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By:
Kelly Polark,
on 12/29/2016
Blog:
Kelly Polark
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My blog has been rather dormant this year, but I have not been! I've been busy teaching kindergarten, editing my middle grade novel, being a distributor for It Works health and wellness products, momming my three awesome kids, and all this below!
Here is my annual list of what I read, watched, and rocked out to!
BOOKS READI mostly read in the summer or on school breaks, so the list isn't as long as I'd like, but I read some amazing books this year!
ROOM by Emma Donoghue (need to still see the movie!)
YES, PLEASE by Amy Poehler
ONE TO KEEP by Tia Louise
ELEANOR AND PARK by Rainbow Rowell
WILL GRAYSON, WILL GRAYSON by John Green and David Levithan
EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING by Nicola Yoon
BLUE LILY, LILY BLUE by Maggie Steifvater
SIGN OF THE GREEN DRAGON By C. Lee McKenzie
THIS ONE MOMENT By Stina Lindenblatt
SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS by Ann Brashares
THE RAVEN KING by Maggie Steifvater
PERFECT TIMING By Robin Mellom
SEVEN DEADLY SINS by Corey Taylor
THANKS FOR THE MONEY by Joel McHale
Oh! And looky! Here's me with that handsome and hilarious author/actor Joel McHale!
MOVIES WATCHED
I am happy to report that I read more books than watched movies this year!
Grease Live on Fox
Daddy’s Home
Trainwreck
Civil War
Magic Mike XL
The Secret Life of Pets
The Legend of Tarzan
Batman vs Superman
Bad Moms
Rogue One
CONCERTS ATTENDED
And you know my huge passion for my rock music. Concerts are my therapy for sure. Here are the bands I saw live this year!
Justin Bieber (yes, I have a teenage daughter)
Skillet (a five dollar concert- man, they rocked it!)
Buckcherry - 5 times! (my total count of Buckcherry shows is 15 now)
Sebastian Bach
Me and the Buckcherry boys
Goo Goo Dolls/Safety Suit
Click HERE to see me singing with Doug, the lead singer of Safety Suit! :)
WHAT WERE YOUR FAVORITE BOOKS, MOVIES, AND CONCERTS OF 2016?
You all know how much I love my music. I LOVE my rock 'n' roll.
The good people of tickpick.com made me a concert poster of some of my fave rock bands! Now if only they could get these bands together for a day of amazing tunes!! I'd also have to add Sixx: AM, too and a few more bands. :) You can never have enough rock and freaking roll.
If you could put together a music festival,
which bands would you choose?
Also, in other news, last day of school today! I'm ready to rock this summer!
This writer finally attended another SCBWI conference, and it was amazing! I feel like my brain is still processing and downloading all the wonderful information I learned there this past weekend.
Here's a quick rundown of my whirlwind weekend:
1. Look! I came prepared to learn from the wonderful Cinda Williams Chima, author of many bestselling books, including the Shattered Realms series. I attended her Ensnaring the Wary intensive, and learned so much about how to strengthen my middle grade manuscript.
2. Roaring Twenties Party!
What a fun way to start the weekend! The Charleston was taught. I danced to some Prince songs. And SO many fabulous costumes. So fun to mingle with so many talented people! Here is YA writer and friend, Gwen Flascamp, and I (photo taken by the wonderful Linda Sue Park - who was a speaker and part of the faculty. I attended an amazing session of hers on Saturday).
3. Saturday was jam-packed with session after session. I loved learning from agents, editors, and authors. Also, the attendees raised more than $4000 for the
#WeNeedDiverseBooks #WNDB cause, funding diversity programs and publishing internships. Pretty awesome, right?!
4. Art Show Saturday Night
Beautiful art by illustrators were showcased. Here are some fave art pieces and people I met that night! Illustrators
Matt Vincent and
Michael Trujillo, middle grade novelist,
KW Penndorf, and YA writer,
Gwen Flascamp! We had such a blast!
5. Sunday sessions and critique pick up!
Even more amazing sessions on Sunday plus a thorough critique of my manuscript by faculty of the conference.
If you haven't attended a conference in a while, don't wait! I came back with so many ideas to strengthen my manuscripts, met so many wonderful people and contacts, and am so INSPIRED by the weekend!
Happy Writing!
Happy New Year, friends! I hope 2015 was good to you, and I hope 2016 is even better.
