Books-My #1 Favorite Type of Gift: Featuring an Interview with Author Jennifer Young

     It is one of my favorite times of year! I love the holidays,everything about them, including gathering with friends and family to celebrate the season. And this often includes the exchanging of gifts. And to me, the best gift to give or receive is a BOOK!
     Ever since I was a wee small child I have loved getting new books. It helps that my mother used to keep a stash of inexpensive "Golden Books" tucked away in a cupboard, wrapped in colorful tissue papers, for the occasions when I would wistfully say, "I sure wish someone would give me a present." At three, getting gifts twice a year-at Christmas or my birthday, just didn't seem adequate. My mother came up with an inexpensive solution that also promoted my life long love of reading books, especially storybooks.
     And that brings me to some exciting news about my friend and fellow author, Jennifer Young, and her new storybook that was just published! Her second book has just been released. I am quite excited about this second book as I very much enjoyed her first book, "Poison Apple Pie."
 http://www.meegenius.com/book/6067/poison-apple-pie

     I am excited about this new book for so many reasons-knowing it will be as inventive and intriguing as her first one-from the previews I have seen, and also because it is available in more than one medium.  
     The title of her newest storybook is "A Cherry Tomato on Top."

http://www.amazon.com/Cherry-Tomato-Top-Jennifer-Young/dp/0991323106/ref=tmm_pap_title_0

       I know that if my mother was still purchasing books to tuck away in  her cupboard of gifts, this one would be a great one to add to her collection. Even with the rush and business of this holiday season, Jennifer was able to do an interview with me about her books, writing, and publishing. I am always grateful for her willingness to share her knowledge as a writer, her fabulous books, and her generous spirit. 

http://jennyleeyoung.blogspot.com/   
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jennifer-Young-Author/183657151679111

Hi Terri! I have the answers. Let me know if you like me to send it to your email as well.

Have you always been a writer?

I’ve always loved to write, but I just started writing for kids since my first daughter was one. Now she’s six.

What was the first story you had published?

Poison Apple Pie was my first published picture book which came out with MeeGenius in March 2012.

We met through our affiliation with MeeGenius and their Author Challenge contest, please share with us your experience of taking this unusual route to publication?

Back in 2011,I had a manuscript ready to submit to the MeeGenius contest so I sent it in. It met the qualifications for their contest and I believe about 400 authors entered overall. The contest was set up so other people could vote for your story in order to get published. My story had many votes but it wasn’t one of the winners. MeeGenius decided to publish Poison Apple Pie anyway along with some other stories that didn’t win.

What has your experience been with being digitally published? Do you wish the book was available in print?

I can show people my story right from my iphone. Poison Apple Pie can be read to you with each word being highlighted or you can read it by yourself. I do wish the book was available in print since most people I talk to seem to want something tangible in their hands. At my author school visit, I was able to share my book with the help of a smart board. It was easy to use, not at all awkward and it was fun. I also attended two author meet and greets at my local town library. I gave away bookmarks and flyers since I didn’t have any actual books present to sign. Ideally, I could have easily showed them how to download the MeeGenius app and then from there they could purchase my book but the library didn’t have wifi available (therefore the downloading was very slow) It would be wonderful to have my books in both formats but I’m very happy with having them in at least one.

What is the title of that MeeGenius story, what inspired it?

Poison Apple Pie is the title. In the story the main character Winka is a witch in fairy tale land and she tries to find a job that she can’t mess up. She gets hired by The Magic Mirror on the wall and somehow figures out how to fix her mistake with a poison apple pie -Oops! I just gave away the ending! J

Please tell us about your newest book.

My newest picture book is called A CHERRY TOMATO ON TOP. It’s available in paperback and eBook. It was published on December 8th 2013 with Willow Moon Publishing. It’s about a boy named Gordy who lives in a backwards world where fruits and veggies are considered junk food. Gordy’s parents influence him to eat better by giving him healthy options like candy apples and marshmallows for meals. But all Gordy wants is to snack on is junk food, especially cherry tomatoes.

