Beautiful

I was honored to be a part of the blog tour for Cindy Coloma - I was sent a copy of her latest book, Beautiful, and haven't been able to put it down since!  This is a riveting Young Adult read - a wonderful look at what REALLY makes a person who they are - is it how they look or could losing your beautiful looks really not be the end of the world???  It was a truly great read - with Christian underpinnings - I appreciate that in young adult novels - our teens NEED it!

Cindy was also gracious enough to add her thoughts on how to become a writer, which I think some of my readers may appreciate:


Becoming A Writer


“How do I become a writer?” It’s a question that people often ask me. 
There’s the practical response – study writing, get a degree, attend writers conferences, read read read, write most every day, perfect your manuscript, seek a reputable agent, etc. 


Then there’s the impractical – it must be your passion first and perseverance is more important than talent. 
A writer needs to be passionate about stories, about words, about living a life in a creative mode. It’s not a job that you leave at an office. In most careers, a person is not what they do, but for writers, like other creatives, writing is what we are. It’s a way of seeing the world, interacting with others, and living every day both while in front of the computer and out in life. 


Recently, I spent the weekend with a friend from high school who is also a writer. The group of people we were with kept laughing at us because we’d make up story ideas at nearly every topic the group discussed. It’s who we are. It’s a passion that runs through us like blood in our viens.


The other essential part of becoming a writer is perseverance. It’s what keeps you going through rejection, through the long lonely journey of creating a story, through having to continually rewrite and editoral reviews and the hard hard work of growing as a writer. 


How do you become a writer? Start with a writer’s heart and will. 

Cindy Martinusen Coloma
cindycoloma@gmail.com


www.cindycoloma.com
www.cindycoloma-ya.com 

Leslie Patricelli Blog Tour

When I was asked if I could be a stop on a blog tour for Leslie Patricelli - I just smiled! I can not even tell you how much we LOVE Leslie at our house! Her book, Higher! Higher!, is a constant favorite - on that Chloe asks me to read again and again!

So I was honored that I could interview Leslie as well. Here is what Leslie had to say!

When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
I wanted to be an artist before a writer. When someone asked me, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" my answer was always, "An artist!" In Junior High I refined that, and for my career day interview, I told my teacher I wanted to be a commercial artist and a ski instructor. The teacher kind of laughed at me, like "good luck, kid!" (And he didn't even know I would grow up and marry a musician!)

In college, I started to think about kids' books, since I'd loved them as a kid, and it's seemed like a perfect thing to do if you love to write and draw. I wasn't aiming for that as my career, though, mainly because I had no idea how to get there. At the University of Washington (then, at least) you got pretty pigeonholed into a major and I didn't want to do only art or only writing. I decided to major in communications and thought I might be a graphic designer, until I went to an advertising agency and a copywriter convinced me that he had the fun job. So I aimed for that, and my first job out of college was to write copy for direct mail (that's "junk mail" to everyone who's not in the industry). I learned a lot; like how to write incomplete sentences and use lots of ellipses and exclamation points!!!!!!!! (Basically to write like I was talking.) I also learned that I didn't really like going to an office every day.

Thus I began my path as a "freelance artist" – or "I don't know what I want to do, but I know I don't want to do that!" So I quit the working world and went to Italy, where I traveled, skied and worked as a nanny. I did lots of journal keeping, drawing and reading on my adventure. Before I came home, I had resolved to be a cartoonist . I started my career by self-publishing a cartoon book about the espresso craze of the early 90's in Seattle, called, 'Espresso Served Here!' My cartoon book helped me get a freelance job with Microsoft doing clip art illustrations in their children's division. This led to seven years of freelancing for Microsoft, mainly animating characters (anyone still have Rover the dog on Windows XP? He's mine!).

