Meet Author Darlene Beck-Jacobson ~By Suzy Leopold

When not writing, she is baking or sewing. Even though she's never 

had a ride in a carriage like the one in her story, she hopes to one day. 

I would like to introduce to you:

Darlene Beck~Jacobson

Q1: Tell us about your book Wheels of Change.
Racial intolerance, social change, sweeping progress. It is a turbulent time growing up in 1908. 

For twelve year old EMILY SOPER, life in Papa’s carriage barn is magic. Emily is more at home hearing the symphony of the blacksmith’s hammer, than trying to conform to the proper expectations of females. 

Many prominent people own Papa’s carriages. He receives an order to make one for President Theodore Roosevelt. Papa’s livelihood becomes threatened by racist neighbors, and horsepower of a different sort.  Emily is determined to save Papa’s business even if she has to go all the way to the President.

Wheels of Change

I am thrilled to announce that the book recently received two honors: 

Wheels of Change has been chosen as a Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People 2015 by the National Council for Social Studies (NCSS) and the Children’s Book Council (CBC). And, it was also chosen as one of this years 2014 Mighty Girls Books.

Q2: Tell us about the research that you did for your book.
A:   The story began with two facts I discovered while researching my family tree: My grandmother received an invitation to attend a reception at the White House under TR and got to meet him.  Her father made carriages in and around DC at the turn of the Twentieth Century.  The idea for WHEELS OF CHANGE sprang from there.

    

Once I had a story idea it was then a matter of setting the scene to make it as authentic as possible.  I visited a working carriage factory, spent time watching a blacksmith work his magic, and corresponded with experts regarding historical tidbits.  Since the story is set in Washington DC, I contacted the Smithsonian, White House Historical Society, DC Historical Society, Henry Ford Museum, and other places to get answers to the many questions I had.  Everyone I asked was more than willing to assist me; if they had no answer, they referred me to someone who did.  That part still amazes me.  There are many passionate experts in various fields that are thrilled to share their knowledge.  Never be afraid to ask.

I’ve done a blog tour last fall with more than twenty stops, attended the American Library Association (ALA) Midwinter Conference in Chicago last month, Presented at conferences, and was a featured author at An Open Book Program in DC.

I am also doing numerous school visits and guest blog posts.  It is an ongoing process.  I am learning a lot and meeting so many wonderful people in person and online as well.

Darlene Beck-Jacobson

Q3: What is your current WIP or what is your next project?
A:   I’ve written a historical PB that is out for consideration.  TOGETHER ON OUR KNEES tells about the childhood of Matilda Joslyn Gage – a suffragist and abolitionist from NY – whose childhood was filled with anti-slavery activity and whose house was a stop on the Underground Railroad (URR).

Q4: If you could invite five authors to dinner who would you choose?
A:   Harper Lee (To Kill a Mockingbird), John Green (The Fault in Our Stars), J K Rowling (Harry Potter Series), Mo Willems (PB books), Kate DiCamillo (Flora and Ulysses, and many others).  I think it would be a lively and provocative discussion as well as fun filled evening.

Q5: How do you come up with ideas to write about?
A:   Ideas are everywhere. It could be a photo or a great phrase or quote from another book I’ve read that sparks an idea.  Sometimes a quirky character or person I’ve met or seen begs to have a story told.  The more I read, the more ideas pop into my head.  I doubt I’ll ever be able to write about them all.

Q6: What inspires you to write?
A:   I’m inspired by a love of history, family stories, and wanting to share something unique with young people.

Q7: What words of wisdom or best piece of advice do you have for aspiring writers?
A:   Be persistent.  Never give up.  If you honestly work at writing and desire to be the best you can be, listen and use critiques to improve your craft.  Write something everyday – even if it’s just an idea or character sketch you’ll flesh out later.  As with anything else we set out to master, good writing takes practice and effort to make it better. And, Read! Great! Books! Nothing inspires me more than reading the best children’s literature.

