Raychelle Writes

Kenworthy Interviews: Author Raychelle Muhammad

2012-03-04T00:00:00.000-06:00

1) With your background in Sports Management and personal training, how did you decide to transform that passion for health and wellness into books?

In my former life, I worked in management, dabbled in real estate, and owned several businesses. After becoming a personal trainer, I decided to go back to school and obtain a degree in the field. I also resumed homeschooling my daughter. The year-round program took 3 years to complete. There were a lot of ups and downs during that period of my life. During my last year in the program, my father died suddenly from a heart attack. On a brighter note, my daughter skipped two grade levels and blossomed both academically and creatively. My plate was full and there was no time to grieve. I am a recovering workaholic, so I kept my head down and I pressed on. In the spring, I graduated Summa Cum Laude (with highest honors). Needless to say, I was proud of my achievements, but I was also exhausted. Ironically, I had studied fitness and wellness, but when it was all over I was neither fit nor well.

According to Dr. Bill Hettler, wellness is comprised of six dimensions: occupational, physical, social, intellectual, spiritual, and emotional. The challenge is to find balance across all six dimensions. I wanted to use my degree in a way that would allow me to continue to homeschool my daughter and keep balance in my family life. After weighing my options, writing became my occupation. It made my schedule flexible enough that I could fit in some exercise or gardening. I now meet all kinds of people through social networking and promoting my books. Doing research for my blogs and freelance work keeps me mentally sharp. The creative process is a spiritual connection for me and it keeps me sane. So, whether I am writing children's books, articles on interior design, or blog posts on exercise and nutrition, I know that I am helping others live well in a way that fulfills me.

2) Your books support values such as self-esteem, courage, friendship, family, creativity and the importance of education in a beautifully positive manner that is truly unique. When you were a child, who or what was your source of inspiration and support for instilling those values in yourself?

Thank you! My mother, Regena V. Thomas, was a force of nature and I credit her for instilling all of those values in each of her six children. She set very high standards for us academically which quickly spilled over into our extracurricular activities. She showed us love and held us accountable. We spent a lot of time in the library for both school and leisure reading. I recall wondering why there were not more books about people who looked like me. My mother encouraged us to read everything that interested us. It certainly didn't hurt that we were enrolled in gifted and talented programs through high school. We were exposed to challenging academic subjects, the arts, foreign languages, clubs, and athletics. A well-rounded education builds self-esteem, it inspires creativity, and it removes fear, but it takes a village.

3) How did you create your story? Did you storyboard the sequences? Or did you jump right in to the narrative and think of the imagery after? Share with us if you will the process by which you created your work.

Every story is a bit different, but I would have to say that my daughter inspires all of them in some way. My "Like You" series is written with the specific aim of teaching children good character, the importance of family and education, friendship, healthy lifestyles, achievement, and to love themselves. So, I start with an overall theme and feel for the book, do some brainstorming, and then decide on the sequence using an outline. It is much easier for me to create my framework and then be creative within those parameters. I write the story first, but because I am a visual person, I edit according to whether or not my words can easily translate into an illustration. Sometimes the text dictates the imagery and sometimes the imagery dictates the text. If something in the manuscript doesn't work, it is obvious when I attempt to illustrate it.

4) How did you decide the methodology of publishing? Did you shop it to agents/traditional publishers first? Please tell us how you came to decide to self-publish? Has that met your expectations?

Initially, I did send out Little Girls Like You, Little Boys Like You, Fit Girls Like You, and Fit Boys Like You to 5 or 6 publishers. I did get some positive feedback, but I quickly realized that if I wanted to keep my vision intact, self-publishing was the way to go. The "Like You" series will be comprised of at least 10 titles. I want the look and feel of these books to be consistent. I have already created the characters, themes, cover design, and some of the related companion pieces (activity books, calendar, etc.). A traditional publisher would have to be willing to take on the whole project. Realistically, these books are geared for African-American children and I am very clear on what I would like to accomplish. We are a grossly underrepresented group in the literary world. I chose CreateSpace (an Amazon company) and by publishing my series with them I retain creative control, ownership of my work, broad distribution options, and a greater share of the profits. Hopefully, I am producing something of value that will impact all children, especially children of color. The most challenging part will be marketing, but I am up for it.

5) What is next for you? Are you working on more books? What is the inspiration behind them?

I have written the next two installments in the "Like You" series entitled Smart Girls Like You and Smart Boys Like You. Currently, I am illustrating Smart Girls and working on rough sketches for Smart Boys. I am preparing the entire series for broader distribution which requires some tweaking of the existing titles. There is an academic calendar in the works to accompany Smart Girls and Smart Boys as well as an activity book and children's cookbook.

I have written 3 picture books that I am currently submitting to agents and traditional publishers. One is inspired by my fiesty nieces; one is a hopeful story about a little boy who must adjust to a new life after his family is forced to downsize; and the third is an imaginative look at how the loss of something valuable may touch the life of the person who finds it.

To keep working at becoming a better illustrator, I have launched a line of greeting cards. I am finishing the birthday card category with more to come!

In the health and fitness arena, I am blogging at Journeys Fitness (http://www.journeysfit.blogspot.com) and doing some freelance writing. Within the next 4-6 weeks, I should finish an ebook on circuit training that I am under contract to co-write. I will also be teaching a course for aspiring personal trainers starting mid-April.

As you know, one of my most exciting projects is my blog Raychelle Writes (http://www.Raychelle-Writes.blogspot.com) and the interviews I am doing on The Writer's Block (http://www.Raychelle-Writes.blogspot.com/p/writers-block.html). (Read John Kenworthy's interview HERE!) I have met so many talented people and learned something fantastic from each and every one of them. They make me a better a writer, illustrator, and entrepreneur.

6) When you write – do you have a specific audience in mind when crafting your tales? Who is your ideal reader?

It depends on the genre. My goal is always to add quality to the reader's life. I love children's picture books for ages 0-12, so I try to write books that will challenge younger children without boring the older children. That is no small feat. I write what I like to read and then I run them by my 12-year old. I suppose that my ideal reader is anyone who wants to learn something new and walk away with something positive whether the book is fiction or non-fiction.

7) What has been the most challenging aspect of publishing the books as you have done?

The most challenging aspect of self-publishing has been remaining patient with the process. The author controls the time table and I am a results-driven kind of girl. It begins and ends with me and there is no one to blame if I miss my own deadlines. In my mind's eye, I am able to see the finished product, so I put a lot of pressure on myself to finish what I start. I also get new ideas for other projects while I am working. What works best for me is to keep a pad and pen nearby so that I can revisit these ideas later.

8) What is the most gratifying part?

The most gratifying part of self-publishing is knowing that I have finished a project from beginning to end that will enhance someone else's life while staying true to my vision.

9) How has your community – friends, family, neighbors – reacted to your work?

The reactions have been very positive. In the beginning, there were some who questioned my commitment to writing. But, I don't make it a habit of worrying with what people think about what I do. I have many interests and I pursue them all. Eventually, each of those interests will translate into a book or two. Education and homeschooling are huge parts of my life as are sports, health, and fitness. I enjoy cooking, interior design, gardening, real estate, and sewing. I believe that I have a duty to share the gifts I have and everything I have learned with as many people as possible. For me, writing is one of the best ways to do that.

10) As a writer – what do you want your eventual great-grandchildren to know about you and your work?

Good question. Should I have great-grandchildren, I want them to know that I trusted my instincts, I worked hard, and that I helped as many people as I could along the way.

Connect with Raychelle:

Website: http://www.raychellesplace.weebly.com

Blog: http://www.Raychelle-Writes.blogspot.com

Blog: http://www.journeysfit.blogspot.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RaychelleWrites

Twitter: @RaychelleWrites and @journeysfit

Amazon Author Page

Lulu Author Spotlight Page

Greeting Card Universe Store

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John Kenworthy's Links:

The Missionary and the Brute on Amazon (paperback):

The Missionary and the Brute on Amazon (Kindle):

The Missionary and the Brute on publisher's site:

The Missionary and the Brute Blog:

Guest Blogger John D. Kenworthy Talks Literature, Education, and Building Schools in Tanzania "Brick by Brick"

2012-03-03T00:00:00.000-06:00

The Terry Berg School at Ndoombo, Tanzania

[Guest blogger John Kenworthy is author of the chilling new novel The Missionary and the Brute, a thriller set in Tanzania, East Africa. Kenworthy's previous books have included The Hand Behind the Mouse: an intimate biography of Ub Iwerks and Bungee Jumping & Cocoons. He is the Founder/Executive Director of Brick by Brick for Tanzania!, Inc.]

Often times in my interviews people ask me why did I set The Missionary and the Brute in Tanzania, East Africa. It is a unique setting to be sure but not the usual one for a serial killer thriller. My answer to that question is similar to my response when people ask me why I chose to focus the efforts of my tax-exempt non-profit organization, Brick by Brick for Tanzania!, Inc., solely on Tanzania as well.

Well, why not?

It's a cheeky answer, but one that sort of cuts to the meat of the true response. Tanzania is often neglected in literature, in art, and in the public mind share. Aside from Hemingway's African novels and stories set around Mt. Kilimanjaro, there is precious little literature that takes place there. This may be one of many reasons that people truly don't know much about Tanzania in general at all. As such, it is often shoved to the side of any discussion of Africa and why it seems continuously marginalized.

The truth is that because I travel to Tanzania each year to build preschools for Brick by Brick, I know and love the country, the people, the culture to the point that I wanted to share that in a way that would have resonance - and writing is one way I can do so. I have tried to write several bucolic non-fiction works about Tanzania in the past, but they all seem to fall apart on me - they either seem too self-congratulatory or too soft or too something! So far my non-fiction hasn't captured that tight rope walk of horror and beauty in equal accord as I hope I did in my novel.

(Though the novel admittedly is twinged toward the horrific nature of human nature as well - which has little to do with any nation or ethnicity - simply is a fictive device.)

It is a bit ironic that the very attributes that make Tanzania so appealing to me as a humanitarian and as author are the very same that keep it from public discussion - it is peaceful, stable, quiet. There is neither genocide nor apartheid; no grotesque horrors of war or great natural disasters. They have droughts and famines to be sure - but not as publicly as do Ethiopia or Kenya even. They suffer in silence.

Nonetheless it remains one of the poorest nations in the world. Poverty - and extreme poverty at that - is the norm. The average income for a family in Tanzania is approximately $370 US dollars per year. From that money the families must feed, clothe, house, provide health care and if they are lucky educate their children just as do we. Imagine that. $370 a year! Some of our kids earn that in paper routes or allowances! And for what? PlayStation games and iTunes downloads?

That's not exactly for familial survival!

There is a huge need there to alleviate poverty - and in my eyes, education is the key. No change can come from within without having the populace better educated to embrace those changes from a vantage point of knowledge. The Missionary and the Brute can give new-comers to Tanzania a bit of an overview of conditions there and a sense of setting, but it does not have the didactic role of talking about that educational situation. So let me indulge my Brick by Brick side by telling you the rest of that story.
Education is very much revered in Tanzania. I have never spoken with a parent who didn't deeply desire their children to be educated. Sadly however, there are many factors from keeping that from happening effectively. It is a disappointing fact of life that only 57% of all elementary school aged children attend primary school. One of the primary reasons for this is the direct effect of poverty. The children are needed around the home to work in the shambas (the small fields) of the region. Part of this dilemma is exacerbated by younger siblings who must be cared for by the Mamas while the fathers are off working.

Our Brick by Brick preschools help alleviate that. By giving those younger children (3-5 years old) an active, safe nurturing, academic environment where they can prepare for the rigors of primary school, our preschools can give the mothers the ability to work in the shambas picking crops to barter for other food - or even to take jobs in the villages to supplement the family income. There are jobs available, and the women are willing to work. A more ardent, tougher group of individuals I have never seen than these mothers. They are strong, strong women whom I very much admire.

The effect of our schools on slightly older children is even more profound. Only 7% of all secondary school aged children attend school with less than 1% graduating. That's a 99% failure rate! Unacceptable! The reason these children drop out is plain and simple economics, they must work. As you can imagine the jobs available for a 13 or 14 year old child are not great. For young boys, often times it means getting strapped to a board and be lowered down mine shafts where their nimble fingers can be put of use. Frightening to think of our own kids doing such - and thereby equally unacceptable for the children of others. For young girls the jobs are even more horrifying. For many, prostitution is the only means by which they feel they can help the family.

I had a young girl - probably 14 or 15 - tell me that she was going off to the big city to be a prostitute. She was smart as a tack, had gone through a lot of school to that point and was aware that with the prevalence of AIDS in Tanzania she would probably be dead within two years. But to her, the only asset she had with which she could help her family was her body. That's a tragedy on so many levels and unthinkable to us in the US where we take so much for granted.

We have in five years seen the effects of our preschools on communities. I am regularly mobbed by sobbing Mamas who now have jobs knowing their young ones are safe in our Brick by Brick preschools. They hug me and thank me profusely. It is a sincere outpouring of love that I know we are doing good work there. We have followed up on graduates from our preschools too. For the first graduating classes, we are doing extremely well. At the Malaika School in Usa River - our longest running school - we have 100% of our students continuing on that path by attending primary school. That perfect record I know will not hold forever, but it is a great start. We are breaking that 57% cycle of failure.

We are achieving our modest goals.

It will not happen for Tanzania over night. There are so many schools to build. But we are doing so little by little each year. We take each day at a time. Small steps. One after the other. And together, brick by precious brick, we are making a difference. I have seen it.

This hope for the future that education provides is the other side of Tanzania. The light amid the darkness. And it is to this lightness that I cling and for which I work with all my heart and passion. Having seen with my own eyes the success amid the challenges, I can do no else.
It is what I do and why I revisit Tanzania constantly in my work and in my art...

John Kenworthy's Book Blog Tour continues tomorrow with "Kenworthy Interviews Author Raychelle Muhammad" at: http://www.raychelle-writes.blogspot.com/

Links:

The Missionary and the Brute on Amazon (paperback):

The Missionary and the Brute on Amazon (Kindle):
The Missionary and the Brute on publisher's site:

The Missionary and the Brute Blog:

The Writer's Block Interviews: Mike Dooling

2012-03-02T00:00:00.000-06:00

1) Describe your journey to becoming an author.

As a boy, I could always be found ‘doodling’ away. I lovedadventure and mystery stories like Sherlock Holmes and Treasure Island. Myinterest in drawing and stories led me to Syracuse University where I receivedan MFA in illustration. Since graduating in 1988, I have illustrated over fiftybooks-- many on historic subjects. But, it was always on my mind to write a story. Without anyformal training in writing, I just started writing, and rewriting, andrewriting. I asked questions, read books and wrote again. In 2002, I wrote myfirst book, The Great Horseless Carriage Race. Then, I wrote YoungThomas Edison that School Library Journal said “…belongs in every library.”

2) What inspired you to start writing children’s books?

I am inspired to write and illustrate about history becauseI am so fascinated by people’s lives. My wife, Jane, jokes that I am stuck in‘70’s (the 1770’s and 1870’s). I read old books, watch old movies, and evenhave old friends. History fascinates me. Did you know that an estimated 2,000women and children marched, camped and struggled right alongside GeorgeWashington’s army? Who knew? Imagine you’re a 9 year-old boy or girl and youhave to follow your dad to war! What a story you could tell. So, I imaginedwhat it was like for a young boy and told the story through his eyes, althoughthe facts are based on military records and diaries from the period.

