David D. Bernstein's Blog, page 2
July 27, 2021
Author spotlight August 2021
Author Spotlight August 2021
Biography
Cheryl Cheatham is an award-winning children’s book author and illustrator. She has published 2 books, Perry the Sheep – The Search for The Magical Rainbow and Yaya the Sheep – Super Silly, Furry, Friends with a matching coloring book. Cheryl’s books are fun, silly, adventurous, and full of imagination. Cheryl loves writing and illustrating books with adorable animals and adventures that make kids smile. Cheryl loves giving back to her community. For each book sold, a book and the matching coloring book is donated to SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital and many other local children in need of a smile. Cheryl is a proud grandma, aka Yaya, of 3 little girls who love reading books that spread love, hope, and kindness.
Questions
Who was the inspiration for you to become an author?
My inspiration is my 3 little granddaughters. When Covid put our family on lockdown our time together completely changed. In order to stay close with them I would draw silly pictures and send them to the kids. I have always been creative, and this was my way of staying connected the best way I knew how.
How did you come up with such a wonderful character for your book?
I have always loved animals. Farm animals just make me smile. My granddaughters call me Yaya, which means grandma. While drawing for my granddaughters this adorable sheep and animal friends just came to life. I have 3 sheep characters, Perry, Polly, and Yaya. Yaya is the nurturing one who looks after her little friends. I feel that I am Yaya the Sheep and hopefully putting a smile on every little face that reads my books.
Please tell us a bit about the process, you went through to write this book?
After I had over 100 drawings and more ideas than my brain should have, I started with a layout of my ideas and drawings. I wanted to tell a story that children would love. Yaya The Sheep has over 30 different adorable animals that explore 17 silly, fun, exciting jobs. For example, would you like to be a hot air balloon pilot, a butterfly catcher, an astronaut, or a superhero? Each job is an adventure where you will learn something, so I had to learn things first. I now know how many whiskers a cat has on each side of their face. After each adventure was picked, I paired it with a specific animal, flower, and sun. Every adventure is a discovery of what the world has to offer.
What encouraged you to share part of your profits with a charitable organization?
There are so many children in hospitals all over the world. I think I am a very compassionate person. I wanted to do something, anything to help these kids. I thought if I could put a smile on their face with my silly books, I will be doing my part in making the world a little kinder. I contacted SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital in St. Louis, MO, my hometown, and asked if they accepted books during this crazy Covid time we live in. Their answer was a big YES. For every Yaya the Sheep book I sell I donate a Yaya the Sheep book AND a matching Yaya the Sheep Coloring Book.
If you can go back in time and change a moment in your life, what would it be?
There are many things I would change about my life, but number 1 would be trying to save my mom’s life. My mom died of a brain aneurysm and if I had a crystal ball, I would have had her at the hospital in time to save her. Every experience we go thru influences the person we are. I hope I learned that you never know what the future holds so you better use your time wisely.
What made you decide to become an author/illustrator?
After my animal drawings took on a life of their own, I developed an obsession with them. I spend hours a day creating ways to make one drawing cuter than the one before it. Initially I just wanted to share this with my family until I realized kids really love my stories and drawings. There is definitely satisfaction in picking up a physical book that I wrote and illustrated every single detail. If my books can make kids smile and giggle, then my time has been spent in a positive way.
Do you have any wise words for new authors?
You better LOVE what you are doing. Writing and illustrating a book is incredibly time consuming, stressful, expensive but also gratifying, awesome, and fulfilling. Pick a subject that you want to spend a lot of time with. You will be eating, sleeping, and breathing this subject for months or years.
What medium did you use to illustrate your book?
I hand draw all my pictures with a pencil. When I get it perfect, I outline with a thin point black permanent marker. The real fun begins when I start coloring. I use colored pencils for everything. Each drawing is very colorful, and very imaginative. Not many giraffes are pink!
What was harder for you writing the story, illustrating, or marketing?
I love to draw and create stories. I greatly dislike marketing. With the social media craze, life’s events and stories move at warp speed. Getting your book noticed is very difficult. I am still trying to figure it out!
Please share some wise words for your community?
There is a lot of stress in the world today. Take time to appreciate and enjoy your child with a fun, silly, book. Kids smiles are contagious, let’s spread that!
Thank you very much Cheryl.
Spots available for the rest of the year, please contact me if you are intersted.
June 29, 2021
Author Spotlight July 2021
Author Spotlight July 2021
Book Review- “The Fastest Dinosaur.” Overall,this book by Mrs. Caren Cantrell tries to work with a simple concept of a dinosaur who is in a race for being the fastest runner out of his friends. Yet, at the same time he has a large heart and wants to help everyone. So, when he is challenged by another dinosaur to a race, he accepts this challenge and as he races, he comes to situations where he is asked to help others. The illustrations by Mrs. Amy Klein use simple colors and shapes to represent the characters really well.
The one issue I found with this book is that it seemed not to tell the full story bringing in many characters that we knew nothing about. The characters even the main one, Enzo were very genetic and not realistic. It also lurked a story arc where a character has to grow in some way. I am not sure what the target age of this book is or what message it was trying to send it’s readers? It could definitely have used some more work and development. I got a sense it was put together extremely fast. As for a rating I will give it 2.5 stars since it seemed to be only half finished.
Caren Cantrell is a children’s book author who writes stories about characters who capture her imagination. They might have a too short flipper or curly whiskers. Or they might just be curious about the world around them.
Her family moved around a lot when she was a child and making new friends over and over again wasn’t something her introverted personality lent itself to. She found solace and friendship in reading books, and she read tons of them. At the age of twelve, Caren started writing her own stories and knew that writing for children was something she wanted to do.
But life, and the need to make a living, have a way of intruding on our dreams so Caren spent thirty years working in banking while raising five children, putting her writing on hold. When the opportunity finally arose in 2011 to quit the bank and start her own publishing services company, Caren jumped at the chance.
