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THINK QUICK with Author April Pulley Sayre

1/25/2015

Here comes the rain! Have you ever stopped to observe the rain and all of it's effects? April Pulley Sayre has, and she even captured some of the rain’s most beautiful productions on camera. Her new book, RAINDROPS ROLL, reveals rain’s greatest gifts and how it affects animals, plants, and the environment all around us.

Welcome, April! All of the THINK QUICK themes below appear in your book. Let’s see which way you lean. Remember, THINK QUICK!

On Taking Cover:

Inside or Under a Tree?

Under a tree. So you can keep taking photos, of course!

Soaked or Damp?

Soaked! Why go half way? Damp sounds uncomfortable. Soaked sounds like you went for it and are probably laughing.

On Rain Shower Observations:

Grasshopper or Blue Jay?

Grasshopper. I am a birder, but 80% of my photos are of insects. Crazy about insects.

On Rain Sounds:

Spatter or Thud?

Spatter. Although, I just tried saying it five times and thud sounded better in a long sequence. So . . .

On Run-Off:

Spill or Fill?

Spill.

On Raindrop Accumulation:

Globs or Spangles?

Spangles.

On Leftover Raindrops:

Webs or Petals?

Webs! I am digging spiders this year and trying to notice them.

On Raindrop Reflections:

Yourself or Camera Flash?

Yourself.

On Magnifications:

Skin or Leaf Veins?

Leaf veins. Because plants are awesome.

And because I am so curious that I can’t help myself:

What is the coolest thing you have ever seen magnified by a raindrop?

Spider eyes. Yet I also love speckles of all sorts. Curious folks look up Gerard Manley Hopkins’ poem PIED BEAUTY. I love his exuberant language, almost unseemly for his time in history.

Raindrops Roll or Raindrops Roll?

Raindrops roll!

Thanks for thinking quick with us, April! Now it's your turn, readers: Choose one of the THINK QUICK themes from above, and tell us YOUR choice.

Raindrops Roll REVIEW:
Take a refreshing walk through nature after it's had a nice long drink!
January 8, 2015
By Carrie Charley Brown

April Pulley Sayre’s mission is to create books and other media that bring people back to the natural world with fresh, inquisitive eyes. Sayre is the award-winning author of 60 books for young readers. Many of her books have been translated into other languages, including French, Dutch, Arabic, Japanese, and Korean. Her recent books include Eat Like a Bear, Let’s Go Nuts: Seeds We Eat, and the Rah, Rah, Radishes board book. Her next partnership with illustrator Steve Jenkins is Woodpecker Wham! (May, 2015) www.aprilsayre.com

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ReFoReMo Author-Educators Revealed

1/19/2015

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Just in case you haven't made it over to the ReFoReMo blog yet, you'll want to know that we have a whole month of dynamic author-educators planned! Whether you are a multipublished picture book writer or just getting started, you will learn how to get the most out of mentor texts in March. But, you'll have to subscribe for updates on the ReFoReMo page to get involved. We'd love to share the experience with you!

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January Mystery Author: Donna L. Martin

1/8/2015

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As writers, we work HARD. Our own writing not only comes in the dream form that we hope to someday sell. It comes in the form of blog posts meant to inspire others to love stories as much as we do. Today’s Mystery Author has been sharing her love of stories through blogging for four years. It’s a good thing she didn’t give up on her dream writing. She is welcoming her first picture book, THE STORY CATCHER, into the world on January 20. Thank you for joining us today, Donna!

Thanks Carrie for inviting me. You have such a great blog!

Congratulations on your debut picture book, THE STORY CATCHER.

Thanks, I’m pretty excited about it.

You are a very active blogger. How has blogging played a role in shaping you as a writer?

Actually, I never intended to become a blogger. Back in January, 2010 when I decided it was time to go beyond writing just for myself to become a professional writer I didn’t even know what a blog was. I can thank Tara Lazar, creator of the Picture Book Idea Month event. After I participated for the first time that November I posted my first blog on December 6th, 2010 and haven’t stopped since! Writing weekly posts forces me as a writer to meet deadlines and be concise in my writing. My blog has allowed me to connect with writers all over the world and I get the chance to learn from them every day!

