Join Us on BlogTalkRadio's World of Ink Network show Stories for Children

The Stories for Children show is on Mondays and hosted by Mom's Choice and Award-winning Author Virginia S Grenier, who is joined weekly by guest authors to talk about writing for children and/or their favorite children's/YA books. Grenier, with her guests, hope to not only share their love of the written word, but also what makes a good book for young readers and much more.


This week on Monday May 19, 2014 at 3pm Pacific - 4pm Mountain - 5pm Central - 6pm Eastern, Grenier will be joined by two members of the Utah Children's Writers blog team.

Our guests are: 
Scott Rhoades has enjoyed writing since he was about five years old, when he used to make his own books by tracing pictures and making up stories to go with them. He especially enjoys writing stories set in the Middle Ages. He was a technical writer for Novell, Inc. from 1992 to 2007, after starting his career at Atari in 1988. He currently runs his own company, Write Field Documentation Services, LLC. He is also on the Board of Directors of The Tiferet Center, a center for Jewish education, ritual, and community service based in Vermont. Learn more at http://www.scottrhoades.com/index.html

Julie Daines spent eighteen months in London where she studied and fell in love with English Literature, Sticky Toffee Pudding, and the fellow who ran the kebab store around the corner. After editing for other authors, she decided to take up writing again--this time in the young adult genre. Learn more at http://www.juliedaines.com/

Writers are invited to call-in during the show at (714) 242-5259 or join us in our chatroom located on the show page (http://www.blogtalkradio.com/worldofinknetwork/2014/05/19/utah-childrens-writers--the-stories-for-children-show)!

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Listen in Monday May 19th at 4pm Mountain at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/worldofinknetwork/2014/05/19/utah-childrens-writers--the-stories-for-children-show

Author Interview with Mom's Choice Award-winning author Camille Matthews

Tell us a little about you: I live in Reading PA along with the real Quincy. I am a clinical social worker and equine assisted growth and learning specialist. The real Quincy, who inspired the Quincy the Horse books when he was 7 is now 24 years old. He is an American quarter horse who was a trail riding horse for many years and is a mainstay of my equine therapy program.

Tell us about your book: It is called Quincy and Buck. It is the third book in the Quincy the Horse series. In this book I tackle the problems of overcoming fear and dealing with a bully. Quincy dreams of trail riding in the desert near his home but he is afraid of meeting wild animals out on the trail. His friend, Beau, an old horse who has done everything, explains to him that he will never become brave if he stays home, so he goes on his first trail ride. He hopes to find a trail buddy who will guide him but the horse he chooses turns out to be a bully. Over the course of the ride, he discovers that he is more confident than he imagined and that Buck is afraid underneath his façade of strength. The story of the day’s ride along with the illustrations takes kids into the desert of the Southwest which has breathtaking scenery. 

How did you find your publisher? I decided to self-publish the Quincy the Horse series. I did this initially because I wanted to have control over the entire project including the illustrations which were a very important part of the vision that I had for the books.
 

What do you like about them?  What I have liked about self-publishing is the chance to have so much input into the creation of each book. The illustrator Michelle Black was actually the one who encouraged me to do it and we have had a close collaboration on all the aspects of the process.

Do you have any advice for writers looking to get their first works published? Since I have not worked with a traditional publisher, I cannot compare. Self-publishing requires a huge commitment of energy. Over the 6 years that I have been doing this I have seen a huge change in how small independent publishers are accepted and there are many more resources for reviews and coop marketing.  However the vertical integration of publishing, sales and distribution makes it very hard for the independent on the business side of the equation.

What is your favorite type of book to read and why? I love British mysteries. I suppose I love the puzzle and suspense but it is also fun when there are ongoing characters to follow. I recently reread the entire series of mysteries written by PD James.

When did you first start writing? I have always loved writing and keeping a journal but writing a set of children’s books is an entirely new venture which I started about 6 years ago

What inspired you to start writing? The year before I wrote the first of the Quincy Books I participated in a training to learn how to do Equine Assisted Psychotherapy. EAP works because the client observes, interacts and empathizes with the horse/s. In the midst of the training program I had the idea of creating a series of books for children about Quincy’s adventures because the things he experienced were things that children also face. I thought they would be able to identify with Quincy and therefore learn more about the world of relationships and their own feelings and problems.

Have you ever gotten writers block or gotten stuck while writing?  Yes.

Do you have any tips for overcoming this? I try not to force it but just get involved in other activities until I reconnect with my writing voice. One activity that helps is cleaning the stalls in my barn. If it works and I reconnect, I try to sit and write things down asap.

How did you come up with the title and the story idea of your book? The events recounted in Quincy and Buck really happened and I always thought about using them for one Quincy’s adventures. Originally I was focused on the problem of Quincy’s fears and doubts which is a theme throughout the series. In the midst of writing the story I saw more ways to highlight Buck as a character and explore the theme of bullying and the fact that bullies are afraid underneath their façade of strength. I thought the title would illustrate that the book was about their relationship rather than just a story about Quincy.

