Kai Strand's Blog, page 40

Three Times A Charm with Angela Brown

Welcome to Three Times A Charm. I love meeting new authors, illustrators, bloggers, agents, editors or promoters from the children’s publishing industry and sharing their careers with my readers.
Today’s guest is author, Angela Brown. Welcome to Strands of Thought, Angela! Can you tell us a little about you, please?
I’m on the hunt for that elusive good night sleep, a slippery devil to grasp between my full-time day gig, single-mommydom, continuous pursuit of publishing my YA/NA/MG/PB writing p...

Kill Your Darlings - Uh, Define Darlings!

Kill your darlings is a term frequently used in writing that I’ve seen interpreted many different ways. So I went in search of the true meaning of kill your darlings.
Urban Dictionary:
Kill your darlings “In writing, you must kill your darlings.” --William Faulkner

This literary advice refers to the dangers of an author using personal favorite elements. While these may hold special meaning for the author, they can cause readers to roll their eyes for reasons such as:

-Purple prose 
-Narm ...

Indie Author Survival Guide by Susan Kaye Quinn

I am THRILLED to share the newest publication from Susan Kaye Quinn. Susan has long been a hero of mine in the world of publishing. She is smart, talented and fearless. Because she is so smart she put all of her advice articles on self-publishing into a shiny new book. Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present the:
Kindle, Nook, Kobo, Goodreads TBRThis book is for every author who's thinking about indie publishing, or has already taken the leap, and wonders why no one told them about the sharks...

Three Times A Charm with Sharon Ledwith

Welcome to Three Times A Charm. I love meeting new authors, illustrators, bloggers, agents, editors or promoters from the children’s publishing industry and sharing their careers with my readers.
Today’s guest is children’s author, Sharon Ledwith. Welcome to Strands of Thought! Can you tell us a little about you, please?
I am the author of the middle-grade/YA time travel series, THE LAST TIMEKEEPERS, available through Musa Publishing. When I’m not writing, researching, or revising, I enjoy read...

Wordstock - Change the World (At Least It Changed Mine)

<-- This happened this weekend. I've always wanted to attend, but was never organized enough to make it happen. My niece was the one to corral me and her mom into it this year. I've been really busy recently, so I glanced over the workshop schedules and bought my ticket and showed up.

Let it be known that I hadn't read anything about what was actually going to happen while I was there.

We walk in and sat down for our first panel, and thee cutest person bops past on her way to the moderating...

Building Character with Tommy Kitt from Powder Monkey

It’s Friday! Time for my blog feature, Building Character in which you get to meet a character from a book. Talking to a character outside of their book is fun! Huge. Amounts. Of fun. 

This week Strands of Thought is excited to host a tour stop for World of Ink. Tommy from Powder Monkey is here to tell his about his harrowing adventure. Tommy, tell us a little about yourself.
Hi, my name is Tommy. I’m 12 years old and lived on a farm with my older brother and my parents, until the Press G...

Three Times A Charm with Pam Kelt

Welcome to Three Times A Charm. I love meeting new authors, illustrators, bloggers, agents, editors or promoters from the children’s publishing industry and sharing their careers with my readers.
Today’s guest is children’s author, Pam Kelt. Welcome to Strands of Thought, Pam! Can you tell us a little about you, please?
With a background in journalism, languages and educational publishing, it was inevitable that I would eventually say to heck with a career and try writing for myself. After a fe...

Release Day - The Faeries of Halloween by Rose Killion

Today I have a very special guest. This young woman is smart and funny. She has a true heart and a generous spirit. She also happens to be my niece. Needless to say, I have a good measure of her character.
Today she is celebrating the release day of her first picture book. I have seen this adorable story throughout its journey and I’ve pre-ordered my copy. I can’t wait to see the final version. As you will learn, this book was a true family affair. (I’m blessed to be part of a very talented fa...

Smile and Seaweed - Change the World

I was sitting on the beach last week watching the waves roll in and enjoying the glorious Southern California weather. An adorable little girl in a cheetah print bikini with a fuchsia flounce walked past – backward. She almost walked into my chair until her mother gently reminded her to watch where she was going. When she saw me, I smiled at her – one of those crinkly-eyed smiles. She was so endearing with her springy hair and chubby toddler legs.
She paused ever so slightly when I smiled at h...

Building Character with Rhaya and Zelene from Heirs of War

Welcome to my blog feature, Building Character in which you get to meet a character from a book. Talking to a character outside of their book is fun! Huge. Amounts. Of fun. 
This week Strands of Thought is host to Rhaya and Zelene from the new adult book, Heirs of War. Hello ladies, it’s so good of you to join us on Strands of Thought. Tell us a little about yourselves and what your life is like.
Rhaya: Hello! I’m Rhaya. I’m nineteen, I’m a bit of an empath. Okay, that’s modest. I’m serio...