEM?
CHERYL: I’ve been writing since I was a teenager, but didn’t begin my career until I became a stay-at-home mom five years ago.
When I decided to take my dream seriously, I enrolled in an article writing program offered by Long Ridge Writers Group. Breaking into Print showed me how to create marketable articles and how to draft queries. I highly recommend them. I had the chance to work with a multi-published author and writer, one who they matched me with based upon the answers on my application. We clicked instantly and I learned a great deal.
SHARI: I UNDERSTAND YOU HAVE A BOOK COMING OUT IN 2010. HAS IT BEEN A DIFFICULT ROAD GETTING TO THAT FIRST CONTRACT? WHAT KIND OF BOOK IS IT? PICTURE BOOK, EASY READER, MG????
CHERYL: Yes, I do. The Little Shepherd Boy should be out late next year from Guardian Angel Publishing. My book is a Christian children’s picture book about a young shepherd boy named Obed, who visits Baby Jesus on the night of His birth.
I don’t know that I would say difficult, as much as I would say that it required me to decide if I had it in me to write a book and submit it to a publisher. We don’t realize how much power we have. We can be our own worst enemies, throwing up all types of obstacles to prevent us from ever submitting that first manuscript. I didn’t want to be the person who always had an excuse for why I wasn’t published; so I made the time, listened to feedback, made revisions and sent out that query.
SHARI: DID YOU START OUT WRITING FOR CHILDRENS MAGAZINES OR WERE BOOKS ALWAYS YOUR TARGET?
CHERYL: I actually haven’t written for children’s magazines. Most of my articles focus on time management and organization tips for writers. I do, however, write reviews of children’s books at my blog, The Kids Book Connection, and have contributed to Musing Our Children’s quarterly newsletter, Pages & Pens in the past.
SHARI: YOU ARE EDITOR OF THE MUSING OUR CHILDREN NEWSLETTER. TELL US ABOUT THAT AND HOW IT CAME ABOUT.
CHERYL: Musing Our Children is a group of authors, storytellers, editors and illustrators dedicated to encouraging a love of reading and writing in young people through school visits, workshops and our quarterly newsletter, Pages & Pens. Our founder, and my good friend, Lea Schizas is so talented that she is constantly involved in a multitude of projects, and needed to relinquish her duties as editor for Pages & Pens. I strongly believe in Musing Our Children’s mission, and therefore, I stepped up to the plate to take on the role once filled by Lea. I only hope I can do as good a job as she.
SHARI: YOU WERE A CONTRIBUTOR TO THE MUSE ONLINE WRITERS CONFERENCE LAST YEAR. IT IS A WONDERFUL RESOURCE FOR WRITERS. WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO BE A CONTRIBUTOR?
CHERYL: Here again I must sing Lea’s praises because without her efforts, I doubt the Muse Online Writers Conference would run as smoothly and be as wonderful as it is. I have attended since the first conference and am already signed up for this year’s conference. Registration ends on August 1st, so anyone who is interested should sign up now!
It was exciting and scary being a first time presenter. I had never presented at any writers conference before so this was all new territory for me. I wanted to provide attendees with enough information to keep the discussion flowing and offer interesting assignments that would allow them to make changes in how they managed their time, set goals and organized their writing space.
The other challenge was that I also signed up for several workshops. Juggling homework and running a workshop required me to make sure I didn’t waste any time during that week. Thankfully I am a very organized person and goal setting is something I’ve done most of my adult life.
SHARI: YOU ARE A REGULAR CONTRIBUTOR TO WRITER2WRITER. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN DOING THAT?
CHERYL: Working with Cheryl Wright of Writer2Writer came about as a result of the first Muse Online Writers Conference in 2006. A discussion began about whether it is a good idea to write for non-paying markets to secure clips. I mentioned I had written a series of time management articles geared toward writers for a now defunct Ezine, for which I received only clips. Cheryl contacted me about them and my first article appeared in December 2006.
SHARI: HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED IN THESE THINGS, HOW DID YOU LEARN ABOUT THEM?
CHERYL: The Muse Online Writers Conference is a great way to network. That’s how I find out about a lot of things. It is also how I ended up submitting my first children’s book manuscript to Guardian Angel. I tend to travel in a lot of the same circles as my fellow Musers.
I work as a virtual book tour coordinator for Pump Up Your Book Promotion, which has allowed me to meet so many talented writers. Relationships are forged and friendships made, things can flow out of those moments. And since I am a blogger and book reviewer, I have publishers and publicists contacting me on a regular basis. This helps keep me in tune with what’s going on in the industry, what books are out there, and what publishers are looking for.
