I had a chance to visit with Yvonne about her new series, and here are her answers.
1. Tell us a little bit about your series, Yvonne.
The Sid Series ~ A Collection of Holistic Stories for Children is a collection of body-mind-spirit stories that focus on life skills such as overcoming fear, helping others, being true to one’s self, following inner guidance, caring for the body, having self-worth, appreciating diversity, dealing with change, accepting pet death, being environmentally conscious, and using spiritual gifts. http://TheSidSeries.com
- Sid’s Fairy ~ Learning about Inner Guidance teaches children to meditate and sense the small voice of guidance inside.
- A Stormy Adventure ~ Facing the Fear of Storms. How have you overcome your fear of storms or the fear of something else?
- The Pirate’s Treasure ~ Finding Treasure Within. What is the greatest treasure and where is it found? How did you find it?
- You Can Be! ~ Understanding Destiny and Making Choices. What would you like to be when you grow up?
- Ask Your Body ~ Understanding the Body’s Needs. Do you know what your body needs to be healthy? How are you helping meet your body’s needs?
- A Ghost in My Closet ~ Communicating with Angels. Have you ever seen or heard a ghost or angel? What did he or she say or do? Do you hear your inner guidance?
- A Powerful Potion ~ The Power of Imagination. Do you believe in magic? Have you ever witnessed a miracle?
- My Friend’s Skin ~ Accepting and Appreciating Diversity. Do you have friends of a race different than your own? What do you like best about that person? What have you done to show love to someone who is not like you?
- Puppy Love ~ Dealing with the Death of a Pet. Has a pet or someone you love died? What does it mean to die? Tell about your experience.
- Old Things New ~ Learning About Recycling. Do you recycle? What are you doing to keep the earth clean and safe?
- Always Be Honest ~ Learning to Tell the Truth. Have you ever told a lie? How did it make you feel? How did you resolve the situation?
- Making Room for Brother ~ Coping with Family Changes. Has your family gone through a big change? Perhaps a new person came into your life, or maybe someone moved out of your home. Tell or draw what happened.
2. Yvonne, what inspired you to write The Sid Series?
Spending time with my first-born grandson, Sidney, opened communication about some pretty “adult” topics that many parents and teachers are hesitant to discuss with children. I started writing the stories when Sid was about three years old. He and I regularly enjoy one another’s company and now that he’s almost nine years old, he has started helping me write the stories for a future book. By sharing the stories in The Sid Series I hope to reinforce and enhance these and other life lessons for other children and parents.
3. I see that the print version of the book includes all the stories, so they are basically short stories. How long does it take you to write the stories themselves?
Yes, the printed book is a collection of short stories that can be read to younger children or read alone by children who have obtained a second grade reading level.
The stories only take a few minutes to write once the idea comes to me, but the process of bringing them to the market is much longer because it involves working with illustrators and having a knowledge of the publishing industry. And since I self-published, I worked with a graphic designer to set up the files for Lightning Source.
4. Writing a series takes a lot of time. You are busy with many other writing related things. How do you find the time to write a series with everything else you have going on? What do you do to balance family, writing and life in general?
I’m in front of the computer working 50+ hours a week because I’m either marketing my business or books, or I’m doing writing/editing work for clients. When I take on an extra project such as writing and publishing my own books, I have to work nights and weekends to get it all done. I still manage to spend time with my family, but it takes some pre-planning and organization.
5. How are you marketing the series? What kind of book events are you participating in to get the word out about your series?
This interview is the last day of a 31-day virtual tour in which I participated as a guest blogger on about 20 blogs. I’ve also used video, audio, media releases, and flip-book widgets during the tour.
Next comes my children’s art showcase for which I am inviting kids (ages 3 through 9) to send their original work that demonstrates a lesson he or she has learned by reading The Sid Series.
This is NOT a contest. I don't believe children should be judged or rejected for their heart-felt creativity. Instead, every piece of artwork I receive will be included in an e-book and given to each participant. I will post more information about the art showcase on the book marketing blog I am using to launch The Sid Series: www.OnlinePromotionMadeEasy.com
6. Is there anything else you would like readers to know?
I encourage children to start working now on their art or writing for the art showcase. You may send it to me between December 26, 2009 and January 25, 2010. I plan to have the e-book ready February 5 so folks can give it as a Valentine’s gift! Check out The Sid Series at http://TheSidSeries.com
Thanks for visiting the JGDS, Ms. Yvonne. Good luck with your series and hope you have had a great book tour. Mrs. E and the JGDS
