"Swallow Me, Now!" by Melissa Gijsbers - Go support a talented new author!

There's only a week left of my friend Melissa Gijsbers's crowdfunding campaign for her new kids book "Swallow Me, NOW!" It's aimed at kids aged 9-12 and is about a girl who is dealing with a new school, a new country, and a new bully. If anyone would like to support it by pledging and/or sharing, that would be awesome.

The project: http://www.pozible.com/project/184562 

She's aiming for a book launch on 25 October in Oakleigh, Victoria, but with only one week left and still only half-way there, she's going to need all of our help.

Here's the information she has posted on the crowdfunding page about the book:

"The story of the project
‘Swallow Me, NOW!’ is the story of Samantha Phillips, a ten year old kid in grade 5 who relocates back to Australia after spending three years in Nepal. On her first day she meets Felicity, the most popular girl at Green Oaks Primary School, who bullies her, first with exclusion, and then escalating to teasing. The story tells the tale of how Sam overcomes the bullies and builds her confidence to find some new friends.
‘Swallow Me, NOW!’ was written during the 2013 Chapter Book Challenge, and draws on my own experiences as a missionary kid adjusting back to life in Australia in the 1980s. I found it very hard to make friends and was bullied, mostly due to differences in experiences, but also due to a lack of confidence.
My younger son partly inspired the ending to ‘Swallow Me, NOW!’ after one incident. The teacher was reading a story about bullying where the bully and victim became best friends at the end of the book. He told me that he just wanted the bully to stop and that he didn’t want to be friends. Looking in to other stories that were available, I found similar endings, or that the bully got in trouble and changed their ways.
The other aspect I noticed was that many stories were trying to get children to solve the issue of bullying by themselves. With my story, I want to encourage children to tell someone if they or someone they know, are being bullied. They may be able to come up with a solution, however they should do this with the support of the adults around them.
My goal with this book is to give children an understanding of bullying as well as encouraging them to speak up if it’s happening to them or someone they know."

The part highlighted in red is highlighted by me to point out that, not only is this a book about bullies, intended to help kids through their own bullying problems, but it was also written during ChaBooCha!

A $6 donation helps her reach her goal and also gets you an e-book copy of the book once it's published. If you want to donate more, there is an option to buy a copy for yourself and have a second copy donated to a local school library.


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Karen Pokras Toz has written a number of children's chapter books and has been kind enough to guest post on the topic of writing them both years that ChaBooCha (the Chapter Book Challenge) has been running. So when she asked for hosts for the book blast for her new chapter book "Pie and Other Brilliant Ideas," I was more than happy to host it here.

Interview with Karen Pokras Toz

Tell us about Pie and Other Brilliant Ideas.

“Pie” is really two stories in one book. First it is about 12 year old Georgie Harris. Georgie’s family just moved to a new town to be closer to her grandmother, Jane, who recently moved to a nursing home. Because of the move, Georgie’s family can no longer afford to send her to dance lessons. Instead, Georgie spends most of her time baking pies to bring to her visits with her grandmother. The second story in the book is about Eve – Georgie’s grandmother’s roommate, who we quickly learn was a ballerina in Russia “back in the day.” Not only that, Eve studied and danced with a world famous ballerina named Paulina. Georgie loves to visit Eve and hear stories about what it was like to study ballet in a different time and country, and especially what it was like to dance with the great Paulina Strofsky.

What inspired you to write this book?

I grew up dancing and now two of my three children dance. I knew I eventually would write a book about dance – it was just a matter of time. I began writing Pie while waiting for my daughter to go on stage at one of her dance competitions last winter. The book originally was going to be about the competitive dance circuit – but turned out much differently once I got to know my characters (which is usually the case).

Are you working on anything new at the moment?

Of course! I’ve just started writing the 4^th (and final) Nate Rocks book – Nate Rocks the City. Normally, I write my Nate books pretty fast, but I find myself procrastinating on this one. I’m sure it’s because I just don’t want to say goodbye. I’m also working on another Adult Contemporary novel called “Woven Wishes” to hopefully be released this time next year.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I’m a writer? LOL. It still sounds odd for me to call myself that. I don’t know what I am. I’m a mom, and I write. Sometimes if someone asks me what I do, I’ll say I write children’s books (even though now I also write adult books, too). But I have yet to say, “I’m a writer.” I guess after six books, it’s time, huh?

When and how do you find time to write in your daily life?

All three of my children are in school all day, so I try to squeeze in some writing time then. Of course, I always think I’m going to have hours and hours to myself to write, but after I get done doing the million other things on my “to-do” list, there are some days where it is hard to fit it in. Sometimes I just have to put everything aside, and remind myself that this is my job now. It helps that I love to write.

