Kai Strand's Blog, page 57

Three Times A Charm with Jolene Perry

Three Times a Charm is a weekly feature that spotlightsauthors, illustrators, bloggers, agents, editors or promoters from the children's publishing industry.
This week Jolene Perry visits us. She is in the middle ofher virtual book tour! Jolene, tell us a little about you.
I'm a chaser of children, writer of books, lover of theoutdoors, shoes and chocolate. I'm a used to be high school and middle schoolteacher turned author. I've built two houses, and taught myself to play theguitar. I...

Maudlin

My author self is feeling maudlin today.
maud·linadjective1. tearfully or weaklyemotional; foolishly sentimental: a maudlinstory of a little orphan and her lost dog. 2. foolishly or mawkishly sentimentalbecause of drunkenness.
Okay, admittedly, it is not the second definition. It isonly nine o'clock in the morning after all. Not noon.
I love writing. I hope I'm not forced to retire from ituntil I'm 90. There are a million different stories I want to tell. I'm notsure I'm talented enough to...

Three Times A Charm with Barbara Bockman

Three Times a Charm is a weekly feature that spotlightsauthors, illustrators, bloggers, agents, editors or promoters from thepublishing industry.

This week we are joined by my fellow GAP author, BarbaraBockman.
Hi Kai. Thanks a lot for letting me be part of your "ThreeTimes a Charm" series.
I'm so glad you could visit with us. Barbara, you had abig year last year. Tell us all of your exciting news.
My works: I'm pleased that my first two books came out in2011. The first, a middle grade novel, ...

Three Times A Charm with Jo Marshall

Three Times a Charm is a weekly feature that spotlightsauthors, illustrators, bloggers, agents, editors or promoters from thepublishing industry.

This week author, Jo Marshall, joins us.


First, I want to thank you, Kai, for your hospitality, and the invitationto your blog.  I'm a new author, andthis is my second blog interview, so I think you are very brave to ask me to beyour guest.  If there is a way to messit up, I'm sure to stumble over it.  Iam impressed with your enthusiasm, and the...

Three Times A Charm with Mary Esparza-Vela

Three Times a Charm is a weekly feature that spotlightsauthors, illustrators, bloggers, agents, editors or promoters from thepublishing industry.


This week fellow angel author, Mary Esparza-Vela, joinsus. Mary, tell us about you.


My name is Mary Esparza-Vela and I am a recent memberof the Guardian Angel Publishing family. I reside in Texas with my husband andthree sons who have supported me in all my writing endeavors.


Before tackling the career as a children's writer, Iworked at a medical...

Celebrate World Read Aloud Day

Happy World Read Aloud Day!


I've decided to celebrate by sharing a video taken at myvery first book signing of me reading from The Weaver. I believe this isfrom a year ago, March 2011. I find it fun to hear an author read her own work.It almost always changes the tone of the book from how I read in my head.






What you will be reading aloud today? And whom will you readaloud to?

Three Times A Charm with Susanna Leonard Hill

Three Times a Charm is back!!! It is a weekly featurethat spotlights authors, illustrators, bloggers, agents, editors or promotersfrom the children's publishing industry.


To usher us back into a charming normality is author,Susanna Hill. Welcome, Susanna. Can you tell us about yourself?  

I was born into a family of readers.  From my earliest memory, our home was filledwith books.  Seriously.  Filled J  They were actually stacked in the hallwayuntil we finally got some new bookshelves… which f...

Tick Tock The Game Is Locked

So much news released today in the publishing world, it hasmy head spinning a bit. But there is an underlining theme that keeps rising tothe top for me. Limits. Too many limits.


Random House is entertaining the thought of raising theprice of ebooks to libraries up to three times the price of print books. I readthe article and I can't pretend to understand the logic. Silly me, I consideran ebook…well…a BOOK, so I'm actually okay with a library policy (or publisherimposed policy) that each...

Everybody Has A Story

Happy March!


March came in like a lion here. Snow, high winds, 2 hour school delay. I like knowing that it will go out like a lamb, because thatmakes me think of spring. When the breeze is a perfect twining of cool and warmdrafts. Where the air carries the scent of wet dirt and the sweet notes ofchirping birds. Tulips, my favorite flower, will nod and bob on tall, strongstems to the sunny, smiling daffodils. Oh how I love spring and it is so close!


I want to thank all the lovely writers who...

Nineteen Ninety: The Year of Change by Kathy Stemke

In the beginning of 1990, lifestabbed me through the heart. When my 93 year old grandmother passed away, myextended family fell apart. Dying after suffering seven months with bonecancer, my mother left a gaping hole in my immediate family. When I lost my jobas a teacher in our church school, I re-evaluated my life. Although I'd beenborn and raised in New York, living as a single parent in this area had becomeincreasing expensive.
My uncle offered me a job inGeorgia. I went to visit and fell...