More reviews and interviews

If you click the title of this post, you will be taken to Children's Books for Storytime blog and find another excellent review of State of Wilderness as well as an interview with Aidana, my illustrator. She also designed the blog's header to be reflective of the blog. Good job, Aidana.

I will have an interview posted there within the next couple of weeks (when I can find a minute to answer the questions. Keep watching for more great reviews and interviews - Mrs. E and the JGDS :)

Book Connection review

If you click the title of this post, you will be taken to a review of State of Quarries. Yes, book two is in my hands and almost out of hand already. I received the batch I ordered Friday afternoon and as of today, less than a week later, I am down to less than 10 copies (of course when you order 25 and 6 are presold, and several have sold since then, it doesn't take long for them to disappear). Remember autographed copies can be ordered through me and if you don't care if it's autographed or not, you can always order through Vivian's website. I'm sure she would be happy to get copies out to you all. Happy reading and looking forward to finishing state #3, State of Reservations. See you all in the postings - Mrs. E and the JGDS

An Invite to participate

I've been communicating with the director at one of the South Carolina Welcome Centers (Fair Play, I-85, coming into South Carolina from Georgia) and have been invited to participate in the 2009 National Travel and Tourism week, May 9th through May 17th. This particular Welcome Center will be having industry partners in the area promoting themselves on Friday, May 15th and Saturday, May 16th, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. We are allowed to distribute any promotional type item we can (brochures, coupons, business cards, et cetera; and in my case it will be bookmarks and some other things for the kids). I'm working on some ideas now - following my "Where will the adventure take you next?" theme - and hopefully I will be able to have plenty of goodies for everyone.

So if you are traveling that weekend in May between Georgia and South Carolina, stop by Saturday, May 16th, between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. and say hello to me. I'd love to meet some of my readers from other states. See you all there. E :)

State of Quarries published

As of late last night, Ms. Vivian checked the status of State of Quarries and found that it should arrive in Oklahoma by tomorrow and then she will be shipping me an order as soon as she can (Saturday or Monday) and I should have copies in my hands by the middle of next week, and hopefully no later than Friday. I can't wait to see it.

I don't know if anyone has checked out the back cover of State of Wilderness but I encourage you to do so and see if you can find which clue is depicted there. Email (eeldering@gmail.com) me with your answer and your mailing addy and I'll send you a surprise. When State of Quarries is available to you, I encourage you all to do the same thing. I'll have some surprises for anyone who emails me the answer to both books. So come on - check out the covers of both State of Wilderness and State of Quarries. Have fun - Mrs. E :)

Wacky Dream Contest from Stories for Children Magazine

I'm posting this because I think my readers and followers may enjoy writing a story for this online magazine. Stories for Children Magazine is a free magazine with stories, poems, crafts, puzzles and a plethora of illustrations for kids 12 and under (adults really enjoy it too). I've not submitted anything to them yet but who knows, maybe a short story or one of my geography games will show up in the magazine (when I find time to submit to them). Take a look - see what you can come up and enter the contest. Maybe you will be published in the magazine - Good luck - Mrs. E and the JGDS :)


Wacky Dream Story Contest at Stories for Children Magazine

Make your dreamscape come alive and write about a wacky dream you or one of your characters has had and can’t stop talking about it. It’s all about the wackiest dream, but make sure it is appropriate for children ages 12 and under.
Submissions accepted: March 1, 2009 thru May 30, 2009.

Who can enter? Two categories: one for adults and one for children (17 and under)
Contest Fees: Adults $10 / children FREE

Contest Prizes:
The Top Three stories for both categories will be published in the following months:
1st place—July 2009
2nd place—August 2009
3rd place—September 2009

On top of being published in Stories for Children Magazine, our top three winners in both categories will also receive a Winner’s Certificate and-

For Adults -
1st Place:
A year’s subscription to Writer’s Digest and Children's Writers put out by The Institute of Children’s Literature.
2nd Place:
Writer's Little Instruction Book: Craft & Technique by Paul Raymond Martin, published by Writer's Digest
3rd Place:
Writer's Little Instruction Book: Getting Published by Paul Raymond Martin, published by Writer's Digest

For Youth (17 and under)-
1st place:
The 13th Reality: The Journal of Curious Letters autographed by James Dashner, Dream Share autographed by Rita Milios, and a $10 gift card to a store of their choice
2nd place:
A 13th Reality poster autographed by James Dashner, a Dream Share button, and $10 gift card to a store of their choice.
3rd place:
A Dream Share button and $10 gift card to a store of their choice.
Judges: The SFC Team


CONTEST RULES

Specifications: Short stories for children ages 12 and under. Any original, unpublished piece not accepted by any publisher at the time of entry is eligible. Entries can take on any form of wackiness. Maximum word count is 1,200 words. (This is not including your title or byline.) NO sexual, violent, or drug related content. Winners will be selected based on quality and appeal to our readership at Stories for Children Magazine.

