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MIDDLE GRADE FICTION

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middle grade fiction

MIDDLE GRADE FICTION

Our middle grade fiction tour carries on.  Walking the streets of New Orleans with Saltwater Taffy under my arm brought back an afternoon of memories from my days on the USA NETWORK show, THE BIG EASY.

On this trip we met some amazing parents, educators and children of all type in the Crescent City.  I think the coolest thing about the trip was discovering the indie bookstore of OCTAVIA BOOKS, located in the Garden District.  Filled with best selling books, Tom and Judith Lafitte (yes, Judith is related to the great pirate, Jean Lafitte) are two amazing bookstore owners.  Their store is intimate and friendly, which was perfect for the kids who showed up for the Saltwater Taffy book sining.  I especially… Read more

MIDDLE GRADE FICTION: Phoenix BOYS & GIRLS CLUB

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Middle grade fiction

MIDDLE GRADE FICTION: Phoenix BOYS & GIRLS CLUB

The latest stop on our middle grade fiction stop with Saltwater Taffy finds us at the Boys & Girls Club of Phoenix.

After canvasing the city with Saltwater Taffy for tweens and parents alike, Illustrator R.C. Nason and I ended up at the Jerry Colangelo Boys & Girls Club of Phoenix.  The kids at this club were my toughest audience to date.  I am sure it has something to do with the tough neighborhood they are in, but WOW…it was like pulling teeth for the first 15 minutes of my talk.  But…for those of you who know me, this is precisely the reason I am out here.  To uplift and elevate! Read more

MIDDLE GRADE FICTION: THE BIG GIVEAWAY

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Middle Grade FictionMIDDLE GRADE FICTION

Saltwater Taffy’s middle grade fiction book giveaway now underway!  I have 2500 books loaded into an RV and close to 400 miles to go.  Oh, and did I tell you that it’s 17 degrees every single morning in the south.

On the middle grade fiction adventure, I was able to hit 4 Boys & Girls Clubs…the Headquarters for Big Brother/Big Sister of Middle Tennessee…mailed 2 boxes to Harlem Children’s Zone and SEED of Washington D.C.…Tennessee School for the Deaf…3 area Middle Schools…a Children’s Hospital…and the United Way of Tennessee (who are going to feature the book as their Education Program in January)….you can say that I’m about to drop, but many lives have been touched.  Here are some photos from the road and the wonderful experience of giving.

Saltwater Taffy Saltwater Taffy

MIDDLE GRADE READING: Bad Habit Thinking

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Bad habit thinkingMIDDLE GRADE READING: Bad Habit Thinking

Bad habit thinking can become a bad habit that follows us into our adult lives.  If allowed, a single middle grade thought can trip…you…out.  During the formidable years of middle school, life is stuck on hyper-speed and everything seems to be a matter of life or death.  IT…IS…NOT.  Middle grade years have the ability of becoming some of the best years of our lives if we keep the mental playground free of limiting thought patterns, otherwise known as

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MIDDLE GRADE FICTION: Thought-Watching, Not Clock-Watching

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Middle Grade FictionMIDDLE GRADE FICTION: Thought-watching, not Clock-watching

Middle Grade Fiction is one of my favorite posting headlines because sometimes, your thoughts as middle school students are simply fictional fantasies.  By fiction, I mean when you think about what you CAN’T do more than you think about what you CAN do.

Our MIDDLE GRADE years are filled with so many insecure thoughts about fitting in with the ‘in crowd,’ all we end up doing is wasting time by watching the clock, waiting for it to end.  The activity of watching the clock… Read more