At Microsoft, I met career writers, animators, and illustrators. I shared an office with Kevan Atteberry, a fantastic illustrator. He told me about a Children's Book class that he had taken at the School of Visual Concepts in Seattle. I took the class, which was taught by two author/illustrators, Keith Baker and Laura Kvasnosky. In the class, I met my awesome critique group (Margaret Chodos-Irvine and Lorie Ann Grover), who helped me stay on the path of getting a book published. Six years after that, my first books came out! (Note: Be sure to look up all those author's names I just dropped, if you don't already know them, you'll find some great children's books!)

What is the story behind the first book you got published – how many tries to find a publisher, etc.?
I mentioned my cartoon book, 'Espresso Served Here!' – it was the first book that I submitted to a publisher. I submitted it to Sasquatch Books, in Seattle, twice. The first time, it was a very rough draft. When I got a rejection, I called the publisher directly and asked why they didn't want to do it. I could tell it was too rough for them to even consider it. So I finished the whole thing with final art and resubmitted it. This time they considered it, but ultimately didn't take it. I was pretty broken-hearted, but I'd learned a lot and finished the book, so I decided to self-publish it. My uncle, who owned a printing company, helped me print it. My parents helped me fund it. I had a basement full of books and I sold them all going door to door to bookstores and espresso stands. I did a second printing, but by the time I'd gotten rid of the majority of that one, I was tired of acting as a publisher. So, several years later, when I started down the road of submitting children's books, I knew I wouldn't self publish again. Some people have great success with self-publishing, but you need to be prepared wear every hat in the entire venture – sales, marketing, accounting, etc. This time, I just wanted the artist hat.

The first children's book that I put together to submit was a poetry book starring these characters I'd worked on that I called Dandelion People. I got my poems and art into a dummy (mock-up) in my book class, but I never did get the idea working well enough to submit it to a publisher. I ended up moving onto another story that I wrote and illustrated, called 'The Nut'. I sent 'The Nut' to twelve publishers and got twelve rejections. I was encouraged to receive several rejections directly from editors (Not Enough Story!). That meant my book was getting onto their desks. I also got a personal rejection by phone and the editor was interested in seeing more. Unfortunately, I didn't really have more that I thought they'd be interested in. Also, I was started on a new project, which was my son. Little did I know that a year later, he would be the one inspiring my first published books.

I started drawing my board book baby in an infant CPR class right after my son, Beck, was born. The nurse was listing all the terrible things that could happen to my new baby . She went on and on, and I started drawing pictures of this baby doing everything she was talking about – sticking forks in outlets, falling down stairs, swimming in the toilet, choking on venetian blind cords, etc. I kept drawing the baby character during different parenting situations. Then, when my son was one, and sticking everything in his mouth, and I was following him around saying, "Yucky! Yucky!" I came up with Yummy Yucky to help teach kids what they can or can't stick into their mouths. I sketched it out and decided to do two other opposite books to go with it: Quiet Loud and Big Little. I put all of my sketches into book dummies and sent them to two publishers. Both of them wanted to publish them. Good fortune!

By the way, my original Yummy Yucky submission had the baby eating all sorts of really dangerous and poisonous things on the yucky pages. It had to be toned down quite a bit for publication!

How do you choose your topics for your books?
I don't choose them, they choose me! It sounds cliche, but it's true. Ideas pop into my head and the ones I like, I eventually sketch out into my sketch book. There are plenty of unfinished ideas in my sketchbooks that will probably rest there forever. But, if one seems like it's working, and I'm enjoying doing it, I'll keep at it. Once I pursue an idea enough to send to the publisher, it is ultimately up to them which books will move forward from there.

What is your favorite food??
Hard to say, because I love almost all food (except uni sushi – I'll pass on that), but being a good (half) Italian girl, I'll pick spaghetti with Italian sausage and fresh tomato-basil sauce.

