Two Weeks 'till Bedtime at the Swamp!

By Kristyn Crow -
I just looked at my countdown widget and I can't believe we're two weeks from the release of Bedtime at the Swamp. I remember when that widget showed hundreds of days. Time really flies! As far as I know, we still don't have an official review of the book. Reviewers must be incredibly busy. COOL DADDY was reviewed months before its release. It'll be hard to compete with the two stars that book received, but hopefully all will be very positive. I think Macky is incredibly talented.

At the ALA conference I made some contacts and am planning to do some local readings and signings this fall. I'd love to arrange some school visits, too. I'll post a schedule when I have one.


If you're interested in writing for children and want to meet with local authors to get tips, manuscript feedback, and all kinds of publishing advice, please sign up for the "Writing for Charity with Shannon Hale" event on the nineteenth of this month. It's not very expensive--and every penny goes to charity. These are the kind of events that get you closer to publication. Sometimes a professional can give you that one suggestion that will turn everything around and send you off in the right direction. It happened to me. Here's the link to my post that explains things in detail:

Writing for Charity with Shannon Hale

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Congratulations to the 2009 ALA Newbery, Caldecott, Printz, King, Geisel, etc. Award Recipients

By Kristyn Crow -
ALA Awards 2009 John Newbery Medal: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman John Newbery Honor Books: The Underneath by Kathi Appelt The Surrender Tree by Margarita Engle Savvy by Ingrid Law After Tupac & D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson Randolph Caldecott Medal: The House in the Night illustrated by Beth Krommes Randolph Caldecott Honor Books: A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever by Marla Frazee How I Learned Geography by Uri Shulevitz A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams by Jen Bryant, illustrated by Melissa Sweet Coretta Scott King Author Award: Kadir Nelson, “We Are the Ship” King Author Honor Books: Hope Anita Smith, “Keeping the Night Watch Joyce Carol Thomas, “The Blacker the Berry” Carole Boston Weatherford, “Becoming Billie Holiday” Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award: Floyd Cooper, “The Blacker the Berry” King Illustrator Honor Books: Kadir Nelson, “We Are the Ship” Sean Qualls, “Before John Was a Jazz Giant” Jerry Pinkney, “The Moon Over Star” Coretta S
Read more

Plan A FABULOUS Literacy Night!

By Kristyn Crow -
Creating enthusiasm for reading is one of the greatest things a school can do for its students. Well-planned Literacy Nights, where parents attend with their children, can boost that enthusiasm enormously. As a picture book author, I’ve had the opportunity to attend numerous literacy events at elementary schools. Some were a raging success, and others fizzled. I’ve paid close attention to what I feel worked and what didn’t. Without naming any particular schools, I thought I’d share my observations. Ideas that Worked : 1. Cheap Dinner : Serve a free dinner at the school to start off the night – such as hotdogs and chips. The most recent literacy night I attended offered this cheap hotdog dinner on a first come, first-served basis. The response was overwhelming, and the school was packed. Food, especially food based on a literacy theme (see themes below) will draw more people to the event. 2. Attendance Prizes: Prior to the evening, announce that there will be prizes awarded f
Read more

To be a Flourisher...

By Kristyn Crow -
Image
Alright, so I read this article on msn.com about longevity, and it gave ten signs that you will live longer than you might think. Most of the signs had to do with health…the foods you eat, how much exercise you get, etc. But then there was one sign of longevity which said, “You’re a flourisher.” Hmmm. A flourisher? I hadn’t heard that word used quite like that before. The article quoted Corey Keyes, Ph.D., who said, "We should strive to flourish, to find meaning in our lives." A flourisher is someone who lives life to the fullest, but with a purpose. A flourisher becomes passionate about using his/her own gifts and talents to make the world a better place. I know in my first marriage I wasn’t a flourisher. My life was all about hitching a ride on someone else’s back…someone whose life dreams I assumed were more important than my own. With that mindset, I believed I was put on this earth to service him and to take care of the kids and to support him in his career. My
Read more