Peggy Archer
Children's Author

Day 9: December 16th
Thinking back to songs of the season, and yesterday’s blog, you might just recognize the following words, taken randomly, from another well known song.

…you’re as cuddly as a cactus
…your brain is full of spiders
…you’re a nasty, wasty skunk
…your heart is full of unwashed socks
and so on, from “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch.”

Wow, what a guy! What great similes and metaphors. Ok, so here’s the challenge—create a vibrant character for a children’s book, and SHOW us that character without telling us anything about him or her!
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What would Christmas be without kids?! Their joy and excitement is catchy. Kids believe in the magic of Christmas, and wonder at the tiny baby whose birth we celebrate. They probably behave their best at Christmas than any other time of the year. Well, at least we can hope!

For children’s writers it’s also a magical time. With only ten days to go, I thought that I’d countdown to Christmas with ten days of inspiration for children’s writers.

Day 10: December 15th
My husband and I spent a good part of today in the car listening to Christmas songs. I stopped to think when I heard Kenny Chesney sing “Thank God for Kids,” which was originally done by the Oak Ridge Boys. There are many Christmas songs that wouldn’t have been written if it weren’t for kids. See if you can guess the names of the following Christmas songs.

1—a song that might inspire a child to be good before Christmas.
2—a song about a chilly winter creation who magically comes to life
3—a song about a child who asks for something that will help him wish everyone a Merry Christmas
4—a song about a child who was naughty all year
5—a song about a baby born in an unusual crib in a barn
6—a song about a boy who gives the Baby Jesus the gift of music
7—a song about the leader of Santa’s team
8—a song about someone who took over when the leader of Santa’s team was sick (think country music)
9—a song about a magical place filled with what children hope to get on Christmas morning
10—a song about a child whispering to Santa what he and his friends want for Christmas

There are Christmas stories all around us at this time of year. If you celebrate the season in a different way, similar inspiration is sure to surround you. Inspiration can come from a change in the weather, family or community traditions, words from the mouths of little ones, and maybe even from songs about the season. For example, what if, instead of the 12 Days of Christmas, it became the 12 Days of Groundhog Day? or Fathers’ Day?

When my critique group has our holiday meeting in December, we sometimes bring a manuscript to fit the season. I have at least 4 or 5 Christmas stories in my files. It’s not the easiest type of story to market, but one of these is something that I feel would make a great picture book for young children. Hopefully someday you’ll see it in bookstores.

Ok, here are the answers to the songs listed above:
1—Santa Claus is Coming to Town
2—Frosty the Snowman
3—All I Want For Christmas is My Two Front Teeth
4—I’m Getting Nothin’ For Christmas
5—Away in a Manger
6—Little Drummer Boy
7—Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
8—Leroy the Redneck Reindeer
9—Toyland
10—Jolly Old St. Nicholas
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Do you write for children? Illustrate children’s books or magazines? If there was only one thing that you could do to help your career as a children’s writer or illustrator, my advice would be to connect with the Society of children’s Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI). Become a member; attend programs in your area hosted by your local chapter of SCBWI, which are open to non-members as well but discounted to members.

I’m still new here in Missouri, and one of the best ways that I could think of to meet other children’s writers was to attend the MO SCBWI Fall conference. Of course there was much to offer besides meeting people. The conference featured Heather Alexander, an editor from Dial Books for Young Readers, and Quinlan Lee, a literary agent from Adams Literary Agency which represents exclusively children’s authors. Other keynote speakers were Suzanne Morgan Williams, children’s novelist, and Rich Davis, children’s illustrator.

There is much to gain by attending a conference, both from the speakers and from the people you meet there. At the best, it opens doors to publishers and agencies that are normally closed to unsolicited manuscripts. Here are just a few ‘pearls’ gained from the SCBWI Missouri conference.

Heather Alexander, editor:
The way to make your work stand out is with exceptional writing.
Writers make their writing exceptional by having a responsibility to their readers.
A writer reads, observes, imagines, interprets, listens, and thinks.

from Quinlan Lee, agent:
Agents know publishers. Her plan is to match the editor with a great story.
What to look for in an agent—knowledge of the market, reputation in the industry, passion for their work, commitment to your work.

from Suzy Williams, author:
“Writing is a journey; the road is not always straight, but the results can be surprising.”
Write what you want to know. Write from the inside out. And “Take risks.”
She gave a great workshop on revision.

Rich Davis, illustrator:
Art serves all subjects in school—we remember so well with pictures.
We are most creative when relaxed.
His ‘Pick and Draw’ card game was a great way to inspire creativity in both writing and illustrating.

Sue Bradford Edwards, nonfiction author:
Read today’s nonfiction for children, in books, magazines and online.
Connect your topic to the school curriculum.
Research your information well; use primary sources and sources published in the last five years.