2015 was busy. I taught kindergarten and reading, helped coach my son in basketball, went to three weddings in June, hosted a Spanish exchange student, chauffeured and watched my kids play sports, and traveled to Arizona, Iowa and Wisconsin. My newest picture book
I'M A LITTLE GREEN WITCH was released in September. I became an It Works! distributor (I'm healthier!). And I finished the year wrapping up my rough draft of a middle grade novel on December 31. I'm determined to make more time for writing and improving myself in 2016.
Here is my usual what I read, watched and rocked out to throughout the year!
Bark Until Heard by Becky Monroe
Paper Towns by John Green
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
The Terrible Two by Mac Barnett and Jory John
One to Hold by Tia Louise
The Silent Wife by ASA Harrison
Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
King of the Mutants by Samantha Verant
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
Demon’s Ink By Kimbra Kasch
Into the Dark By Caroline Patti
Auggie & Me by RJ Palacio
Movies Fifty Shades of Grey
Insurgent
The Spongebob MovieHomeAvengers: Age of Ultron Jurassic World Inside Out Minions AntMan Vacation GoosebumpsThe Outsiders Star Wars: The Force Awakens (3x)
CONCERTS Buckcherry for the 10th time
Papa Roach 2 times in January
Seether
Sixx Am/Apocalyptica Taylor Swift/Shawn Mendez Kip Winger (see below)and Papa Roach (for the 13th time)/In this Moment/Pop Evil
What were some of your favorite
books, concerts, or movies of 2015?
By:
Kelly Polark,
on 11/9/2015
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Mondays Music Moves Me is something I stumbled upon last month. How cool that Xmas Dolly hosts this twice a month! Today's theme is Movie Soundtracks. This is such a great theme with so many possibilities!
As you can see, I had trouble narrowing songs down for this theme.
First is "A View to A Kill" by Duran Duran from the James Bond movie soundtrack of the same name. Did you know that when that movie came out, I went to it fully expecting to see Duran Duran somewhere in it? Yup. Spoiler alert: they weren't in it. But this cool song was!
Speaking of the 80's, I listened to the movie soundtrack Purple Rain quite a bit. All are great tunes, but my fave from the movie is "Let's Go Crazy." I couldn't find a youtube video though to embed!
Next is "American Girl" by Tom Petty from Silence of the Lambs. I cannot hear that song without picturing the girl in her car singing it before becoming a victim!
We rarely take a road trip without blasting this song from Vacation at least once!
And lastly, who can't listen to this Queen song without banging their head like Wayne and Garth in Wayne's World! :)
I'm noticing my picks are all from the way past! I guess I need to see more current movies!
Though I did love the rockin' Avengers Assemble soundtrack. It had some of my fave bands like Papa Roach and Buckcherry plus Bush and Evanescence!
Visit Xmas Dolly for move links of songs from the movies! What's your favorite song from the movies?
Welcome to the Listing Hop! Looking forward to seeing everyone's lists!
If you've been here before, you know I love music.
So my list is a list of all (probably most, I may have forgotten a few) of the bands I've seen and how many times!
Here goes! In ABC order even! I told you I love music! Papa Roach is at the top of the list with 13 times live!
30 Seconds to Mars (5), 3 Doors Down, 5 Seconds of Summer, Aerosmith, Christina Aguilera, Alice Cooper (2), Alter Bridge, Anberlin, Apocalyptica, Avenged Sevenfold (4), Sebastian Bach (2), Bad Company, Pat Benatar (2), Big Time Rush, Black Eyed Peas, Blondie (2), Bon Jovi, Brides of Destruction, Buckcherry (10), Bush, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Chevelle (3), Chicago, Coheed and Cambria, The Connells, Crash Kings, Creed, Sheryl Crowe, Daughtry (5), Def Leppard, Disturbed (2), Dokken (2), The Donnas, Dovetail Joint, Duran Duran (4), Eve 6, Foo Fighters (2), Lita Ford, Goo Goo Dolls (2), Great White (2), Guns n Roses, Halestorm, Hollywood Undead, Hoobastank, Billy Idol, In This Moment, INXS, Jet, Billy Joel, Elton John, Juke Kartel, The Killers, Kiss (2), LA Guns, Lovehammers (2), Maroon 5, Bret Michaels Band, The Monkees, Motley Crue (8), My Chemical Romance (2), Vince Neil solo (4), Nelson, Neon Trees (3), New Medicine (3), New Politics, Otherwise (2), Our Lady Peace, One Direction, Owl City, Ozzy Osbourne, Panic Channel, Papa Roach (13), P!NK, P.O.D., Poison (3), Pop Evil (2), Prince, Puddle of Mudd (2), Queensryche (2),Ratt, RED, REO Speedwagon (2), Rockstar Supernova, Gavin Rossdale, Safety Suit, Saliva (2), Mike Sanchez, Saving Abel, Scorpions, Seether (3), Seven Mary Three, Shinedown (2), Silvertide, Cody Simpson, Sixx AM (2), Skid Row (2), Slash, Slaughter (2), Smashing Pumpkins, Rick Springfield, Billy Squier, Stone Sour (2), Styx (3), Sum 41, Survivor (2), Taylor Swift, System of a Down, Tantric (2), Third Eye Blind (2), Three Days Grace (3), Justin Timberlake, The Plain White T’s, Toadies, Trapt, Tremonti, The Tubes, Van Halen (2), Velvet Revolver, Warrant, Weezer, Weird Al Yankovic, Whitesnake (3), Kip Winger (3), Winger (2)
I told you I love music! Here's a song for
Xmas Dolly's Monday's Music Moves Me Halloween edition! Love MCR and this creepy song!
