Virtual Book Tour - Martha Swirzinski

This month for the Virtual Book Tour, I am pleased to be hosting Martha Swirzinski. Martha is here to tell us about her Movement and More Children's Book Series.


Martha, please tell us about your books.


1.) Leap...Laugh...Plop

This book introduces children to locomotor movement skills. It keeps children laughing and learning on each wonderful page.



2.) Guess... Giggle...Wiggle

Guess… Giggle… Wiggle… challenges children to identify the animals based on clues. The book keeps children moving alongside the locomotor skills. As with the first in the series Leap… Laugh… Plop, each page of this second book is filled with wonderful suggestions that incorporate the social, emotional and mental aspects of childhood development.





3.) Kick...Catch...Buzzz

The third book In the series, Kick… Catch… Buzzz introduces children to the manipulative movement skills. Each page offers kids the opportunity to participate in fun movement and lively discussion.






Tell me about the title of the series and what that means to readers?

The title Movement and More suggests that within the pages of our books I offer not just fantastic rhymes and great pictures but moving, interacting, thinking and socializing. Our books engage the whole child, all of the domains of child development.

You mention “our” books. Who is the other author?

I co-wrote these with Dr. Anita Tieman, a psychologist, who has spent many years working with children. She brings her expertise into the social and emotional aspect of these books.

You have three books. Leap…Laugh…Plop, Guess…Giggle…Wiggle and Kick… Catch…Buzzz. Can you tell me a bit about them?

These three books offer the ultimate mind/body connection. When children move both their bodies and minds are strengthened. Using entertaining rhymes and charming pictures, these fun and creative books offer multiple ways for your child to move. They also provide mind stimulating activities on each page. Each book brings the joy of movement together with the joy of reading. The pages of these books are filled with laughter, learning, movement and more.
More specifically: Leap…Laugh…Plop works on all of the locomotor skills
Guess…Giggle…Wiggle… has the children doing creative movement
Kick…Catch…Buzzzz.. addresses the manipulative skills

Will there be any more in the series?

Yes, as a matter of fact we are working on the fourth now, which will be specifically on the non locomotor skills.

How did you come up with this idea for a series of books?

I teach in a preschool and have my Master’s degree in Kinesiology, so I’ve been involved with children and movement for over 15 years now. I wanted to come up with a way that parents, and teachers could incorporate the specific movement skills necessary for motor and brain development in an easy and fun way. Doing an activity isn’t always easy. Sometimes space, equipment or time may not be available. However, reading a book is fun, easy and doesn’t require much planning.

Where can readers find your books?

Our website is http://www.wholechildpublishing.com/


Thanks for stopping by today Martha and letting us know more about you and your books.

Nice Review for The Soggy Town of Hilltop

I received my first review for The Soggy Town of Hilltop from The Children’s and Teens’ Book Connection and it’s a really nice one. I was excited to see what kind of reception this book would get, and I have to say, it’s a great start. An excerpt of the review is below.

The Soggy Town of Hilltop is a funny, rhyming story by Kevin McNamee. Having read McNamee’s The Sister Exchange and If I Could Be Anything, I was eager to read his latest book. The author has a great knack for turning something seemingly ridiculous into an engaging story for youngsters. In The Sister Exchange it was a young girl who wanted to trade her sister in at The Sister Exchange. In this latest book, the rulers of Hilltop are bored and decide to make up a silly new rule for the people to follow.

To see the full review, please click the link below.

http://childrensandteensbookconnection.wordpress.com/2010/05/05/the-soggy-town-of-hilltop-by-kevin%c2%a0mcnamee/

Not bad, huh?

The Soggy Town of Hilltop

Whoo Hoo!!! My first accepted picture book manuscript has finally been released! I have two other picture books that came out before this, namely, If I Could Be Anything and The Sister Exchange. However, this manuscript was the icebreaker that got the ball rolling for my writing career. I’m excited to see its release.

It’s titled The Soggy Town of Hilltop and is illustrated by Eugene Ruble. Eugene is the illustrator of several picture books and was an illustrator for the Voltron cartoon series.

The book info is below. (Woot!)

“You want us to do what?!!!”
This fun, rhyming picture book teaches more than just a new way to drink water.

The High Council of Hilltop wants the people to learn a new way to drink. But when the people find out why, everyone has something new to learn.


This book is available as a print book, a downloadable e-book, and a book on CD from guardianangelpublishing.com.

Books are also available at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, or ask your local bookstore.

Autographed copies of this book are available at http://www.kevinmcnamee.com/

:-)

Virtual Book Tour-Author Lea Schizas

For this month's Virtual Book Tour, I am happy to be hosting the talented, and very, very busy Lea Schizas. Lea is the author of Bubba & Giganto: Odds Against Them

Lea Schizas is an award-winning author and editor, a short story competition winner, living in Montreal with her husband Jimmy and five children. She describes herself as “finally woke up after a 23-year self-induced coma taking care of the family, and rediscovered my passion for writing.”

