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August THINK QUICK with author Tara Lazar and I THOUGHT THIS WAS A BEAR BOOK

8/18/2015

Hi Tara! Congrats on the August 4th release of I THOUGHT THIS WAS A BEAR BOOK. I love the idea of an alien character being displaced in a Nursery Rhyme. All of the THINK QUICK themes below appear in your book. Let’s see which way you lean. Remember, THINK QUICK!

On The Unexpected:
Embrace or repel?

Embrace. Hug. Kiss.

On Nursery Rhymes:
Classic or creative?

Classic-ly creative. Or creatively classic.

On Being Lost:
Panic or problem solve?

GPS!!!

On Traditions:
Tried & true or try something new?

Something new!

On Aliens:
Believer or skeptical?

They’ve gotta be out there SOMEWHERE. I mean, have you seen the Hubble Deep Space images?

On Broken items:
Discard or repurpose?

Be crafty. Etsy-fy.

On Problem Solving:
Work alone or consult others?

A little of both!

On Books:
I Thought This Was a Bear Book or I Thought This Was a Bear Book?

I thought this was a question…?

Ha! Thanks for thinking quick with us! Crafty, clever, and humorous... just as I thought.

Click HERE for a review of I Thought This was a Bear Book.
(Review by Carrie Charley Brown)

Street magic performer. Hog-calling champion. Award-winning ice sculptor. These are all things Tara Lazar has never been. Instead, she writes quirky, humorous picture books featuring magical places that everyone will want to visit.

You can visit her at THE MONSTORE…and her latest release, I THOUGHT THIS WAS A BEAR BOOK, is available now. LITTLE RED GLIDING HOOD will be skating your way in October and is already available for Pre-Order. Discover more stories and fun at taralazar.com.

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August Mystery Author: Tammi Sauer

8/11/2015

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I can honestly say that I haven't met a single book by Tammi Sauer that I haven't loved. I've often refer to Tammi as a plot master, and I am blown away to see her trying her hand (masterfully) at different structures, too. It takes a lot for me to fall in love 100% with a picture book. (You know...the kind that you read from cover to cover without a single criticism.) This happened for me big time with Tammi's new release YOUR ALIEN. You can find my review HERE. It's like Tammi is a kid whisperer...she knows exactly how to reach their heads, hearts, and funny bones. She is on fire right now, as YOUR ALIEN just released August 4, GINNY LOUISE AND THE SCHOOL SHOWDOWN published June 16, ROAR! comes out on September 29, and she has 9 more book deals that will take her into 2018! Lordy! We are super lucky to have her with us today. Thanks for joining us, Tammi.

What do you feel is the secret to finding your voice as a writer? When did you realize that you had “found” yours?

I think a writer needs to be true to him or herself. You shouldn’t try to be the next “so-and-so.” Studying mentor texts is one of the best ways for a person to get good at writing picture books, but the key is to tell a story in a way that only you can tell it.

As for me, I never set out to “find” my voice. Writing young, humorous books with heart feels natural to me. Channeling my inner four-year-old is fun! Of course, I started off by writing lots and lots of Really Bad Manuscripts. But those early attempts weren’t a waste of time. Those were my practice manuscripts. Each one helped me to get a little better.

Is there one common thread that holds your picture books together? How does this affect the books you write?

Many of my books deal with themes of friendship, compromise, and being true to oneself, but the one common thread in all of my books is humor.

Humorous picture books have always been my favorite kind to read, so it makes sense to me that these are the kind of books I like to write.

Laura Rennert, of the Andrea Brown Literary Agency is your agent. What do you feel is the single most important factor of an agent/client relationship?

Communication is key. When I was looking for an agent, I wanted someone who had a great reputation, someone who was passionate about my work, and someone who gave editorial feedback. I found all that—and so much more!!!—with Laura.

Before you had an agent, how did you decide which manuscript to lead out with on submissions?

Laura has been my agent since 2005. Before having an agent, I would write the best manuscript I could, send it out, and hope for good. This is, um, still my process. Ha!

Part 2 of this interview happens now! Come on over to hear Tammi's take on mentor texts. Part 2 is HERE.

Tammi Sauer is a full-time picture book author who has visited hundreds of schools and spoken at various conferences across the nation. To date, Tammi has sold 23 picture books to major publishing houses (Bloomsbury, Disney*Hyperion, HarperCollins, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Simon & Schuster, and Sterling). In addition to winning awards, her books have gone on to do great things. Mostly Monsterly was selected for the 2012 Cheerios Spoonfuls of Stories program. Me Want Pet! was recently released in French which makes her feel extra fancy. And Nugget and Fang, along with Tammi herself, was featured on the Spring 2015 Scholastic Book Fair DVD which was shared with millions of students. This is a link to the video: http://www.scholastic.com/bookfairs/ESvideo.

You can visit Tammi online at tammisauer.com and at picturebookbuilders.com.

