KUNG HEI FAT CHOI! GOLDY LUCK IS ON READING RAINBOW!

  Kung Hei Fat Choi! Happy Chinese New Year! It's the Year of the Goat (or you may hear it referred to as the Year of the Ram or the Year of the Sheep). If you were born in this year, you are "creative, intelligent, dependable, and calm. You're comfortable being alone. Goats enjoy being part of a group, but prefer the sidelines rather than the center. Their nurturing personalities make Goats excellent care-givers. They're quiet and reserved because they spend much time absorbed in their thoughts. For more information on a Goat's personalty, click here.  
   I was thrilled to discover that Goldy Luck and the Three Pandas is featured on Reading Rainbow and read by LaVar Burton. Check it out!




   I am also participating in Skype in the Classroom's literacy campaign and World Read Aloud Day. So, If you are a teacher and are interested in a free Skype visit, please visit Skype in the Classroom for more information on requesting guest speakers for your classroom.

5 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD WRITE FOR CHILDREN'S MAGAZINES

 

   My copies of Faces magazine came in this week with my article, "The Boat Dwellers of Aberdeen Harbor". It's about the boat-dwelling Tanka people in Hong Kong, whose once thriving community of close to 200,000 people on Aberdeen Harbor have dwindled. 

   Apart from the thrill of seeing your byline attached to an article in a print magazine, here are 5 reasons why you should consider writing for children's magazines:

1) They're published more frequently so there's a...
2) Need for more content
3) Nonfiction exercises a different part of your brain than fiction, and it's a great mental  workout, kind of like stretching or weight-training before a big race, plus...
4) You learn A LOT of interesting stuff. Nonfiction research takes you down paths you might not have meandered down if you weren't looking specifically for information related to your topic.
5) You get to see your work in print a lot faster than with books (generally. My article for Highlights for Children took 5 years to appear in the magazine—but that's another story).


   In addition to Highlights, my articles have appeared in Appleseeds ("Horses Helping Others", May 2011); and Faces ("The Elephant Queen", January 2012,  a Letter of Merit recipient in the 2013 SCBWI Magazine Merit awards; "The Boat Dwellers of Aberdeen Harbor", February 2015). These magazines are part of the Cobblestone Publishing group which also publishes the magazines Cricket, LadyBug, Cobblestone, Spider, Dig, among others. There are many other children's magazines looking for content, and you can find them in a great resource called Magazine Markets for Children's Writers. The Cobblestone group of magazines publish fiction too, but I enjoy the nonfiction ones because they're themed, and I can always find themes that arouse my curiosity and interest. 
 

 Even though the recent Faces issue about Hong Kong inspired me because I lived in Hong Kong as a teen and have some personal connection to the country, you don't need to have experience and knowledge to query a topic. And you never know where your research will lead. For Faces' Thailand issue, I thought I might write an article about the mahout (elephant trainers) training camps where one can learn to be a mahout. They even have brief camps for tourists to learn how to handle an elephant! But during the course of that research, I stumbled upon the story of Lek Chailert who, along with her husband, established Elephant Nature Park an elephant sanctuary to rescue injured and abused Asian elephants and return them to the wild. That article became "The Elephant Queen". I had no prior knowledge of this topic but loved learning about Lek's background and how she came to fall in love with elephants, her tireless conservation efforts, and the horrors behind what elephants have gone through to be "trained" as beasts of burden.
   If you're interested in querying for these magazines, here are some tips I've learned along the way:

1) Specific angles will probably be more successful than general ones. For example, a magazine had an issue on Explorers of the West including Lewis and Clark. I queried about writing an article of Sacajawea's life and her presence on Lewis' and Clark's journey. I did not get the assignment even though I wrote Sacajawea of the Shoshone, a children's biography of Sacajawea. Looking back, I thought my query might have been too broad. I might have had better luck if I had queried on the two versions of Sacajawea's death.
2) If you get an assignment, the turnaround time can be pretty tight (most often a month). That means you have to get your research, any needed subject interviews, and the writing and revising done by then. Sometimes, problems can arise in the research or the writing that might impact your ability to get your article in by the deadline. This happened to me while writing "The Elephant Queen". I could not reach my subject Lek Chailert for an interview because she was out in the jungle saving elephants! The important thing here is keep in touch with your editor. I wrote to let my editor know that I was having a hard time connecting with Lek and asked if I could have an extension of my deadline and if I could not get a personal interview, if I could use quotes from other interviews she had given. The editor was very willing to work with me. I got the okay on both, but in the end, was able to interview Lek via email (due to the time difference) and get my article in by the original deadline. Editors are very flexible people and since you are supplying content for their magazine, they're invested in making sure that happens, but they don't like nasty surprises, and they have a deadline to meet too, so communicate any snafus you run into.
3) If you don't get an assignment, don't take it personally. Just try again. Magazines may publish more content because they have several issues a year, but they only publish a limited number of articles in each issue, and they probably get hundreds, if not thousands, of submissions. And somebody else may have submitted a query that is more appropriate for the theme, or more interesting, or unique.I had several queries that were not successful between the Faces 2012 and the Faces 2015 articles. 
3) Be professional. Publishing can be a surprisingly small world. Editors move to different houses or magazines so if your query or article isn't free of grammatical and spelling errors, or you miss your deadline or misspell the editor's name (yes, I've been told this matters) or write rude letters when you don't get your assignment, you'll earn a black mark against your name. And getting published is hard enough even with an impeccable record.

If you've written for other children's magazines, I'd love to know what these are and what your experience is, and any tips and advice you have for submitting to that market.

Happy Writing! I hope the next article I read in a children's magazine is yours!

MULTICULTURAL CHILDREN'S BOOK DAY - PART 2

    Carly Seifert of the Africa to America blog wrote a lovely review of Goldy Luck and the Three Pandas for Multicultural Book Day. Check out what Carly had to say about the book, and her brilliant book-related crafts here. 

CELEBRATE MULTICULTURAL CHILDREN'S BOOK DAY - PART 1

It's Multicultural Picture Book Day! Check out blogger Sue Ready's review of Goldy Luck and the Three Pandas and her Chinese New Year craft idea:

Kindergarten student absorbed in reading
the book

Blogger Sue Ready reading Goldy Luck and the
Three Pandas to a kindergarten class

Ever Ready: Multicultural Children's Book Day: Introduction to Multicultural Children's Day-January 27. 2015  The mission of this event is to not only raise awareness for childr...

THE BEST BOOK REVIEWS

   We all love good reviews — but there is no better review than the ones that come from kids -- the target audience of children's authors. Here are two adorable reviews I received from students of my friend and fellow writer Carolyn Grigsby who's a teacher in Hayward, CA.

MAKE A WRITER'S DAY

   Want to know what makes a writer's day? Getting Tweets like this: 

@natashayim My son LOVES Goldy Luck! He's requested it at least 6x since he got it Tue & is saying "Goldy Luck, Goldy Luck" in his crib now!
— Melissa Thomson (@melissathomson) January 23, 2015

   My daughter is an avid reader, and I tell her this all the time, "If you like the book, go to the writer's website and tell him/her how much you loved the book. The writer will truly appreciate it."

Authors/writers love to know their stories have made an impact on their target audience. So, go on...Make a writer's day!

A NEW YEAR OF WRITING POSSIBILITIES

   The thing I love about the New Year is that, as far as writing goes, it presents another year of possibilities. The possibility that the writing we submit will find a home - somewhere. The slate is clean. No rejection letters have begun to pile up. Yes, HOPE--it's what keep us writers going. That, and passion for our craft. So, keep writing, producing, promoting, commiserating fellow writers. And may 2015 bring you success!

   Speaking of beginning a new year, I'd like to mention a few upcoming literary events:

Jan. 27 — Multicultural Children's Book Day. Check out the website for reviews, reading recommendations, and activity ideas for multicultural literature. http://multiculturalchildrensbookday.com/

Feb. 8 - Join me for a Chinese New Year celebration with a reading of Goldy Luck and the Three Pandas and a Chinese New Year craft at the Book Passage in Corte Madera, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera, CA., 1:00 pm.