Q8: Where can readers find out more about you? 
Blog: GOLD FROM THE DUST: Bringing Stories to Life

Blog: Smack Dab in the Middle

Twitter: https://twitter.com/dustbunnymaven

You Tube:  A Book Trailer for Wheels of Change
Finally, followers and readers of our GROG Blog, Darlene Beck~Jacobson has generously offered to share a signed copy of Wheels of Change with one winner. Please make a comment on this blog post and visit our Facebook page GROG:Collective Curiosity for chances to win.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Meet Author Rob Sanders ~By Suzy Leopold

Being able to write well is a gift. It is a skill that I aspire to do, as I continue to hone the craft of writing for kids. A writer must choose the right word and write the word in the right spot to create a book that kids want to read again and again. 

Who better to turn to for inspiration as great read alouds and to study his books as mentor texts? He is a writer that knows the right words that make a story sing. He knows the right spot to write the words, enticing the reader to turn the pages. He chooses words that are bouncy and playful and carefully selected verbs. This published author teaches students how to select the right word and use it in the right spot in their own creative writing. 

I want to introduce you to a writer who knows about the gift of writing. Meet children's book author: 

Mr. Rob Sanders

Q: Tell us about your books, Cowboy Christmas and Outer Space Bedtime Race. 
A: COWBOY CHRISTMAS was illustrated by John Manders, edited by Diane Muldrow, and published by Golden Books-Random House in 2012. The book follows three cowboys stranded on the range at Christmas time. Their cook, Cookie, is with them, too. The boys try to recreate their Christmas memories with each failure worse and more hilarious than the one before. When Christmas finally arrives, the cowboys mope out with the cattle certainly that Christmas (and Santy Claus) has missed them. But a surprise awaits the cowboys back at camp!

Cowboy Christmas
By Rob Sanders
Illustrated by John Manders

OUTER SPACE BEDTIME RACE was illustrated by Brian Won, edited by Maria Modugno, and published by Random House Children’s Book. The rhyming, bedtime story uncovers the bedtime routines of aliens throughout the universe. Eventually readers make the trek back to Earth where it’s time for bedtime for earthling sleepyheads.

Outer Space Bedtime Race
By Rob Sanders
Illustrated by Brian Won

RUBY ROSE ON HER TOES is illustrated by Debbie Ohi, edited by Margaret Anastas, and will be published by HarperCollins. The book releases early in 2016. The story follows Ruby Rose (who dances everywhere she goes) as she enters her first day of school. To her horror, dancing is not part of school and everyone seems to tell her, “No dancing allowed.” But by the end of the story Ruby gets everyone (including her teacher Mrs. D.) up on their feet!

Q: Share your author history. How long had you been writing until you became published? 

A: I’ve been writing all my life—like most of us. In my twenties I started writing religious education materials for children and their teachers. By 30 I was working at the publishing company I’d been writing for, and by 35 I was managing the editorial group that published children’s educational curriculum and products for the largest religious publishing company in the world. I worked for that company for fifteen years and wrote an untold number of teaching units, books, magazine articles, and more. A few of those titles are still in circulation.

When I left that company, I started teaching creative writing in elementary schools in Tampa, Florida. One day I decided I needed to stop talking about writing, and start doing the kind of writing I always wanted to do. At 50, I wrote down my goal—become a real published children’s author. All the success I’ve enjoyed thus far—two books released, three more under contract, signing with an agent, and more—has happened in the last six years.

Six years is a short time in the world of publishing, but I really have been putting in the work and gaining experience that led to this point in time for the last thirty years!

Q: Can you tell us about the process of finding and signing with an agent/editor? 

A: My first book deal was made without an agent. I met Diane Muldrow from Golden Books-Random House during a paid critique at the SCBWI Los Angeles Conference. She was immediately interested in my COWBOY CHRISTMAS manuscript because her dad and granddad were both cowboys! She suggested some revisions. Of course, I immediately got busy revising! I mailed off the revised manuscript to Diane a week later. Within two weeks she took the book to acquisitions and, two months later the book was under contract, and two years later COWBOY CHRISTMAS was released!