Any advice to aspiring writers looking to self publish?

Be prepared to put in a lot of time and effort – and time – and effort. You need to think of your book as a product, and yourself as a brand. As such, you need to put out the best product possible, and be prepared to compete in a very competitive market. This means – (a) write the best book you can possibly write, (b) put together a test market/group of beta readers, (c) have your book professionally edited, (d) have a professional cover made, (e) have your book professionally formatted, (f) put together a marketing/business plan – and most importantly, keep writing and improving your craft.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

I don’t know if it’s a quirk, but I have to have coffee, I need silence, and I don’t outline. I generally have a very loose story idea and then let my characters guide me. Sometimes (like in Pie and Other Brilliant Ideas) the story goes in a completely different direction, and sometimes (as is the case with most of my Nate Rocks books) I have to steer my characters in a particular direction (Nate tends to get a little out of control.) Also, I always like to have a title in place before I start writing. I don’t know why – maybe that’s my quirky thing.

Of all the characters you have written, who is your favorite? 

Well now, that’s like asking me which of my three children is my favorite! So, no, I can’t really answer that one. I will tell you this – I had a great time writing Millicent Marie Is Not My Name, and I get a lot of requests to write more books about her. I don’t think I will, but she does live on with her very own blog on my website.

Is there a writer that you would love to co-write a book with?

It is no secret that I am a huge Judy Blume fan. Whenever someone compares my writing style or one of my books to her, I feel like I’ve hit the lottery (not in a monetary sense, but in a self-fulfillment sense). I recently (as in last year) sent her a fan letter (read – stalker letter) and was thrilled when I received an email back from her assistant wishing me well. However, I’m pretty sure I was put on some sort of ‘crazy lady stalker fan stay away from’ list. But – just in case they are reading this (In a ‘we should really be monitoring this nutjob’ sort of way)  well then ... Judy – call me ...

Do people judge a book by its cover? Who makes yours?

Yes, I do think so, and I also hope so! Now before you think I’m tooting my own horn – don’t. I do not make my own covers. I’m not nearly talented enough (in fact, I have zero artistic talent.) It was only by shear luck that I met my amazing cover artist Deana Riddle of Bookstarter.com. She is the genius behind the incredible artwork that I am fortunate enough to have on my covers. Thank you, Deana!!

What is your greatest challenge as an author?

Time. Writing is only half the battle – and if you really want to break down the time, it’s probably only a quarter of the battle. The other three-quarters is marketing and there is not enough time in the day to market and write. If you are also self-publishing you have the challenge of distribution thrown into the mix and the problem of having upfront costs to deal with – as you can see, there are many challenges – but there are also many rewards.

Tell us your most rewarding experience since being published.

Hearing from readers – whether through parents, educators, or the kids themselves. Nothing makes me happier than getting a note (whether it be via email, a tweet, on FB, through my website, through my blog, etc) that says my child usually hates to read, but I can’t get them to put your book down! THAT is what it is all about to me.

What is the best advice anyone has ever given you?

Two things really: When I first started writing my adult contemporary novel Chasing Invisible (titled “invisible” at the time) it was the first anything I had ever written. I hired a writing coach to read through the first few chapters and give me advice. She told me it was awful. (Don’t worry - I have since re-written that story more times that I can count & I am proud to say it recently won an award!) Anyway – she told me that I had a very young voice, and I should consider writing books for kids. I had never considered this before, but I put invisible to the side, and started working on Nate Rocks the World. That was awesome advice, don’t you think?

The next piece of advice I received was when I proudly handed Nate Rocks the World over to my editor – she said, “I know you are tired and want to take a break – but don’t. Start writing the next book.” I didn’t. But, it was great advice, and it’s something I do follow now as I finish up each book.

Can you see yourself in any of your characters?

I get asked this question a lot. Now that I have several books out, you may notice a trend with my kids’ books. They all have moms who have “issues.”  For example... Nate’s mom is a terrible cook and homemaker, Millie’s mom is a little bit of a shop-a-holic, and now Georgie’s mom is a little high strung. Let me say this. They may or may not be based on me. That’s all I’m saying.

What is something people would be surprised to know about you?

While I have always loved to read, writing was always my worst subject in school. I was always a math/numbers person. In college I took calculus and differential equations for fun (and they were!) I worked as a tax accountant until just recently and only started writing a few years ago. I have no explanation for why I suddenly felt the urge to start writing, but now that I’ve started, I can’t stop!

