I'm over moon to share with you the book cover of my forthcoming children's book, Hockey Agony with Guardian Angel Publishing! My illustrator, Julie Hammond is busy creating the interior illustrations and I'm waiting with bated breath. When the publisher shared the book cover with me I gasped, for Julie truly captured the essence of the story!
In the meantime, I'd like to share with you a bit of Julie's background and book synopsis:
About Julie Hammond:
Julie Hammond is the illustrator of Why Do We Celebrate Easter?, Riley's
Heart Machine, Birds in a Flower Basket and Hockey Agony. She lives with
her family of two girls, a loving husband and a few furry friends in a cozy
house in St. Louis, Missouri. She loves to hear from her reading friends. You
can contact Julie through her website at juliehammondart.com.
About Hockey Agony:Peer
Pressure and Honesty many times go hand-in-hand. What is Larry to do when his teammate
asks him to cheat when he is given the responsibility to run the clock during
the big hockey game? Outwardly, it may
seem he will follow suit, but his conscious tells him otherwise at the moment
of truth.
Thank you for taking the time out to visit.
I invite you to visit with my fellow Guardian Angel
Publishing authors at their blogs during Children’s Book Week 2012 and beyond:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Best wishes,
Donna M. McDine
Award-winning Children's Author The Golden Pathway ~ August 2010 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc.
~ Literary Classics Silver Award and Seal of Approval Recipient and Dan Poynter's Global e-Book Awards Finalist
Families and friends who live far away from each other with hundreds of
miles or even an ocean separating them can be emotionally draining at times.
Close the gap by visiting through the wonderful technology of the Internet by
sharing your favorite bed time story with the youngster in your life. I
recently participated in creating a video excerpt of my award-winning
Underground Railroad children’s book, TheGolden Pathwayhttp://bit.ly/HtpqtW and
I’m pleased to share with you a behind the scenes look of Be There Bedtime
Stories with Alison Sansone.
About Be There
Bedtime Stories:
Be There Bedtime
Stories is a website that delivers bedtime stories from the web - known as "Webtime Stories™" - for families
far apart. We position webcam recorded video of a storyteller onto the page of
a children's e-book, so grandparents, traveling parents, military parents or
even aunts and uncles can still 'be there' for this age-old storytelling
tradition, during the formative years of a child's life. We like to think that
Webtime Stories™ build relationships and build readers, through these
read-aloud video recordings.
How does it work?
It's super
simple - as one of our focus group mommies put it "…I had a slight fear of
the [webcam] technology, but your website did all the work!"
1. Choose an
e-book from our online bookstore;
2. Read the
story aloud in front of your webcam, as it displays on your
computer screen
- sound effects, hand gestures and duets are highly encouraged;
3. We position
the video of you - the storyteller - onto the page of the e-book and then email
a special link to anyone you choose; your recorded Webtime Stories™ are
viewable any number of times, forever.
And Webtime
Stories™ play direct from your own bookshelf on our secure website, so you
don't have to download anything or figure out how to transfer video
files.
What inspired
it?
Well, I don't
have children of my own and my only two nieces live 2000 miles away, in
Chicago. It was really frustrating to not be recognized when I would visit in
those early years. I wanted to be a part of those really neat memories that we
all have from childhood - I wanted to make an impact on their lives.
I was running my
own video marketing production company at the time and, so, combining video
media with something for kids was making its way to the frontal lobe region of
my brain and, wah-lah! video bedtime stories appeared!
The best part of
the creating the demo was to see the organic interactivity between my father
and my nieces. They loved it! I had my sister record video of them watching the
first Webtime Story and all of their reactions were spot-on! My father
naturally paused on one page to count the hippos and they counted out loud with
him. Then at the end of the story, my father made mention of a little inside
joke before saying goodnight; well, right on queue, my niece popped up from her
pillow and bantered right back at her grandpa in the video. Both girls were
glued to the screen and engaged, yet it was organically interactive despite the
fact that it was a recording.
