Hi All,
I’m being interviewed today over at Charlene’s Haukom’s blog “Morning Coffee”. I talk a bit about the writing and publication process, as well as my new role as the Technical Director for Guardian Angel Kids. If you get a chance, stop by and say hello.
The interview is posted at http://charlenehaukom.blogspot.com/2010/08/author-interview-kevin-mcnamee.html
August 24, 2010
August 13, 2010
Nice Review for An Eyeball in My Garden
A writing friend sent me this review from Publishers Weekly, which I thought was very nice.
An Eyeball in My Garden Selected by Jennifer Cole Judd and Laura Wynkoop, Johan Olander (illustrator). Marshall Cavendish, $15.99 (64p) ISBN 978-0-7614-5655-1
Gr 4-7— Readers should be prepared to shiver and shake through these 44 poems about ghosts, gargoyles, and more. Olander adorns each page with ominous ink images of spiders, monsters, and other terrors, while the verses temper horror (Craig W. Steele’s “Where Nightmares Dwell”: “I know too well/ What creatures lurk/ Where nightmares live and grow.../ The shadows found me years ago!”) with humor (Stella Michel’s “Mummy’s Menu” includes “Blackened pudding filled with flies,/ Crispy scarab beetle pies”). Whether it’s Halloween or not, this creepy collection will please readers with a taste for the supernatural.
–Publishers Weekly August 9, 2010
I have two poems in this collection, titled, Our Neighborhood and The Gargoyle. My poems weren’t specifically referenced, but there is a nod to The Gargoyle. I received an advanced copy of this book and read through it. I do have to say that the poetry and illustrations are top notch. Halloween will be approaching before we know it, this book might make a good gift for your favorite “trick or treater”.
If you are interested, here is a link to the book on Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/Eyeball-My-Garden-Other-Spine-Tingling/dp/0761456554
or ask your local book store.
Kevin
July 14, 2010
Sneek Peek at My Brother, the Frog
My virtual book tour group is taking the rest of the summer off and should be starting up again in September. In the meantime, I’ve been working on a couple of poems, a new picture book, and two new mid grade novels. Unfortunately, I don’t feel like I’ve been making an incredible amount of progress on any one of these projects. But my creative process has always been like that. It ebbs and flows like the tide. The only thing I can do is keep plugging away, and the progress will come.
I did want to share a new cover that I’ve received for my picture book, My Brother, the Frog. It’s being illustrated by Alexander Morris. I’ve seen some of the preliminary sketches and it looks like this is going to be a funny book. I don’t have a firm release date yet, but will keep you posted.
Happy Writing!
Kevin
June 18, 2010
Virtual Book Tour-Margaret Fieland
This month, our Virtual Book Tour Guest is Margaret Fieland.
Born and raised in New York City, Margaret Fieland has been around art and music all her life. Daughter of a painter, she is the mother of three grown sons and an accomplished flute and piccolo player. She is an avid science fiction fan, and selected Robert A. Heinlein's “Farmer in the Sky” for her tenth birthday, now long past. She lives in the suburbs west of Boston, MA with her partner and seven dogs. Her poems, articles and stories have appeared in journals and anthologies such as Main Channel Voices, Echolocation, and Twisted Tongue. In spite of making her living as a computer software engineer, she turned to one of her sons to format the initial version of her website, a clear illustration of the computer generation gap. You may visit her website at, http://www.margaretfieland.com.
Q: Tell us about what you write:
A: I'm a professional Computer Software engineer – BA in mathematics, MS in computer science, but I've written poetry as far back as I can remember, though not with publication in mind and not with any level of dedication.
Q: What got you writing for publication?
A: What really propelled me into writing for publication was organizing my poetry. I used to keep the poems, when I kept them, in notebooks. They were totally unorganized, and I could never find anything. Then I wrote a poem I wanted to keep, so I got off the stick and put them up, first on my computer, and after that online, originally in Yahoo briefcase, and later in Google Documents.
Q: Why was the organization such a key factor in moving your writing forward?
A: Once I had the poems organized and findable, I could finally submit, and I could look them over and gain perspective on how I was doing. What ended up happening was that I submitted a poem to a contest on a whim and ended up a finalist. This was so encouraging that I started writing more, working more seriously on growing as a writer, joined critique groups, etc.
Q: What are you working on now?
A:Well, there's my chapter book, “The Ugly Little Boy,” that will be published by 4RV publishing in early 2012. I'm working on another novel, a middle grade this time, and of course, poetry.