She is the Founder and Editor in Chief of two Writer’s Digest 101 Top Writing Sites since 2004 and recipients of several Preditors and Editors Awards: Apollo’s Lyre, an online writer’s Zine: http://www.apollos-lyre.com/; the online writing critique community The MuseItUp Club, http://museitupclub.tripod.com/;
-Founder of The Muse Online Writers Conference, http://www.freewebs.com/themuseonlinewritersconference/
-Founder of The Muse Marquee, http://themusemarquee.tripod.com/
-Founder of The Muse Book Reviews, http://themusebookreviews.tripod.com/
-Reviewer for the award-winning site AllBooksReviews.com
-Editor for Double Dragon Publishing
-Submissions Editor for Red Rose Publishing.

She is the author of the Young Adult paranormal suspense/thriller “Doorman’s Creek”, co-author and editor of the nonfiction writing reference book “The Muse On Writing” (http://www.freewebs.com/themuseonwriting ) and the fantasy “Aleatory’s Junction” (http://aleatorysjunction.tripod.com/ ), and author of “The Librarian Who Wasn’t”, a short story appearing in the EPPIE award-winning Anthology “Twisted Tails II”, and an article published in the book, “Hollywood Experts” a Silver Foreword award winner.

In 2009, she has been offered three new contracts:

Libby the Odd Squirrel and Robbie and Katie Get A Hairy Scare
both contracted by Guardian Angel Publishing and 4RV Publishing has offered her a contract for I Don’t Want A Haircut

You can read more of Lea’s bio and accomplishments at:
http://leaschizaseditor.com/


Lea, tell us a little bit about Bubba & Giganto.

Bubba hates it when his dad gets a contract for a new project. That means uprooting the family from one city and moving to another. Attending a new school is a major pet peeve of his. His smart alecky nature attracts the bullies in every school he’s attended.

On the first day of school, Bubba bumps into this rather large student. Fearing a confrontation, he wears his tough guy attitude and waits for the punches to begin. Remarkably, the new student apologizes, and Bubba and David (aka Giganto as Bubba eventually nicknames him) become best friends.

Bubba and Giganto try out for the high school soccer team, and that’s when trouble begins. Bubba knew eventually he’d meet the bullies of the school, and he was right.

In the first initial weeks, Bubba learns about a death that occurred the previous year; faces the bullies on several occasions; helps Giganto practice soccer before tryouts; and challenges the bullies to a scrimmage.

Little does Bubba know Giganto holds a secret - one that will place Giganto in a deadly situation.


Readers can find Lea's book at the following:

Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/Bubba-Giganto-Odds-Against-Us/dp/0979751365/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1219156292&sr=1-1

4RV Publishing
http://4rvpublishingllc.com/Store.html

Barnes & Noble
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Bubba-and-Giganto/Lea-Schizas/e/9780979751363/?itm=1

The Reading Warehouse
http://www.thereadingwarehouse.com/book.php?ISBN=9780979751363



Lea, a few questions if you don't mind. What or whom inspires you to write?

I’ve joked on several interviews that I mistook my umbilical cord as a cool writing implement and that’s how my writing career began. In all honesty, it was my dad’s love for the penned word that set me on my path. As a young girl I remember hearing dad’s speeches at weddings, meetings, get-togethers, and how he captivated the audience with his words.

Along with dad’s talent, it was my collection of comic books that really moved me to write. I loved the cliff-hanging endings, pushing me to buy the next comic book to find out what was going to happen. And that is exactly how I set up each of my chapter endings, thanks to comic books.

Where do you work? What is your ideal writing environment?

I’ve worked wherever I can get peace and quiet, alone time with my laptop. Right now I’m in a corner in my living room. The ideal writing environment would be my own office, where I can close the door to the yapping of my five kids and friends, to have my own shelves in front of me with my stack of writing books instead of having them spread throughout the house. But, this is one lesson writers need to adapt to – writing whenever and wherever you can, regardless of your surroundings. So, I’ve adapted quite nicely.

How many hours do you devote to writing and how long does it take you to write a book?

I am involved with many writing commitments so I work looonnng hours on my laptop. My day usually starts at 6:30am and doesn’t finish until midnight strikes. Now, I do clean, cook, and all the other motherly things so my time isn’t spent leaning over my laptop constantly.

Each day I devote to moving my own writing and editing forward, and then give one or two other writing aspects (updating sites/blogs, preparing zines/newsletters/reviews) my devotion as well. This slows down the time to complete my own work but I can safely say that I can finish three books in a year.

What do you most enjoy about the creative process? Are your characters based on people in your life?

I enjoy the freedom of no fear. What do I mean by that? I don’t fear being locked up in a nuthouse for stepping into my characters shoes while penning their stories. I become a teen with visions of past murders; an alien who finds himself tried for treason; a girl who discovers she is a princess to this whole new world she never knew existed. Writing allows you an escape, along with your reader, to leave your own safe domain and live another person’s life. This exhilaration can’t be felt in another profession as it is felt by those who write.

