Wanda Luthman's Blog, page 39
February 26, 2017
10 Days To Celebrate Reading (and their #hashtags) for Book-Lovers, Bloggers, & Bookstagrammers
Check out this awesome list and Rebecca ‘ s blog!
I still don’t show pictures of neatly arranged books next to beautiful bud vases and interesting socks on Instagram, but I’m improving. I understand Instagram is a visual medium, and I see how others are adept at using it, but I’m really just in it to share books (@rebeccarvincent) and see what everyone else is reading.
Nevertheless, I like following others who post about books and searching through common hashtags is a good way to start. Recently I stumbled upon #NationalReadingDay. Except I stumbled upon it a day late and was unprepared. So I figured maybe I could find a few more national/international days related to book reading and be better able to participate and connect. Maybe one or two of them could help you, too?
January 23:National Reading Day (#NationalReadingDay) and January 27 isMulticultural Children’s Book Day (#ReadYourWorld)
February 16:World Read Aloud Day (#wrad17)
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February 20, 2017
Valentine’s Day isn’t just for Lovers
[image error]Photo free from pexels.com
Family Valentine’s Day
So, with Valentine’s Day behind us, and hopefully, you celebrated that special love with your spouse or significant other, consider starting a new tradition, I like to call Family Valentine’s Day on February 15th. This day would allow us to share the love with our children. Valentine’s Day reminds us to show everyone in our lives that we love them, why not extend it another day to include our children?
It’s great to take some time away from the kids and have a special Valentine’s Day celebration with our love. We need to do that. But, we could create a Family Valentine’s Day on February 15th. It would involve making Valentine’s Day cards for each family member, sharing a special meal that everyone enjoys, baking heart-shaped cookies and watching a movie with some delicious popcorn, and of course, chocolate!
Handmade Cards
I think by having this special day set aside to show your family that you love one another sets a model for your children to demonstrate love to others now and in the future. It doesn’t have to involve presents. In fact, I think it’s better if it doesn’t involve presents. Just love notes, especially the handmade kind. This shows love by spending time thinking about the person and creating something that we feel the other person would like. I always enjoyed creating crafts with my daughter. It’s great to get out the red paper and all kind of knicks knacks and glue and glitter and lace and put it all together to make something that expresses our feelings. For older children, they can write a few words, maybe just “I love you” or for the more creative types, they can try their hand at writing a poem. You could also make tissue paper flowers. You could use different colored tissue paper to create a nice bouquet. Put on some music to play in the background and sing fun songs together while you’re being creative. You could create a playlist with iTunes, Pandora or IHeartRadio. My daughter and I always enjoyed listening to soundtracks from Disney movies.
Kitchen-Time
Then, it’s time to get creative in the kitchen. Let every child have a say in what they’d like for the special meal. It should be a kid-friendly meal like hot dogs or spaghetti or pizza so everyone can participate in the creation of the meal. I think some of our best family memories are made in the kitchen. Food is essential to life. So is family. This simple activity of planning, creating and serving food bonds us together. We enjoy the smells of the food while it’s cooking; the tactile sensations of the food as we prepare it (putting the hot dog buns on the plates, putting the pepperonis on the pizza, etc.); and the visual beauty of it on our plates. And making cookies is a favorite with kids! Rolling out the dough, cutting out the cookies and icing and decorating them! You could do this activity earlier in the day, so they’re ready for later or do them while dinner is cooking. Of course, if everyone wanted to create a cookie for other family members, that’s a fun thing to exchange as well as cards.
Exchanging Cards
After the meal, share your created Valentine’s cards with each other. Everyone hands out their cards to each family member. You could even create little boxes or envelopes for them to be placed in (like we used to in Elementary School, eons ago) and then go around the table allowing each person to open their cards and read them aloud. Everyone has a moment in the “sunshine” basking in the love they feel from each family member. Of course, thank each person specifically after they’ve read their card. This is an important part of life, expressing gratitude and thankfulness.
Movie-Time
Now, on to the movie. Everyone should have a vote in the movie they’d like to watch. It could be a cute Disney Movie like Lady & The Tramp or more romantic like Beauty & the Beast or anything else everyone would enjoy. Love themes are a must but they don’t have to be mushy ones. After you’ve celebrated this once, you could even have a movie that becomes the Family Valentine’s Day movie ritual. Like at Christmas, we always have to watch Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. Pop some delicious popcorn, maybe simply with salt and butter, but you could create something special with drizzles or additional treats such as M&M’s or nuts. Of course, there has to be chocolate. There are all kinds of chocolates wrapped in red paper and heart shapes especially for Valentine’s. It’s fun to have these as part of your celebration. And enjoy your homemade heart-shaped cookies!