I hope you’ve enjoyed learning a little about me and my books – thanks for having me on your blog!

The story will grab you from page one, and keep you mesmerized until the last page. ~ Kristy James

My nine year old daughter and I enjoyed it very much. ~ Gman Writes

From the Award Winning Author of Millicent Marie is Not My Name

Ballet and baking pies – these are two of twelve year old Georgie Harris’ favorite things. When her parents decide to move closer to her grandmother’s nursing home, Georgie quickly learns the bad news: dance lessons are too expensive in this new town. 

Georgie spends most of her time baking pies to bring to her grandmother at the Willow Lakes Nursing Home. There she meets Eve, who inspires Georgie with stories of having danced with a world famous Russian ballerina many years ago.

As Georgie and Eve’s friendship evolves, their tales intertwine in this feel good story showing dreams really can come true.

Buy at Amazon and B&N

Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A GWR Publicity promotional event paid for by the author. Giveaway is sponsored by the author who is responsible for the delivery of prize.The Chapter Book Challenge received no compensation for this post. 

 
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Eve Hallows Blog Tour Stop & Author Interview

 I've been invited to be a part of the Eve Hallows Blog Tour Stop, hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer.
 Eve Hallows and the Book of Shrieks and the other books in the Nightmare series are written by Robert Gray. He kindly offered to answer a few questions for me to share with you.

What made you decide to be a writer?

I've always been the type that when I like something I need to understand how that something works. I love books, and I love the connection between the mind and the written word. In order to understand that connection better, I started writing.  And the deeper I dug around, the more I wanted to write. 

 

Where did the idea for the Eve Hallows books come from?

The basic premise, that of a human girl raised by monsters and living in a monster world, came from my childhood love of monsters.   

 

Are there plans for more books in the series?

Yes, I'm currently working on the third book in the Nightmare Series, which is called Eve Hallows and the Book of Shivers.  It'll be available summer 2013.  

 

What is your favorite part about being a published author?

The writing. It's what matters to me most. Everything else, the good and the bad, is secondary.

I must admit that I haven't read this book yet so I can't tell you what I think of it yet. It sounds great though and I am looking forward to reading it! If you haven't already, pop on over to the Eve Hallows Book Blast and 450 Giveaway post.


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Writing: Growing Your Platform

This is my post for Day 19 of the Author Blog Challenge.



What are the three most important things you are doing to grow your platform?

I have been blogging for years now, and it does help grow my platform. However, when I first started out, my blogs weren't getting very many views. I just wasn't getting enough people to read my blogs. That's when I found Twitter, and eventually, through my Twitter contacts, I found Facebook.

Blogging, Facebook, Twitter and other social media are great ways to grow your platform. But there are a few things that are even more important.

1. Interact with your readers. If someone comments on your blog, respond to them, even if it's just to say "Thank you." Don't ignore your "friends" on your Facebook profile or your "likers" on your Facebook page. Interact with them, ask them questions and care about what's going on with them.

2. Care about your readers and offer them quality content. If you talk down to your readers, they will lose respect for you, and if you don't offer them quality content to read, they will not bother to continue reading what you write. You have to care about them for real, not just see your readers as a potential revenue source. The people who connect with you through social media are not stupid and they can tell if you don't care about them.

3. Be honest with your readers. Be polite and respectful at all times, but within those parameters, you need to be honest with your readers. Your readers can be uncannily intuitive, so don't underestimate them by hiding yourself. They need to be able to sense your voice in your writing, and that isn't going to happen unless you are honest with them and with yourself.



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Writing: Your Book's Blurb

This is my post for Day 18 of the Author Blog Challenge.





Who did/could you ask to write a blurb for your book? Why that person/people? How did/will you go about reaching them?

I haven't put that much thought into who I could or will ask to write a blurb for my books. I have some friends who are published authors who I could ask. I would only ask them if they were published within the same genre as my book.


It would be a dream come true to get a well-known author to write a blurb for my book. I have some well-known authors as "friends" on Facebook and as "followers" on Twitter, but some are not as interactive as others.


Ideally, I would love to get to go to some writing conferences in the future and meet some of these authors in person. Right now, my budget just can't afford a trip and conference. Also, my children are still too young for me to leave them. (My husband can handle them, but he'd have to take time off from work.)

It is important to find the right person/people for the blurb. It has to be someone within the same genre in order for them to have a better chance of being recognized by your readers. Also, if they write in the same genre, they will have a better grasp of what is expected from your book.

