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SELF DOUBT or BIG DREAMS

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Saltwater TaffySELF DOUBT or BIG DREAMS

You have to decide if self doubt or big dreams will lead your adventure when going after something you love.   The reason I wanted to talk about the self doubt or big dreams because it’s a choice and a battle I have been dealing with the evolution of my adventure novel, Saltwater Taffy.

When we think about going after our dreams, self-doubt has the uncanny “in-ability” of creeping in, looking for ways to defeat us before we even begin our adventure.  The more mental attention we give to the dream and not the Read more

7 Secrets For Children’s Book Writing

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7 SECRETS FOR CHILDREN’S BOOK WRITING

While there are potentially 1000 tips for children’s book writing, here are my 7 Secrets for Children’s Book Writing.  I used these secrets to write my award winning children’s book, Saltwater Taffy.  And remember when taking advice from other writers about writing…find what works for you and apply it to your writing, but never lose sight of YOUR writing.  More and more, people are writing to satisfy either the marketplace or their agents.  What does that leave?  A bland and boring piece of writing.

 

1. MAKE IT FUN – Kids want adventure.  Kids want action.  I once heard a kid say: “If it’s not fun, I don’t want to read it.”  With fractured attention spans and our culture of ADD and ADHD, you have to grab your reader on page 1 with an awesome opening!

2. CHARACTERS AGE – Once you determine your target audience, tack on a few years to your main characters.  Kids like to read what it’s like to ‘be older.’

3. PACE IS EVERYTHING – On Law & Order, we had one rule; if the scene doesn’t move the story, cut it.  This speaks to TIP #1.  Kids want the story to read stories that are fun and cook! Read more

CHILDREN’S BOOK WRITING

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Children's Book WritingCHILDREN’S BOOK WRITING

Children’s Book Writing can be a difficult task, but from the minute we sit down to write something without an assignment from a teacher, we are officially writers.

The minute we have a desire to create something out of nothing, we are writers.  The minute we answer a story call from the deepest parts of our souls, we are writers and we are at our very best.

After 7 seasons of Law & Order, 2 seasons on The Big Easy for USA Networks, writing and directing a nightmare job for Lions Gate Films (Venice Underground), adapting a NY Times best seller for 2oth Century Fox Read more

MIDDLE GRADE FICTION: Read Across America

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Saltwater TaffyREAD ACROSS AMERICA

READ ACROSS AMERICA celebrates Dr. Seuss’ birthday every year and children’s book authors across the country visit schools to read to children.  This year was a great even!   Dodger great “Sweet Lou” Johnson, the Laker Girls, and Saltwater Taffy helped kick off the amazing event.

I was able to read to 3 different 5th Grade classrooms and then gave away a whopping 375 copies of Saltwater Taffy to every kid in the entire school.  We are rapidly approaching giveaway copy #5,000!!!!  How cool is that?  5000 kids energized about reading again?  Here are some images from today’s visit: 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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