As the evening comes to a close, bask in the love your family has shared and know that you’ve helped paved the path for your children to express love to others in their future. This might even become your favorite holiday.
What do you think? Will you help to start a movement of Family Valentine’s Day for February 15th next year?
February 13, 2017
What you Don’t Know, Can Hurt You
What you Don’t Know (about what your kids are doing online), Can Hurt You (and them)
In today’s post, I’m bringing you a very important and timely article that shares with us why our teens are so anxious and depressed. While we may have marked them up as a fragile generation, we are missing an important overlay to their lives that we never had to deal with. Read on to learn how you can help…
This article Anxiety, Depression and the Modern Adolescent in the NY Times really brings to light the issues teenagers are facing today. While many people think teenagers are “soft,” this article helps to illuminate exactly the burdens they bear.
Think back to our carefree days of youth. We reminisce about how we ran free without parental supervision until the street lights came on. We weren’t worried about what someone was saying about us on social media. We weren’t worried about the competitiveness of getting into college. We weren’t worried about terrorism or school shootings.
Teenagers today have so much more on their plate. It isn’t surprising that anxiety in teens is at an all time high. The article quotes Janis Whitlock from Cornell,
“If you wanted to create an environment to churn out really angsty people, we’ve done it,” says Janis Whitlock, director of the Cornell Research Program on Self-Injury and Recovery. Sure, parental micromanaging can be a factor, as can school stress, but Whitlock doesn’t think those things are the main drivers of this epidemic. “It’s that they’re in a cauldron of stimulus they can’t get away from, or don’t want to get away from, or don’t know how to get away from,” she says.
One girl interviewed for this article, Faith-Ann explains it this way
“We’re the first generation that cannot escape our problems at all,” says Faith-Ann.
The environment our children are growing up in is not something we can relate to at all. Things weren’t like that when we were kids. We have to put ourselves in their shoes and try to help them navigate this brave new world. Often, we are learning to navigate it ourselves.
Megan Moreno, head of social media and adolescent health research at Seattle Children’s Hospital says,
“Parents are also mimicking teen behavior. “Not in all cases, obviously, but in many cases the adults are learning to use their phones in the way that the teens do,” says Moreno. “They’re zoning out. They’re ignoring people. They’re answering calls during dinner rather than saying, ‘O.K., we have this technology. Here are the rules about when we use it.'”
We have to get out in front of this, for our kids’ sake. We often say, “my kid can show me how to work the (put your favorite electronic device here).” We leave it to the younger generation to figure it out and teach us. We can’t do that. We have to learn about it and then decide on the best way to use these tools and then create reasonable rules to help our kids survive the onslaught of “being on” all the time.
If you find out your child has been self-harming to relieve stress or is involved in online apps that you find disturbing, try not to react with overwhelming negativity, try instead to be supportive. Ask how you can help? Seek help for them. Join a group of parents who are learning how to help their children cope. You might think you are involved in your child’s life by going to ball games and helping with homework but this is from our era. Now, to be involved in your child’s life, means learning about all the different media outlets and providing rules and support to help your child navigate these. It’s time to step up parents. We can’t just relegate electronic devices to our kids and wait for them to teach us. They need us. They need us to research, ask, find out all we can and “be there” with your kids in this brave new and often cruel world.
To read the full article, go here http://time.com/magazine/us/4547305/november-7th-2016-vol-188-no-19-u-s/
February 6, 2017
Have You Set Your Parenting Goals yet?
As January comes to a close and February is in full swing, it’s a good time to reflect on the parenting goals you set for yourself in 2017. Maybe you’d like to play more with your children, or be more consistent in your discipline, or set up a chore calendar that everyone can live with.
If you haven’t set any parenting goals, take a moment to stop and think about what you’d like to improve. Parenting moves at a fast and furious pace. It’s easy to get swept up in what ‘has’ to be done and forget that you have a precious life looking up to you and needing you. That can feel like an awesome responsibility and it is, but if you take a moment, take a deep breath and ask yourself about what kind of parent do I want to be? What does my child ‘really’ need?