3) Tell us about your current project, George Washington’s Army and Me.

This new book, George Washington’s Army and Me is apoignant story about families that followed their fathers to war because theyhad nowhere else to go. I came upon this story, by chance, when I was attendinga revolutionary war re-enactment. Amongst the soldiers, I noticed women andchildren dressed in colonial costumes. Why women and children, I thought. Iasked questions, went home to my library, researched the revolutionary war, andfound that families often followed the army.

4) What other books have you written? Where can readers buy them?

In addition to George Washington’s Army and Me, The GreatHorseless Carriage Race, and Young Thomas Edison I haverecently written and illustrated a story titled, Fossil Hunter (due outFall 2012). It is the true story of fossil hunter William Foulke who discoveredthe first almost-complete dinosaur skeleton in 1858. It was the first time thatpeople could say, “So, this is what a dinosaur looks like!” To research thisbook, I went to the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia and interviewedthe paleontologist who let me touch the actual dinosaur bones! The fossils werefound about a mile from my house, and I can’t stop thinking that maybe I shouldstart digging in my back yard.

5) How did you find your publisher(s)? Do you have a literary agent?

Over the past twenty-three years, I have worked for everymajor publisher (Scholastic, Henry Holt, Disney, Macmillan, Penquin, HolidayHouse, Farrar, Straus & Giroux). George Washington’s Army and Me ispublished by Bookpartners. (www.Bookpartners.org).Bookpartners affords me much more of the market share in exchange for me doingthe marketing.

6) How have you promoted your work? What strategies have been the most effective?

I do that marketing by visiting schools. Over theyears, I have visited over 800 schools nationwide inspiring children to read,draw, and learn about history. Hence, I try to write stories that not onlyinterest me but also relate to a school’s curriculum. I have illustrated bookson Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, Ellis Island, fossils, pilgrims, Lewis andClark, and more.

7) What advice would you give to budding author/illustrators?

My advice to a budding writer or illustrator is to becomethe character, and project yourself into their life, and imagine what it waslike. And then, write and rewrite and draw and re-draw.

Author Bio

Michael Dooling is an author, illustrator, explorer,inventor, patriot, fossil hunter, and sometimes a bit of a rogue:

"At times, I have imagined myself as all of these charactersin my books. In my mind, I become the character that I am painting or writingabout. In fact, I pose in costume for many of the characters. You could saythat, 'Every day at my house is like Halloween.' Someone is always putting on a costume. Mybooks are adorned with paintings of my daughters, Rachel and Lisa, and theneighborhood children."

Find out more about my books at www.michaeldooling.com You can purchase my books on Amazon or in anybookstore. George Washington’s Army and Me is also available as an ebookon iPad for $2.99.

The Writer's Block Interviews: Illustrator Kim Siebold

2012-03-01T00:00:00.000-06:00

1) Tell us how you became an artist/illustrator?

As far back as I can remember, I have always been interested in drawing and illustrating. My childhood days consisted of coloring with my crayons, writing stories, illustrating and creating books. I remember wining a poster contest in grade school and actually getting in trouble for focusing on “only the art”. So it was only natural that I went to college for a B.F.A. in Graphic Design and also picked up a B.A. in Communications. I always knew that art, drawing and design was my passion. After college, I pursued my career working at many ad agencies, design firms, owning my own businesses and always dabbled in my entrepreneurial interests whether I was working full-time for myself or for a company. As my children grew older, I was able to devote more time with illustrating and creating art outside of my full-time corporate design jobs. Although I have illustrated for many years, I seriously started to focus on my illustration goals in 2009 when I landed my first children’s book job after opening my Etsy shop (http://www.etsy.com/shop/kimsieboldstudios). Illustrating has been my main focus and goal ever since.

2) Do you specialize in any particular medium? Describe your style.

I prefer pencil and digital. It depends on my mood or where I am actually. Sometimes, I get over stimulated from all the technology and process of creating digitally. That is when I like to go back to just pencil. I feel like my creativity is simple and free when I just use pencil. But then again, there is so much you can do with Illustrator and Photoshop. I do have three styles that I tend to use and promote. Sketchy, digital and line art. If you take a peek at my portfolio on my studio website(http://www.kimsieboldstudios.com/gallery/lineart.html), you will see I have all three styles (even though I read you should stick to one style… but I can’t just choose one.)

My style is whimsical. I like drawing cute and girly things and animals. My art is geared towards the children’s market naturally because of my subjects.

3) Where do you live and work?

I live in Lakeville, MN. I work wherever my work takes me right now. I am trying to learn the balance of work and life balance that I am working for myself now.

4) Who or what inspires you?

OMG… where do I start? I don’t even know where to begin. Everything I look at inspires me. My children inspire me, my emotions inspire me. Typography, paper, children’s toys, surface design, children books, retro graphics are just a few of the million things that inspires me. Seriously… everything inspires me! The world is a candy store.

5) What was your first illustration job?

Wow… I need to think back. I believe I was hired to illustrate a portrait by a friend’s mom back in early high school. I was VERY stressed as I couldn’t do portraits very well. Back then I thought if you looked at something for reference, it wasn’t real art. Ha… if I only knew then what I know now!

6) Describe your body of work. Thus far, which project has been the most fulfilling? Why?

Most fulfilling? Hmm. I am torn between two actually. My first book, Starry Night, Hold Me Tight was fulfilling in the sense that it was a dream to land a book deal and my agent. Just being in the front end of the creative process and learning about the publishing world was very fulfilling to the business side of me. I like to see the big picture and understand process so professionally, this piece of work hit the mark. And of course to see my artwork in Pottery Barn Kids, wasn’t too hard on the eyes either!

The other piece of work that has been most fulfilling is my alpha animal artwork . View here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/kimsieboldstudios?section_id=6576351. This also resulted in another book deal but the reason it was so fulfilling his how I created my first alpha animal. I was on vacation with my family and started creating a cute pig on my computer. Then a few of the kids came over and started art directing me. It was fun to have them tell me what they wanted me to draw. Then we kept adding things to the pig. It was really fun to see where the kids were creatively taking my pig!

7) Where can your works of art be found?

You can view my art in many places online and in many book stores. My two websites are: http://www.kimsieboldlicensing.com and http://www.kimsieboldstudios.com. You can find my Starry Night, Hold Me Tight book in Barnes and Noble and Pottery Barn Kids stores, as well as many of the .com shops such as Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Starry-Night-Hold-Me-Tight/dp/076244066X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1301598179&sr=8-1 ) and Target (http://www.target.com/p/Starry-Night-Hold-Me-Tight-Hardcover/-/A-13484427).

My second book due out the next month, ABC, Now You See Me which is a padded-cover introduction to the alphabet which features a sequence of animals that peek out from beneath interactive. It is available at this time for pre-ordering on many .coms such as Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/ABC-Now-You-See-Me/dp/0762440678/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1314499351&sr=8-2) and Barnes and Noble. As it comes closer to the release date, I will find out which stores will carry it. You can follow this book for the latest information on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/ABC-Now-You-See-Me/284625091553501?ref=ts) or Twitter (http://twitter.com/#!/ABCNowYouSeeMe). You can also go to my Etsy shop at (http://www.etsy.com/shop/kimsieboldstudios?section_id=6576351) to purchase coordinating art as well as view other artwork for purchase.

Some of my prints are also sold at http://www.mammothandcompany.com/the-littlest-mammoth (http://www.mammothandcompany.com/shop/circus-puppy-by-kim-siebold/ and http://www.mammothandcompany.com/shop/determined-bunny-by-kim-siebold/

8) What is your definition of success as an artist?

My definition of success as an artist is when I can make someone smile with my art.

9) What do you plan to accomplish in 2012?

I hope the year 2012 brings good things to my illustration career. I hope to land more book deals and become more solidified in the publishing world. I am also now exploring surface and character design. I joined SCWBI this year and am excited to be a part of a professional group of writers and illustrators. I am learning more about my new world working for myself and that I am no longer living the corporate life. I am so thrilled to have this opportunity! So stay tuned in!

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Connect with Kim and see her work:

http://www.linkedin.com/in/kimsiebold

www.kimsieboldstudios.com

http://www.kimsieboldlicensing.com

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kim-Siebold-Studios/210300050931?ref=ts

http://www.facebook.com/pages/ABC-Now-You-See-Me/284625091553501

http://www.etsy.com/shop/kimsieboldstudios

http://www.kimsieboldstudios.blogspot.com

http://twitter.com/ksieboldstudios

The Writer's Block Interviews: Donalisa Helsley

2012-02-29T00:00:00.000-06:00

1) Tell us how you became an author? Describe your journey.

Since the 1st grade I have written stories. I used to type at the kitchen table on an old typewriter when I was nine years old. I completed my first book when I was 11. It was about 250 typed pages and it was a Christian version of Sweet Valley High I gave it to a friend to read and never got it back! It still frustrates me to this day!

2) Do you prefer any particular literary genre?

I prefer suspense and psychological thrillers, but I read anything that catches my attention. These last 2 months I have been really into Mercedes Lackey’s fantasy books.

3) What is your chosen profession?

I am a mom and wife foremost, but my job description is family and children’s therapist and author.

4) Tell us about The Day No One Played Together. What inspired you to write it?

I promised my oldest daughter, who is multiracial (black, white and chinese), that I would write a story about her when she was three. She wanted to see someone that looked like her in books. So the characters are based on my two daughters, Jadyn (9) and Genesis (4). I am always trying to help them figure out how to work through conflicts on their own. I helped them learn to compromise and they loved doing it so much that I thought that maybe other children would enjoy the lesson also. (The Day No One Played Together Synopsis: Jadyn and Genesis want to play and have fun but neither one wants to play what the other one wants to. What will they do? Will they be able to brainstorm and find a way to play together? Will they play alone? The Day No One Played Together teaches an important lesson in a fun way. Join these sisters in the first of their series. Here is also a book trailer http://youtu.be/36XEnpipJfg .

5) Describe your path to publication.

I am an indie (independent) author. The Day No One Played Together was published by a print on demand publisher. My 2nd book, I Love You Better than Chocolate, was accepted by a more traditional publisher. It will be out by the end of February.

6) What is Wild About Reading?

Wild About Reading is my brand. My website is a place you can go to learn more about me, my mission and also buy my books. It is a work in progress. I want to add links to places you can donate books for children who can’t afford them and also some tips for parents. My Wild About Reading Facebook page is where I share tips, encouragement, book reviews, interviews of other authors, book giveaways and trivia. The goal is to re-ignite a love of reading in parents and encourage it in children. Stop by and visit!

7) How do you promote your work? What methods have worked best for you?

I’m finishing my Masters Degree in Social Work so I have had very little time to promote my work. I’ve had a television interview and wonderful bloggers like you have spread the word for me. Thank you! I blog and use my Facebook page. With this second book the publisher is setting up book signings for me. I hope that when I graduate I can do more promotional things.

8) What advice would you offer to aspiring authors?

I’ve said this before but it is my advice. 1. Read, Read, Read. How can you be a writer if you don’t even read? 2. Find people that you trust to share your thoughts with. 3. Never stop believing in magic, the impossible and the unbelievable. Some of the greatest books I have ever read were written by people who remembered what it was like to be a child and to dream. 4. If you are a children’s book writer I believe that there is a part of us that never grows up. Tap into that!

9) What is your definition of success as an author?

If I can feel proud of what I have put out there and my children love it; I am successful. When I get messages from parents and kids telling me that they love my book or that it was helpful to them, I am happy.

10) What is next for you in 2012?

May 11, 2012, I will graduate with a Masters in Social Work. I will be done with school. NO MORE SCHOOL. I really hope that I will be able to spend more time writing and sending out my work. Spending more time with my family is at the top of the list.

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Author Bio

Donalisa is an award winning children's author. Donalisa lives in Oklahoma with her husband, David, her daughters, Jadyn and Genesis. She is Wild About Reading. Donalisa has written many stories since she was a child. She is a social worker and has worked with children for over 12 years. Donalisa is finishing her Masters in Social Work so that she can be a licensed therapist for children and adolescents.

Read my Blog

Visit my Website

Follow me on Twitter

Connect with me on FaceBook

Thank you for interviewing me, Raychelle. Thank you Raychelle’s readers for taking the time to read this. Keep an eye out for I Love You Better than Chocolate Chip Cookies. It's for the little ones!

I Love You Better Than Chocolate Chip Cookies Synopsis:

How much do you love chocolate chip cookies? I love them a lot, but there is something I love even better! I Love You Better Than Chocolate Chip Cookies is an entertaining book that teaches what should really take first place in our hearts.

The Writer's Block Interviews: Camy de Mario

2012-02-28T00:00:00.000-06:00

1) What inspired you tostart writing children's books?

I truly loveanything that brings me back to childhood. I believe I'm still a child myselfinto a grown up body! I spent hours trying to create new cartoon charactersdesigns, and figure out how to put them into animation. Walt Disney had alwaysbeen my mentor. When I finally realized that technology still wasn't my bestsolution, I decided to turn into a more traditional way to express my talents. Aboutfour years ago, when I relocated with my husband and our youngest children fromFlorida to a small island in the Bahamas, the beauty of nature surrounding meevery day opened up a new world of creativity. There was when my firstchildren's story started to become a reality.

2) Which came first: alove of writing or a love of illustrating?

As I said I'vealways been so interested in animation, and of course that was the result of mylove of illustrating. Now I can't see one without the other. In fact, at firstI visualize my drawings, and immediately after, the story takes shape intowords.

3) What books have youwritten? Where can readers buy them?

I've just publishedthe first book of a series The Worldof Happy-Let's all be Friends!. It's a sweet, positive storythat should appeal to young children, who will enjoy traveling with Happy, ared sea star, on his sea voyage. Thethemes of diversity, friendship, and acceptance are important and handled in anage-appropriate way, and the variety of creatures and settings offers a numberof fun, cheerful illustrations.

The book is available as paperback on major online retailersas Amazon and Barnes and Noble, and if you are lucky to travel around the AbacoFamily Islands, in the Bahamas, you can find the book for sale exclusively atone of the major vacation resorts, Bluff House Resort and Marina, in GreenTurtle Cay!

4) How did you find your publisher?

Many of my successful fellow authors suggested to me to goglobal and self-publish. I researchedall the publishing alternatives and Amazon looked like one of the best choicesavailable. It takes your own financial resources to get started, but thebenefits are very fruitful.

5) How have you promotedyour work? What strategies have been the most effective?

Social networking in this new era is definitely the best wayto promote yourself and your work.

Of course, anyone should understand that it takes a lot oftime, dedication and perseverance.

The most effective strategy, well, I guess carrying copiesof TheWorld of Happy with me wherever I go. You never know who you could youmeet!

6) What advice would you give to buddingauthor/illustrators?

At the end of the day it's all about telling a great story,and sharing the emotions through colorful illustrations. Children love colors!

7) What is your definitionof success?

It's the recognition of my work. When people purchase mybook, I feel I have given something special back to them. It comes right frommy soul.

8) What is next for you in 2012?

Despite all the negativity around the year 2012, I'm verypositive about the outcome. I'm organizing book signing events in Miami andI've just completed the second book...Where will Happy, The Red Sea Star, betraveling this time? Somewhere beyond our imagination!

Author Bio

CamyDe Mario was born and raised in Milan, Italy. She studied and graduated in“Foreign Languages” with English, French and German. At the age of thirty shemoved to Florida in the United States. Now at forty-six years old, she is a creativeauthor and illustrator of children's books. She presently resides in a smallisland of the Bahamas with her husband and their youngest children, tenyear-old twins. In the surrounding of this peaceful life, she developed theidea of a series dedicated to Happy, a red sea star, and his love for travelingto discover a whole new world.

