Friday, November 30, 2012

Recommended Reading - Little Isaac's Big Adventure



Little Isaac's Big Adventure, by Tracy Schuldt Helixon, is the charming tale of a young boy who plays on a swing and eventually swings so high that he finds himself up in the clouds.  Children will delight in this fanciful story which is sure to stir excitement and illuminate imaginations.   Illustrations by Jack Foster bring life to the amazing adventures of little Isaac who encounters the most extraordinary events as he floats  above the clouds.

Little Isaac's Big Adventure earns the Literary Classics Seal of Approval. 

LITERARY CLASSICS Book Reviews & Awards http://literaryclassicsreviews.com

Award Winning Author, Joyce Shor Johnson



HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WRITING? I have been writing for as long as I can remember. I know this sounds cliche, but it is true.

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO BEGIN WRITING? Words. --I love words and how they fit together.

WHAT WAS THE INSPIRATION BEHIND YOUR AWARD WINNING TITLE, THE CASTING? An evening with close friends talking about ancient history and technology. Okay, I'll just say it...I'm a geek!



IS THIS YOUR FIRST BOOK? The Casting is my first published book. I have another completed and am working on a third.

DO YOU HAVE ANY NEW BOOKS IN THE WORKS? Yes, I do. HOUSE OF GIRLS, but no there is no release date as this time.


TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF: I write middle grade and young adult novels. I'm fascinated by ancient technology and love to travel the world. Some of the amazing places I have been include honeymooning in Africa, going to the top of the Schilthorn, in Switzerland where the James Bond Movie, On Her Majesty's Secret Service was filmed, exploring the salt mines in Saltzburg, Austria, and boating on a crocodile infested river in Costa Rica.

TELL US SOMETHING INTERESTING THAT OUR READERS MIGHT FIND FASCINATING ABOUT YOU: I'm adopted. and twenty years ago, was invited to appear on the Geraldo Rivera show for an episode on reuniting with my birth parents, I turned it down. I met them privately instead.

WHAT DO YOU MOST ENJOY DOING IN YOUR SPARE TIME? Traveling! I want to go everywhere and see everything. I'm just naturally curious and love to explore.

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE TV SHOW/MOVIE? I'd rather read!

WHAT CHALLENGES DO YOU FACE AS AN AUTHOR? Time! There is never enough time in the day to write without interruption.

DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR OTHER ASPIRING AUTHORS? Read everything. Even in genres you may not like. You never know when you'll come across a solution to a dilemma.

CAN YOU OFFER ANY TIPS ON GETTING PUBLISHED? Rejection stinks! But it is not you getting rejected, it is the story. So revise, revise, revise after a rejection. You will improve what you have.

IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE WITH OUR READERS? I'd love to hear from any readers. So you can follow me @thewritejoyce or contact me through my blog at http://thewritejoyce.blogspot.com

LITERARY CLASSICS Book Reviews & Awards http://literaryclassicsreviews.com

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Author Spotlight - Nancy Stewart

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WRITING? I’ve done scholarly writing my whole professional life.  I began writing for children about seven years ago.

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO BEGIN WRITING? 
As a university professor teaching Children and Young Adult Literature, I always loved kids’ books!  About seven years ago, I became inspired to write a series of conservation books about two little girls called Bella and Britt.  As we have a condo right on the gulf, I found my ideas from long early morning walks along one of the most beautiful bodies of water in the world.  The rest is author’s history!

WHAT WAS THE INSPIRATION BEHIND YOUR AWARD WINNING TITLES?
The inspiration behind One Pelican at a Time was the horrible gulf oil spill of 2010.  In seeing so many of the noble pelicans fishing in the mornings, it was natural to write a book about helping keep them safe, so it was Bella and Britt to the rescue. I have to say that my publisher, Lynda Burch, of Guardian Angel Publishing, saw the absolute importance of such a book and threw herself into it with such vigor and dedication, that Pelican was the first U.S. children’s book about the spill to be published. Sea Turtle Summer concerned the girls’ finding a mother Leatherback sea turtle on the beach and setting about to save her nest. But what a journey they undertake to do it!  More inspiration from living along such a magnificent but fragile body of water.