I promise, if you stop and tune in, you will be a great parent!
My mantra when my child was growing up was, “I only get to do this once, I might as well do it well.” I read books and conversed with other parent friends. But, mostly, I tuned into my child. I tried to listen with an open heart and open mind. I tried not to press my agenda but rather help her find her own passions and interests. I tried to love at every turn.
I wasn’t perfect and I’m still not, but if we stop and breathe, we can get ourselves on the path we really want to take rather than letting the pressures of our day push us through it.
I challenge you to reflect on your original goal and if you’ve forgotten about it or gotten off track, take a moment, and think about what you can do right now to get back on track. If you haven’t set a goal, take a moment to set one. It’s only February. You have a whole year ahead of you.
Let’s do it well!
January 30, 2017
The One Parenting Style You Must Adopt This Year
As we begin the new year, I invited our favorite School Psychologist, Dr. Valerie Allen, to share some important information about parenting style.
Dr. Valerie Allen
Licensed School Psychologist ~ Rehabilitation Counselor
New and Improved Parenting for the New Year
The New Year brings added attention to the fact that children are in a constant state of growth and development. One day your daughter is interested in dolls and tea parties and the next she is experimenting with make-up and high heels. What happened to that lovable little boy who played so nicely with the puppy? This is the same boy who now thinks you are his private taxi service. In a matter of weeks or months, children’s needs and behaviors change and so must our style of parenting. What worked at three will not work as well at 13.
The goal of parenting is to raise children who are independent of us. The job of a parent is to instill values and morals, so the child understands right from wrong and makes appropriate choices when on his own. When we are not there with reminders about being on time, keeping safe, and hand washing, will our child be in a position to know what to do, how to do it, and motivated to do it well?
What can parents do to help raise positive children, who enjoy life and are pleasant to be with? Impossible you say! All is not lost. Research has identified four basic parenting styles: Authoritative, Authoritarian, Permissive and Uninvolved. One has proved to have a more successful outcome when raising children.
The Authoritative Parent: provides a loving, supportive, home environment. These parents hold high expectations and standards for their children’s behavior. They enforce household rules consistently and explain why some behaviors are acceptable and others are not. Children are included in family decision making.
The Authoritarian Parent: holds high expectations and standards for their children’s behavior, however, they convey less emotional warmth directly toward their children. They establish rules of behavior, but they may not take the child’s needs into account. They tend to expect immediate obedience, without question by the children. Parents make “family decisions” without input from the children.
The Permissive Parent: may provide a loving, supportive, home environment, however, hold few expectations or standards for their children’s behavior. They rarely discipline the child for inappropriate behavior and tend to make excuses for their child’s offenses. Children are allowed to make their own decisions about their lifestyle without guidance or standards set by the parents.
The Uninvolved Parent: provides little, if any, emotional support; even when they are home, they tend to be uninvolved with the children and family activities. They hold few expectations or standards for their children’s behavior. They have little interest in their children’s lives and seem overwhelmed or over involved in their own work or problems.
The Authoritative parenting proved to be the most effective style to develop positive social skills in children. Authoritative parents tend to raise children who are happy, self-confident, independent, and respectful of others.
Resolve this new year to tell your child every day “I love you” with your words and by your actions. Take time to be involved in your child’s life at home, at school, and with friends. Your efforts will help create open communication, mutual respect, and a loving relationship with your child throughout the year ahead.
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Dr. Valerie Allen is a child psychologist in private practice n Melbourne, FL. She is the author of two children’s books, “Summer School for Smarties” and “Bad Hair, Good Hat, New Friends.” Oh yes, she has also raised six children! Contact Dr. Allen at DrValerieAlen@cs.com. Learn more about her at www.DrVAllen.com. Purchase her books at www.amazon.com/author/valerieallen
January 25, 2017
Reader’s Favorite 5 Star Picture Book Giveaway
Today, January 25th, 2017 through Thursday, February 2nd, 2017
I am running a Book Giveaway on Goodreads
Enter to win one of three picture books of Little Birdie Grows Up
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(just click on this Goodreads link or to the right of this column on my website)
5 Star Review from Reader’s Favorite
“It is an excellent story”
4.8 Averaged Star Reviews on Amazon
“…it (Little Birdie Grows Up) is one of mine and my little one’s favorite bedtime story”
“Great little book for young children”
“Highly recommend this book”
“This is a wonderful little book”
” it’s truly magical”
” This is such a sweet story”
“Delightful rhyming”
“Simply charming”
“Wonderfully and whimsically written”
4.64 Averaged Star Reviews on Goodreads
“An adorable book for children”
“The rhyming is perfect and something that children will be mesmerized by”
“an adorable rhyming picture book”
“It is really cute story”
“This delightful children’s tale is…heart-warming”
“It is great story to send your little ones off to dreamland!!”
