Kathleen J. Shields's Blog, page 6

Love – the Dreaded Four Letter Word

A number of months ago I was visiting with a librarian at an elementary school who admitted changing the word ‘love’ in “Hamilton Troll meets Pink Light Sprite” to ‘care for’.

 

“And when you are frightened think of me in the dew,
and remember my friend that I do love you” 

—

…“and remember my friend that I care for you.”

 

by Snoron.com

At first I didn’t understand the need or desire for the change but I accepted it and moved on.  She was a wonderful librarian, also admitting that she read the rhyming verse with a rap beat and the children loved it. I hadn’t thought about that moment for a long time.

A couple months later I did a reading at a school and upon reading that line; I received a few sarcastic “ooh”s from the kids implying more to the word love than was intended.  This interjection got many of the other children giggling under their breath which drew my attention to the crowd. My response was a paused, tilted head “Really?” which successfully got the children’s attention back. Yet even that moment didn’t bring about the full implications of that dreaded four letter word until just recently when I found enough time to fully contemplate the significance of those moments after a personally received response.

After vocalizing the entire phrase that Pink Light spoke in the book (memorized by heart) to portray its significance with children I received the response I expected and had seen and experienced so many times before. A heartfelt smile, hand brought up to heart and a tear twinkling in the corner of the recipients eye. 

The reason I use the word love is because of its power.  Having been on the receiving end of inspiring stories I’ve been thanked many times for the message Pink Light gives.  Children young and old, hold tight to those words, are endeared towards the story and grasp hold of it tightly, not necessarily because of the illustrations or the fact that Hamilton is afraid of storms; it’s the message of love that endears them.

Children in this day and age are being ‘cared’ for, tended to, nurtured… but not necessarily loved.  In school you are being taught, educated, even inspired (if you are lucky) but not loved. Love is a dreaded four letter word that is avoided, sometimes, even in the family.  The ‘given’ aspect of knowing that there is love involved implies it isn’t necessary to express verbally.  But children NEED to be loved.  They NEED to be TOLD they are loved. And not just by their mothers and father.

 

I LOVE my pets. I LOVE my church family.  I LOVE my best friend.
I LOVE every child I read to because they are special to me.

 

When did it become a taboo word to say?

In hind sight I look back to that day with the sarcastic “ooh” and I remembered something that now stands out as extremely significant even though it didn’t stand out at that moment.  While there were many who found the word a reason to giggle or interfere with the message, there were even more faces staring back at me with eyes open wide, shy smiles hidden on a face afraid to be seen by the antagonizers.  Yet the longing in their eyes, the way they sat up a little straighter.  The way they leaned into the story, the way they wanted to hear more, to feel more.  I even now remember a couple of faces of annoyance turned towards the gigglers, and then turned back with rolling eyes, upset that they too didn’t feel the significance of the message.  Maybe there was even a sadness felt for the gigglers that they couldn’t understand the significance.

 

Were they ashamed by the word?
Were they jealous of the word?
Had they been taught that it isn’t a proper word to share?

 

Maybe the problem in this day and age is because the true meaning of the word was never taught or shared at an earlier age. Maybe if they had experienced true ‘love’ in the way that it was intended; to be shared and felt as a compassionate term of endearment; maybe they would be less likely to fall in ‘love’ with someone who is incapable of compassion themselves.

So the next time you are faced with a choice – to use the word love or care for… choose love.
Love is the four letter word that all children NEED to learn!!!!

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Who’s going to win the race?

Yes – there is a winner AND a loser – but it’s HOW you play the game that really matters. This is an important life lesson every young child needs to learn. It may not be fun to lose but it is rewarding to be happy for the winner.

In our latest book “Hamilton Troll and the Big Race” children will learn that their hurt feelings can be turned to good when they learn to congratulate others. However the question is…

Who is the winner?

Watch the video.

Find out in the 12th book of this award-winning educational children’s series.

ORDER YOURS NOW!

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Remembering 9/11 from a Writers Perspective

An inspiring author will be told to write what you know. Asa fiction writer, conceptualizing new worlds and situations never experienced,you must dig deeper. You must use your imagination to compel your soul to feeleach scene, from each characters perspective. To force the adrenaline throughyour veins, to experience that panic attack, to feel those tears fill youreyes. That is what I do. That is how I write.