READING DAY AT MARY COLLINS AT CHERRY VALLEY SCHOOL, PETALUMA

  Thanks to Jeanne Jusaitis of the Redwood Writer's Club, I participated in Reading Day at Mary Collins at Cherry Valley Charter School in Petaluma on Sept. 3. I presented Sacajawea of the Shoshone in Mrs. Pellkofer's and Mr. Ruddell's 4th & 5th grade classes and Goldy Luck and the Three Pandas in Mrs. Damico's K/1 class. 
   I love connecting with kids at school visits and inspiring their love of reading and stories, and they always have such great questions. Thank you, Mrs. Pellkofer for your amazing testimonial: 

"Natasha Yim was amazing!  She visited our 4th and 5th grade students at Mary Collins Cherry Valley Charter School and wowed us with an in-depth, super interesting digital presentation about her book, Sacajawea of the Shoshone, her writing process, her personal story and more.  It was like watching a personal "TED" talk of the importance of Sacajawea in our North American history, while still being completely age-appropriate and totally engaging!  I had to purchase the book for my class as I wanted to learn more!"

and Thank You to Mrs. Damico's students for the adorable, colorful and very large Thank You card you sent me:




















   Blankets were laid out on the green grass under the canopy of trees where parents and kids shared books together. Authors were also invited to a lovely lunch of pesto pasta and a delicious salad made from vegetables from the school garden. 
   It always warms my heart to see a school devote a day to encourage literacy, reading, and to acknowledge authors as an important part of that process. All in all, it was well worth the drive to Petaluma.
   

AUTHOR AND PUBLISHER SHIRIN YIM BRIDGES TALKS ABOUT LAUNCHING GOOSEBOTTOM BOOKS AND GOSLING PRESS, AVOIDING SUBMISSION MISTAKES AND MAKING YOUR SUBMISSIONS STAND OUT

   Today, I'd like to welcome author and publisher, Shirin Yim Bridges, to the KidLit Rambles blog. Shirin is an award-winning children's author (Ruby's Wish, Chronicle Books, 2002; The Umbrella Queen, Greenwillow Books, 2008; Mary Wrightly, So Politely, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013) publisher of Goosebottom Books, and one of the judges of the 2014 Redwood Writers Club's Writing Young Adult and Middle Grade Fiction contest. In this interview, Shirin shares the pros and cons of being a small, independent press, the motivation behind her leap of faith from author to publisher, common manuscript submission mistakes to avoid, and her tips for marketing and promotion.

You began your publishing career as an author. How did you decide to take on the challenges of becoming a publisher?

It all began with my nieces, who’d disappeared into a pink fog of Disney princesses. I wanted them to know that there were real princesses who didn’t sit around waiting for a prince. So I started to write a series of nonfiction books—which I ended up calling The Thinking Girl’s Treasury of Real Princesses—and I sent the first manuscript in to Samantha McFerrin, who was the editorial assistant on Ruby’s Wish, and at that time my

editor on Mary Wrightly So Politely over at Harcourt, and who is now, ironically, the Executive Editor of Disney. But the more I thought about it, the more control I wanted over these books. You normally get next to zero control over design and art direction as a picture book writer, and I was used to controlling the last detail as a creative director. Plus, I was looking for a career change. The tipping point came when I spoke to Amy Novesky, my editor on Ruby’s Wish, who had left Chronicle and gone to set up on her own. I said, “I’m thinking of becoming a publisher,” and instead of saying “you’re crazy,” she said, “I’ll help.”

Tell us a little bit about Goosebottom Books.