I met my agent, Rubin Pfeffer, at an SCBWI Florida conference during a paid critique. Rubin didn’t like the piece he was critiquing—actually, I think he said he knew he couldn’t sell it, which is the kiss of death for a manuscript. But I pitched other manuscripts to him during that critique and we agreed to stay in touch. For several weeks we emailed back and forth, had phone conversations, and I sent different manuscripts to Rubin to evaluate. Finally, we decided to work together.

I can’t say enough about the benefit of being a member of SCBWI, and of attending conferences. Pay for a critique. It’s the perfect way to meet an editor and/or agent. That face-to-face contact is invaluable. I’m still having critiques at conferences. As a matter of fact, I had one two weekends ago. The editor once again didn’t care for the piece I had sent in for critique, but we talked about other pieces. I asked my agent to send the editor one of my manuscripts that I thought would tick off all of his boxes. Two days later he asked for a phone conversation to talk about revisions. The following Monday we talked and by the end of the day he had sent a contract to my editor. If I hadn’t met the editor, listened to his presentations, and had some face-to-face time with him via a paid critique, none of that would have happened.

A note about agents—Agents are a really vital part of the publishing industry. Many publishers only accept submissions from agents. Additionally, agents are specialists (or should be) in contracts and work for you to make sure you get the best terms and the best results from a publisher. Picture book writers often find it difficult to secure an agent until they’ve got a publishing deal. Going to conferences will help you meet editors who often allow conference participants to break the rules and send a manuscript to them. That’s the way to get your foot in the door with a publisher which then might lead to an agent representing you.

While an agent is important, remember you are responsible for your own writing career. No one can do the writing for you, no one can make the contacts for you, and no one can establish an ongoing relationship with an editor for you. Be prepared to do the work before and after you have an agent!

Q: What words of wisdom or advice do you have for aspiring writers?
A: You’ve got to write a lot. The more you write, the better writer you become. Experiment with different styles. Listen and learn and let your writing reflect what you’ve learned. An editor and agent most likely will ask you, “What else are you writing? What else do you have? What else can you show me?” Or like me, you may have a critique that goes south pretty quickly and you’ll need to be able to pull out another piece or another idea or pitch a different project. Keep on writing.

Q: What inspired you to write your first book?

A: Well my first book and my first published book are two different things! LOL! The story of my first published book begins when I was driving home from my first Lisa Wheeler picture book boot camp. I was listening to a CD for a choral concert. One of the songs was called “Hanukkah Cowboy.” I thought, “I should write a book with that title. No one’s done that!” Then I remembered that I didn’t know anything about Hanukkah, so the idea quickly morphed into Cowboy Christmas. I basically plotted out the story as I drove home listening to that CD.

Q: If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
A: Deborah Arms White taught the first writing boot camp I attended, she got me started. I stalked Deborah Wiles at a conference in my school district, attending every session she led. She told me about SCBWI. I met Joyce Sweeney at an SCBWI Florida conference and she has become a dependable editor and critiquer. Margie Palatini has been a kind and generous online friend and supporter. But I think I would have to say that Lisa Wheeler is my picture book mentor. Lisa leads great picture book boot camps, gives on-the-nose critiques, and has a real feel for what works and what doesn’t. She has been generous with her time and is a constant cheerleader for me! She taught me how to critique others (as well as myself), and has made me a better writer. 

Q: Do you have any hidden talents you want to share?
A: I started college as a music major and had dreams of a Broadway or operatic career. I’ve sung for audiences as small as ten and as large as three thousand. Though I’m not actively involved in music these days, I often sing to my students—it gets their attention and can get them moving faster if they know doing so will make me quit singing!

Q: How do you come up with ideas to write about?
A: Ideas are absolutely everywhere. Listen to conversations, look at billboards, remember events in your childhood, go on a walk, visit the dog park, volunteer at an preschool or elementary school, watch children’s TV shows, listen to music. Seriously. Ideas are everywhere. I’ve found gathering ideas is easy. Doing something with them is the difficult part. Here’s one of my favorite things to do with a list of ideas—mash two unexpected things together. Cowboys and Christmas don’t naturally go together, neither do aliens and bedtime. When you start making interesting mash-ups, interesting things begin to happen. 

