Happy New Year!

I wish all of you the very best in the coming year.

A great, fun start on New Year's Day would be listening to a cool story online.
Visit STORYLINE ONLINE and pick out a book or two.

One of my favorites is HARRY THE DIRTY DOG.
But there is also a great seasonal title, THE POLAR EXPRESS.

Plus, many more to choose from.

You can never read too many books--so pick as many as you want.
Enjoy!

Merry Christmas!

As I watch the snow fall softly outside on this Christmas Eve, I want to wish you a blessed Christmas.

PEACE and JOY!

FREDERICO, THE MOUSE VIOLINIST

Fredrico: the Mouse Violinist by Mayra Calvani; illustrated by K.C. Snider. Guardian Angel Publishing, 2010.
ISBN: 9781616331139 (hardcover)
ISBN: 9781616331252 (eBook)
ISBN: 97816163314116 (paperback)

Frederico is a mouse interested in music, specifically violin music. He lives in the house of famous violinmaker, Antonio Stradivari, in 17th-18th century Italy. One night, curious Frederico explores a violin while Stradivari sleeps. Frederico discovers a talent for the stringed instrument. As the story progresses, he teaches himself to play and is secretly observed by Stradivari himself. When Frederico unboxes a special gift created especially for him by Stradivari, he is in musical heaven.

This delightful story combines the magical element of an anthropomorphic mouse with a famous historic musical figure. Vocabulary words and interesting facts are woven into the story, making this an educational as well as entertaining read. Illustrator, K.C. Snider’s artwork hits all the high notes as well. Her depictions of the intrepid Frederico bring the story to life with vivid and colorful details. Additional information and activities—including a matching pictures game, glossary, and word search—encourage young readers to explore the book’s content in greater depth. The book is available in paperback, hardcover, and eBook versions.

Congrats to Ms. Calvani on another endearing children’s tale.

Be There Bedtime Stories

KITTY KERPLUNKING is now available through Be There Bedtime Stories

At Be There Bedtime Stories, you can personalize the eBook experience for some special child in your life. How does it work? In three easy steps: 1) select a children’s book from the bookstore, 2) read the story in front of a webcam as it displays on the computer screen, 3) the child receives an email with the link to view the e-book on the website with video of the storyteller positioned on each page.

What a great gift idea for distant grandparents!

National Novel Writing Month

Sorry it's been a while since I've checked in here. November was a busy month. I signed up for the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and finished the rough draft of a middle grade historical fiction story. So I was quite busy.

I've been asked, "Now what do you do?" Well, a rough draft is just that--rough. It still needs lots of work. I've already started to analyze the plot for weak spots, as well as the characters. Since this is historical fiction, I also need to do much more research to insure the accuracy of the time period.

But the initial readings of the story by some of my writer colleagues has been favorable. In the next few months, I hope to get feedback from a few industry professionals at Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators events I'll be attending.

Darcy Pattison has a great website offering writerly advice. She sent out updates throughout the month of November with plot tips. They were wonderful. You can sign up to receive her weekly updates. Plus, she has a great book on revising a story, Novel Metamorphosis: Uncommon Ways to Revise. I'll be referring to that for help with improving my new story.

Now back to my writing...