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.

OWNING: Only One of You

Martha Graham, a famous dancer and choreographer in the early 20th century, wrote in a letter to one of her students: "There is a vitality, a life force, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique, and if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium; and be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is, not how it compares with other expression. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open." Graham's words ring true. There is only one of you in the world: The way you think, the way you see things, the way you respond, the way you nurture yourself and other people, the way you go about doing mundane things. The way you love, the way you express, the way you tell a story, the way you write. The world will know of and witness only one you . The totality of you -- talents, nuances, thought proc...

Blog Talk Radio Show October 7th with Guest Author Donna McDine

Join host Virginia S Grenier and her guests on Mondays at 4pm eastern for the Featured World of Ink Network show The Writing Mama! This week (Monday October 7th) our guest is Award-winning Children's Author Donna McDine. They will be talking about McDine's two latest releases "Powder Monkey" and "Hockey Agony", both published by Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. a small indie publisher of eBooks and print books for young readers. Donna McDine is an award-winning children’s author, Honorable Mention in the 77 and two Honorable Mentions in the 78 Annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competitions, Literary Classics Silver Award & Seal of Approval Recipient Picture Book Early Reader, Readers Favorite 2012 International Book Awards Honorable Mention, Global eBook Awards Finalist Children’s Picture Book fiction, and Preditor & Editors Readers Poll 2010 Top Ten Children’s Book ~ The Golden Pathway . Her stories, articles and book reviews have...

Guest Post Wed: Inspiration of Writing a Book

Inspiration for writing Gabriela and The Widow by Jack Remick In one way or another, fiction is autobiographical but the story doesn’t have to be, as they blare out on TV, “based on a true story.” It’s the other way around—the novel, the fiction becomes part of the author’s autobiography. The novel is an expression of being. The author puts a writer into every story and that writer is the narrator. For Gabriela and the Widow, the autobiographical stimulus, call it the impulse to write, came when I visited my mother to celebrate her 92 nd birthday. For the last few years, my mother’s caregiver has been Gabriela. I watched as Gabriela fed her, dressed her, bathed her, combed her hair and put her to bed. But for Gabriela, this wasn’t just a job. She had a connection to my mother that was true, real, and honest. She didn’t change her behavior for my visits. She didn’t coo and perform, so I knew that what I saw was the real Gabriela and the real Mother. And there was somet...

VS Grenier ~ Award-Winning Author, Speaker & Podcaster

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