Rob Sanders

Where can readers find out more about you?

Web site: www.robsanderswrites.com

Blog: www.robsanderswrites.blogspot.com

Twitter: RobSandersWrite

Facebook: RobSandersWrite

And for a previous post that was featured on our GROG Blog, check out this graphic organizer created by Rob. It is an excellent writing tool to add to your Writer's Tool Box.

What a delight to share your story, Rob. You are admired. A big thank you for celebrating our GROG One Year Birthday Bash this month. Your generous book giveaway is appreciated.

Hip, Hip, Hooray 

for the winners of the giveaway:

OUTER SPACE BEDTIME RACE

Damon Dean

COWBOY CHRISTMAS

Joyce Tucker

GROG Birthday Bonanza Winners!

Do rainy days and Mondays get you down? Well, for twenty-two people, this Monday will be an exception!

This little green GROG frog has hopped in to say:

Photo by Doug Weller under Creative Commons License

 "WE HAVE WINNERS!"

But before announcing them, we want to again thank all of our readers for being so supportive of the GROG this year. We hope that our posts will continue to be inspirational, helpful, and entertaining.

Photo by Beyond Access under Creative Commons License

Many of you gave suggestions for topics to consider for future posts. Wow, what a variety! From picture books to novels, educational writing to self-publishing, opening sentences to great endings, and everything in between, we have a lot to consider!

And now for the BIRTHDAY BONANZA WINNERS:

Books and more books for your reading library!

• BACKHOE JOE by Lori Alexander to Elizabeth Wilcox

• PORTRAIT OF WOMEN ARTISTS: GEORGIA O'KEEFE by Robyn Montana Turner to Wendy Engleman

• POWER DOWN, LITTLE ROBOT by Anna Stanizewski to Stacy Jensen

• COWBOY CHRISTMAS by Rob Sanders to Joyce Tucker

• OUTER SPACE BEDTIME RACE by Rob Sanders to Damon Dean

• MISS MAPLE'S SEEDS by Eliza Wheeler to Shiela Fuller

• THE GIRL'S GUIDE TO MANNERS by Tina Cho to Susan Latta

• Signed copy, BLUE ON BLUE by Dianne White to Sandy Perlic

• Signed copy, SUBSTITUTE GROUNDHOG Book and CD by Pat Miller to Patricia Saunders

• Signed copy, ORANGUTAN HOUDINI by Laurel Neme to Darshana Khiani

• Signed copy, KID PRESIDENT'S GUIDE TO BEING AWESOME by Robbie Novak and Brad Montague to Lindsay Fouts

• Signed copy, THE FOURTEENTH GOLDFISH (Newbery Honor Book) by Jennifer L. Holm to Rebecca Colby

• Double-signed copy of SAM AND DAVE DIG A HOLE (Caldecott Honor Book) by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen to Jilanne Hoffmann

Books and goodies for your writing!

• THE WRITER'S BOOK OF HOPE by Ralph Keyes to Mike Karg

• WRITING PICTURE BOOKS by Ann Whitford Paul to Sydney O’Neill

• 2 copies MENTOR TEXTS FOR WRITERS e-book by Marcie Flinchum Atkins to Penny Parker Klostermann and Yvonne Mes

• 2 journals, personalized by Suzy Leopold to Stephanie Payne Geckle and Sonja Anderson

• Writer's journal and pen to Kathleen Mazurowski

• Adorable fuzzy owl puppet (great for story time!) selected by Jan Annino to Joanne Sher

And a picture book critique by author Carrie Charley Brown to Elaine Kiely Kearns. For more about Carrie's author services, visit her website here.

Congratulations to all! (Winners have been contacted by email to gather mailing addresses. Check your spam folders, winners.)

Thanks for making our first birthday celebration so wonderful. Here’s to a fabulous second year!

