Margot Finke chats with Laurie, on LAURIE & CO - a Robin Falls Kids show.

Aint Blog Talk Radio Grand!

I will be chatting on "Laurie & Co," with
Laurie Zieber, a Robin Falls Kids Show -
Monday the 26th - at 1pm Pacific time.
LINK HERE


Laurie will pick my brains about Writing Books,
Doing Critiques, Promotions, Frustrations,
the joy of Mentoring - and much more.

Discover how I had two of my books illustrated by
renown artists from another country. They spoke no
English, and one didn't even have a computer.

Join me on Monday,
for some straight talk and fun,
on the Laurie and Co show.


*********************

Shush-h-h-h . . .
A Sneak Peek.

"Ruthie and the Hippo's Fat Behind."




Books for Kids - Manuscript Critiques
Hook Kids on READING

The FREE - MUSE ONLINE Writing Conference was a HUGE SUCCESS!

I now have enough strength back in my fingers to

BLOG about the 2009 MUSE ONLINE Writing Conference
(Oct 12th to 18th) - and it was all FREE!

This is my third year with Lea Schizas, and her band of intrepid Publishers, Agents, and Established Writers. Lea's idea is to provide a full week of daily workshops, and one-on-one chat lounge Q & A sessions, on various aspects of writing (for adults and children) and promoting your books.

This year, my daily workshop was titled,
"How to Write as Tight As Granny's New Girdle!"

I also offered a Daily Q & A Session in several Chat Lounges.

I was deluded enough to offer a critique of the first page of those attending my workshop. I wanted to advise them on how to make sure their first pages were tight and terrific, and had a WOW factor that would grab an editor's interest.

Holy COW, mates, I was swamped.

I ended up critiquing just on 100 pages in all - and many of them were far longer! My brain and my fingers learned how to move super fast. Of course now that it is all over, I can finally take a bathroom break. HEY, a week is a l-o-n-g time!

I also discovered that writers do not read instructions well. Many did not include their word count or genre, as requested. Not did they double space very often - again as requested. Yet I loved reading those pages that really had a cool WOW factor, or when a writer tightened that first page so well, Granny wore a big smile. YEA!!

And those Q & A chat sessions were fast and furious. No time to dither about answers. Great practice for keeping my focus on the topic at hand - writing! Adrenalin bubbled, pushed, and drove me to keep at it all week. On Monday it was all past tense. My hands were stiff, and if you had asked my name, I would've had to stop and think. . . I felt like a pricked balloon.

Looking back over a distance of a few days, I see MUSE 2009 as an awesome experience. I got to see wonderful writing, not so wonderful writing, and all the stages in-between. I really hope my comments, suggestions and examples, help and guide those many writers in their next rewrite.

Tight and terrific pages, with a definite WOW factor, DO make an editor sit up and take notice - especially after all the dreck they so often read.

I would not have missed MUSE 2009 for all the
witchetty grubs in Australia -
fairdinkum, mates!

***********************

Below is the logo for the
2010 - MUSE Online Writing Conference.

Please visit in November 2009, when MUSE Online

opens registrations for the The 2010 Conference.

Also read great 2009 testimonials at the above link

Many this year did not register early enough.
They missed out - Don't miss out in 2010

*************************

BOOKS for Kids - Manuscript Critiques
HOOK Kids on READING

BUY Autographed Books from my website, and
receive a FREE LINK to me READING that story!

The FREE, 2009 MUSE ONLINE Conference is Designed for YOU!

Okay Folks, the FREE, 2009
Muse Online Conference
is Coming to the Boil!

And I will be there to help them stir the
Writing Pot - same as last year!

The fun begins October 12th until October 18th


What You Get
for FREE

* Chat Rooms where you can ask the experts questions
* Writing Workshops for all genres
* Published Writers
* Pitch Sessions
*Publishers
* Agents
+ lots MORE

=====================

Created by
Lea Schiza

The Muse Online was proud to
receive this 2008 award



=====================


My Workshop is titled
"How to Write as Tight as Granny's New Girdle"
(Your first page scanned for tight and terrific writing)

plus

I host a Chat Session Every Day at 1pm Pacific Time
(Tuesday through Sunday - Q and A sessiona)


This is the best FREEBIE DEAL going.

If you can't afford expensive writing conferences. Don't have time to take writing lessons. Have no one to babysit the kids while you go to a conference. Need to network with fellow writers, publishers etc. . . THIS IS FOR YOU!

If you can't join us this year, then make the 2010
Muse Online Conference your goal!


