VS Grenier ~ Award-Winning Author, Speaker & Podcaster

I'm happy to say the World of Ink Author/Book Tours that we started at Stories for Children Publishing have been pretty successful. We did two in December and now we have one going on this month as well. Both authors in the Dec. 2010 World of Ink Tours said they had a lot of traffic to their sites, sold a few books and felt they really made a dent in their online presence/social networking. For those who have been wondering if virtual tours help or not, I have to say they do help. But they are only one tool in your marketing plan. I also did a virtual tour last month for my picture book "Babysitting Sugarpaw". I sold a few copies, did a couple of giveaways on mommy blogs, but what I noticed was the traffic to my author site and the emails from schools for visits increased by 15%! That was really nice. I'm currently lining up some visits for the Spring, so I'll have to let you know how those turn out later. Anyway, if you would like to follow a v

For Immediate Release Cheryl Malandrions Guest on RRRadio-RFK: Stories for Children –January 3rd   Blog Talk Radio’s Robin Falls Kids Show: Stories for Children with hosts (VS Grenier, D.M. Cunningham and Tiffany Strelitz Haber) will be chatting with author Cheryl Malandrions about her book “Little Shepherd.”   They’ll also discuss writing, the publishing industry and Cheryl’s experiences with virtual tours. Cheryl Malandrions will also be sharing writing tips, and trials and tribulations of the writer’s life. The show will be live, January 3, 2011 at 1pm EST (12pm Central, 11am MST, and 10am PST). Tune in at the RRRadio’s site at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/rrradio or listen/call in at (646) 595-4478. (Note: The show is also available on demand at the same link.) In addition, Stories for Children Publishing will be touring Cheryl Malandrions’ book, “Little Shepherd” all month long. Find her World of Ink Author/Book Tour schedule at http://storiesforchildrenpublishing.com/C

Indecision by Shery Ma Belle Arrieta-Russ  Indecision often times hinders us from achieving goals we have set for ourselves. Indecision  can cause regrets. How many times have you said to yourself, "If only I..." or "I wish I had..."  or "If I only did it another way, then..." Where there is indecision, there is no resolution. Instead of being convicted to a decision, a  stand or a principle, indecision causes us to 'swing' from one side to the other; to take one  step forward only to take two steps back. Indecision breeds reluctance. And where there is reluctance, there is a certain fear -- fear  of trying, fear of doing, fear of failing and yes, even fear of succeeding. This week, you will come face to face with your indecision. Freewrite for ten to fifteen minutes. Based on your freewrite, go on and craft an essay,  story or poem. ~ Monday: Think of something you wanted to do last week but did not do. What was it? Why did

These 7 *sparks* to jumpstart your writing come from Shery Ma Belle Arrieta-Russ, created WriteSparks!- a software that generates over 10 *million* Story Sparkers for Writers.     1. It was Erica Jong who said, "If you don't risk anything, you risk more." Write about what this means to you.   2. You come home and check your phone messages. You get your third message and freeze. Begin from there.   3. It was Herman Melville who said, "We become sad in the first place because we have nothing stirring to do." Write about what stirs you.   4. This dialogue must appear somewhere in your story: "You know what else her husband doesn't know?"   5. Use any or all of the following in a short narrative or poem: "as dense as a London fog," "a slate of solace," "like oil and water," "wound the clock," and "receding as you please."   6. Christina Cruz and Scott Peters meet after a failed experiment. O

When you write an article there are many times it can take FOREVER to complete it. Now this is due to a number of reasons which we can take advantage of to help us write articles much quicker. It only stands to reason that if you can speed up the writing process itself you can produce more articles or devote this time to other areas of your business. Here are 5 writing strategies that you can use to help increase the speed and ease with which you write articles. Write What You Know When you write articles it is always wise to stick with subjects you are familiar with since your content will be of more value to the reader. The other advantage here is that if you know what you are writing about there will be less hesitancy in the writing process so you complete your work faster. Keep Articles Short Do not get carried away when composing an article to the point that it is 700 or more words. Enthusiasm for your subject is good however learning to write smarter will save you a

RFK: Stories for Children On Monday, December 20th - They will be chatting with author, agent and host of "A Good Story Is A Good Story" Marsha Casper Cook about her books “Snack Attack,” "The Magical Leaping Lizard Potion," "The Busy Bus" and what it has been like doing the World of Ink Author/Book Virtual Tour. Marsha will also be sharing agent and self publishing tips; along with the trials and tribulations of the writer’s life. Marsha Casper Cook is the author of six published books and 11 feature-length screenplays, a literary agent with 15 years of experience and the host of a radio talk show about the business of writing and entertainment, “A Good Story is a Good Story,” on the Red River Radio network. You can tune in at the RRRadio’s site or listen/call in at (646) 595-4478. In addition, SFC Publishing will be touring Marsha Casper Cook and her books all month long. You can learn more and find her the World of Ink Tour schedule

For Immediate Release Marsha Casper Cook Guest on RRRadio-RFK: Stories for Children –December 20th   Come listen to Blog Talk Radio’s  Robin Falls Kids show: Stories for Children as the hosts (VS Grenier, D.M. Cunningham, and Tiffany Strelitz Haber) chat with author and agent Marsha Casper Cook about her books, writing, the publishing industry and her experience during the World of Ink Author/Book Virtual Tour. Marsha Casper Cook will also be sharing writing tips, andc trials and tribulations of the writer’s life. The show will be live at 11am MST (10am PST, Noon Central and 1pm EST). You can tune in at the RRRadio’s site at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/rrradio/2010/12/20/rfk-stories-for-children or you can listen/call in at (646) 595-4478. (Note: if you can’t make the show, you can listen on demand at the same link.) In addition, Stories for Children Publishing will be touring Marsha Casper Cook’s children’s books all month long. You can find the World of Ink Author/Book Tour s

SFC Blog: Families Matter: Featured Trailers : "Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com"