Mindy Hardwick's Blog, page 52
June 2, 2012
Summer Writing Workshops for Teachers
If you are a teacher or librarian, there are a couple great summer writing workshop opportunities:
Author, Kate Messner, is hosting a Virtual FREE Teacher Writer Camp.
Camp takes place at www.katemessner.com/blog (Post Category: TeachersWrite) New posts will be shared each weekday morning, and you can check in whenever it’s convenient.
Dates: June 4th- August 10th
Each week includes mini-lessons on the craft of writing, quick writes, Q & A with authors, sharing of your work with feedback. Author Gae Polisner will also be hosting a Feedback Friday on her blog, so feel free to stop by there as well to share your work & offer feedback to others.
Teacher-writer Jen Vincent is having a weekend get-together on her blog, Teach Mentor Texts. Jen will be hosting an online writing group there. Each Sunday, she’ll be sharing reflections on her journey as a teacher who writes and encouraging others along the way. Think of it as a support group for writers, and head over there on Sundays to talk about goals, progress, struggles, and more.
Beyond these daily posts, you can also expect the occasional surprise along the way – guest posts and some book giveaways for your classroom libraries, because teachers & librarians who write are worth celebrating.
To find out more at the Virtual Writing Camp for Educators and Librarians go here.
And, if you enjoy writing for children and want to learn more, I offer a Writing the Picture Book and Writing the Children’s Short Story distance learning classes for educators through Seattle Pacific University. Both classes are 5 credits and you have a year to complete each course.
You can find out more about my educator classes, including how to register at my website here.
June 1, 2012
Summer Art and Writing Camp
I will be teaching two workshops this summer at the Hoffman Center’s Summer Art Camp in Manzanita, Oregon. The workshops are week-long from July 30-August 3. You do not need to attend both workshops to attend camp. Find out more, including a registration form, here:
2012CampBrochurePage1-1 (Details about the Hoffman Center and Summer Art Camp)
2012CampBrochurePage2 (Registration form)
Tell Your Story: Poetry and Art Journal Workshop for Ages 10-14
10-Noon
You are the hero/heroine of your life. What story are you telling? In this workshop we’ll explore how our hopes and dreams, treasures and secrets, monsters and scars can inspire poetry and art journaling. Learn new ways to write poems and how art journaling can help you express more of your story. Bring your favorite photos, quotes and poems.
Writing from Life: Flash Fiction for Teens (Ages 12-19)
1:00-3:00
Flash fiction. It’s short, it’s fast and it’s fun. In this workshop, learn how to write flash fiction by drawing on life for ideas, then we’ll take those rich ideas and turn them into pieces of flash fiction. We’ll look at the scary, the sweet, and the downright strange in writing flash fiction. The workshop will cover how to structure flash fiction pieces as well as publishing markets open to teen writers.
May 29, 2012
Summer Poetry Workshop for Teens
About a month ago, a lady contacted me who was mentoring a young writer. They wondered if I would be available to teach a writing workshop. Of course, I said yes! I’ve spent the last month working with teen writer, Rachel, to organize the event. Well, let’s just say, SHE organized the event, and I offered some suggestions here and there. We are now pleased to announce the Summer Poetry Workshop! If you are a Snohomish County Teacher or Librarian, please announce to your students!
Come Write With Us!!!!
Poetry Workshop held with children’s and young adult author, Mindy Hardwick!
Where? Everett Public Library in the activity room on the first floor
Address: 2702 Hoyt Avenue Everett, WA
When? July 11, 1-3:30 PM
Who can come? 7th grade through 12th grade
What’s going to happen? Kids will write poetry, learn, and work with author, Mindy Hardwick
Cost? $25 payable by cash or check day of the workshop.
Pre-register: Please pre-register by emailing rrbookworm@gmail.com. Send your name and email address. Also contact if there are any questions. Please pre-register ASAP.
Musa Memorial Day Blog Hop Winner
Congratulations to Dusty and Gail!
Winners of the Musa Memorial Day Blog Hop Giveaway!