I came away from the conference feeling inspired and connected to children’s writing and writers. Now it’s time to follow up, re-connect, and write!

To find out more about SCBWI and the MO SCBWI chapter, follow these links:
www.scbwi.org
www.moscbwi.org
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Are you looking for some inspiration in the month of November? Fall is winding down and colder weather is on its way. For me that means less outdoors and more ‘hibernating’ with the help of some hot chocolate to warm my insides. All of those ideas for books have been cooking in my brain, and I’m ready for some serious writing time. Here are some opportunities for brain boosters to kick off the cooler months ahead.

Picture Book Idea Month: PiBoIdMo
http://taralazar.wordpress.com/2011/10/24/piboidmo-official-sign-up-starts-today-right-here-right-now/

National Novel Writing Month: NaNoWriMo
http://nanowrimo.org/en/about/hownanoworks

tips from Writers’Digest: http://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/how-to-prepare-for-national-novel-writing-month-nanowrimo

SCBWI Missouri Fall Conference
featuring Heather Alexander, Editor at Dial Books for Young Readers, and Quinlan Lee, Literary Agent for Adams Literary Agency
http://moscbwi.org/Events.html

SCBWI Illinois Prairie Writers Day 2011
featuring six agents, two literary agents and more
http://www.scbwi-illinois.org/Programming.html#2ndDate

I’ll be attending the Missouri and Illinois conferences, and plan to sign up and commit to PiBoIdMo. I hope to see you there!  Read More 

Yesterday I visited the Barnes & Noble Bookstore in St. Peters, Missouri where I read from my book, NAME THAT DOG, for storytime. I met some great kids and parents, and enjoyed talking with them. The kids got cookies afterwards, and I got two beautiful coloring pictures and a hug.

I love getting questions, and talking about how I chose the names for the dogs in this alphabet book of dogs' names. Always, there is someone who knows just exactly what I'm talking about, even thought the inspiration for my poems came from my own dog, Snickers.

Thanks to Shelley for organizing my visit there, and to Ginger for her help. It was extra special because my daughter from Minnesotta was there, too.

In two weeks, on November 5th, I'll be attending the SCBWI Missouri conference at St. Charles Community College in St. Charles. Speakers include Heather Alexander, Editor at Dial Books for Young Readers, and Quinlan Lee, Literary Agent for Adams Literary Agency. For more information about the conference and to register, go to the SCBWI Missouri website at: http://moscbwi.org/Events.html.
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Happy Fall! In our part of the country the leaves are changing colors and scarecrows and pumpkins are appearing on front porches. Earlier this week I chased a rolling jack-o-lantern down the street!

This month the Children's Writer is calling all children's poets to enter their Poetry Writing Contest. Here's the scoop!

The winners in this contest will be published in Children’s Writer, the monthly newsletter that goes to almost 1,300 children’s book and magazine editors in North America. Along with the winning pieces, we’ll publish an article about the top-ranked entries and their authors. There are also cash prizes. The cash prizes alone are a lot of good reasons to write a piece and enter.

Current Contest: Poetry

The contest is for a single poem, collection of poems, or verse story for children of any age, to 300 words. Entries may be serious or humorous, and take any poetic form. Winners will be selected based on quality of verse—including rhythm, meter, word choice, wordplay, imagery, and the use of other poetic devices (rhyme, alliteration, assonance, or others). Above all, the winning entries will have appeal for young readers.

Entries must be received by October 31, 2011. Current subscribers to Children’s Writer enter free. All others pay an entry fee of $15, which includes an 8-month subscription. Winners will be announced in the March 2012 issue. Prizes: $500 for first place plus publication in Children’s Writer, $250 for second place, and $100 for third, fourth, and fifth places.

For more information and to enter, click on the image above or go to the contest website at: http://www.thechildrenswriter.com/af627/.

Good luck!  Read More 

Concluding the four days of Random Acts of Publicity (check out Darcy Pattison’s website at www.darcypattison.com), I thought I’d post the websites of some of my friends who write for children. Some are famous, some are not. All are wonderful writers, and good friends.

Indiana has been my home for most of my life, and there I met many wonderful children’s writers. Following are a few of their websites.

Katie Mitschelen: http://www.kathrynmitschelen.blogspot.com
Katie, is a member of my critique group in Michigan City, Indiana. She is a children’s author whose first book, MOUSE’S BEST GIFT, was illustrated and published on the store windows in downtown Columbus, Indiana at Christmas time! Also published in several children’s magazines, Katie writes fiction and non-fiction for children. Visit Katie at her author blog site, Droppings.

Peggy Reiff Miller: http://www.peggyreiffmiller.com/index.html
Another member of my Michigan City critique group, Peggy writes fiction, non-fiction and poetry for children and adults. Her passion is the seagoing cowboys. Go to Peggy’s website for more about her and her writing. Then click on the link to go to her website about Seagoing cowboys to read stories from some real cowboys (http://www.seagoingcowboys.com/).

