VS Grenier ~ Award-Winning Author, Speaker & Podcaster

Jan Britland is an author and artist. She lives in Punta Gorda, Florida with her husband Bill. They have a bulldog named Madison, a parrot named Lola, three red-eared slider turtles named Sparky, Luigi and hale. And last but not least Goldie a pond fish. All of whom are portrayed in her stories. When she is not writing Children's books, she teaches oil painting to adults. VS: I want to thank you for being my guest here on The Writing Mama today, Jan. To get things started, what do you do to help balance your writing life with your family life?  Jan: When my children were young, I was a single parent. When I wrote, I wrote my notes and ideas down and put them in the drawer. Then I needed an even bigger drawer. I never had time to even think of getting published. Now there are so many ways to get published. None of those early stories have been published. VS: How long have you been writing?    Jan: I have been writing stories down all my life. But I never took it seriously o

Natasha Yim is a children's book author and freelance writer. Her first book, Otto's Rainy Day was published by Charlesbridge Publishing in 2000. It was selected as a Kids' Pick of the Lists. She has written for Highlights for Children, Appleseeds and Faces magazines, and her new picture book biography, Cixi, The Dragon Empress was released by Goosebottom Books in October 2011. Gretchen Maurer's writing has been published in Frances Mayes' The Discovery of Poetry, and in Adventure Cyclist and Highlights for Children magazines. She also co-wrote a short film, Alma, that has won multiple awards. Mary Tudor, "Bloody Mary" is her first picture book. She lives in Northern California with her family. Natasha Yim’s current book, Cixi, The Dragon Empress and Gretchen Maurer’s current book, Mary Tudor, “Bloody Mary” are two of the six books (all written by different authors) in Goosebottom Books’ series, The Thinking Girl’s Treasury of Dastardly Dames. The seri

Karen Cioffi is an advocate of education, reading, and the environment.  She loves how reading can spark a child’s imagination and bring him or her to new worlds and on amazing adventures. Along with writing children’s books, Karen is a ghostwriter and freelance writer, and has several nonfiction books on writing and book marketing. She has lived in New York City all her life, and two of her favorite sayings are: “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.” American proverb “Be the change you want to see in the world.” M. Ghandi VS: I want to thank you for being my guest here on The Writing Mama today, Karen. To start things off, what do you do to help balance your writing life with your family life? Karen: My family life keeps interrupting my writing life. J Obviously, family obligations and responsibilities must come first. And, with MS, it’s not always easy keeping up with everything. When I get overwhelmed, I tell myself the only writing obligation that I have to meet on a tim

Maha Huneidi is a wife, mother and now grandmother, who finally found out what she wants to be when she grows up. This book is the first step of her journey. She lives in Portland, Oregon.      Note from the Author: When I began writing this book, it was not about my granddaughter at all, but when I heard that she was afraid of monsters, it quickly became all about her. I wanted to empower her to take charge of her fear. I sent my son a copy of "When Monsters Get Lonely" in a word file, with illustrations, just before I submitted it for publishing in April. Hanaa's parents immediately began reading it to her... Now, she sometimes tells her mother, "the monster touched my neck, but I made friends with him." I think that Hanaa has found the courage to deal with her monster on her own now, and she still enjoys monster movies and monster stories! VS: What do you do to help balance your writing life with your family life? Maha: At this time

Do your kids ever drive you crazy? Do you wish they would have better behavior? Do you want your kids to make better grades in school? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, then this is the book you might be looking for! In this book, author Clayton Paul Thomas, shares with you an insiders point of view on how to work with kids who can be challenging. Thomas has worked with a lot of difficult children for many years. He believes we all can be better parents and I hope this book will help you take the next step. Clayton Paul Thomas dedicates this book to all parents and teachers who are trying to help their children be the best they can! Tantrums, Troubles, and Treasures: A Parent's Guide to Parenting in the 21st Century Written by: Clayton Paul Thomas Publisher: LuLu.com ISBN Number: 978-1-257-05609-5 Publication Date: April 2011 Book Blurb: Tantrums, Troubles, and Treasures is a book meant to help great parents become even better. The book cover