My characters are not based per say on anyone in my life but each do possess characteristics of family members. By keeping it ‘in the family’ it’s easier for me to flesh out their personalities, reactions and actions, to their fullest potential. And it doesn’t matter if my characters are human or animals; characters need to ‘feel’ real.


Thanks for stopping by Lea. Best of luck with Bubba & Giganto and congratulations on all your publishing successes.

An Eyeball in my Garden-Update

I mentioned in a previous post that I was involved in a poetry anthology being published by Marshall Cavendish titled, An Eyeball in my Garden and other Spine-tingling Poems. This anthology was created by my poetry critique group. The Poet’s Garage. Well, I finally got to see the cover and the interior, and it’s really a fine piece of work. Johan Olander is the illustrator, and the illustrations he came up with are terrific. I’m particularly fond of the illustration he came up with for Winking Wot Warning by Debra Leith. I have two poems in there titled, Our Neighborhood and The Gargoyle. There’s already a link for it on Amazon. It’s officially due out in July, but you can pre-order it at http://www.amazon.com/Eyeball-My-Garden-Other-Spine-tingling/dp/0761456554/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1270138057&sr=8-2

Virtual Book Tour Guest-Nancy Famolari

This month's guest for the virtual book tour is Nancy Famolari to tell us about her book, Unwelcome Guest at Fair Hill Farm. Nancy, please tell us what this book is about.


When fifteen-year-old Meg discovers that a beautiful Swedish student with designs on her boyfriend has come to spend a year on her beloved horse farm, she decides to act. None of her plans to force Katrina to leave work. During foaling season, disaster strikes. Will the girls cooperate to save the mare and foal?


Can you tell us a little about yourself?

I live on a farm in the Endless Mountains of Pennsylvania. We have dogs, cats and horses. I must admit horses are my favorites. They're kind, gentle, and loving. At times, they seem almost able to read your mind. We've had horses for almost 25 years. I don't know what I'd do without their friendly presence. I love watching them in the field, and of course, riding and carriage driving.


What inspired you to write this story?

When we lived in New Jersey, we raised Standardbred racehorses commercially. Both my husband and I worked full time, so it was important to have help. A Swedish couple owned the farm adjoining ours. For a few months each year, they hosted girls and boys from the Scandinavian countries to work on the farm and get to visit the U.S. One year, she had an extra girl, one who was interested in the breeding aspects of the Standardbred business, rather than the racing. She asked us if we would host the girl for a few months. We were delighted, and Malin became part of our family. She was excellent with the horses, and it gave the boys a sister. When I decided to write a young adult book about horse breeding, the interesting aspect of having a foreign visitor living on the farm seemed perfect. For several years, we had hosted exchange students from Europe and Japan in the summer. Meg's reaction to having someone new living in the house is the same reaction some of the boys had the first time we hosted a foreign student. In the end, it worked very well for everyone. The boys learned a great deal about several foreign countries and made friends.


Do you have a favorite character, if so tell us why?

That's a hard question. Both Meg and Katrina are wonderful characters. I can't say either is my favorite. Meg is a typical teenager, and Katrina is such a basically nice person. There is one other character in story that I, and everyone who's read the book, love, Nicky. His character is based on my Morgan gelding, also named Nicky, and in many respects, he's the favorite.


Tell us a little about your writing schedule. What do you find most difficult, easiest?

I try to write 2000 words a day when I'm doing a first draft. When the draft is finished I put it away for months, then send it to my critique group and finally, do revisions. The hardest part for me is after the book is published, trying to promote it.


What are your future writing plans?

I plan to write two more books in this series about Meg and Katrina. In the second book, the girls go to Arizona for two weeks on a dude ranch. In the third book, it's horse show season and Meg hates watching Cindy, her major rival, drive Nicky in the shows.


To find out more about nancy, please visit her blog at http://nancygfamolari.blogspot.com/

Thanks for stopping by Nancy and for giving us an opportunity to get to know you. Best of luck to you in your writing career.

Dr Seuss Makes an Appearance

I attended a Read Aloud Jamboree on Tuesday. It was a lot of fun and the kids were great. I went into about nine classrooms armed with my rhymer, If I Could Be Anything for the younger grades and The Sister Exchange for the older grades. It was very entertaining for everyone involved, I think... I didn’t see any bored faces anyway, so I guess that’s a good sign.

Most of the kids at this school were already familiar with my books and had been told that I would be visiting. But the day of my visit also coincided with Dr. Seuss’s birthday, which the students had been informed of as well

When the teacher asked one class if they knew who I was, one student answered, “Dr. Seuss!”

Not quite, but it’s still pretty nice to be compared to him. But from now on I’ll have to check the calendar first before I schedule any future school visits.