Contact Camy

Website link: http://www.theworldofhappy.co
Blog link: http://www.theworldofhappy.blogspot.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/theworldofhappy
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-World-of-Happy/108600502588130

The Writer's Block Interviews: Damir Fonovich

2012-02-27T00:00:00.000-06:00

1)      Tell us how you became an author?

My wife and I had been talking for a while after our son was born about writing a children’s book. My wife in particular wanted to write something that included suggestions for parents, as she had found a lot of children’s literature to be lacking in true educational experience. After about a year of talking about it,one cold winter day in December of 2010, we were looking at how long our son’s eyelashes were and came up with the idea for Luca Lashes, a boy with magic eyelashes. It took us till about April of 2011 to really get going on the idea,and it has snowballed since then. This truly became a family business, as my wife, her sister and myself worked hard at researching, writing and editing our first nine stories by the end of summer. We found a company to help us create eBooks and Apps, and finally in December of 2011 we achieved the publication of our first eBooks and Apps on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Apple.

2)     Describe how you chose your illustrator.

I am an author, and I definitely stick to writing. We, Luca Lashes LLC, found an amazing illustrator out of Chicago, who really captured the essence of both our son and the magic that we were trying to create.

3)     Where do you live and work?

My wife and I live in Woodstock, IL, and work on our books out of our home office!

4)     Who or what inspires you?

As is obvious, my son Lucas is my main inspiration and motivation. Also, my wife Nicole is the central hub of our entire operation and I could not accomplish anything without her inspiration, motivation, and candor.

As far as my inspiration as a children’s book writer, the obvious choice is Dr.Seuss. As an author in general, I am inspired most by Victor Hugo, CS Lewis,and Neal Stephenson.

5)     What was your first writing job?

I wrote and contributed other content for an economics-based website from 2001 to 2003, and the experience of managing my own time and writing for a living were part of the reason for a standing desire I had always had to become a writer.

6)     Tell us about your new children’s book series.

The series, Luca Lashes, is about a special boy with magical eyelashes. He lives with his parents and discovers the world and new experiences all the time.Every time he sees something new or encounters something difficult, he blinks his eyelashes twice to find the strength to get over any fears. Our first book, Luca Lashes the Brown-Eyed Boy with Magic Eyelashes, introduces our character and sets the stage for all of the following books that will be coming out. We have already finished publishing the second book, Luca Lashes Learns to Brush his Teeth, and are ready to begin the online publishing process for our third book, Luca Lashes and His First Trip to the Dentist. Our books are also all multilingual, having been translated into French, Italian and Spanish. Futurebooks titles include Luca Lashes and His First Haircut and Luca Lashes and his First Swimming Lesson.

7)     What steps are you taking to promote it?

At the moment, we have done strictly self-promotional social media, mainly through Facebook, YouTube (where you can find book previews and our Press Kit), LinkedIn, and Twitter. Our website, http://www.LucaLashes.com, will be completed shortly, and we look forward to finding additional marketing channels this year.

8)     What is your definition of success?

I have an audio recording of an old author being interviewed, and I never forgot his answer to this question, “Do a little good, have a little fun, make a little money.” I always liked this, and it’s kind of a personal philosophy at this point.

9)     What do you plan to accomplish in 2012?

The plan is for our first nine eBooks and Apps to be finished and published. We would also like to begin the process of having hardcover and softcover board books published to go in tandem with the eBooks. Having the next set of 9 books written and edited would also be a great step to complete in 2012. We are looking at the long-term viability of our eBook/App series, and would like to continue to the series indefinitely. We might explore merchandising opportunities that enhance our series.

Company Bio:

Luca Lashes LLC created and is publishing a multilingual compilation of e-books/apps helping children to be brave when confronting new and unexpected experiences. Life lessons are taught which help children deal with fearful situations. Parents can use these books to help children deal with their“firsts”, including first visits to the doctor, first visits to the dentist,first haircuts, etc. In addition to offering these in English, French, Italian,& Spanish, what makes these e-books/apps unique is the parent’s section at the back of each book, which highlight the key teaching concepts and offer questions parents can use to prompt learning opportunities. Check out our website which is set to go live soon at http://www.LucaLashes.com!

You can find us on our YouTube channel here:
http://www.youtube.com/user/LucaLashesLLC

Follow us on Facebook, and like “Luca Lashes”:
www.facebook.com/lucalashesllc

Follow us on Twitter at:
@LucaLashesLLC

Our books and Apps on Amazon can be found here:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Luca+Lashes+LLC&x=10&y=20#/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=%22Luca+Lashes+LLC%22&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3A%22Luca+Lashes+LLC%22

Our books and Apps on Barnes & Noble can be found here:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Luca-Lashes-LLC?keyword=Luca+Lashes+LLC&store=allproducts

You can also found us on iTunes for iPad, iPhone, andiPodTouch.

We Are Meeting Children's Books Authors This Week on The Writer's Block!

2012-02-26T08:10:00.000-06:00

I hope that you will stop by and visit with five authors who write for some of the most special people on the planet: children! For obvious reasons, I am particularly excited about this genre of writing. Reading opens up a world of possibilities for young minds. So, mark your calendars! Here is this week's lineup:

Monday, February 27
Damir Fonovich

Tuesday, February 28
Camy DeMario

Wednesday, February 29
Donalisa Helsley

Thursday, March 1
Kim Siebold

Friday, March 2 Mike Dooling

Keep your pen to the paper! Remember, inspiration is everywhere...

The Writer's Block Interviews: Paul Caballero

2012-02-24T00:00:00.000-06:00

1) Tell us how you became anartist/illustrator?

I could say I was born as an illustrator.Since I was a kid I liked painting and drawing a lot. In the beginning it wasall about imitating my older brother who knew how to draw a five-fingered hand!I enjoyed drawing more than playing football so I decided that would be my way.Afterwards it’s all been about hard-working and drawing, drawing and drawing…

2) Do you specialize in any particular medium?

I trained in all styles in order to broadenmy offer but the one I enjoy the most and what I do best is illustration forchildren’s books.

3) Who or what inspires you?

I suppose I’ve always been a kid and I’llalways be in a way. That’s what helps me dream and imagine my parallel worldwhere the characters I create come into life and that’s crazy… that’s simplyhappiness! I am also lucky I belong to a quite funny familyand have had a life full of fun experiences in which I relay in order to createcharacters and stories.

4) What was your first illustration job?

The cover of a novel called Checkmate (Jaque al Rey) which I created for LOBHER publishing group.

5) Describe your body of work. Thus far, whichproject has been the most fulfilling? Why?

I usually work in digital media due to thedemand. But what differentiates my work is luminosity, brightness and colour ofmy final arts.

When it comes to the work I enjoyed the mostI must say it’s the collection of stories I’m working on now where varioustypical children’s pathologies such as bed-wetting or fear of darkness aretreated in a pedagogic way. In truly enjoying creating animal characters thatbring those stories to life and I’ve been lucky to work with enthusiastic andprofessional people.

6) What is your definition of success as anartist?

It’s quite simple: to be trusted to work ondifferent projects, the public to like the project you worked at and that sameproject to be able to convey the correct message in a correct way. And learn,always learn and grow as an artist with every job.

You should never think you’ve achieved whatyou were looking for because that would mean you’re dead as an artist:innovation is essential for becoming a good artist.

7) What do you plan to accomplish in 2012?

Work as much as possible and make myself knownin other countries with the aim of working abroad.

Artist Bio

My name is Paul Caballero and I was born inBilbao in 1981. I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine arts atthe University of the Basque Country (UPV-EHU). Right after graduating I moved to Madrid inorder to specialize in animation, design and illustration It’s been two yearsnow and I work as a professional illustrator.

http://www.pafulillo.blogspot.com

The Writer's Block Interviews: Robert Rajabally

2012-02-23T00:00:00.000-06:00

1) Tell us how you became an artist/illustrator?

Like many artists, from an early age I was quite drawn to drawing (no pun intended!), keeping several types of drawing books and so on. By the end of High School, we all had to choose our college or university careers. I saw my classmates and friends sure of themselves and taking off into the usual careers to be dentists, lawyers, engineers and business administrators (this last was an attractive novelty for many in the mid-seventies in Brazil!). I had a lonely time deciding what to do with my life since none of those were my calling! Soon enough though, illustration came to my rescue as “the right thing to do” as it was what I loved the most. Also, I had two older brothers, more than 10 years my senior that were quite good artists in their chosen drawing and painting niches, but that never became professionals. Mostly I think, because at that time few risked working on their own without the certainty of a paycheck by the end of the month. They also did not know much about of how to go about it professionally. Anyway, I felt it was my calling both for me and to kind of fulfill what we all liked and wanted one of us to accomplish professionally. The conditions for taking up art school (for three years), instead of any nonsense college were ripe, and so I took the leap and hoped for the best. I did enter a fine arts college as my conscience dictated I should give it a try. Soon I saw it would interfere with setting up a professional career, with its lousy mid-afternoon hours and offering mostly what I could study on my own if I wanted. I soon realized that it would do little towards helping my career, because what mattered the most at that time (1977), was getting some real life working experience, learning to build my portfolio, visiting printing shops and, generally, learning the ropes of the industry; so I just suspended my enrollment then and there and never looked back. And that’s about it, as they say, the rest is history!

2) Do you specialize in any particular medium? Describe your style.

In Brazil, back in the seventies, very few could survive as an artist with just a single line of work. Besides, a lot in illustration interested me, so I became proficient in many types of art: from advertising to didactical art for schoolbooks, board games, lettering, logos and technical art. All this involved all types of media including pencil, pen and ink, paint and then the glorious days of airbrushing! The computer age with any prospect for art came quite late to Brazil, in the early 90s, and that changed everything! So I was one of those artists who had the privilege of having lived in two separate artistic ages, experiencing life before and after the computer, as it were! This gave me a healthy perspective and a good background to appreciate the value of both. We were all taken by surprise with this major shift; some artists I knew were shy of the computer and receded into artistic oblivion, others were intimidated by the machine and hated it for its unfathomable complexities and its imposing new skills and methods, with the same result. Fortunately, I enjoyed technology and looked forward to this new media, as that was how I always felt towards all media available. The reliability of these technologies eventually came of age and so did I.

From then on, I gradually began to “master” (God forbid!) both worlds: traditional art and digital renderings, enough to produce decent final art at least, both of necessity and because it was exciting stuff with all the possibilities entailed. Today, after leaving behind advertising and other kinds of art by choice, I am developing my mind’s eye work, a type of nature art, which I refer to as Naturalist Illustration & Design which is, in many ways, a world apart from the usual natural sciences art, botanical art etc. Aside from its purpose being quite different too, it employs several techniques that blend hand drawing, sketches and painting, digital photography, digital painting and photo manipulation/compositing as each piece calls for. Comics and children’s books and educational materials are also an important part of what I look forward to develop further with these same techniques. There’s still a lot to learn and create in this and I’m excited at the prospects!

3) Where do you live and work?

I live and work in Brazil, in a small city just an hour from São Paulo. This is an asset for me because I can live close enough but out of the oppressing bustling of a major city like São Paulo, closer to nature (I live in a region which is in a protected area of one of the last portions of Brazil’s Atlantic Forest). I have a small downtown studio where I can meet clients, work and give my classes, but I do all my illustration work from my home studio. Besides, in this day and age, of course, one can live almost anywhere and be closely connected through the internet, as we are now.

4) Who or what inspires you?

Though I did most types of illustration in my time to pay my bills as any other artist, I was never attracted, for instance, to art for advertising for all the falsehood and damages it is causing to humanity. I also always had a natural perception and strong connection with Nature themes and Spirituality. Perhaps it was tenacity for cherishing what was and is the most sacred in life but this was only possible because I was fortunate enough to be able to circumvent and outright avoid getting too close to common advertising and such and gradually craft my profession along these other lines, though not without the sacrifices entailed... I was inspired by many artists, writers and music as perhaps all artists are, but I can say that in my case, this inspiration is coherent and consistent with my life interests. Books such as the marvelous Secrets of the Soil (and the geniuses depicted therein), the great and seminal work shown in The End of Materialism, Sacred Geography and The Reflexive Universe, to musicians as diverse but uniquely connected as Rush, John Denver and the Moody Blues, plus authors such as Pietro Ubaldi, Rudolf Steiner and Ramatís, among many other like-minded giants, are the basic influence and drive behind whatever I have been able to create on my own. There were also tons of great artists that inspired me to improve my work and perspective, actually too many to name here without forgetting some, but say they range from the great Belgian artists of the 70s and 80s to so many breathtaking artists of today in many fields. My personal background comes from descending from British-Indian parents who came to Brazil soon after WWII. They gave me the unique conditions and cultural environment to foster and hone my spiritual development in a way that enabled me to blend these healthy influences into a single clear vision for my ongoing work as a Naturalist Illustrator and author.

Alongside that background formation and inspiration, I wish to add that there’s new stuff unfolding today that demands our focused attention and best awakened perception to see and connect with the world changes that are taking place. Changes that are bringing a new level of environmental awareness, of ourselves and the planet we live in and that has a lot to do with what we decide to produce artistically. My websites address this issue in more depth.

5) What was your first illustration job?

I landed my first paid assignment in October 1975. It was a monthly commission to illustrate in B&W for a coffee business magazine in Rio de Janeiro. I was then in my first year at Art School. Considering that as the beginning and that I’m 54 now in early 2012, I’m then well over 30 years in the business, but tell no one!

6) Describe your body of work. Thus far, which project has been the most fulfilling? Why?

Perhaps I have already done so above, but maybe I should sum it up better: I am a Naturalist and Editorial Illustrator for many types of work, especially for nature and children’s books and materials. These are done by hand and with the computer. I am also a Native English-Brazilian Portuguese translator and have done a lot of work in several areas, from institutional to technical, corporate documents and products, NGOs, videos, for web portals and researchers that deal with major environmental issues on the Amazon Rainforest and so on. My main website actually lists all this for anyone with the desire or patience to look it up! So, art, creative writing and translation come together as my main assets to meet new assignments, both for localizing foreign materials for the Brazilian market as for shaping local materials for foreign audiences. As an artist with a good background in communication skills, I give occasional classes to businessmen from all walks of life that wish to improve their English and Portuguese. My pursuits to blend nature, spirituality and cutting-edge true science to help educate adults and children is my most fulfilling project, one which I hope to materialize in its fullest potential in this life, both through publishing my own materials as translating and illustrating the ones I truly admire by other authors, for the benefit of where it is most lacking: my home country. Some of this is being done right now, as we speak.

7) Where can your works of art be found?

My work can be found online at my various dedicated websites and professional networks, some of which are bilingual or only in English.

8) What is your definition of success as an artist?

It is the rare case that an artist can achieve spotlight popularity, financial success and spiritual success in a world such as ours. Although that is no secret, still relatively few artists factor that essential point into their careers. I seek the latter but require the former as anyone. By spiritual success I mean something beyond and deeper than religious beliefs and quite here-and-now in the material experience too, which is equally important and not a lesser value. It just should not be the only value. A truly successful artist, in my opinion, is one who has understood the role, power and responsibility of artistic creation (whether as an artist, musician or writer) to shape the world and how we perceive it, and took on the responsibility and courage to fulfill that calling to the best of his/her ability, and has learned to screen out the frivolous, the misguided and the outright bizarre as legitimate ‘cultural’ manifestations to reach his/her audience with meaningful creations beyond simple entertainment.