Goosebottom Books is dedicated to fun nonfiction—or with our latest series, fiction that has a nonfiction soul. We started with the Thinking Girl’s Treasury of Real Princesses, which won an IPPY medal, and then brought out the Thinking Girl’s Treasury of Dastardly Dames, which was named a Top 10 Nonfiction Series for Youth by Booklist and the American Library Association. We also published the first book in the U.S. to use mobile augmented reality, Horrible Hauntings. Basically, you download a free app and when you look at the illustrations in our book, you see 3D ghosts appear. The amazing thing is that they’re interactive. You really have to see it to believe it. That book picked up a few awards and made the coveted Children’s Choices list.

All those books are solidly nonfiction. But this fall, we’re launching A Treasury of Glorious Goddesses which are written as faux autobiographies. So that’s definitely fiction. However, the books, Call Me Isis, Call Me Athena, and Call Me Ixchel, all have nonfiction hearts, because they are based on established mythology. We also provide a nonfiction back section, to furnish cultural, geographical, and historical context. 

What inspired you to start your new fiction imprint, Gosling Press?

Over the last few years I’ve been seeing too much great fiction to not want to publish some of it. So, I’ve set up a new imprint, Gosling Press, to handle fiction without diluting Goosebottom Books’ clarity of purpose. Gosling will be launching its first title in Spring 2015, a very special book called Beautiful Hands by Kathryn Otoshi of One and Zero fame, and co-author Bret Baumgarten. We’ve already received our first backorder!

What is the hardest thing and the most rewarding about being a small, independent press?

The most difficult thing, quite frankly, is to make any money. In addition to writing and publishing, I teach. Whenever I show my students where the money in the price of a book goes, everybody descends into a stunned and depressed silence. Nearly none of the sales price comes to the author or publisher. It’s a very tough game. 

For me, the most rewarding thing about being a publisher is how creative it is. I brought these books into the world—they were conceived and executed to my vision. To pull it off, I had to wear a hundred hats, including the janitor’s hat, and the sheltered workshop hat, licking envelopes and assembling hundreds of mailing packages. I love that! I love the variety, and the challenge, and the hard work. I love the very fuzzy boundary between my job and my life. In fact, it doesn’t feel like a job. It just feels like who I am.

When you receive manuscript submissions from other writers, do you tend to read them with your author eye or your publisher eye?

I read them with a publisher’s eye—which is an editor’s eye plus a marketing eye at once. The annoying thing is that when I read for pleasure now, I seem not to be able to turn off that filter. I’m forever being distracted by typos.

What are some of the common mistakes you see writers make in their submissions?

They don’t know whom they’re submitting to. They send me manuscripts that are so far from what we publish—I got a memoir about pole dancing once! One glance at our website should have told you that pole dancing wouldn’t work for us.

The other mistake is that some authors get rude and impatient for an answer. This despite us sending receipt confirmations for all submissions we get, saying that their submission will be filed and we will be in touch if an opportunity arises. This means, in the nicest way, don’t call us; we’ll call you. But I still get angry emails from writers saying I submitted a month ago and it would only take you ten minutes to respond. Those writers, a) can’t do math and figure out that ten minutes per submission would sink my day; b) don’t understand independent publishing and how many other things I could put those ten minutes to better use for—weeding negative people out of my writers files, for example.

What advice would you give writers on making their submissions stand out?

Be professional. Be someone who understands my business, who understands what I might want that you can provide. As they used to say in advertising, identify the need, the pain point. Become the solution. 

And then, write well. Independent publishers are all in this because we love books and writing. We are easily seduced by great words.

Nowadays, authors have to do a lot of promotion and marketing themselves. What
marketing/promotion tips can you give authors?

My advice is going to sound awfully zen. Everything there is to say about building an author’s platform, etc., etc., has already been said. You can find how-to tips galore on the internet. My advice is whatever you do, don’t forget to enjoy it. Don’t turn the privilege of being an author into a marketing chore. 

For example, I know authors who pack their calendars with school events and then don’t enjoy them because they’re over-stressed and over-tired. All that time spent not enjoying something? That’s life slipping away.

You also teach creative writing. Tell us about your current or upcoming writing classes.