So when I see those messages and pictures with subtitles of “Remember 9/11” and “We will never forget” – these invoke feelings significantly deeper for me.

For someone who wasn’t there, but watching from the comfort of her living room, I remember all too well every moment – the fear, the worry, the shock, how it swept through me. I called everyone, my mom, my dad, my grandparents. When the first plane hit, you prayed for the passengers and people in the building. You wondered what happened to the pilot, had there been a medical issue? When the second plane hit you realized what this truly was. The anger mixed with the tears, the worry increased. You began to wonder what was going to happen next. The reports were growing; the Pentagon, Pennsylvania, rumors of more hijackings.

That truly was a day I will never forget.

But as a writer, as someone who can imagine situations from all perspectives, I take that feeling further. I consider the awareness of the people trapped in the stories above the planes; making their way towards the emergency exit stairs, through billowing smoke, burning their eyes, only to discover they couldn’t go down. I think about the people below the planes; sardined in the stairwells, pressing their way through, in the dark, no windows to see what is happening, no radio to hear reports of what is occurring outside, screams and cries echoing through a thousand foot tunnel of people and concrete stairs.  Praying they’ll make it down in time.

I think about the spouse watching on TV from the safety of their home or work, worried sick about their other half. Trying to determine where their loved one is in the building. Attempting to count the stories of the building, trying to determine if they were above, below or at the point of impact. Calling them over and over again only to hear “all circuits are busy”. I can feel their apprehension as each minute ticks by, glued to the television, gripping their cell phone tightly within their palms. Constantly glancing down at it, praying it will ring, hoping for a sign.

As a children’s author…

Yet, as a children’s author, I also think about this tragedy from the perspective of an unknowing child, oblivious of anything but the pop-up quiz, what’s for lunch, and how long until recess? I start to consider the confusion when their friends are being dragged out of class by their parents, tear-stained cheeks and wild-eyes. Being told what is happening or not being told, the complete upheaval of their expected day and then later, being told your mom or dad would not be coming home. I remember what it was like to be a child, how long and difficult each day was, the uneasiness as you await your parents arrival at night to show them that failed test you need to get signed, and then I take that feeling and amplify it.

From someone who has lost so many family members over the years, I can attest to the importance of open casket funerals. No matter how morbid it may seem, even though they never really look like they did when they were alive – seeing them, in that state, helps to receive closure, significantly. From someone who did not get to see her father, there is still, a year later, that disbelief that he is really gone. There is still a small twinge of hope that he’ll call or walk through that door.

All these years later, I admit even imagining those children of lost loved ones, who were told daddy wouldn’t be coming home, attempting to understand and accept this or refusing, holding onto hope that maybe daddy was just injured and lost, maybe he has amnesia, maybe someday, he’ll recover, remember, and walk back through that door… as I’ve imagined over and over again.

Remembering…

When I remember 9/11 – when I watch those scenes unfold asthey replay in their compilation videos each year – I look at the faces of thepeople. I take in the trauma in the eyes of those walking stone statues coveredin soot. I see the people running and feel their fear as they are terrified toturn around to see that billowing cloud of debris barreling towards them. I seethe disorientation of the students standing next to President Bush, havingsmiled with excitement for this auspicious visit, only to hear a terroristattack has taken place and not having a clue how to respond because even theteachers you look up to are flabbergasted. I even think about the reporters,whose voices can be heard cracking as their emotions are caught in theirthroat; knowing they need to provide the news, unbiased and straight, and yet,they too are terrified.

Finally, I see the people in the crowd, holding their pictures of lost loved ones, asking over and over again, if anyone has seen them. Adding names to a list, photos to a wall, hopes to a dream. The pain in my heart is real as I recall that morning. I can’t even presume to know what those people felt and continue to feel today – but I can imagine… and that is not something I’d ever want to share.

I don’t Remember 9/11  –  IFeel 9/11

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Play the Find the Trolls Game

In our latest book “Hamilton Troll meets Starlit Troll” Hamilton learns he’s not the only troll in the world. In fact, there is even a game inside the latest book!

