S. Smith's Blog, page 22
October 30, 2014
Tricks or Treats: Treasure on Sale
It’s no trick. Treasure, first book in the Seed Savers series, is currently on sale across all ebook platforms for only 99 cents!
How do you know if this series is for you?
Do you like books with adventure, but not gore?
Do you like fiction books that are sprinkled with facts?
… social commentary in your fiction?
… books with lots of characters?
… series?
… books with adult, teen, and child characters?
… books with multicultural characters?
… books set in the future?
… light romance?
… stories where the characters travel to many places?
If you answered yes to most of these questions, you’ll probably enjoy Seed Savers. Here’s what people are saying about the books in the Seed Savers series:
“I haven’t been this in love with a young adult series since Harry Potter. I haven’t been this in love with an individual young adult book since Lois Lowry’s The Giver... 221 pages of exciting young adult goodness! I devoured it, and it was delicious.” -Anakalian Whims
“In this future, dystopian world, there is no need to worry about post-apocalyptic warfare and violence. The problem is much more subtle in this original and clever story.” - Mother Daughter Book Reviews
“Everyone should read this book. Especially if they aren’t sure how the food in their stores comes to be there.” – Jemima Pett, author of The Princelings of the East Series
“As an avid gardener and teacher, this series offers much to both aspects. I’ve given copies to garden teachers who have said that their students loved it… The characters are engaging and believable in their adventures. I highly recommend this series to anyone who would like to awaken in our children to be the change they want to see.” – Sally White, Green Apple Award Winner and Straub Environmental Learning Center All-Star Volunteer
“A creative, engaging, well written book series, that is filled with action, and a lot of truth as it touches the very real issue of preserving seeds from Greedy Corporate Seed Monopoly and understanding the importance of knowing how to grow our own healthy food. This book series is AWESOME!!!!!”- Rachel Parent, Teen Founder of Kids Right to Know
“The characters are well developed and will be endearing to readers. The book unveils secrets nicely and sets up more for the next installment in the series. While it would be helpful to read the first two books prior to this one, it’s not strictly necessary.Heirloom is a satisfying dystopian novel that younger fans of sci-fi will enjoy.” – Portland Book Review
“I like this series a lot. The idea of a government controlling all the food and not letting people know how to grow their own food is creepy and makes an exciting read. I love how in this book a lot of the “history” of how/why the USA is like this is revealed.” – This Kid Reviews Books
Find out for yourself. Treasure is on sale now for a limited time. Go. Check it out.
S. Smith is the author of the awesome and award-winning middle grade series, Seed Savers. Visit her Facebook and Pinterest pages. Follow her on Twitter. Sign up for the newsletter.
Download Cat and Mouse: Companion Short Stories, Poems and More FOR FREE to get a taste of Seed Savers!
October 16, 2014
What About All the Flyers in the Mail Telling Me to Vote No on 92? (Just Label It, Part 2)
(If you’re coming to the table late and aren’t sure what a GMO actually is, you’ll want to read Just Label It, Part 1 first)
So you’ve read my first post and gather that I’m a Vote Yes on 92 person. But what about all of those print and tv ads you are seeing, insisting that you vote no. “It’s so confusing,” you lament, wringing your hands. What’s a person to do?
I’m here with the good news: It’s not confusing.
Forget about those sad-looking news anchors on t.v. They sleep odd hours. Measure 92 is about adding a word or two to an already existing label–that simple. In fact, in over sixty countries the label already exists… Basically the question is whether or not you care to know what’s in your food. If we are what we eat, then I think you might want to know/care. But I digress. Let’s talk about those ads.
“It’s poorly written; not everything will be labeled.” Pictures shown: milk, eggs, and meat, restaurant food, alcoholic beverages
#1 If there were such things as GMO milk and eggs they would be labeled. If the milk or eggs came from GMO cows and chickens, they would be labeled. The GMO salmon I mentioned last time would need to be labeled. What are not labeled are meat and eggs from animals that were fed GMO animal feed. (Maybe next time?)
#2 Restaurant food isn’t part of the initiative. This is about labels for groceries.
