Reading Rock Stars

This month I will be participating in Reading Rock Stars in the Rio Grande Valley. Not only is it a great opportunity to present to the students there, but each child is gifted with one of my books after the reading. It’s exciting and fun and a pleasure to be involved in such a great event! It is sponsored by the Texas Book Festival with local support from H-E-B, the Wright Family Foundation, the Tapestry Foundation, the ECG Foundation, Target, and other generous individuals. 

 

The article in Publishers Weekly is titled, “Fall 2013 Flying Starts: Sustaining Flight.” It features twelve children’s book writers and illustrators and brief interviews with each one on their books and the journey leading to publication. Included in the list are Christopher Paul Curtis, Karen Cushman, Kate DiCamillo, and Brian Selznick among many others. How they got their start is an inspiration in itself. 

 

If you’re interested in submitting to the educational market, here is a great link with dozens of publishers that take such submissions. Click on the EvelynChristensen blog for further details. 

“Exercise the writing muscle every day, even if it is only a letter, notes, a title list, a character sketch, a journal entry. Writers are like dancers, like athletes. Without that exercise, the muscles seize up.” – Jane Yolen

Reading Rock Stars

I'm back from the Reading Rock Stars school visits in the Rio Grande Valley. It was a great experience sponsored by the Texas Book Festival, Region One, and the University of Texas Pan Am (UTPA). The children enjoyed the story about The Woodcutter's Gift and asked really good questions at the end. They always want to know where a writer gets the idea for the book, how the process works, how long does it take for a book to be published, etc.

I tell my audience that a writer is a storyteller. Everyone has a story. A writer just writes it down so that others may enjoy it. During my Power Point presentation, I showed them where I got the idea for the book, the writing process from idea to final product (publication), and what I used to do before I became a writer. Events such as these rejuvenate my spirit and make me glad I am a writer. I not only enjoyed the children and the school visits, but I met other writers as well. One came from as far away as Puerto Rico.

Author of Children's Books

I consider myself a late bloomer. Before my second career as a writer, I was an aerospace engineering technician. I loved my job; however, the only writing I did then was technical writing. Now I belong to a writer's critique group, which is an excellent way to receive constructive feedback on your writing. These sessions can help in honing one's writing skills. If a writer can find excellent critique partners like mine, thank your lucky stars. Joining writers' clubs and attending writers' conferences also opens up a whole new world for writers. Not only can you network, but you find lasting friends that share your passion for writing.

I live in Texas, and in a couple of weeks, I am going down to the Rio Grande Valley, which is close to the Mexican border to promote literacy through an annual event sponsored by the Festival of International Books & Arts (FESTIBA). My school visits are part of the Reading Rock Stars program sponsored by Texas Book Festival, which is an aspect of the FESTIBA literary event. I will keep you posted.