Who are some of your favorite authors?
Also hard to say, because I love so many of them. I'll stick with picture books to narrow it down. I still love my favorite authors from my childhood, Dr. Seuss, Maurice Sendak and Shel Silverstein. My favorite book as a kid, and my kids now love it, was Mog the Forgetful Cat by Judith Kerr. I think it's funny that Mog, who forgets everything, was my favorite book as a kid, because I am always spacing out and forgetting things. On the other hand, my sister's favorite book was called 'The Dead Tree', by Alvin R Tresselt, about a dead tree that spawns new life. She grew up to be an evolutionary biologist! With my own kids, I find myself re-reading Peggy Rathman, Ian Falconer, Lauren Child, Amy Krouse Rosenthal, Jon Sciezka and J Otto Siebold, to name a few recent favorites, but by no means all.

Who has inspired you as a writer?
I was initially inspired for my own board books by Lucy Cousins, Todd Parr and Nina Laden. They taught me to keep it simple. Also, all the other authors and illustrators I've mentioned in this interview!

Plans you can share for upcoming books?
My next release, 'The Patterson Puppies and the Rainy Day' comes out on November 11. It's the first book that I've done that stems from an incident in my own childhood (it has to do with lots of water and a blue carpet!). It also has far more text than anything I've done to date. They are a cute family of four little puppies - two boys and two girls. I stole the personalities of the puppies directly from my own children. I am also done with the second Patterson Puppies book, called 'The Patterson Puppies and the Midnight Monster Party', also inspired by an incident from when I was a kid. I hope to do lots more Patterson Puppies books. Right now, I am in the middle of painting two new board books, 'Tubby' and 'Potty', starring my baby character. Look for those next fall! I'm also working on a rhyming picture book about a monkey drummer, and a middle grade novel (a brand new thing for me). Lots of fun stuff!


What has been one of your favorite books to write?
The process is so different for each book that I don't really have a favorite. Sometimes, they are complete in my head before I ever sketch them out, like Higher! Higher! Sometimes I have an idea and sit down and type all the words before I draw any pictures, like 'The Birthday Box' and the Patterson Puppies books. Sometimes I start with a picture and then find a story in it, like 'Binky'. I have absolutely loved writing my middle grade novel, I am amazed to see what stories emerge from my fingertips (but I have a feeling that editing that one could be my biggest challenge yet!)

Where is your favorite spot to write?
I really don't have one, I'll write anywhere that I can when I can find the time. I can tell you where I least like to write – my desk.

Can you tell us a bit about your family….
I come from a big, giant Italian family in Seattle with lots of cousins, aunts and uncles. I have a scientist sister, Gail, who creates bird robots (really – Google her!), and a dentist dad and hygienist mom who are retired now, but still clean our teeth. They also make excellent grandparents (when they are not off traveling or having fun). I have a drummer husband, Jason, who teaches music to kids, drums with local bands, and also teaches skiing here in Sun Valley. I met Jason in college and we have three hilarious children who are growing up too fast. They are Beck (10), Tia (7) and Tatum (5). For Halloween they are going to be Pennywise the Clown from Stephen King's 'It', a giant orange Ugly Doll (which my Mom sewed – it is incredible!), and a mummy. Beck is a fantastic musician like his Dad. Tia and Tatum love to draw and create. The messes they make are unbelievable! Our house is creative, fun, loud and messy!

And her books are just as good as her interview!! I received a copy of her latest book, The Patterson Puppies and the Rainy Day - just this week to review for this blog tour. I just LOVED it! I tell you, you can't go wrong with Patricelli!! Her stories are heart warming - and ones kids WILL relate to - and her illustrations are SO fun!

Thanks again to Leslie Patricelli for appearing, courtesy of Provato Marketing, for other stops on the tour please check www.provatoevents.com.

Suzanne Collins' Fan??

Did you like The Hunger Games??
Are you waiting anxiously to read Catching Fire??
Then you may enjoy this interview.
Suzanne Collins | Borders Media

Shared via AddThis

Prayer Power

I was sent a copy of Peter Lundell's new book, Prayer Power, and asked to join the blog tour - I must say - IT IS A PRIVILEGE!! I was totally challenged by this book and am excited to share it with others. Lundell has set up his book so that you can read a portion everyday for a month - I like that - everyone has time for that! And it is packed with meat - I love some of the whole new twists Lundell puts on prayer. This book came at a good time for me - I want to grow my prayer life - and he has some great suggestions on how to do that. For me, it wasn't all information I had heard before - it was new, fresh, and full of practicality.

