VS Grenier ~ Award-Winning Author, Speaker & Podcaster

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...

Title: Vin and the Dorky Duet Publisher: Halo Publishing Int. & MuseItUp Publishing (Canadian e-book publisher) ISBN: 978-1-61244-091-0 (paperback) ISBN: 978-1-77127-073-1 (eBook) Genre of Book: Children’s Chapter Book Adventure About the Book: A twelve-year-old boy named Vin, goes on a mission—reluctantly. He doesn’t share the optimism of the knights of old who embarked on impossible missions without a doubt they’d succeed. When m agnetic compost heaps, man-eating bubble baths and other disasters erupt, Vin comes close to packing in the whole ridiculous business. He calls it Operation BS, his code name for a mission to introduce his sister to a boy she has a crush on. He doesn’t want to play matchmaker, but Meg’s promise to reward him with a David Beckham autographed soccer jersey is a decisive incentive. Overall Thoughts: If you are a fan of the Captain Underpants or Whimpy Kid series then you'll like this chapter book by Maggie Lyons. The main chara...