At the same time, her children started having children and writing became a passion once more. Not only was it fulfilling a dream but also leaving a legacy as the main character in each of her books to date bears the name of one of her grandchildren. Caren has eight picture books published so far, a middle-grade science fantasy novel in illustration, and another picture book in the revision stages.
Annie Argyle’s Amazing Adventure is her first book. It’s about a sock that deliberately goes missing from the dryer to have an adventure because she’s tired of being in dark, stinky places. With five children at home, Caren always had a laundry basket full of mismatched socks and wondered what on earth happened to them.
Her latest work, The Fastest Dinosaur, is a reimagining of The Tortoise and the Hare. In this book, Enzo, the fastest dinosaur in the world, doesn’t lose the race because he is too proud. He loses because he is too kind, stopping to help his friends along the track. In today’s world, where bullying and social shaming seem to be the norm, Caren felt a book about kindness was sorely needed. And who doesn’t love dinosaurs?
Sea of Surprises is the book that challenged Caren the most to write because it combines prose with rhyme to tell the story of a treasure hunt a little mermaid embarks on to find the surprise her grandmother has sent for her birthday. The book is also available in Spanish, something she intends to do with all her books.
She also has a non-fiction series on Kindle, written under the pen name Matthew Taylor, called Planet Discovery Books for Kids. These books are filled with fun facts and photos of creatures who share our planet, such as rabbits, reindeer, snakes, and some of the deadliest creatures.
Caren’s three favorite words are Read It Again!
She lives in Cave Creek, AZ, with her husband, Bill, and little dog, Daisy, but travels frequently to visit her five children and ten grandchildren.
1. Who was the biggest inspiration in your life.
Author Ayn Rand was a huge inspiration, although I no longer agree with her politics. She was one of the first authors I read who had a strong female protagonist who operated under her own set of values, rather than those imposed by the societal rules of the time. Her writing inspired me to want to do more and be more with the confidence I could make the right choices for myself.
2. What major event helped you decide to become a writer?
The desire to be a writer had been with me since I was a child. However, it took retiring from the corporate career that gave me the time and financial freedom to write. Then I became a grandmother, and the stories started flowing.
3. When you worked in the Finance industry, what was the hardest thing about it? What was the easiest?
I feel no matter where you work, the hardest thing is always dealing with the people, whether they be coworkers, employees, or clients. I was an Executive Vice President and had 600 people working for me in five states. Making sure communication was clear and timely and everyone was pulling for the same mission, results, and excellent customer service took a lot.
I was in the Operations area, so the easiest part for me was figuring out the most effective processes and procedures and putting them into practice. I’m very organized.
4. Tell us about an incident in your life that is the most memorable.
As a writer, the most memorable incident was the first time I held the print copy of Annie Argyle’s Amazing Adventure in my hands. I could barely contain my excitement and I wanted to show everyone! I’d spent years learning the craft, getting critiques, revising, revising, and revising, and finally, I could call myself a published author. I’d say my writing has improved significantly since that book, but none of the others have made me feel quite the same way as when I opened that first box of picture books.
5. How did being a grandmother change your life?
Oh my gosh, how didn’t it? I’ve got ten grandchildren and none of them live in my home state so I travel, a lot, to see them. There’s nothing I like better than being a grandmother. I have the time now to engage with them, play, and have adventures, that I missed with my kids when I was working full-time. Watching them and seeing what they see through their little eyes and minds gives me so many ideas for future stories.
6. If you were to give advice to new writers, what would that be?
Learn your craft first, particularly if you are writing for children. As part of my publishing services business, I provide development edits for other writers. Too many times I get manuscripts for picture books that are over 1000 words, or they have adults helping the child to solve their problem. It tells me right away that the author hasn’t spent any time learning the craft. If you’re looking to be traditionally published, it helps to learn the rules before you even begin to write. And, of course, as others have said on your blog, one of the ways to learn is to read, read, read other books in your genre.
7. Tell us a little about the writing process you go through with each book.
Whenever I come across something I think might make a good children’s story, I write it down. I have a whole notebook full of story ideas, many of which are a result of participating in Story Storm every year where you jot down an idea for a new story every day for 30 days. Before I begin to write, I decide on a theme. For example, in The Fastest Dinosaur, the theme is kindness, in Sea of Surprises the theme is family over things, and in Ranger Henry, the theme is not giving up on your dream. Then I research to see what other books are out there with the same theme and read a few of them as mentor texts. If I’m using animals as the characters in my books, I’ll also research them. In Leo Learns to Swim I needed to research if a sea turtle could swim with a short flipper. Only then do I write my first draft. I run it by my critique groups and revise, revise, revise. Then I put the manuscript away for a few weeks so the next time I look at it, I’ve got fresh eyes and revise again.
8. If you would give advice to your grandchildren, what would that be?
Follow your dreams and dream big. Don’t let the little voice inside your head tell you you’re not good enough. That voice is put there by other people. Keep trying new things and don’t be afraid to fail. Failing is just your First Attempt in Learning and gets you one step closer to success. And above all, do what makes you happy.
9. What new project are you working on and what kind of future plans do you have?
Currently, I’m working on a picture book about a French Poodle who comes to the US. The other dogs don’t understand her because she barks in French. It will be a humorous, bilingual book. I also have a middle-grade, science-fantasy novel coming out at the end of the year called The Sun Thief. My plans include trying my hand at writing a chapter book series based on a fourth-grade spy club that my hairstylist's daughter started at her school.
10. Share some wise words and advice with the community.
If you are serious about becoming an author, you should treat writing like a business. And by that, I don’t mean giving up your creativity to chase the money. What I mean is you should set an appointment with yourself for when you are going to write and treat that appointment as sacredly as you would any other. Writing can be hard work for many of us and it’s easy to let other things take priority. Set a goal during that time to write 100 words or write for 15 minutes or write 20 sentences. However, the writing is only one piece of the authorship puzzle. It helps to have a project plan that lays out all the things you have to do before your book gets published, particularly if you are self-publishing. Start with your ideal publish date in mind and work back from there with tasks like finding an illustrator, getting critiques, cover design, building your platform, and putting together a launch team to name a few.