Buy the book to play the game.
www.HamiltonTroll.com

–

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Crazy an adjective for good

In 1570 the word crazy was used to describe someone who was diseased or sickly. In 1580 the word crazy described a person of unsound mind, or who was insane. Jump to today and crazy means cool or good. When did insane become cool? And let’s not forget about driving someone crazy. In the sixties, crazy was considered weird, now a days crazy is a word we use to express awesome. I wonder what the future of crazy will be?

I know this is a crazy post but it DID pop into my mind and I had to ask.

In the meantime,

Let me leave you with this little crazy-maker:

Let’s get crazy, plum crazy, in hopes of driving you crazy, until you are going crazy, simply by acting crazy, crazy like a fox but not like crazy horse. We will board the crazy train, looking for that crazy little thing called love, which is crazy good. We’ll go crazy on you, making you stir crazy, so you’ll need to take crazy pills because it’s crazy cool, to be crazy for you. So shine on you crazy diamond and know that I’ll be missing you like crazy until my next crazy post. I almost went crazy, but then I realized, that would be crazy.

 

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You never know what’s in store – GRWC

What an interesting day!

It started out before sunrise Saturday. I was drinking my first cup of coffee when the windows illuminated a brilliant pinkish red color – Uh oh, I thought. Red skies in the morning, sailors warning. My mother’s voice echoed in my head. This was a bad omen. Is this going to be a bad day?

As we were hooking up the trailer to the car the wind began blowing and with it came some gnarly looking dark grey storm clouds along with the spitting of the beginning of the rains. Uh oh, is it going to rain today?

I was driving down 281 when the rains began; pouring down as hard as they could, windshield wipers on high, visibility somewhat limited. Fortunately, the road was a straight-away and I was able to see something blocking the road 2-tenths of a mile in my lane. I signal, wait for the passing car on the right, because who wants to be stuck behind a rainbow colored trailer, then merge right. It was a down sign in a construction area. Good thing I saw it with plenty of time to react.

Boy, I thought as I continued driving, this sure seems like a sign. Is this a message from God telling me to go back home? But I continued driving all the while worrying, wondering, fretting.

That’s when it all changed!

I drive up to the convention center. The unload area was covered. I didn’t have to unload in the pouring rain! There were volunteers there to help me. They wheeled my tubs to my table – INSIDE – I didn’t know I was going to be inside! What a wonderful surprise on a rainy day!

Then within ten minutes of setting up, I sold an entire set of books to one lady! It was a wonderful day! There was scrumptious pulled pork sandwiches for lunch, free drink tickets, volunteers with carts of coffee and later tea for the exhibitors, free. Then later, volunteers to watch your booth while you went to the bathroom (from drinking so much tea). [image error]

Maybe God put all of those deterrents and obstacles and grey clouds in front of me test me; to make sure I REALLY wanted this! Maybe I showed Him that I AM willing to do what it takes to see this project through. To better myself. To promote my educational books. To follow my dreams.

The fact of the matter is; you never know what you are in store for – until you venture out and try it. It just goes to show, persistence does pay off and red skies in the morning might actually be a good thing.

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How to Create/Publish Children’s Books

1. Write a Good Book

This is such a ridiculous suggestion it may even be over-looked but the key to this statement is “Good” and not just good in your head but good for children.  What age group are you writing for? Have you read it to children in that age group and received a positive response? I’ve read children’s books that I walked away from asking under my breath how that got published, you don’t want that happening to you.  Write something good, entertaining and educational and make sure it is good!

2. Edit, Edit, Edit

Another ridiculous suggestion, but a misspelled word in a children’s book is like a fly in your soup, unacceptable. Read, Edit, Put it aside – and not just for a day, put it away for a month. Then go back and read it with fresh eyes. Edit again. And when you are done, hire an editor or better yet, befriend a teacher. A friend is not likely to tell you the cold hard truth and you need to hear it before your manuscript gets its 30 second interview with a publisher.