Q: Almost every writer is inspired by someone else. Does anyone inspire you?
A: Lewis Carroll. My all time favorite book is “Alice in Wonderland,” which I reread every exam time when I was in college, as I made it a habit to avoid the library during exams. I'm also very fond of Carroll's poetry. I've got several stanzas of Jabberwocky and You Are Old, Father William memorized.
Q:How long have you been writing?
A: I've been writing poetry since my teens, but only with publication in mind for the past three or four years. As a story writer I'm pretty much of a novice, as I only started writing stories after I hooked up with Linda Barnett Johnson after the first Muse online writer's conference several years ago and joined her writing forums.
I'm 63 now, so that's a lot of years of writing.
Q: What made you want to start writing?
A: Good question – I started and became addicted. I really love writing -- and I just plain enjoy writing poetry, rhymed and unrhymed. I've developed my own algorithm for generating rhymes, which means that I often don't have to use a rhyming dictionary at all.
Besides, if I don't write it down it stays stuck in my head.
Q: When did you start writing?
A: Like many teens, I started writing (bad) poetry in my teens as an outlet for my teenage angst. Then later on I started writing poetry for the people I was dating, and after that for family birthdays, Christmas, Thanksgiving, -- basically everything.
Q: What's the strangest thing you've ever written? Why?
A: I don't think anything I write is strange {looks innocently up at ceiling}. I have written several surreal poems, and I have one I really like called “Machine A Ecrire” (French for typewriter), unpublished, in the shape of a typewriter. The sentences are “variations” on the stuff they had us all typing when we were in school.
Q: Who proofreads and critiques your work?
I belong to a couple of (online) critique groups and I also exchange manuscripts with other writers. I have a writing buddy with whom I'm exchanging chapters of my current novel-in-progress.
Q: Where do you get your ideas?
A: Darned if I know. Some of the poetry is “inspired,” some is in response to exercises or prompts I dig up, some is from lines that come to me as I'm falling asleep, some from events in my life. Lots of places. One poem I wrote this week was inspired by some words in the comments in the "spam" folder on my website {grin}. I keep paper and pen handy to write down ideas as they strike me.
Q: Where do you write?
A: Wherever I happen to be. I have pads and pens everywhere. I even write in the car. At home, my two favorite spots are the dining room table and my bed.
Thanks for stopping by Margaret and giving us a chance to get to know you.
Born and raised in New York City, Margaret Fieland has been around art and music all her life. Daughter of a painter, she is the mother of three grown sons and an accomplished flute and piccolo player. She is an avid science fiction fan, and selected Robert A. Heinlein's “Farmer in the Sky” for her tenth birthday, now long past. She lives in the suburbs west of Boston, MA with her partner and seven dogs. Her poems, articles and stories have appeared in journals and anthologies such as Main Channel Voices, Echolocation, and Twisted Tongue. In spite of making her living as a computer software engineer, she turned to one of her sons to format the initial version of her website, a clear illustration of the computer generation gap. You may visit her website at, http://www.margaretfieland.com.
Q: Tell us about what you write:
A: I'm a professional Computer Software engineer – BA in mathematics, MS in computer science, but I've written poetry as far back as I can remember, though not with publication in mind and not with any level of dedication.
Q: What got you writing for publication?
A: What really propelled me into writing for publication was organizing my poetry. I used to keep the poems, when I kept them, in notebooks. They were totally unorganized, and I could never find anything. Then I wrote a poem I wanted to keep, so I got off the stick and put them up, first on my computer, and after that online, originally in Yahoo briefcase, and later in Google Documents.
Q: Why was the organization such a key factor in moving your writing forward?
A: Once I had the poems organized and findable, I could finally submit, and I could look them over and gain perspective on how I was doing. What ended up happening was that I submitted a poem to a contest on a whim and ended up a finalist. This was so encouraging that I started writing more, working more seriously on growing as a writer, joined critique groups, etc.
Q: What are you working on now?
A:Well, there's my chapter book, “The Ugly Little Boy,” that will be published by 4RV publishing in early 2012. I'm working on another novel, a middle grade this time, and of course, poetry.
Q: Almost every writer is inspired by someone else. Does anyone inspire you?
A: Lewis Carroll. My all time favorite book is “Alice in Wonderland,” which I reread every exam time when I was in college, as I made it a habit to avoid the library during exams. I'm also very fond of Carroll's poetry. I've got several stanzas of Jabberwocky and You Are Old, Father William memorized.