And speaking of Halloween, my newest picture book, I'M A LITTLE GREEN WITCH is available at
amazon,
barnesandnoble.com and select bookstores!
Have you seen any of these bands live? What was your last concert?
Check out more links for lists
here and
here! Congrats on eight years of blogging, Bish!
Today I have my own poem to share from my new Halloween picture book, I'M A LITTLE GREEN WITCH! Halloween is big in our house, so I really wanted to write a book that my kids would enjoy. I'M A LITTLE GREEN WITCH is a collection of Halloween inspired nursery rhymes and songs. I recently was a guest author at a local school, and the kids loved guessing which nursery rhyme each poem was based upon.
Here's I'M A LITTLE GREEN WITCH, the first in the collection.
Here's me reading another poem from the collection.
Can you guess which nursery rhymes or songs I based those two on?
You can purchase I'M A LITTLE GREEN WITCH on
amazon,
barnesandnoble.com and select bookstores!
Poetry Friday is being hosted by Jama at
Jama's Alphabet Soup this week. Stop by for more wonderful poetry!
Enjoy the tricks and treats of this Halloween season!
Do you want a paranormal YA for Halloween? How about DEMON'S INK by my blogger friend, Kimbra Kasch!
Here's the spooky premise:
There are lots of dangerous things hanging (or, maybe I should say, dangling) around Portland lately but, when a Demonic tattoo artist comes to town, everything goes to Hell, in DEMON’S INK. This young adult novel set in Portland, Oregon is available on Amazon now and with Halloween coming, you'll want to have a story to share...
DEMON'S INK: It's about art, that's more than anyone bargained for. Drake and Bartos come to the Pacific Northwest, where they open yet another tattoo shop but Bartos has no trouble dealing with the competition because there’s nothing normal about his art. And he’s stealing more than clients from the local skin artists. He's stealing their souls.
Customers fall in love with Bartos Slinderman’s tats but end up paying the ultimate price for their purchase because unlike Oscar Wilde’s Dorian Gray, they can’t walk away from this art and it’s beautiful until the artwork takes on a life of its own...
Tattoos are cool, but YIKES! I stayed up Friday night reading this book! There's a bit of a love triangle as well as the mysterious happenings. You can purchase Kim's book on amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com!Go visit Kim at her
blog, too! Speaking of tattoos, do you have one? I have one tiny heart tattoo. Hope to get another someday. But NOT from anyone named Bartos!
Charles Ghigna is such an amazing author and poet, and I enjoy his poetry posts as well as the gorgeous paintings he shares of his son, Chip. Ghigna's poetry is featured frequently in children's magazines from the Cricket group and you can see his wonderful books including his newest release, A CARNIVAL OF CATS,
available here.
Below is an original poem that writers, artists, and all creative souls can certainly relate to.
THE SPARK OF DIVINITY
Inspired thoughts climb toward the light
As new ideas begin;
Creation comes from inside out,
...
Not from the outside in.©Charles Ghigna
Painting: “Golden Moon”
-
Chip GhignaVisit Charles at
Father Goose Books. See more beautiful art at
ChipGhigna.com. I hope one day to own an original!
Poetry Friday is being hosted by Amy at
The Poem Farm today. Stop by to click on more wonderful poetry links!