Photo by Theen Moy under Creative Commons License

Show Me the Way: Mentor Texts as Lights into Our Writing by Marcie Flinchum Atkins

Most of us are writers because somewhere, probably at a very young age, we grew to love books. Some of us even went to sleep with books. Others of us stayed up late reading with a flashlight under the covers. That “flashlight reading” led us to worlds we could only imagine and led us on adventures bigger than life. 

As you write, I hope you still go to bed with books. But I also hope that you are reading, not just to escape to other worlds, but I also hope that you are spending some time shedding light on HOW those stories are put together.

As writers, we no longer just “read like readers” we also need to “read like writers.” The more we read, the stronger our writing can become. 

And books—the same ones we love to read—can be come the flashlights that show us the way in our writing. 

When I get blocked in my writing, I read. 

When I lose confidence in myself as a writer, I read.

When I write but I know I haven’t found the right way into my story yet, I read. 

It’s in those moments, when I hold tightly to stories, that I find my way. 

Reading like a writer, or using books as mentor texts, can be a liberating experience. 

It can shed light on issues in your own writing or inspire you in your own writing. 

As I read like a writer, I often find myself saying: 

“Oh that’s how she did it!” 

“Wow! I want to write like that!”

“I want my book to have THIS kind of feel.” 

This may sound kine of loosey-goosey, but people who know me well, know I’m pretty practical. It’s when I find a text that gives me that “a-ha” moment that I really study it. What is it about that book that gives me that “a-ha” moment?

Over the past few years, I’ve done a lot of mentor text posts from the “What is a mentor text” type post to “How to use word play in your writing” post with lots of examples. 

But the problem was all of my mentor text posts were scattered all over my site, the GROG, and several other people’s sites where I did guest posts. So I put them altogether in one printable e-book: “Mentor Texts for Writers: Book 1.” 

This book is where I take my flashlight and I try to show you how to use mentor texts to help you improve your own writing. 

You get to take books you love, find out what makes you love them so much, and use them to help you become a better writer. 

For a preview, click here. It’s also being offered as a prize for our Grog 1 Year Anniversary. 

I hope that using mentor texts will show you the way to become a better writer. 

Previous GROG Posts on Mentor Texts

• Looking for Mentor Texts: The What, The Why, The How, the Where
• I Have Mentor Texts I Want to Use, Now What?
• Learning How to Write Using Poetry Mentor Texts
• Using Poetry as Mentor Texts
• Let's Play: Mentor Texts for Word Play

Help Me Help You

What are things that you struggle with as a writer? Leave me a note in the comments. I’ve already started brainstorming book 2 and I’d love to know what you’d like me to include. 

Book Marketing Advice from Author Donna Martin

Today I welcome author Donna Martin, whose picture book

The Story Catcher debuted January 2015 from Anaiah Press. Donna and her publicist have been on the ball with marketing her book. I decided to interview Donna and glean from her experience.  

     Tina:  What kinds of marketing have you done for your book?

Donna: I’ve done a variety of things which I’m hoping appeals to a wide audience. This includes car magnets, media blitz, book trailer, cook cover reveal, bookmarkers, business cards, Story Catcher Fan Club, blog tour, author visits, book reviews, twitter blasts, giveaways, blog posts, etc...

Tina: How has your publisher helped with marketing your book?

Donna: My publisher, Anaiah Press, has helped get the word out about my book. They posted on their own blog and through Twitter with my book cover reveal. My publicist, Melinda Dozier, created a cute book trailer for THE STORY CATCHER that you can see by going to this link. Their marketing department also sent out press kits to the media and coordinated a blog tour.

     Tina: Have you contacted people or approached people to do book reviews? If so, how?

Donna: Before my book’s release in January of this year, I started mentioning through my Facebook, Twitter, and Linked In connections that I was looking for book reviews. I have spent the past five years helping to support other writers in any way I could and took the time to build relationships in this industry. Doing all the groundwork before made it much easier to ask for help with book reviews. Anyone interested was sent to Melinda so she could provide them with a copy of THE STORY CATCHER in exchange for an honest review. I’m also getting ready to start a second round of book review requests and will expand my offer to other bloggers and readers outside of my immediate connections.