Q:How long have you been writing?
A: I've been writing poetry since my teens, but only with publication in mind for the past three or four years. As a story writer I'm pretty much of a novice, as I only started writing stories after I hooked up with Linda Barnett Johnson after the first Muse online writer's conference several years ago and joined her writing forums.
I'm 63 now, so that's a lot of years of writing.
Q: What made you want to start writing?
A: Good question – I started and became addicted. I really love writing -- and I just plain enjoy writing poetry, rhymed and unrhymed. I've developed my own algorithm for generating rhymes, which means that I often don't have to use a rhyming dictionary at all.
Besides, if I don't write it down it stays stuck in my head.
Q: When did you start writing?
A: Like many teens, I started writing (bad) poetry in my teens as an outlet for my teenage angst. Then later on I started writing poetry for the people I was dating, and after that for family birthdays, Christmas, Thanksgiving, -- basically everything.
Q: What's the strangest thing you've ever written? Why?
A: I don't think anything I write is strange {looks innocently up at ceiling}. I have written several surreal poems, and I have one I really like called “Machine A Ecrire” (French for typewriter), unpublished, in the shape of a typewriter. The sentences are “variations” on the stuff they had us all typing when we were in school.
Q: Who proofreads and critiques your work?
I belong to a couple of (online) critique groups and I also exchange manuscripts with other writers. I have a writing buddy with whom I'm exchanging chapters of my current novel-in-progress.
Q: Where do you get your ideas?
A: Darned if I know. Some of the poetry is “inspired,” some is in response to exercises or prompts I dig up, some is from lines that come to me as I'm falling asleep, some from events in my life. Lots of places. One poem I wrote this week was inspired by some words in the comments in the "spam" folder on my website {grin}. I keep paper and pen handy to write down ideas as they strike me.
Q: Where do you write?
A: Wherever I happen to be. I have pads and pens everywhere. I even write in the car. At home, my two favorite spots are the dining room table and my bed.
Thanks for stopping by Margaret and giving us a chance to get to know you.
June 10, 2010
Compared to a Classic
I’ve been very busy the past few weeks. I’ve been working on some bug related poems for a new project and I’ve been working the bugs out of some press kits I’ve been developing. The program I’m using shrinks the font every time I try to convert the file into a pdf, so I’ve been very buggy too (bad pun-insert groan here). But I digress (I’m good at that).
I really wanted to talk about a new review for The Soggy Town of Hilltop. I’m starting to get some reviews on The Soggy Town of Hilltop and there’s one in particular that I find very intriguing. In the review by The Home School Book Review, my book is reminiscent of Hans Christian Anderson’s The Emperor’s New Clothes. You can read the full review by clicking on the link below.
http://homeschoolblogger.com/homeschoolbookreview/783549/
One thing I love about getting reviews is seeing my work from a fresh point of view. All through the writing and publication phases, I never once thought about either Hans Christian Anderson or The Emperors New Clothes. But I do like the fact that my book can be compared to a classic such as that, and can still stand on it’s own as an original work. Also, I loved Hans Christian Anderson’s books when I was a kid. I never expected my name to be same paragraph as his, so I guess I must be doing something right. Hey, who knows? Maybe one day another author will be told that his/her book is reminiscent of Kevin McNamee’s The Soggy Town of Hilltop … a guy can dream, can’t he?
I really wanted to talk about a new review for The Soggy Town of Hilltop. I’m starting to get some reviews on The Soggy Town of Hilltop and there’s one in particular that I find very intriguing. In the review by The Home School Book Review, my book is reminiscent of Hans Christian Anderson’s The Emperor’s New Clothes. You can read the full review by clicking on the link below.
http://homeschoolblogger.com/homeschoolbookreview/783549/
One thing I love about getting reviews is seeing my work from a fresh point of view. All through the writing and publication phases, I never once thought about either Hans Christian Anderson or The Emperors New Clothes. But I do like the fact that my book can be compared to a classic such as that, and can still stand on it’s own as an original work. Also, I loved Hans Christian Anderson’s books when I was a kid. I never expected my name to be same paragraph as his, so I guess I must be doing something right. Hey, who knows? Maybe one day another author will be told that his/her book is reminiscent of Kevin McNamee’s The Soggy Town of Hilltop … a guy can dream, can’t he?
May 21, 2010
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...WiggleGuess… 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...BuzzzThe 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.
May 17, 2010
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 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?
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