I am leading a middle grade workshop through summer, and teaching a five-week picture book writing course for the Writing Salon that starts this Sunday, Aug. 24.  On September 27, I’m giving a one-day intensive on Digital First, a new phenomenon in publishing, at Stanford University. Then in October, I’ll start a 9-week middle grade and young adult course, again at the Writing Salon.

Where can people find out more about the classes you offer?

Follow my blog! It’s goosetracks.me. I regularly post musings on the writing and publishing life, and an updated list of my teaching and speaking engagements.


Thank you, Shirin, for your helpful insights into the writing and publishing life from an author's and a publisher's perspective.

If you live in Sonoma, Mendocino, Lake, Marin, Humboldt, Solano, and Napa Counties, you can enter the Redwood Writers Club's Writing Young Adult and Middle Grade Fiction contest here.

What are your experiences and tips for submitting to publishers?

JK ROWLING AND HER AMAZING JOURNEY AS A WRITER

   Interesting documentary on JK Rowling that covers her final touches on the Deathly Hallows, the crazy frenzy the launch of the book created, and a bit about her life and childhood before she became famous. I've always thought she has had such an amazing writing journey.

TWO UPCOMING EVENTS IN WILLITS, CALIFORNIA

  If you're in and around Willits this weekend, stop on by the library for a reading of Goldy Luck and the Three Pandas and a fun panda craft! Saturday, Aug. 2, 11:00 am. Also, come check out Scripted: An Evening of Short Plays at the Willits Community Theatre. My ten-minute play, "Offing the Witness" is receiving its Mendocino County premiere! Performances are Friday, Aug. 1, 8 pm., Saturday, Aug. 2, 8 pm., and Sunday, Aug. 3, 2 pm.

HOT SUMMER NIGHTS AT COPPERFIELD'S BOOKS - AN EVENING WITH CHILDREN'S AUTHORS

   For the second year, the Redwood Writers Club has collaborated with Copperfield's Books in Montgomery Village Santa Rosa, to host an evening of readings by local authors through the month of July. This Tuesday, July 22, 6:30 pm. will be Hot Summer Nights — Children's and Young Adult Authors. Redwood Writers Club members Charles Markee will read from his middle grade novel, Otherworld Tales 2: Demon Invasion, Jeanne Jusaitis will present Lilah Dill and the Magic Kit, Sandy Baker unveils Howie's Hungabird Dilemma, and I, of course, will read Goldy Luck and the Three Pandas. Readings will be followed by a Q and A with the authors, so come on down to Copperfield's Books, enjoy some story time and refreshments, and participate in a lively discussion on what it takes to publish a children's book!
   I'm also offering a "Bring a Friend, Tell a Friend" special: bring a friend to the event or tell a friend who comes to the event, and get a 10% discount off Goldy Luck and the Three Pandas! See the coupon below. If you want to print it and bring it to the event, right-click (Windows) or control-click (Mac) and select "Save to Downloads", then print from there.
   Hope to see you at Copperfield's Books!

WIN A 10-PAGE MANUSCRIPT CRITIQUE BY LITERARY AGENT, MIRA REISBERG — REDWOOD WRITERS WRITING YOUNG ADULT AND MIDDLE GRADE FICTION CONTEST

Mira Reisberg, Literary Agent
Hummingbird Literary

     Do you have a Young Adult (ages 13 - 18) or Middle Grade Story (ages 9 - 12) in progress? Want to get it in front of a literary agent? I am once again chairing the Redwood Writers' Club Writing Young Adult and Middle Grade Fiction Contest this year, and boy, do we have some fabulous prizes for you, including a chance to win the Grand Prize of a 10-page manuscript critique by agent Mira Reisberg of Hummingbird Literary. And cash ain't bad either. The 1st place winner gets $100, 2nd place receives $50, and 3rd place gets $25. Look for more information in the next Redwood Writers newsletter and the upcoming contest flyer (which will be posted soon). 

