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7 STEPS FOR CREATING YOUNG READERS

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Saltwater TaffyCREATING YOUNG READERS

As the author of Saltwater Taffy, I feel I have learned what it takes to create young readers.  Here are 7 Steps for Creating Young Readers:

1. START EARLY: Twenty-six percent of children between the ages of three and five, who were read to at least three or four times in the last week by a family member, recognized all letters of the alphabet.  This is compared to 14 percent of children who were read to less frequently.

2. LEAD BY EXAMPLE: If you want your child to read, pick up and book and show them how enjoyable reading can be.  If you don’t like to read, change your mind and think again.

3. FIELD TRIP: Grab the kids and spend a few hours at your local library.  Sign them up for their own library card.  Check into events for children and sign up! Read more

TWEEN READERS

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Tween ReadersTWEEN READERS!

In order to create more Tween Readers in our country, I sat down and wrote the adventure novel Saltwater Taffy so I could teach the ideal: Your life is up to you!

Nobody can do it for you.  Not your parents.  Not your teachers.  Not even your best friend.  If you want something special out of your life, the journey is entirely up to YOU.

Going after a dream that is out of the ordinary takes work.  You have to really want it.  Each moment in your life is an adventure and should be treated as such.  If you don’t, all that will show up in your life is more of the same.  If you want greatness, you have to start with thoughts about greatness.  If you want adventure, your thoughts need to be adventurous.  If you want happiness, your thoughts need to be about happiness.

Saltwater Taffy is an adventure novel for tweens and is endorsed by 12 Teachers of the Year around the country.  The book has become an Accelerated Reader title and tween reader favorite for children’s book clubs.

Guest Posting with BOOKMARKET.COM

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bookmarket.com

BOOKMARKET.COM – Guest Posting

Bookmarket.com is one of the leading resources for book marketing on the internet.  John Kremer is THE #1 name in book marketing on the internet.  His book, 1001 Ways to Market Your Books is the industry go-to for book marketing and used by independent and traditional NY publishers.  I recently had the pleasure of writing an article for his Bookmarket.com website; Self-Published or Independent: What’s In a Name Anyway?

Learning How To Read: Guest Writer

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Learning how to readLEARNING HOW TO READ: Guest Writer

Learning how to read is becoming a bigger topic than we care to admit.  There is an amazing website out there that I want to bring to your attention.  Run by Bianca Schulz, The Children’s Book Review is a great stop for any parent looking for children’s books, especially Saltwater Taffy.  I recently had the pleasure of writing an article for the website about child literacy in America.  As an advocate of children’s literacy in America, this was the easiest article I have even written.  Together we can change the futures of our children, by teaching them to read TODAY.

Secrets For Writers

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Saltwater TaffySECRETS FOR WRITERS

I am always looking for secrets for writers, because writing is one of the hardest tasks to master.  These are some secrets I used to write my latest book, Saltwater Taffy, an adventure novel for tweens and endorsed by 12 Teachers of the Year.

Every time we sit down to write, we wonder…will this be the one to propel my work?  Will this be the one to bring all the readers I dream about?  Will the writing win an award?  Will it be made into a movie?  The truth is, we have no answer for any of those questions, so we simply have to press on and write.  That being said, I have compiled a list of secrets for writers to consider.

That list is in an article I had the pleasure of writing for Kevin Westerman’s blog, SUPERDADDY.com today.

The article is a list of secrets for writers struggling to answer the question; What should I write next?  You can check it out here: SUPER DADDY!