“Highly recommend this book for children ages one to five”
Book Description
Little Birdie Grows Up is a delightful rhyming picture book with charming illustrations about a little blue bird who pecks his way out of his shell and into the hearts of parents and children.
He meets his Mama and yearns to fly up in the sky. His Mama reassures him that one day he will be able to fly. His first attempt is half-flying, half-falling out of the nest. But, when he finally does learn how to fly, well, it’s time to say good-bye.
Come along on the journey of Little Birdie Grows Up.
Share this link with everyone you know,
so they have an opportunity to enter to win!!
January 23, 2017
Fairytales, Dragons, and Princesses
I’m super excited about an upcoming event this
Thursday, January 26th, 2017 from 5:30PM-8:00PM!
Fairytales, Dragons, and Princesses
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I have been invited to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Library in Melbourne, Florida to read a portion of my children’s book, The Lilac Princess, to celebrate Literacy Week.
I am bringing my inflatable dragon, Liam, that I took to the Book Fair in November (pictured above). He’s huge and his wings move! Children can have their picture taken with him.
I will have a fun and free book-themed craft for the kids to create after the reading.
And, there are real live Princesses coming to the event!
I think this is going to be a great event that children will really enjoy and will encourage reading (my favorite topic!).
I hope to see everyone there!
If you know of anyone that might be interested in attending, please let them know about it.
As always my children’s books are entertaining while also bringing a positive message about good character and they are available on Amazon and B&N.com or from me directly (use the Contact Link on this website to reach me).
January 16, 2017
Inspiring Poem for the New Year
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Happy New Year, 2017
A fresh start, a slate clean
The past is gone, the page has turned
Forget regrets, the pain adjourned
The year is waiting, the time is now
Set your goal, make a vow
Anything is possible, the mind creates
Take control, destiny awaits
Plot the path, take the first step
Claim the prize, let nothing intercept
Embrace the day, be all you can be
Live life full, love all you see
And when 2017 is history
You will have the victory!
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January 9, 2017
New Year, New Logo
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As a new year begins, it’s time for a new logo (or a first logo!).
Here it is in all its’ glory!
I called my work Lilacs in Literature because in each book I write, I mention lilacs.
My first book, The Lilac Princess, is the inspiration behind this. I wanted a flower that had a fragrance so beautiful that a Princess who didn’t have access to these would go to great lengths to get to them. Dreama, the Lilac Princess, is a strong female in charge of her destiny. She wanted to go outside the castle walls where she knew it wasn’t safe to be among these wonderful smelling flowers. She figures out a way with the help of her friend, Dirk. She meets a dragon who seems friendly at first and wins her trust, but he has evil plans for her. Does she make the choice for her safety or does she risk the entire kingdom that she has yet to inherit to stand up for what she believes in? You’ll have to read the story to find out. The Lilac Princess is about friendship, courage, and forgiveness. It’s a story that will touch both children and adults alike.
The other inspiration beyond this logo is that all my books address some positive characteristic to encourage good character in children. I’m using the fragrant lilac to represent good character because when we choose to be people of good character, we emit a beautiful fragrance out into the world that touches and changes the rest of the world. I believe we should be the change we want to see. Being people of good character does just that. And I want to help children be the best people they can be so that is why I have chosen to focus on good character in my books.
I do hope you will join me in 2017 to help spread good character. You can help by following me on WordPress, Facebook (www.facebook.com/wluthman), or Twitter (www.twitter.com/wandalu64) and by purchasing my books for your child or a family member or friend today.
All my books are available on Amazon, B&N.com, or contact me through my Contact Form in this website and I will personally sign your book and cover postage (in the US).