   In the meantime, here are the contest guidelines:

• The contest is open to residents of Sonoma, Napa, Marin, Solano, Lake and Mendocino counties.
• Submit up to 10 pages of a Young Adult or Middle Grade story. Anything after 10 pages will not be read. It can be a short story or chapter excerpts from a novel in progress. If submitting chapters from a novel, send in only the first 10 pages of the novel (not 10 pages of Chapter 3 or the middle of the novel). This is important, because a reader must be hooked within the first 10 pages in order to be enticed to read on.
• Work must be previously unpublished. 
• Only one submission per person.
• Format: 12 point font, Times New Roman, double spaced. First page —  please note your category: Young Adult or Middle Grade. Center your title half way down, then begin story. Please number your pages.
• DO NOT put the author’s name or contact information on the manuscript.
• Contest fees: $8 for members, $12 for non-members.
• Submit payment and upload manuscript (Word doc. or docx only) on the Redwood Writer's website. 
• Follow submission guidelines carefully. Manuscripts will be disregarded if the guidelines are not followed.
• Contest Deadline: Oct. 15, 9 pm.
• Awards will be handed out at the Redwood Writers' Club meeting on Dec. 14.

If you have any further questions about submission guidelines or the contest, please email me. We are looking forward to reading your best work. So, submit, submit, submit!

And now, for our wonderful judges:

Shirin Yim Bridges has made the successful transition from author (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, HarperCollins, Chronicle Books) to award-winning editor and publisher. In addition to being the Head Goose of Goosebottom Books, Shirin is currently editing four middle grade novels, and consulting on the development of another two. She recently spoke to the Australian Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators in July, and has given workshops and seminars on writing and publishing for the Mendocino Coast Writers’ Conference, the Book Passage Children’s Writers and Illustrators Conference, the Asian Festival of Children’s Content, Stanford University, San Francisco State University, Illinois State University, Dominican University, and the College of San Mateo.



Laura Atkins is an independent children’s book editor with twenty years of editorial experience. She worked at Children’s Book Press, Orchard Books, and Lee and Low Books, helping to produce winners of the Coretta Scott King Award and American Library Association Notable Book selections, amongst others. More recently, she was a lecturer at the National Centre for Research in Children’s Literature in London. She currently edits for Cassava Republic Press in Nigeria, provides editorial services to self-publishers and aspiring and published writers and illustrators, and offers writing workshops. She is based in Berkeley, California, where she lives with her seven-year-old daughter.

Independent book editor and writing coach Susan Lyn McCombs has an MFA in Creative Writing and edits books for children and adults. She began working with middle-grade and young-adult manuscripts over eight years ago at Tricycle Speed Press. Currently, she works with individual writers to develop and tighten their manuscripts and edits for KO Kids Productions, Goosebottom Books, Andrews McMeel, Zoozil, and Callisto Media.  As a writing coach, Susan motivates authors, helping them to tap into their excitement for writing, find the meaning within their stories, and uncover their best storytelling/writing skills.
 

REDWOOD WRITERS CLUB'S ANNUAL AUTHOR LAUNCH AND 5 TIPS FOR YOUR OWN SUCCESSFUL BOOK LAUNCH

   Sunday, July 13, is Redwood Writers' Club's annual Author Launch. 20 authors will have 5 mins. to read excerpts from their new books. It's a wonderful way to celebrate the new releases and writing successes of the club's members. Author launches, in general, can be exciting, yet nerve racking events. Will enough people show up? Will you have enough food? Will the venue have ordered enough books? The great thing about an author launch in a club like Redwood Writers is that you have other people you can share the launch with, a very supportive crowd, and a built in audience. Plus, all the planning is done for you. All you have to do is show up! All the more reason members should relish and appreciate this opportunity Redwood Writers offers their members.

