THIS OLD BAND Releases in One Month!

My first picture book, THIS OLD BAND, Sky Pony Press, releases on JUNE 3, 2014 - in one month! I recently received this wonderful box of books:

Ten copies of THIS OLD BAND! What a thrill to see this this book whole and in color. I confess to a deep satisfaction in seeing my words brought to life by Matt Loveridge, and to hold the physical book in my hands. The richness of colors, the feel of the pages...oh, it all makes me happy and proud. Over the next few weeks I'll be fine-tuning my THIS OLD BAND marketing plan. One area that I know already: Several kind and good authors have offered to host me for features on their sites, and I'll update my events page when we have dates firmed up. 

I really am looking forward to having THIS OLD BAND out in the world and in the hands of children! 6/03 is just around the bend. 

Good wishes to you - 

Tamera

05.03.2014

2014 Kidlitosphere Progressive Poem: Day 15

Welcome! I'm honored to be a participant in Irene Latham's 2014 Kidlitosphere Progressive Poem. Irene has gathered thirty children's poets and we are writing a poem together as part of the National Poetry Month celebration. Each day our poem grows by one line. I've been enthusiastically reading along since the beginning and today it's my turn!

Before I committed to my line, I considered several possibilities based on the first stanza which sets up a journey, and the second stanza which begins with a call to action for what is needed for this journey. So much rich detail to consider! I am also intrigued by the many animals that are appearing here. At first, I took tactical and practical literally and planned to send our traveler some useful basics...but this poem has an other-worldly quality, I think, (wings, dreams, inner sage, honeyed whisper, tattered maps!) and so I decided to add something that I hope might be useful when traveling, as Matt suggests, "in realms far far away."  

Here you go - the first fourteen lines of the 2014 PROGRESSIVE POEM, plus mine for the 15th:  

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Sitting on a rock, airing out my feelings to the universe

Acting like a peacock, only making matters that much worse;

Should I trumpet like an elephant emoting to the moon,

Or just ignore the warnings written in the rune?

Those stars can’t seal my future; it’s not inscribed in stone. 

The possibilities are endless! Who could have known?

Gathering courage, spiral like an eagle after prey

Then gird my wings for whirlwind gales in realms far, far away.

But, hold it! Let's get practical! What's needed before I go?

Time to be tactical— I'll ask my friends what I should stow.

And in one breath, a honeyed word whispered low— dreams — 

Whose voice? I turned to see. I was shocked. Irene's

“Each voyage starts with tattered maps; your dreams dance on this page.

Determine these dreams—then breathe them!  Engage your inner sage."

The merry hen said, “Take my sapphire eggs to charm your host.”

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Thank you, Irene, and Progressive Poetry Poets; what fun! Okay, take it away tomorrow Robyn Hood Black at Life on the Deckle Edge!

If you would like to continue following along, the full roster of poets and their websites are listed on this page to the right. Have fun, and Happy National Poetry Month!

Tamera

04.15.2014

Echoing the Call For Submissions and a Book Spine Poem

Happy National Poetry Month! For this Poetry Friday I have two items to share.

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It isn’t often that I hear about a call for submissions specific to children’s poets, so today I’d like to share information about a children’s poetry anthology that is being promoted by Carol-Ann Hoyte. Maybe some poets have already seen this, but I wanted to post it here just in case anyone missed it. Details are listed below via Carol-Ann herself, with permission. Good luck, children’s poets!

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: Children's Poetry Anthology on Food and Agriculture

Submission Deadline: June 14th, 2014

An independently published anthology of children’s poetry dedicated to the theme of food and agriculture is in the works. Adults who write children’s poetry, including those who are emerging poets, are invited to submit their work. I am looking for original, unpublished poems, written in English, aimed at 8- to 12-year-olds that deal with various aspects of food andagriculture such as (but not limited to):

*food deserts
*edible landscapes
*food banks
*vertical gardens (also known as living walls, biowalls, ecowalls, green walls)
*children's food assistance programs
*gardening (ie. family gardening, school gardens, rooftop gardens, community gardens, balcony/container gardening, window boxes)
*types of farming (ie. rural, urban, organic, sustainable)
*farmer's markets / public markets
*fair trade food
*100-mile diet
*vegetarianism/ veganism

and any other sub-topics you can think of!

I am interested in receiving poems written in a variety of forms including but not limited to the following forms: couplet, triplet, limerick, haiku, tanka, cinquain, diamante, mask poem, apostrophe poem, list poem, etheree, palindrome, etc.

Poets whose work is selected for the collection will be contacted shortly after the deadline. They will also receive a small one-time honorarium.

Please email poems to Carol-Ann Hoyte at kidlitfan1972@yahoo.ca.

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On April 1, Travis Jonker posted a gallery of book spine poems from "students, teachers, librarians, publishers and authors" at 100 Scope Notes.

I’m proud that my poem was among them, and I wanted to share it here today.

 

It looks as though Travis is still taking submissions and adding to the gallery, so if you're feeling inspired, start pulling books from the shelves and give it a try! It's fun, and more challenging than it looks.

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Today Poetry Friday is being hosted by Michelle Barnes at Today's Little Ditty where she is also celebrating her blog's first birthday. Congratulations, Michelle! Link to Today's Little Ditty!

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Thanks for stopping by!

