VS Grenier ~ Award-Winning Author, Speaker & Podcaster

Write What You Know!  with Mary Cunningham The dream takes place in a mysterious attic. At times the attic is exciting and mysterious, but many times it is dark and foreboding. I'd just finished telling my best friend, Diana, about the recurring dream I'd had for almost 20 years, when I had a "light-bulb" moment. It occurred to me that the dream took place in the attic of my childhood friend, Cynthia. "Hmmm…" Diana pondered, "Cynthia's Attic. What a great title!" That's when the dreams stopped and the writing began. I sat in my New Jersey home wanting desperately to write about the dream and to recall the fond memories of playing in Cynthia's attic as a child. I should write a memoir! No…a picture book…maybe a song! (That didn't work!) Nothing seemed to strike me, so I let go and just started writing. A four-page memoir eventually turned into a 33,000-word young reader novel, and took more than three years to write. Anot...

  Cynthia's Attic - Inspiring Young Readers and Writers Writers love to write. It's a passion. But, I discovered another benefit writing for children that I didn’t anticipate. Who knew how much fun I’d have visiting schools and interacting with my target audience? I’ve created several slide presentations that are informative and fun, but the question/answer session is most entertaining. For instance, I'm amazed at the number of elementary and middle-school students who not only love to read, but want to know what it takes to become a published author.  Questions like, “How did you find your publisher?” or, “Who edits your books?” One of the most asked questions is, “Who did your cover?” I love sharing information about one of the best graphic artists in the business, Nathalie Moore. Although the artist and the publisher have the final say, my ideas are always considered.  Naturally, the inevitable questions come up; “How much money do you make?” (Don’t quit your day jo...