The fact that it
is a video recording makes for a really unique family keepsake. I think it's so
cool to think that my niece's great-grandchildren will be able to know a bit
about me by watching my storytelling style, 100 years from now!
How many books
do you offer?
We currently
have ten small to med size publishers that have offered over 200 titles through
our bookstore. Books are appropriate for ages ranging from 2-8 years old and we
even have Spanish language stories, too! We're continuing to reach out to other
publishers to add more titles.
Is there
anything else you'd like to add?
Totally, I'm
glad you asked! One of our best projects is offering people visiting the site
the opportunity to buy Webtime Stories™ for military families. It's
such a simple yet powerful way to support the troops deployed overseas. We have
a great partnership with a leading military family support org - BlueStarFam.org.
Visitors to our site can purchase a story for just $4.99 and then we distribute
the Webtime Stories™ through Blue Star Families.
We also have a
way for folks to promote it in their workplace, church or organization. We can
even track your group's donations, if your company or organization is
interested in matching. Here is the link to that program: http://www.betherebedtimestories.com/milfamsupport/
I invite you to visit with my fellow Guardian Angel
Publishing authors at their blogs during Children’s Book Week 2012 and beyond:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Best wishes,
Donna M. McDine
Award-winning Children's Author The Golden Pathway ~ August 2010 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc.
~ Literary Classics Silver Award and Seal of Approval Recipient and Dan Poynter's Global e-Book Awards Finalist
The Children's Book Week 2012 celebration continues and I wanted to share with you a wonderful resource of children's books, The Reading Tub.
While searching the Internet for children's books and opportunities to connect with book reviewers and individuals/organizations on the front lines of children's literacy I discovered The Reading Tub. And what a find it is! A bit of what The Reading Tub has to offer...
Slogan: “We Bring Reading Home for Families”
The Reading Tub is a volunteer-run non-profit
for family reading and literacy. Here you'll discover great books to share and
learn about ways to encourage your child's love of reading.The Reading Tub collects and
distributes books to at-risk readers, whether it is a child with no books at
home or a teacher building a classroom library for her struggling students.
Donations fund this work, and 100% of the money we receive goes to providing
literacy information and shipping books.
The
Reading Tub offers:
Book Reviews
Author Showcase
Learning To Read Resources: literacy facts, reading
activities, learning to read, when a child struggles to read, resources &
articles, and Children’s Book Awards
Newsletter
Our Company: learn how The Reading Tub
came to fruition, community projects, Board of Directors, partners, donors,
accomplishments, etc.
Visit
The Reading Tub today http://thereadingtub.com/index.php
and be forewarned you will be spending countless hours getting to know authors
and the resources The Reading Tub has to offer.
I invite you to visit with my fellow Guardian Angel
Publishing authors at their blogs during Children’s Book Week 2012 and beyond:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Best wishes,
Donna M. McDine
Award-winning Children's Author The Golden Pathway ~ August 2010 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc.
~ Literary Classics Silver Award and Seal of Approval Recipient and Dan Poynter's Global e-Book Awards Finalist
The Importance of a Teacher’s Guide for your Children’s Book
By Donna McDine
After I signed the book
contract for The Golden Pathway I
took the time out to discuss with teachers what sparks their interest in
children’s books for their classrooms beyond what the school provides. Many
times over I heard they are under strict confinements with their curriculum and
books need to fit into their daily teachings. I then took to task to research
state curriculum guidelines and learned the creation of an educator’s guide for
The Golden Pathway needed to be a
comprehensive across the curriculum guide. After meeting homeschool specialist,
Amy O’Quinn through the Working Writer’s Club I approached Amy about hiring her
to write a teacher’s guide for The
Golden Pathway. The end result was beyond my expectations!