June 9, 2021
Author Spotlight June 2021
Book Review
“Ishkabibble unafraid”- I read this book and overall found it was an interesting idea and a good play on the famous saying that kids are told “That monsters live in their closets or under the bed.” That concept made this book surprising and rather interesting. The illustration by Jack Foster were incredibly good and used simple colors and shapes to bring the main character to life. Yet. I found that the book had several forced rhymes and might be confusing for some children. It also lacked what we call a story arc where the main character goes through a full circle and grows in some way. In general, this book could be fun read, but it certainly needs some development and clarity. Also, many picture books I have read while working as a free-lance book reviewer for Scholastic for two years were not written with moral lessons but written to be just fun stories. I would give this one three stars.
Cindi Handley Goodeaux lives in Florida with her husband and muse. She is a proud mom, graphic designer wannabe, and sometime poet. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and a professional member of the Cat Writers Association (CWA). Crimson Cloak Publishing publishes her children’s books.
As a lifelong disability advocate, she serves on the board of her employer’s disability affinity group, advocating for rights for people with disabilities (PWD) in the workplace and statewide.
Cindi is the author of six children’s books, with a seventh currently being illustrated. Her Jellibean Adventures series seeks to normalize disabilities for children. She accomplishes this through positive characters with invisible and visible disabilities and simple language that correlates things like “dancing on feet or wheels”, and “singing out loud or signing with happy hands”. Grandpa Moon is a healing story that can help families with small children coping with loss. Her book Bunky & Lulu: Find Their Place shows that perseverance pays off and everyone has a purpose in this life.
Her most recent book is Ishkabbible Unafraid, a story about a monster afraid of children that encounters a human afraid of monsters. Ishkabibble Unafraid is a fun rhyming story about overcoming fears and making new friends that differ from us. Aside from her children’s books, Cindi has an eBook collection of her poetry on Amazon Kindle.
Cindi’s book Mama’s Map: Jellibean Adventures Book 2 won a Certificate of Excellence from the Cat Writers Association. A lifelong lover of the written word, Cindi often finds herself working with various boards of directors and editing newsletters. She was the newsletter editor of two clown organizations, one local and one regional. She is the editor for her employer’s departmental newsletter and has written as a cub reporter for their internal news channel and blog.
Her dream to become a published author began at 12 years old after an anthology included a poem she had written. It was then that the dream of holding a book in her hands with her name on the cover was born.
In another life, Cindi was a professional clown by the name of Giggle Blossom. She worked hard to create an approachable and non-threatening character that was based on a 6–8-year-old child. It was during this time that she rediscovered the magical world of children. She loved viewing the world through the eyes of a child and found this would later provide inspiration for her stories.
Last year, she started a small business, WriteCute Author Services, serving the author community as a copyeditor and graphic designer. She has designed bookmarks, activity books, business cards, and more. Cindi loves to find fresh ways to help authors promote their hard work. To promote her own, Cindi has handmade necklaces, hair clips, and backpack charms that feature her characters. She has a natural talent for finding creative and inexpensive marketing methods. Cindi’s next book in line to be published is The Art of Friendship, book 4 in the Jellibean Adventures series.
Interview1) What inspired you to be an author?
As a child, I discovered poetry written from my father to my mother and felt inspired to write my own. One of my poems was published in an anthology when I was 12, and the dream to become an author was born!
2. If you can go back in time and meet someone who would that person be and why? Leonardo da Vinci. He was so talented in so many areas! A true multi-passionate creative! I would love to spend time in his presence and think we could have challenged and inspired each other creatively.
3. Who was the biggest inspiration in your own life? My husband is legally blind and uses a white cane. He is also an amazing amateur chef, handy man, web designer, and can build computers. He is my muse and has encouraged me since he discovered my dream of holding a book in my hands with my name on the cover.
4. If you can change something in your past, what would be? Early on I got it in my head that the only way to be published is to pay to subsidize. This sidelined my dream for many years and eventually lead to me being the victim of fraud.
5. Tell us a bit about your current business and what does it do? Besides working a full-time job for the last 23 years at the same employer, I have started a side business as a copy editor and graphic designer. I offer my services to my fellow authors and have a lot of fun reading their stories and helping them find creative ways to market their book!
6. Talk about the process or routine you go through before you write each book? Even though I write fiction, I do a great deal of research before I put pen to paper (or fingers to keys). When I wrote a STEM book, I researched for months on end and really took a deep dive into the topic to ensure an authentic story.
7. What wise words of wisdom can you give to inspiring writers? Writing is non-linear. You do not have to write a book from start to finish. Write the middle, write the end, cut part of the story out and rewrite the ending. It is what you want to make of it!
8. Are you working on any new projects right now, and what are you plans for the future? I have the fourth book in my Jellibean Adventures series being illustrated that will release in the coming months and am editing another book that will come out in the next year. I have also started writing my first book or adults that is a romantic self-help story.
9. Share one inspirational story that happened in your life and tell us how this event changed you? I almost died in 1993 from a mystery illness. I said that if I lived, I would work to live a more positive life. That journey has not been easy, and it took me years before I really took that challenge seriously. I started by forcing myself to give genuine compliments to people with whom I crossed paths. That was difficult since it felt unnatural and went against my otherwise negative mindset. What it did was get me outside of my head and help me see the good in all. Complimenting is now my superpower. I love to see the way a simple kind word can light up someone’s face.
10. What advice can you give to your community, family, and friends? Anything else you want to share with us. Life is too short to waste your time thinking about what you will do when you lose weight, when you get more money, or when you have more free time. Start with the here and now. Everyone is born with a spark of something in them that contributes to the world. Find out what that is and give it generously! The world needs your light!
Thanks so much for spending some time with us.
