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Goodreads Challenge 2011 — Completed! Onward 2012!
Happy New Years! I am so excited to announce I completed the Goodreads Reading Challenge 2011. I finished with 47 books total. I entered the challenge late — in May, as I wasn’t aware the challenge even existed. So, I am hoping to read EVEN MORE in 2012! I am setting my goal with Goodreads as a conservative one to start, at 60 books, but hopefully I can increase it later in the year. (On my blog, I have challenged myself to read 75 children’s, middle grade or YA books here. Yikes! Wish me luck!) I truly believe reading, reading, and more reading has helped me become a better writer. Truth…
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Free Kindle Children’s E-Books
My hubby got me a Kindle Fire for Christmas! I am loving it. I’ve also been anxious to read more children’s books on e-readers in full color. I get to do research while enjoying beautiful covers and illustrations. There are some great FREE kindle children’s books. Here are a few worth checking out: Snowed in Together by Ann Herrick – YA, (free for a limited time.) Garbage! Monster! Burp! by Tom Watson – Picture Book. A fun story with environmentally friendly theme. It is told in verse and very charming. There’s a few words and phrases that might be over the head of its audience, but they can be explained easily…
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Susanna Hill’s Holiday Writing Contest
Author Susanna Leonard Hill is having a Holiday writing contest where you could win prizes! Be creative and write a post with your own version (350 words or less) of The Night Before Christmas (it can be about any winter holiday). Please visit Ms. Hill’s website for all the details HERE. My entry is posted below. I have been interested in writing a picture book about the endangered Hawaiian Monk Seal for quite some time, but have not done it yet. So, for my entry today the monk seal takes center stage, as I play around with the idea of what a monk seal might want for Christmas. Enjoy!!…
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PiBoIdMo: I’m a Winner!
From Tara Lazar’s PiBoIdMo site:I do solemnly swear that I have faithfully executed the PiBoIdMo 30-ideas-in-30-days challenge, and will, to the best of my ability, parlay my ideas into picture book manuscripts.Signed: Christine Marie AlemshahPhew!! I can’t believe I made it through! In 30 Days I have managed to come up with 32 picture book ideas. It was much harder than I thought it would be. The first two weeks were smooth sailing. Then, thanksgiving week came and it was like my ideas were separated from my brain by a brick wall. (It probably didn’t help my mushy brain spending the week in Kauai. My whole body felt like jello!) Luckily some days I had…
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Dinosaurs!
For two days in a row my picture book ideas have been about dinosaurs. Bah! There are so many picture books about dinosaurs already. Good ones too! How will my little ideas ever compete? Oh well, I will think about that later… It’s just, well — let’s face it, children are fascinated by dinosaurs. In the past week, I don’t think a day went that I did not hear a mention of them by one or more of the children I work with. No wonder I had a PB idea about dinosaurs!! I will keep my ideas tucked away for a rainy day. In the mean time, check out the…
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PiBoIdMo
It’s officially here! Picture Book Idea Month! What is it? The premise is quite simple. In November 2011 you vow to come up with 30 picture ideas in 30 ideas. October was such a busy month for me, I’m excited to take the plunge and come up with 30 new picture book ideas this month. I’m ready for the challenge, and yet also nervous about keeping up! How am I doing so far? I had one idea “sneak” up on me Mon Oct. 31, so not sure if I can count it. Yesterday, I had two ideas. Yay! Let’s hope I can keep it up! Fellow Picture Book Writers (and any…
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Author Event: Meet Rick Riordan!
A Whale of a Tale Bookshoppe in Irvine, CA is hosting an awesome author event to meet Rick Riordan. He is the author of the Percy Jackson Series and the new spin off series The Lost Hero. I literally devoured each and every book in the series and am eager to get my hands on The Son of Neptune. The event takes place Saturday, Oct. 8th, 2011 at 1:30 p.m. at Oso Viejo Park in Mission Viejo. Visit the Whale of Tale Bookshoppe website for tickets. The ticket price includes a copy of his latest release, Son of Neptune With more and more booksellers going digital, it can be quite easy…
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Bea Book Launch Updates + Swag Pack info!
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My First contract
I’m over the moon! I received my first contract this week. It is for for a short story entitled, Max and Digby’s Big Day. It is about a young man, Max, who trained his miniature bull terrier, Digby, in agility and is taking him to his first match. What happens when Digby seemingly forgets his training? The story will appear in the November 2011 issue of Stories for Children Magazine. (Updated: The November issue is now available for purchase HERE.) I have more good news to announce soon. I hope my mailbox continues to buzz with exciting news this month… Happy September everyone! I hope you are having as bountiful…
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So Long Summer…Hello September!
So long Summer! This will go down in my books as the first summer I spent seriously devoted to writing! If I were an apple farmer I would say I had an abundant harvest this summer. Here is just a partial list of things I accomplished. ❦ I attended my first SCBWI Summer Conference. ❦ I joined a Peer Critique Group! ❦ I connected with another Children’s Writer in my neighborhood! ❦ I read 30+ picture books. ❦ I took 2 online writing courses. ❦ I wrote 4 new short stories and made progress on my Middle Grade WIP. ❦ I learned how to use a “twitter hashtag.” ❦ I…
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Did you miss WriteOnCon?
What is WriteOnCon? WriteOnCon is a free online conference designed to give Writers many of the features of a live, in person conference in an online setting. WriteOnCon is the brainchild of seven writers who wanted to “pay it forward” and give something back to the writing community. The curriculum is focused on Picture Book, Middle Grade, and Young Adult Writers, however the information is relevant for all writers. Sounds fabulous! How do I attend? Well, here’s the thing. WriteOnCon 2011 has just finished. This year it was August 16-18. Not to worry though! The schedule is archived and still available for viewing. You will need to sign up to…