Enjoy this fabulous fall Friday!
It's October, and it's the perfect time for a Halloween book! We love Halloween in our household, and that is the reason why I wanted to write a book for this fun holiday.
My newest picture book, I'M A LITTLE GREEN WITCH, is a spooktacular collection of 14 Halloween themed nursery rhymes or songs for your little ghoul or boy!
Here's the amazing cover! The vibrant illustrations are by Kelli Ann Little!
And here's a sneak peek! I recently was guest author at a local school, and the kids loved guessing which nursery rhyme each poem was based on.
If you do have the book and you can't figure out which nursery rhyme or song a poem is based on, here's a list!
I'm A Little Green Witch - to the tune of "I'm a Little Teapot"
Willa's Wild Ride - to the tune of "Row, Row, Row Your Boat"
Willa Had a Stinky Cat - to the tune of "Mary Had a Little Lamb"
Trick or Treating - to the tune of "London Bridges"
Flutter, Flutter, Little Bat - to the tune of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star"
I've Been Digging in the Graveyard - to the tune of "I've Been Working on the Railroad"
Batty Cake - based on "Patty Cake"
The Bats Go Flying One by One - to the tune of "The Ants Go Marching"
Little Jack Mummy - based on "Little Jack Horner"
Hiss! Hiss! Black Cat! - to the tune of "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep"
Hairy, Scary Spider - to the tune of "Itsy Bitsy Spider"
Willa the Witch - based on "Humpty Dumpty"
Little Girl Green - based on "Little Boy Blue"
The Boogeyman - to the tune of "Muffin Man"
Also, I'm giving a signed copy away on Goodreads! Enter here!
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26248184-i-m-a-little-green-witchYou can also purchase I'M A LITTLE GREEN WITCH on
amazon,
barnesandnoble.com and select bookstores! Check out my
Facebook page for more book updates!
Enjoy fall, y'all!
Hello, fellow poet lovers and hello, summer! Today is the first Friday I have at home since school was dismissed last week. I taught kindergarten for the first time and absolutely loved it! I was also able to attend my cousin's wedding in Arizona last weekend and read PAPER TOWNS by John Green on the plane ride home (and finished in bed later that night). One thing I loved about the book is Green uses excerpts of Walt Whitman poems throughout the book, and I love that young readers will now know the poetry of Whitman because of this book (which is also a movie coming out next month).
So today for Poetry Friday, I give you a Walt Whitman poem. Not one from the book above, but one that caught my eye when I was perusing his poetry this morn.
A NOISELESS, PATIENT SPIDERby: Walt Whitman (1819-1892)
NOISELESS, patient spider, - I mark'd, where, on a little promontory, it stood, isolated;
- Mark'd how, to explore the vacant, vast surrounding,
- It launch'd forth filament, filament, filament, out of itself;
- Ever unreeling them--ever tirelessly speeding them.
-
- And you, O my Soul, where you stand,
- Surrounded, surrounded, in measureless oceans of space,
- Ceaselessly musing, venturing, throwing,--seeking the spheres, to connect them;
- Till the bridge you will need, be form'd--till the ductile anchor hold;
- Till the gossamer thread you fling, catch somewhere, O my Soul.
Have you ever read a more beautiful poem comparing one's soul to an arachnid?
You can find links to other posts of poetry at the Poetry Roundup at
Jama's place where you can always find something yummy! Have a wonderful weekend!
2014 in Review!
Happy New Year to you all! I am starting the new year with a wonderful new job as kindergarten teacher in my own children's school district. In the past I've been a third grade teacher, stay-at-home mom for 11 years, a teacher's aide for kindergarten and Early Childhood, and a preschool teacher, too (all that I truly loved-I'm pretty lucky). But I have wanted to be a kindergarten teacher since I was 20 years old and my junior practicum assignment was kindergarten with an amazing teacher! I wanted to be her so badly! And now I am! Cheers to you all in this new year!
This post lists the books, movies, and concerts of 2014. Surprisingly it's the first year in a while that I watched more movies than read books!
BOOKS!
Read some amazing books by blogger buddies this year!!
Anansi and Company by Bish Denham
Wonder by RJ Palacio
Divergent by Veronica Roth
Control by Lydia Kang
Wish You Weren’t by Sherrie Petersen
Before You Break by Christina Lee
Watercolor by LTM
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko
Al Capone Shines My Shoes by Gennifer Choldenko
The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Wishing for Washington by Shelly Sly
Timepiece by Myra McEntire
Sinner by Maggie Stiefvater
Seven Letters From Paris by Samantha Verant
MOVIES!
