Texas Book Festival-San Antonio Edition

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What a wonderful event it turned out to be. I am talking about the Texas Book Festival-San Antonio Edition yesterday. It was the first for our city. Local authors and out-of-towners came to our Central Library downtown where presentations/readings/food/music was provided. The author’s books were available for sale. Huge tents were located on the grounds and inside the library, crowds went from presentation to presentation with kids in tow. Pictures were taken with the authors. I hope this event is repeated next year. It was a most worthwhile, fun event for our community. The volunteers were awesome. You could tell who they were by their bright red T-shirts. Thanks, San Antonio.



Chihuly Chandelier

Glass Drops in Library





Poet Naomi Nye and Author
 

“Great stories give us metaphors which flash upon the mind the way lightning flashes upon the earth, illuminating for an instant an entire landscape.” — Paula Fox

 

Día de los ninos/dia de los libros (Children’s Day/Book Day)

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April 30 is the day when Día de los niños/Día de los libros is celebrated nationwide. Founded by author Pat Mora in 1997, this celebration honors children, promotes literacy, languages, and cultures.

TeachingBooks website has a list of children’s books to celebrate this special event. I feel honored that my book, The Battle of the Snow Cones, is on that list.


According to Pat Mora, “The goals of this observance from its inception have included a daily commitment to:  

  • honor children and childhood,

  • promote literacy, the importance of linking all children to books, languages, and cultures,

  • honor home languages and cultures, and thus promoting bilingual and multilingual literacy in this multicultural nation, and global understanding through reading,

  • involve parents as valued members of the literacy team,

  • promote library collection development that reflects our plurality.
 
I did realize, as do you, how blessed I was to know bookjoy, the private pleasure of savoring text. — Pat Mora
 
 

A trip and Wisteria

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Just got back from California. Took a side trip to San Francisco and went to the famous Fisherman’s Wharf. Ate at a really good restaurant, which overlooked the waters. The lush vegetation in California is gorgeous. Take a look at the Wisteria below. The flowers hung heavily from the tree and the fragrance was intoxicating. Bought a painting from a street artist in San Francisco and rode on a pedicab. Now back to work.


Don’t forget the two upcoming events mentioned below. This is your chance to meet local and out-of-town authors. There will be lots of things to do as well. Don’t miss it.

“I don’t want to write for adults. I want to write for readers who can perform miracles. Only children perform miracles when they read” — Astrid Lindgren

Texas Book Festival-San Antonio Edition

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Two upcoming events where I will be participating with other authors:
 
On Saturday, April 13, 2013, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the Texas Book Festival is partnering with the San Antonio Central Library to host a day of “literary happenings for book lovers.” Fifty Texas and national authors will do readings, sign books, and participate on panels. There will be food and musical entertainment as well. The event is free and open to the public. Visit the link above for more details. 
 
I will be one of the authors participating at this event. Hope to see you there. 
 
Mexican Pan Dulce
On Tuesday, April 16, 2013, from 4:30 – 6:30 p.m., Rooms 204/207, I will be on an author’s panel at Texas A&M-San; Antonio University Library speaking on the topic: “Writing for Today’s Child: Voices from San Antonio Authors.” This event celebrates National Library Week. The location is on the Main Campus, One University Way, San Antonio, TX, 78224. For more info, call 210.784.1500 or email library@tamusa.tamus.edu.

“I don’t want to write for adults. I want to write for readers who can perform miracles. Only children perform miracles when they read.” — Astrid Lindgren

Illustrator Notes and Fall 2013 Children’s Books

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A month ago I attended the Austin SCBWI writer’s conference where one of the faculty was the illustrator, E.B. Lewis. On Illustrator Mark Mitchell’s blog, How to be a Children’s Book Illustrator, he summarized a lot of what E.B. Lewis talked about at the conference. Even if you are not an illustrator, you might want to read this excellent post because if you write picture books, you will be collaborating with illustrators on that book. 
Santa Fe
 And here’s a treat. You just have to take a peek at the Fall 2013 Sneak Previews of children’s books coming out in the fall. The list is published by the online Publishers Weekly.