May 9, 2021
Author Spotlight May 2021
Author spotlight 2021
Kitty Felde
Kitty Felde’s debut novel Welcome to Washington Fina Mendoza (Chesapeake Press, 2020) is the story of the ten-year-old daughter of a congressman from California who solves mysteries on Capitol Hill. The book got a rave from KirkusReviews (“A lively mystery with a touch of spookiness, an intriguing setting, an appealing family dynamic, and an enterprising Latina heroine.”) It also received bipartisan praise from four members of Congress. It’s the first book in The Fina Mendoza Mysteries mystery series. Book 2, State of the Union, comes out in August 2021.
Welcome to Washington Fina Mendoza was adapted to an 8-part dramatic podcast The Fina Mendoza Mysteries available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, etc.
The books and podcast are designed to introduce civics to elementary students. There is civics curriculum available at her website kittyfelde.com.
Kitty is also host and executive producer of the Book Club for Kids podcast – named one of the top podcasts for kids in the world by The Times of London. The show is winner of the DC Mayor’s Award for Excellence in the Humanities and the California Library Association Technology Award.
Kitty is a veteran public radio journalist, winning more than a dozen Golden Mike Awards for her work covering baseball, politics, high profile trials, riots, earthquakes, and immigration. She was named “Journalist of the Year” three times in three years by the LA Press Club and Society of Professional Journalists. She hosted Southern California Public Radio KPCC’s afternoon talk show “Talk of the City” for nearly a decade and covered Capitol Hill for more than half a dozen years.
Kitty is also an award-winning playwright whose work has been produced worldwide. Her play about Theodore Roosevelt’s son “Quentin” currently plays as a tour of the White House neighborhood. She co-founded LA’s Theatre of NOTE and led the playwriting program at the HOLA Youth Theatre in Los Angeles.
She fell in love with books for young readers when she was a young reader herself, working at her local public library.
Questions
Tell us about your childhood and please share a few of your best memories doing that time?
I grew up in a big family - six younger brothers and me - right down the street from the library. I spent many, many summer days there.
Four of my brothers are adopted, so we were a bit of a multicultural crowd. Our ancestors came from Ireland, Germany, Mexico, Columbia, Armenia, The Philippines, Australia, and the Sioux and Navajo nations. Our parents were socially active Catholics, so we grew up never eating grapes (instead handing out fliers at grocery stores urging shoppers to also boycott grapes and lettuce to support farmworkers trying to unionize) and we refused to join the white flight that turned Compton from white to Black in almost a year.
As a kid, I remember organizing backyard carnivals to raise money to fight Muscular Dystrophy. We filled eggshells with confetti to sell, set up games of chance, and had a blast. And we raised the money.
What inspired you to become a children book author?
I spent a lot of time in that county library down the street, moving from picture books to fairy tales, to middle grade novels. And I always seemed to be writing something, keeping journals, writing fan fiction, plays, and lots and lots of letters. I had a terrific English teacher for all four years of high school - Sister Judith Royer - who really helped me improve my writing and gave me confidence about it. I was a theatre major in college and started writing plays.
But I always wanted to write books for kids. I just didn't have the confidence to write prose. I joined SCBWI years ago, but still didn't feel "qualified" to write a middle grade novel.
Until I covered Capitol Hill.
I kept running into 8th grade tour groups all over Capitol Hill. Growing up in California, we never got those trips, never got the chance to fall in love with Washington and governance. I wanted kids in the west to have that "virtual" school trip to DC. So I wrote Welcome to Washington Fina Mendoza.
Tell us about your experience of being a Journalist? What did you like about that job? What did you not like about that job?
I fell into journalism accidentally. The radio station that carried the Dodgers had a sportstalk show with next to zero female listeners. So, some wise guy at the station thought it would be a great idea to find a female sportstalk person. They had a big contest - more than 2,000 women AND men applied. I was one of the ten finalists. I didn't win, but I came close enough that I decided to take a sportscasting class. I thought I'd become the next Vin Scully, the first female play-by-play announcer. The only problem: I have lousy depth perception and every fly ball looked like a homerun.
But I liked talking to people. And they liked talking to me. So I started interviewing sports stars, which led to freelance work at a local public radio station. One day, a big fire broke out in an area near where I lived. I covered the fire and discovered that I really loved breaking news - fires, earthquakes, protests, you name it. I covered a lot of high-profile trials, including OJ Simpson, which led me to The Netherlands where I covered the REAL trials of the century: the international tribunals for war crimes committed in Yugoslavia and Rwanda. When I came back to the states, I was offered a talk show, which I did for a decade, and then opened the station's Washington bureau, covering Congress and the Supreme Court.
I loved the adrenaline rush of disasters, political conventions, hosting political debates, etc. And I truly loved covering Capitol Hill, in the most beautiful building in America.
The one experience I truly hated was covering the Metrolink train crash. I was sent to a high school where the relatives were waiting for news about their loved ones who were on that train. It was so different from fires where - even if someone just watched their house go up in flames - they WANTED to talk to someone. At that high school campus, those families didn't know what to feel and certainly didn't want to talk to a reporter. And yet I had to go live at the top of every hour. It was an awful evening.
What inspired you to write your middle grade book “Welcome to Washington, Fina Mendoza”
I had the privilege of meeting a great many lawmakers while covering Congress. I also met their kids and even the dogs they brought to the office every day. Even if their political views were different from mine, I saw them as human beings who (mostly) came to Washington to try to accomplish something good for their constituents back home. I was inspired by watching democracy in action. And I wanted to inspire the next generation of public servants, to rescue them from the cynicism that seems to pervade America today.
I had mentored a young woman a few years ago (she now teaches first grade and is working on her PhD.) I never knew her when she was ten, but I imagined her at that age. She lent me her name for Fina.
Tell us a bit about your podcast?
I produce two podcasts: Book Club for Kids and The Fina Mendoza Mysteries.