Here is what the publisher says:

Prayer. It's one of the most talked about subjects in religious circles. We have books, blogs and organizations focused on teaching Christ followers the correct way to communicate with God. In Prayer Power, author Peter Lundell shares his own personal struggle with communicating with God and provides insight from examples in Psalms and the gospels for Christians to examine to bulk up their prayer life. Lundell ends each chapter with growth gauges and suggested prayer activities to encourage and establish routine prayer time. You'll find his honest approach to prayer refreshing, his transparency encouraging and his instruction helpful and practical.

Here is an interview with the author - Peter Lundell:

Interview Questions

1. Many Christians don't talk about hardships with prayer. Why do you open up about the struggles you have had drawing close to God in prayer?

My first draft of the book read like an instruction manual of all the things you ought to do to be spiritual like me. I realized that the more spiritual I tried to sound, the less honest I was being. I was hiding behind my words. No reader should have to put up with all that. And besides, it was boring.

So I determined to be totally honest. I rewrote the book and openly shared my doubts, struggles, and failures, because everybody goes through the same things. And if I’m not honest with readers, how can I expect readers to be honest with others or even themselves?

I take sort of an “I mess up and you mess up, but God loves us anyway, so let’s connect with him” approach. Readers often tell me how much they identify with that. And when they read about how God still worked amazing things in my life and in others’, it gives them hope.

I’ve discovered two things: First, honesty is liberating, and I don’t want to live any other way. Second, when we stick with prayer and don’t give up, answers and victories rise from our struggles. Answers and victory never rise from pretending.

I hope to connect with readers so that they’ll in turn connect with me and the victories I’ve experienced—so that they will experience their own victories.

2. What are some of the things God has taught you about prayer over the years - especially from the perspective of your leadership roles?

It’s good to listen before I talk. If I always dive into prayer and never spend time listening, I only dump my own “give-me list” on God. But his word says in 1 John 5:14–15 that when I seek and pray according to his will, my prayer will be answered. So the key is to first get in sync with God.

We’ve got to have a hunger, or thirst, for God. Without hunger, no program or technique or anything we learn will go anywhere. But with hunger for God, we could know almost nothing and still have a great prayer life. Hunger is singularly important—which is why it’s the first chapter.

When I pray with faith and don’t get what I ask for, God will soon show me why. There is always something to learn in unanswered prayer.

3. What do you mean by "praying boldly" and how can Christians learn to do that?

Praying boldly is the opposite of excessively polite prayer and of—I’ll just say it—wimpy prayer. Praying boldly is praying without intimidation, not caring what other people think, expressing ourselves to God without concern for being appropriate or religiously correct but rather with a passion from our guts that pours out, unashamedly. Bold prayer is not arrogant. It’s humble and faithful, because of its self-abandoned focus on God and expectation of what God will do.

People often assume they must be polite or solemn before God. Nowhere does the Bible teach this. Two thirds of the Psalms are complaints, and they are not polite. Most prayers in both Old and New Testaments are bold, expectant, and to the point. When Jesus teaches on prayer in Luke 11:5–10, he talks about an obnoxious guy who bangs on his friend’s door at midnight. Then he says we should bug him the same way by continually asking, seeking, and knocking. I often wonder if God gets tired of diplomatic prayers. Why else would he actually tell us to be bold and persistent—and use examples that, if we were on the receiving end, most of us would say are obnoxious.

There’s no real method to doing this. It’s a mindset that chooses to free itself from previous assumptions and uses the Bible as a model of how to pray.

