Going Back to Elementary School

As a children's literature writer, I love giving back to kids.

I say we embrace the new year by declaring to change the world one book at a time! Right before the holiday break, I had the pleasure of visiting my former elementary school, York Elementary, to read to two first grade classrooms.

I read my new holiday picture book, SANTA'S SECRET, to 38 children and three teachers. The kids were great listeners, asked several questions about writing, and were delighted to receive free autographed books. I also gave them crayons, coloring books, and Christmas candy. One classroom informed me they had researched me in advance by reading my blog and Amazon author page! I sure hope they visit again and see themselves here.


Going back to my former elementary school proved to be a delightful, nostalgic day. I visited the cafeteria and saw the stage where I played Mary in a Nativity scene. Guess that wouldn't happen these days, sadly. I also visited several classrooms where I once sat as a young girl eager to learn as an extremely shy student.

Afterward, I watched the yellow school buses line up in front awaiting excited children and looked longingly across the street where Andy's Grocery Store used to be. I told one of the teachers that Andy's always had a glass case full of penny candy and students would fill the store the minute school was over. Andy wasn't exactly a "kid" guy. In fact, he was a big grouch. Still, we loved his penny candy and his sour mood never kept us away even if we were slightly afraid of him.


Going back to York planted an indelible smile on my face for weeks afterward. I can still remember the students' smiles, applause, questions, and especially the little girl who hugged me and whispered, "I've never had my own crayons before." Tears sprang to my eyes as I gave her a tight embrace and wished her a Merry Christmas.

I'll never forget that day. I hope all kidlit authors do the same and visit their own schools.

Even if you only donate one book to a surprised child or to the school's library, you'll improve someone's life. Try it. Sprinkle some of that fairy dust. It's fun and what a great way to start 2014.

New Release & Reviews: SANTA'S SECRET

My new holiday picture book, SANTA'S SECRET, has been released! I had my first book signing at the Kickapoo High School Holiday Bazaar on Nov. 2 and am finalizing several more signings for November and December. Watch for details.

I was inspired to write SANTA'S SECRET while spending time with family in warm, sunny Florida and Arizona last Christmas. It just didn't "seem" like Christmas since I had always lived in the cold, snowy, blustery Midwest. So, I wondered if kids felt that way, whether they grew up in warm climates, were transplants or were simply vacationing over the holidays.


The main character, George, is a grump. It's Christmas Eve and his mom tries everything to get him in a good mood (playing Christmas music, decorating, making cookies) but George isn't having it. He is positive Old Saint Nick won't visit. After all, he only sees pictures of Santa where there's snow on the ground. George would do anything to have a snowman in his yard. His mother tries and tries to convince George that Santa goes everywhere to no avail. But, finally, George discovers Santa has a big secret. After that, he can't wait for the holiday magic to begin!

So, now you know the backstory for my new holiday release, and after you view the pictures in this post, I think you'll see why I write kidlit. Just look at eight-year-old Alex delving into my book. His mother told me he started reading before they got to the car because he just had to know Santa's secret! Then, he wouldn't tell his mom and instead made her read my book to find out!

Here is his mother's review: "Alex tested. Alex approved."

 I also received a wonderful review from Kylie, who is Shirley McCann's granddaughter. Shirley told me she asked Kylie if she liked my book and Kylie answered, "I LOVED it." Here is Kylie's exact review (that she wrote herself on Amazon):

"hey Beth its me kylie I loved this book I am 8 years old Santa likes all weather in this book."

Finally, here is a partial quote from Shirley McCann (my good friend, full disclosure):  "...Loved the surprise ending. You'll want to keep this book for generations, as it's the perfect holiday book that will soon become a must read tradition, right along with The Night Before Christmas. We'll be reading it several times during this holiday season."

SANTA'S SECRET is available on Amazon here:
http://www.amazon.com/Santas-Secret-Beth-Carter/dp/1612252265/ref=cm_cr_pr_pb_t

And on Barnes & Noble here:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/santas-secret-beth-carter/1117049281?ean=9781612252261

 

Please keep the photos and reviews coming! They warm my heart. Don't you want to know Santa's secret? When you find out, no spoilers, please!

Blog Hop for Children's Authors

Welcome to the children’s author blog hop! Thanks to Middle Grade author S.D. Keeling at http://sdkeeling.com who invited me to participate. After you finish here, I invite you to read about Sharon's MG fantasy adventure. Blog hops are a great way for authors and readers to connect, plus by adding links to each other’s pages, we create some dynamic group marketing.

The blog hop rules are simple. Each author answers four questions and invites three other children’s authors to participate the following week. I invited some entertaining, talented authors to participate. You'll see their names, book titles and links to their sites below.

First up, my job is to answer four blog hop questions as follows:

What are you working on right now?
I always juggle several projects simultaneously but I’ve just submitted my first-ever children’s holiday picture book to my publisher. I’m anxiously awaiting the illustrations for SANTA’S SECRET. It’s such fun to watch your words come to life and Christmas is such a special time for kids. I can’t wait to share it with you. My previously published picture books (say that three times!) are WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE? a book I wrote to inspire children to dream big during our country's high unemployment and THE MISSING KEY, a wee mystery where Mother and Amy turn the house upside down in search of an elusive key. Both are available on Amazon and BN.com.

