VS Grenier ~ Award-Winning Author, Speaker & Podcaster

I woke this morning to begin my daily routine to find some exciting (or interesting news) in my email. Now, I have a lot of writers and published authors who have asked me at conferences, on blog talk radio shows or in passing conversations if I feel certain social media outlets are really worth the time and effort. One such social platform is LinkedIn. To be honest, I never really had an opinion about LinkedIn. What I mean is I don't pay for advance services or options for my profile account. I have the basic free account, I'm in a few groups (who send me digest updates of discussions) and I get "Connect" requests. My profile is basic and does give a nice quick snapshot on all I do and have done. I don't promote my LinkedIn profile at all. In fact, I think it is my least maintained social media platform I have. So you can imagine my surprise when I saw an email from LinkedIn saying my profile is one the Top 5% Most Viewed LinkedIn Profiles. Really? But it d...

Gabriela and The Widow is the story of Gabriela, a 19 year old Mexican woman who migrates north (to El Norte) where she meets a dying 92 year old woman, The Widow. The novel is their story. About the Book: Through the intimate bond of a companion and benefactor, Gabriela reconciles the painful experiences of her youth as she is reshaped by the Widow, La Viuda. Together, day after day, night after night, La Viuda immerses Gabriela in lists, boxes, places, times, objects, photos, and stories, captivating and life-changing stories.  It seems Gabriela is not just hired to cook and clean; she has been chosen to curate La Viuda’s mementos while taking care of the old woman’s failing health. “As you grow thick, I grow thin,” says the widow, portending the secret of immortality that will overtake both women.  Overall Thoughts: Normally I'm one to point out too much narrative in a manuscript when critiquing a fellow writer's work, but this is due to the deta...

Come join the hosts of the Stories for Children show Virginia S Grenier and Irene Roth on Monday February 4, 2013 at 2pm EST - 1pm CST - Noon MST - 11am PST as they chat wtih author Sands Hetherington about his after lights out adventure series, Night Buddies. The first book in the Night Buddies series, Night Buddies and the Pineapple Cheesecake Scare is available anywhere books are sold. Night Buddies, Impostors, and One Far-Out Flying Machine, the second book in the Night Buddies series, has a ton of mischief going on all over the Borough, done by a red crocodile and causing confusion and hard feelings everywhere. Now availbe where books are sold! Juvenile Fiction/Chapter Books for Ages 7 and up. ISBN Numbers Book 2: 978-0-9847417-2-4 Book 1: 978-0-9847417-1-7 Sands Hetherington, creator of the Night Buddies series of chapter books is delighted to have published his second title, Night Buddies, Impostors, and One Far-Out Flying Machine. Sands credits his son John for ...

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...