Skip to main content

Mom Prefers... Blogcritics: Author Spotlight - Maryann B. Sawka

Maryann B. Sawka lives in a small town named Hiller in south of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with her husband of nearly 10 years and two daughters. She studied Early Childhood/Elementary Education and earned a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood/Elementary Education from the California University of PA in 1993 and a Master’s of Science in Reading and Literacy for Elementary Grades from Walden University. Sawka’s career path includes working as an alumni director, technical writer, software trainer and special needs preschool teacher.
Sawka has always had an appreciation for the written word and has been an avid reader since she was a child. Along with the love for reading has been a love for writing. As a technical writer, Sawka documented software programs for end users, which was very process-oriented. When she started her own company, Charming Manners, Sawka began writing the curriculum after much research in the area of manners and etiquette.
Her current book Good Table Manners Made Easy was born from her etiquette workshops and curriculum, a collection of tips for diners of all ages. Sawka stated, “While still somewhat process-oriented, the writing of my book allowed for some creativity mixed in with the processes.”
The etiquette workshops Sawka presents have primarily focused on children, which did indeed lead her to write for children. Good Table Manners Made Easy has wonderful information for diners of all ages though, and the illustrations and easy-to-understand cadence captures children.
Sawka stated, “Writing a book is hard work! There are many drafts, revisions, new ideas, thoughts of ‘I wish I had included this or omitted that’ that go with the process. Writing for children is different because you have to put yourself in the mind of a child. You don’t want the book to be too long so it loses their attention, but at the same time there is a point that needs to be expressed. Finding the balance between the right information and too much information is challenging.”

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

SPECIAL WORLD OF INK NETWORK SHOW 09/07 by WorldOfInkNetwork | Blog Talk Radio

Join Marsha Cook and V S Grenier on  September 7- 10AM PST 11AM EST NOON PST 1PM EST as they welcome Barbara Rogan. Barbara has had an incedible career and she is still doing so many things to help writers. This is going to be a great show that will be both entertaing and very informative. BARBARA began her publishing career with Fawcett Books before moving to Israel. One year later she established the Barbara Rogan Literary Agency, which specialized in representing American and European publishers and agents for Hebrew-language rights. With a few years the agency had become the largest in the country, supplying over 60% of the large Israeli market for translated books. During this period Barbara served on the Board of Directors of the Jerusalem Book Fair. Her first novel, Changing States , was published simultaneously in England, the U.S., and Israel. Shortly after its publication, she sold the literary agency and returned to New York.  Since then she’s pub...

Interview Friday with Award-winning Children's Author Donna McDine

Donna McDine is an award-winning children’s author . Her stories, articles and book reviews have been published in over 100 print and online publications. Her interest in American History resulted in writing and publishing "The Golden Pathway ." She writes, moms and is a personal assistant from her home in the historical hamlet Tappan, NY. McDine is a member of the SCBWI, Children’s Literature Network and Family Reading Partnership. VS: What do you do to help balance your writing life with your family life? Donna: I try my best to write when my family is off doing their “thing” and then meditate for 10-15 minutes prior to their return so I’m refreshed for them. VS: How long have you been writing? Donna: Since 2007 VS: What is a typical writing day like for you? Donna: No day is the same. I grab my writing time when I get it. Whether 15 minutes or 30 minutes at a time. As many authors we hold full time or part time jobs an...

Award-winning Author Mayra Calvani joins the Stories for Children Publishing February ‘11 World of Ink Tour

For Immediate Release Award-winning Author Mayra Calvani joins the Stories for Children Publishing February ‘11 World of Ink Tour   Stories for Children Publishing will be touring Award-winning author Mayra Calvani’s latest children’s book, “Frederico the Mouse Violinist” and her other books all month long in February 2011. You can find Mayra Calvani’s World of Ink Author/Book Tour schedule at http://storiesforchildrenpublishing.com/MayraCalvani . There will be giveaways, reviews, interviews, and guest posts. Make sure to stop by and interact with Mayra Calvani and the hosts at the different stops by leaving comments and/or questions. Calvani will be checking in throughout the tour. Mayra Calvani is an award-winning author who writes fiction and nonfiction for children and adults. She’s a reviewer for The New York Journal of Books and co-editor of Voice in the Dark ezine. She's had over 300 reviews, interviews, stories, and articles published in print and online. Mayra is ...