4. How can we practice the presence of God and include him in everyday tasks?

Practicing the presence of God primarily has to do with developing an attitude, a continual awareness that God is always with us, and that in turn, we always incline our attention toward him.

The first thing most of us need to do is to slow down or cut unnecessary activities from our calendar. Busyness is an enemy to practicing the presence of God. Jesus repeatedly blew off other people’s agendas for him and continually focused on his purpose for being here. Pastors who do the same are always happier, closer to God, and more effective. And when we practice the presence of God, we increase our ability to be intimate with him when times do get busy.

Here are some practices that may help develop that attitude: My last thought before I sleep and my first thought when I wake up is centered on God. When I get mad or stressed, I try to see things from God’s perspective. When I am waiting for someone, I use that time to pray. I do menial tasks with an awareness and love of God. I often have a praise song on my mind as I go through the day.

5. You're a proponent for creating a place of prayer and establishing a time of prayer. Why are these important elements for prayer?

These two disciplines are the most important external helps for maintaining a strong prayer life. Without them, our good intentions eventually drown under the assaults of busyness and distractions.

A place of prayer helps us concentrate in the face of distractions. That place could be the church sanctuary, an empty room in the house, a spot in the back yard, or even a rug laid out on the floor, on which the only thing we do is pray. The physical surroundings of a location devoted to prayer tell our brains, “Focus on God.” And if we ever feel bored or in a rut of over-familiarity with a place, a change of location can be stimulating.

Establishing a set prayer time engrains a habit of prayer into our minds, such that if we miss it, we feel anxious because something is missing or wrong—and it is! A set prayer time is not to force ourselves to pray as much as to create a boundary of protection from busyness. That boundary of time is like a protective fence around a garden, where we give ourselves freedom from intrusions to spend unhindered time with God. Preferably we’ll do this as early as possible in the morning, so we can lay the whole day before the Lord. And unlike a prayer place, I have never found benefit in changing my prayer time, so I highly recommend keeping it sacred, especially if we’re travelling or really busy. Whether short or long, this protective fence of a set time must be intentional, because no one else can do it for us.

6. What advice would you give to people who struggle with God when they pray?

True men and women of prayer will sometimes struggle in prayer, as did many figures in the Bible, like Jacob’s symbolic wrestling with the angel and Jesus’ wrestling over his fate in Gethsemane.

Like anyone else, I struggle with unanswered prayer or major decisions to do something by faith, when tragedy strikes, problems of injustice, and healings that take a lot longer than I’d like. The key is to keep struggling—don’t give up and too quickly assume something is God’s will before you know for sure. The angel commended Jacob for not giving up until he got a blessing. God the Father actually sent an angel to help Jesus wrestle in Gethsemane. Sometimes wrestling in prayer is God’s will for us.

Wrestling in prayer is actually a good thing. It draws us closer to God. And it changes us in the process. And that’s what most of us hope for!

Another awesome part of this blog tour is the GREAT giveaway package!!
Just leave a comment to be eligible to win! I will turn in all names for the big grand prize drawing!! I will send in names for the drawing on Sept. 7 - so enter before then!!

GRAND PRIZE BUNDLE INCLUDES:

(leave a comment for an opportunity to win this great package)

Prayer Power by Peter Lundell

When God Turned off the Lights by Cecil Murphey (Cec is one of Peter's mentors)

Committed but Flawed by Cecil Murphey

Also includes: Prayer Journal, Pen, and Candle

Kirby Larson

Not only was I able to interview one, but TWO magnificent authors. The second is Kirby Larson - who has written one of my favorite books, Hattie Big Sky. I asked Kirby some questions about writing and herself which she answered below.

When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

Because I was such a huge bookworm, reading all the time as a kid, writing stories felt like a natural next step. One of my favorite things was making up little plays and making my two younger brothers and sister be in them, but I always got the starring role! I had no idea that I could be a writer of books for children, however, until I was an adult. The trigger for pursuing that path was Arnold Lobel's MING LO MOVES THE MOUNTAIN. When I read that book to my then-small children, a little switch went off inside me and I knew I'd found what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I truly do hope I'm writing until I'm 99.