On Book Club for Kids, a trio of 5th-8th graders discuss a middle grade novel, interview the author, and hear a reading from the book by a celebrity. And everybody on the show tells us their favorite book and why they love it. I started the show in 2015 and we now have more than 100 episodes available for free at bookclubforkids.org. We've won the DC Mayor's Award for Excellence in the Humanities, as well as the California Library Association’s Technology Award. The Timesof London named the program one of the 10 best kidcasts in the world.
The Fina Mendoza Mysteries was adapted from Welcome to Washington Fina Mendoza - an 8-part episodic drama that takes your ears inside the U.S. Capitol. We've done bonus episodes as well, covering everything from the January 6th insurrection to the pandemic to the election, all with curriculum for teachers.
What kind of books do you like to read, and which book was the biggest inspiration for you?
I'm currently on a mystery kick, devouring Dorothy L. Sayers, Barbara Neely, Ngaio Marsh, Jan Burke, Kerry Greenwood...I could go on and on. But it was Madeleine L'Engle who inspired me. Not just A Wrinkle in Time, but her Austin family series as well. When I think about it, those strong family stories of L'Engle's are similar to what I write in my Fina series.
Are you working on any new projects, please talk about them?State of the Union, my second book in The Fina Mendoza Mysteries series, comes out in August. It's about a mysterious bird that poops on the head of the president during the State of the Union address. I'm working on Fina 3 and a new mystery series set in the White House.
If you can change anything in your life, what would it be?
I wish that I'd had one year of college on the east coast or Europe. I grew up in southern California and went to college there. As a reporter, I had the opportunity to live for months in another country. It would have been great to experience that at a younger age.
What kind of advice can you share with new writers and the children book writing community?Be persistent. Believe in yourself. And look past the "big 4" publishers in New York. There may be a smaller publisher who is better for you and for your book - perhaps a regional publisher who "gets" you and your audience.
Do you have any last thoughts, or do you want to talk about something I missed.
Through my school visits for Fina, I realize how important it is to teach civics in elementary school. And I'm not talking about class president elections which are just popularity contests. Kids have energy and ideas and all they want is a way to use them to help change the world. Civics can help them focus their efforts. We need those ideas and efforts. We need to expand civics education to younger kids.
April 8, 2021
Author Spotlight April 2021
Author Spotlight April 2021
Ni'matul-ain Muhammad is an author and artist in Washington DC.
Ni'matul-ain Muhammad 's interest in writing stories started after watching her favorite cartoons as a toddler. She has been drawing ever since. She has never had trouble loving her skin or her race. However, her stories mainly revolve around children of color since doing research and learning how children seeing themselves in characters affects their outlook on life.
Her books are educational in that they teach school subjects, life, and world lessons, and encourage creativity. The books were also inspired by the author's own experience with working and volunteering to look after children. Her first book 'What Does Kitty Want?' was inspired one day when a hungry cat followed her home from the grocery store. "What Does Kitty Want?' has been featured on Stories with Santa, E Life Presented: Black Wall Street Renaissance, and Dream spire. Ni'matul-ain Muhammad has also donated books to schools and voluntary virtual reading programs through the Briddell foundation. She has also done in person readings at her elementary school, Muhammad University of Islam where she graduated as the valedictorian.
Her new book 'Right Wrong or Both?' Is about two children preparing for an African wedding while learning homophones and other grammar. It was inspired when the author discovered she had ancestry in west Africa. Her next book will be about healthy eating during Covid-19. Some of her later books will teach children monetary skills and encourage them to study technology.
Ni'matul-ain Muhammad went onto attend Mckinley Technology High School, a magnet school, where she majored in Information Technology. Her after school activities included volunteer work teaching art to children and working part time teaching computer programs. After graduation from Mckinley Technology High School, Ni'matul-ain Muhammad was looking to create engaging art. She graduated from Morgan State University with honors and dual degrees in Illustration and Screenwriting and Animation. In college, she took a design class that inspired her to make the art of her first book "What Does Kitty Want?" like a coloring book to match the activities in the back. Her next book "Right, Wrong or Both?" Is her first computer graphic designed book. The art style is simple in that three shades of one color were selected and used to fill in each different item. She has also won the Martin Luther King Breakfast cover design competition and the Get Smart logo design competition at Morgan State with innovative concept ideas. Currently she vends her books on the street and on Amazon. She aspires to publish novels and one day make films and television shows with her stories.
Questions for Interview
1) What inspired you to become a writer?
I loved writing since I was a toddler. I would write and draw all the time when I was little. One day I was drawing at the store with my mom, and I realized I wanted to write stories.
2) Who are your favorite authors?
I love the book series by JK Rowling and Tui T. Sutherland. I also read comics like Black Sands by Manuel Godoy and Tuskegee Heirs by Marcus Williams and Greg Burnham.
3) Where do you receive your ideas for your books?
I get them mostly from life experiences. My first book was inspired by meeting a real cat on my way home. My second book was inspired when I learned about my ancestry. My next book will be about healthy eating during Covid-19.
4) What kind of advice can you give to future writers?
Don't give up on a story if you love the idea. Learn as much as you can about writing. There are books and YouTube videos you can look to for tips.
5) Are you working on any new projects now? Please talk about them.
I am working on my first novel and my third picture book. My novel will be a fantasy novel.
6) Share a memorable story from your childhood that changed you forever?
Once I was writing a story and I wanted it to be like the cartoons I saw on TV. I told my brother my ideas and he said they were too predictable. It's a funny story but it did make me want to focus on my more unique ideas.
7) What are your future plans for new projects?
I hope to make movies and TV shows from my stories.
8) If you can change one thing in your life, what would it be?
I would like to travel more.
9) What is the overall goal of your books and projects?
My goal is to teach children life lessons that can help them be ready to have a peaceful adult life.
10) Do you have any final thoughts for your community or others?
If you have a dream remember there is always a way. You just have to learn as much and size every opportunity
Thank you so much for sharing with us. Good luck on everything you do now and the future.