All entries must follow Stories for Children Magazine’s submission guidelines

All submissions must be emailed as an attachment to: SFCcontests@StoriesForChildrenMagazine.org by midnight May 30, 2009. In the subject line, write “Wacky Dream Story Contest” and indicate adult or youth category.

No mail-in entries will be accepted!

No acknowledgement of the receipt of entries will be sent.

Multiple entries are allowed, but must be sent separately.


FOR ADULT WRITERS: An invoice will be sent via PayPal for the contest fee of $10.

FOR YOUNG WRITERS (17 and under): Please follow the submission guidelines above. Plus attach the Minor Release Form


SEND ONLY ONE SUBMISSION PER EMAIL.

Good luck!



Be sure to check out the April 2009 issue of Stories for Children Magazine for the magnificent articles, stories, and Featured Guest Kevin Scott Collier’s interview.

Learn more about Stories for Children Magazine here


All the best,
VS Grenier
Founder & Owner, Stories for Children Publishing, LLC
Editor-in-Chief, Stories for Children Magazine

Stories for Children Publishing
Stories for Children Magazine
SFC Newsletter for Writers
, Voted one of the 101 Best Websites for Writers by Writer's Digest 2009
SFC: Families Matter
VS Grenier Children's Author
for information about critiques, school visits, and workshops.
Stories for Children You Tube Channel

First school visit!

I had a blast doing my first school visit with the Honea Path Elementary School after school program. I was prepared for about 70 kids but only had about 50 total between the two groups. I think the kids were receptive for the most part but it is hard to tell when there is so much going on already. I plan on posting pictures soon (need to get them from Ms. Fallaw and off Hailie's phone). I'm working on making sure my activities are geared for younger kids as well as the older ones, since this visit had me with 1st through 4th graders and it was difficult to get the older kids to really want to participate with the younger ones in their groups. I'll get it right and before you know it, the school visits will go very smoothly and all will be excited to participate. Pictures to come soon - E :)

PROMO day - coming May 9 - don't miss this opportunity

Here are some comments from previous PROMO days and how this 1-day, workshop has helped many.

I'm looking forward to presenting at this year's PROMO day and look forwad to meeting many people. I'll be doing a workshop on virtual book tours, so check out the PROMO day website and come learn something about the writing path.

Comments about past events:

Debra L. Butterfield
Debra Butterfield's website
Comments: Really enjoyed Promo Day. It was great chatting with other authors and meeting new people. I look forward to your next Promo Day. Thanks!

Lea Schizas
Lea's website
Comments: I had a blast today, Jo, and met some wonderful people. It's fun to learn about everyone's writing process and what their upcoming projects are. Thank you for hosting this and looking forward to the next one. Lea Schizas
Award-winning Author/Editor

Grace Bridges
Grace Bridges' website
Comments: Great fun! I look forward to the next one

James R. Tate
James Tate's website
Comments: Thanks for another resource for an aspiring author

Hal Manogue
Hal Manogue's blog
Comments: Hi Jo, I enjoyed Promo day. Thanks for the opportunity to meet new friends. Hal

TANNIA E. ORTIZ-LOPES
Tannia Ortiz-Lopes's website
Comments: Today I had an awesome time during Promo Day. I got to meet other writers, read about their work, check out their website, and shared our areas of expertise. The conversation were very cordial and professional. Definetely a must do again! I look forward to the next one. Jo, you did an extraordinary job. I pray God bless you with health and keep you doing what you enjoy doing... May the peace of Christ be always with you, from far away in Germany, TANNIA author of The window to my soul; My walk with Jesus Voted 2006 Best Poetry Book by Christian Storyteller

Diane the other
Comments: Wonderful idea, Jo. More nerve than I've got to host a promo, but I mainly write reviews. LOL

Tammy Powley
Tammy Powley's website
Comments: Thanks for running Promo Day, Jo!

Elaine Cantrell
Elaine Cantrell's website
Comments: I had a thoroughly enjoyable hour with you. Thanks for the opportunity.

Paul McDermott
Paul McDermott's website
Comments: Great PROMO event, lots of new points of contact .... hope to be back frequently!

Susan Watkin:
Susan's website or Susan's LULU bookstore
Comments: Jo A great idea! I hope the promo day produced some new customers for us all. Thank you Susan

Master Blackwhip:
Master Blackwhip's website
Comments: Thanks to Jo for having given to me the chance to speak abount my book :) Jo, you have done a very good job. Great!

Newsletters- do you read them?

I posted my monthly JGDS newsletter in my yahoo "newsletter" forum, which is all I can afford right now. I've been using the same look for a year now. I was wondering if you, my readers who have signed up to the forum to receive the newsletters, are reading them or not. Do you like the look? Do you tell your friends? Do you share the newsletters with others? Do you have suggestions to get more readers interested in the series? I'm open to any and all suggestions. Come on folks, hit me with everything you've got. Voice your opinions here in the comment section. All suggestions will be considered. I really need you teachers to get the word out there. These books are perfect for supplementing a US History curriculum and with the teacher's guide, supplementing several other courses too. They are quick reads and can be done in a reading circle or small group (bring out the competitiveness in your students by having them write their guess of the state along with my characters; challenge them; the winner gets a prize and the non-winners get something for participating in the discussion - be creative when using them in the classroom). I know I haven't even reached the tip of anything yet and my goal is to make sure that the books really make their way into schools in order to be something different to help kids learn about the United States in a fun way.