If I made a chore of (writing), my enthusiasm would die. I make it an adventure every day.
— Willa Cather

Story Structure

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In his online editor blog post, Brian Klems writes about the structure of a story. Like I always tell the students when I do a school visit, everyone has a story to tell. And we all know that a story has a beginning, a middle, and an end. But how do you get from here to there?
 
In Klems’ post, “The Two Pillars of Novel Structure,” on the Writer’s Digest blog, he uses a visual bridge to explain how story structure works. This is just an inkling of what he wrote:
 
“A Bridge to Somewhere: My favorite visual representation of story structure is the suspension bridge: The key foundational elements here are the two pillars, or pylons. These pillars are set down in bedrock, allowing the suspension cables to support a solid and secure platform—the bridge itself.
Think about it: Every story has to begin, and every story has to end. And the middle has to hold the reader’s interest. The craft of structure tells you how to begin with a bang, knock readers out at the end, and keep them turning pages all the way through. When you ignore structure, your novel can begin to feel like one of those rope bridges swinging wildly in the wind over a 1,000-foot gorge. Not many readers are going to want to go across.”
There is much, much more in his article including excerpts from great novels to get his point across. A must read.

New Mexico

“Novella: Shorter than a novel but longer than a long story—approximately 50,000 words.” – Writer’s Digest Weekly Planner

Making money as a writer

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If you’ve written and submitted a manuscript for publication, you’re probably wondering what happens once you get a contract from the publisher, i.e., how will you get paid? You’ve heard talk about advances, royalties, flat fees, etc., etc. Wonder no more. In a brief, concise article on the Writer Unboxed blog, written by Chuck Sambuchino, “11 frequently-asked-questions-about-book-royalties-advances-and-making-money,” he addresses this topic including foreign rights and film rights. Very interesting article.
 
And by the same author on the Writer’s DigestGuide to Literary Agent blog, check out his other blog post, “Your job is to write, not to worry.”
 


“Multiple contract: Book contract with an agreement for a future book(s).” Writer’s Digest Weekly Planner

Starting Your Novel

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Are you ready to start that novel? Are you having problems with the first sentence? Here’s a blog post that might help. The Writer’s Digest article, “Famous First Lines Reveal How to Start a Novel,” by Zachary Petit lists first lines of books by famous authors, which is interesting in itself. Then Petit summarizes seven steps or “7 Ways to Start,” written by Jacob M. Appel. In Step 7: A statement that serves as a frame, the author notes that “… sometimes, the best way to begin a story is to announce that you’re about to tell a story.” 
 
And here’s an interesting article on the Institute of Children’s Literature blog. Titled, “If I Could,” by Jan Fields, she focuses on the ten myths starting with #1: If I Could Just Get Published the First Time, It’ll Get Easier. She finishes with “So What Does Make Things Easier?” You’ll be surprised.
 
Graphic novel: “A self-contained, book-length story told through a combination of text and illustration.” — Writers’ Digest Weekly Planner

List of Publishers

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Here is an excellent source for you writers. The Children’s Book Council (CBC) has an online directory or Member List of children’s book publishers. This includes the link to the publishers’ websites. Granted, many of those on the list do not accept unsolicited manuscripts, but some do. You might want to browse through the list and find out which ones publish the type of book you are working on. Researching publishers is part of the writing process. Best of luck!
 
Another inspiring school visit. Here are some pictures I took of some of the posters the students made to welcome me to their school yesterday. They had all four of my books in their library. What an honor!
 


“I like the idea that magic can be hidden under the surface of everyday life.” — Trina Schart Hyman

Writing Funny Stories

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Do you write funny stories for children? A writer friend of mine who is in our critique group is one of those people whose stories make you chuckle all the way through. She has that talent. It comes natural to her. I wish I could write like that. Anyway, if you are unagented and write funny stories for kids of all ages, here is your chance to maybe win representation from the Greenhouse Literary Agency—maybe even publication like last year’s entry. The Funny Prizecontest is on and runs through the summer. Deadline is July 29. So polish up that humorous piece you’ve been working on and submit. Best of luck!

 “Touch magic. Pass it on.” – Jane Yolen