I saw ten movies in the theater which is probably a record! Also, saw more movies than read books this year. Sorry, brain!
The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug
Anchorman 2
Gravity
The Lego Movie
Muppets 2 Most Wanted
Mean Girls
Divergent
Dallas Buyers Club
Pearl Harbor
Bad Grandpa
The Wolf of Wall Street
Airplane!
European Vacation
Guardians of the Galaxy
The Giver
Neighbors
Mockingjay Part 1
Dumb and Dumber To
Elf (gotta see that every year)
The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies
CONCERTS!
Saw some faves (saw Buckcherry for 9th time and Motley Crue for 7th and final time) and finally saw The Toadies and Alter Bridge for the first time!
Buckcherry
The Toadies
Alter Bridge
Daughtry/Goo Goo Dolls/Plain White T’s
One Direction/Five Seconds of Summer
Buckcherry
Motley Crue/Alice Cooper (two nights in a row- Crue’s final tour!)
What were your fave books/movies/music of 2014?
I haven't participated in Poetry Friday in a while, which is a shame, because I LOVE poetry! I've been busy teaching preschool this year, so my mind is on the very younger set while writing poetry.
Here's a number poem about a kid favorite - the puzzle!
PUZZLE
One piece, two piece
Three piece, four
All together
On the floor.
Five piece, six piece
Seven piece, Eight
It’s almost done.
I can’t wait!
Nine piece, ten piece
They all fit.
I’m finished now.
What is it?
- by Kelly Polark, all rights reserved
*Adorable illustration by Kelli Ann Little from picture book, ROCKABET: CLASSIC EDITION
(turned into a puzzle by me)
Thanks so much for stopping by! Go find other poems to read HERE at today's poetry roundup at Anastasia's Booktalking blog!
My friend and fellow blogger, Samantha Verant had an amazing October. Her debut memoir,
SEVEN LETTERS FROM PARIS, was released as well as her debut middle grade novel,
KING OF THE MUTANTS. (Yes, that is a photo of us taken six years ago in Chicago!)
Let me tell you about the two books!
SEVEN REASONS I LOVE SEVEN LETTERS FROM PARIS
1. Sam is one witty author.
2. The story made me laugh, sigh, and even tear up.
3. So yes, there is heartbreak, but there is much laughter and love, too.
4. Amazing story about second chances.
5. It embraces the lost art of letter writing.
6. There's a place in France where Sam likes to dance. (Maybe or maybe not)
7. I'm mentioned in the acknowledgements!
KING OF THE MUTANTS
I haven't read all of Sam's King of the Mutants yet (I've read the first few chapters long ago!), but I will because my son is getting it for Christmas! Here's the scoop:
Maverick Mercury is the sideshow attraction known as “Gator Boy” at Grumbling’s Traveling Circus and Sideshow. Despite being routinely kicked around by the other performers, Maverick has always been comfortable in his skin. That is, until he overhears Burt Grumbling talking about him behind his reptilian-like back. It seems Maverick’s freakish mutations are the result of some billionaire geneticist’s experiments gone awry. Apparently, this guy kidnaps kids, turns them into supermutants, and sells their powers to the highest bidder. Now, Maverick is on a mission to find the mad scientist who may have created him. All he has to do is steal some wheels from Burt, escape the clutches of one-eyed Yorgi and his gang of killer clowns, and make his way from some Podunk town in Florida to the Big Apple.
So happy for Sam on her double book whammy in October!
BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!
I have big news about my blogger friend, Sharon!
The wonderful
Sharon Mayhew has started an editing business called THE MANUSCRIPT MAVEN! Don't you love the name?! She has critiqued many of my manuscripts, and I highly recommend her. Check out her new website
HERE!
A very cool and special blogger turns fifteen today!
Happy birthday, Lenny!
Lenny, I hope you get fifteen hugs, fifteen bites of cake, fifteen minutes playing video games (okay, more), fifteen smiles, fifteen songs, fifteen fist bumps, fifteen happy emails, fifteen texts that make you laugh, and fifteen (and more) bloggers celebrating you today!
(And here's a virtual hug, smile, and fist bump from me to start!)
