Interview Friday: Dennis Marcoux - Children's Picture Book Author

Dennis Marcoux lived in Worcester, Massachusetts for most of his life and now resides in Cape Coral, Florida. He has been writing children stories and poems for many years and is passionate about children reading to expand their imagination. In his spare time, you can find him reading books as a volunteer in elementary schools and children's hospitals. He is a member of the Gulf Coast Writers Association of Fort Myers, Florida

VS: What do you do to help balance your writing life with your family life?

Dennis: I do not have a typical routine. I write whenever ideas and thoughts enter my mind. My imagination is like a jig saw puzzle. Sometimes the pieces do not always fall into place easily.

It has been a humbling experience, especially when children and parents express to me how much they enjoyed my book.

VS: What inspired you to write your book?

Dennis: I was inspired by my Granddaughter Molly's imagination. We often walked together in the woods and the animals there fascinated her...namely the squirrels

VS: Can you share with us a little about your current book?

Dennis: Nutty and his sister Twittles set out to play a fun game of hide "n" seek with their friends. When Twittles is the only one missing, the game quickly changes. Nutty has to find his sister because she may be lost in the dark and dangerous Forrest.

VS: What did you find to be the most challenging part of writing your book?

Dennis: The publishing process. I sent my manuscript to Halo Publishing Int., and received a response from Lisa Umina the CEO. I had no idea what getting a book published entailed and really learned a lot about the process. Lisa guided me through each step of the process beginning with editing, finding an illustrator, marketing and the final print. Lisa went above and beyond my expectations and made the challenges of getting a book published a good experience.

VS: Do you have any other works in progress? Can you share a little about them?

Dennis: I'm currently working on a series of books with Nutty and Twittles that will include a teaching element, as well as open up their imagination and develop their creativity.

VS: What do you feel as parents we need to do to help our children see success?

Dennis: Reading is important because it ultimately leads to greater creativity. I compare my philosophy on reading like playing dominos. Reading leads to imagination, which leads to ideas, and ideas lead to creativity. You can't get to the last domino until you start the first one.

VS: Where can the readers of The Writing Mama find out more about and your writing?

Dennis: Places where available for sale: Halo Publishing International, Amazon and Barnes & Noble

e-Book Available Nook & Kindle

Follow Dennis Marcoux at Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dennis-Marcoux/286869338186554

Interview Friday with multi-talented author, Cheryl Malandrinos

Cheryl Malandrinos is a freelance writer and editor from Western Massachusetts . A regular contributor to Writer2Writer, her articles focus on increasing productivity through time management and organization. A founding member of Musing Our Children , Ms. Malandrinos is also the Editor-in-Chief of the group's quarterly newsletter, Pages & Pens . Cheryl is a Tour Coordinator for Pump Up Your Book Promotion , a book reviewer, and blogger. Guardian Angel Publishing will release her first children’s book, The Little Shepherd Boy, in 2010. VS: Cheryl, I want to thank you for being my guest here on The Writing Mama today. I know being a parent and writer can be hard and I find myself asking if I am giving my three children enough attention throughout the day. I am sure you have been in my shoes from time to time. So to start here is the first question, how many children do you have and what are their ages? Cheryl: Thanks for having me at The Writing Mama, Virginia. I’m thril

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The world of children’s picture book publishing is extremely competitive. If you’re an aspiring children’s author, you need to make sure your manuscript is in excellent shape and has all the elements editors and agents look for before you begin the submission process. Here are five tips to make your picture book manuscript more marketable: Start right with the problem. Many times beginner writers begin a picture book with back-story. It’s okay to have this back-story in the first draft, but be sure to get rid of it when you edit. Back-story is unnecessary 90% of the time and it only serves to slow down the beginning of a story, making it weaker. You want to grab the reader right from the start. So don’t be afraid to begin your story at the heart of the problem. It’s okay to set the stage with a sentence or two—but no more! Have a protagonist readers can relate to. Generally, children like to listen to stories about other children or animals with children’s characteristics. They

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Donna McDine is an award-winning children's author, Honorable Mention in the 77th and two Honorable Mentions in the 78 th Annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competitions. Her stories have been published in many print and online publications and her interest in American History resulted in writing and publishing The Golden Pathway. Donna has two more books under contract with Guardian Angel Publishing, The Hockey Agony and Powder Monkey . She writes, moms and is the Editor-in-Chief for Guardian Angel Kids and Publicist for the National Writing for Children Center from her home in the historical hamlet Tappan, NY. McDine is a member of the SCBWI and Musing Our Children. What excites you most about your book’s topic? Why did you choose it? The Underground Railroad was a pivotal time in American history, one that should never be repeated. It is my hope by keeping history alive for each generation that these huge mistakes will never reoccur. Q. How lon

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