Posts

READING SALTWATER TAFFY TO KIDS

/0 Comments/in , , , , , /by

Award winning children's bookReading Saltwater Taffy to Kids!

Reading Saltwater Taffy to kids is just amazing and something I will never get tired of doing.  This amazing award-winning children’s book is touching lives across the country and the tour is still on!.  I have had the pleasure of traveling around the country…from Los Angeles, Fresno, California, Port Orchard, Washington, New Orleans, Louisiana, Bremerton, Washington, and all the way to Dallas, Texas.  To see the enjoyment by the middle school children across the country, I have compiled some of our video of me reading Saltwater Taffy to kids across the country to show how much fun we’re having with this award-winning Children’s book.

CLICK HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlE5T03Zbzk

Secrets For Writers

/0 Comments/in , /by

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!

WRITE ON WRITER’S…WRITE ON!

/4 Comments/in , /by

Saltwater TaffyWRITE ON WRITER’S…WRITE ON!

When writing gets tough, we need to write on.  In the on-again, off-again love affair life of being a writer, the writer can be certain that he or she will one day wonder if the process of writing is worth all the trouble.  We wonder because writing is lonely.  Writing is intoxicating.  Writing is frustrating, fulfilling, heartbreaking, complicated, and most of all… Read more

7 SECRETS TO CHILDREN’S BOOK MARKETING

/3 Comments/in , , /by

 

Saltwater Taffy7 SECRETS TO CHILDREN’S BOOK MARKETING

Children’s book marketing is the most important element there is after you write a children’s book.

So, there you are, drained from giving your blood, sweat and tears to write the next great American best-selling children’s book, but what’s this?  You have more work to do?  I know, it’s hard to imagine, but it is true as the sky is blue.  You see, the minute you finish your manuscript, you are only 10% there.  You must now must up the strength to give another

Read more

7 Secrets For Children’s Book Writing

/1 Comment/in , , /by

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