3. Decide HOW You Want to Publish

– Traditional – (preferred but quite hard)
– Vanity/POD – (This is self-publishing with a company for a fee)
– Self Publishing – (On your own)

Each have their costs.  Traditional is the ideal way but it is growing increasingly difficult for a no-name author to get their foot in the door.  Between the costs of vetting a new author, and putting forth the time, the traditional publisher would need to see a manuscript literally do the jig on their desk before they give it a chance.  Finding an agent is the best first step towards getting in the door but also comes with obstacles. And with all of the above, marketing is not part of the package.

4. Market, Market, Market

This is not a suggestion, this is a requirement!  If you don’t market your book, no one will EVER know about it.  This does not necessarily mean TV advertisements during primetime or a full page ad in the New York Times (however if you have that kind of money to spend more power to you) nor does it mean that a non-existent marketing budget should hold you back.  There are many Free marketing solutions, many options for small budgets and a whole lot of opportunities for grander budgets.  But never rely on someone else to market for you – only YOU know how good your book is!

* By no means does this constitute as a step by step how to publish manual nor should this be considered a substitute for additional reference and knowledge gathering on the subject matter involved.  This is written as third-party opinion and can not be construed of as legal advice nor an intent to infringe on any other advice.  This is not a complete list of steps and is meant only as a starting point for consideration.

Traditional PublishingStep 1: Find the publishing company that’s right for you

It makes sense that a romance publisher wouldn’t be interested in a children’s book, just like a Christian publisher wouldn’t be interested in a political book.  Go to the library. Find books in your genre.  Write down those publishers names and then…

Step 2:  Research

Go to that publishers website. Read their submission policy. Follow it to a T and put your best foot forward.  Write your introduction letter, your synopsis, your outline, and make sure it is as polished as your perfectly written and triple edited book.

Learn the lingo –Query, SASE, ISBN, Galley, DRM, PR, etc. and know what you are doing.  An uneducated author is a confused mess waiting to happen and publishers are not counselors.  They will not coddle or teach you, you have to be willing to learn on your own, and with the internet, there are plenty of sources for education.  Never Stop Learning!

Step 3: Submit and Wait

After you’ve followed all of the rules for that one publisher, you submit and wait. If you haven’t heard back in 6 weeks, follow steps 1-3 for the next publisher in line, making sure that you follow all of THEIR submission guidelines not the other publishers guidelines; One rule not followed equals one manuscript trashed.

Why wait?  It takes a publisher time to process through the hundreds of submissions they receive daily.  If they take the time to go through it and 5 weeks later write and say, we’re interested and you decided to not wait and received a response from another publisher (yes that would be the best possible outcome) you now how to decide which one you will go with.  But if you choose one, you can’t go back to the other if you change your mind and if they find out you are vetting them against each other, they both will drop you out of spite.  Do it right, or don’t do it at all!

Step 4: Find an Agent

After you have submitted to all publishers open for unsolicited manuscripts, find an agent willing to take your project up.  An agent will decide forst if your project is right for them, if they feel strongly towards it and if they feel they can get this book in the door successfully.  They have to feel good about it or they may be wasting their time.

Finding an agent is much easier said than done because there are a lot of agents and a lot of scams.  Paid up front is not always a scam, but promises and guarantees are.  Commissions upon signings are good but sometimes those aren’t the best.  There are many websites that are dedicated to keeping respectful lists of agents and you will just need to query each and every one of them.

Step 5: Protect yourself

Getting your foot in the door of a publisher is an agents’ sole and primary responsibility.  Then they take off leaving you standing in the office of a publisher who may or may not do you wrong.  Will you be able to retain your rights?  Will there be limitations on your distribution or availability schedule?  Is there an advance?  What are your royalties? What are your responsibilities? Do you need to get a lawyer involved?  You did copyright didn’t you?

And then don’t forget the marketing. – PUBLISHERS DON’T MARKET – That’s right, they distribute.  They get the book on the book shelves but it is up to the author to Publicize.  If the books don’t fly off the shelves into readers hands within say, 2 weeks, the book stores send them back and you are done!

