I’m so happy to see that SLJ (School Library Journal) listed MY BUSY GREEN GARDEN on it’s list of garden books to embrace spring!
MAMA is at The Launchpad Today!
Today on the Vermont College of Fine Arts blog, The Launchpad, Adi Rule interviews me about MAMA LOVES YOU SO. 
Check it out HERE!
NaPiBoWriWee!
I’m so excited that the amazing Paula Yoo has asked me to be part of the 2017 NaPiBoWriWee. What exactly is this mouthful of a word? It’s National Picture Book Writing Week! In just one week, participants will write seven picture book manuscripts–one per day. Do they have to be polished, ready-to-submit drafts? Of course not! We all know it takes months (or years) to work a picture book into perfection. But this is an opportunity to commit yourself to ONE WEEK of writing picture books, to get that first messy draft down on paper, to put those ideas that have been floating in your mind all year down on paper. Yee-haw! Pull out the pencils!
Along the way, Paula will have guest authors (like Jason Gallaher, Courtney Pippin-Mathur, Emma Otheguy and myself) giving you some tips and insight. And did I mention there are PRIZES??? Yes!
So stayed tuned for registration announcements so you can join in the fun. And best of all, have SEVEN picture book drafts in one week! Warm up those fingers, folks. As the great Kathi Appelt would say, you’ll “write like your fingers are on fire!”
I Need Space (and so do you!)
Great tips from Anna Redding today on EMU’s Debuts with how to get some space from your manuscript when you’re revising.
Ever feel so focused on the details of a manuscript that you actually lose sight of the entire work? Maybe you are working on the pacing or world building or hunting down ‘telling’ to replace it with “showing.” Maybe you have zeroed in on three words, writing and re-writing them over and over again. Meanwhile, six hours just zipped past. And these three words you labored over––exist in a manuscript that has 35-thousand more!
It’s critical to focus on the bits and pieces, to lose oneself in the particulars. But when I am ready to emerge from the deep the woods of writing, sometimes I need a compass to find my way out.
As I painter’s daughter, I know that artists also become consumed with specific brush strokes or the interplay of colors in hidden shadows, or using the reflection of a painted sterling cup to tell a story. Detail…
View original post 595 more words
Educator Guide Now Available!
You can find the FREE educator guide for MY BUSY GREEN GARDEN (here) on the Tilbury House website. Having an educator guide for this beautiful book isn’t enough to entice you to visit the site? How about if the pot is sweetened and Tilbury House gives educators a 20% discount on all its books as a way of showing how much they appreciate educators? Now we’re talking! Go on now…they’re waiting for you :-).
Rhyme Revolution 2017 Day 1 ~ Lori Mortensen ~ Rhythm and Rhyme
Terrific post about writing in rhyme by Lori Mortensen over at Angie Karcher’s Rhyme Revolution. Lori points out some important points in getting started on writing a story with rhyme and rhythm.
COWPOKE CLYDE RIDES THE RANGE
by Lori Mortensen
Illustrated by Michael Allen Austin
2016 Best in Rhyme Award Winner
Congratulations Lori!
See the Top 20 Best in Rhyme Books for 2016
RHYTHM AND RHYME
By Lori Mortensen
If you’ve ever delved into rhyme, you know rhyming can be a complicated business. Not only is there a boatload of elements to consider such as true rhymes, near rhymes, forced rhymes, end rhymes, and internal rhymes, but there’s also a slew of specific rhyming patterns with names like iamb, trochee, anapest, dactyl, and spondee. (If you know these terms, you definitely deserve some extra rhyming brownie points!)
The good news is–you don’t have to know these terms to write fun, frolicking stories in rhyme.
For me, writing in rhyme is all about the rhythm. As a former dance major, I’m drawn to the rhythm of the words and the beat they create…
View original post 743 more words
Book Signing Fun!
Success! What a wonderful time I had reading and signing books yesterday at Red Rock Books in Ridgecrest, CA. It was so fun to see some old friends and make new ones, connecting with folks in many ways. We even sold out of MY BUSY GREEN GARDEN!
The event felt like a perfect blend of coordinated efforts from the bookseller and myself, resulting in a successful event packed with fun.
We had a beautiful paper flower craft activity the bookseller organized, in connection with Wildflower Weekend, a local festival.
A local baker provided gorgeous, too-pretty-to-eat cake pops that looked like bees and flowers, with the theme of MY BUSY GREEN GARDEN.
While while the bookseller was managing the store, I signed books, chatted with kids and adults, and did a reading. Author swag was also available for the taking!
Special thanks to Sarah Herrington from The Enchanted Whisk Bakery for the custom-made adorable bees and flowers cake pops (pictured) and Ann Rizzardini, owner of Red Rock Books (pictured with me) for hosting the event.
My favorite moments of the day–
1. When I saw someone reach for the last copy of the Garden story (knowing we’d sold out–I want booksellers to have that success).
2. When someone (an adult) walked up to me with watery eyes and told me that MAMA LOVES YOU SO was so touching it made her cry.
3. When a mom asked, “Will there be a PAPA book coming out too?” (I sure hope so!)
4. Talking to so many children. Love it! Kids are so uplifting!
If you couldn’t make the event but would like a signed copy of either book, call Red Rock Books at 760-375-3454 and they’ll be happy to take your order and ship to you (after they call me down to the store to sign your book!)
The Value of Lists
I love lists. Maybe it’s because I go to lists when I’m in the throes of writing and don’t want to stop to brainstorm (or maybe I’m just being lazy!), but I keep a binder with various lists I’ve compiled through my years of writing. It holds all sorts of handmade lists from dinosaurs to popular children’s songs to cowboy words, and beyond! That way, when I’m searching for a unique or specific word to a topic I’m writing about, I’ve already got a list of words at hand (even better than a thesaurus!)
So today, I came across a new one. It’s from the Hybrid Rasta Mama site and lists 150 different words to describe the taste of food. What a great list to check out if “delicious” just isn’t cutting it for that new manuscript you’re working on. You know, when you need an adjective that’s food-specific and fresh! Check it out HERE.
TED Talk: Wired for Story
Interesting TED talk, “Wired for Story” by Lisa Cron, connecting the human brain and the need for story. Thanks to the SCBWI-LA Kite Tales blog for sharing this!
Book Launch!
BOOK SIGNING EVENT: Saturday, April 1, I’ll be signing my newest books, MAMA LOVES YOU SO and MY BUSY GREEN GARDEN, at 2:00 at Red Rock Books in Ridgecrest CA. I’d love to see old friends (and make new ones) so stop by and say hi, hello, howdy, hola!
Want to get an autographed copy but live too far away? You still can! Call Red Rock Books (an independent bookstore) at 760-375-3454 and tell them you’d like to buy an autographed copy. You can also reach them via their website, http://www.redrockbooks.net/ and FB, https://www.facebook.com/redrockbooks/.
Be sure to tell them who you’d like the book(s) inscribed to. Once they have your order information, they’ll give me a call, I’ll head over to the store, sign your book(s) and they’ll ship it to you.
MAMA LOVES YOU SO is the perfect Mother’s Day gift for new moms and MY BUSY GREEN GARDEN is wonderful for getting kids excited for spring. I hope to see you there!
Terry Pierce 
You must be logged in to post a comment.