HAVE YOU PUBLISHED ANY OTHER BOOKS?
Katrina and Winter:  Partners in Courage was published by Guardian Angel Publishing in March, 2012.  The next two Bella and Britt books (Bella Saves the Beach and Mystery at Manatee Key) will arrive soon!


DO YOU HAVE ANY NEW BOOKS IN THE WORKS?
The next two Bella and Britt books will be published soon.  Bella Saves the Beach will be launched within the next several months.  Mystery of Manatee Key, a real mystery where Britt alone has to solve the crime of missing manatees, as Bella and the ranger have been kidnapped!

Bella Saves the Beach will be launched within the next several months.  Mystery of Manatee Key, a real mystery where Britt alone has to solve the crime of missing manatees, as Bella and the ranger have been kidnapped!


TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF:
One of the most important aspects of my life are my three sons, two of whom are twins.  It’s remarkable how children shape who you are as well as you them. Having lived in London for ten years, I was a consultant to the University of Cambridge. I’ve been so fortunate to have literally traveled around the world and back again and strive for those experiences to flow through my books.  I have been a teacher of children and a university professor of education.  Besides writing every day, I speak at and attend writing conferences across the US.

TELL US SOMETHING THAT OUR READERS MIGHT FIND INTERESTING ABOUT YOU:
I adore orchids and cannot get enough of the sumptuous plants!  Luckily, Florida is a wonderful place for them, so they can easily be tucked into a shady spot outside.

WHAT DO YOU MOST ENJOY DOING IN YOUR SPARE TIME?
I thoroughly enjoy lunch and/or dinner with good friends.  Having taken a Cordon Bleu course in London, cooking is important to me.  My husband and I love to entertain and do so frequently.  Travel is crucial in my life.  Not only is it an expansive thing to do, it helps store away vignettes for books in a way, for me at least, nothing else can do.  

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE TV SHOW/MOVIE?
In terms of an hysterically funny film, I have to say The Producers is still my favorite.

HAS YOUR BOOK RECEIVED ANY OTHER AWARDS? (IF SO PLEASE LIST, IF NOT, LEAVE BLANK)
One Pelican at a Time received a Readers Favorite 5 Star Award.

WHAT CHALLENGES DO YOU FACE AS AN AUTHOR?
For me the largest challenge is to stay fresh and timely no matter what genre I am happening to write.  By that I mean, the research has to be impeccable, the characters believable and authentic and the story tight. 

DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR OTHER ASPIRING AUTHORS?
Don’t work in a vacuum.  Join a critique group and attend!  Write every day, and listen to your inner self as you do.  Be aware of how you write.  I’m convinced that awareness is the major way one develops and understands his/her “voice.”  Don’t fall in love with your own words.  What do I mean by that?  If a particular passage or paragraph is precious to you, and you cannot let it go, chances are it needs to go!  It may be too expository or grown-up for the story.  Not always, of course, but keep an open mind…And last:  Do not give up!  Those writers who have staying power are the ones who get published.  As simple and complex as that.  

CAN YOU OFFER ANY TIPS ON GETTING PUBLISHED?
Know the genre that’s right for you.  Don’t follow market trends.  Remember, the trends that are out there now may not be in vogue by the time your book is finished, agented, edited and published, all of which can be two to three years…Write from your heart. Be authentic.  Above all, that’s what it takes to be published.

IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE WITH OUR READERS?
Just a big thank you to all the readers out there.  It is you folks who not only keep us in business but keep ideas and ideals alive in the hearts and minds of the most important people on earth-children.

And a big thanks to Literary Classics International Book Awards for allowing me the opportunity to be in such august company!

For autographed copies of Nancy Stewart's Books visit: 
http://www.nancystewartbooks.com     http://www.nancystewartbooks.blogspot.com


LITERARY CLASSICS Book Reviews & Awards http://literaryclassicsreviews.com