February 12, 2021
CORT Trilogy Spotlight 2021
As the year starts I will be spotlighting my own new Trilogy. Book 1 "The Portal already published and it is on a virtual tour right now you can find the details below. Book 2 "Spirral" will have a preview and so will Book 3"Rebirth" "Spirral" and "Rebirth" do to publish February or March 2021
Outskirts Press Presents David D. Bernstein, author of The CORT Chronicles Book 1: “The Portal”Author David D. Bernstein is taking his award-winning book, The CORT Chronicles Book 1: “The Portal” on tour – a Virtual Book Tour, that is, with Outskirts Press! Technology has created a wide variety of ways to reach audiences all over the world. All it takes is a little thinking outside the box, and nowadays you can market a self-published book book in a variety of affordable and impactful ways. Virtual book tours, for example, are a great way to connect with readers from all corners of the globe, all from the comfort of your own home. Join David D. Bernstein and The CORT Chronicles Book 1: “The Portal” as they appear in features and interviews (such as the one below) in the weeks and months ahead!
Luckily for us, Luckily for us, David was kind enough to answer a few questions as the tour was getting started so that we can give you a sneak peek into the mind of the creator of The CORT Chronicles Book 1: “The Portal”.
OP: Tell us a little bit about The CORT Chronicles Book 1: “The Portal”. What is it about?
David: My book is about two brothers named Zack and Andy who fall through a Portal and find themselves transported to a ghostly version of their hometown-101 years in the future. They soon discover that the city is controlled by CORT robots…and that this reality is Earth’s possible future. Together with the help of a girl named Wendy who is the leader of the Resistance movement here. Our heroes must journey together through a nightmare world that only they can change. How can three young people alter the present by saving the future?
OP: Why did you decide to write this story?
David: I originally wrote this book back in 2017 so I can help people escape a political civil war between the elite politicians and the forgotten men and women who they treat as secondary citizens. These elite do not care one bit about this great country we live in. They always put America second and the world first so they can make a profit for their own pocketbooks. This was the case in 2017 and it is even worse in 2020. I wrote this book so people who are suffering from Covid-19 and this philosophy can have a few hours to escape reality and immerse themselves in an amazing adventure. I believe this book is needed more then ever today. It also seems that others agreed, since in 2018 my book won a CIPA EVVY Merit award in Juvenile Fiction
OP: How did you get your book published?
David: I self-published this book with Outskirts Press an amazing company that worked closely with me to make a wonderful book. They were very professional and fun to work with.
OP: What types of readers would be interested in this story?
David: I think that all kinds of readers will be interested in this book, even though the target age are children 7 to 12, but are we all not children in heart?
OP: What is special about your book?
David: That is a tough question, any author will say their book is special, but I believe my book is not special, but unique. My characters live and breathe off the page. The readers will journey with our Protagonists and will be on the edge of their seats to see what happens next. “The Portal” will also affect them on a physical and emotional level. People will laugh and cry as our heroes grow from children to young adults and discover how they can reverse this dark world and bring it to the light.
OP: What differentiates it from other books in the same category?
David: I am not sure this book is different from other books in this category, but it does show our world in a different light. It also is just an amazing read, that puts our current world in a nutshell using fantasy, and great characters. The book helps individuals immerse themselves in a dark world where the spark of hope still shines.
OP: Have you published any other books?
David: Yes, I have my first book was a collection of poems from my high school and college days. It is called “Voices of the Heart” and was published in 2004. I also have written two picture books that deal with real life situations that children face death of a parent and divorce. They are called “The Enchanted Rope” published in 2010 and “Peanut” published in 2018. There is also “The Portal” published in 2017. I also have several individual poems published in various magazines and anthologies and have received several Editor awards.
OP: Do you plan to publish more?
David: I do have plans for future books. The next fantasy trilogy I am considering is for a younger age group and it named “Living Library Chronicles.” I also have two picture books I am considering. There are no titles yet. As for publishing dates, I am not sure about those. Right now, I will be focusing on marketing my two new books “Spirral” and "Rebirth” which are do out Spring or Summer 2021 and my award winner “The Portal.”
OP: Thanks for your time, David! We look forward to learning more about you as you visit other bloggers!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
David Bernstein is a tennis instructor and energy healer who has worked with children for many years. He’s the author of a book of poetry and The Enchanted Rope, a children’s picture book. He has also had poems published in magazines and anthologies and is the recipient of five Editor’s Choice awards. The Portal is his debut novel.
For more information or to contact the author, visit https://www.outskirtspress.com/theportal
Book 2 "Spirral"
Civil war rages on, and a world is about to fully fall into deep darkness. Andy, John, Wendy, and Zack must figure out how to save everything they love, but before they win the battle against a powerful corporation named CORT, they first must win the battle within. In this second book of the CORT Chronicles, a dangerous new robot called Spirral is in the process of being built. Each young hero is given powers and tools to survive, guided by sages and memories of a world long gone. And as they fight to save Earth, our champions discover that only human connection and emotions can truly triumph over evil.
Book 3 "Rebirth"
A long journey ends and a new one begins in Book 3 of The CORT Chronicle after saving Earth from CORT Inc.
Over one hundred years in the future, eleven-year-old Andy and his brother Zack come home to 2009, hoping to live normal lives. Yet something has gone wrong. They get back to a terrifying version of their hometown. In this edition strange new technologies have taken over and an underground city is about to be reborn. Andy and Zack find themselves in a world where robots roam the streets and somehow CORT Inc. is back and on the verge of controlling everything. To make things worse, the kids' parents have vanished, and the family dog Buddy has run away. Andy and Zack must set out on a quest to save Trinity, New York, and earth again. They need to find the source of this chaos, and destroy it. But can our two young heroes---with the help of an old friend---bring back the world they knew before?
January 13, 2021
Author Spotlight 2021
Author Spotlight 2021 Mr. James Cipollina
Book Review The Eyedroids by James Cipollina- Was an interesting picture book and had very simple and colorful illustrations that were very well done. The blend of colors and how he expressed the emptions of this alien creatures he called Eyedroids was good. What the book was lacking was a solid storyline and it did not have any story Arc. It also lacked a hero that a reader can follow and grow with. It did do a decent job of bringing this creatures to life but the lack of storyline was a bit disappointing. overall as a reader I can give him 3 stars.