   If you don't belong to a writing club and are preparing for an upcoming Author Launch, here are 5 tips for a successful Author Launch:

1. Good communication—make sure both you and the event organizer confirm important details such as time and date, length of event, decorations (are there any limitations?), food and drinks (what does the venue supply, what do you need to bring?), number of books to order (are they ordering through their distributor or are you bringing books and selling them on consignment?)
2. Think in themes—for decorations and food. Is your book about space? Maybe you can have posters, photographs and decorations of outer space, planets, or aliens (if your story involves one.) I attended a book launch for a children's ghost book, Horrible Hauntings (Goosebottom Books, 2012), and food items included sandwiches made to look like cut-off fingers, a punch of eyeballs (lychees and I can't remember what they used for the pupil, but it was really fun). At one book event for Goldy Luck and the Three Pandas, I brought turnip cakes (featured in the book) and fortune cookies. For Sacajawea of the Shoshone, I served buffalo sausage. Themed food can be a lot of fun preparing and serving, but if it stresses you out even more, just keep it simple: cookies and lemonade and juice are always a great hit, especially with kids.
3. Presentation—will you read from your book? Show a power point? Have activities? A lot of it depends on the kind of book you have, who your audience is, time constraints, and your comfort level. I've done straight readings, a combination of excerpt reading and discussion of the writing process, power point presentations. I've given out raffle tickets for a chance to win a free book, taught a craft related to the book. The launch program varies with each book. But one thing that is consistent is the Q and A which is a great way to connect with your audience and for them to find out what went into writing and publishing your book.
4. Have copies of your books on hand. If you're lucky, the bookstore or event venue will sell out of your books and you'll need extras. However, I've heard of events where the organizer had forgotten to order the writer's books. So, it's always better to be safe than sorry. Don't forget to offer to sign a few unsold copies. It's a great marketing tool for bookstores to display books signed by the author, but they're also books that can't be returned, giving you a few more sales.
5. Have fun! You've toiled for what seems like eons on your book, and now you're sending your baby out into the world. That, in itself, is a tremendous feat! So, celebrate and allow yourself to be acknowledged for a job well done.

I'll be reading Goldy Luck and the Three Pandas, at the Redwood Writers' Author Launch. For this meeting only, all meeting fees are waived, so if you're interested in checking out the club, come join us at the Flamingo Resort and Spa in Santa Rosa, Empire Room, this Sunday, July 13. See you there!
    

5 WAYS TO PREPARE YOURSELF TO READ IN PUBLIC

     I'm unveiling a whole new design — and a new title — for my blog! If you've visited my blog before, let me know what you think of the new look.
     Last weekend, I was one of two featured readers at the Redwood Writers' Club's Open Mic Reading at Gaia's Garden in Santa Rosa. I read Goldy Luck and the Three Pandas and shared excerpts from Cixi, The Dragon Empress and Sacajawea of the Shoshone. After the featured readings, those who wanted to read at open mic. could sign up and readings were conducted in order. I decided to read from the opening chapter of my middle grade novel in progress which I have never shared publicly before, so I was a little nervous. But it was a great way to gauge the audience's reaction, and hear how the language sounds when read out loud.
     I have never been to this open mic. reading before and I was delighted by the variety of the stories (many works in progress) and the bravery of the readers. Speaking, or reading, in public is the greatest fear of most writers, yet it is expected of those of us who have books to promote. Now, writing isn't all about selling and promoting your books, but if you've put several years of toil, sweat, and tears into your project, you can't let it die on the vines. 
     There is no other way to get used to public reading than to read in public, and open mic events are a good way to get some practice. I won't pretend it's not scary to put yourself out there at first, so start small. Here are 5 ways to prepare yourself for a positive public speaking experience.

1. Start with more intimate settings. Invite a small group of friends and family to gather in your living room, then slowly branch out (when you're more comfortable) to reading at larger, more public venues. To gain confidence, I began reading my children's books at my kids' play date groups, then Kids' Club at the local health club,  then my daughter's pre-school class, gradually moving up to library visits, author visits in individual classrooms, and finally to auditorium-style school visits.
2. Do a few dry runs in front of the mirror or in front of family. Practice slowing down your reading. We all tend to read too fast when we're nervous. You want your audience to hear you loud and clear, especially if they're kids. 
3. If you're reading longer works, like novels, and you're reading excerpts from different parts of the book, mark them clearly so you can find the passages quickly. Alternately, you can type your reading passages on sheets of paper in LARGE font for easier reading and read from there instead of from the book.
4. Don't just look straight at the book or paper when you're reading. Take the time to make eye contact with your audience once in awhile. This one takes a little practice, but the purpose of doing a reading is to connect with that audience.
5. After your reading, open it up to Q & A -- this is another great chance to connect with your audience.