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A Turtle’s Magical Adventure is about a turtle who doesn’t like his shell because it makes him too slow. He goes on an adventure to meet the Wizard to request his shell be removed. He meets a lot of whimsical and interesting characters along the way who help him see his shell in a new light. Does Tad, the turtle, learn to accept himself the way he is before he meets the Wizard or will he be turned into turtle soup? Read the book to find out. This book encourages friendship and self-acceptance. A Readers Favorite Five Star book!
Little Birdie Grows Up is a picture book about a little blue bird who pecks his way out of his shell and into the hearts of parents and children. He longs to grow up and learn to fly. Come along on this universal journey that all children and parents go on. This book is about following one’s dreams.
I have 3 books to come out in 2017 plus I’m re-publishing The Lilac Princess (same great story, new cover).
The three books coming out are
Gloria & The Unicorn about a girl who is disfigured from a traumatic birth and no one believes in her. A unicorn comes along who teaches her to read and empowers her. She becomes magical herself but has to face the Wicked Wizards of Malcadore. Will she believe in herself and save her beloved unicorn friend or will she believe the lies about herself? Read the book to see what happens. This book is about literacy, empowerment and love.
Dirk and the Dragon is the sequel to The Lilac Princess. Dirk and Liam go on an adventure to tame the voices in their heads and come to terms with their choices. Many perils await them in their travels and new choices will have to be made. Will their friendship survive or will the Wicked Witch prevail? Read the book to find out. This book is about choices, being who you were meant to be and family.
Franky, the Finicky Flamingo is a picture book about a flamingo who doesn’t like anything the other birds eat. He seems to be a picky eater, but find out why in this beautifully illustrated story. This book is about withholding judgement until you know the whole story.
January 3, 2017
Children’s Author Interview–Diane Carr
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Please welcome Diane Carr today! You’ll enjoy reading her interview and getting to know her because she’s really special. If you live local (Brevard County, FL), you know of the dragon at the end of Merritt Island. She wrote a book called River Dragon about this special being. You’ll love it!
On a side note, I met Diane recently via email as she reached out to me through a mutual friend. Then, at the Book Fair we were both attending, we wound up being next to each other. And for a further twist, as we began talking, we realized we had met years earlier. I was her daughter’s Guidance Counselor in High School! We both have books with dragons in them and I had brought a HUGE dragon to this book fair. We called our little corner, Dragon’s Corner. She is an absolute delight. I’m very grateful to have met her in person and can now call her my friend. I know you will enjoy getting to know her as well.
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Tell me something about yourself. (Where did you grow up, significant relationships, what do you do for fun besides writing, as little or as much as you want).
I grew up in Massachusetts, currently live on the west coast of Florida, but still love love love the New England area. Growing up, our family had a cabin in the woods of southern New Hampshire where I spent most summer weekends swimming, canoeing, catching frogs and turtles, building forts, and picking blueberries. It was a childhood right out of Mayberry RFD and if I could wave a magic wand, I’d create that opportunity for every child.
I’m married to my best friend, Phil Mayrand and we call ourselves ‘two peas in a pod’. We love to walk the beach, ride our bikes, and travel to places where we can hike and spend time with Mother Nature.
When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
I knew I wanted to write when I was in my late teens/early twenties. I began composing poetry (I’d be embarrassed to share it with anyone now) but it was the beginning of the seed that took hold. In college, reports seemed to be my strong point. Once I had children, I knew I wanted to write stories for them.
What have you written? Tell me about them.
My exciting news and most recent release in October 2016 is Freedom’s Dragonflight, a coming of age adventure with dragons, dragonflies, Florida wildlife, an evil dragon, and flying under moonlit skies. This fifth grade level c hapter book is the sequel to the picture storybook, River Dragon ~ A Real Florida Fairytale, the story of Annie the dragon that stood on the southern tip of Merritt Island for 31 years. River Dragon won second place in the children’s category in the 2004 Palm Award from the Florida Writers’ Association.
From 2007-2010, I had the perfect outlet for my love of natural and healthy living as part time Assistant Editor for Brevard County Natural Awakenings Magazine. I conducted inter views with holistically slanted business owners for Spotlight articles and edited news briefs.
My brief foray into poetry included a poem entitled Tiger that was published in the Flash Poetry section of The Florida Palm, Summer of 2006.
With members of the Space Coast Writers Guild, I had the unique opportunity to co-author Summer Storm and Camp Daybreak, chapter books published in the Florida Today newspaper in 2001 and 2003. I also c o-edited Keys Adventure, a third c hapter book created by the SCWG also published in the Florida Today newspaper in 2004.
