MIDDLE GRADE FICTION: Children’s Book Tour

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children's book tourMIDDLE GRADE FICTION: Children’s Book Tour

A Children’s book tour can be so taxing, I am not sure how Teachers do it day in and day out.  Children are amazing, but wow…I’m exhausted from the tour.  It’s 4:18 pm on Presidents Day and I’m in bed.  Not because i’m sick, and not because I’m…whatever.  It’s because I am FINALLY HOME…at least for 4 days.

Looking at the run from December and the Big Giveaway to the Southern California Writer’s Conference Key Note last night….I am T-I-R-E -WHOOPED.  See, you thought I was going to write, TIRED, didn’t you.  I’m not tired, I’m whooped.  16 cities and 1000’s of kids.  As far east to Nashville, south to New Orleans, and North to Seattle.  On this leg of the Saltwater Taffy Children’s Book Tour, Largest Assembly was 400 middle school kids.  One mic, one author and 400 kids in one auditorium?  It was awesome.  When you book your children’s book tour, make sure to pencil in some time for you to do simply NOTHING.  It will help, trust me.  Lesson learned.

MIDDLE GRADE FICTION: You Have To Really Want It!

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Middle Grade FictionMiddle Grade Fiction: You Have to Really Want It

Writing a Middle Grade Fiction novel has taught me many things, but the one thing it’s really taught me is that you have to really want it.  After 7 cities and a grueling 14-day tour that took me as far as the Big Easy of New Orleans, Louisiana, I am back on the road of adventure that will make Saltwater Taffy a best selling book for Tweens.

We have had some amazing things happen at the Saltwater Taffy Network as of late, most of which will be a mention in the upcoming issue of Scholastic Instructor Magazine, hitting shelves in May.  Yes, that is HUGE for an independent book, but as one Teacher of the Year remind me in an email, ‘it is not a surprise.’   Read more

Middle Grade Fiction Tour

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Saltwater Taffy

MIDDLE GRADE FICTION TOUR

The middle grade fiction tour with with Saltwater Taffy and the two week adventure is long, but I am proud to say the entire journey has been more than worth it.  I now understand why teachers do what they do, even though the state pays them a salary less than a manager at McDonalds.  They do it because when a child looks into your eyes and you see that light go on?  Truly an AWESOME experience and I am honored to be part of it.  I just can’t wait to reach…

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MIDDLE GRADE FICTION: DENVER

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Middle grade fiction

MIDDLE GRADE FICTION: DENVER

The middle grade fiction tour of Saltwater Taffy arrived in Denver today.  This tour stop for Saltwater Taffy is super special because my wife Julie flew in for a weekend visit.  We picked up the rent-a-car and hit the road for Denver area bookstores.

The first stop was the Tattered Cover Bookstore, which is an AWESOME indie store in downtown Denver.  There was something amazing about this shop because it felt like walking into a piece of history.  I mean, it had this awesome smell of paper…. Read more

MIDDLE GRADE FICTION: It Bled and it Led…Bhaaaaa

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middle grade fiction

MIDDLE GRADE FICTION

At the start of our middle grade fiction tour, something happened that is a testament of our society.  In a moment of ‘sureality,’ which is my new word for a surreal reality, I flew home to Las Vegas for two speaking engagements with Saltwater Taffy at Cannon Jr. High School on Tuesday.  What made this visit surreal is the full-page story about Saltwater Taffy on the front page of the R-Jeneration Section.

Having prepared for the trip for a good month or so, we gained interest from ABC News, Channel 13 as a community interest story of ‘home town boy makes good.’  While they couldn’t book us on their morning shows, they did want to come out and tape an interview for the evening news as I presented to 150 middle school children.

As a speaker, the Middle School audience can be the most intimidating audience there is.  Speaking to adults is easy, but Read more