Tina: What kind of swag do you give? Do you have to pay and make your own, or did your publisher provide it?

Donna: While Anaiah Press initially offered some financial assistance for a book launch party, I haven’t utilized those funds yet. At the moment I offer things like butterfly stickers (my brand logo), bookmarks, coloring pages with my information on it, mini business cards with my social links and info on my STORY CATCHER FAN CLUB.

Tina: Have you done school visits? If so, how do you go about contacting a school? 

Donna: Again, most of my groundwork has already been laid by making those connections for the past five years before my book even came out. I’ve volunteered in school libraries as the ‘book doctor’ and repaired torn pages, spines, etc. I’m an approved READ TO ME volunteer and tutor which allowed me to visit schools to read to kids and help tutor struggling readers (an experience which prompted my writing THE STORY CATCHER), and providing goodies to the office staff and libraries to show my appreciation for all their hard work. The schools know me and are quite open to my author visits.

Tina: I saw you had a book store promotion. How did you set that up? Any tips?

Donna: Well, my Barnes & Noble visit was actually the second book store visit I had lined up. The first was a cold call visit to a Books-A-Million in a neighboring town. The manager was pretty excited about my book and offered to do a book launch party if I could get the approval of their corporate headquarters. Unfortunately the behind the scenes logistics between Anaiah Press and the B & N corporate office didn’t work out in time for me to participate in that promotion. One of the librarians at a school I’ve visited for the past five years actually does an annual book fair in our local B & N store and I’ve provided a crafts table for that school every year. As a way of thanking me for my volunteer work, the promotions coordinator of that B & N ordered a number of my books and we did my author visit the same day as the librarian’s book fair. It turned out to be a very successful day for the school and I got the chance to almost sell out of all the books that were brought in for that event so I was happy!

Tina: How much marketing in advance did you do before your book came out?

Donna: The experts say you usually start doing things as far away as six months before your release. I guess it would depend on what a particular author is planning to do. Anaiah started around December with a book cover reveal with a blurb followed by the book trailer. The blog tour started about two weeks before the release and carried through for about two weeks after my book came out. I also created an entire month of special posts on my blog in January in celebration as well as running a contest to give away prizes.

Thanks so much, Donna, for answering all my questions. This really helps me to know what all needs to be done. 

AUTHOR BIO:

Children's book author, Donna L Martin, has been writing since she was eight years old. She is a 4th Degree Black Belt in TaeKwonDo by day and a 'ninja' writer of children’s picture books, middle grade chapter books and young adult novels by night. Donna is a BOOK NOOK REVIEWS host providing the latest book reviews on all genres of children’s books. She is also a book reviewer for Harper Collins Christian Publishing as part of their Book Look Blogger division and a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators. Donna is a lover of dark chocolate, good stories, and an adoptive mom to 20-pound guard kitty in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Donna lives in the world of children's books and wonders sometimes how did she get so lucky to be able to call herself an author? She has great fun creating stories for her young fans and looks forward to catching stories for many more years to come!

Donna would love to hear from you! Check out her Facebook fan page, drop her an email, join her STORY CATCHER fan club or find out what interests Donna on Twitter or Pinterest:

Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Goodreads
Linkedin
Amazon
Author Email: www.donasdays@gmail.com
Story Catcher Fan Club Email: www.storycatcherfanclub@gmail.com

BUY LINKS:

Amazon Kindle: http://amzn.com/B00PHJRVG0

Amazon Paperback: http://amzn.com/0990908542

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-story-catcher-donna-l-martin/1120753878?ean=9780990908548

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/492614

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23584993-the-story-catcher

THE STORY CATCHER FAN CLUB: Fan club membership includes:

Membership Certificate

Bi-monthly Newsletter full of mazes, puzzles, games, news and other goodies

Reading log for earning Story Catcher Award

Short story starring YOU!

http://donasdays.blogspot.com/p/story-catcher-fan-club.html

Let's Get Ready to Rhyme! ~ by Patricia Toht

Grab a notebook and a pen,

April’s time to rhyme again.