#3 Beer is not considered food. Yes, I know Uncle Billy-Bob disagrees, but officially —it’s not.
“It will hurt Oregon farmers.”
Thousands of Oregon farmers support measure 92. Take a look at this list if you have any doubt. And there are many more whose names aren’t listed. Here is an article written by an actual Oregon farmer. If two entire counties (agricultural, conservative counties) voted to ban GMO crops earlier this year, you can bet they understand the importance of labeling GMO food. None of Oregon’s top ten cash crops are GMO.
Why does the Oregon Farm Bureau oppose measure 92? Probably because it receives sizeable funding from large biotech corporations Monsanto and Syngenta.
“It will cost the consumer money.”
Let’s just stop for a reality check right there. If there is one way to cast doubt in the minds of Americans it’s to tell them something is going to cost them more money. Why do we even fall for that anymore? I’ll give you the stats in a minute, but before that, can I just say, What makes you think you have any control over price setting, anyway? The industries in power will raise the prices any darn time they feel like it!!! We are powerless! Don’t be fooled!
Okay, so now the stats. Some of the ads say crazy stuff like labeling for GMOs will cost consumers hundreds of dollars each year. Why would it? They change labels all the time. Three other states have labeling laws and 64 other countries. A new study showed that if it does cost consumers, it might be about two bucks over the course of a year. Frankly, it would be worth it for me to pay two dollars a year to have the label right up front in big letters. As it is now I have to read the tiny print looking for mention of soybeans and corn syrup…
Okay, I think I covered the confusing opposition points. Stay tuned, there may yet be a Just Label It, Part 3. :)
Read the initiative for yourself here.
S. Smith is the author of the awesome and award-winning middle grade series, Seed Savers. Visit her Facebook and Pinterest pages. Follow her on Twitter. Sign up for the newsletter.
Download Cat and Mouse: Companion Short Stories, Poems and More FOR FREE to get a taste of Seed Savers!
October 14, 2014
What the Heck is a GMO? (Just Label It, Part 1)
If you live in Oregon or Colorado, you have the great privilege in November to stand up to the big corporations and let them know you won’t be bought. I’m talking about measure 92 in Oregon and prop 105 in Colorado that call for labeling groceries containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
There’s a lot to be said on this topic, so let’s start at the beginning.
What the heck is a GMO?
Smithsonian magazine.com did a big disservice recently with an article called “Sorry Hipsters, That Organic Kale Is a Genetically Modified Food.” It then went on to describe selective breeding done throughout the ages.
Hybridization and selective breeding are not equal to genetic modification.
The dictionary definition for genetically modified organism: an organism whose genome has been altered by the techniques of genetic engineering so that its DNA contains one or more genes not normally found there.
In other words, GMOs are organisms that have had the DNA altered in a way that could not occur in nature.
For example, the new GMO salmon has genes from an eelpout fish. GMO rice has genes from a daffodil and a soil bacteria. That’s biotechnology. It’s done in a lab, not on a farm.
So what? Why add it to an already crowded label?
Well, why not? Some people are concerned that GMO food may cause health issues. What are the reasons behind such concerns?
#1 The effects of the technology itself could have unforeseen consequences. “The technology of genetic engineering is currently very crude. It is not possible to insert a new gene with any accuracy, and the transfer of new genes can disrupt the finely controlled network of DNA in an organism.” (http://www.responsibletechnology.org/gmo-basics/the-ge-process)
#2 Some of the GMO food prevalent in our food system today includes GMO corn. GMO sweet corn is genetically engineered to be herbicide resistant (Roundup Ready) and to produce its own insecticide (Bt Toxin). What this means is that the Bt corn actually has insecticide within it. Although it’s not supposed to hurt humans, the technology is still rather new. Some people are a little squeamish at ingesting an insecticide-producing vegetable. We’ll discuss the Roundup Ready crops next.
#3 Roundup Ready crops—soybean, corn, sugar beets, canola—have been engineered so that they resist the poison spray “Roundup.” What this means is that farmers can spray the whole field repeatedly to kill the weeds with herbicide without worrying about the crop. Not so good for the people eating the food, however. Unless you have no concerns about an herbicide that kills weeds dead.