The teacher’s guide is a
teaching tool for English, Social Studies, Math, Science, and Art teachers, as
well as for Homeschooling families. Activities include:
Language
Arts: Writing/Vocabulary
Integrated Language Arts/Social Studies: Topical
Study/Presentation Boards
Social Studies: Timeline, Mapping and Geography
Math: Map Work Mathematics, Calculations, Time, Recipe
Math, Quilt Math
Science: Astronomy, Skin, Plants and Crops, Alcoholism,
Five Senses
Role Playing, Disguises and Escape/Safe Houses
Toys and Games of the 19th Century: Make a Rag Doll,
Make a Nettie Doll, Information on Games/Toys
Songs of Slavery and the Underground Railroad:
Background Information and Lyrics
More Fun Art Projects, Activities, and Resources:
Coloring Sheets, Printables, Juneteenth, Make A Tin Can Lantern
It is in my opinion well
written children’s books have a better chance of finding their way into schools
when it is accompanied with an educator’s guide. By having this guide for The Golden Pathway it has certainly
helped spark additional interest with school visits. Case in point, when I
participated in the New York State Reading Association, October 2011 I had the
opportunity to meet with teachers from across the tri-state area (NY, NJ, and
CT) and many commented on the educator’s guide I was chatting up with them as
they stopped by my table. They were delighted and impressed to learn of this
complimentary addition to The Golden
Pathway, explaining their time is at a premium and to have activities
already planned for them saves them valuable time. At this point in time, one
of these conversations has turned into a weeklong visit to a local elementary
school. The Parent Teacher Association purchased The Golden Pathway for each classroom and when I presented each
teacher with the complimentary CD of The
Golden Pathway Educator’s Guide their responses where overwhelming
positive. Knowing even beforehand how essential an educator’s guide is, I’ve
already hired Amy O’Quinn to create educator’s guides for my future books.
As writers many of us
can and do create our own teacher’s guides, but for myself I wanted someone
with the expertise of being in the trenches of teaching to formulate my teacher’s guide. By outsourcing this project, it has freed me to up to work on
new manuscripts, marketing, and client work.
To learn more about my writing career or to order
an autographed copy of The Golden Pathway
visit, www.donnamcdine.com. Gift
with purchase: The Golden Pathway
Educator’s Guide.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Best wishes,
Donna M. McDine
Award-winning Children's Author The Golden Pathway ~ August 2010 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc.
~ Literary Classics Silver Award and Seal of Approval Recipient and Dan Poynter's Global e-Book Awards Finalist
I'm delighted you have stopped by to help me and my fellow Guardian Angel Publishing authors to celebrate Children's Book Week. Today, I'd like to share with you interviews with myself and illustrator, K.C. Snider conducted by Homeschool Specialist, Amy O'Quinn:
Interview with Award-winning children's author Donna McDine:
Donna McDine is an award-winning children's author, Honorable
Mention in the 77th and two Honorable Mentions in the 78th Annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competitions, Literary
Classics Silver Award & Seal of Approval Recipient Picture Book Early Reader, Global eBook Awards
Finalist Children’s
Picture Book Fiction, and Preditors & Editors Readers Poll
2010 Top Ten Children’s Books ~ The Golden Pathway.
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. Donna has three more
books under contract with Guardian Angel Publishing, Hockey Agony,Powder Monkey, and A Sandy Grave. She writes, moms and is
the Editor-in-Chief for Guardian Angel Kids, Publicist for the Working Writer’s
Club, and owner of Author PR Services from her home in the historical hamlet
Tappan, NY. McDine is a member of the SCBWI. Visit www.donnamcdine.com.
How did you come up with the
idea to write a book about a young boy who helps a slave escape?
I have always had a fascination for
American History and living in the historical hamlet of Tappan, New York is a
constant reminder of the rich history of our country. And when the opportunity
arose at the end of the Institute of Children’s Literature Writing for Children
and Teenagers course to create an outline for a book idea I naturally
gravitated towards the Underground Railroad.
How much research was
involved and how long did it take to write the book?