Biography
Hi, I am James Cipollina and the Author of The Eyedroids. Which was self-published in 2011 and is for sale on all online retailers. I have a second book The Adventures of Sammie the snail. Which is not published yet but finished. I also have a third book, The Adventures of Charlie the crumb. Which is still in the works. I never went to college for writing or illustration. But come from a long line of artists. My Father and mother and older brother are all amazing artists. I kind of became a children's book author by accident. I have always been able to draw and I happen to draw a picture for a little kid I knew. Well, that was the start of The Eyedroids. That first picture is in the book as the King who is exploring under water. The Eyedroids are like aliens that live in another world. It is about studying hard and their lives. My experience was a learning one. I had never published a book before but found it interesting and exciting. Which lead me to continue to make Children's books. I have two brothers that I am close with. I am also married to my wife Ricky and currently live in Bellmore NY. I am constantly drawing and coloring with color pencils. I have a comic strip which is called Bite Me. Which is satie on pop culture. I am also an Actor and standup comedian I have been working the club scene in Manhattan for 10 years. You can find my comedy on youtube under James Cipollina. I have been in four off Broadway plays. The last one I produced and directed. I also have a talk show on youtube under James Cipollina The Loft. Thank you.
Questions
1. Who inspired you to become an author/ illustrator? Please explain.
2. Why did you want to get involved in the Children book industry?
3. How long did it take for your book to be published and available to everyone?
4. What was the inspiration beyond your book?
5. Please talk about the publishing process you went through.
6. What are your favorite books and why?
7. If you can have tea with any famous figure in history who would that be?
8. Do you have other books you have written?
9. What kind of future do you believe the book industry has?
10. Are you working on any new projects right now or soon?
11. What kind of advice would you give for inspirational writers and illustrators?
12. Please share any last thoughts with our audiences.
Answers
1 My father and mother and older brother all encouraged me.
2 my cartoons were perfect for children and I wanted to entertain them.
3 My first book from start to when it was published took eight years.
4 I have always been inspired by the Art's. I have always appreciated all the Art's and Children's books.
5 I self-published my book. It had to be converted from drawings on paper and story to be digital. One I did that through Microsoft publishing I sent it to my publisher Author House.
6 My favorite books are choosing your own and Dr. Seuss. The illustration's in Dr. Seuss were very inspirational to me as a child.
7 I could have tea with any famous figure from history it would Abraham Lincoln.
8 I have my second book The Adventures of Sammie the snail and I am still working on my third book The Adventures of Charlie the crumb.
9 I think the book industry will continue to thrive. Even with all the digital things out there. There is nothing like turning the pages of a book.
10 I am working on two new projects right now. Bite Me which is a satire comic strip on Pop culture. Also, The Adventurous tales of Arthur Angel which is a comic strip about a Superhero who is also handicapped.
11 As a children's book author it is always important to check with your inner child. If you inner child and gut says it is good, then go with it.
12 I have been doing children's books and children based comic strips for almost 20 years. I find it a privilege and a labor of love. I continue to find inspiration in writing and illustration for children.
Thank you, David, for everything and wanting to know about me.
Thank you, James.
January 7, 2021
My spotlight 2021
Hello my friends in about two weeks I will be putting up my first Author Spotlight for 2021 before I do that let me introduce myself to everyone and post a few of my books and ideas to share with you all.
David D Bernstein is a, psychic reader and energy healer who has worked with children for many years in different settings. He's the author of a book of poetry and two picture books: "The Enchanted Rope" and "Peanut" both cover real life situations. He also wrote a middle grade novel called "The Portal" the first book in the Cort Chronicles Trilogy. This book received a CIPA Merit award in Juvenile Fiction in 2018. A hardcover version is on its way. The next two books "Spirral" and "Rebirth" will be coming out in Spring or Summer 2021. He also had several poems published in magazines and anthologies and is the recipient of five Editor Awards. He is a proud uncle of two young boys.
I came here from Russia in 1981 because our family were Refugees and Reagan exchanged us for pipes in a deal with The Soviet Union. I came here as an 8 year old young boy trying to live the American dream. I left a Sociologist country to seek freedoms I never had. America has been great for me but as I watched the civil war taken place in America I have never witnessed so much hate from both sides. Massive riots, businesses burning, people being shot and the hate coming out of people's mouths and from social Media.
As I watched the Capital building being breeched yesterday it reminded me of things that went on right before the Russian Revolution . Americans are not like those people we are individuals who want to live our lives, take care of our families and get good jobs. What upset me most is all the chaos that has been going on with far left and far right groups like Antifa, BLM and the proud boys. Those groups and many others should be punished and put away in prison. Americans rather they are Demarcates, or Republicans should not support them in any way. Our Government has to look at this situation happening now and fix it.
On election day the American people have spoken and they have told our leaders we do not want socialism, we want the government to stop fighting and to work together as Americans not Democrats or Republicans. Now all of you should listen to our voices and get things done.
Learn more about me and my books here
December 15, 2020
I am Back
Hello my friends I know it has been a while, but I am back. It has been three long years since I last posted. A little update for all of you right now. Right now I am working on finishing my trilogy of books from "The CORT Chronicles" There will be three books available soon. "The Portal" available now, "Spirral" and "Rebirth" both coming soon.
Like for everyone else it has been a very hard 2020 for me. Unfortunately I lost my Grandmother to Covid-19 back in March.
Being at home has been very tough. I hope that all of you doing well and our country is suffering greatly right now. As an immigrant who loves this country, I strongly believe that very soon we will get out of this suffering and overcome everything we have been through. Until then make sure to love you family and friends better and please enjoy this holiday season.
I will try to update this blog monthly and will try to bring you amazing information like more author spotlights, reviews and much more. Thank you all and I would love to hear your commends.