#4 A final reason why folks might want to see GMOs listed on the label is that GMO food has only been on grocery shelves for 20 years. That’s really not enough time to know whether or not this stuff is bad for us. We are the test population. Some of us might want to opt out.
I for one, want a chance to opt out of this experiment. I also believe in the rights of the people. Labeling GMO food is about transparency. If there is nothing to hide, why are the big corporations spending $$$ to fight it?
My next post will discuss the opposition advertisements bombarding people in Oregon and Colorado.
S. Smith is the author of the awesome and award-winning middle grade series, Seed Savers.
Visit her Facebook and Pinterest pages. Follow her on Twitter. Sign up for the newsletter.
Download Cat and Mouse: Companion Short Stories, Poems and More FOR FREE to get a taste of Seed Savers!
September 23, 2014
Wow–You’re One of Us!
“Wow, You’re One of Us!” It was an exclamation I heard from across the way at the iris booth. The venue was the National Heirloom Expo which took place recently in Santa Rosa, California and is billed as The World’s Pure Food Fair. And though I don’t know what exactly the reference was toward, the sentiment very well summarized the feeling of the event.
I was there as a vendor for my book series, Seed Savers, but also to meet people, attend workshops, and hear nationally known speakers in the food movement. It was an awesome time, and I hope to return next year. As an author, I like in-person events rather than just focusing on online sales, but that’s another post. Right now I’d like to write a summary of what I saw and did in the three days of the expo, and hopefully follow up with more posts.
This was the fourth year of the Heirloom Exposition, and you get the feeling it has grown maybe a little too fast for the organizers. There didn’t seem to be a list or map of vendors, so a lot of people would stop and ask if I knew where so-and-so’s booth was. I think it also would be nice for vendors to have little tags to wear like the speakers had.
That being said, I liked the laid back county fair feel of the event. Having a vendor table, I didn’t get to partake in as much of the fair as I would have liked, but because my husband graciously assisted me, I did get out a little. And it was all great.
What was there to do?
One of my favorite areas was the exhibition building. There were long tables spilling over with all kinds of vegetables in their glorious varietous beauty! And of course, the giant squash tower showcased on the expo’s website. This building also housed the school gardens displays, gourd carving, watermelon and vegetable carving, tasting, artwork, an aquaponics display, and pumpkins weighing over a thousand pounds.
There was also a music stage. I didn’t get to stop and listen, but every time I walked by there was wonderful music playing. In the food court there was a guy playing piano (Petaluma Pete) despite the heat. Lots of healthy food and drinks were available in the food section. And all day long there were workshops, classes, tastings, and more. I never even made it to the animal barns.
I, of course, spent most of my time in the vendor building–a gardening and foodie shopping paradise. There were baskets and fermenting pots, heirloom seeds and how-to books, mushroom growing kits and jewelry, iris bulbs, and much, much more. For a photo montage, see my previous post.
Everyone was supportive and cared about healthy food. It was a warm and welcoming atmosphere. Though many of the folks were local, I came from out of state. Still, the exclamation “You’re One of Us!” made me smile. That’s the way I felt. I’ll be happy to return.
S. Smith is the author of the awesome and award-winning middle grade series, Seed Savers. Visit her Facebook and Pinterest pages. Follow her on Twitter. Sign up for the newsletter.
Download Cat and Mouse: Companion Short Stories, Poems and More FOR FREE to get a taste of Seed Savers!
September 19, 2014
Salem Public Library Author Event!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 3, 2014
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Ann Scheppke, Librarian
503-588-6124
ascheppke@cityofsalem.net
Salem Public Library Presents Authorama
Salem Public Library presents Authorama, the Library’s third annual local author fair, on Saturday, September 20, 1-4 p.m. This free event will take place on the main floor at the Central Library, 585 Liberty St. SE.
Authorama is Salem Public Library’s way of recognizing and honoring our diverse local writers, and it will give those who attend a chance to discover new writers and to network with those who have successfully published. Over thirty authors from throughout the Willamette Valley have accepted the Library’s invitation to participate. Copies of the author’s works will be available for purchase and signing. And if that’s not enough, there will be prizes!