Sharon Biggs: http://sharonbiggswaller.com/about/
Sharon writes for a ‘whole bunch of magazines!’ Her book, THE ORIGINAL HORSE BIBLE, is now out from Bow Tie Press. Sharon also writes YA and middle grade books. Find out more about Sharon, and horses, on her website.

When I started out in SCBWI, some of my first contacts were authors in our neighboring state of Illinois, specifically in the Chicago area.

Esther Hershenhorn: http://www.estherhershenhorn.com/home.html
Esther is an award-winning author of picture books and middle grade fiction for children. She is also the former Regional Advisor for Illinois SCBWI, which is how I first met Esther. “Lucky me!’ she says. “I spend my days doing what I love and loving what I do.” Find her smiling face, and information about Esther and her jobs as an author, along with answers to questions about being an author, on her website. Also link to the website Teaching Authors (www.teachingauthors.com) where Esther and five other children’s authors blog about writing and things related to writing for children.

Heidi B. Roemer: http://heidibroemer.com/
Heidi is an award-winning children’s author of children’s pictures books and poetry. My favorite is COME TO MY PARTY, and Other Shape Poems. Always willing to help out other children’s writers, Heidi is the former Assistant Regional Advisor for Illinois SCBWI. She joins two other children’s authors to blog about non-fiction books for children on their website, Wild About nature (http://wildaboutnaturewriters.blogspot.com/).

Carolyn Crimi: www.carolyncrimi.com
For a website with humor that matches the style of her hilarious picture books for children, visit Carolyn Crimi’s website. Read more about Carolyn and her books, and tips for children’s writers.

I hope you have fun surfing the net for these and other children’s authors!  Read More 

Greetings from O’Fallon! It’s been a summer of emptying boxes, finding things and re-discovering other things, and everything else that it takes to move from one state to another. We’re finally settling in, and I’m beginning to make a few connections to the world of children’s books here in Missouri.

My first stop, shortly after moving in, was to the Middendorf-Kredell Library in O’Fallon, where I visited the children’s department and met the librarian and staff there. I’m lucky to be just ten minutes away from this beautiful new branch of the St. Charles Library District.

The O’Fallon children’s librarian gave me the name of the owner of Main Street Books, an independent bookstore in near-by St. Charles. I made a visit to Main Street Books a couple of weeks later, and met Vicki Erwin, bookstore owner and fellow SCBWI member. The warm, cozy atmosphere, like most independent bookstores, feels like family, and I have it on my list to return soon and browse through the stacks. (www.mainstreetbooks.net)

Wherever there’s an SCBWI member, there’s a smiling, friendly person ready to share children’s book-related information. Vicki gave me the link to the St. Louis Independent Bookstore Alliance. I was amazed at the number of independent bookstore in the St. Louis area. Checking their schedule of events, I found that several children‘s authors were on the books doing author appearances at various stores, including Jarrett Krosoczka (the LUNCH LADY graphic novel series), author/illustrator Peter Brown (CHILDREN MAKE TERRIBLE PETS and YOU WILL BE MY FRIEND!), and Jack Gantos (JOEY PIGZA and ROTTEN RALPH). My calendar is filling up quickly! (www.stlindiebook.com)

I enjoy doing author visits to schools and libraries, as well as visits to bookstores. I stopped at the Mid Rivers Barnes & Noble bookstore in St. Peters, where my son’s family lives, and met Shelly, who schedules the activities there. I just added an author story time and a book signing to my calendar during Educators Week on October 22nd. My daughter’s family recently moved from north of St. Louis to Fenton. I contacted the South Roxana Library where they visited before they moved, and offered to sign copies of my books. I'm looking forward to doing an author visit there sometime in the next several months.

Of course, the one place that I KNOW will connect me to other children’s writers no matter what state I’m in is SCBWI (http://www.scbwi.org ). I’ve registered for the Missouri SCBWI fall conference (http://moscbwi.org/Home_Page.html) on November 5th in St. Charles, which is just a hop over from O’Fallon. I’m looking forward to meeting an editor, an agent, and of course other children’s authors and illustrators.

I’m beginning to warm up to this new home state of Missouri. No pun intended (or maybe so), since except for the past few days, the temps have been in the 90’s and 100’s ever since we moved here!
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At this time, I'm feeling a bit of a longing for our home and friends in Indiana, and at the same time looking forward to settling into a new place in life in Missouri. My husband and I have sold our house in Indiana and are moving on to new adventures.

Mixed blessings. In Indiana were leaving behind some wonderful friends and family, including our grandson who will soon be off on his own adventures. In Missouri we're looking forward to spending more time with other family and grandchildren, watching them grow and sharing their lives.