I
initially visited my local library and researched both children’s and adult
books on the Underground Railroad. The wealth of information was endless, but
once I focused on the central character being the son of a slave owner the
story flowed. From start to finish after research it took about a year to edit
and fine tune the manuscript to feel confident enough to submit to the Writer’s
Digest Writing Competition. After placing 12th in the
Children’s/Young Adult category I then met Lynda Burch of Guardian Angel
Publishing and submitted. After several more edits and expansion of the story,
Ms. Burch offered me my first children’s book contract, adding about another
two years to the process. It may seem like a long time, but it’s all worth it.
How did you become a
children's author?
After
working for Fortune 500 companies for many years I came across the Institute of
Children’s Literature ad and I was immediately intrigued. I eagerly completed
their aptitude test and mailed it off. After a month or so I received my
acceptance into their “Writing to Children and Teenagers” course and haven’t
looked back since. Even though I still hold a virtual assistant position to
help pay the bills my true place is as a children’s author.
What advice do you have for
young aspiring authors?
Just like taking up an instrument or sport - practice,
practice and practice some more is essential in honing your writing skills.
Participate in writer’s workshops in the genre you are interested in is a key
component in developing your unique voice. Many times people think writing for
children is a snap, when it is the complete opposite. Children are quite
intuitive and know when you are preaching or speaking down to them.
Studying the market and what publishers want is imperative. If
your goal is to write for children’s magazines, taking the time out to read
back issues will provide you with insights on the direction of a particular
magazine. For children’s book publishers, review their catalogues for what they
are currently publishing. You may just find a niche that needs to be filled.
And whether you are submitting to children’s magazines or children’s book
publishers reading their submission guidelines is imperative. I cannot stress
enough how important it is to follow the specific guidelines to the “letter.”
Even if you go over the word count by a few words it can mean instant
rejection.
Never be afraid to ask questions. We all have something to learn
each and every day and you’ll be surprised how many people have the same
question as you.
Happy writing to you all and let your voice soar.
Interview with illustrator, K.C. Snider:
K.C. Snider, a prominent Oregon
artist, has branched out into a variety of styles and subjects. Her collection
of oil paintings, lithographs, and pencil drawings include the All-American
Cowboy and Cowgirl and their historical lifestyles with magnificent wolves,
buffalo herds, eagles and birds of prey along with horses and domestic animals.
Her artwork has won numerous awards including the Snaffle Bit Award and the
Pioneer Award.
Snider lives in the high desert with
majestic views of the Cascade Mountains' snow capped peaks. K.C. also
illustrates children's books: Alleycat; The Christmas Angel; Preston, the
Not-So-Perfect Pig; One Family's Christmas; Cartwheel Annie; The Magic Violin;
Does Heaven Get Mail?; Andy & The Albino Horse Series; Baby Jesus is
Missing' Katydidn't; A Short Tale About a Long Tail; Monster Maddie; RV Mouse
& Ruthie and the Hippo's Fat Behind.
A three piece triptych from the
second book in the Andy & the Albino Horse Series won 1st Place in The
Western Art Roundup 2008 and another Andy story triptych won 2nd Place in The
Western Art Roundup 2009.
How did you become
artist/illustrator?
I attended commercial art school and graduated as a
commercial artist in the late 1970’s. I have been working for Guardian
Angel Publishing for about 5 years, now.
What inspires you as an artist?
Everything around me! Everything around us is art.
Tell us about your experience
illustrating The Golden Pathway, and how closely did you work with Donna on the
project?
I worked very closely with Donna in researching for
historical accuracy. A lot of email flew back and forth between us.
What advice do you have for young,
aspiring illustrators?
Draw a lot and learn as many styles as you possibly
can. Success is in being versatile and being able to draw anything from
realism to cartoon.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Best wishes,
Donna M. McDine
Award-winning Children's Author The Golden Pathway ~ August 2010 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc.
~ Literary Classics Silver Award and Seal of Approval Recipient and Dan Poynter's Global e-Book Awards Finalist