I feel no other form of success can have a lasting value or one that we won’t have to atone for after death. This may sound somber, but it is not: it’s a simple fact of life that unfortunately many great artists have not awoken to yet, a fact which has been obscured in our present age of controversies, but is quite real and one we can all witness from the often bizarre notions and creations in art out there (in print, online or on our TVs) alongside wonderful accomplishments, both vying for our attention and spiritual energies while on this world. The trick is to develop the proverbial ‘eyes that see’ and make your choices consciously.

9) What do you plan to accomplish in 2012?

Aside from the ongoing pursuits outlined above, I would add that I have designed a website for Nature Artists from the ground up that I wish to promote to artists worldwide, for those individuals that have understood the purpose of this work I’ve described and wish to join with their talents in a friendly and professional environment. It is called História & Arte / Natureza and is more than a simple online portfolio. There, artists can discuss exciting environmental projects, air their articles, promote their courses, workshops and exhibitions to a new audience. It is now in Portuguese but will soon be in English and Spanish, all native for a broader reach. This is tied in with my Naturalist projects, as I have been preparing materials to present certain aspects of an inner ecology, such as the living energies and nature intelligence to help shape, educate and broaden our notions into a New Naturalist Awareness, one that redefines ecology into the more encompassing and realistic term, Ecosphere, and all the implications thereof, such as in the production of new and exciting Naturalist Maps for adults and storybooks and field guides for children, to name a few.

I’m looking into online publishing a lot too as a means to publish in full control of the output and without the hassle and delay of printed media and have done so on the Issuu platform, with more to come in 2012 as I wish to get the word out, so to speak, with my Living Energies project, children’s books and some graphic adventures stories. My blog is also a venue for participation in the creative process of this work, with behind-the-scene info I will be expanding this year according to people’s interest in this work.

My wife and I also have a Photo Restoration dedicated bilingual website which is unique in its approach, efficiency and scope, especially in our country. It has been 7 years online and we are planning more activities around this fascinating field. It is called MartaFotos.com.

I wish also to warmly thank you, Raychelle and The Writer’s Block, for this kind invitation for an interview and for the gracious space afforded, it is sincerely appreciated. For those of you that are interested in any of this, please head for the links supplied below, beginning from my new facebook page if you will, and drop me a line. All feedback and participation are encouraged. I look forward to seeing you all around!

Websites:
iDStudio:http://www.idstudio.art.br

Portfolio e-Zine: http://issuu.com/idstudio_robert_rajabally/docs/idstudio_portfolio2011_12

Historia & Arte / Natureza: http://www.historiaearte.net/natureza

Blog Sintonia: http://id-sintonia.blogspot.com/

MartaFotos: http://www.martafotos.com/

Professional Networks:
Bëhance: http://www.behance.net/idstudio

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/robertrajabally

Facebook Fanpage: www.facebook.com/robert.rajabally.idstudio

DeviantArt: http://rajabally.deviantart.com/

e-mail: contato@idstudio.art.br

Phone: 55-11-4268-0685 / Brazil

Artist Bio

My academic background began as an Editorial Illustrator, graduated from the Pan-American Art School in São Paulo/Brazil in 1977 and has since expanded into my passion as a Nature Artist. As a former member of Brazil’s main Artists Societies in the ‘80s, I have shown my editorial and advertising illustration work in 15 collective exhibitions at MASP, (Brazilian Illustrators at the São Paulo Museum of Art), at MAM (São Paulo’s Museum of Modern Art) and at MIS (Fantasy Art and Science-Fiction at The Sound & Image Museum of São Paulo) aside from some stints at Brazil’s main Comic Art exhibitions in the state of Goiás, in the city of Curitiba (PR) and Piracicaba (SP) up to 1992. In the region neighboring where I live, my comic book pilot project Flyer, won second place in a 1992 contest.

Having illustrated for several areas such as games, packaging, school books and so forth, my departure from advertising came in the early ‘80s when my kindled passion for Nature Art and concerns fired up to become the ongoing art and consciousness development pursued today.

I have also shown some of this earlier work in Brazil’s main Art Annuals: TALENTO 1, 2, 3 and 7 from 1984 to 1995 and in Brazil’s Illustrators Directory of 1983. I have enjoyed a rather varied experience with illustration, ranging from editorial to comic books and adventure graphics, my second passion.

From the ‘80s up to 2003 I was an off and on member of Brazil’s main Artists Societies such as the first and now extinct CIB – Brazil’s Illustrators Club, ABRASIL – Brazilian Illustrators Society and lastly, of the new SIB - Brazilian Illustrators Society in different phases of their existence, having chosen not to be a member of any since.

In closing these early years, I accumulated an interesting portfolio as an Editorial, Advertising Illustrator and Graphic Artist with many covers and art assignments done for publishers, corporations, agencies, studios and institutions for book covers and inside art, school books, children’s stories, packaging, magazines, games and toys and esoteric books. Finally, in 1994, I was nominated for a Jabuti Award for children’s book illustration for my work on The Little Tin Soldier and The Sleeping Beauty by Kuarup publisher.

The Writer's Block Interviews: Allyn Stotz

2012-02-22T00:00:00.000-06:00

1) Tell us how you becamean author? Describe your journey.

Well, I wish I could sayI was one of those writers who always dreamed of becoming a published author,but I can’t. When I was young I did love making up stories and remember thefirst story I wrote was about a land made up of peanut butter. Also, mysiblings and I used to make up plays and put on skits for our parents all thetime. However, it wasn’t until about 4 years ago that I really ever thoughtabout writing children’s stories and actually getting myself published. I hadwritten other things throughout my career like procedures manuals, newsletters,and other business things like that so I knew I could write fairly well. Theday I decided to write children’s stories was almost like magic to me.

I was reading mybrother’s blog one day and he was telling a story about some game he playsonline. It sounded magical. As I read it I thought to myself how fun it wouldbe to write a fantasy story like that. So I sat down, started typing a storyand haven’t stopped since. Making up a story and putting it down on paper wasmy magic and I know now that it is also my destiny.

2) Do you prefer anyparticular literary genre?

I prefer fantasy forchildren but I also like to write realistic stories that could actually happen.However, in the near future, I hope to grow and venture out into other genres.

3) Who or what inspiresyou?

Children inspire me.They are the reason that I enjoy writing so much. Nothing makes me happier thanto see a child laughing, smiling, or just having fun. That’s what I want themto do when they read my stories. I just want to make them happy and givechildren a chance to dream and use their imaginations.

4) Tell us about ThePea in Peanut Butter. What inspired you to write it?

The Pea in Peanut Butteris about a little girl named Kailee who loves, yes you guessed it… peanutbutter! She would eat it on just about anything if her mom would let her. Onenight while getting a snack from the kitchen pantry, the cans of vegetables andfruits come to life and they have a magical dance with Kailee. They try toconvince her to try one of them for a change! Kailee thinks she doesn’t likethe taste of green foods so the peas try to teach her that the color green hasno taste. It’s the food, whether green, red, yellow, or purple that has adifferent flavor.

Two things inspired meto write this story.

1. My love for peanut butter and my memory of the story I wrote as achild about the land of peanut butter. So my inspiration started there.

2. I have met so many people in my life who won’t eat anything green.So I wanted to bring that lesson into the story as well.

5) Describe your path to publication.

My path to publicationstarted with researching myself to death. I researched for a good year everythingI could find about getting a children’s picture book written and published. Ialso enrolled and graduated from the Institute of Children’s Literature andthat helped me tremendously. Without that course and the resources I havegained from the school, I don’t believe I would be published today.

As far as actuallygetting published, I have been one of the lucky writers and didn’t have tosuffer too long with rejections before I found a publisher. I had been sendingin submissions for about 10 months before a publisher bought my manuscript. Inthe meantime, I was published in several children’s magazines. That helped meto gain confidence as well.

6) What else have youwritten and where can readers find your work?

I have written severalshort stories for children’s magazines. I have the links to those publicationsthat are still available for viewing on my blog at www.allynstotz.blogspot. If you click on the“Other Publications” tab, they are listed there.

7) How do you promote yourwork? What methods have worked best for you?

I promote my work on myblog, Facebook, and am also a member of several online organizations likeBookblogs, Goodreads, and Linked In. Those sites help authors and otherprofessions promote their work. I also have had several book signings atvarious places and attend writer’s workshops and conferences.

8) What advice would youoffer to aspiring authors?

Do your research. Don’tthink that you can just write a story, send it in and “wa la” you becomepublished. You need to know the guidelines for success or your manuscript canbe thrown in the slush pile as quickly as it arrived. Even if your story is thebest story ever written, if it’s filled with grammatical or spelling errorseverywhere, or you’ve broken all the publisher's guidelines, then chances of apublisher even reading it are slim to none. If you believe in your story, thentake the time and effort that’s needed to polish it up and make it the best youcan. Make sure you have it edited; sending it into a critique group is oneof the wisest decisions you can make. You may think your story is wonderful theway it is, but having someone else look at it can make all the difference inthe world. They may find something you hadn’t even thought of.

But my best advice to aspiring authors is to never give up.You can do it!!

9) What is your definitionof success as an author?

Someone who hasfulfilled their dream of what they wanted to accomplish as an author. If youonly get one book published, but it was your dream and you feel satisfied bythat, then to me that is a successful author. But most authors I know willnever feel complete with just one book. Most want another, and another, andanother!

I also feel that even ifsomeone never gets a book published, but they are happy with their writing andwhat they’ve accomplished, then to me, they are also a successful author. It’sreally what’s in your heart that makes you a success.

10) What do you plan toaccomplish in 2012?

I want to accomplish a better and broader marketing plan for mybook such as setting up school visits and possibly doing other events. My goalis to get my book out there and noticed so as many children as possible canread it! I am also constantly working on that 2^nd picture book so ifit happens in 2012, that would be wonderful!

Author Bio

Allyncame from a family of writers. Her father wrote and owned the town newspaper inEdgerton, OH and her mother wrote a weekly column. Watching Allyn’s journey topublication convinced her mother and freelance editor/writer sister to team upand write a novel of their own, which will be published in the near future.

Allyn’sfirst children’s picture book, en titled ThePea in Peanut Butter, was published by FutureWord Publishing in June 2011.She has also been published in various children’s magazines as well as an adultmagazine. Allyn graduated from the Institute of Children’s Literature and is amember of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.

Allyn livesin Baton Rouge, La with her husband, two crazy dogs and one fat cat.

The Peain Peanut Butter is available in paperback, kindle, and coloring book format onamazon http://www.amazon.com/Pea-Peanut-Butter-Allyn-Stotz/dp/0984589058/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317747926&sr=8-1

The Peain Peanut Butter is also available at Cavalier House Books in Denham Springs,LA and on www.barnesandnoble.com aswell as other online retailers.

You cancontact Allyn at allyn_stotz@yahoo.com,through her blog www.allynstotz.blogspot.comor on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=1543946214

The Writer's Block Interviews: Ray P. Norris

2012-02-21T00:00:00.000-06:00

1) Describe your journey as an author/writer.

When I was at high school in England, I hadtwo passions. One was physics, and the other was literature. I regularly cametop in both at school, but the English educational system requires you to focuson one thing. So I chose physics. I am now living in beautiful Australia,enjoying a wonderful career as an astrophysicist, spending my working days atthe edge of the Universe, trying to figure out how galaxies form and evolve.But a few years ago I started wondering... what if? Suppose I had chosenliterature? Can I still make that choice? So I took a year off work to starttwo projects. One was to understand the astronomy of Aboriginal Australians,and the other was to write my first novel.

Writing the novel Graven Imagestook the best part of that year -spending a few hours each day just sitting in my study and writing. I loved it!The wall was covered with flow charts to help me keep track of the various threadsof the storyline. Setting it in England gave me the excuse to indulge inpersonal nostalgia, visiting my childhood haunts, such as the ancient timelessmoors of Dartmoor. Setting it in the year, 2005, in which it was writtenallowed me to weave events like the London tube bombings into the narrative.

I joined a writing group under thediscerning tutelage of writer Natalie Scott, who destroyed my overblownwriter's ego by showing me the many ways in which my writing sucked! I owe anenormous debt to her, as she painstakingly encouraged me to remove adjectives,tighten up the prose, and remove the long swooning passages about Dartmoor thatmade me misty-eyed but bored the pants off everyone else.

And then I spent the next five yearspolishing and tweaking it, learning from readers and writers. You can do thisforever, and even now there are bits I'd like to change. But at some point youhave to stop and say, "Dammit. I'm going to publish it." And that's where I amnow.

2) Do you specialize in any particulargenre(s)?

I've published hundreds of scientificresearch papers and popular articles, if you can call that a genre. But thatgenre teaches you almost nothing about creative writing. In GravenImages, I had to forget everything I'd learned about writing scientificpapers, which I found enormously liberating. Suddenly the other side of mybrain, which had been atrophied since my teens, was able to sprout wings andfly.

People who knew me as a scientist oftenasked if I was writing science fiction. Why should I? It's too close to home.So in Graven Images, I tried to stay away from science, and stickto real contemporary human situations. I was only partially successful, as wewrite best about the environments with which we are familiar. The protagonist,Owen, is a scientist, and the entire book is from his point of view, althoughsometimes his understanding of what's happening is wrong, just like real life.But Owen is a biologist, not a physicist, and although there may be bits of mein Owen, I am really not Owen. And it's definitely not science fiction.

3) Who are your favorite authors? Howdo they inspire your work?

I am a very eclectic reader. As a child Iread everything by HG Wells and Ray Bradbury, and even now I considerBradbury's Dandelion Wine to have had an enormous effect on mywriting, and also triggered me to take up wine-making. In my teens I had apassion for Tolstoy, and have a nasty tendency to emulate his half-pagesentences. I think I then moved on to John Steinbeck and Graham Greene. I wasattracted to Anthony Burgess by Clockwork Orange, but then becamean avid Burgess fan, and through him discovered James Joyce. I boast of beingone of the few people who has finished Finnegan's Wake, which was more of an intellectualmarathon than a cozy read! But it taught me much about using wordsunconventionally, informing the reader by osmosis rather than facts. I adoreJohn le Carre, and wish I could convey as much as he does by leaving so muchunsaid. And of course no one has the sheer story-telling ability of StephenKing. Currently, the Australian Richard Flanagan is the writer I most admire,and I think he's influenced my use of metaphor in Graven Images.

4) Tell us about your most currentproject.

Graven Images is my firstnovel. It's set in the world of neo-pagan beliefs such as Wicca, but it's alsocontemporary, counterpointing these ancient beliefs with the web and the fearof terrorism. Personally, I'm an atheist, but I can place the moment when Wiccagrabbed my attention. I took my daughter, an avid Wiccan at the time, on avacation to England, the country in which I had grown up and where I hadstudied the astronomy of Bronze-age stone circles. But now, accompanied by myWiccan daughter, I found recent offerings of flowers and money in the stonecircles that I had studied so carefully. How had I never noticed theseofferings before? So part of the book is about people seeing only what theyexpect to see. During that vacation, we visited the Witchcraft Museum in Boscastle,where the current owner, Graham King, was kind enough to show us the rare booksin his collection. And here's the moment that started it all: he placed in myhands a real medieval Grimoire. Some witch, hundreds of years ago, hadcarefully written her spells in this book. I had grown up thinking witches weremake-believe, and suddenly I had this thirteenth century spell-book in myhands.