We became acquainted with one another through several picture book communities. Which of these communities has played the biggest support role for you?

While people can connect with me through many social sites, Facebook by far has played the biggest support role for me. I participate in about a dozen different Facebook writing communities as well as numerous author & marketing communities. It connects me to hundreds of thousands of writers all over the world and I have begun many online friendships (like ours) that I wouldn’t have had otherwise!

When did you start submitting picture books for consideration? Did you submit mainly to editors or agents?

My first attempt at submissions was in March of 2011 to a larger traditional publisher. I did what most newbie writers do and sent out a manuscript that really wasn’t ready to be submitted. Back then I thought I knew what I was doing but found out quickly I had MUCH to learn. I took the rest of 2011 to read anything I could get my hands on about the writing and publishing process. In January 2012 I decided I wanted to focus on agent representation. I might sub to small presses or magazines with my niche writing because agents generally don’t have the time or resources to work those markets, but for medium to larger publishers, my hope is to find an agent who will help me get my foot in door there.

What was the inspiration for THE STORY CATCHER?

In 2013 I was an approved READ TO ME volunteer. I would visit local elementary schools and read to the children as an advocate for Children’s Literacy. Occasionally I would tutor an individual child who was struggling to read. There was one little girl I worked for the entire school year helping her learn to read. She came from a family of readers where everyone read to this child but she still struggled comprehending what the wiggly letters on the page meant. She LOVED being read to but was frustrated she couldn’t read her favorite book on her own. I was so happy by the end of our year together that she was finally able to start reading by herself.

As you know, rejection is a huge part of a writer’s world. Can you share with us how you have used rejections as a positive to help you keep going?

While writing for me is an extremely personal endeavor, the process of submissions is not. I try to look at it from a business aspect and not take the rejections of my work personally. There are so many reasons why an agent will have to pass on a manuscript and poor writing is only ONE of them. Sometimes they just acquired a similar story and can’t accept another one like it. Sometimes it’s just not right for their agency. Sometimes they just didn’t feel enough of a connection to the story to fight for it. There are so many reasons out there and if I’ve truly done my part to make my manuscript the most polished product it can be, then I have to have faith that I WILL find a home for it someday. It also helps to know EVERY author before me has gone through the same experience as I have so I’m certainly in good company!

The new year is here for us to get the most out of it. What would be your greatest recommendations to writers both new and experienced?

I have a three point plan for 2015:

BELIEVE…believe in your skills as a writer, believe that your stories will find a home, and work every day toward that goal.

GROW…never stop learning. Take a class, join a critique group, listen to a webinar, read a book or a blog…there is always more to learn and always someone out there willing to share their knowledge with others.

CREATE…keep writing. Every great skill takes time to learn and improve. The goal is not PERFECTION but PERFECTING your storytelling ability and the only way you are going to do that is by working on it every day.

Thanks for being with us today, Donna!

Thanks, Carrie, for this fun interview! I hope your readers enjoy it and here is to a productive writing year in 2015!

By day Donna is a 4th Degree Black Belt Certified Taekwondo Instructor. By night she’s a Ninja Author where she writes picture books, early reader chapter books, creative nonfiction, and young adult novels. Donna is the creator of the free STORY CATCHER FAN CLUB where members receive a bi-monthly newsletter, a reading log, and a story starring THEM. She’s also a contributing author for CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL: ANGELS AMONG US as well as an active member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. Donna enjoys meeting new people, cuddling with her cat, and adding to her growing book collection. You can follow her at
http://www.donnalmartin.com.

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KidLit 411 Celebrates BIG!

1/6/2015

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If you have not yet heard, you've got to know right now. KidLit 411 is an amazing resource pool of everything KidLit! Their link will always be on my resource page here, but once you get there, I am SURE you will bookmark it for yourself! If you are a KidLit writer, there is something for everyone. But don't take my word for it, go explore at KidLit 411! They are celebrating their one year birthday and throwing a giant birthday bash. Giveaways galore! Yesterday kicked off with a variety of picture books and today: I am screaming! Critiques and courses! Tomorrow: Agent submissions! I'm not kidding... go check it out HERE. You could thank me for referring you, but believe me... they deserve all the credit. Give them a big 'ole hug when you get there!

