Have you accomplished your goals this year despite the pandemic? What changes have you made to your writing process/goals?
I thoroughly enjoyed our short Thanksgiving Break - I got a spurt of energy and time to write a few more chapters in the next Pop Travel novel. And I had fun playing games with my boys. I hope you all had a peaceful, yet exuberant Thanksgiving - if you live in the states =) Really hoping things will turn more positive after the new year begins. So much loss and depression have been hard for many to overcome. Sending encouraging thoughts and virtual hugs! Hang in there!
I also found some time to enjoy Sherry Ellis's latest MG adventure:
Bubba and Squirt are in it again--The portal to another exciting place, that is! This brother-sister team make middle grade adventures fun again. They complement each other's skills and intellects in a good hearted way to solve this new Mayan mystery. The bonus is the hidden cultural facts and excellent recipes to try!
In other pleasant tidings... I sent some books to a Youtube Book-Tuber, The Tiny Book Dragon, and she mentioned my books in her Fall Book Haul video.
If you haven't watched a book-tuber, you should. They do a great job of talking about books with honest and enthusiastic reviews.
She's re-published her corpse-raising mg adventure:
MOTLEY
EDUCATION The Urd Saga, book I
by S. A.
Larsen
MG Fantasy
"A deftly crafted ... and entertaining
read!"
Midwest Book Reviews - Children's Watch 2017
Motley Junior High: School for the Psychically
and Celestially Gifted Terms of Enrollment
Signed: Ebony Charmed
Ebony should be
excited about entering sixth grade to further develop her skills. And she would
be. If only her lame abilities let her see more than three ghosts.
Struggling to
live up to her gifted family, Ebony is horrified when she is branded a Seeker:
someone who is neither Sensory nor Luminary. To top it off, her Deadly
Creatures and Relics project – transforming a measly stick – seems destined for
failure.
But there are
doors to other worlds where creatures have been watching her. And when the
truth emerges that her project is more than a stick, she knows she must act.
Along with her best friend Fleishman and his pet lizard, Ebony finds herself
wedged between prophecies and quests. Oh, and saving the entire spirit world
from annihilation.
Ebony is not
ready to be a hero. But a dark presence has already stolen more than one local
kid. And this time, her failure is not an option.
And check out all the awards MOTLEY EDUCATION has received! *FIRST PLACE WINNER, CHILDREN'S
CATEGORY, 2016 NEW ENGLAND BOOK FESTIVAL!*
*Bronze Award Winner, 2017 Feathered Quill Book Awards for Best Juvenile/YA
Fiction*
Order
signed books from The Children’s Book Cellar via message.
About the
Author
S.A. Larsen is
an award-winning author, childhood apraxia of speech advocate, and Maine-iac
ice hockey fan, who has watched more hockey games than she could ever count.
She also has a soft spot for the strange and misunderstood, which might explain
her love for dipping plain chips in ketchup. When she's not chasing her characters around a cemetery or antagonizing them
with the wonders of young love, she lives in the land of lobsters and snowy
winters with her husband and four children. Visit her cyber home at salarsenbooks.com,
find her on Twitter @SA_Larsen and Instagram sa.larsen, or on spookymiddlegrade.com,
where she does most of her spookiness brewing up all sorts of creepy ideas with
a group of #SpookyMG authors. Stop by for a visit . . . if you dare.
I hope you check it out. It's a perfect read for October!
And life is full of changes, getting older, moving, job changes, relationship status, health issues, etc. And if you have to go through more than one at the same time, your stress level can go through the roof!
I'm in the midst of several changes, almost all of the above. I'm dealing with it in the best way I know how, but I know I've been snapping people's heads off when the stress gets to me. Then I feel horrible. I try to keep positive, but juggling all these new headaches is making me crazy.
The hardest part has been losing my writing life and missing out on book events. It's hard enough to be a writer, but when you have a good thing going and it falls apart, it's so hard to start over. It's easy to doubt and wonder if this is the part where I'm supposed to give up and move on...
So for IWSG this month, I'm looking for ways to deal with change. Here's what I came up with:
One thing at a time - It doesn't all have to be done at once. I have to ask myself: What can I handle today?
Ask for help - I'm so grateful for this community. I got so much help this summer. When you're down, you've got a friend!