After 20 years in marketing in corporate America and now as an author, I see a great need for a marketing book for authors. I’ve given talks on marketing and authors crave this information. Many don't know where to begin, so I’m in the process of drafting such a book tailored to authors.

I’ve also just submitted my debut novel, THURSDAYS AT COCONUTS, to a few agents and editors who are currently considering it. I tend to write very long (350 pages) or very short (6-word memoirs)! I enjoy mixing it up and encourage everyone to do the same. That way, you are never, ever bored.

Why do you write what you do?
Several close friends know my story. I started out writing novels (women’s fiction, contemporary romance and romantic suspense), but a horrific tragedy struck our family. It was heartbreaking and I had to set my novel aside for nearly three years because I couldn’t bear to edit my own tragic scenes. It was just too much. I wanted to keep writing so I switched gears (genres) and researched writing for children.

Now, I can’t think of anything more important than children’s literature. I loved reading as a kid and would check out piles of books at the library. I also enjoyed reading to my toddler daughter at bedtime. When I get fan letters, smiles and hugs from children who have read my books, it’s much better than receiveing a huge diamond necklace. I’m finally getting back to novel writing but I will ALWAYS write for children. It has been my therapy, my joy and my honor.

What is the hardest part about writing?
For me, its distractions like social media (especially Facebook) and chores at home. When I worked in healthcare, banking and education, I had weekly deadlines, a boss and board of directors to answer to, so it was much easier to stay on task and churn out volumes of work. I had to be disciplined and organized. Now, that I work for myself, I start later, play longer, throw in laundry, and get mad at myself for being unproductive. Maybe I should hire a pretend “boss” or lease office space and dress up!

What scares you?
Public speaking scares me (as it does 99 percent of the population, apparently). I force myself to speak to groups but I’m usually a wreck for two weeks beforehand. When I figure out what I’m going to say and have my handouts prepared, I’m fairly calm once I get to the meeting. In fact, most participants tell me I do a great job. A secret: I even find it a little intimidating to walk into a classroom but once I start reading and see the kids’ faces, I relax and always leave with a smile wrapped around my head. Still, public speaking is scary. I know we have to put ourselves out there as authors and what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger, right?

I hope you got to know more about me. Now, don’t forget to hop over to my fabulous friends’ blogs next week. All of their books are amazing!

Shirley McCann, YA mystery writer and author of The Necklace
http://shirleymccann.blogspot.com

Rob Myers, Picture book author of Ignor Ramus - A Curious Rhyme
http://ignorramus.com

Phyllis Griggs, Picture book author of Bob Beetle Book Bug
http://bobbeetlebookbug.blogspot.com

Tim Hill, Picture book author of a three-book series. First book: Joe the Crab Takes A Walk
http://joethecrab.com

Inspiring Children

In late March, I read to second graders at Greenwood. Their curious minds always delight me and remind me why I write children's books in addition to novels. I always leave schools with a smile on my face.

After I read my book, WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE?, I asked the students what they wanted to be when they grew up. After all, I wrote this book to inspire children to dream big! One by one, they answered very specifically with careers such as professional tennis player to marine biologist to attorney. These were high achievers!

Then, I explained how to create a story starting with either a plot or a character. We decided our main characters would be a pig and a dog. The students named them Petunia (the pig) and Cookie (the dog). I talked about using the five senses when writing so the reader could really put themselves into the story--to show the story and not just tell it. I also talked about creating conflict to make the story interesting and a bit about pacing (i.e., removing the boring parts). When we talked about conflict, the students came up with some hilarious situations for the animals, and storylines took off in many directions.

I suggested they each write their own ending since they had the "bones" of the story. I was delighted when a boy (toward the end of my talk after we had moved on) raised his hand with yet another suggestion about the pig and dog's dilemma. He was really thinking about his story--and HE was the one in the beginning who told me he didn't like to write! Success.

Toward the end, we danced to a theme song that I'll talk about in a future post. Finally, there was a short Q&A where the students had insightful questions such as: "How did it feel to become published?" and "How long did it take to write your book?" and "How did you work with the illustrator?" in addition to many more very grown-up questions.

It was a great day. Thanks to Cecily Cornelius-White and Avery White for inviting me--and for taking me to lunch afterward!

Book Launch In September!

My picture book, WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE? will be released sooner than anticipated. It'll be available by mid-September. Yippee! I'm so excited.

As I've said previously, I wrote this book to instill hopes and dreams in little ones since they hear depressing news daily and most likely have parents or relatives who are unemployed. I want children to be optimistic and think they can achieve anything.

In WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE? the teacher, Mrs. McGee, poses that important question on the first day of school. Students excitedly (and sometimes shyly) answer in verse. Their delightful career aspirations cover the gamut from fireman to dancer to dentist. Some want to be a mommy while others aspire to be the president! Many other professions are mentioned. You'll just have to get the book to see which ones.

The book will be available on Amazon.com, online at Barnes & Noble, plus I'll have a stash for book signings. Hope to see you at a signing or at a school for a reading! Please let me know if you are an elementary school teacher or know one.

Many thanks to Mirror Publishing; the editor, Neal Wooten; and the illustrator, Leo Silva, for making my dream come true!