Step 6: Hire a publicist

For thousands of dollars – their fees – they will direct you in the best marketing avenues for your book.  Advertisements, TV commercials, online marketing, they will tell you this is what you need to do, and they’ll take care of it for you, you just cover the costs of the marketing, the $1000 advertisement, the $5000 TV commercial, the $2000 website…

They can get you in the door to the morning talk shows, the radio interviews, they have those connections, but your advance will be sucked up in no time.  It’s a wonderful ride, don’t get me wrong.  If you get the chance to take it – DO.  But know ahead of time where you want to go.

OR…  

I was rejected!

Being rejected does NOT mean you aren’t any good.  A rejection is an opportunity to try something else.  Never ever take a rejection as a slap in the face.  Publishers have to put a lot of money into an author’s book.  They have to feel that it is going to be a smash hit over night for them to take a chance – and – the majority of them have come to the tragic realization that paper books are on the way out.  Most publishers have been retooling their process to convert everything to an electronic world.  While children’s books are popular and will always be popular, Traditional publishers are finding it increasingly hard to compete with the electronic devices.

To me – that means that they are finding themselves becoming obsolete, and that proves that the stigma of self publishing is old news.

 

Self Publishing

Thanks to technology there are all sorts of ways to self publish today.  Self publishing used to be a taboo subject but not any more.  There are still some who feel that a self-published author wasn’t good enough for the traditional publishers and while in some cases that is true… there are many more examples where that was 100% false.

Look at, J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter), Christopher Paolini (Eragon), William P. Young (The Shack).  I’ll bet you’ve heard of Chicken Soup for the Soul, Spartacus, The Joy of Cooking, Shadowmancer and oh yeah, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz…. self published.  Besides, people like Edgar Allan Poe, Walt Whitman, Emily Dickens, Beatrix Potter, Mark Twain, D.H. Lawrence, and John Grisham, even self published their first books before they were well-known enough to be picked up by the traditional publishing houses.

Sometimes you have to prove your books through actual sales before you can get a publishers attention and that is where self-publishing takes its turn.  The more you can do yourself, the better off you will be but a really good place to start (and learn the process) is a POD publisher.  There are many to choose from, like Xlibris, AuthorHouse. They will create your galley, design your cover, and publish your book with a worldwide distribution for a set price.  If you want editing, extra.  Publicity, extra.  Postcards, bookmarks, website, extra.  But they do all of the pre-work and get it done, then all you have to do is market it.

While this is a really good step and something that will definitely teach you the process as well as make it easier on you your first time, I did it myself… I suggest, if you feel you are up to it, if you are willing to learn; take the bull by the horns and do the entire thing yourself.  Yes, it is a lot of work.  Yes, it can be confusing.  But more importantly, you can save $500-$1000+ on the startup process, that is money that can be put towards marketing.

If you know what you are doing, or are willing to learn you can create your own cover, complete your interior layout, and publish free of charge in places like CreateSpace, Lulu and Smashwords.  These places are designed for the newbie.  They have rather informative help sections.   They give you step by step instructions on layout, formatting, and design.  They even provide you download capabilities to test your book out on platforms you don’t have to make sure they look the way you want before going to print.  Self publishing has been made easy.

In both cases you retain your rights, can earn 30-70% royalty, only buy however many books you need or want, and your book can be ready for sales in a couple weeks versus a number of months.  But if you notice, my repeat word in either case is MARKET.

Between free press release website, free social media, blogs and book signings at public libraries, you can do a lot for little to no cost.  Then if you setup a website, contact newspapers and radio stations and give them something interesting to report about, you can continue to build exposure.

So if you can write a book, actually finish your book, and feel it is ready to go, then you can publish it.  While I’m not an expert on marketing (or publishing) I’ve pretty much come to the conclusion that there are no experts.  In this ever changing world of technology and opportunity.  The only limitation is your own imagination.

So get to writing… and never stop!  Repeat authors with additional books, is just another way to market yourself.  The sky is the limit.

To Illustrate or Not To Illustrate – That is the Question

When publishing a children’s book with illustrations you have two options, illustrate or don’t.  Many times Traditional publishers will pick an illustrator for you.  If you are an unknown, they may be inclined to pick a popular illustrator to help drum up interest, however, that is an additional expense that may not be needed or they may not want to invest into a gamble.