I promise you, public reading does get easier and less nerve-racking the more you do it. So, Happy Reading and Connecting!

Reading GOLDY LUCK AND THE THREE PANDAS at Gaia's
Garden, Santa Rosa, CA., June 28, 2014

THE EVER-SHIFTING WRITER'S YARDSTICK FOR SUCCESS

     I was on the faculty of the Book Passage Children's Writer's Conference last weekend and was reminded (after not having been there in 7 years or so) what a truly fabulous conference this is! The organizers, Kathryn Petrocelli and Kathryn Otoshi, were terrific — warm, inviting, extremely helpful. The faculty had great camaraderie and the faculty dinners were delicious and a forum for animated, energetic discussions on writing, publishing, and everything in between. Many of the attendees I met were eager to learn, thoroughly immersed themselves in all the conference had to offer, and asked thoughtful questions. 
     I had fun moderating The Compelling & Authentic Protagonist: Making Your Hero(ine) Jump Off the Page author panel with Young Adult author Lewis Buzbee (Steinbeck's Ghost, The Haunting of Charles Dickens, Bridge of Time) and independent editor Laura Atkins (former editor at Lee and Low Books and Scholastic). They addressed some of the main elements of creating great character: Voice, Point of View, Dialogue.   
    One huge perk of being on the faculty is that I could attend any of the other sessions free of charge. So, I sat in on Amanda Conran's and Susan Lyn McComb's sessions on writing the middle-grade novel, and Lewis Buzbee's Writing for Young Adults. My work in progress is a middle grade, and I learned a lot about structure, voice, and craft tips about writing for this audience.
    During lunches and breaks, Susan McCombs and I reminisced about our first meeting here when she was an editor for Tricycle Press and I was seeking her out to find out what happened to my manuscript which had been submitted over a year ago. She gave me such helpful feedback on my manuscript, "Goldy Luck and the Three Chans", which later became the published Goldy Luck and the Three Pandas, albeit by Charlesbridge Publishing, not Tricycle.
    In the evenings, we were entertained by the likes of Mac Barnett and Jon Agee, both fantastic speakers who both impressed and inspired us with their quirky senses of humor, creative writing processes and their hard work and perseverance.
   When I attended this conference 7 years ago, I sat in the audience, and a thought came to mind: "If I ever got invited to be on the faculty of the Book Passage Children's Writer's Conference, I know I will have arrived as an author!" Now that I am back at Book Passage as a member of the faculty, I am humbled by one pervasive thought, I have not arrived. Nor will we, as writers, ever arrive. 
    Someone once wisely said, "Writing is not a destination, it's a journey." And so it is. It's a journey that never ends because there's always so much to learn in writing. The publishing landscape keeps changing. The industry (thankfully) is never constant. There's always more you can learn about being a better writer, a better marketer, a better speaker. Writers don't just sit and write anymore. You have to learn to send your book out into the world. Which is why, four published books later, I'm still attending conferences, still learning, still trying to figure out what editors want (sigh...will that ever get any easier?). My yardstick for success keeps shifting. Hallelujah for that! Because writing will be a lot less fun if there is nothing to strive for.

Some of the 2014 Book Passage Children's Writers and Illustrators
Conference  faculty
Back row from left: Gretchen Maurer, Amanda Conran, Kristin Elizabeth
Clark, Lissa Rovetch, Jim Averbeck.
Front row from left: Shirin Bridges, Natasha Yim (moi) , Summer Dawn Laurie,
Kathryn Otoshi, Laura Atkins, Andy Ross.

Gretchen Maurer and I at the
Writing Creative Nonfiction session