So that's the backdrop, but the real actioncentres on Owen's quest to find his archaeologist girlfriend’s killers. To doso, he penetrates a sinister pagan cabal, but to gain their acceptance he useshis science skills to help them find a legendary Wiccan bible - the Book ofOne. He cannot resist the lure of hunting down this book, and the resultingquest almost eclipses his real quest to find Sarah's killers. And meanwhile hislife, already shattered by his girlfriend’s death, disintegrates until he's onthe run from the police.

5) How did you choose your publisher?Describe that process.

My wife and I had self-published anon-fiction book on Australian Aboriginal Astronomy, Emu Dreaming,which has been very successful, pretty well selling itself with no realmarketing. So rather than running the gauntlet of publishers and agents, Ithought I'd try self-publishing my novel. I discovered that publishing fictionis much harder than non-fiction, and now I know why people use professionalpublishers and agents. Graven Images has had great reviews, but thesales have just not taken off. We probably need to do some serious marketing which is hard when it's your hobby!

6) How do you promote your work? Whatstrategies have been the most successful?

It's too early to say. I formally publishedthe book in April 2011, but didn’t start promoting it until December 2011. Withhindsight, this was an enormous mistake. People expect a book either to takeoff within a couple of months of publication, or not at all. So when youconfess that you published a book a few months ago and it hasn’t yet startedselling, many people write it off as a non-starter. Next time I won't publishit until I'm ready to promote it!

7) What else have youwritten/published?

Ignoring the 250-odd papers onastrophysics, which are incomprehensible to anyone outside the field, the onlyother book of popular interest is the book Emu Dreaming that mywife and I wrote on Aboriginal Astronomy. I started researching the astronomyof the Aboriginal Australians in 2005, and have been amazed at the depth andcomplexity of their cultures, and by how little this is appreciated bynon-Aboriginal people. Hundreds or perhaps thousands of years ago, some guysitting out in the bush, some Aboriginal Einstein, figured out how eclipseswork, and how the tides are linked to the phases of the Moon, while in EuropeGalileo was saying, incorrectly, that the Moon has nothing to do with thetides. Our little book has been amazingly popular in Australia, and I hope hashelped some non-Aboriginal people to understand that there's much more toAboriginal culture than didgeridoos and bark paintings. This study has alsotaken my wife and me to Aboriginal communities hundreds of miles from thenearest road, and we have made some wonderful friends. My Aboriginal friendBill Yidumduma Harney and I have even played in a stage show "The FirstAstronomers" in arts festivals across Australia. Way outside myastrophysicist comfort zone, and wonderful fun!

8) What do you plan to accomplish in2012?

I can't wait to write a sequel! I have itall mapped out, but my day-job keeps getting in the way!

9) What advice would you give tobudding writers?

Write! Have fun!

10) What is your definition of successas a writer?

I've sold a few hundred copies, so I'm notyet Stephen King, and I'm not going to give up my day-job anytime soon. But thewhole experience has been enormous fun. And I have to say that I'm nowaddicted. So I think I would say that success as a writer means that you'reenjoying the process, you're enjoying the act of writing, and you're enjoyingthe fact that people enjoy reading the book. Commercial success would also benice, but you don't need that to count your writing as successful.

Author Bio

Graven Images is the first novel from Ray Norris, a British and Australian astrophysicist whose day-job is to find out how the Universe evolved from the Big Bang to the present day. He also researches Australian Aboriginal astronomy, and the astronomy of British Bronze-age stone circles. An atheist himself, but fascinated by other people's beliefs, he was amazed to find how ancient pagan religions are still deeply but secretly engrained across the strata of modern society. As well as over 250 professional publications, Ray frequently appears on radio and TV, and performs in a stage show called "The First Astronomers". For relaxation, he walks the moors of Dartmoor and the Australian bush, and writes.

Twitter: @RayPNorris

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RayPNorris

Book website: http://www.gravenimages.com.au

The Writer's Block Interviews: Mellanie Crouell

2012-02-20T00:00:00.000-06:00

1)     Tell us how you became an author? Describe your journey.

     At the age of thirteen I began to write poetry to express my feelings. As time went on my poetry became stronger in depth. In 2005, I got married to my teenage love. It was a bad marriage. The challenges I faced in that marriage took me to a place that I thought I wasn't going to be able to return. Then I was blessed with my daughter. I wanted to leave something for my daughter to remember me by. Once my first book was published I knew had I found my new voice.

2)     Do you prefer any particular literary genre?

      The genre I prefer is fiction.

3)     Where do you find your inspiration to write?

       I find my inspiration through life experiences.

4)     Please share some of your available titles. Where can they be purchased?

       The titles of my work are Internal, External of Life, 25 Days of Roses, and Sweet Dreams. You can purchase my work at http://www.mellaniecrouell.com, Amazon.com, www.bn.com, www.publishamerica.com, www.warrenpublishing.net, or request and order from the bookstore.

5)     Describe how you chose your publisher(s).

       I chose my publishers based on what I need for the book. I look for good communication between the publisher and me.

6)     Why did you decide to enroll at Southern New Hampshire University?

      I decided to enroll in Southern New Hampshire University to improve my writing. SNHU has a creative writing online curriculum which means that I don't have to sit in a classroom. Most of all, I wanted to enhance my knowledge of the writing industry. Most of the professors work in the industry and they share tips of personal experience that will help students succeed in the future.

7)     How do you promote your work? What methods have worked best for you?

      The way I promote my work is through interactions with people-- mostly through my speaking engagements.

8)     What advice would you offer to aspiring authors?

      Advice that I can share is to be persistent.

9)     What is your definition of success as an author?

     My definition of success as an author is when I can help others to reach their success and stay humble.

10) What is next for you in 2012?

      What is next for me is to finish re-editing What Do You See? and start working on my first novel.

Contact Mellanie:

Website http://www.mellaniecrouell.com

The Writer's Block Goes Global!

2012-02-19T07:46:00.001-06:00

One of the most exciting things about conducting interviews on The Writer's Block is the opportunity to meet creative people from different corners of the globe.

Take the journey with us this week starting in North Carolina with author and poet Mellanie Crouell. Next we will be going "down under" to Australia to meet astronomer and author Ray P. Norris. We'll come back to the states and travel to Baton Rouge, Louisiana which is the home of children's author Allyn Stotz. On our next stop, we will head south of the border near Sao Paulo, Brazil to talk to artist/illustrator Robert Rajabally. We will wrap up this week's tour landing in Madrid, Spain where we will visit professional illustrator Paul Caballero.

Each of these talented individuals has a fascinating path to publication. You don't want to miss this!

The Writer's Block Interviews: Katherine McCaughan

2012-02-17T00:00:00.000-06:00

1) What was your journey to becoming a writer?

Firstly, thank you Raychelle, for thisinterview. You have a great blog and I am very proud to be a part of it. As aformer high school English teacher, I have been interested in literature for along time. Then, many years ago, a friend suggested we write a book together.Well, we got a friendly divorce after Chapter 3, but I was hooked on thewriting process. I signed up for awriting class and discovered a whole new world of compatible people and a wholenew life.

2) Do you specialize in any particular genre?

I have been published in short story,essay, book review and magazine article form and I have written a young adultnovel. No, I guess I do not specialize.

3) Who are your favorite authors and how do theyinspire your work?

Growing up in Australia, I read many English authors such as EnidBlyton. I also loved Canadian L.M. Montgomery. As an adult, I still loveBritish literature and await the Man Booker awards every year. My taste is veryeclectic. I love anything that is well written from which I learn something –history, psychology, anything about the human condition, so there are many,many authors I admire. When I really love a book, I will read it twice, firstlyfor the story and then to analyze the writing to see how the author involvedme, the reader, in this other world. Authors I admire include Margaret Atwood,Pat Barker, Ian McEwan, Annie Proulx, Lorrie Moore, Tom Franklin to name just afew.

4) Tell us about your current project, NatashaLands Down Under.

Myyoung adult novel tells the story of a young girl, born in Shanghai, China, toRussian parents who flee to Australia in 1950 after the Communist takeover.Only the mother speaks English, so the characters are often actually speakingin Russian, although of course, the book is written in English. Being Russianin the West during the Cold war period had its own problems and Natasha’sfamily is often accused of being communists. The book covers the first year ofNatasha’s new life with flashbacks to the war years. It explores the issuesimmigrants have as well as those of growing up and fitting in with your peers. Ihope it shows people who have only ever lived in the country of their birth,the depth of the dislocation that occurs when a family migratesand the struggles of establishing a new life.

5) How have your real life experiences influencedthe plot of Natasha Lands Down Under?

It was because of my family history that Iwrote the book. I had written down true stories of my family’s past so that mychildren would know what had happened to us before they were born. I was indeedborn in China to Russian parents and migrated to Australia in 1950. Most of thestories in Natasha Lands Down Under that occur before arriving inAustralia are actually true. My fatherwas almost shot for having U.S. dollars in his wallet, and my uncle was‘displaced during World War 11. I created Natasha to carry these stories into abook. The events that occur after thefamily is in Australia, however, are mostly fiction, although often based onexperiences I have had or on situations that friends have encountered.

6) How did you choose your publisher? Describe thatprocess.

I had sent my manuscript out to about three publishers and a few moreagents. One publisher kept it for nine months, even sending me a note asking meto be patient and then I received a letter stating something like ‘even goodmanuscripts cannot all be published’. I’m sure we have all received those. So Itook matters into my own hands. A writer friend who had used High Pitched Humrecommended the publisher to me, so I decided to use them to bring Natasha tothe world.

7) How do you promote your work? What strategies havebeen most successful?

Theone thing that has helped the most was that Natasha Lands Down Underwon the Moonbeam Children’s Book Award for Young Adult, Historical/CulturalFiction in 2009. It really gave it a boost. I have made presentations at schools and community groups and have beeninvited to book fairs, as well as spoken at book group meetings. On-lineactivities help, too, such as this interview and a blogtalk radio interview Idid for Angelica Harris’s program. As well I have a Fan page on Facebook. My comprehensive web site has both discussionquestions and a Teacher’s Guide.

8) What do you plan to accomplish in 2012?

So far I have beenconcentrating on marketing my novel, but I hope to write for several blogs. Ialso enjoy helping writer friends by critiquing and editing their work.

9) What advice would you give to buddingwriters?

It’ssimple - keep writing. Hone your skills. Join a writer’s group. These groupsare invaluable in supporting the writer while still critiquing the writing. Ifone group does not work for you, leave and find another, even if you have tostart it yourself. It is also important to work on marketing skills, whichoften do not come naturally to people who are writers.

10) What is your definition of success as a writer?

The joy I feel in having my work make adifference, however small, in another person’s view of the world. When peopletell me they learned a lot of history while enjoying reading my book, then Ifeel that I have succeeded in what I set out to do.

Author Bio:

Katherine McCaughan was born in Shanghai, China to Russianparents who fled to Australia in 1950 after the Communist Revolution. Shegraduated from the University of Sydney and Sydney Teachers’ College, and taughtEnglish and History at the high school level. In 1977, with her husband andthree children, she moved to Chicago, Illinois, where she worked in real estateand relocation. It was in Chicago that McCaughan began writing down familystories from the dangerous and tense times the family faced during the SecondWorld War, the Japanese occupation of China and the civil war that followed.

In 1993, with her children in college, she and her husband movedto Hong Kong where they lived for ten years. Here McCaughan wrote book reviews for B- International Magazine, personalessays for AWARE magazine, published a short story in Australia, and taught creativewriting at the Hong Kong YWCA. The nostalgia brought on by the Chinese andBritish cultures in Hong Kong inspired the interweaving of the family storiesinto a fictional novel, Natasha Lands Down Under. Drawing on her experiences, the novelexplores issues of migration and adaptation.

McCaughan was invited to be a ‘featured author’ at the AmeliaIsland Book Festival in February, 2010, and to take part in the FloridaHeritage Book Festival in St. Augustine in September 2010. She has spoken atmany schools, book groups and community organizations. A podcast of aninterview she gave to Angelica Harris and Siggy Buckley can be found at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/angelicaharris/2012/01/09/guest-katherine-mccaughan. She now spends her summers in Chicago and therest of the year in Jacksonville, Florida.

www.katherinemcaughan.com

www.natashalandsdownunder.com

Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Natasha-Lands-Under-Katherine-McCaughan/dp/193466636X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1232579524&sr=1-1

Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/groups/45630654706/

The Writer's Block Interviews: John Barlow

2012-02-16T00:00:00.000-06:00

1) What was your journey to becoming a writer?

I’ve been writing since I was young. Three full novels in mytwenties, all unpublished! Then, when I was in my early thirties, I had anovella published in the Paris Review, and that led to a two-book deal withHarperCollins in the US (fiction) followed by a book with Farrar, Straus &Giroux. Meanwhile, I quit my job as a university teacher and went full-time. Apartfrom my own writing, I make ends meet by working as a ghost-writer, and I occasionallydo features for a food magazine and other bits of journalism.

2) Do you specialize in any particular genre(s)?

No. I’ve published ‘imaginative’ literary fiction, a travelogue, andnow a crime-mystery. As a reader I like anything well written and absorbing, sothat’s what I try to do as a writer.

3) Who are your favorite authors? How do they inspire yourwork?

John Updike, because he can write about everyday life with suchsurprising eloquence. James Ellroy, because you just cannot stop reading one ofhis books once you’ve started. Ray Carver, because I simply don’t believe howconsistently amazing he is, every line, every phrase.

4) List your accolades. To whom or what do you credit youraccomplishments?

I won the Paris Review’s Discovery Prize with my first publishedwork. I’m quite proud of that, and it certainly opened some doors for me. Ialso have a PhD in Applied Linguistics, and I think that made me more sensitiveto language and how it works. I am also grateful that for the last eight yearsI’ve managed to earn a living from writing, one way or another. For that I havemy wife to thank, who not only puts up with an (*ahem*) irregular incomestream, but is constantly and unwaveringly supportive. Thanks, Susana! You’regreat!

5) Tell us about your most current project, HopeRoad.

It’s about a man who grew up in a criminal family, but who has triedto escape the life of crime. However, he finds himself involved in a murderinvestigation, and things start to unravel. It’s a character-based mystery. Youmight call it a ‘psychological mystery’ or ‘literary crime’. It’s set in theEnglish city of Leeds, like Kate Atkinson’s StartedEarly, Took My Dog. There’s a traditional crime to solve, but it’s alsoabout how people deceive those who love them most. You can read it even if youdon’t much like whodunits.

6) Have your real-life experiences influenced the plotof Hope Road?

Yes! I found out last year that an uncle of mine was an arms dealerand thief. He was found dead on a flight from Amsterdam in ’84, his throat cut.I’d never been told this. It got me thinking about crimes and families, how thetwo things interact.

7) How do you promote your work? What strategies have beenthe most successful?

Indie publishing is an experiment for me. I’m just a few weeks intothe publicity for Hope Road, but I’vefound the best approach seems to be to write guest posts or do interviews forbook bloggers. It’s more difficult to get people to do a review, simply becausemost bloggers are absolutely swamped with books to review. I will also dogiveaways of the ebook, in the hope that recipients might post a review onGoodreads or somewhere similar. Does any of this translate into an increase inreaders? I dunno yet. But if you really believe in the book, it’s not a badthing to have to stand up and shout about it.

8) What do you plan to accomplish in 2012?

The second book in the series. HopeRoad is the first in a proposed series of nine books, all loosely based ona criminal dynasty.