Don't overdo it - I tend to work, work, work until I fall asleep. I feel overwhelmed and rushed, like I have to get everything done ASAP! But I know many of the things can wait, so I decided to shut down at a certain time every day. Then I can relax a little before going to bed.
Make time for family - they're the ones usually taking the brunt of my sharp tongue. I have to show them I can be nice and fun and still love them.
Organize the mess - I have several unfinished projects I want to get to, but they are low priority. Seeing them sitting there unfinished is a big stresser. So I write myself a list of the things I need to get to when I make some project time and put the projects away out of sight.
Go shopping - or sit outside with my dog and a glass of wine or watch a favorite show... just do something away from the stress. The stuff will still be there, but if I'm too irritated, I won't be able to concentrate and get things done anyway.
Setting aside time each weekend morning in August, I was able to type up, then edit down my submission for the IWSG Anthology Contest. I'll let you know if I make it... Probably keep it to myself if I don't. But I'm proud of myself for getting it done!
I'm just trying to get my life back into a groove, then I think things will start looking up, right?
Do you have any advice for an over-stressed workaholic?
I can't say I'm an expert on selling kids' books, but I do know kids. As a teacher and parent, I've spent a great deal of time with crazy daisies and funny bunnies! I know what they like and what they dislike (probably wouldn't like that I call them crazy daisies and funny bunnies!). No matter the fad of the week or the generation, kids are kids are kids. They love to crow and grow and go.
As an author of MG and YA, kids reading my books is what keeps me going. The feedback I get from my young readers is heartwarming and inspirational. The trouble is, how to get books into those little hands! So here's some advice that works...
How to Get Kids to Read Your Book:
Set up a School Visit - You have to go where kids are. Contact schools and offer a presentation or lesson. Schools are the number one promoters of reading. Go motivate those students! If they like you, they'll want your book.
Do a Library Visit or Reading - Many libraries are happy to host an author. Donate copies of your book. The more visibility you get, the more folks will want to spread the word to read your stuff!
Coordinate a Bookstore Signing with your visits! - Now that you have their interest, tie these visits together with a book signing. The hard part is hoping the kids will remember and persuade their parents to bring them to the signing.
Sign up for a Presentation at a Children’s Book Fair - Many book fairs have a special day or section set up just for kids' presentations and activities. I've done many of these and always sell books from them (suggestions for presentations will be another post coming soon!)
Be part of a Family-Friendly Vending Event - And have some candy or fun giveaways to attract kids that go with your book, like these fun hand sanitizers:
Host a Signing Party - I try to have my release parties at fun places kids will be: like at an ice cream shop or a kids' boutique. I'm thinking of hosting my next party at a pizza parlor.
Write an MG SERIES - One book is good, but a series will give kids an easy go to for their next read! A series is a great way to keep your name in the front of readers' minds as they look forward to more from you.
Be Funny! - If you can make a kid laugh, you'll capture their heart. They'll see you in a new light. Laughter is a connection. When you make someone laugh, it shows you get them--you know what they like, how they think. And if you can do that, they'll want to laugh some more and read your books!
Bonus - Get to know Children’s Book Reviewers. Reviews are important parts of the publishing and marketing process. Lots of lists are out there, and though many of the book bloggers have extensive reading lists, keep trying!
If you’re lucky, you’ll get an awesome video review like this one from my SHOUT OUT OF THE WEEK:
Tonja is AWESOME, isn't she? She's also brilliant! She spent some time in Europe not only devouring chocolate, cheese and wine, but also worked as a freelance translator and a summary writer for a German television station. How lucky am I that she was able to help me translate some German phrases in my latest Beast World novel, WINDY HOLLOW?? She's amazing!
Currently, Tonja resides somewhere in the back woods of the Ozarks and writes away while tending to chickens, cows and her family of six. Her stories have been published in several collections and magazines. A GLOWWORM was published by Black and White Publishing Company (2017). She's an avid book reader, professional children's book reviewer, outdoor addict and always in search of a new adventure (based in reality, the imagination, or otherwise).
But the best part - I happened to catch her right as she's about to be published! Her debut novel MUSIC BOXES is a slightly dark middle grade urban fantasy about a girl and her ballet dreams with hints toward Hansel and Gretel (just as dash) as well as Coraline. It's scheduled to be released on February 5th, 2019 with Dancing Lemur Press!
Congratulations, Tonja!
Summer's been a blast (of hot air!) Hope you all are ready for Fall. I sure am!