What was your favorite part to write and why? I loved writing about the desert and the beginning of the trail ride. I am really happy with the way the description of Quincy’s actual experience of walking in the sand wash and his tripping on the rocks brings the trail ride alive for the reader. It also puts me back there and brings back happy memories as that was one of my favorite trails in New Mexico.

Describe your favorite writing spot. I had a study in my home in New Mexico with a picture window that looked out into the yard and the pasture where the horses were. I had my computer and also an old photo printer. As Michelle Black would send me photos of the paintings, I would print them out and then cut and tape them together with the printed text to make a mock up of the finished book.

What made you decide to write young/middle grade/YA readers? Having illustrations that were beautiful paintings of the horses was a crucial part of my vision for the series so that led to children’s picture books rather than chapter books.

Are you a re-reader or do you normally just read a book one time through? My old favorites are definitely re-read.

Besides writing, what are some of your other hobbies? I love to garden and have spent the last few years building an extensive organic garden and chicken keeping area on my farm. I also love photography.

Do you have any advice to give to aspiring writers? Write about what you know and love and write down everything.

What would be one thing you would be lost without? My animals and the joy and structure of my daily life with them.

Describe your idea of 'the best day ever: It would  be a fall day with cooler temps and I would harvest vegetables in the morning, do some cooking and then ride. I would have everything on my to do list caught up of course.

Is there anything that you would like to say to your readers and fans? I hope they enjoy Quincy and Buck. It may be my favorite Quincy book and I am excited to share it. I also hope that parents find that this book is a good way to start a conversation about fears, bullies and problems and a chance to reinforce that asking for help is always ok.

Where can readers find out more about you and your books? Our website is quincythehorse.com and my blog is pathfinderpursuits.com. I can be reached directly through the contact form on our website if anyone has specific questions or requests. We also have a great Facebook community at facebook.com/quincythehorse. Quincy’s previous adventures are Quincy Finds A New Home and Quincy Moves to the Desert.

The End of an Era

Maurice Sendak, one of the world's greatest children's authors, passed away today. It truly is the end of an era for children's literature. Maurice was a pioneer in children's illustrations and writing.

What is your favorite book by Maurice Sendak?


Read the NY Times article HERE.

Celebrations: Walter Farley

I remember being five years old and working my way through Little Black, A Pony by Walter Farley (June 26, 1915 - October 16, 1989). Up to that point, I had become an expert picture book reader. But this marked a new landmark in my progress as a reader. It was the first "real" story I ever read. I remember sitting on the couch with my mom beside me. She encouraged and helped like she did with the earlier Dr. Seuss stories and other picture books, but she mostly left it to me to figure out the words on my own. It was hard work, but I loved the story and I loved reading, and I felt like such a big boy by the time I finished. I was also excited to repeat the process with Little Black Goes To The Circus.

There's no way to know how many books I've read since then, probably far into the thousands, but I will always remember Hop on Pop as the first book I read by myself, and Little Black, A Pony as the first real story book.

It was a few years later when I discovered that Farley had written a whole library of books about horses, most notably the entire Black Stallion series. By then, I wasn't so much into books about horses. I read a few Black Stallion books, but none of them had the same impact on my life (as, in fact, few books since have) as Little Black, A Pony.

(Note: This is the last of the planned Celebrations posts. What do you readers say? Should we continue this series? Is it interesting?)

Celebrations: Winnie-The-Pooh

A.A. Milne's first Pooh book, Winnie-the-Pooh, was published on October 14,1926, and has delighted children ever since. If you only know Pooh from the movies, you're missing out. Get hold of the books today and give them a read.

Milne never set out to be a children's writer. His goal was to write whatever he felt like writing. By the time he started writing stories for his son, Christopher Robin Milne, he had already written several plays and three novels for adults. He is said to have been somewhat annoyed that his adult work was so overshadowed by his children's stories.

Still, he continued to write for both adults and children, finishing more novels and plays, works of non-fiction, and articles. One of his better-known plays was "Toad of Toad Hall," an adaptation of Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows.

Celebrations: Louise Fitzhugh

Louise Fitzhugh (October 5, 1928 - November 19, 1974) influenced me in a very unexpected way.

I got Harriet The Spy from my book club when I was about 10, and I didn't want to read it. I wasn't interested in books about girls. Because I liked writing stories, I thought the plot of this one sounded interesting, but I couldn't get past the fact that it was not only about a girl, but that the cover had her picture and her name.

Finally, one day, when I ran out of new books to read, I reluctantly cracked open Harriet The Spy. And I loved it, from the first sentence to the last, so much that I immediately read it again.

After that, even though I still preferred books about boys, I was less opposed to books about girls, as long as they did cool stuff like Harriet did.

I think about Harriet now and then, especially since this boy/girl thing has come full circle: I'm now (slowly) working on my first story with a girl main character.

Harriet the Spy received some criticism for containing characters who were less than admirable, but that's part of what made me love the book. It was almost like a grown-up book for kids. As it turns out, this is what made Fitzhugh so influential.

Her obit in the New York Times said it best: "The book helped introduce a new realism to children's fiction and has been widely imitated."

Celebrations: Edward Stratemeyer

You might not recognize the name of Edward Stratemeyer (October 4, 1862 – May 10, 1930), but I'll bet you a quarter he had an impact on your childhood reading.