So come on voice your opinion and if you aren't signed up for the newsletter, how come? I need some suggestions to get more "attention" from teachers and schools especially but from the general public as well.

PROMO day presentations and FAQs

Workshops taking place during PROMO DAY 2009:

Times are shown in Central European Time.

14:00 Lael Johnson - Blogging and Journaling
15:00 John Evans - The Age of Networking: Tips and Tricks to Survive in Today's information Age
16:00 Karina Fabian - Marketing for Beginners
17:00 John Desjarlais - Finding an Agent
18:00 Carolyn Howard Johnson - Query Letters as Promotion: Let's Make Them Picture Perfect!
19:00 Elysabeth Eldering- Hosting Authors on Virtual Book Tours
20:00 Joyce Anthony - Promoting with Twitter
21:00 Ron Berry - Character websites
22:00 Devon Ellington - Creating and maintaining a successful writer's blog.
23:00 Carol Denbow - Technical Aspects
TBC Lea Schizas - What editors look for and how writers can spruce their writing

*TBC - Time to be confirmed



FAQ’s

What is PROMO DAY?
PROMO DAY is a FREE online international event for people in the writing industry. A whole day dedicated to promoting, networking and learning.

When is PROMO DAY?
This year's event takes place on Saturday, May 9, 2009.

Where does PROMO DAY take place?
PROMO day website

Who can take part in PROMO DAY?
Everyone! Avid readers, writers, authors, publishers, editors, graphic designers, virtual assistants etc… Anyone with an interest in books and writing, from anywhere in the world.

What features are available on site?
The site is packed full of opportunities for authors to promote their books. They can post a video trailer and writing sample and promote in the on site PROMO chatroom.

The sample page is also great for writers to show off their skills and maybe get a book deal or a paid writing assignment.

The useful links page is full great sites with information and resources for people in the writing industry.

The downloads page will be packed full of files containing useful information, tips and advice on a variety of subjects. These will be available for FREE download during the event.

A new feature for this year is the Radio and Podcasts page which features some great shows for writers.

Another fantastic new feature is the FREE on site workshops taking place during the event. They are presented by guest hosts who are experts from the industry and cover a variety of topics. This is a great way to learn more about the industry.

There is also an on site bookstore where people can purchase books written by the events, sponsor, workshops hosts and moderators.

The event takes place in CET time. How can I check the workshop times listed with other international times?
Simple, just go to the time difference page of the website and insert your time zone into the converter.


More coming, stay tuned!

Two noteworthy mentions

Yesterday, and yes I totally forgot, Joy Delgado posted a quick review of State of Quarries and the teacher's guide to go with it. You can read her write up here.

Since she mentioned the teacher's guide, and after reading through my emails this morning, I found that my article on creating the teacher's guides for the series (Writing Across the Curriculum, creating teacher's guides ... (subtitled by Yvonne - to Turn a One-subject-related Book into a Multi-curricula Teaching Aid for Supplementing All Subjects) is in the Writer's in the Sky newsletter this month. For the complete article, you may check it out here.

My friend, Batya, whom I idolize as a writer because she can write just about anything, also has a feature in the column. So check it out and get some great tips on being a writer, writing for schools and other things writing related.

see you in the postings - E :) (and the JGDS)

PROMO DAY coming to a computer near you soon!

MEDIA RELEASE
For immediate release

Contact info:
Jo Linsdell - Founder and Organiser
Email: promoday@ymail.com
website
Blog


THE PROMOTIONAL EVENT FOR THE WRITING INDUSTRY IS BACK!

PROMO DAY makes its return in 2009 and promises to be the best yet. Mark your calendars for Saturday 9th May 2009!

An all day, online, international event for people in the writing industry packed full of tips and advice along with a variety of opportunities for writers, publishers, editors etc to promote their work and services. Readers are also welcome to drop in and get to know the authors better in the online chatroom, view the video trailers or read the sample chapters on site.

Founder and Organiser of the event, Jo Linsdell, had this to say “PROMO DAY came about because I was looking for opportunities to promote my books using the internet at little or no cost. After attending the Muse Online Writers Conference back in 2006, I searched the internet for similar events aimed at what to do after you’ve written the book and found none. I decided to fill the void and so PROMO DAY was born. PROMO DAY is a great opportunity to network with other members of the industry, take part in online workshops and promote and best of all it’s FREE”.

New features for this year is the Official Blog for the event, PROMO day blog, where everyone can keep up to date with new announcements and information regarding the event and the official PROMO DAY book, packed full of information and resources, which will be available to buy during and after the event.
Visit the website PROMO day webesite for more details of how you can be involved.

BE PART OF THE ACTION, BE PART OF PROMO DAY!


More coming, stay tuned.