What is the story behind the first book you got published – how many tries to find a publisher, etc.?

This is ancient history -- so long ago, I can scarcely remember! I do remember that I began writing for children when my kids were teeny ones; maybe it was in the late 80s. My first book wasn't published until 1994. Along the way, I accumulated enough rejection letters to start a good-size bonfire -- and I'm still getting rejections! The first book that sold was a chapter book, one I was inspired to write by my daughter who loved Patricia Reilly Giff's Polk Street School Kids series. She got so frustrated when we'd read all the books out at that time. That made me realize that perhaps there was room in the market for more chapter books. . . maybe even one written by me! Before I even started the manuscript, I studied Patricia Reilly Giff's books thoroughly, even typing two of them out to help me get a feel for the rhythm, pacing and length of a chapter book. My daughter's second grade teacher was crazy about pigs so I played around with that idea and soon had a chapter book manuscript of my own, Second Grade Pig Pals. That manuscript was rejected only 4 or 5 times before Holiday House published it.


How do you choose your topics for your books?

It varies with each book. The chapter books focused on that confusing time of life, in the primary grades, when you're trying to figure out the "rules" of life, like how to be a good friend and what on earth it is that adults want from you. The Magic Kerchief grew out of my childhood love of fairy tales; Hattie Big Sky out of a curiosity about my great-grandmother's homesteading experience and the Two Bobbies out of wanting to share a story of hope in a time of trouble.


What is your favorite food??

Homemade berry pie is something I can never resist and red licorice is my favorite junk food.


Who are some of your favorite authors?

Thank you for not asking for favorite books! I hate trying to answer that question; it's really, really hard for me to select just a few. Authors I read and admire include (but are in no way limited to): Laurie Halse Anderson, M.T. Anderson, Betsy Byars, Karen Cushman, Brenda Guiberson, Karen Hesse, Laura Kvasnosky, Barbara O'Connor, Dave Patneaude, Katherine Paterson, Ann Whitford Paul, Neal Shusterman . . . and I hate the fact that in putting these names down I am omitting many, many others. The children's literature world is full of fine, fine writers and illustrators -- we are so lucky!


Who has inspired you as a writer?

My mom and dad believed I could do anything, if I set my mind to it; I am ever grateful to them for their faith. My husband carried the financial burden of our family for far too many years, all the while certain I would someday "make it." I am thankful to my kids for story ideas and for my favorite word, "Mom," and I couldn't keep writing without the support of the generous and loving community of children's book creators.


Plans you can share for upcoming books?

My friend, Mary Nethery, and I have a second book coming out in fall 2009; titled Nubs: A Mutt, A Marine and a Miracle, it tells the amazing story of an Iraqi dog and his bond with a US Marine. I am working on another (and overdue-to-the-editor) historical novel and am taking notes for a possible second story about Hattie.


What has been one of your favorite books to write?

Hattie Big Sky was my favorite to write for so many reasons: it felt like a love letter to my grandmother (and great-grandmother) and it also introduced me to research -- something I've discovered I thoroughly enjoy. The research and writing of HBS also led me to other historical fiction ideas, so I've got book ideas lined up for a ways to come.


Where is your favorite spot to write?

I have a great (and very messy) office at home which suits me well but, lately, I've been taking my laptop to a local coffee shop because I like what happens when I change up my work space and habits.


Can you tell us a bit about your family….

I have a darling and long-suffering husband who has been my sweetheart since we attended the Senior Prom together in 1972. Our son, Tyler, lives in New York and currently works for HBO though his mother is not-too-patiently waiting for the day when he also becomes a writer. Our daughter, Quinn, is an interior designer who lives with her husband, Matt, in a community about 40 minutes south of us.

Thanks again to Kirby Larson for appearing, courtesy of Provato Marketing, for other stops on the tour please check www.provatoevents.com.