New Picture Book Project

Nothing makes an author more happy than having one or more of their children following in their footsteps. My son, who is graduating this year, wrote a picture in 3rd grade as a class project. The teacher had it published and family members bought the book. I hoped he would follow in my love of writing and sharing stories with others...he didn't. Instead he fell in love with art, computer games and political science.

My middle child however surprised me over this summer. My daughter has been supportive of my writing and loves reading, but she never seemed interested beyond this. She has been my girlie girl, who loves going to plays, watching movies, painting and playing dress-up. Don't get me wrong, she is also the only one who plays a sport (soccer), even though she hates running and P.E. in school.

So what was the surprise? She dropped a few pieces of paper on my writing desk while I was out one day and on it was a short story about a lonely fish. At first, I did what most parents would do...I found her and asked if everything was okay with her friends. "Everything is fine mom," she told me. I raised my eyebrow in that parently look we all get when we think our kids are trying to make light of what they are really feeling.

"Are you sure nothing is wrong?" Concern coursing through me.

"I just wanted to share the story I wrote. Do you like?"

" Love it and think together we can make this a publishable story. Would you like that?"

The joy on my daughter's face was priceless. She threw her arms around my middle, looked up at me with her chin on my belly and said. "I would like that a lot."

I'm excited to say that my 8 year old daughter Ashley and I will be co-authoring some picture books together. I had planned on only writing one or two more picture books starring SugarPaw from my award-winning picture "Babysitting SugarPaw" and then moving my writing efforts into Middle Grade, YA and New Adult works. I still plan to do that, but also plan to help my daughter with her writing as her co-author.

How to Sell Yourself Workshop

How to Sell Yourself with VS Grenier This workshop is my most requested for writing conferences and by writing groups. Description: It‘s more than writing a good story or article when it comes to being noticed by publishers and editors. Think about it, how many bad books are out there making money? How many awful articles have you read in recent publications? Do you wonder how these writers are getting published and you’re not? Do you think it has to do with the catch 22 system? In some ways, it does, but knowing how to sell yourself is key. You’re not just a writer . . . you’re a Salesman! And the product you’re selling is Yourself! As writers, we are a product, not just our books. Many writers aren't successful because they don't know how to sell themselves; let a lone their writing. This online course is 10 weeks long and includes a teleclass. All assignments will be sent via email by the instructor. Course starts September 11, 2011 and ends Noember...

Write Without Distractions: The Best Online Applications

Sarah P. has an online accounting degree but hopes to add a degree in social work to her resume. Distracted writing is often not good writing. As a consequence, a number of people have gone out of their way to develop software that makes it a fair amount more difficult to be sidetracked by the countless things that aren't word processing software available on any computer, regardless of platform. Here are a handful of them, where to find them and how they work: FocusWriter FocusWriter is a full-screen word processor intended to make the creative process as immersive as possible by making your typing appear at the very front of the screen, surrounded by nothing but a customizable theme or background. It offers a handful of tools and customization options only visible when your mouse is at one particular point on the screen, which then goes away when your mouse moves. The software provides real-time statistics about how much you've written and allows you to ...

World of Ink Interview with author Judy Snider and Illustrator Cady B. Driver

Judy Snider , Joan’s sister lives in Virginia Beach, Virginia with her husband, Gil, and two silly cats. She is the author of the CWA award-winning children’s picture book, Goldy’s Baby Socks , and on a team of authors of The Scared Purse . The Writing Mama Interview with author Judy Snider VS: What do you do to help balance your writing life with your family life? Judy: It is easier now that my kids are in their 20’s and out of the home. I get up very early, and some of the best writing I do is in a sunny place with a glass of water or coffee and my silly cats nearby. When my oldest was a baby, I took a write-away-course, and would write when he took his naps. Some of my best writing was at a table while I waited in those days for them at parties, video arcades, etc. I work out of my home on projects, so working with my sister on our latest book, and the phone usually did Cady Driver, our illustrator. VS: How long have you been writing? Judy: I wrote my...

VS Grenier ~ Award-Winning Author, Speaker & Podcaster

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