Tamera

 04.11.2014

THE UPSIDE-DOWN FISH debut author, Kate Louise

Today I’m pleased that debut picture book author Kate Louise is joining me for an interview. Her first picture book, THE UPSIDE-DOWN FISH (Sky Pony Press, February 3, 2015), just received this beautiful cover which was illustrated by Laura Matine:

THE UPSIDE-DOWN FISH book description: Upside-down Fish lives in a big tank at a pet store filled with lots of other fish. The other fish in the tank swim the right way up, though, and they don’t understand why Upside-down Fish is so different. This makes him very lonely. One day, a child comes into the store and chooses Upside-down Fish as a pet. He is anxious that he won’t be accepted in his new tank, but much to his surprise, the new fish are friendly! They love that he is different and want to know what it’s like to have the sky below and the ground above. Upside-down Fish realizes that it’s okay to be different—it’s what makes him so special.

Kate Louise and Laura Matine’s The Upside-Down Fish is about being yourself and finding happiness with people who accept you for who you are. Inspired by the author’s own upside-down fish, this is a book for any child who feels a little different and needs that extra boost of confidence that he or she is unique.

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From Kate’s website: Kate Louise is a picture book author represented by Isabel Atherton at Creative Authors Ltd. THE UPSIDE-DOWN FISH, illustrated by Laura Matine, will be published in February 2015 and PIERRE THE FRENCH BULLDOG RECYCLES, illustrated by Bethany Straker, in 2015 with Sky Pony Press. Kate is also a member of an online group of published authors and illustrators called Author Allsorts. And she writes YA as Kate Ormand.

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Online you can connect with Kate Louise here: 

Website, 

Twitter, 

Goodreads, 

Facebook 

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Now it’s time to hear from Kate:

Would you tell us about your debut picture book THE UPSIDE-DOWN FISH?

Upside-down Fish is lonely, living in a tank in the pet store where all the other fish swim the right way up. They don’t understand him and he’s left out a lot. Then a child comes into store and chooses Upside-down Fish as a pet. He’s worried about his new home, that the fish won’t accept him like the ones back at the pet store, but the fish are all friendly. They love that he’s a little bit different and want to know what the world looks like upside-down. He realises that it’s okay to be a little bit different, that it’s actually quite good fun!

The premise of your story, “being true to yourself,” is so important for young children. (Or for any of us, really!) Can you talk about how the idea first came to you?

The story was inspired by my own upside-down fish, which I had when I was a child. I didn’t understand why it swam that way, but I really loved it. Being true to yourself and accepting both similarities and differences is so important and the message fit well with the story.

Did you know right away that this was your story, or did you discover it as you wrote? How did the story evolve?

I’d really enjoyed writing another picture book (PIERRE) and I think my brain was in picture book mode at the time this idea came to me. I thought about my fish and mentioned it to my family and they were really enthusiastic about it. So I let the idea stew for a while, then got in touch with my agent about it when I had a clearer idea of what it was going to be about. She loved it too. Together we got it ready to send off to my editor, who, fortunately, loved it too!

Illustrations are such an important part of picture books. Can you tell us your thoughts on the charming illustrations by Laura Matine?

They are! And I’ve been extremely lucky with both of mine. Laura’s illustrations are truly adorable. I was delighted when I saw the first spread from her. It fits the story so well with soft colours and a lot of cute!

What do you enjoy most about writing for picture book readers?

The process is always so much fun. The most enjoyable part is pairing with an illustrator and seeing the artwork for the first time. It’s just so exciting!

You also write young adult novels under the name Kate Ormand. These two reader levels seem quite different from one another. At their core, though, have you found any similarities?

The importance of the character’s journey. My picture books have gentle messages and happy outcomes. My YA might not be quite as cheerful but it’s that conclusion, where the character has achieved something or found themselves or learned something that shines through in both.

Can you tell us what you’re working on now or what’s up next for you?

I’ve just finished working on PIERRE THE FRENCH BULLDOG RECYCLES with illustrator Bethany Straker, also out in 2015 with Sky Pony Press. THE UPSIDE-DOWN FISH is almost wrapped up too. So right now I’m focussing on writing both picture books and novels, and preparing for the release of DARK DAYS in June!

Thanks so much for having me, Tamera! It’s been fun!

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Thank YOU, Kate, for visiting with me today and sharing your darling cover art for THE UPSIDE-DOWN FISH! Congratulations and best wishes to you.

03.28.2014

Celebrating World Read Aloud Day and the One Year Anniversary of the Release of GONE FISHING

One year ago today, on March 5, 2013, my debut book, GONE FISHING: A Novel In Verse, illustrated by Matthew Cordell, was released. I've had such a fun year of connecting with enthusiastic readers, writers, and book lovers throughout the world. I feel so honored to be part of the children's writing community. And it is also my honor to participate in World Read Aloud Day 2014, hosted by LitWorld, an organization dedicated to the idea that everybody deserves the chance to read and write. Here is a link to Read Write Think, a reading and writing resource whose partners are the International Reading Association, the National Council of Teachers of English, and Thinkfinity. They're celebrating World Read Aloud Day and providing many resources and activities on their website. (As of this posting, the World Read Aloud site wasn't active - if that changes, I'll add it back in.)

To celebrate these two events, I decided to video tape myself reading a poem from GONE FISHING out loud. The poem I'm reading is called ALL ABOARD! It's a list poem from the perspective of Sam, the main character in GONE FISHING.

Here you go - I hope you enjoy. 

Thanks for reading with me! 

03.05.2014