May 24, 2012
Musa Memorial Day Blog Hop
The Musa Memorial Day Blog Hop is honoring those who serve or have served in the Military. And today, I’d like to thank members of my family who have served. My Grandpa served in the Navy in World Two and was stationed out of San Diego. And, my Dad is a Military brat and grew up living all over the world while his Father (my other Grandfather) served in the military.
I grew up listening to my Dad’s stories about climbing Mt Fuji and playing cards at a table he’d gotten while living in Japan. Later, my Dad also served time in the Air Force and was stationed at Scott Air Force Base–where I was born.
I am also friends with a handful of women whose spouses all serve in the military. I’ve been in awe of these women’s courage and strength as their husbands leave for months at a time to fight in Afghanistan and Iraq. These women bravely raise young children,and juggle their own careers. Many of these women’s husbands are not in active duty anymore but have been called back to go to Afghanistan in the past year or so. I am honored to have these women as a part of my life.
A very special thank you on this Memorial Day Weekend to all those who serve our country.
“Service” is defined as: “an act of helpful activity,” and mentoring is one of these “acts of helpful activity” provided to youth at risk by organizations such as Big Brothers, Big Sisters and Volunteers of America. You can find out more about mentoring opportunities in your community here.
My upper middle grade novel, STAINED GLASS SUMMER, published with Musa Publishing is about artistic mentorship.
Twelve-year-old Jasmine wants to be an artist. But, can she escape the shadow of her artistic Father to discover her own path as a glass artist?
Twelve-year-old Jasmine adores her photographer Father and wants to be an artist just like him. But when Dad abandons the family, Jasmine is sent to spend the summer with her Uncle on a Pacific Northwest Island. Soon, Jasmine is learning stained glass from island glass artist, Opal, and thinking she might just be developing a crush on Island boy, Cole. But, it’s not until Jasmine finds herself mentoring another young artist that she can truly let go of her Father and call herself an artist by her own terms. The story will appeal to young readers between the ages of 8-adult.
Available at Musa Publishing,
Amazon,
Barnes and Noble,
Itunes.
Giveaway: As a part of the Musa Memorial Day Blog Hop, I’m offering a give-away of one copy of Stained Glass Summer in any e-book format to one lucky person who posts a comment below. I will draw from the names on Tuesday, May 29. So, if you want to win a FREE copy of Stained Glass Summer, be sure to comment below!
Also, be sure to check out Stained Glass Summer on Facebook. There are some great pictures of a teens at a hot glass workshop on the Stained Glass Summer Facebook Page. Anyone can see them, you do not have to be a member of Facebook. Just click on the link here.
Now, off you go……Blog Hopping to check out the other Musa Authors on the Musa Memorial Day Blog Hop. You can find all the blog links by clicking on the banner below. Blog hops are like a virtual “Open House.” It’s a great time to check out other authors and their blogs and books!
May 23, 2012
Call for Romance Submissions Entangled Publishing
As most of you know, my YA romance, WEAVING MAGIC, and my upper MG, STAINED GLASS SUMMER, are both published with digital first publishers, or e-pubs. I’ve been very happy with both books and the progress they’re making, but I know not everyone is going to submit to Musa or MuseItUp, so I wanted to spotlight another publisher, Entangled Publishing.
When I attended the RWA Chicago Spring Fling, I went to a session on writing romance category. The presenters were two authors who wrote for Harlequin’s category lines. As I’ve gotten to know the Romance Writers world and publishers, I’ve often thought that category is where I would fit the best. One of the reasons is that I just don’t seem to write long stories. My stories “stop” at around the 50K word mark. And this is one of the requirements for category. Another aspect of category romance is the subplots are not that large. There just isn’t enough word count for large, sweeping family sagas in a category romance.