To celebrate the release of Jessica Bell’s latest novel, WHITE LADY, she is giving away an e-copy (mobi, ePub, or PDF) to the first person to correctly guess the one true statement in the three statements below. To clarify, two statements are lies, and one is true:
One of Jessica Bell’s many nicknames in her early twenties was ...
a. Jezebel
b. Bessie
c. Jessica Rabbit
What do you think? Which one is true? Write your guess in the comments, along with your email address. Comments will close in 48 hours. If no-one guesses correctly within in 48 hours, comments will stay open until someone does. Want more chances to win? You have until October 31 to visit all the blogs where Jessica will share a different set of true and false statements on each one. Remember, each blog is open to comments for 48 hours only from the time of posting.
If you win, you will be notified by email with instructions on how to download the book.
Click HERE to see the list of blogs. ABOUT THE BOOK:
*This novel contains coarse language, violence, and sexual themes.
Sonia yearns for sharp objects and blood. But now that she’s rehabilitating herself as a “normal” mother and mathematics teacher, it’s time to stop dreaming about slicing people’s throats.
While being the wife of Melbourne’s leading drug lord and simultaneously dating his best mate is not ideal, she’s determined to make it work.
It does work. Until Mia, her lover’s daughter, starts exchanging saliva with her son, Mick. They plan to commit a crime behind Sonia’s back. It isn’t long before she finds out and gets involved to protect them.
But is protecting the kids really Sonia’s motive?
Click HERE to view the book trailer.
Click HERE for purchase links.
J
essica Bell, a thirty-something Australian-native contemporary fiction author, poet and singer/songwriter/guitarist, is the Publishing Editor of Vine Leaves Literary Journal and the director of the Homeric Writers’ Retreat & Workshop on the Greek island of Ithaca. She makes a living as a writer/editor for English Language Teaching Publishers worldwide, such as Pearson Education, HarperCollins, MacMillan Education, Education First and Cengage Learning.
Connect with Jessica online:
Congrats, Jessica!!!!
This past weekend we celebrated my youngest son's birthday with his friends. All three of my children have their birthdays within a month so this is the last one for about a year. Back to school time and three birthdays make this the craziest time of the year for me!
Here are some fun photos from the Star Wars Extravaganza! (The majority of ideas executed here are of course from Pinterest!) 14 boys total made for a raucous house and a sweaty, stinky basement! Did I mention it was a sleepover, too?!
Warrooooum. (Light saber sound effect.)
May the snacks be with you.
Cue Imperial March.
There was Jedi Training.
And now I must nap.
How can it be September already?
Gear up for the new school year with new books! I'm ready for a new year in my preschool classroom, and I've already picked so many great books to share with my class!
My newest picture book,
WORDS ON BIRDS, is a great gift for teachers! You can purchase it
HERE or
enter to win a copy at Goodreads HERE!Also, for your preteen girls, the
ROCK 'N' ROLL PRINCESSES WEAR BLACK middle grade ebook is on sale for 99 cents HERE for just a few more weeks! Great Back to School sale!
Read Shelley Sly's great review of it
HERE!
Also, thank you to the wonderful peeps at
WRITE ON CON! Loved getting great suggestions on my newest picture book manuscript. Check out the website
here!
Goodbye, summer! Hello, new school year. I went to see One Direction and 5 Seconds of Summer with my daughter and mother-in-law this past weekend (certainly not my usual rock concert, but fun!) and also to a joyful family wedding.
Pinterest has been my friend for sure the last few weeks between planning for my kids' birthday parties and the new school year.
Yup. Here's Liam, Harry, and Niall singing to us!
How are you getting ready for the new school year? What did you do on Labor Day weekend?
Let me introduce you to Stef, the main character of my middle grade novel, ROCK 'N' ROLL PRINCESSES WEAR BLACK (you can purchase here!)
1) What is the name of your character? Is he/she fictional or a historic person?
The main character in ROCK 'N' ROLL PRINCESSES WEAR BLACK is 12 year old Stefani Lucas. She was named after the fabulous Gwen Stefani. I thought I was so clever in naming her this (I started writing this 6+ years ago) until I watched the DVD BABY MAMA starring Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. At the end, Amy's character names a baby Stefani (pronounced like Gwen's last name). I may or may have not said an expletive when I saw that! But I still kept my main character's name. Which is pronounced Stephanie though, and she is usually called Stef.
2) When and where is the story set?
The story is a contemporary novel so set in current times and also set somewhere in the Midwest!
3) What should we know about him/her?
Stef is a huge music lover, loves to read, and plays piano. She loves to wear the color black because it is cool and because it's easy. Her best friend is Gabi Rivera, and they have a strong friendship.