=====================


BOOKS for Kids - Manuscript Critiques
BUY Autographed Books from my website, and
receive a FREE LINK to me READING that story!

http://hookkidsonreading.blogspot.comm/
http://margotfinke.blogspot.com/

"Movement and Rhythm Newsletter - Voted one of the BEST!

I would like to introduce you to a lady
who knows how to interest teachers
and home-schooling Moms.

I recommend you check out her monthly
"Movement and Rhythm Newsletter"

Kathy Stemke -
Educationtipster -
Author and Educator - is listed in the
"100 Best Blogs for Homeschooling Moms!"

Her movement activities, book reviews, and parenting
tips will help parents and teachers teach
children phonics, math, writing and
science!

Sign up NOW for this free
monthly newsletter!

****************

And her book,
"Moving Through All Seven Days,"

is now available HERE


****************


My WEBSITE for

*Books for Children
*Manuscript Critiques
*Help for Writers

A MIXED BAG - News and Celebration!

Okay folks, I know It's Been a While
Since I BLOGGED.

Listed below are my excuses:

* I am in the throes of ghost writing a book for a client.
* My many critique clients have also kept me "on the go!"

* PLUS - the ever present necessity to promote my
already published books.

* Scrounging the time to actually write
something NEW myself.

**************

I also worked on another book as "editorial adviser." This was for Deborah Slover of Leader Garden Press. illustrations by Darlene Warner.

"U.N.I.Q.U.E . KIDS" -
Growing My Leadership Garden

This inspirational book will help you grow the unique leader within your child. In the human garden, leadership development begins at home. Told as a fable, the lessons contained are real:

Be nonjudgmental - Do not enable -
Use empathy - Prune gossip -
Eliminate Blame - Eradicate victimization

Imagine a world where these practices are the norm.
More details available HERE

* A wonderful guide for home schooling parents, and others who want the children of today to grow up with fine leadership qualities, honesty, and a sure moral compass.

**************

"Taconi and Claude - Double Trouble"

I am thrilled to announce that my mid-grade Aussie outback adventure, featuring aboriginal boy Taconi, and his wise and talkative cockatoo mate, will be published by Guardian Angel Publishing.

Taconi's dad, Dreamtime Spirits, a corroboree, and a disaster on Coorparoo Cattle Station, all help Taconi make choices about the world of his tribe, and that of the white man. Of course Claude, the sulfur crested cockatoo, sticks his "chatty" beak into everything that happens. I know this is a book BOYS will love.

***************

and

I HAVE KEPT THE BEST 'TIL LAST

On September 18th and 19th, many west coast authors who publish books with Guardian Angel Publishing (G.A.P.), are gathering in Bend, Oregon, for a two day get together, PLUS a mass book signing at Barnes & Noble bookstore, The Forum, in Bend, on September 19th. YEA!

Hosting the event is K.C. Snider, a well known fine artist and book illustrator. K.C. also did the whimsical and fun illustrations for my upcoming book, Ruthie and the Hippo's Fat Behind." I LOVE what she did!

As well as an afternoon of book signing on the 19th, K.C. and her hench-woman Claudia, have big plans for all us G.A.P authors and illustrators: Day trips, tours, and a great barbecue event the evening following the book signing. For G.A.P. authors prepared to get up early on Friday morning, and promote themselves and their books, there's also a TV interview on Good Morning, Central Oregon.

G.A.P. publisher, Lynda S. Burch, will also be there. How K.C. snagged the always super -busy publisher is a secret she won't reveal: something to do with offering a grandchild has been touted, but it's anyone's guess . . .

K.C and Claudia are SuperWomen - but without the capes. Their drive and energy has taken this from a casual wish to an exciting and wonderful reality.

***************

I have now set myself daily goals, and I hope to do
much more BLOGGING in the future.
(fingers crossed!)

***************


My Website - Manuscript Critiques
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BUY any Autographed Book from my website, and
receive a FREE LINK to me READING that story!

Cool RATTLESNAKE RECIPES and e-BOOKS Galore

First, let's get the Rattler Recipe out of the way.

Yummy
Rattlesnake Chilli(Because my latest book is about rattlers, how Pa catches
them, and what he wishes Gran would cook them up as )

This recipe comes from my Aussie mate, Susan Stephenson. Susan owns and runs the Book Chook Blog. How a Down-under sheila like her got hold of a rattler recipe is a huge mystery - no rattlers in Australia, mate.

And the first person who can tell me what a Chook is,
wins a FREE Audio of me reading one of my
Wild and Wonderful Aussie animal
tales + the illustrations.


INGREDIENTS:

First, catch your rattler!

