How to use this Page

Hi all,

We were all pretty excited for Melisa last week when she received her very first royalty check. I gave her the cash but we decided to frame the check as a souvenier from her first days as an accomplished author. She surpassed our expectations by matching my own royalty check (wooo hooo!) for this quarter. I think a lot of parents have bought her book in order to encourage their children to write and--why not?!--publish as well.

Can I brag a little more?.... Midwest Book Review and Reader Views gave her book 5-star reviews!

Here's a snippet:

"Written and illustrated by nine-year-old Melisa Eyuboglu, Angel in a Bubble is a softcover children's picturebook about a girl whose angel turns into a bubble. Distressed by this turn of events, the girl resolves to visit God and ask Him to change the rule that all angels who fall into the ocean become bubbles. An authentic and heartwarming showcase of a child's vivid imagination."

--Midwest Book Review

"Alison has made a very special friend. She has gotten the chance to meet her own personal angel. Her dog Amigo has also gotten to meet his. Alison's mother doesn't believe that Alison has ever met her angel, until she meets her herself. Her angel has a problem and only Alison can fix it.

She must meet the creator of the angel and request something very special. Her angel is in a bubble and there is only one way to correct that. She, Amigo and two other friends travel up a high mountain to get closer to God. They also have to climb upon a rainbow.

With "Angel In a Bubble," Melisa Eyuboglu has written and illustrated a beautiful book for kids. This book makes children use their imagination and wonder what they would ask God for if they ever got to meet him face to face. The illustrations are pencil-like drawings with watercolors. Without the fancy drawings in some books, these will have children really understand the story. I hope Melisa writes more books about the adventures of her and Amigo."

--Reader Views

I keep encouraging Melisa to write as much as I can. She submitted a poem to Launchpad Magazine a couple of months ago. The editor got back to us today saying that although he won't be able to publish her poem (apparently it has a bit too much violence for their readers--it has swords and dragons), he liked her writing very much and would like to invite her to write another poem to accompany an illustration they will be publishing in their "Fairy Tales and Fantasy" issue. I guess you could say that's her first assignment. We'll see how it goes. In the meantime, she will submit her dragon poem to Stories for Children Magazine. We'll see what this editor says...

I would like to share with you the latest review of my daughter's book, ANGEL IN A BUBBLE, by Lea Schizas at The Muse Book Reviews. The review got me all emotional. I don't know who's more excited about this--Melisa or I? In the photo Melisa is with her dog, Amigo, who plays a leading role in her story. If only he knew!

"How refreshing to read a story filled with encouragement and determination to reach a goal. More than that, Angel in a Bubble was written and illustrated by talented nine-year old Melisa Eyuboglu.

In Angel in a Bubble we meet young Allison and her dog Amigo. One fine sunny day Allison meets two angels and her quest to help one of them begins.

They set a path to ask God to help one of the angels who was transformed into a bubble after a mishap with water. Along the way they meet Muffin the mouse and Snuggles the deer who tag along.

A delightful and spiritually encouraging story filled with illustrations drawn by the young author. At such a young age, Melisa shows great promise as a writer. I highly recommend this 28 page book to one and all, regardless of age, to enjoy and reflect on Melisa’s message to open our hearts and help a person in need.

I'd also like to acknowledge and extend kudos to Guardian Angels Publishing for allowing our young muses an avenue to express themselves through writing."

Lea Schizas - Muse Book Reviews Founder

That’s right. Talk about living with the competition!

Guardian Angel Publishing (http://www.guardianangelpublishing.com/), a company specializing in children’s picture ebooks and paperbacks, has started an imprint of books written and illustrated by children under twelve years of age. These books will be given the same amount of attention as those written by their adult counterparts, distributed to schools and libraries by Follett, Inc (the largest distributor of children’s ebooks to schools and libraries), and sold through all the major online retailers as well as on order at any brick and mortar bookstore. The low expense of electronic and print-on-demand publishing has made this innovation possible.

Of course my daughter is thrilled… how can she not be? Already all her classmates have asked for her autograph and her school librarian bought a copy of her book. There’s no question a thing like this can do wonders for a child’s confidence and self esteem, not to mention the way it also encourages and nurtures a child’s artistic talents. She’s already planning a sequel and I can’t blame her. To learn more about her book, visit: http://www.guardianangelpublishing.com/angelinbubble.htm.

How did you find out about this publisher? How did your daughter write and illustrate a book? Does it take long? … You may ask yourself.

Actually, I didn’t even know there were publishers who were doing this, and I stumbled upon this company while searching a publisher for myself. As to how did my daughter write and illustrate the book, it happened last summer… yes, on those long, hot, and often boring summer days when you have nothing to do and wish school would start soon. We turned the kitchen into an atelier--papers, paints, pencils, crayons everywhere. I wanted to teach her the whole process of how a picture book is made. She worked and I supervised. Sometimes I helped, too. When she faltered, I kept encouraging her.
After 5 days (we worked about 3-4 hours a day) we had what is called a dummy!

When, a few months later, I stumbled upon Guardian Angel Publishing, I knew I had to give it a try. Lynda Burch, the publisher, answered the same day. She said she loved the book and would like to encourage my daughter’s talent. The rest is history. My daughter is the first author under this imprint but there are books by other young authors in line as well.

Is this to remain an oddity or will it become a trend? I have devoted and plan to still devote time promoting her book, but would a mom who is not an author know how to do this? What about book reviewing? So far I have not been too successful gathering reviews because some reviewers, while they congratulate my daughter on her achievement, aren’t sure how to critique a child’s work. As a reviewer, I fully understand, so I’m concentrating on gathering endorsements instead.

Guardian Angel Publishing is offering contests sponsored in elementary schools and will select winners for publication. If your child has written and illustrated a book and you would be interested in seeing it published, you may find more information and submission guidelines at: http://www.guardianangelpublishing.com/angeltoangel.htm.

In the end, I think this is something schools should definitely get involved with in order to encourage students to read and write. There must be thousands of talented little authors out there who aren’t even aware of their talents and whose creativity needs unleashing and nurturing. Even if you don’t submit to a publisher (though I have to tell you, there’s nothing quite like holding your child’s published book in your hands!) this is a fun and educational activity to do with your child during those long summer holidays.