HFVBT Presents Donna McDine's The Golden Pathway Blog Tour, August 25-September 17 - Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours

HFVBT Presents Donna McDine's The Golden Pathway Blog Tour, August 25-September 17 - Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours

Amy Bruno has coordinated yet another wonderful virtual book tour for my children's book, The Golden Pathway. Both The Golden Pathway and Powder Monkey will be traveling through cyberspace the next few weeks. I'm delighted to share the schedule….

Monday, August 25


Review at What Is That Book About

Tuesday, August 26


Spotlight at So Many Precious Books, So Little Time

Wednesday, August 27


Interview & Giveaway at Let Them Read Books

Friday, August 29


Review at 100 Pages a Day – Stephanie’s Book Reviews

Wednesday, September 3


Review at Bookish

Thursday, September 4


Review at A Bibliotaph’s Reviews

Friday, September 5


Review at Book Nerd


Review at A Leisure Moment

Monday, September 8


Review at Beth’s Book Nook


Review at Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers

Thursday, September 11

Review at Impressions in Ink


Review at Historical Tapestry

Friday, September 12


Review at Just One More Chapter

Wednesday, September 17


Review and Giveaway at Peeking Between the Pages

Thank you for your time and interest! 

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Best wishes,

Donna M. McDine
Multi Award-winning Children's Author

Connect with Donna McDine on Google+

A Sandy Grave ~ January 2014 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. ~ 2014 Purple Dragonfly 1st Place Picture Books 6+, Story Monster Approved, Beach Book Festival Honorable Mention 2014, Reader's Favorite Five Star Review

Powder Monkey ~ May 2013 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. ~ Reader's Favorite Five Star Review

Hockey Agony ~ January 2013 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. ~ Reader's Farvorite Five Star Review

The Golden Pathway ~ August 2010 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc.
~ Literary Classics Silver Award and Seal of Approval, Readers Favorite 2012 International Book Awards Honorable Mention and Dan Poynter's Global e-Book Awards Finalist

A to Z Challenge: I is for Interview

An interview with award-winning children's author, Donna McDine by Amy O'Quinn

Amy: How did you come up with the idea to write a book about a young boy who helps a slave escape? 

Donna: 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.

Amy: How much research was involved and how long did it take to write the book? 

Donna: 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 12^th 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.

Amy: How did you become a children's author?

Donna: 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.

Amy: What advice do you have for young aspiring authors?

Donna: 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.

Visit with A to Z Challenge bloggers - http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/
Thank you for visiting!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Best wishes,
Donna M. McDine
Award-winning Children's Author
The Golden Pathway ~ August 2010 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc.
http://guardianangelpublishing.com/pathway.htm ~ Literary Classics Silver Award and Seal of Approval Recipient and Dan Poynter's Global e-Book Awards Finalist