Learn about a challenge here –

RhyPiBoMo’s second year!

RhyPiBoMo stands for Rhyming Picture Book Month, and is pronounced "rye-pie-bow-mow". It is the brainchild of Angie Karcher.

Tell our readers a little about yourself, Angie.

I’m a Hoosier, married to my supportive husband Stan for nearly 24 years and mother of four teens and two doggy assistants. I’m a former kindergarten teacher and developmental therapist. I’ve been writing for over 20 years, and am represented by agent Kendra Marcus of BookStop Literary. I enjoy writing poetry, rhyming picture books, historical fiction and non-fiction.

Angie's first book, Where the River Grins, M.T. Publishing, 2012.
A regional history resource book used in local schools. Buy it here.

Angie's second book, The Legendary R.A. "Cowboy" Jones, M.T. Publishing, 2014.
A biography of a 71-year-old jockey who still races horses in Kentucky. Buy it here.

Angie's special message:

I want to thank everyone for kind words of encouragement after my accident at the L.A. SCBWI Conference last summer. For those who don’t know, I fell and had emergency surgery to repair a severed nerve in my right hand. I am doing great and appreciate all the loyal RhyPiBoMoers who stuck around while I recovered. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to host the event this year, but your kindness and encouragement was quite motivating!

Angie, how did you come up with the idea for RhyPiBoMo?

In 2013 I participated in Tara Lazar’s PiBoIdMo and loved the experience of community and focusing on a specific part of writing. There were no writing challenges in April (poetry month) that focused on poetry and rhyming picture books, so I began planning. Tara was so supportive and helped me get organized, and writer friends helped me find fabulous guest bloggers. Once Jane Yolen and Lee Bennett Hopkins joined, everyone else jumped aboard.

I’ve found there’s a stigma attached to being a writer of rhyme -- being a rhymer is alarmingly frowned upon. So, I started RhyPiBoMo to give rhymers a place for support and to encourage writers of rhyme to do it in a professional manner, following the rules of picture book writing and using rhyme as one piece of the puzzle, not as the focus of the story.

As authors, we’re told to polish our elevator pitch. Doors closing…GO!

RhyPiBoMo (Rhyming Picture Book Month) is an annual writing challenge in April for children’s writers who enjoy writing in rhyme. It features 25 fabulous writing professionals who share their knowledge about the Dos and Don’ts of using rhyme in picture books. There are daily prizes, rhyming parties, a poetry contest and more! Find it on my blog, Angiekarcher.wordpress.com.

Whew…how was that?

Well done! Any changes this year?

We do have a few changes this year. First of all the blog posts will be shared only on week days. This will allow us the weekends to spend with family and get caught up on other important things.

Last year, I taught daily lessons along with the guest blog posts. This year I asked the guest bloggers to choose a topic from a suggested list and to use their blog post as a lesson itself.

Each year, your banner honors a wonderful poet. Last year, it was William Shakespeare, designed by Gayle Wing O’Donnell. Who are this year’s honored poet and illustrator?

I’m thrilled that we are celebrating a personal favorite, Maya Angelou, on our banner. Her passing saddened me, and she was the clear choice for this year’s honored poet.

I love the banner and badges, designed by author/illustrator Tanja Bauerle! 

We met in an online writing class several years ago. Since then, we’ve hugged in person, ridden in an ambulance together, and shared laughs on this bumpy road in children’s literature land. Visit Tanja here to see her amazing work! 

When collaborating with Tanja, we decided to share one of Maya’s quotes on the banner. A few days of research later, we discovered that we both had selected the same quote --

This quote speaks to us as writers. We don’t write to put words on the page, we write to share the joy and our passion for the subjects with children. The poetic rhythm and song of rhyming picture books are magic and should be read aloud to children to experience the full gift.

