Monday Quick Pick - THE FALSE PRINCE by Jennifer A. Nielsen

A few weeks ago I was asked to share some thoughts about one of my favorite middle grade books on the Dream Gardens podcast. I chose THE FALSE PRINCE by Jennifer A. Nielsen. 

I've read this book three or four times and each time, I enjoy it. As a writer, I continue to admire the strong voice of the main character, Sage, as well as the many surprises and quick pace of the story. I posted my review of this novel for Marvelous Middle Grade Monday when it originally came out in 2012 and I also featured it as one of my top picks for the year. 

If you haven't read it, I urge you to give it a try! 

You may also be interested in my interview with Jody Mott of the Dream Gardens podcast. It's an interesting coincidence that his last name is also the name of one of the characters in the story! 

The Dream Gardens podcast is good place to find noteworthy middle grade books recommended by teachers, writers, librarians and others who love children's books. 

Podcast Picks for Children's Writers July 2015 - Social media tips + writing non-fiction

Social Media Tips for Writers with Frances Caballo – The Creative Penn Episode Episode #225

Description:

I learned a ton of new stuff about social media in this interview with Frances Caballo from

SocialMediaJustForWriters.

My thoughts:

Probably one of the most useful podcasts I’ve ever listened to!! 

Lots of great information here about using social media, no matter what level of experience you have. Afterward, I immediately checked out Frances Caballo’s blog. I really love that this is geared specifically for writers. I also noticed that she has her own podcast for writers.

Frances Caballo: "So images are really important and because we have a short attention span, images are easier to absorb than text."

In case you don’t have time to download the podcast, The Creative Penn always posts a transcript – very useful in this case for finding all the resources Frances mentions.

Miranda Paul: The Long Journey of Storymaking - The Picturebooking Podcast Episode #31

Description:

Miranda Paul is an author of two amazing new non-fiction picture books (ONE PLASTIC BAG and WATER IS WATER). She is also doing some amazing work for children’s literature through SCBWI, RateYourStory.org and We Need Diverse Books.

My thoughts:

Hearing Miranda Paul talk about her books with host Nick Patton left me inspired to think about my own writing goals. It was so interesting how her books have developed from her own experiences and philosophy about life. I especially enjoyed listening to her read a short excerpt from her book WATER IS WATER. It reminded me of how fun it is to come up with new angles for traditional subjects, in this case, the water cycle. 

The excerpt also convinced me that her book would be a great addition to my classroom library!

On a side note, I have used Miranda's RateYourStory.org and found it very useful for finding out about strengths and weaknesses of my manuscripts.

Podcast Picks for Writers -- May 2015

I’ve been doing a lot more driving lately, and I find that’s the best time for listening to my favorite podcasts. I also like to listen while I’m doing boring household chores and sometimes, while I’m walking one of the dogs (though sometimes I've been listening to the sounds around me, after watching Pico lyer). Just click on the heading to go to the link.

Literary Agent Michael Bourret - This Creative Life, Episode 40

I always enjoy Sara Zarr’s interesting conversations with people who do creative work. 

This one will be especially interesting for writers who are trying to get an agent or are curious about what it might be like to work with an agent. Michael also talks about his perspective on what's ahead in publishing.

Let’s Get Busy – Deborah Underwood, Episode 148

This interview makes the process of writing and illustrating a picture book sound like so much fun! I recently read her book, Here Comes the Easter Cat, and it was so interesting to find out more about the process for creating the Cat series.

The Creative Penn – All Your Editing Questions Answered with Jen Blood

There’s lots of information in this podcast for anyone who is thinking about hiring an independent editor to help take their work to the next level. Some great quotes from the interview:

Joanna: “If you are expecting to make money from your book as a business, then you need to invest money in that book to make it the best product it can be.”

Jen: “You shouldn’t feel like you’re being beaten up when you are being edited.”

If you don’t want to listen to this as a podcast, the transcript is also available.

Pico Lyer on The Art of Stillness – TED Talk

I was introduced to this Ted Talk by @MetroMorning and it’s definitely worth watching or even just listening to if you engage in any kind of creative endeavour. It gave me a lot to think about. 

Podcast Picks for Writers - April 2015

Since I don’t have a Marvelous Middle Grade Monday book for today, I thought I’d post my thoughts on some of my favourite podcasts from the month. (You can find a list of middle grade books to read over at author Shannon Messenger's blog.) 

Writing Excuses 10.16 – What Do I Do with All This Blank Space?

This 20-minute podcast focuses on the beginning of a novel and the promises made to the reader right when you start. They discuss how, if you choose the wrong starting point, you can set up a false impression of what your story is about, and risk disappointing the reader. If you’ve done any reading about story beginnings, you will probably have heard some of the tips they cover, like not writing the first page first, or don’t sit staring at a blank page but jump in somewhere.

I was intrigued by their thoughts on how to order information in a story. I also liked their reminders about the opening hook and how it needs to indicate the tone of the story.

First Draft with Sarah Enni – Ep 37 Erin Bowman

As a first time listener, I appreciated the way Sarah Enni set the stage, describing where and when the interview took place. I was especially interested in their conversation about the pressures and stress of what comes after the debut book. And I loved that Erin is such a big Harry Potter fan! It was really interesting to learn how she uses social media and her interests to connect with her readers.

Advice to authors: “Look at what you like, and put that into your own writing.”