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Writing: Targeting Your Market

This is my post for Day 17 of the Author Blog Challenge. (I have been following each day's prompts, but the past two or three prompts started to get mixed up. I would read one day's prompt only to see it being referred to as a different day's prompt in the next e-mail, so I'm a little confused on what days I am supposed to use which prompts. I have just been doing each one in order and hoping that it is on the correct day.)




Describe the market for your book – to the tiniest detail (e.g., childless divorced women past age 50 who want to remarry). Why that demographic? How do you connect with them to market to them?


For my fiction novels, I am targeting the Young Adult market. Several of them are written for the older age group within that audience, older teens and 20-somethings. They are aimed at girls; all of my main characters are girls. Of course, as many have noticed with recent YA books, these books often appeal to married women with children and 30-something single women and others. The Young Adult market is becoming wide open and appealing to a much wider variety of audiences. My first 5 children were all girls, so I spent decades raising all girls before I gave birth to my boys. I think this is a big reason why writing for female markets has always come so easily to me.


Some of my fiction novels are marketed to younger teens, and that is the very specific audience they are aimed at. They will hopefully appeal to 12 to 16 year olds. This is different from the children's chapter books that I am writing. Those books are aimed at 8 to 12 year olds. My children's chapter books are aimed towards girls, so far, in that all of my main characters are female.  My children who are of the age to read these books are girls and that is why female characters have come so easily to me.


I have also written some children's picture books. Some of them are aimed at very young children, from 2 to 4 years old and some of them are aimed at slightly older children, from 4 to 6 years old. I am still working on honing my craft when it comes to writing picture books. There is a lot more to the genre than one might notice at first glance. The ideas for the picture books came to me through inspiration from my children. As a mother of 7, I have been given loads of inspiration from my children over the years. I used to read my children stories at bedtime (when they were young) and still do. Sometimes, I would make up a story to tell them instead of reading them a book. They loved these "made-up stories" best of all and frequently asked me for them instead.


I do have an idea for a children's chapter book for boys, but as I am working on so many other writing projects at the moment, I have set this idea to the side for now and will re-visit it later, when more of my other projects are complete. The idea came from my 5 year old son. He asked me to create a superhero to write about. In a few years, he will be reading chapter books, so I came up with a superhero to write a story about for a chapter book.


My non-fiction books is aimed at anyone who wants to lose weight and live a healthy lifestyle. There is no specific age group, as I know from experience that there are people from all walks of life who need to change their eating and exercise habits.


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Join the Chapter Book Challenge 2012!

Those of you who have been following this blog know that I have been joining challenges and submitting my writing to competitions quite often lately. The most recent challenges I have joined are the 12 x 12 in 2012 challenge and the Picture Book Marathon. Well, I am adding to that list now, and I want you to come and join me.

As you already know, I am currently working on three different YA paranormal novels,  and many children's picture books. There is another type of book that I have been wanting to try my hand at, in part, because I have children who are the right age for this type of reading - the children's chapter book.

Yes, I know and have read about what a difficult market it is to break into, but I don't really care about how difficult it is to be successful at writing and publishing a chapter book. I just want to write one of the chapter books that have been sitting in my mind whispering "write me" whenever I have a quiet moment.

During NaNoWriMo last November, I managed to write 50,000 words in 14 days and finished with 75,180 words for the month. A chapter book uses considerably less words than that, and so I am hoping that I will not only be able to finish a complete chapter book by the end of the month, but also be able to do a serious amount of editing on it. This will also be a learning process for me as writing a chapter book is a far different process tha writing a novel for an older teen or adult.

And that, in a nutshell is what the Chapter Book Challenge is all about. The goal is to write a complete chapter book in the month of March, starting on March 1st and finishing on March 31st.  I am running this challenge, but be kind to me as I have never run one of these before. I already have some prizes ready to be awarded during the challenge, and will be setting up the terms for being in the running to win the prizes soon.

I've even lined up a published children's chapter book author for a guest post/interview on the Chapter book Challenge blog. I am working on getting guest posts and interviews from more professionals in the industry to help all of us along during this challenge.

I would love for you to sign up for the challenge. The official sign-up form can be found here. (You need to be signed up through the official form in order to be eligible for the prizes.) You can also sign up for the Chapter Book Challenge Facebook page where I will post useful links as I come across them and our Chapter Book Challenge Facebook group where we can all help each other out with ideas, tips and general conversation about our chapter books.

Now that you know about the challenge, I dare you to join us! You won't regret it!

If you are a published chapter book author already or an agent who deals in chapter books or has in the past dealt with them, then I am asking you to please join us and offer your help with a guest post and/or interview.

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