Tell us about your guest bloggers. I heard you are hosting ALL NEW poets this year!

Yes, this year we have 25 all new guest bloggers! I’m very excited that Kwame Alexander will be in the house! He’s been floating around the country since receiving his esteemed Newbery Award and graciously accepted the final spot on my calendar in the midst of his confetti and fireworks. Buckets of gratitude to all of the busy, talented folks who will celebrate writing poetry and rhyming picture books with us!

You are such a fun-loving poet, Angie. What’s planned for the launch of RhyPiBoMo?

I suppose I have been known to have a good time at whatever I do! I like to laugh and share this passion I have of writing with others. That being said…there may be something coming up in April that will be BIG! It will be memorable and I believe it will remain in the hearts and minds of all…

Oh wait. I’m saying too much. I guess you will need to participate in RhyPiBoMo to find out more! Did I mention that I like to tease too?

Rest assured. We have something BIG up our sleeves for the kick-off. It’s a Rhyming Surprise!

So, mum’s the word? Well, a little blue bird did tell me that RhyPiBoMo will have a flurry of celebration on April 4^th…

April 4^th is Maya Angelou’s birthday, so we’ll celebrate with a webinar hosted by author Jackie Wellington and myself. We will read Maya’s work, discuss her impact on children’s books, and more.

In addition, I’ve been asked by my local Barnes and Noble to give a talk on April 11^th about Maya Angelou. I’m thrilled that we’re setting up a book fair to donate proceeds from purchases on the 11^th to WE NEED DIVERSE BOOKS, bringing diversity and poetry together to support an important effort. More details to come!

In 2014, members of RhyPiBoMo formed critique groups. Will this happen again in 2015?

Absolutely! Another dear friend, Dawn Young, is the Admin for RhyPiBoMo and Critique Coordinator who will set up rhyming critique groups through our Facebook page. Our Facebook group has grown to over 300 members! This is where we chat and have rhyming parties and lots of silly fun while learning from each other. Request to join the RhyPiBoMo Facebook group and I will admit you.

Dawn, an amazing writer and friend, is instrumental in helping to make RhyPiBoMo a success. She also rode in an ambulance with some very handsome actor/EMTs and me -- it’s amazing how you bond over things like that! You can find more about Dawn here.

What’s a Rhyming Party?

A Rhyming Party is an impromptu or planned party on our Facebook page. I pose questions pertaining to the previous week’s blog posts, and all who participate must answer in rhyming phrases.

For example:

Me: “Who is the lovely poet on our banner?”

Answer: “A lady named Maya who writes about the sky-a.”

It’s fast-paced silliness and a fun way for us to share our love of rhyme and get to know each other. Prizes vary and all who participate leave with a smile.

Will The Golden Quill Poetry Contest return this year?

Yes, we will again host the Golden Quill Poetry Contest. Poems will be judged on clever theme, rhyme scheme, poetic techniques, rhythm, and overall read-it-out-loud-ability. There are wonderful prizes, too! Last year, we had over 40 entries! More information will be on the blog soon. To participate, you must be a registered participant of RhyPiBoMo by April 8^th.

That little blue bird was chirping again, telling me about RhyPiBoMo Awards for 2015. Tell me more!

That little bird has been busy! Yes, we’ve formed a new committee of RhyPiBoMo folks who will be reading lots of rhyming picture books soon, and will name a favorite rhyming picture book of 2015 and several honor books this November.  I’m very excited to bring well-deserved attention to brilliantly written and illustrated rhyming picture books.

So, how do we register for RhyPiBoMo?

Registration opens on March 18th and runs through April 8th. Go to Angiekarcher.wordpress.com to register. You must be registered to win prizes and compete in the poetry contest.

Thanks, Angie!

Thank you so much, Patty, for helping me spread the word about RhyPiBoMo. I hope many more writers will join us in this celebration of poetry and rhyming picture books. This is a labor of love for me and many who write and illustrate picture books.

Angie also offers a class, Writing in Rhyme to WOW, as well as critique services. You can find more information here and here.