The Creative Penn – Writing Fiction: Tips on Plot with Roz Morris

Every time Roz Morris is interviewed on The Creative Penn, I learn something new or get a different perspective on my writing. I think this is the 3^rd or 4^th time she’s been on. This time, their discussion about the coherence of the plot and novel got me thinking. This point struck me as so important, to make sure "you’ve got an idea that you can make enough of without having to add loads of other stuff.”

I have done this -- put all kinds of stuff into a novel and ended up with a giant mess because there are too many different things going on. 

If you'd rather read than listen to a podcast, the transcript is posted at The Creative Penn.

Podcast Picks for Writers - March 2015

Since January, there have been some changes in my household that left me struggling with balancing my writing work, my teaching work and my family life. So even though I've been listening to podcasts, I haven't blogged about any for a while. My goal is to get back to that a little more often. Here are three that I found especially interesting this March:

Writing Excuses 10.9 – Where Is My Story Coming From?

This year, the team at Writing Excuses is following a different format, where for three of their weekly podcasts in a month, they focus on one aspect of creating a book, e.g., characters, structure. I found this episode on structure especially useful. 

Something that stuck with me was their discussion about considering the overall tone of the book during the planning stage.

Dabblers vs Doers with Dan Blank: Interview with Debbie Ridpath Ohi

I recently started listening to this series of podcasts about creative professionals taking risks as they develop their craft. I really enjoyed this interview with author-illustrator Debbie Ridpath Ohi, and not just because she's my friend. Like Debbie, I’m a total introvert.

Debbie:  “I bet there are so many introverts out there who were in my position, getting rejections, who could feel they were on the edge, on the cusp of success. If I could talk to my younger self, I would say, get out and starting meeting people.”

Debbie's latest picture book WHERE ARE MY BOOKS? is coming out on May 12, 2015 from Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers.

Introducing Generation Z: A Special Edition of The Current with Anna Maria Tremonte at CBC Radio.

These three podcasts aren't focused on writing, but if you are writing YA or upper MG, they might give you a peek into what teens are thinking and talking about and how they view the world.

Podcasts for Writers: Let's Get Busy

If you've been following my blog, you know I enjoy listening to podcasts while driving, mopping floors or walking the dogs (and there are more walks now, with three dogs). This summer I discovered a new and interesting podcast for writers, readers and librarians of children's books.

Let's Get Busy Podcast

This podcast has been around for just over a year. Host Librarian Matthew Winner interviews "authors, illustrators, kidlit notables, education luminaries, and everyone in between."

I just finished listening to Matthew's discussion with Drew Daywalt, author of the best-selling picture book, The Day the Crayons Quit. It was inspiring to hear that it took almost ten years for Drew to get the book published. It just shows that it's true that you should never give up! 

If you want to get a sense of some of the great podcasts available, Coming Up On the Let's Get Busy Podcast lists the top five downloaded episodes. 

Matthew Winner is an elementary school teacher-librarian. He also has a blog, The Busy Librarian, where he highlights some of the content of the podcasts, as well as providing reviews of children's books, book trailers and other tidbits. A great resource for teacher-librarians and elementary school teachers!

Podcasts for Writers: Writing for Kids

Middle grade author Alexandra Amor recently started the Writing for Kids Podcast to "inspire, encourage and inform" children's writers. This podcast follows a conversation format and covers topics such as creativity, writing practices, self-publishing, and book marketing.

I listened to Episode #5: Writing a Series with Becky Citra. Along with some insights from Becky about writing a series, I was interested in their discussion of the writing and drafting process. They also talked about the challenges of getting into a kid's perspective in the 21st Century, technological world.

I've featured Becky Citra on my blog a couple of times for Marvelous Middle Grade Monday, so it was very interesting to hear her take on writing middle grade. And I really enjoyed listening to a podcast that was specific to the age level I write for, even though the topics and issues are relevant to writers of other age categories too.

I'll definitely listen to more of these. When I visited, they weren't listed on iTunes yet, but Alexandra's website says they will be soon. Until then, you can play them directly from the Writing for Kids Podcast site.

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday Fail

I didn't get to my usual Marvelous Middle Grade Monday post this week. There is just way too much happening in my life at the moment. But I'm posting today to let you know that next Monday I will be featuring a great middle grade read and, on Wednesday, an interview with middle grade author, Pam Torres. She writes stories about dogs, so that will be lots of fun!

In the meantime, if you're looking for middle grade book to read, Shannon Messenger's blog, the Marvelous Middle Grade Monday headquarters, has a wonderful list of options.

I'm also excited today because I found out that one of my favourite podcasts is back! After a 6-month hiatus, Sara Zarr has returned to This Creative Life, where she talks with writers and other creative artists about their processes and challenges.

Hmmm....I think my dog is going to get an extra long walk today so I can listen to this one. If you want to check it out, here's the link:

Author Stephanie Kuehn - This Creative Life Ep 32

Hope you have a great reading & writing week!

Podcasts for Writers: Booksellers Picks for Great Children's Books

I've recently been listening to the Great Kids, Great Reads podcast, hosted by Kevin Sylvester (author of the much-loved Neil Flambe series of middle grade books).

Great Kids, Great Reads features booksellers talking about some of their must-read children's books, including picture books, middle grade and YA. I found the booksellers' perspectives really interesting. They give some insights as to why some books might appeal to readers and who the target readers are for specific books.

Only a few books are featured on each podcast, so it's a great length for listening to on a short walk or drive (or while washing your kitchen floor). The podcasts are organized by themes. A recent episode I listened to was all about books touching on mental health issues.

You can find out more about this podcast at their Facebook page. They also list the books they've featured.

The archived podcasts are available on the Great Kids, Great Reads website.