9) What advice would you give to budding writers?

Just write. Don’t get too caught up in the excitement ofe-publishing. The indie revolution is a tremendous development for writers, ofcourse, but in the end writing is just about you and the page. And turn Twitteroff!

10) What is your definition of success as a writer?

Anyone who can carry readers right to thelast page of a book has done something special. Reading is not a passiveactivity, you have to want to do it, and readers can easily find other thingsto do if a book is not holding their attention. So if you can take readers withyou and keep their interest, that’s an achievement.

Author's Bio:

John Barlow was born in Leeds, England in1967. He studied English Literature at Cambridge University and worked as auniversity teacher before becoming a full-time writer in 2004. In the US hisfiction has been published by HarperCollins and his non-fiction by Farrar,Straus & Giroux. His work has been translated into six languages.

Contact John:

John’swebsite

Twitter

Facebook

Buy HOPE ROAD:

The Writer's Block Interviews: The Alphabet Kids

2012-02-15T06:00:00.000-06:00

1) Where did theconcept of The Alphabet Kids originate?

Allegra Joyce Kassin, our Chief Executive Officer, createdthe Alphabet Kids concept. She is a devoted mother of five and grandmother ofseven, who was in search of literature that highlighted children from alldifferent kinds of backgrounds and cultures. It was her original idea.

After being introduced to Emmy-winner and humanitarianPatrice Samara by a business colleague, they teamed up to fully develop theconcept and the brand... and the rest is history!

Mrs. Kassin and Ms. Samara believe that Alphabet Kids filleda void. “Our goal is to help our youngest learners everywhere to lovethemselves, embrace diversity and understand that friendships can be createddespite cultural or physical differences.”

2) Tell us aboutthe characters and the cultures they represent.

Our characters are Allegra (Italian-American), Elena(Hispanic-American), Isaac (Jewish-American), Oni (African-American), Umar(Arab-American), and Yang (Chinese-American). We also embrace many other cultures from around the world and physicaltypes through our website, community-based activities, and features in theAlphabet Kids Magazine.

Our timeless stories follow the Kids fun adventures as theylearn to embrace their cultural heritage and other life lessons. With thepopulation of the United States becoming more diverse each day, it is importantthat everyone - especially children - understand how to co-exist with otherswho may be different.

3) What is the missionof The Alphabet Kids?

The Alphabet Kids have a mission to spread multiculturalunderstanding from the start and help children love who they are and realizethat people who are different can be very good friends!

4) Tell us aboutthe team of experts who contribute to this series.

Patrice Samara is theco-author of all the Alphabet Kids books.
Neme Alperstein,author of Isaac’s Zoo; Subject matter expert; Educational Advisory Committee
Abed Awad, Esq,co-author of Umar’s Magic Oven; Middle Eastern subject expert
Michelle Bodden,co-author of Oni’s Good Hair Day; African-American expert; Educational AdvisoryCommittee
Dr. Jingyi Hong,Co-author of Yang’s New Dance, Chinese subject expert and cross-culturalcommunications expert; Educational Advisory Committee
Liana Pérez,Co-author of Elena’s Birthday Surprise; Hispanic subject matter expert;Educational Advisory Committee
Vivian Treves, Co-author of Allegra’s Apple Tree; Italiansubject matter expert; Educational Advisory Committee
Isaac J. Kassin,Co-author with Patrice Samara of Alphabet Kids Go to the Planetarium (2012)

To read all of the experts' bios, follow this link: http://alphabetkids.com/ourexperts/ourexpertsMain.php

5) What kinds ofactivities and resources does The Alphabet Kids website offer?

In addition to giving updates on all of our activities,around the country, we have reviews of movies suitable for families andchildren, and offer free, downloadable activities for children, and educationaltips for parents and educators.

6) What is the“You Buy One, We Give One” program?

Committed to social responsibility, we instituted theAlphabet Kids Buy One-Give One Literacy Program, donating books to children inneed through myriad literacy programs nationwide. For each book, sold we donateone book to a child in need. Each member of the Alphabet Kids team is deeplycommitted to supporting our charitable activities by visiting schools,community and faith-based organizations, schools & hospitals across theUnited States and around the world. We distribute books through establishedcharities we support such as the Melvin Van Peebles Foundation and TheFatherhood Task Force of South Florida's Fatherhood Reading Squad.

7) Tell us aboutyour current projects and what is next in the series.

In 2012, we will be launching the Alphabet Kids Science& Technology Series. Our premier book in that series is "The AlphabetKids Go to the Planetarium". (See answer to question 10 below) We havebeen working closely with the Melvin Van Peebles Foundation with a mission toencourage literacy and careers in science. Alphabet Kids will also be working with the Black Spectrum Theater inNew York City to produce plays based on the Alphabet Kids stories. TheirExecutive Director, Carl Clay is a visionary when it comes to bringingtheatrical productions to schools and encouraging the community to attendtheater performances.

8) How do youpromote The Alphabet Kids? What strategies have been the most successful?

Alphabet Kids utilizes various methods to get the word outabout our books, curriculum, teacher training, music and other products.

We have an extensive PR program, utilize social media, andtour around the country.

We have done a licensing deal with Select Italy, a tourcompany and created "Amazing Family Tours" focusing on family traveland utilizing our book content as an educational spring board.

We have also done co-promotions with wonderful,innovative organizations such asBurdaStyle and Footzy Rolls.

We meet with school superintendent, teachers, homeschoolers,, parents and the media to discuss related topics. We visit schools, hospitals, community centers, faith-basedorganizations and also attend as many educational and trade shows as possible.

2011 was an important year for the Alphabet Kids Series,culminating with an appearance on NBC's Today Show in an interview by JennaBush Hager, Education Correspondent on December 24!

9) Tell us aboutyour music CD, “Music for the World”.

The CD is available on our website (www.AlphabetKids.com) Byway of background, The Pihcintu Multicultural Chorus welcomes immigrantchildren from around the globe, remarkably helping to rescue young lives blownapart by the horrific conditions from which many of them have fled. War-tornvillages, bloodshed, refugee camps, famine, and political turmoil weredevastating realities for so many of these young singers before being embracedby the warmth, companionship and harmony of a loving musical environment.

For these children, the power of survival eases – but nevererases – the memory of unthinkable atrocities, physical danger and personaltragedy. Filmed in Portland, Maine, an ever-expanding internationalresettlement community, there was fertile ground to bring together youngsurvivors from diverse backgrounds, helping them to adapt to a new home andconnect them with local children in a healing, musical setting.

Con Fullam, an award-winning producer, musician, and songwriter,combined his passion for music with a deep concern for the effect of worldissues on children by creating the Pihcintu Multicultural Chorus. When he wasfive, his father died and music became his salvation. Fullam’s dream was tohelp others in need through music and he began The Chorus with the help andencouragement of countless citizens and supporters.

The American Indian word Pihcintu means, “When she sings,her voice carries far,” a sentiment that truly embodies the spirit of the CDand a new documentary film. Emmy-award winning Patrice Samara,Producer/Director, shot the documentary over numerous months capturing multiplerehearsals and she produced the CD. Music for the World follows the singers asthey prepare for their recording session and concert, highlighting the storiesof these unique young singers who range in age from 9 to 20. With familiesoriginally from Cambodia, China, Congo, El Salvador, Kazakhstan, Kenya,Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Uganda, Viet Nam, West Indies, andZambia plus other countries, the girls bond with children whose families havelived in the United States and Canada for generations. The Chorus has touchedthe hearts people of all ages everywhere and being in their presence is alife-enhancing experience. The children, their stories and their music aretransformative for the singers and their audiences alike. Through the healingpower of music, these vulnerable, yet brave, young women have learned to trust,hope…and laugh again.

10) What can youngreaders expect from The Alphabet Kids in 2012?

We will be releasing a special addition book called "The Alphabet Kids Go to the Planetarium". The book is co-written by IsaacJ Kassin, a sixteen-year-old honor's student and Emmy-winner Patrice Samara. Wewanted to encourage our reader's to learn more about science and encouragecareers in the field of technology.

In 2012, we will also be working with the Black SpectrumTheater in New York City to produce plays based on the Alphabet Kids stories.

Our goal for 2012 is to mount a bus tour called"Alphabet Kids Many Face-Many Places Tour". On our first part of thetour schedule, we are planning to go to Portland, OR, Seattle, WA, SanFrancisco, Sacramento, and Los Angeles, CA. We plan to go to schools, hospitalsand community centers such as the Boys & Girls Clubs and YMCAs to meet ourfans. We will be visiting Mayors, community leaders and PTAs in as manycommunities across the country as possible to connect with our readers inperson! We have a mission and we take that mission very seriously. WE want theworld to be a much more understanding and tolerant place for everyone...especiallythe children.

Connect with The Alphabet Kids:

Website: http://www.alphabetkids.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AlphabetKidsBooks
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/Alphabet_Kids

The Writer's Block Interviews: Writer and Founder of Storiad, Ramzi Hajj

2012-02-14T00:00:00.000-06:00

1) What is Storiad and how did it get started?

Storiad isa networked marketplace dedicated to the art and business of writing. Storiad’sgoal is to provide writers with intuitive technology to help them better: 1)connect & collaborate with one another; 2) reach a wider readership base bymaking it easy to disseminate & market their written work; and 3) connectwith publishers, editors, & film producers active in the written mediaacquisition market.

My name isRamzi Hajj, writer and founder of Storiad. The idea for Storiad originated witha conversation with my wife Jennifer about the business of writing. At somepoint during the conversation, someone said: “Too bad there isn’t a LinkedInjust for writers.” This got us to talking about how to use professional online networksto connect with other writers, publishers, and audiences. After much discussionon what this “LinkedIn for writers” would look like, the only question remainingwas: “why not build one?”

Why not,indeed! So with coordination, planning, trial & error, some luck, longdays, and (of course) a great team, Storiad was built and launched in 2011. Nowwriters have a unique place to congregate, connect, market and sell.

2) Why should writers use Storiad?

Writing canbe a very solitary endeavor. One of the things we as writers sometimes forgetto do is establish a network of contacts. The adage (or has it become too muchof a cliché?) holds true: “It’s not so much whatyou know as it is who you know.” Inthe writing world, the who you know includesother writers, editors, publishers, film producers, agents, and a dedicated readingaudience. Storiad is designed to help writers build that network of contacts,be it for creative, collaborative, and/or commercial purposes. With Storiad,writers can manage and share their writing-related activities from one platform.Here writers can -

ü Share biographical, professional & contactinformation;

ü Collaborate and network with other writers;

ü Build project portfolios to share excerpts ofavailable work;

ü Blog to keep readers and potential buyers up-to-date;

ü Advertise available books/eBooks, or writing-relatedservices;

ü Access Storiad’s proprietary written mediamarketplace; and

ü Access Storiad’s ready-made network of readers, writersand media professionals

The best answer we can think of to the question“Why network?” is this: “… because you never know who in the wide-world islooking to read, buy, produce that very thing you’ve written, are writing, orwill write.” Storiad makes it easy to get yourself and your story out there.

3) What additional services are available to both writers and mediaprofessionals?

Whenwriters create a Storiad account, they also receive a Vox Storiad blogging account. It’s a great way for writers to keepthe reading audience and potential buyers of their work up-to-date on theirwriting activities. Writers can also request access to Storiad’s social mediaoutlets to automatically broadcast each new blog posting to the Storiad network.

Writers havethe option to access the interactive Storiad411 advertising platform. It’s a great way for members to advertisewriting-related services, including published books, author readings, editorialservices, and much more.

Storiad Marketplace is where writers and media professionalsinteract. Storiad works with publishers, editors, film producers, and agents todetermine the types of projects they’re most interested in receiving anddeveloping. Writers, in turn, respond. This feature has been very popular with mediaprofessionals as it allows them to both control the types of submissions theyreceive and to search Storiad Marketplace for authors (andtheir work) they may not otherwise have a chance to meet. Similarly, writers have told us theyappreciate the opportunity to tailor their submissions to meet the businessneeds of media professionals. It removes a lot of the guesswork (andfrustration) from the submission process. In addition, by just being onStoriad, they’ve increased their chances of having their work seen by mediaprofessionals they may not otherwise have a chance to interact with. It’s a win-winfor all involved.

4) Please share some of your more notable success stories.

WhenStoriad members succeed, we succeed. As writers ourselves, we are genuinelyhappy to hear from writers who have used Storiad to help them better connectwith other writers, media professionals, and/or reading audiences. And this happensall the time. It gives us a real, tangible sense of accomplishment. Plus itreally helps us better develop and test new Storiad products and features. Andwhen we hear that a certain publisher or film producer has found their nextproject on Storiad, then we are really, REALLY happy.

Storiad hasreceived numerous media outlet mentions (including on Forbes.com), as well asrequests for blog & radio interviews, and group presentations. For example,we were recently asked by the University of California Long Beach to give apresentation on networking at their annual writer’s conference. It was great toshare our “online” concept in the “offline” world, because we know theimportance of building face-to-face relationships.

5) What are the media pros who use Storiad seeking in the way of qualityand professionalism from writers?

In generalterms, there can be no substitute for the compelling, well-crafted story. Yet,even that tends to be rather subjective. One media pro’s “A+” manuscript, say, isanother’s “C+“. However, all media pros do agree that there can be no tellingwhere the next great story may come from. They tell us that they are on Storiadto better their chances of finding that great (maybe undiscovered) author andstory they may not otherwise find through the more “traditional” channels. Andwriters tell us that is just fine with them.

Inpractical terms, these same media pros also tell us they are also looking forwriters who are eager to sell themselves and their published work. That is oneof the reasons why we strongly encourage writers on Storiad to take the time tocomplete their profile in a thorough and professional manner. The Storiadprofile (like the more “traditional” cover letter), for example, is the writer’schance to really make a great first impression. Editors & publishers tellus that, when searching for a particular piece of work on Storiad, theycarefully read the attached profile first. The harsh reality is that poorlycomposed (or poorly edited) profiles don’t get the same kind of considerationthat more polished, compelling profiles do. Of course, the nice thing about anonline profile is that writers can make as many changes to it as needed untilthey are completely satisfied with how it reads.

6) What advice would you give to writers using Storiad for the firsttime?

We can’tstress enough how important networking can be to writers. Both artistically andcommercially, we feel an expansive network can only help writers better reachthe audiences they deserve. And like any other field, networking is a subtlecombination of who and what we know. To build a productive network, weencourage writers to think of their writing career in termsof their writing assets. These assets may include:

ü Originalideas;

ü Commandof the language;

ü Story-structuringabilities;

ü Completedprojects (manuscripts, scripts, anthologies, etc);

ü Publicationhistory ;

ü Marketingapproach;

ü Writers,media professional, and reader contacts.

Among others, to be sure.

All of the above work in tandem, the wholebeing more valuable than any of the individual parts. So when it comes time tobuild their Storiad platforms, we encourage writers to really take advantage ofall the features and services designed to maximize exposure of their writingassets.

7) What is the most rewarding aspect of providing this type of forum?

This one iseasy to answer: our product development brain-storming sessions. Storiadactively seeks input from writers and media professionals on those features andservices they’d like to see Storiad develop. And we receive thoughtful andcreative ideas on a daily basis. The development team meets once a month tobegin the process of translating those ideas we’ve collected into functioning Storiadfeatures and services. These meetings are always lively discussions, with theobligatory dry erase pen and whiteboard at the ready. The ideas flow at afurious pace, one building atop another, the dry erase pen squeaking along thewhite board surface. It’s collaboration at its best, as ideas grow from whimsy,to real possibility, then on to development, then testing, and finally … launch.It’s a true labor of love. Since some features require longer “lead times” thanothers, we are at work on a continual stream of short, medium, and long projects.Our suggestion box is always open to ideas and comments.