As I listened to the workshop on writing category romance, I was struck by how similiar writing for e-pubs is to writing category. When writing for e-pubs, it’s a good idea to have multiple books coming out in one year. This helps to build you brand and keep you fresh in the reader’s mind. If they like one book, they easily download another. I was able to do this with Stained Glass Summer and Weaving Magic, not by my choice, but simply by how the submission and acceptance process worked on those books. However, for my romance novella, Love’s Storms, which also came out this year, I am much more aware of writing series stories with spin-off characters–something I’m currently working on right now.
If you are interested in writing category, Harlequin is not the only player on the street, and you might want to check out Entangled Publishing.
Entangled is a boutique publisher of romance for adults and teens. They publish single title romance, contemporary category romance, romantic suspense, and YA romance. They also have themed short story and novella collections.
Entangled is currently seeking submission for three new category lines:
Bliss, edited by Stacy Abrams, features slightly sweeter (though still sexy) romances set in small towns and featuring family.
Covet, edited by Liz Pelletier, features category-length paranormal romance
Brazen, edited by Heather Howland, is Entangled’s hot, sexy line of romance.
You can find what the editors are looking for here.
Entangled is also seeking stories for their romance novella collections including:
Rockin’ Round the Christmas Tree collection, they’re seeking 20,000 to 40,000 word novellas with themes related to either “Ring My Bell” for their Ever After line. The stories should quote from the song and words from the song should be part of the title of the story.
Flirts collection, your story should revolve around lyrics to “Santa Baby” and be 10,000 to 15,000 words.
Submission details on the Rockin’ Round the Christmas Tree collections here.
If you have a story that centers around New Years, consider submitting it for the Ever After New Years collection. Your story should be 20,000 to 40,000 words and, as with all Entangled stories, contain strong romantic elements. Find the details for the Flirts Christmas and New Year’s Ever After collections here.
The deadline for all of these holiday themed collections is June 10, 2012.
Entangled editors are also interested in stories about Ancient Greece and Rome (whether historical, mythical or fantasy or some other take on ancient Greek and Roman traditions and legends) for the Ever After Line. Stories should be 20,000 to 40,000 words, contain a strong romance, and contain strong elements of Greek or Roman myth and culture. The deadline for this collection is July 31, 2012 and the books will be published in late 2012. Find all the details here.
(A special thanks to Cindi Myers Market News for passing along this information! If you are interested in writing romance, Cindi Myer’s Market News is a great blog to subscribe to. She posts a list of romance publishers looking for submissions each week.)
May 21, 2012
Bank Street College of Education Best of 2012 List
There are many “best of” lists for children’s and YA books, but one which may not be as familiar is the Bank Street College of Education’s list. However, if you’re looking for a Summer Reading List, this might just be a good place to start. The Bank Street College of Education has chosen the best books for children of 2012.
You can find the whole list here.
And here is a little information about the Bank Street College of Education.
THE CHILDREN’S BOOK COMMITTEE at the Bank Street College of Education strives to guide librarians, educators, parents, grandparents and other interested adults to the best books for children published each year. The all-volunteer committee includes educators, librarians, authors, parents and psychologists who share a passion for and expertise in the world of children’s literature. Young reviewers from all over the country, ages 2–18, read and evaluate many of our books as well.
In choosing books for the annual list, reviewers consider literary quality and excellence of presentation as well as the potential emotional impact of the books on young readers. Other criteria include credibility of characterization and plot, authenticity of time and place, age suitability, positive treatment of ethnic and religious differences, and the absence of stereotypes. Nonfiction titles are further evaluated for accuracy and clarity. Each book accepted for the list is read and reviewed by at least two committee members and then discussed by the committee as a whole.
May 17, 2012
Trust the Process
About a year in a half ago, my fifteen year old cocker spaniel, Nadia, passed away. It wasn’t my intention to get another dog right away. But, the fates had other plans, and through a series of events, my name ended up on a list for one of six cocker spaniel pups. Four of the pups were going to be agility dogs, and two were available. I would get one of the two available dogs. I said that I’d really like a female dog.
A week before the pups were ready, I got my e-mail. “Hi Mindy. Your pup is all ready to go to his new home. He is black and tan.”
