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

Another Article in Flash Fiction Chronicles & A Contest!

I have one more non-fiction article in Flash Fiction Chronicles! It's entitled "Five Tips For Writing Six-Word Memoirs." I know. It should be Six Tips For but this is an ongoing column where the editor posts "Five Tips For" on various writerly subjects.

Read my article and learn my tips for writing six-word memoirs. Believe it or not, I had a New York Times' bestselling author tell me she couldn't write them. Many other writers have told me they think six-word memoirs are difficult. I agree.  It's sometimes hard to tell a story in just six words. This very short genre forces us to be concise, which is a good trait for writers.

I hope you'll read my five tips and enter my contest.  http://www.everydayfiction.com/flashfictionblog/5-tips-for-writing-six-word-memoirs/comment-page-1/#comment-31412

Rules:

• Tell me about YOU or YOUR CAREER using just six words.
• Deadline: Friday, July 26, by midnight
• The winner will receive his/her choice of IT ALL CHANGED IN AN INSTANT (six-word memoirs from famous authors, celebrities and aspiring authors) or SIX WORDS ABOUT WORK which is a fun gift for yourself, graduates or bosses.

Have fun and good luck!

Flash Fiction Chronicles Featured My Article & A Contest!

My non-fiction article, "Get Published Using Just Six Words" was published in Flash Fiction Chronicles. http://www.everydayfiction.com/flashfictionblog/get-published-using-just-six-words/

Learn how (and why) I discovered six-word memoirs, read Hemingway's famous sixer, and see several examples of six-word memoirs by famous authors and celebrities.

To celebrate the publication of my article, I'm running a contest--a six-word memoir contest, naturally.

Tell me about your favorite--or worst--summer vacation whether it's boating on the lake, going to a theme park, picking up shells on the beach, visiting an historic site, a staycation, a family reunion, a romantic get-away or whatever. Just tell me your story in SIX words.

Deadline: Sunday, July 22.

Winner will receive their choice of an autographed six-word memoir collection, IT ALL CHANGED IN AN INSTANT or SIX WORDS ABOUT WORK.

Finishing A Novel Is Like Birthing A Baby

Let's face it. Finishing and editing a novel is like birthing a baby. We nurture the process and can't wait to get to the end. It usually takes at least a year and we know the stats like we did when we gave birth to our first, precious child. Date, time, weight, and height. Except in the case of a novel, the stats are slightly different.

A few days ago, I finished editing (for real this time after the fourth or eighth pass) my women's fiction, THURSDAYS AT COCONUTS. Here are my stats:

350 pages
67 chapters
87,236 words

Yep. It's long but women's fiction ranges between 80-100,000 words. Once an editor gets hold of it, I'm sure the word count will go up or down again. It has been edited several times and I sought professional advice from a former women's fiction editor from St. Martin's Press.

During her overall evaulation, she gave me great feedback like make the cop more likeable, take out some of the "S" names (I had four--Suzy, Sylvia, Sara and Sean that I hadn't even noticed because two of these come into play late in the novel) and get rid of some red herrings. She suggested a couple of other things that I didn't do--like delete a tragic scene and start on chapter 4 where she thought my writing got stronger. If I don't get picked up this go around, I think I'll listen to those suggestions.

Finally, though, this editor said three things that thrilled me. She said I was an excellent storyteller, a strong writer and she hoped my manuscript didn't get lost in a slush pile. Let's hope it doesn't.

What are your stats?

Editing Is Fun. What?!

I bet you never thought those words would escape my lips.

After years of saying I hated editing, I'm actually enjoying the process. Previously, I've always preferred the creation process--the actual writing--by a long shot and would find any reason to avoid editing. Cleaning toilets. Check. Laundry. Check. Exercise. Check. Painting my toenails. Check. You get the picture.

My newfound enjoyment of editing has me scratching my head. I dug into my 300+ page novel a few weeks ago with dread but discovered I looked forward to going into my writing cave daily. Who am I? I've been pondering this significant change.

It could be due to the fact that I now have several requests for my women's fiction, THURSDAYS AT COCONUTS. Yay! It's also possibly because I set my novel aside for three years due to a family tragedy and am rereading it with surprise and delight, almost like a new reader. Maybe it's because I had already edited it several times (more than I remembered) and my novel is in much better shape than I recalled. Maybe just maybe I'm finally embracing this crucial part of the writing process.

I've always had a few friends who loved the editing process. Some even liked it better than writing the first draft. That's crazy talk. Those people are a bit off kilter if you ask me, but I digress. Whatever the reason, I'm down to my final pages. I keep hitting "control end" to count how many pages remain. My heart pounds, my face flushes and my hands get sweaty as I near the end.

This go around, I actually had fun finding and removing repetitive words and phrases, beefing up dialogue, describing the settings and layering in back stories. I enjoyed making the characters suffer. You know you like reading that stuff.

My three female protagonists (women's fiction, remember?) laugh, gigle and groan. They get tense, cry and grieve. They dance, drink, have interesting careers and crazy personal lives. The antagonists give them grief. A lot of grief. Just when each one overcomes an obstacle, I throw another one in their path. The possibilities are endless. Are they going to end up with the guy or not? And, if so, is he a good guy? Hmm. When my characters whisper in my ear that they'd like a better life--even a fairytale life--I'll consider their plight and desires. But I'm in charge of their destination. We'll see. I may change my mind tomorrow and they know it.

See why editing is fun? Embrace it. I finally did.

Marketing For Authors

Recently, I spoke about marketing to 35 Ozarks Romance Authors. Let me tell you something you probably already know: Writers and marketers are surly bedfellows. I'm not sure why that is but it's a fact. I've worked in many professions (banking, healthcare, hotels, education, and green heat) and I've never encountered this mindset in any other industry. It truly baffles me.

I'm happy to say my talk, "The Marketing Mindset & 60 FREE Ways To Market Your Book" was very well received. I heard phrases like "excellent presentation," "it built a fire under me," and "standing-ovation worthy." (That might be a stretch but was nice to hear!)



I know authors hunger for this information and I would too if I hadn't worked in marketing for 20 years. My professional experience has been very helpful to me as an author, and I want to help other writers/authors become informed marketers. During my talk, I discussed several topics including:

• How to Find Your Target Audience
• Using A Marketing Mix
• 60 FREE Ways to Market Your Book
• Building An Online Platform
• Developing A Business/Marketing Plan
  

I won't go into specifics here because I can see a great need for a marketing ebook for authors. I'm writing one now, and since this will be my first foray into a non-fiction book and into ebooks, I have some research to do. I plan to add several more chapters, some crazy stories from my marketing days and many examples. Trust me, marketing is fun.

Friday Fictioneers - "What's That?"

After a month-long hiatus, I checked back with the Friday Fictioneers and was delighted with this week's photo prompt. Read my 100-word story below the photo and enjoy others' flash fiction at http://rochellewisofffields.com

WHAT’S THAT?

By Beth Carter

Tommy kicked a pebble down a dusty road near the mostly boarded-up town square. When will this boring vacation be over?

“Why can’t we go to Disneyland?”

“It’s more important to visit your grandparents,” said Tommy’s father.

As Tommy walked in step with his shadow, he ran into a large metal box with a cord.

“What’s that?”

“A telephone.”

Tommy stared at his dad’s iPhone. “Were people giants? As big as dinosaurs?”

His dad ruffled Tommy’s hair. “No, son, technology has improved.”

Tommy instinctively reached into the coin dispenser and pulled out a shiny quarter.

“Some things never change."