A picture is worth a thousand words – You’ve heard it and know it’s true.  When submitting your manuscript adding in some well-illustrated images can be the eye-catching aspect you need to get noticed.  Your story may be good, but your illustrations make it great.  Plus, a complete manuscript with no work needed to get it running can be a lot more enticing to a publisher.  Then, if the Traditional publishers bow out of doing business with you, you are ready to go the self publishing route.

I can’t draw! Neither can I.  Hire an illustrator.  Many can be found involved in writers and illustrators groups, or maybe an unknown is looking for exposure.  Throw out a classified ad in CraigsList or the newspaper.  See if there is someone on social media.  The opportunities are out there, you just have to look for them.  Plus, being a part of a writers groups is good exposure for you and provides perfect networking possibilities.

Networking is the BEST form of Marketing.

To finalize. Write your book.  You know you have it in you.  That is the hardest part of the whole job. Edit. Then go for it.  You have nothing to lose.

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Christian Messages in Pink Light Sprite

As someone young to the Christian faith (when I wrote Hamilton Troll meets Pink light Sprite) I was eager to take in Gods word.  Like a sponge I soaked up everything I could get, so I guess it makes sense that in my writing, some of that Word, would spill out.

While it was never my intention on implementing Christian messages within the Hamilton Troll books, it just so happens that there are various passages that could be construed of as Christian, and many of them are similar to bible verses.  I chose a few to go with the story book stanzas, and while there were many more, these were the closest references.

My hope is that these scripture passages will add to a young child’s bible study or Christian teachings. If you are interested in downloading this Free PDF, please visit my website:

https://www.kathleensbooks.com/produc...

And scroll down just under the videos.

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Life is like a….

What IS life like?

A box of chocolates? Sweet, yummy, melts in the sun?

A bag of chips? Salty and filling but leaves your hands dirty?

A camera? Capturing the good moments but getting out of focus during action shots?

A blanket? Keeping you warm on cold nights until your spouse rolls over and takes it with him?

A Bird? Flying free in the beautiful blue sky until he ‘hears the call of nature’?

 

[image error]To me life is like all of that (and so much more). You see, life has the good moments – the wonderful moments you want to last forever, the sweet moments that fill your soul, warm your heart and help you soar. But life also has the bad moments – the make you fat, feel dirty, chill you to the bone, blurry poop-head times that make you ask – WHY ME?

It’s because every moment, the good and the bad, the sweet and the sticky, the savory and the greasy, teaches us something. It helps us grow as humans. It helps us become who God wants us to become. It prepares us for the future and saves us from our past.

Life is like the most magical thing that can happen to us. Because it happens TO us.  Think about that one.

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How can we eradicate evil?

From the beginning of time, there has been evil.What is evil?

The opposite of good, some would say.  But to eradicate anything not good would be to remove free will which is what evil is. Not that all free will can turn out bad, that is why God gave us free will. He wants us to decide for ourselves. Basically, free will is the ability to take a chosen course of action among various alternatives. If that chosen course of action is to do, say or act some way hurtful, that is their will. It is not God’s will. But sometimes that will can be irreprehensible, and in our culture can even be considered as evil…

In general context evil is the absence or opposite of good, a decision that is made. Which for the people who try to do good, we cannot understand the decisions of evil-doers. That is, until we are faced with a similar situation where we too must make a decision to help or to hurt. Our decisions are molded by our experiences and if our experiences are bad, then our decisions will be bad…

Our pastor asked us to pray for peace… to eradicate evil, but how may I ask, can we ever see evil eradicated when our own friends and family can do such hurtful things to us? How can we ever hope or pray for terrorism to end, wars to be over and peace to last if we can be evil to those in our own close lives who truly do not deserve it?

Praying for peace doesn’t seem to be working, in my humble opinion. It makes us feel better, but in thousands of years hasn’t solved the problem. Maybe our prayer should change? Like I pray for work instead of money to pay the bills, or you pray for God’s will be done, instead of MY will, maybe our prayer for peace should be something like, help others make good choices. Maybe if we pray for good, that will eradicate evil?

It’s just a thought. What are your thoughts?

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