4) What is the main conflict? What messes up his/her life?
Stefani Lucas is a rockin’ sixth grader who loves music and dresses like a mini hipster in all black, but there's one thing cramping her style - her lame baby brother who manages to hog all the attention from her parents. When classmates tease her about her clothes and even double dare her to (gasp!) wear another color, Stef decides a minor makeover may be in order. Can Stef change for others and still stay true to herself? Will she continue feeling left out at home?
5) What is the personal goal of the character?
Stef just wants to have a conflict-free life at school and more attention from her parents. Typical junior high angst.Thank you, Sherrie, for tagging me! You can purchase ROCK 'N' ROLL PRINCESSES WEAR BLACK at amazon, barnesandnoble, kobo, and select bookstores!*SALE* The ebook will go on sale for 99 cents starting this Wednesday for a week!
If you would like to hop on this tour, post one week from now and tag Sherrie and me in it! I'd love to get to know your characters, too! This tour highlights a main character from one of your WIP/recently published or soon to be published work. The person who invites you will have a set day to post. You will post ONE WEEK after that. The authors you tag will post one week after you, and so on.
Thanks for stopping by!
I'm joining in on the Kicks Like A Girl blog tour. Thank you Suzanne Casemento for inviting me!Check out KICKS LIKE A GIRL by Melissa Westemeyer here, and check out Suzanne's post here!
Now for this blog tour I tell you a little about myself.
First thing ever published in a magazine was this in Us Weekly back in 2000! :) (Yes, McConaughey is one of my all time faves). Okay, technically not a paid piece. My first paid piece was rhyming bird riddles in Nature Friend magazine!
My first picture book was published in 2012 by Meegenius. I wrote this story for an assignment for an online writing course. Several years and revisions later, it became
BIG SISTER, BABY BROTHER.I'm also the author of Meegenius book,
HOLD THE MUSTARD. My other picture books include
ROCKABET: CLASSIC EDITION and the most recent,
WORDS ON BIRDS. My debut middle grade novel,
ROCK 'N' ROLL PRINCESSES WEAR BLACK, was published in March. (See cutie patootie Francesca Capaldi from Disney Channel below holding it!)
Lastly, after spending time with my family, my favorite thing is going to rock concerts. See below a depiction of all the bands I've seen and how many times! (This is actually from 2013. Since then, I've seen Buckcherry one more time plus Alter Bridge and The Toadies for the first time!)
Thanks for stopping by! If you want to hop on this blog tour, let me know and I'll link to your next Monday's post!
Yesterday I had a lovely afternoon at a beautiful state natural area near our home called Volo Bog. My dad and I signed books for visitors that came for International Bog Day! (Yes, there is such a thing!) A blues band played, refreshments were enjoyed, crafts were made, and we met many lovely people who also love nature. Kids made a cute robin craft that I found on Pinterest (see below), and we were signing right by the buttons where you can hear various bird calls.
Special day with my dad and family!
You can purchase our picture book WORDS ON BIRDS online at
amazon,
BarnesandNoble, and select bookstores.
Do you know C. Lee McKenzie? If the answer is yes or no, I have some Double Positive news for you. She is one warm, friendly and talented author, and she has a new book!
Lee takes on modern issues that today's teens face in their daily lives. Her first young adult novel, Sliding on the Edge, which dealt with cutting and suicide was published in 2009. Her second, titled The Princess of Las Pulgas, dealing with a family who loses everything and must rebuild their lives came out in 2010. Her short story, Premeditated Cat, appears in the anthology, The First Time, and her Into the Sea of Dew is part of a collection, Two and Twenty Dark Tales. In 2012, her first middle grade novel, Alligators Overhead, came out.
Lee's newest Young Adult novel, DOUBLE NEGATIVE, is available TODAY!
Hutchison Mc Queen is a sixteen-year-old smart kid who screws up regularly. He’s a member of Larkston High’s loser clique, the boy who’s on his way to nowhere—unless juvenile hall counts as a destination. He squeaks through classes with his talent for eavesdropping and memorizing what he hears. When that doesn’t work, he goes to Fat Nyla, the one some mean girls are out to get and a person who’s in on his secret—he can barely read. And then Maggie happens. For twenty-five years she’s saved boys from their own bad choices. But she may not have time to save Hutch. Alzheimer’s disease is steadily stealing her keen mind.
