Kai Strand's Blog, page 59

My Middle Grade Muse - Current Love by Kathy Sattem Rygg

I am lucky to have a wide network of supportive family, friends and colleagues. A few of my biggest champions include my husband, my mother, my friends of 25 years, and my former administrative assistant. At every turn, they encourage me to pursue my love of writing. But the most surprising influence in my career has been someone I never would have expected: my 8-year-old son.Like most kids he learned to read when he was in Kindergarten, and he picked it up quickly. He devoured early readers...

Love in the Office - Current Love by Kai Strand

As February's Share The Love theme progresses, we move away from the Industry Love stories and into a subject more closely related to Valentine's Day, which we celebrate on Tuesday. This week my guests and I will share stories about our CURRENT LOVE.
One day I was walking up a hallway at work and glanced into an office that was normally empty. I made eye contact with an occupant sitting behind the bare desk. He wore a gray suit and a disinterested expression. It was obvious he was filling...

The Steadfast Bookseller - Industry Love by Susanna Leanard Hill

The publishing industry is full of wonderful people.  Today, Kai has asked for a few words sharing the love of those people.
What a tough choice!
I could talk about my husband, who is not in the industry except as a consumer, but who believes in me when I don't believe in myself.  I could talk about my agent, without whom I wouldn't be where I am today.  I could talk about a couple of fabulous editors who loved my work enough to take it on and help me polish it until it shone.  I could talk...

Where Would I Be Without You? Industry Love by Cheryl C. Malandrinos

I'm afraid this blog post will turn into a novella. There are so many people who have supported me and continue to support me on my writing journey.
Thanks to Long Ridge Writers Group, I met the first two people who would influence my writing: Jean Lauzier (whose last name I still need to look up every time I write it) and Tonya Stokes. It was Tonya who gave me my first writing gig after graduating from Long Ridge. Jean, invited me to join a writers forum she and Tonya had started, and our...

Angels Among Us- Industry Love by Nicole Weaver

Let's hear a loud cheer for Donna McDine.  I remember the day Donna emailed me my first ever book review. Frankly, I did not know what to expect, but Donna's review changed my life forever.   The positive review of my book gave me the encouragement to seek other authors to review my book.  The icing on the cake came when I came across the link for Guardian Angel Publishing on Donna's website.   The name Guardian Angel caught my attention, so I checked out the site.  I was hugely impressed so...

MUSINGS ON HOW I SUCCEEDED IN MY WRITING CAREER - Industry Love by Hope Irvin Marston

            When my thirty-second children's book was released this past December, I could not say, "I did it all by myself!"  Rather, it was the culmination of years of seeking and receiving support from generous-hearted folks who offered encouragement.   My dream of writing a book began when I was in the middle grades.  I was attending junior high school, when Standard Publishing Company published a short poem I had written. My first publication!              To equip myself for bigger...

Librarian Love - Industry Love by Heather Ayris Burnell

            Barbara Pollard is the head librarian of the North Central Regional Library branch in my little town in Washington State. The list of things she has done to encourage me as a writer and a person is long indeed. It was at her suggestion, seven years ago, that the library board asked me to join. I've learned so much, from how to work in a group to how to speak up for things I believe in to how to plan major events, from working in this position. It's truly helped me in so many...

I'd Like To Thank the Academy - Industry Love by Kai Strand

It is time for us to move away from first love and on to our next Share The Love subject: INDUSTRY LOVE.
Writing this post is a bit like an acceptance speech for an awards show. "I'd like to thank the academy." However, I've been troubling over whom to acknowledge my appreciation of for fear I'll offend someone by leaving him or her out. The last thing I want is for someone to think, "After all I've done for her and she picks the editor?"
Lame, huh?
Yet I don't want to do a blanket thank you...

Five First Loves by Alayne Kay Christian

I have had five first loves in my lifetime. Each one was different, yet each one was the same.My first, first love was my high school sweetheart. He is also my ex-husband and my daughter's biological father. My first impulse is to say that I fell in love with him because I was young and stupid, which is partly true. I was attracted to him because he was a manly man, very handsome and nice. My young heart loved these things about him. However, I think I was more in love with the idea of...

That Snow Angel - First Love by Tim VanSant

The first great love of my life was when I was in college in Eastern Kentucky. About this time every year an image of her and an amazing night flutters into my mind.
On a particularly magical winter night we went walking around campus together. Snow covered the ground. The air was clear and cold and still. She wore a bright red coat. We held gloved hands and walked and talked for hours. I have no recollection of what we talked about, but since I'm usually so quiet the fact that we could talk...