I dabbled in short storytelling with Gone Fishing, which was published in the Literary Liftoff, (magazine of the Space Coast Writer’s Guild) in the Fall 2005 issue.
My first byline was for an article written in the Massage Magazine, March/April 2001, entitled Destiny’s Path. Another magazine called Daughters, published my second article in Reaching for Maturity in April 2001.
What is your favorite genre to write?
Without a doubt, my favorite genre would be writing for children. I am always inspired by their curiosity, imagination, sense of freedom, and playfulness. One of my goals is to retain my own childlike innocence in the way I look at the world.
Tell me about your writing process.
Ideas float through my brain or I’ll see something that triggers an interest. If it feels as though it has potential, I’ll write it down. I tell kids it’s like catching a butterfly. If you don’t grab it immediately, it may just fly away. When I get to the point of fingers on the keyboard, I write organically. For me that means I begin a stream of thought process. I don’t worry about storylines or character development, where the story is going or how it will end. The important thing is to get my thoughts down however disjointed they seem at first. That, for me, is the joyful part of writing. No barriers, no censors, no rules. Just pure imagination. It doesn’t matter if it’s silly, dumb, crazy, or impossible. I try not to edit in that stage. After the story is in a very rough draft, then comes the discipline which includes research, editing, re-writing, re-reading, re-editing, and all the other related levels of creating the story. It is definitely work, and sometimes frustrating and challenging, but hopefully the end result will be a story I feel good about.
Where do you get the inspiration for your novels?
Life events and personal experiences become the foundation of every story. Imagination becomes the magical fairy dust that makes it vibrant and come to life.
What sort of research do you do for your novels?
The research depends on where the characters are located and what they are experiencing. For example, when I had a ghost crab scuttling across the beach in Freedom’s Dragonflight, I looked up what a ghost crab looks like, what it eats, and how it behaves. When I wrote about Bok Tower Gardens, I spent a day there, experiencing first hand what I saw, touched, smelled, and heard. I took pictures. I read their brochures. Many of these facts were placed in the story so the reader gets a visual, tactile, aroma, sound, or sense about the character or place.
Do you have a special place where you write?
Most of the time at my computer. Impromptu ideas, however, are written on the first scrap of paper I can discover in the moment whether backs of envelopes, post-it notes, or tissue paper.
Do you have any type of music you listen to while you write?
Not usually. I prefer quiet so I can focus and listen to my thoughts and visualize the story.
Do you have any rituals before or while you write?
Sometimes I quiet my mind by slow deep breathing or spending some time outside in the fresh air, but mainly, it’s when the story beckons my presence.
How long does it usually take you to complete a book?
My first children’s chapter book River Dragon ~ A Real Florida Fairytale, took four days to write the first draft and roughly six months to edit the manuscript. Start to finish it was just over a year to hold the book in my hands.
However, and because there is no ‘usual’ with me, the first draft of Freedom’s Dragonflight, was written in 2003 and remained unread on my computer until there was word another dragon statue was about to be built. The manuscript was dusted off in the fall of 2015 when I worked on it intensely on it from January to September 2016. The book was published October 2016.
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What made you decide to sit down and actually start something?
It differs for every story. Some of my first unpublished stories were written for and about my young daughters and just for fun. The three chapter books co-written with the Space Coast Writer’s Guild were an exciting entry into writing, being edited, editing others, and being published. River Dragon and Freedom’s Dragonflight stories needed to be told as it was a combination of reality and fiction and I wanted to keep the memory of Annie and her hatchlings alive.
Do you write full-time or part-time?
I write part-time, before work, after work, early mornings, and sometimes by the light of the moon.
How do you think you’ve evolved creatively?
I’ve learned that simple stories are a good beginning but become more interesting when I develop the characters’ personalities, define where and how they live, what they encounter, and what they learn in the process. In the beginning I’d use my own knowledge to tell the story. Now I spend a lot more time researching whatever elements appear in the story. That helps both the reader and myself learn something new.
What are you passionate about?
I am passionate about the love of family and friends, nature and all it’s miracles, and protecting our precious Mother Earth.
Have you written any books that made a transformative effect on you? If so, in what way?