Stratemeyer was an American children's writer and publisher. He is best known as the creator of the Stratemeyer Syndicate, a collective of ghostwriters responsible for the well-known series that Stratemeyer developed. These include the Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, the Bobbsey Twins, the Rover Boys, and others. Stratemeyer created the characters and hired the ghostwriters, and might have developed the outlines for some of the earliest books in the series.

Although most of the series he created were not written by Stratemeyer, he reportedly, according to one source, wrote 1300 books on his own under a number of pseudonyms, many of them serials that first appeared in newspapers or magazines, and sold over 500 million copies.

Not a bad career for a guy you've never heard of.

Celebrations: Theodore Geisel

It's hard to believe it's been 19 years since the death of Dr. Seuss (March 2, 1904 – September 24, 1991).

There's nothing I can say that pays tribute to this man as much as his own work. The first book I ever red by myself, like many of you, was Hop On Pop. The next several were also most his, including One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, The Cat in The Hat, Green Eggs and Ham, and on and on and on. How many of you, like me, remember sitting down as a beginning reader and puzzling through the progressively harder pages of Fox In Socks, a book that continues to push early readers to increase their skills?

He was also influential in media besides books. One of my first records was a read-along LP with Bartholomew and the Oobleck on one side and Myrtle the Turtle on the other. And those of us who are part of the first generation to be raised on TV remember the excitement of each new televised special.

I dare you to name a more influential children's writer than Dr. Seuss.

Celebrations: The Hobbit

The Hobbit was published on September 21, 1937, changing fantasy stories forever.

Celebrations: Oliver Butterworth

Chances are probably pretty good that you've never heard of Oliver Butterworth (May 23, 1915 – September 17, 1990). He didn;t write as many children's books as others I pay tribute to in this series, but his first book, The Enormous Egg, opened a door in my mind, showing me a whole new aspect of the imagination.

The whole idea of a chicken laying a dinosaur egg, and a boy about my own age raising a pet triceratops, as well as the struggles little Nate Twitchell had to endure against adults who wanted to claim the dinosaur for their own purposes, created a new world full of magic and interesting characters and conflicts.

I re-read The Enormous Egg a couple years ago and discovered something that went completely over my head as a kid. When Congress is debating whether Nate's dinosaur should be placed in the National Zoo, one congressman's blustery speech is one of the best pieces of political satire I've ever read. That this bit is hidden in a children's book helps to show the value books for young readers have in our society, and what adults miss when they grow "too old" to read kids' books.

Celebrations: Robert McCloskey

It's hard to think of many writers or illustrators, with the exception of Dr. Seuss, who influenced picture books for the last three generations more than Robert McCloskey (September 15, 1914 – June 30, 2003).

A list of the books he wrote and illustrated pretty well describes my childhood library checkouts, and then my own bookshelf. Starting with Lentil in 1940 (one of my first Scholastic Book Club books), and then continuing with Make Way for Ducklings, Homer Price (still one of my favorite books), Blueberries for Sal, Centerburg Tales, One Morning in Maine, Time of Wonder, and Burt Dow - Deep-Water Man, McCloskey set the bar high for writer/illustrators, with two Caldecott Medals and two more Caldecott Honors awards.

That would be more than enough to make his birth worth celebrating, but there's more. In addition to his own books, he also illustrated several books for other authors, including one of my favorite childhood reads, Journey Cake, Ho by his mother-in-law, Ruth Sawyer.

Not bad for somebody who described himself as an accidental writer. McCloskey's early dream was to be a musician (reflected in Lentil), and he played several instruments. He was also a life-long mechanical tinkerer and inventer. As a child he invented a machine to whip cream. Unfortunately, just like with Homer Price's doughnut machine, something went wrong when he tried and he sprayed cream over all four walls of his mother's kitchen.

Finally, he developed an interest in illustrating. He wrote that he had never intended to write, but when he drew, stories came out between the pictures.

Celebrate this great author's life today by digging out one of his books and reading it to your kids, or just curl up and read it to yourself.

Celebrations: Roald Dahl

Roald Dahl was born on September 13, 1916.

There are very few children's writers whose accomplishments are so great, that there's no need to list them. James and the Giant Peach has always been one of my favorite books for any age group. Even now that I'm old enough that even my kids' childhoods are behind them, James is a great read. If he had written nothing else, Dahl's birth would still be worth celebrating. Of course he wrote more. A lot more.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, The Witches--it's a long list: 17 children's stories, three volumes of children's poetry, two adult novels, 19 short story collections, several non-fiction books, a play, six movies (including the screenplays for "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" and the 1971 version of "Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,"and a bunch of TV episodes including several episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Tales of the Unexpected, and his own series, Way Out.

But Dahl was more than a writer. A fighter pilot for the RAF in WWII, Dahl's victories earned him the title of Flying Ace. He also became known for his controversial stance against Israel (although, he claimed not against Jews).

Dahl was truly a transformational author. His influence on other writers is obvious. It's possible that no author has influenced current writers, especially middle grade authors, as much as Roald Dahl.