SHARI: WHAT IS THE BEST ADVICE YOU CAN GIVE TO A NEW CHILDREN’S WRITER?
CHERYL: I’m not sure I’m the best one to be giving advice since I still have so much to learn, but one thing I remind aspiring authors of is that they have the power to make their dreams come true. They need to use it. Stop letting lack of time, fear of failure and self-doubt get in the way of accomplishing what they want. You need to face that person in the mirror and ask, “Do I want this badly enough?” If the answer is “yes” then you’ll find a way to make it happen.
SHARI: WHAT HAS BEEN THE BIGGEST WRITING OBSTACLE YOU HAVE HAD TO DEAL WITH?
CHERYL: With two young children at home and working full-time, there isn’t a lot of time left for me to focus on my writing. Even as organized as I am, I still get overwhelmed at times—usually because I’ve overcommitted myself. I make a point to write weekly to-do lists, revisit my goals quarterly and am trying to train myself to say “no” more often.
SHARI: IF YOU COULDN’T WRITE, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU WOULD BE DOING?
CHERYL: This is a hard question because I’ve always loved writing. Even before I was a teenager writing Scooby-Doo type mysteries, poetry and angst-ridden stories about young girls losing their mothers to cancer as I did, I enjoyed writing book reports and essays. I can’t imagine not writing.
If for some reason God hadn’t given me that gift of words, I still think I would work in book promotion. Coordinating virtual book tours has introduced to me many great books I never would have discovered otherwise. I truly love my job!
SHARI: DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL WRITING SPACE? TELL US ABOUT IT.
CHERYL: Right now I do. Whether I keep my office depends upon whether or not we have another baby. The smallest upstairs bedroom is where I hang my writing hat. My desk doesn’t have much on it because I don’t like the clutter. It faces the windows so that I can see our children playing in the backyard and also catch a glimpse of the woods, whose trees turn all sorts of glorious colors in the fall.
Our old changing table serves as a cabinet for the books I need to review, office supplies and writing craft books that I refer to from time to time. Behind my desk, on the other side of the room is my two-drawer lateral filing cabinet. The top holds my dancing and bowling trophies and some nautical décor. I also have a shadow box picture that I bought on the Outer Banks of North Carolina one year, and a beautiful painting created by one of my book tour clients is on another wall. He lives in North Carolina and knows how much we enjoy the Outer Banks.
SHARI: WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON NOW? DO YOU HAVE ANOTHER BOOK IN THE WORKS?
CHERYL: Most of my time is spent on virtual book tours, but I am working on the revisions to another Christmas-themed book titled, My Visit with Santa. I have a few other projects in various stages. I am also currently editing a book for a client.
SHARI: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR VISITING WITH US!
CHERYL: Thanks again for having me here Shari. I enjoyed spending time with you and your readers.
By: Mayra Calvani,
on 9/10/2008
Blog: Mayra's Secret Bookcase (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: young adult fiction, paranormal, lea schizas, suspense, muse online conference, Add a tag
A resident of Montreal, award-winning multi-genre author and editor Lea Schizas describes herself as a late bloomer who “finally woke up after a 23-year self-induced coma taking care of the family, and rediscovered my passion for writing.” She is the co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of two Writer’s Digest 101 Top Writing Sites of 2005 & 2006 and recipients of the Preditors and Editors Most Useful Writing Sites Award: Apollo’s Lyre and The MuseItUp Club. She's also the founder of The Muse Online Writers Conference, The Muse Marquee, and co-founder of Coffee Cramp eZine. Her published works include The Rock of Realm, Doorman's Creek, Aleatory's Junction, and The Muse on Writing, among other books for children. Because of her supportive, helpful sites and groups for writers, Lea is affectionately referred to as 'Mother Hen'. Her book review site, Muse Book Reviews, caters to authors of most genres.
Lea's books...
When Kyle Anderson and his two buddies decide to explore a cave hidden within Doorman's Creek, the last thing they expected to find was a skeleton... and an unknown entity, throwing them right into the path of a serial killer.
Faced with a sudden gift of visions into past and present disappearances, Kyle must now track down who the murderer is before another family member gets killed.
What if you were hit with the realization you were of royal lineage…to another realm? This is exactly what fourteen-year old Alexandra Stone has to face in the Young Adult fantasy novel ‘The Rock of Realm’.