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Keep Your Eye on Mighty Media Press + Picture Book Reviews & Giveaways

8/4/2015

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Mighty Media Press caught my attention when I flipped through Paul Czajak’s very first book, Monster Needs a Costume. “Hmmm,” I thought. “Well constructed…seamless teamwork…charming story…vibrant color. Who is this publisher, again?” I continued to notice how much Mighty Media cared about supporting Paul’s entire literary journey. They sent him on a book tour and showed their support and interest on social media. It’s a great feeling to see our critique partners getting what they deserve.

I caught up with Sammy Bosch, Director of Marketing & Publicity at Mighty Media Press. I am honored to share our interview here.

Carrie: How many books does Mighty Media publish annually?

Sammy: Mighty Media Press publishes 6-8 books per year.

Carrie: Why does Mighty Media take a hands-on approach in assisting with promotions?

Sammy: Mighty Media Press believes in forming strong relationships with reviewers, bloggers, and consumers. With a hands-on approach to promotions, we believe that those promotions are stronger as a result. People who care, share. We also know that there are a lot of books out there. How can a reviewer get to all those books to review? How can the author make his or her presence known with so much out there? A hands-on approach from marketing is essential to give that book and author a boost.

Carrie: What are some of the specific things that Mighty Media does for its authors/illustrators?

Sammy: The marketing team at MMP schedules a book launch tour for every author, and continues to book tours for each author in subsequent seasons. We also plan out year-long promotion opportunities for each book—collaborative book trailers, partnering with organizations, social media promotions (e.g., giveaways, Twitter chats with authors, news reveals, etc.), the use of new technology to promote a title, blog tours, holiday promotions, special swag and event kits for key titles, and much, much more! We schedule interviews, guest blogs, and media hype for each author as well.

Carrie: Has this philosophy contributed to Mighty Media’s return and future visions for its list?

Sammy: We always pick books based on our mission goals: Mighty Media Press delivers captivating books and media that ignite a child’s curiosity, imagination, social awareness, and sense of adventure. We want our titles to create imaginative, adventurous, creative, curious, and socially conscious kids. When we build a marketing campaign for a title, we are always aware of this fact. Our future lists will also match these goals. We want to inspire kids to be different, diverse, and inquisitive. And our promotions are always based on this mission.

For example, one exciting Spring 2016 title we have coming up is The Ugly Dumpling by debut author Stephanie Campisi, illustrated by award-winner Shahar Kober. In this fairytale retelling, an ugly dumpling and a cockroach embark on an eye-opening adventure, leading the dumpling to learn its true identity and realize that being different is beautiful after all. This book teaches kids about self-esteem, self-acceptance, and unconditional love. We feel this gender-neutral diverse picture book fits our mission.

Carrie: You’ve blown the-impressed-me straight out of the water and replaced her with a beyond-impressed-me! Thank you for taking the time to broaden our awareness of Mighty Media's generous support.

If you are interested in submitting a manuscript to Mighty Media, they open their reading period from September-June. Right now, they’ve been super busy cranking out copies and shipping super secret boxes of their almost-born newest babies. Take a look!

IF AN ELEPHANT WENT TO SCHOOL (releasing August 11th) offers an opportunity for young children aged 2-6 to become engaged, successful readers who also learn about animal behaviors. Through repetitive sentences, structured as questions and answers, children will experience a story they want to repeat; an important prereading skill. By comparing animals in a personified classroom environment to their own realistic habitats and behaviors, children will make text to world connections. With playful illustrations that transport the imagination to silly situations young children are sure to be entertained while being unexpectedly educated. The companion book, IF AN ARMADILLO WENT TO A RESTAURANT, utilizes the same question and answer structure which further builds prediction skills from one book to the next. -Review by Carrie Charley Brown

There is still time to enter the GOODREADS giveaway HERE, but hurry...it ends August 11!

MONSTER NEEDS YOUR VOTE (releasing August 25) is a great way to introduce young readers to democracy and campaigning for what is right. What child wouldn’t want to vote for a monster president? Monster’s innocent playfulness and sincere conviction will win kids over and even help them understand the basic politics of campaigning. As featured in all of the Monster & Me books, the rich vocabulary is wrapped in engaging rhyme. From “platform” to “oratory skills” to “grassroots movement”, discussion will be sparked and kids will be interested. Monster’s high regard for education and literacy is a bonus message that will encourage the reader to support a worthy cause. Kids can even support Monster’s campaign and benefit from his campaign kit HERE. This is the 5th book in the Monster & Me series.
-Review by Carrie Charley Brown

You can enter the GOODREADS giveaway HERE until September 1 and follow Paul Czajak's publishing journey HERE. (6 books already in 2 short years! Go Paul!)

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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!

August THINK QUICK with author Tara Lazar and I THOUGHT THIS WAS A BEAR BOOK

August Mystery Author: Tammi Sauer

Keep Your Eye on Mighty Media Press + Picture Book Reviews & Giveaways

Carrie Charley Brown

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