8) What is next for Storiad in 2012?

In January 2012we launched an expanded writer’s platform with lots of new features andservices. With every upgrade, we aim to provide more and more tools for writersto better connect, communicate, market and sell their work. The response fromwriters to our latest release has been very enthusiastic.

In thecoming months, we will be rolling-out upgrades to our media professional’splatform to make it even easier for media pros to find the right writers and rightprojects at the right time. In addition, we will be introducing some verycreative ways for media professionals to conduct their book & authorpublicity campaigns online. This is something almost every editor and publisherwe’ve spoken to has expressed an interest in seeing developed.

We are alsoworking on some very cool features designed to facilitate real-timeinteractions between writers and media professionals. Now, we can’t go into toomuch detail at this time, but we can say that it will be unlike anythingpresently available for writers on the Internet.

Andfinally, Storiad will be partnering with various writing-related websites todevelop even more outlets for writers to showcase their work and get theirstory out there.

We invitewriters and media professionals to join us on Facebook and Twitter for updates onthese and many more Storiad developments.

Thank youfor your time. We hope to see you on the Storiad network soon.

Become aStoriader: www.storiad.com

Join us onFacebook: www.facebook.com/storiad

Follow uson Twitter: www.twitter.com/storiad

The Writer's Block Interviews: Daniela Frongia

2012-02-13T00:00:00.000-06:00

1)     Tell us how you became an artist/illustrator?

Since I was 4, I already showing a passion and talent for drawing, inspired by the colorful style of the Disney classics and later Manga. I studied and obtained a degree from the Art School. Next I dedicated myself to mastering airbrush technique on Bikers and then focused on digital graphics. After a first art exhibitions on canvas occurred in the diverse galleries of London, I took the decision to dedicate myself to illustrating children’s books and now I collaborate with authors and publishers from all around the world.

2)     Do you specialize in any particular medium?Describe your style.
My Illustrations are hand-made and then colored by software

3)     Who or what inspires you?

Studio Ghibli is definitely my main point of inspiration.

4)     What was your first illustration job?

"Halloween doggy" was my first job, in e-book version is sold on iTunes. It is the story of a dog, created by me, very funny and scary.

5)     Describe your body of work. Thus far, which project has been the most fulfilling? Why?

It's hard to explain which project was more rewarding, because every time a is a new challenge for me, let's say I am excited to create every time something more detailed and full of emotions.

6)     Where can your works of art be found?

You can find some of my works on my website http://www.caisairbrush.com , where there are also some of my canvasses painted by airbrush

7)     What is your definition of success as an artist?

I think an artist can feel satisfied when obtain to be able to transmit your own emotions to others through your artwork, this is a big success.

8)     What do you plan to accomplish in 2012?

I have already started to apply myself to the drawings of the skirting boards (www.lilytrim.com) already on sale in the U.S., many other books and now I just started with the illustrations on greeting cards for the UK area.

Biography :

Daniela Frongia (aka, Cais) currently lives in London, UK where she works as a freelance illustrator. She was born in Cagliari, Italy in 1979. By the age of 4 she was already showing a passion and talent for drawing, inspired by the colorful style of the Disney classics and later Manga. She studied and obtained a degree from the Art School. Next she dedicated herself to mastering airbrush technique on Bikers and then focused on digital graphics. Her first art exhibitions on canvas occurred in the diverse galleries of London when she moved there in 2009. In 2010 she made the decision to dedicate herself to illustrating children’s books and she now collaborates with authors and publishers from all around the world.

Website: http://www.caisairbrush.com/

Facebook:   https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cais-Arts-book-illustrator-and-airbrush-artist-freelance-/197946496908175?sk=wall

25 Ways to Increase Blog Traffic by Robert Lee Brewer, Plus This Week's Line-Up on The Writer's Block

2012-02-12T00:00:00.000-06:00

Robert Lee Brewer ("My Name Is Not Bob" blog) offers 25 tips for increasing traffic to your blog. I found these to be especially helpful, so I am passing them along to you. Enjoy!

"I won't bore you with numbers, but I now consistently have as much traffic in one day on this blog as I used to receive in two months! It didn't all happen at once, and there were some ups and downs along the way, but I've found that the 25 steps below can help any blog increase traffic, whether it's brand new or been around a while.

Here are my 25 ways to increase blog traffic:

Post consistently. When I first started blogging, I'd have months of 6 posts here and months of 2 posts there--with no rhyme or reason. The smart blogger will at least post once a week--usually on the same day of the week. The benefit to a consistent schedule is that readers know when to "tune in" to your blog.
Encourage comments. Some bloggers recommend turning the comments off when the traffic is low, because conditions are favorable for zero comments. However, I think it's a smarter strategy to expect zero comments, but encourage them from the very beginning. The best blogs will get a conversation going, and that helps build traffic. I know it can feel lonely waiting for that conversation to start, but just keep plugging away.
Tag content. Most blogging interfaces (like Blogger and WordPress) have ways to tag posts with keywords that you may use multiple times. For instance, I know this post will have a "blogging" tag at the very least, though there will probably be some others as well. And this enables readers to click on the tag to see all the content on your blog that is related to that topic. Plus, it helps with SEO (more on that below)."

To read the entire post, visit this link.

This Week on The Writer's Block:

Monday, February 13, 2012~ Freelance Illustrator, Daniela Frongia

Tuesday, February 14, 2012~ Founder of Storiad, Ramzi Hajj

Wednesday, February 15, 2012~ Meet The Alphabet Kids

Thursday, February 16, 2012~ Author of Hope Road, John Barlow

Friday, February 17, 2012~ Author of Natasha Lands Down Under, Katherine McCaughan

Stop by my health and fitness blog Journeys Fitness starting Monday, February 13, 2012, and check out my nutrition series, "What's Eating You?"

Keep the pen to the paper! Remember, inspiration is everywhere...

Book Review: Me and My Potty by Mimi Hoang Kuehn

2012-02-11T00:00:00.000-06:00

At first read, Me and My Potty had me laughing out loud (literally). I like the brightly-colored illustrations. Mimi captured the ups and downs of potty training in a way that moms can absolutely appreciate. The imagery is spot on--I can only imagine how children will react to the puddles and leaky pull-ups. She pulls no punches with the word choice. The mere mention of bodily functions generally elicits whispers and giggles from little ones!

Potty training doesn't happen in a day, a week, or even a month. My Potty and Me is written in a way which reflects that reality. The flow of the story seemed to stop and start somewhat--a few times I thought the story had ended. In particular, the success achieved when the monkey finally "peed" felt like a resolution for me. Learning to poop reads like a new chapter. Potty training takes repetition and (frequently) there are setbacks, so writing it this way works. Oh, and the bonus story, "My Poopy Pets", could be a great little book all its own. It makes Me and My Potty an even better value.

Me and My Potty encourages little ones and their moms to be patient and persistent with potty training. Overall, this is a great book! Buy it on Amazon.com: Me and My Potty: Monkey see, monkey do series (Volume 1)

The Writer's Block Interviews: Siggy Buckley

2012-02-10T00:00:00.000-06:00

1)     Describe your journey as an author/writer.

My scribblings started as a diary when I was online dating. Then I met my now husband the 'natural 'way. He encouraged   me to put my encounters into the form of a book. Daredevil that I am, I even wrote it in English which is not my first language, although I have a master's   degree in teaching it.While waiting for my literary agent to sell my manuscript, I discovered my love for blogging. And here I am, consummate   blogger and now self-published author. Needless to say, my agent wasn't   successful. But I'm forging on.

2)     Do you specialize in any particular genre(s)?

Memoirs which I disguise as a novel. I have a travel blog that I converted into a book: www.Intrepidhomeswappers.blogspot.com which became http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005N0N3CO.

3)     Who are your favorite authors? How do they inspire your work?

I love thrillers for example by Elizabeth George. Unfortunately I don't have the imagination to pull off a   whodunnit. Irish writers like female like Nuala O'Faoilan and Sheila O' Flanagan. There I'm waiting (and hoping) for their 'voices' to rub off on me...

4)     Tell us about your most current project.

The launch of a new blog for writers www.writersgettoether.blogspot.com took a lot of my time over the past 2 months. It's a new platform for bloggers and writers to get noticed through social media networks. My current brainchild is a book about child abuse that went on in Ireland in the sixties. It is of a similar theme as " The Magdalene Sisters", if you have seen the movie. I 'm also finishing up book #3 called I Once Had a Farm in Ireland, also autobiographical.

5)     How did you choose your publisher? Describe that process.

Not having been successful with my agent, I couldn't sit back and decided to self-publish. From all the possible choices, I picked Createspace because they have a good reputation, deliver quality books, and you have no costs upfront.

6)     How do you promote your work? What strategies have been the most successful?

I rely on creating an internet presence on various blogs and websites as well as social networking. I'm also a member of the National League of American Pen Women.

7)     What else have you written/published?

I wrote a lot of articles for www.opednews.com and www.americanchronicle.com under my maiden name, Ursula Siebert; an eBook called Intrepid Homeswappers: Secrets to Successful Home Swapping (How to   save thousands on your next vacation) http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005N0N3CO; plus a blog that goes with the website of my novel Next Time Lucky called www.Nexttimelucky.blogspot.com where I give up-to-date dating advice. Another subject close to my heart is related to everything organic and green since my days on an Irish organic farm www.Inandoutofireland.blogspot.com.

8)     What do you plan to accomplish in 2012?

Sell a lot of books; finish book #3; establish myself in my new role as blog talk hostess together with Angelica Harris on "Monday Lunch Hour" http://www.blogtalkradio.com/angelicaharris

9)     What advice would you give to budding writers?

Write about what you know and don't give up the day job.

10)   What is your definition of success as a writer?

To get the response here that I was used to (as a matchmaker) in Ireland : "Yes, I've heard about you!" Even from the former Prime Minister (Taoiseach).

Author Bio: Former matchmaker par excellence - or Dating Guru as the Irish media liked to call me- I was born in Germany. Having achieved a Masters Degree in English, I got married, had two children and then emigrated to Ireland with my family for the GOOD LIFE.

Involuntary life on an Irish farm produced a crop of misgivings and the break-up of our marriage. Single again, I launched a dating service in Dublin which eventually planted the seeds for this novel. I'm now happily married and live in the USA.

Next Time Lucky https://www.facebook.com/pages/Next-Time-Lucky/245003752184595?ref=ts

https://twitter.com/#!/Hernibs

www.writersgettogether.blogspot.com

The Writer's Block Interviews: Illustrator Joyeeta Neogi

2012-02-09T00:00:00.000-06:00

1) Please share with us your background andwhy you chose being an artist as your profession.

Hi Raychelle, thanks for the invite, and I am honored to behere today!

I am Joyeeta Neogi children’s book illustrator residing atPune, India with my six year old daughter and husband. I grew up in a familyfilled with art and inspiration. I've always loved books and drawing, althoughI've taken the long way round to becoming a children's book illustrator.

Drawing has alwaysbeen a passion of mine. I have always loved to draw and paint. At school, Iused to do little drawings to amuse my classmates, I would always be drawingand doodling, filling pads of paper, but the greater source of inspiration wasmy mother, Shikha Biswas an established artist, so looking back I think it wasinevitable.

2) Describe how you began working with HappilyEver After Me, LLC.

Last year I met Stacey Shannon, Creative Director/Writer atHappily Ever After Me, LLC on an online forum. She started with me with anadoption story book and liked the illustrations I made for the book. Since then,it has been an enjoyable journey working with her. I am glad to be a part of “HEAM”as an illustrator.

"Happily EverAfter Me” creates storybooks and poetry prints, along with other customproducts. They capture the stories of favorite memories, childhood dreams, andlife's most unforgettable moments that will be cherished for years to come.

http://www.happilyeverafterme.com

Here are some links of work we produced together.

https://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=10150489526893912&set=a.10150489526583912.374048.176942233911&type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Happily-Ever-After-Me-LLC/176942233911?sk=photos#!/photo.php?fbid=10150363946968912&set=pu.176942233911&type=1&theater

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Happily-Ever-After-Me-LLC/176942233911?sk=photos#!/photo.php?fbid=10150228189463912&set=a.10150228188728912.322903.176942233911&type=3&theater

3) Where do you find inspiration? Describeyour creative process.

I take inspiration from everywhere, children, surroundings,drawing inspiration from my childhood memories and my own child growing up.

I like to have a set routine when working on a book. Alwaysdevelop the character first; I go with where my characters want to take me.Once the characters fit the brief the rest seems to fall into place. Aftersketching the characters I scan them and work on my computers and begin withthe coloring process. I work in both digital and traditional media. But most ofmy recent works are based on digital media.

4) When did you start illustrating children'sbooks?

I started working as a fashion designer and illustrator in agarment buying house for about more than four years. After coming to Pune, Istarted working as a freelance illustrator through online forum. I alwayswanted to have a job that involved art in some way. Eventually I found thatchildren’s illustration was the direction I wanted to pursue with my work.

And from last two years I have been working as a children’sbook illustrator. I am a full-time freelancer and work with clients from allover the world. I create quality Illustrations for children’s market forillustrated story books, custom story books, greeting cards, posters, fashion illustrations.I enjoy illustrating children's books and find nothing better than makingpeople happy with my work. Please visit my website and blog for some samples.

http://www.wix.com/joyee14/artsutrajoyee

http://artsutrajoyee.blogspot.in/

5) Describe your illustration style. What areyour favorite mediums?

I work for both cartoon and realistic style but I think I ammore inclined towards realistic style and detailing. Love doing Illustrationsin Photoshop Illustrator with quality artwork in vibrant color.

I work in various mediums: oil paint, pastels, crayons, coloredpencil, watercolor, and digital .

6) What do you read?

Growing up, we always had shelves full of books at home. Wewere encouraged to read, mainly fairytales and fables, and adventure stories.

In children’s books, I love Lynne Chapman and Tim Warnes’swork… I love Laura Logan illustrations, Sherry Rogers’s work; Will Terry is afantastic illustrator. Axel Scheffler’s and Sue Shananan’s, Mirela Tufan, and Linmida illustrations are great .There are too many to name! I like lots of different artistsall around the world.

7) Areyou a writer? Why or why not?

No, I am not a writer but (I) love to read what others writeso beautifully.

8) Tell us about some of your latestillustration projects.

Recently, I completed a bright and colourful book illustration,“Charlie and Isabella meet Jacob” by Felicity McCullough. Thecolour illustrations tell the story about the adventures of two Angora goatsnamed Charlie and Isabella. It was a pleasure working with Felicity McCullough.

The Kindle edition, paperback, (and) hardcover are out on Amazon.