Right now we're in limbo for a couple of weeks, visiting family here in Ohio, and celebrating Independence Day. My blogging comes in spurts. I'm trying to keep up at least now and then, until we get more settled.

Here are a few riddles that I found on line, courtesy of Jest for Kids.

What kind of tea did the American colonists thirst for?
--Liberty!

What protest by a group of dogs occurred in 1773?
--The Boston Flea Party!

What happened as a result of the Stamp Act?
--The Americans licked the British!

What would you get if you crossed a patriot with a small curly-haired dog?
--a Yankee Poodle!

What did one flag say to the other flag?
--Nothing. It just waved!

What quacks, has webbed feet, and betrays his country?
--Beneduck Arnold!

What's big, cracked, and carries your luggage?
--The Liberty Bellhop!

What happened as a result of the Stamp Act?
--The Americans licked the British!

Happy Independence Day to you all!

Find more riddles at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/puns-of-the-day/messages/4339  Read More 

Daniel Stefanski is a 14-year old middle grade student and the author of the book HOW TO TALK TO AN AUTISTIC KID. Having been diagnosed with autism about three years ago, Daniel gives the inside scoop on what goes on inside the head of an autistic kid and offers humorous advice on how to be a friend to those with autism. Written in a very direct and straightforward manner, HOW TO TALK TO AN AUTISTIC KID will help readers of all ages to understand and talk to people with autism.

I had the privilege of interviewing Daniel about his book. Here is what he had to say.

What was your inspiration for writing your book, HOW TO TALK TO AN AUTISTIC KID?
I told my mom that I didn’t like the way some of the kids were talking to me at school, so my mom asked, “how would you like to write a book?” and we did.

How long did it take you to write your book?
About two years.

Did you have any help along the way?
Mom and I have been writing down my experiences in a journal for years. Mom typed these up for me and helped make it into a book.

How did you find your publisher?
Mom sent a letter to publishers telling them about our idea for the book.

Did your book receive any rejections before Free Spirit Publishing accepted your book for publication?
Two publishers accepted our book and two publishers rejected our book. We chose Free Spirit Publishing because everyone who works there is very nice, and they write important books for kids.

What were the challenges you encountered in writing the book?
Getting my words out so they make sense. Trying to communicate what I mean.

How did you balance school work with writing? When did you do your writing?
We wrote mostly when I was on school breaks. Mom says “homework comes first.”

Did you encounter any obstacles along the way? What about being only 14? Did that make a difference when you were marketing your book?
I don’t know if being 14 made a difference. I don’t think so. Publishers and other people seem to think it’s pretty cool that a kid wrote a book.

What about doing book signings, and meeting the public since your book came out? Is that hard for you? Do you enjoy it?
It’s been fun. I’m learning to shake hands but it’s still hard to look people in the eye. Mom says looking people in the eye might always be difficult because of the autism.

What has been the most fun part of writing this book so far?
Getting respect from the kids at school. Even the popular kids say “hi” to me now.

What has been the hardest part of writing this book?
Still getting used to seeing my face on a book. It’s kinda strange but a good strange.

What tips or advice do you have for other teens and students who aspire to become an author?
Just do it. If you enjoy writing and being creative, have fun. Don’t worry about what others think.

What’s your favorite book (other than your own book)?
Probably, The Star Wars Character Encyclopedia.

Do you plan to write another book, or was this just one topic that you wanted to write about?
Yes, we are working on a book about Tourette Syndrome because my friend, Patrick, has Tourette’s. Like Autism, I want people to understand that it isn’t a kids fault if he has Tourette’s, and it’s not nice to tease.

Is being an author a career that you would like to pursue, or is there another career that you’d rather do someday?
I want to draw, write, plus make movies and video games.

Did you do your own illustrations for the book? If not, who did the illustrations? Did you need to find your own illustrator for the book? Are the illustrations similar to what you had pictured for the book in your mind?
Free Spirit Publishing hired an illustrator named, Hazel Mitchell. She did a good job of making the illustrated Daniel look like the real Daniel. He even dresses the same.

Adopted from an orphanage in Bulgaria at age four, Daniel now lives in Valparaiso, Indiana. He has a passion for writing and drawing, and is a talented golfer. An animal lover and shelter volunteer, Daniel is surrounded by the love of his mom, dad, stepfather, brother and five dogs.

Here are some links to sites about Daniel and his book.

Free Spirit Publishing: http://www.freespirit.com/catalog/author_detail.cfm?AUTHOR_ID=337

U-tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daqc2qAa0uw&feature=youtu.be

Facebook Daniel at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/How-to-Talk-to-an-Autistic-Kid/206146182737967

e-mail Daniel at: help4kids@freespirit.com
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