Then visit Gran's Kitchen and discover how a 6ft rattlesnake
can become YOUR dinner, along with several other
recipes guaranteed to make Mom feel faint.

=======================




Now, on with the serious business of
e-BOOKS for your KIDS.

First, let me state that that I am absolutely certain books in ALL forms of paper are here to stay. NO QUESTION. Cuddling at bedtime, a child in your arms and a beloved book between you, is one of life's great pleasures. The memories these story times bring live with us for a lifetime.

However, there are other times and other places - car travel, rainy days, summer boredom etc. These days your child is computer savvy, the world is advancing in mega bites. Reading a cool new flip book (e-book) on a screen will often HOOK a kid who otherwise might not bother reading. What I am getting at, is that there should always be room for a well written book - whether on CD, download, or in good old paper.

Sure, I know e-readers like the Amazon Kindle are high priced. And readers that show picture books in color are few, and WAY out of most people's price range - at the moment. This will change. Believe it or not, we are only at the dawn of the electronic age. Remember the price of TVs and microwaves when they first came on the market? WHEW!! Now everyone can afford them.

Meanwhile, while you wait for e-reader prices to drop, and color to bloom on their screens, reading a short picture book on a computer or laptop is no hardship -

E-Books are a thrifty pleasure, it's GREEN,
anddoing it SAVES TREES!
What's not to like?

Your kids "GET" technology. Reading a quality e-book
can motivate and HOOK that reluctant reader
in your family.

Check this out for the lastest on e-BOOK Technology

Electronic book readers may be the future of publishing, but in one important respect, they’re still stuck in 1950: Almost every e-book reader on the market has a black-and-white display. Most can’t display more than a handful of different shades of gray.

That’s why display makers are racing to bring color to the world of e-books. Their goal is to make Gray’s Anatomy and its more than 1,200 full-color illustrations as interesting as the next Dan Brown novel. . .

* Click link above to read more.

======================


Now for some quality e-Books your kids,
and those reluctant readers,
WILL LOVE!


BUY any Autographed Book from my website, and
receive a FREE LINK to me READING that story!

My green, and Thrifty, "Wild and Wonderful" series, comprises 7 rhyming books that tell facts about animals from the US and Australia. Fun and educational, they are a great resource for teachers or home schooling parents.

Available as eBook downloads from Fictionwise and Readers Eden, or as Autographed CDs from my WEBSITE. Below are selected covers and illustrations. Full details, all covers and sample verses are on my website.

From
Bald Eagle Rules

The cover of
Never Say BOO to a Frilly (frillneck lizard)

From
Kooky Kookaburra

Cover of
Humdinger Hummers

Did I convince anyone to try Thrifty GREEN e-Books?

My fingers are crossed!!



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My Website - Manuscript Critiques

BUY any Autographed Book from my website, and
receive a FREE LINK to me READING that story!
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Harold Underdown's take on Children's Books and the Recession of 2008-09

For years,
Harold Underdown's Purple Crayon has been the
place to go when you need nitty-gritty information
about all aspects of writing
and publishing books
for children.


Purple Crayon
Still Delivers the Goods!

Read Harold's take about the effects on those
Working in Children's Books and the
Recession of 2008-09

(The Purple Crayon Blog January 2009 / Revised June 2009)

For more than a year the attention of everyone working in the U.S. children's books publishing industry has been focused on the economy. And though 2009 began with some reasonably good news about retail book sales in 2008, and early information for 2009 suggested only modest declines, we still feel uncertain about the future of our industry. I've followed the news and write these comments to put what's been happening in context, to share my thoughts about what could happen in the coming months, and to suggest how we should respond.

Keep in mind that publishing generally does not move in synch with the economy as a whole, and children's book publishing does not always move in synch with publishing as a whole. One major cause of the lack of synchronicity is the impact of school and library funding, changes in which take time to take effect. I'll come back to that....

For his in-depth insights into how
publishing is affected READ ON HERE.

Useful Resources:

* Publishers Weekly -- A good place to follow the publishing news.

* Minders of Make-Believe -- I mentioned this book above, and I'm mentioning it again, because it tells the story of American children's book publishing from the beginning to the 1990's.

* Purple Crayon -- more resources

* Trends in Children's Book Publishing: A page of links to web sites, news articles, and
opinion pieces, covering the industry generally and news of 2008/2009.

* Publishing Articles -- The index page for articles related to children's publishing on my
site.

* Who's Moving Where

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Books - Critique Service - Writing Help
HOOK KIDS on READING
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FREE: A Link to me reading any Autographed
picture book you BUY from my website.
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