Check the links at Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Charlie-Isabella-Isabellas-Magical-Adventures/dp/1781650055/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1328097178&sr=1-2#_

http://www.amazon.com/Charlie-Isabella-Isabellas-Magical-Adventures/dp/1781650047/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1328097178&sr=1-2

I completed a Fairy tale series with thirty Illustrationsfor Edcon Publishing Group. I loved working with them. Check the link for someof the Illustration on iTunes store and Amazon Kindle.

http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/edcon-publishing-group/id439736300?mt=11

http://www.amazon.com/Cinderella-Classic-Childrens-Tales-ebook/dp/B006ZLVLNI/ref=pd_rhf_gw_p_img_4

http://www.amazon.com/Ant-Grasshopper-Classic-Childrens-ebook/dp/B006ZLVNI6/ref=pd_rhf_dp_p_img_4

I recently finished two children’s books with Author J.C.Martin

http://www.amazon.com/Payback-ebook/dp/B005FMRY1Q/ref=pd_rhf_gw_p_img_3

I just completed one story with Author V. Honey Hall, “HomeAway from Home”; it is in the publishing process.

9) What is your definition of success?

Everyone defines success in their own way. To me, success isthe inner satisfaction which I get through illustrating children's books. Entertainingpeople with images I've created is something I thrive on. I feel so fortunateto be able to do this for a living and I am grateful to every client I haveworked for.

10) What do you hope to accomplish in 2012?

I want to try lots of different mediums, differenttechniques, materials textures and styles to my illustrations. Apart from thisI am working on an Interactive children’s story for Ipad App. This is the firsttime I am attempting to Illustrate as well as write (with my husband’s help andmy kids suggestions) an interactive children’s story book that hopefully my kidsand others will enjoy when published.

Contact Joyeeta:

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Njoyee

Happily Ever After Me, LLC http://www.happilyeverafterme.com/

The Writer's Block Interviews: Author, Interviewer, and Book Reviewer Joey Pinkney

2012-02-08T00:00:00.000-06:00

1)      Welcome to The Writer’s Block! Tell us a little bit about your background.

My name is Joey Pinkney. I was born and raised in Memphis, TN. I've always had a great love of books. I've loved to read since being encouraged by my parents at a very early age. I love to read and write. I'm a much more active reader than writer, but I hope to change that in the near future.

2)      How did get your start as a book reviewer?

The first book review that was published was Explicit Content by Black Artemis. I was writing for The Urban Journal, a now-defunct newspaper. At the time, The Urban Journal was the widest circulated Black owned and operated independent newspaper in metropolitan Nashville, TN. I was hired to write the obituary column, town hall meetings, police reports - the boring stuff.

I continually pitched to the publisher to allow me to write about books by black authors and other current media events outside of Nashville. Although he claimed that was outside of the interests of the people who read his paper, people used to email me and tell me in person that they really enjoyed the new features. All the while, I was on the internet hunting down authors to email about a potential review.

I moved from Nashville and continued to ask authors for books to review. I worked with UrbanBookSource.com and CBBookDistribution.com as a freelance book reviewer. I had a wonderful stint at both operations.

I eventually began to work more on building my brand and centralizing my book reviews. I branched out into author interviews because the number of books to be reviewed became overwhelming. At one point, I was getting like 2 to 3 books a week, if not more. The JoeyPinkney.com 5 Minutes, 5 Questions With... Author Interview Series was born in late August 2008 and has grown tremendously since then.

3)      What can we expect to find on JoeyPinkney.com? What is your mission?

Books, books and more books. I've heard people say that it looks cluttered. So does a library until you know what you are looking for and where you can find it, right?

You will find a constantly updating work in progress. I'm constantly adding new author interviews from authors of all kinds of backgrounds and genres. My core audience is African-American authors from various genres from Christian Fiction to Urban Lit to Poetry to Erotica. I'm starting to gain an international following, which is bringing in interest from authors from Ireland, the U.K. and even Australia!

I have close to 500 author interview on JoeyPinkney.com. If you are a reader, this is a resource to find authors and books you may have never heard of but need to add to your collection. If you are a writer, this author interview series oozes with practical marketing and writing experiences to add to your arsenal as a published author.

4)      How have authors benefited from exposure on your site?

There are a dozen ways that authors benefit from being on JoeyPinkney.com. Here are 6:

(1) Since I've been doing this for 3 1/2 years, I have tons of repeat visitors that stop by to see what's the latest addition. Many of these repeat visitors are readers looking to buy the next interesting book to satisfy their literary appetites.

(2) I have 200+ Google Connect readers who get notifications or the full posts emailed to their inbox when I update JoeyPinkney.com. That's a direct connection to a potential reader since most people are attached to the email accounts.

(3) I use the NetworkedBlogs service to syndicate my blogs updates. When I post a new interview, it hits the inbox of the 100+ people who have signed up to receive updates. Plus, it goes to my Facebook wall.

(4) Google usually archives my author interview posts within an hour of me posting it. Readers googling for an author's name or book title will find my interview high in the search ranking, usually on the first page.

(5) I send out social media updates 24/7 to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other websites. On Twitter alone, I have over 42,000 followers. Many of those followers are authors and readers who RT (retweet aka resend my updates) to their followers, so the exposure goes viral.

(6) I create interview trailer videos, currently free, for the author interview and books reviews and post them on YouTube and send the link to the various social media website to added exposure. Some people are visually-oriented, so videos catch their attention more than just reading status updates.

Being on JoeyPinkney.com has resulted in book sales, speaking engagements, book club invites, blog talk radio invites, publishing connection, etc. With anything dealing with marketing, results will vary, but for the most part, JoeyPinkney.com has a healthy amount of specific traffic geared towards connecting readers and writers.

5)      Are you a published author/contributor?

Yes, I am. I contributed the short story "Like Father, Like Son" to the The Soul of a Man: A Triumph of My Soul Anthology (2009), I contributed the Kindle-winning short story, "Maxine" to the MyQoTD.com Short Story Kindle Competition Compilation (2010), I was granted a cameo appearance in Psycho (2011), I was profiled in I Am Royalty: Profiles in Black History, Vol. 3 (2011) and most recently, I contributed to Gumbo For The Soul: Men of Valor (2012).

6)      Tell us about your current projects and what is next for you in 2012.

I am working on a few writing projects while keeping fresh content updated on JoeyPinkney.com. I hope to have a few books published by the end of 2012. Stay tuned.

7)      What marketing strategies would you say are the most successful for new authors?

One key strategy that most authors take advantage of is having a website: central command. When somebody asks you, as an author, where to find more about you, the last thing you want to say is Facebook or Twitter or MySpace. You want to send them to your headquarters, not the spot you're renting. Even worse, I've seen authors that have no website. That's a no-go. I've even seen an author that had a website that was mistakenly misspelled.

In terms of things that work, keep writing. Having a constant stream of novels, novellas and anthology contributions will generate the best form of marketing of them all - word-of-mouth. Having a blog that keeps your readers updated with relevant information about you, your writing, etc. That will keep your core audience engaged.

Be willing to invest in advertising and other things that will expose you to your audience. If you don't have the money, get ready to spend the time. Build your presence with readers on Twitter and Facebook. Join Goodreads and Shelfari and participate in the groups.

Get reviews from reputable sources. Encourage the people you know have bought and read your book to leave reviews on Amazon, Barnes & Nobles, Goodreads, etc.

8)     What advice would you give to budding writers?

These two thing are going to seem contradictory. If you can find the happy medium, you will be closer to success: 1) If you are writing a book you hope to sell, write with your target market in mind. Know who they are, where you can find them and what they want to read. 2) While you are writing your book, don't worry about who is going to read it. Write it to get it done so you can move on to other projects.

About Joey:

Joey Pinkney is an award-winning author and award-winning book reviewer. He is best known for the JoeyPinkney.com 5 Minutes, 5 Questions With... Author Interview Series, featuring over 475 author interviews and book reviews.

http://joeypinkney.com

http://twitter.com/joeypinkney

http://facebook.com/joeypinkney

The Writer's Block Interviews: Lisa Tsakos, Co-Author of Unjunk Your Junk Food

2012-02-07T00:00:00.000-06:00

1) Pleasetell us about your background and profession.

After years of struggling with my weight, Idiscovered the principles of natural nutrition and my life changed overnight.Within a year I lost weight (close to 50 pounds) and returned to school tostudy holistic nutrition – it was the only eating style I resonated with andcould stick to. Since graduating in 1997, I’ve taught nutrition at manydifferent schools and have been in private practice throughout.

2) Whatis Nu-Vitality Health and Wellness?

Nu-Vitality (http://www.Nu-Vitality.com) providesseminars, weight management programs and healthy eating programs to corporationsand non-profit organizations. We educate employees about adapting healthiereating habits (for example, eating on the run, managing stress with diet, andcoping with stress). The Programs have been presented to over 100 companiesacross the country.

3) What is NaturallySavvy.com? What is your role as a contributor to thissite?

Naturally Savvy (http://www.NaturallySavvy.com)is a tremendous web resource for organic, natural, and green living, coveringall aspects of one’s lifestyle including nutrition, beauty and personal care,pregnancy and parenting, pet care, fitness, and reducing your carbon footprint(recycling, upcycling, composting, etc.). The website also features productreviews of naturally-made foods and products and offers visitors to the site theopportunity to sample products via our Savvy Sampler Program. Several years agoI partnered with the website’s co-founders, Andrea Donsky and Randy Boyer astheir Chief Nutrition Expert.

4) Describeyour journey as an author. What led you to co-write Unjunk Your Junk Food?

Andrea, Randy, and I wanted to write a book that reflected www.NaturallySavvy.com. Comparing junkfood and explaining food additives was Andrea’s idea, and as we worked on ourbook proposal, the format just started to fall into place. Randy was the`product expert`, determining which products – both the conventional and theirnaturally-made equivalents – to compare. As the nutrition expert on the book, mytask was to scrutinize and define each ingredient and to explain how we came upwith our `Savvy Picks`. It was very much a team effort.

5) Howdid you go about getting it published?

I’ve written text books and have self-published a cookbook, butgoing through a major publisher was a completely different experience. Andreaand I spent an entire summer writing a book proposal. We hired a literary agentto help shop the book around to various publishers and we were thrilled to besigned by Gallery Books, Simon & Schuster, New York. Once signed, we assembleda solid team of researchers, fact checkers, editors, photographers and graphicdesigners to help us put the book together. It was a two year project thatinvolved an enormous amount of time, research, and money, but we`re extremelypleased with the outcome.

6) Whatcan readers expect to learn from UnjunkYour Junk Food? Where can they buy it?

Unjunk Your Junk Food is a resourcethat teaches about the dangers of artificial additives. We like to say thatwe’re starting an ‘edible (r)evolution’ because our objective is to drawattention to the ingredients list on a food package. The Nutrition Facts panel– the calories, fat, etc., provides important information, of course, but itdoesn’t matter if a food is low in fat or calories if it’s full of unhealthyand potentially dangerous ingredients, such as trans fats, high-fructose cornsyrup, artificial colors and flavors, and preservatives. The book includes a‘Worst Ingredients’ pull-out list that charts the ‘red flag’ and ‘yellow flag’ingredients to watch out for when you’re shopping for groceries. It’s also fullof useful suggestions – or ‘Savvy Tips’ - for improving diet, health, andenergy (for example, “Treats are best eaten early in the day so that you haveall day to work off the extra calories. Treats eaten at night are just a recipefor weight gain.”), as well as food trivia and a detailed Glossary that can beused to evaluate the quality of all of the foods in your cupboards. UnjunkYour Junk Food is available from all the major book sellers includingAmazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Target, Walmart, and at Indigo in Canada.

7) Howhave you promoted your book? What strategies have been the most effective?

We sought advice about promoting a book prior to its release andwhat we heard again and again was that it’s the author who ultimately createssales, but our publisher is certainly doing its part. We planned our marketing approach and setaside funds to promote the book well before it came out. We’re promoting UnjunkYour Junk Food a number of ways:

· Social media has been very effective primarily becauseNaturally Savvy already had a strong following;

· We hired a public relationscompany to arrange media appearances across the U.S. and Canada as well asradio and magazine interviews. While on tour, we visit area bookstores to meetthe staff and sign books;

· We are three authors with ourown professional connections. We made sure to reach out to our industrycontacts (and of course, our personal contacts).

It`s still too early to tell which approach has been the mosteffective.

8) Whatadvice would you give to first-time non-fiction authors?

· Be passionate about yourideas: Writing a book is an enormous undertaking, and the amount of time you’lldevote to the project is far greater than you expect, at least it was for us. Ifyou have other commitments, especially a family, make sure you have their fullsupport - you’ll need it!

· Be firm about yourconcept: Each publisher we met with liked our general concept but had their ownideas of what the book should look like. Had we gone with another publisher wewould have produced a very different book. We were fortunate to find apublisher who loved our idea as much as we did.

· Hire a literary agent toshop your book around to publishers. An agent can open doors that you may notbe able to open yourself.

9) Whatis your definition of success as a writer and entrepreneur?

Obviously we’d love for the book to makeits way onto a ‘best sellers’ list, but it’s the reactions we get from readerswho are excited about what they’re learning from Unjunk Your Junk Food thatis the most satisfying. Having been in business for myself since 1997, theopportunity to be part of a new and exciting project, enhancing my knowledge(about nutrition, publishing, the editing process – all of it), and the doorsthat are already opening as a result of writing Unjunk – whether the booktranslates into dollars or not doesn’t even matter.

10) Whatis next for you in 2012?

My second baby is due in April,and a follow-up book to Unjunk Your Junk Food is already inthe works.

About the Author

Lisa Tsakos is a nationally-recognizednutritionist and educator specializing in weight management and corporatenutrition programs.

Lisa has been teaching nutrition at variouscolleges in Ontario since 1998; however, most of her time over the past 15years has been dedicated to corporate nutrition - presenting seminars and herNu-Vitality Healthy Weight Program™ at over 100 organizations across Canada.Offered at the Toronto Police Service, the College of Physicians and Surgeons,Telus Mobility, the University Health Network and many others, the Program hashelped employees at organizations across Canada lose thousands of pounds.

Lisa has been featured on the Discovery Channel, Wylde on Health,numerous radio programs and is a contributor to various websites, includingNaturallySavvy.com, The Healthy Shopper, and The Huffington Post Canada (blog).Her articles have appeared in various magazines and newspapers around theworld.

Additionally, she has taught natural food cooking workshops andauthored two books before co-writing UnjunkYour Junk Food: Healthy Alternatives to Conventional Snacks (Simon &Schuster, December 2011).

Lisa’scurrent favourite pastimes include creating tasty, gluten-free meals for herdaughter and working on her personal blog, http://lisatsakos.blogspot.com.

A few of Lisa’s Articles:

Fermented Foods Make aComeback: http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/ct-food-0428-fermented-foodsl-20100428,0,6352341.story

Healthy Eating Tips forThose On the Go: http://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/sns-health-traveler-eating-tips,0,1155966.story?track=rss

Fight Inflammation with theRight Diet: http://www.latimes.com/sns-health-wellness-inflammation-diet,0,7419801.story

Cleaning Up From the InsideOut (Detoxification Trends: http://www.latimes.com/news/health/skincancer/sns-health-detoxification-trends,-11,3478482.story; http://www.abc26.com/health/women/sns-health-detoxification-trends,0,3813176.story

Face Your Food Cravings: http://www.abc26.com/sns-health-face-food-cravings,0,7387276.story

Lose Weight, Look Great.Weight Loss Tips for Summer: http://www.fox8.com/news/wjw-sns-health-look-great-this-summer,0,2540242.story

Passover and Easter MealsMade Healthy: http://www.torontosun.com/life/eat/2011/04/13/17977856.html

Fiber Supplements &Sugar Alternatives: http://menshealth.uniquegreatproducts.com/?tag=savvy

Control Acid Reflux: http://www.wgntv.com/sns-200908111554tmspremhnstr--k-c20090812aug12,0,3404272.story