I reread the e-mail. HE. HE. I didn’t want a HE dog. And not only was he a HE dog, but he’d also been nicknamed “Little tude” (Little Attitude). I was getting a HE dog that was a trouble maker. This was not what I’d planned.
The weekend I received the breeder’s e-mail, I was in Cannon Beach with my brother and his girlfriend. I had a melt down on the beach. I sobbed. I cried. People must have thought I was in serious trauma. It was a gorgeous spring weekend. I was at the beach. And I was crying hysterically.
“Don’t get it,” My brother said.
“No, no,” I sobbed. “I think I’m supposed to have this dog.”
Through tears, I sent the e-mail accepting the dog, and a week later went to pick him up.
A year later, all my thoughts about HE dogs named “tude” have been changed. Stormy is the best dog I’ve ever had and we’re currently in a Pup Prentice Program training to be a Reading Dog Team. (More on this in another post).
But, I was reflecting on this “Trust the Process” and how it relates to writing.
Stormy came to me at the same time as I sold my YA, WEAVING MAGIC. I’d always thought STAINED GLASS SUMMER and WEAVING MAGIC would go the traditional path of publishing. I’d get an agent. I’d sell to esteemed publishers such as Candlewick or Houghton Mifflin. It didn’t happen that way. Instead, I met with walls in the traditional publishing path for both of these two stories. So, I tried something different and sold to e-pubs. I trusted the process.
But, the lessons in trusting the process didn’t stop when a book is sold. I’m finding that trust the process continues through promotion and the selling of the book. Marketing an e-pub book has different angles than marketing a traditionally published book—and some doors fly open and others slam in my face.
Last night, as I was setting up a Facebook Ad to run for WEAVING MAGIC, I had the choice of linking to Amazon, or my website, or I could simply link back to the Facebook Page for WEAVING MAGIC and people could “like” the page.
I linked back to the Facebook Page for WEAVING MAGIC. Regardless of how a story is published, there comes a time when the author needs to step out of the way and see if her book will find an audience with the teens themselves, and this is done not by insisting that they buy it, but by inviting them to form a community around the book. It is trusting the process.
May 16, 2012
Random Acts of Kindness GIVEAWAY
All this week, The Bookshelf Muse is hosting a Random Acts of Kindness BLITZ to celebrate the writing community.
Each day, Industry Sponsors are offering their own Random Acts Of Kindness to show appreciation for writers. WIN Scrivener software packages, Premium Memberships to award winning websites like Query Tracker, The Critique Circle, Auto Crit Editing Wizard, a Blogging class with Media Consultant Kristen Lamb, a Writer’s Digest Agent Lecture and a Ultimate Writer’s Course throughScribe’s Forge (with Best-Selling Fantasy Author TRACY HICKMAN!) that will blow your MIND.
While you’re there, don’t forget to also grab your FREE PDF copy of Emotional Amplifiers (sidebar). This Writing Guide & Description Tool targets specific conditions like Pain, Hunger, Attraction, and Exhaustion, etc, which can stress characters and heighten their responses to emotion.
Have someone special you’d like to celebrate? Why not give them a shout out on your blog, Twitter or Facebook? Encourage people to connect with them, and improve their visibility online!
May 15, 2012
Agents Seeking Submissions
I’ve seen a couple agents seeking YA and MG submissions. They are….
Michelle Witte–Mansion Street Books
She is looking for Magical realism, Fairytale retellings (especially the more obscure tales), Fantasy, Supernatural (creatures you run from, not date), Light sci-fi, Steampunk, Mystery/Suspense, Contemporary (not too angsty) and Historical. [Not really looking for Dystopian or Paranormal Romance). Middle grade and YA.
She is also looking for children’s non-fiction including:
Children’s cookbooks
Activity or game books
History
To find out how to query Michelle Witte click here
Agent, Jill Corcoran wants YA romance. And she is specifically looking for authentic teen romance. That means characters who are authentic teens. You can find out how to query Jill Corcoran here.
Good luck!