In everyday life we face dilemmas, obstacles, and situations where a decision needs to be made. Whether we choose the right or wrong path, only time will tell. In Aleatory, the residents are used to strange occurrences, to newcomers traveling through but never returning. But for these newcomers, Aleatory’s Junction will prove to be more than just a fork in a corner out of town.
ISBN: 1-55404-400-6Genre: Fantasy/SF eBook Length: 354 Pages Print: 502 PagesPublished: October 2006Imprint: Double Dragon Publishing
Print Book Available Here
Vampires, werewolves, zombies… all legendary creatures hunting their preys, all containing their own personal tales and backgrounds.
But the most evasive story to be told is that of Lord John Erdely from the Carpathian Mountains in Romania, Transylvania.
Lord John Erdely lived in the 16th century and date of death cannot be confirmed since no body has ever been found. It is rumored, but no documents support this theory, that he dealt in black magic to suppress the ongoing collaboration of the churches to bring a unified religion to all people, a Greek Catholic practice.
It is also rumored he may have used black magic to contain his servants, to blind and deafen them from words spoken to them while on errands for the Lord within the village of Cornifu. Villagers became increasingly suspicious of Lord Erdely when family members went missing.
Enter the present time…
All visitors staying in Cornifu Hotel are surprised with a mystery invitation for a one day excursion to Erdely Castle. Befuddled but amused at the same time, they accept, unaware of the events to follow.
Join our characters as each discovers secrets and mysteries that will change their lives forever.
To purchase Lea's books, visit her website.
Subscribe to Lea's Monthly Ebook Newsletter!
"For a yearly subscription of ONLY $10.00, you get twelve issues of Monthly eBook Newsletter - with bonus issues scattered throughout the year. Some of the links are: AGENTS - PUBLISHERS - REVIEW SITES - PROMO SITES - MAGAZINES - ASSOCIATIONS - and more. You'll also get writing articles and an opportunity to showcase your own bragging rites."--Lea Schizas
Lea also offers critique services for children's picture books and novels.
Picture books under 1,000 words: $30
Longer works: $2 per page.
Lea, I don't know how anyone finds time to breathe while raising 5 kids, much less write! You are one busy and talented lady - an inspiration to all.
Kevin, thanks for sharing Lea's story with us.
Thank you for hosting me today, Kevin.
And Darcia, I've said it once and I'll say it again...when you love what you do there is time for anything. :) Thank you for taking the time and commenting. I really appreciate it.
Wow, Lea sure accomplishes a lot. Her books sound great, too.
Lea, I'm in awe of you -- where do you find time to sleep? Many, many thanks for all you do -- I wouldn't be writing fiction if it weren't for you and the muse conference.
Peggy
Lea, you're a wonder. I wish you could bottle your, what seems like, never ending energy--I'd buy a bottle or two, or a hundred. :)
I wish I had my own office to work in also!
Lea is one busy girl. Maybe she doesn't sleep. That's how she does it. But it helps to have your own place to go to write. Have a great weekend.
Stephen Tremp
At the 12-state library conference (MPLA conference, this year held in Oklahoma City, next year in Billings, Montana)earlier this week,several librarians were interested in Bubba's message about bullying. Hopefully their interest will become orders.
I love Lea, I love all that Lea does for the writing community, and I love Lea's book "Bubba and Giganto."
I agree with Lea, to keep writing and editing and etc. the way she does, you have to love it. Getting into your characters is "hopefully" a way for all of use to stay out of the asylum.
Great post, Kevin
Some day I'm going to fly to Canada, follow Lea around for a day, and figure out how to squeeze the last drop out of a few precious hours.
I want to thank Kevin for hosting me today and for everyone taking the time to add a comment.
Time is relevant. Passion is crucial.
Remember that we have only one chance on this earth. So let's make the best of it.
Here's wishing everyone tons of success with their own writing.
Lea, I always enjoy reading about your busy life. You are amazing. Bubba and Giganto is a great story that should appeal to teens experiencing some of the things that Bubba and Giganto face.
Wishing you the best.
Thanks for the great interview via, Lea. The woman is amazing.
Lea, I really don't know how you do it all, but don't stop. I know you've got many more places to go.
All my best,
Cheryl
Thanks for the great interview Lea, and thanks to everyone for all the comments.
Kevin
What an inspiring interview. If Lea can do it, I can certainly try. Thanks! Great timing for this book. I'm glad it's on the market.
Karen
Wonderful interview! It's so nice to learn more about your Lea.
Wow Lea, you are amazing! Thanks for the dose of inspiration this morning.
Are you sure you are not getting up in the middle of the night and sleep writing? That would explain a lot. Much luck and success with your book, Lea.