January 14, 2018
Virtual Book Tour for "The Portal" 2018
Hello my friends below is information about the virtual book tour my book is on. This will be its first stop.Press ReleaseFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Outskirts Press announces The Portal , the latest highly-anticipated juvenile fiction / fantasy & magic book from White Plains , NY author David D. Bernstein.
January 02, 2018. Denver, CO and White Plains , NY - Outskirts Press, Inc. has published The Portal: The Cort Chronicles Book 1 by David D. Bernstein, which is the author's most recent book to date. The 4 x 7 black & white paperback in the juvenile fiction / fantasy & magic category is available worldwide on book retailer websites such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble for a suggested retail price of $9.95. The webpage at www.outskirtspress.com/theportal was launched simultaneously with the book's publication.
About the Book (Excerpts & Info)
After falling into a time portal during a Little League baseball game in Trinity, New York, eleven-year-old Andy finds himself transported to a ghostly version of his hometown—101 years in the future. Twisted metal, rotten wood, and garbage litter the seemingly empty streets, but Andy will soon discover that the city is controlled by CORT robots . . . and that this reality is Earth’s possible future. When thirteen-year-old Zack receives a strange letter that guides him through the portal, he and his brother are reunited, and together they must journey through a nightmare world that only they can change. But how can two young boys alter the present by saving the future?
Deftly constructed at 85 pages, The Portal: The Cort Chronicles Book 1 is being aggressively promoted to appropriate markets with a focus on the juvenile fiction / fantasy & magic category. With U.S. wholesale distribution through Ingram and Baker & Taylor, and pervasive online availability through Amazon, Barnes & Noble and elsewhere, The Portal meets consumer demand through both retail and library markets with a suggested retail price of $9.95.
Additionally, The Portal can be ordered by retailers or wholesalers for the maximum trade discount price set by the author in quantities of ten or more from the Outskirts Press Direct bookstore at www.outskirtspress.com/bookstore
ISBN: 9781478783107 Format: 4 x 7 Black & White Paperback SRP: $9.95
For more information or to contact the author, visit www.outskirtspress.com/theportal
About the Author
David Bernstein is a tennis instructor and energy healer who has worked with children for many years. He’s the author of a book of poetry and The Enchanted Rope, a children’s picture book. He has also had poems published in magazines and anthologies and is the recipient of five Editor’s Choice awards. The Portal is his debut novel.
About Outskirts Press, Inc.
Outskirts Press, Inc. offers full-service, custom self-publishing and book marketing services for authors seeking a cost-effective, fast, and flexible way to publish and distribute their books worldwide while retaining all their rights and full creative control. Available for authors globally at www.outskirtspress.com/mobile and located on the outskirts of Denver, Colorado, Outskirts Press represents the future of book publishing, today.
Outskirts Press, Inc., 10940 S. Parker Rd - 515, Parker, Colorado 80134
https://outskirtspress.com/mobile 1-888-OP-BOOKS Courtesy Author Interview
"How Can two young Boys alter the present by saving the future."
"This book explores the journey of two brothers 101 years in the future where Robots run the world."Contact Information:
David D Bernstein
Spiritw74@yahoo.com
http://www.DavidDBernstein.com
http://www.lordspiritwalker.com -- What is the title of your book? “The Portal” Book one in The CORT Chronicles trilogy. What is your book about? The book is about two brothers named Zack and Andy who are transported to a ghostly version of their hometown 101 years in the future. They find out that it is now controlled by CORT Robots. They have made people slaves. This version of the hometown is a possible future of earth. The brothers must journey through a nightmare world that only they can change. But how can two young boys alter the present by saving the future. Why did you decide to write it? I decided to write this book because I strongly believe that our world today is full of technology, hate and is really hard for children to live in. I believe that this book can give our children a chance to escape everything and just enjoy an adventure. Imagination and storytelling play very critical roles in a child’s life and development. I believe this book could change their lives for the better. It gives them a chance to journey with these two boys as they save the world. I hope that children can immerse themselves in this wonderful world I created. How did you get your book published? The book itself took me eight years to write and edit. It also was send to few Traditional publishers before I self-Published. After receiving some rejection letters, I decided to self-publish this work of literature; I decided to go with a company I was familiar with. I had self-published another book with Outskirts press before and had a great experience with the team. The process was very professional, fun and easy to do. What types of readers will be interested in your book? I think the types of readers this book will interest are people from 6 and up. It is a little hard for younger readers. I also believe that any adult who loves Science Fiction and fantasy would love this book. It creates a world controlled by a massive Corporation named CORT (Central Operation Robot Technology) their ultimate goal is to have full control of people’s lives in all they do. This includes foods, shopping habits and etc... What is special about your book? I think what makes this book unique is how it matches with our current times. Today people are waking up from a long sleep, and they are letting their voices be heard. We also have a world where technology has turned addictive. People of all ages are very dependent on it. “The Portal” explores the possibility of what if Robots or a massive corporation takes over our world. What would each person do? Would they join a resistance? Would they join the Corporation? Would they just be part of the crowd? I think this is what makes my book special. It kind of is a warning to individuals of possible future. What differentiates it from other books in the same category? I believe that one of the biggest differences of my book is how it is very visual, action packed and it combines three Genres in one: Science Fiction, Fantasy and adventure. Another difference is it mostly revolves around children and explores a possible world we might become in the future. It takes readers on a journey that they will never forget. Have you published any other books? Do you plan to publish more? Yes, I have my first book was a collection of poetry I wrote over the course of about 15 years. My second book was called “The Enchanted Rope” it was a picture book that helps both children and adults deal with a death of a loved one, my third book is named “The Portal” and my newest book is called “Peanut” it is a picture book that should be coming out in Spring 2018. It helps families and children deal with divorce. In the near future I have plans to publish my other two books in my trilogy. “Spirral” which should be out by spring 2019 and “Rebirth” which should be out by spring 2020.
Thank you all look for more updates as the year goes on. Look for my book on Amazon.com and other online bookstores.