If there was any transformation, I would have to say it would be a stronger conviction of my beliefs of the above mentioned passions.
Do you find yourself returning to any recurring themes within your writing and, if so, are you any closer to finding an answer?
Recurring themes would be my passions: love of family, cooperation with others, and protecting our planet. The answers to the issues I bring into the storyline continue to change with my research, clarity, and wisdom. I believe we are always evolving, hopefully into someone that is better than who we were before.
What can we expect from you in the future?
Now that’s a mystery as I don’t know myself. I try to go with the flow…
If you could jump ahead in time, what would be happening for you?
My perfect day would begin with yoga and meditation at dawn, writing in the morning, digging in the garden, hiking, or bike riding in the afternoon, then walking the beach at sunset. The writing has to come because I have a story to tell and if I don’t experience life, there are no stories! Jumping ahead, there could be another dragon story, a story about a Golden Retriever, or maybe a picture book.
What influenced your decision to self-publish?
I wanted creative control over my project.
If you have experience with both traditional and indie publishing, compare the two.
My experience is with cooperative and indie publishing. I loved the creative control of self-publishing but the learning curve was challenging and overwhelming, especially once it came to marketing. I had to get creative. Cooperative publishing offered the help of a team of editors and publishers which helped create a superior product. The challenge was sorting through the variety of suggestions and deciding which ones I agreed with and which ones I had to let go. Cooperative publishing also offered additional resources I did not have with an indie project. After experiencing of both, I think I’d lean toward indie for my next project mainly because each experience added to my pool of knowledge and I now feel better prepared to tackle another self-publishing venture.
How do you market your book?
The variety of ways includes social media, book events, word of mouth, letters to schools and libraries, contacting newspapers, magazines, and book reviewers, along with a positive attitude!
Do you design your own book covers?
No, my drawing skills need a lot to be desired. For both River Dragon and Freedom’s Dragonflight, I hired illustrators. John Goldacker was a good friend and did fantastic work on River Dragon. Debbie Johnson was referred to me by my publisher for Freedom’s Dragonflight and after I saw her work, I knew she’d be perfect for the project. Her amazing artwork makes the story come to life!
Freedom’s Dragonflight is the newly released enchanting children’s chapter book and the long awaited sequel to River Dragon ~ A Real Florida Fairy Tale. A coming of age adventure, the story promises dragons, multi-lingual dragonflies, an evil dragon, Florida wildlife, and flying under moonlit skies. The unique language of Mind-Speak and the mystical Dragonweb network help Freedom, Joy, Charity, and Sunshine search for an elusive portal. Using an unproven strategy, their teamwork must protect them from Leviathan, the evil dragon. Readers are inspired to think about personal challenges, family, friends, and our precious environment. A free Interactive Curriculum Guide for teachers is available.
Freedom’s Dragonflight Activity & Coloring Book includes thirty original and imaginative illustrations plus six engaging activity pages for hours of entertainment with a Crossword Puzzle, Word Scramble, Word Search, and Complete the Sentence.
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Diane Carr co-wrote and published River Dragon with her daughter, Kira Earley Marion. She also co-wrote four children’s chapter books with members of the Space Coast Writers Guild that were published in Florida Today. For more information, visit her website at www.mind-speak-writer.com/.
Freedom’s Dragonflight and accompanying Activity & Coloring Book are available at the following locations:
Brevard County:
Annie’s Toy Chest, 526 Brevard Avenue, Cocoa, FL 32922 Annies Toy Chest
Treasures Thrift Shoppe, 3040 New Haven Ave W. West Melbourne, FL 32904
Aquarian Dreams, 414 N. Miramar Ave (Hwy A1A) Indialantic, FL 32903
Creative Framing by David, 1891 S Patrick Dr, Indian Harbour Beach, FL 32937 Creative Framing by David
Sarasota County:
Nana’s A Children’s Store, 223 West Venice Ave., Venice, FL 34285 http://www.nanaschildrenshop.com/
Online:
Diane Carr, Author http://www.mind-speak-writer.com/
Terra Sancta Press, Publisher http://www.terrasanctapress.com/
Amazon.com Freedoms Dragonflight Freedoms Dragonflight Activity Coloring Book
Contact Information
Email Diane Carr at dianelmt1@gmail.com Phone 941-275-5431
Email Terra Sancta Press at books4you@cfl.rr.com Phone 321-914-2290
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