Many genres will be represented, with offerings including fiction, local history, romance, children’s and young adult fiction, science fiction/fantasy, memoir, and more.
Participating authors include Gina Ochsner, recipient of the Oregon Book Award for People I Wanted to Be; Joy V. Mazeikas, author of Egg Song, a tale about a year in the life of three endearing backyard hens; David Koop, author of Cancer, It’s a Good Thing I Got It! The Life Story of a Very Lucky Man, gold medal winner of the International Book Awards Competition; former Oregon State Archeologist Leland Gilsen, author of a work of fiction called Diggin’ It; and many more. A complete list of participating authors is available on the Library’s website under “Events and Programs” at www.salemlibrary.org.
For more information, visit Salem Public Library’s website or call 503-588-6052.
END
S. Smith is the author of the awesome and award-winning middle grade series, Seed Savers. Visit her Facebook and Pinterest pages. Follow her on Twitter. Sign up for the newsletter.
Download Cat and Mouse: Companion Short Stories, Poems and More FOR FREE to get a taste of Seed Savers!
September 17, 2014
Heirloom Expo 2014
One week ago I attended the National Heirloom Exposition in Santa Rosa, California. Today I’ll kick off a series of posts inspired by the event, beginning with this photo collage. Enjoy.
S. Smith is the author of the awesome and award-winning middle grade series, Seed Savers. Visit her Facebook and Pinterest pages. Follow her on Twitter. Sign up for the newsletter.
Download Cat and Mouse: Companion Short Stories, Poems and More FOR FREE to get a taste of Seed Savers!
September 4, 2014
School Visits, Part 2
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about my last author visit to a local school. I wrote about how much I enjoyed the experience and answered some of the questions students had asked in the little notes they sent afterwards. One young lady’s response warranted an entire post.
This one’s for Lily. Not my Lily of the Seed Savers, but another Lily. A real girl from a school I visited.
I did some rapid fire presentations at a middle school recently. I talked about myself, my writing process, and my books and took questions from sixth graders all in about 20 minutes, then did it again, five times in row. Some of the teachers asked students to write me thank you notes afterwards and ask any questions that I hadn’t answered. Lily took it one step further. Lily gave me the plot idea for a whole other book.
“If you write another book” she wrote, “you should base it on your presentation … a person from GRIM comes and gives a presentation on illegal foods that grow and a boy goes on a mission through the country. He finds a forest and finds a bunch of mysterious plants. A withered old man tells the boy they are good for him…” She goes on to offer up the title for this would-be book and suggests that the boy’s name should mean something good, like “the finder.”
What can I say? Wow.
The first thing I wondered was if Lily had read any of my books yet. Second, (and this is just raised-in-the-1970s me), I wondered why a girl was making a boy the main character. My next thought was, her name is Lily! Lily is the title character of my second book! Then I thought how she might be amazed that some of her ideas were already in store for future Seed Savers books. There is a boy on a mission. There is a withered old man.
But, Lily, here’s the other thing: I am so impressed with the storyline you thought up so quickly. Have you ever heard of fan fiction? Fan fiction is writing a story based on someone else’s character or universe. You could write your own little Seed Savers fan fiction story! Or better yet, just write your own story. What a great imagination. You go, girl.
And Lily, if you do go with the story you suggested to me, here’s my suggestion for you. Maybe the boy’s name could be Ranger, guardian of the forest. I’ll be watching for it.
S. Smith is the author of the awesome and award-winning middle grade series, Seed Savers. Visit her Facebook and Pinterest pages. Follow her on Twitter. Sign up for the newsletter.
Download Cat and Mouse: Companion Short Stories, Poems and More FOR FREE to get a taste of Seed Savers!
September 2, 2014
Reporting from The National Book Festival in Washington DC
From “This Kid” Erik…very cool.
Originally posted on This Kid Reviews Books:
HELLO BLOGGING WORLD!
Guess what I got to do this past Saturday?
Okay, you probably guessed it from the title of my blog article.
I got to go to the National Book Festival in Washington DC!