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Inspired by the Challenge (ReFoReMo Update)

1/4/2015

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When we are inspired by others, do you suppose we are likely pass that inspiration on to someone else? Just like mirror neurons prompt a smile, I believe inspiration is the same. One thing that has kept me motivated and accountable for my goals is the almighty writing challenge.

Writing challenges come in many forms, but I have a few staples that have become a permanent part of my writing life. I just completed my third consecutive year of PiBoIdMo, or Picture Book Idea Month, which inspired me to think up 96 new picture book ideas. Registration is opening this month for my third consecutive year of the 12 x 12 Picture Book Challenge, which has inspired about 50 manuscripts total thus far. (This one keeps me going all year: 12 picture books in 12 months.) And ReviMo, or the Revise More Picture Books Challenge, will inspire me for the second year in a row, to stick to revising for seven days. Registration is open now for the January 11-17 event. These challenges, along with many others I have recounted here, have inspired me to pass that inspiration on to others. I'm hoping you'll join me as I launch the first annual ReFoReMo, or Reading for Research Month, March 1-31.

Details are filling in and this challenge promises to bring lots of great picture book recommendations, education, and discussion for picture book writers. My hope is that it will reform you through research. The new ReFoReMo page, with the full challenge description, has been added here. If you would like to catch the details as they unfold, you'll want to visit the new page and subscribe for updates there. This will deliver specific ReFoReMo updates right to your inbox. You won't want to miss it when I announce the guest educators, prizes, or the registration details. Even if you are subscribed to the Carrie On...Together! blog on this page, you will want to be on the separate ReFoReMo list for specific challenge news. Just as I have been inspired, I hope to share some of that with you in March. I hope to see you on the new ReFoReMo page!

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CYBILS Finalists and What They Inspired

1/1/2015

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Round One CYBILS judging has been completed and we've selected a well-rounded list of picture book finalists. Part of being a panel of judges means that you work together to find the best. In this subjective business, what means "best" to one person is not necessarily the general opinion amongst the entire group. Each panelist in our group had well-founded, educated things to say about the books we reviewed. We all walked away feeling like good books were put forward, and that is not an easy task.

The importance of "we" in this process inspired me to begin efforts for a reading challenge that has been tickling the back of my brain for a while. It is true that during the CYBILS I read the good, the bad, and the ugly, along with the great. As picture book writers, we really need to be reading the current greats and studying the form that speaks to multiple people. What would you gain from studying the books that are just... meh?

In October, just as the CYBILS were kicking off, I contributed a guest post to Meg Miller's Petite ReviMo. Titled, Revising through Research, I shared some of the ways I use picture books to help me with my writing. Reading current picture books, and I might a add-- gobs and gobs of them, is a necessity that picture book writers simply can't skip out on. Picture book writers will have something to look forward to this March when the challenge begins!

ReFoReMo- Reading for Research Month
Helping Picture Book Writers Reform Writing by Reading
March 1-31

This challenge will offer:

-Tips from professionals on how to use picture books for research
-Tons and tons of GREAT picture book recommendations
-A chance to learn from 105 books in three weeks
-A support community of writers to read and discuss recommended books
-Prizes

More details coming soon! Registration won't open until February 15, so subscribe for updates on the right. For all the eager beavers out there, here are some of my personal favorites from 2014 to get you started.

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Click picture for a video greeting.

Carrie Charley Brown

As a children’s writer, and a teacher, my goal is to help you carry on. Sometimes learning is challenging, so why go it alone? Your journey will be more meaningful and comfortable with friends to share it with. Together, we'll get up close and personal with authors, illustrators, and the best of picture books. If we work together, great things will follow!

THINK QUICK with Author April Pulley Sayre

ReFoReMo Author-Educators Revealed

January Mystery Author: Donna L. Martin

KidLit 411 Celebrates BIG!

Inspired by the Challenge (ReFoReMo Update)

CYBILS Finalists and What They Inspired

Carrie Charley Brown

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