You can purchase DOUBLE NEGATIVE HERE!
Congrats, LEE!!!
I recently discovered What’s on Your Nightstand? at the 5 Minutes for Books fabulous website.
On the fourth Tuesday of each month you share what you are reading!
Here's what my July looks like.
This month I read WATERCOLOR by Leigh Talbert Moore on my Kindle (Check out the awesome
Dragonfly series here!). Then I read THE FAULT IN OUR STARS by John Green. (Yes, I cried.) After my 9 year old son purchased the Gennifer Choldenko books at Alcatraz last month, he read them quickly and raved about them. He told me I
had to read them. So on Saturday I read
AL CAPONE DOES MY SHIRTS. I am almost done reading
AL CAPONE SHINES MY SHOES. Such great historical fiction and so amazing that they are set where we just visited last month! What is cooler than a book set on Alcatraz!?
Also on my nightstand is Maggie Steifvater's
THE DREAM THIEVES from the library. And after that, I plan to read
WISHING FOR WASHINGTON by Shelley Sly on my Kindle. I also just bought SAVE THE CAT to read and learn from at some point.
You might also see
Us Weekly and
Entertainment Weekly on the nightstand, too. I do enjoy pop culture. And I also see my new nonfiction picture book
WORDS ON BIRDS peeking out! Yes, I did turn the books so you could read the titles, but I hate to say that my nightstand usually is as cluttered as this!
So, tell me. What's on your nightstand this week? Check out a list of blogs featuring nightstand reads here!
Tweet! Tweet!
Guess what? My children's nonfiction book about birds is now available online!
WORDS ON BIRDS is a collaboration between my dad and me that we had been talking about for years. It is finally here! My dad is an award-winning nature photographer whose work has been in many magazines and catalogs.
About WORDS ON BIRDS:
Interesting facts about common American birds are set to rhyme for easy reading and enjoyment in this picture book. Young readers will be introduced to fourteen backyard birds in an entertaining manner. The beautiful, bright photographs will further entice them in wanting to search their own backyard for these lovely creatures.The book is now available in paperback and will be available in hardcover in a week or two!
Perfect book for the summer! Read then spot and identify these birds in the backyard! Also, super primary teacher gift, too!
You can purchase it
here.
Hello, writer friends! I hope you are having an amazing summer. Recently I was tagged by fellow SCBWI-IL writer, Beverly Patt, to write about my writing process. Beverly is the author of BEST FRIENDS FOREVER: A WWII SCRAPBOOK and HAVEN. Check out her post about the writing process HERE!
If you would like to write about your writing process, too, let me know in the comments and I will add your link at the end of my post!
This is how I roll, dawg. This is how I do!
MY WRITING PROCESS
1. What are you currently working on?
I currently have three projects going on. I’m preparing for my next picture book release next week (WORDS ON BIRDS). I recently revisited a middle grade novel that I started co-writing with someone and we got busy and dropped it for a few years. Having fun getting back to that -over halfway done! And I am also revising a picture book I wrote in the spring.
2. How does your work differ from others in its genre?
My last couple of published projects (ROCKABET picture book and ROCK ‘N’ ROLL PRINCESSES WEAR BLACK mg) differ as their themes are rock ‘n’ roll which is a different little niche in kids lit.
3. Why do you want to write?
Writing is a creative outlet for me. I have SO many ideas that I want to put out there. I feel so accomplished when I finish a chapter, my goal for the day, or when I see a book of mine on a bookshelf! Also, being a mom and educator, I want to promote literacy any way I can, and let people know that READING ROCKS!
4. How does your individual writing process work?
I actually do not have any regular writing process. I’m more of a pantser than a planner, but my next project I am going to try to plan more. JFor picture books and poetry, I generally write in a notebook and erase, scratch out and revise as I write. Also, I enjoy being outside and it’s easier to write in a notebook instead of the laptop there! But in general, I write, revise, revise, revise, revise, and then revise like most writers!
And that is how I roll.
Don't forget to let me know if you want to join in on the fun!
HAPPY SUMMER!
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Dahlink, I translated Will Grayson last year :) I did David's part because I'm the best one in the country to translate them silly songs and poems with crazy rhymes :) It was a huge hit, my translation, not the book :)
Now, let us drool for a half an hour about Joel McHale! If it was me, I'd put my hand a lil' bit lower... cough, cough.....
I bet you rocked that translation, Dezz!!
Ha ha! I'm with you about swooning over Joel!