The 14th annual Library of Congress National Book Festival was held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. Before this, it was held on the Mall. I think I liked it better inside because it was air-conditioned (and there were real bathrooms) but it seemed a lot more crowded than when it was outside.What was especially cool about my visit this year was I was official -
That’s right, my AWESOME editor at The Upper Buck Free Press (click HERE to go to their Facebook page), Christopher Betz, supplied me with an official press pass (for those of you who don’t know, I write a monthly book review column for The…View original 1,642 more words
August 19, 2014
Back to School Means Author Visits
As an author of middle grade and YA books I have the pleasure not only of doing signings at book stores, but also of conducting author visits in schools. I love doing author visits and hope this year to incorporate more into my schedule. Read an earlier post of why I love school visits here.
Usually I am asked to speak about the writing process, but I am also available to discuss themes of gardening and sustainability which are some of the important topics in the Seed Savers series.
Here’s the afterglow: The teachers are happy for the students to hear from an author that it is important to REWRITE, EDIT, and POLISH their writing. The students, oftentimes, have never met an author. They feel important when an author visits them and their school. They become inspired to read and write. The author feels the love. Sometimes the teachers send thank you notes and bags full of little notes from the students.
And now for the kids at Claggett Creek Middle School in Salem in regard to my June visit : Thank you for the lovely notes! You were all so articulate and your notes were very well-written. I promised to answer questions that didn’t get answered that day in class, so here goes. (And yes, I will always remember the questioner who asked what my favorite kind of pie was. And as for the girl who requested I use her name in one of my books, your wish has been granted. For Lily B., I have written an entire post in response to you. Watch for it.)
Q: Do people ever ask out of the blue, ‘Are you Sandy Smith?’?
A: Once or twice people have asked if I was the author of Seed Savers, yes.
Q: How did you feel when you finished writing your first book?
A: It was a great feeling–a feeling of accomplishment and of doing something that I had often talked about.
Q: Have you ever met any other authors that we might know?
A: I went to an author talk by Colleen Houck of the Tiger’s Curse series. She lives here in Salem/Keizer.
Q: Are you going to write more of your series?
A: Yes, I plan on having five books in the Seed Savers series.
Q: How does it feel to be famous?
A: :)
And here are snippets from the many notes I received:
“Thank you for answering all of our questions that we were bursting out to ask.”
“I’ve always wanted to be a writer and you’re the first one I’ve met in person.”
“I think that because you wrote the “Seed Savers” … it will make a difference in or for the future.”
“Today I learned tips I can use as an author. One thing that I will remember is ways to use things I enjoy as inspiration in writing.”
“P.S. The one in the blue-striped shirt.”
“At first I didn’t like to read books but I got even more inspired to read and to read your books.”
“I love to read and write and your writing books inspires me to write more. I have a start of a story I personally can’t wait to finish.”
“I hope you come back again.”
I hope so, too. :)
S. Smith is the author of the awesome and award-winning middle grade series, Seed Savers. Visit her Facebook and Pinterest pages. Follow her on Twitter. Sign up for the newsletter.
Download Cat and Mouse: Companion Short Stories, Poems and More FOR FREE to get a taste of Seed Savers!
August 13, 2014
How to Support an Author’s New Book: 11 Ideas For You
In case you were wondering…
Originally posted on Writers In The Storm Blog:
By Chuck Sambuchino
My Writer’s Digest coworker, Brian A. Klems, recently geared up for the release of his first book — a humorous guide for fathers called OH BOY, YOU’RE HAVING A GIRL: A DAD’S SURVIVAL GUIDE TO RAISING DAUGHTERS (Adams Media). On top of that, my coworker Robert Brewer (editor of Writer’s Market) recently got a publishing deal for a book of his poetry.
So I find myself as a cheerleader for my writing buddies — trying to do what I can to help as their 2013 release dates approach. I help in two ways: 1) I use my own experience of writing & publishing books to share advice on what they can expect and plan for; and 2) I simply do whatever little things I can that help in any way.
This last part brings up an important point: Anyone can support an author’s…
View original 1,450 more words