How has this publishing experience been different?

With MeeGenius, I submitted my manuscript as a contest entry in September of 2011 (which also meant I signed a contract with them by submitting it)They selected an illustrator and my story was completed in about three months, on March 23rd 2012. I didn’t have any collaboration in the illustration process. From start to finish it took about 6 months to publish.

With Willow Moon Publishing, I submitted a query letter for A CHERRY TOMATO ON TOP to the editor/publisher back on June 17th, 2011. She got back to me a month later and requested to read the full manuscript for review. In October, I signed my first publishing contract with her. In Late January 2013, the publisher assigned Elisa the illustrator. From there, Elisa and I collaborated on the illustrations of the book. From start to finish it took about 30 months to publish.

Will this book also be available digitally?

Yes, A CHERRY TOMATO ON TOP is available as a paperback and digitally in the Nook and Kindle edition.

Do you prefer the storybook genre overall?

Yes, writing picture books for kids ages 4-8 is my favorite. I also like writing stories for 2+. In the future, I’d like to try writing a serious of not-so-scary ghost stories for kids.

What is your next project?

My next picture book coming out is called BABY BUG’s YAWN with MeeGenius in March of 2014. It’s a rhyming bedtime story geared toward kids 2+

(Note from Terri-please make sure you all check here in March for Jennifer's next release: http://www.meegenius.com/ )

Any advice for aspiring writers?

If you love writing and want to get better join a critique group or two. Join Julie Hedlund’s 12 x 12 group. Join Tara Lazar’s PiBoIdMo. Join the SCBWI for an even larger community of writers. Keep writing and always keep reading.

Thanks so much for having me on your blog Terri!

Magical Time of Year

     So, for me, even as an adult, this is still a magical time of year. I eagerly anticipate the first snows. I enjoy the hanging up of  lights, getting a tree or putting up our artificial one, putting up ornaments, and baking cookies.
     I love the way the first snows blanket the world, changing the landscape into something vaguely familiar, yet newly beautiful and sparkly. The way the holiday lights interact with the crystals in the flakes is truly a wonder to me.
     And, yes, it gets a bit too hectic for me at times. Stress and other joy busters try to drop by for their annual holiday visits but I encourage them to leave as quickly as possible and not leave tracks in my freshly decorated house.
     I have had so many extra blessings added in to this already busy holiday season. I started a new job, which I am extremely grateful for and anticipate that I will really enjoy as I learn more each day. I also had the added bonus of receiving an email last weekend alerting me to the fact that my second storybook, "Emily Cat's Tale" had been released for digital publication.
     Then, I found out that my friend and fellow author, Jennifer Young, wanted to do an interview with me and two other MeeGenius authors that were releasing their second storybooks as well. I am truly blessed to have the support of a great online writing community and a fabulous publishing/production team at MeeGenius to support me as a writer!
      When you have a moment-please check out Jennifer's blog and the interview she wrote up.
http://jennyleeyoung.blogspot.com/2013/12/interview-with-three-meegenius-authors.html

     Also, when you have another spare moment, please check out this link to a preview of the first few pages of "Emily Cat's Tale" and perhaps, consider buying it as a gift for one of your favorite young readers in your life. It's a cute little story based on an incident with my niece when she was quite a little girl, back when she was the flower girl in our wedding.
     This is a brief description of the book:
          "Emily Cat is getting ready for her big role in the town play! Her whole family is
     even going to watch. Read along to find out if Emily will strike it big, or the
     curtains will come down around her!"
     http://www.meegenius.com/readers/1/62784b0176683e938cd612269ac23b6c

To Honor Her

     It is that time of year when we reflect on our lives-what we have to be thankful for, what has occurred over the past year, and what we hope to accomplish in the year to come. As I think of the abundance of moments and events that I have to be grateful for, I also pause as twinges of regret snake their way through my thoughts.
     Those momentary whispers that glide through my soul are reserved for friends and family members that are no longer readily available for hugs or an exchange of words due to their having passed on ahead. The hint of tears that brim at the edge of the eyes when opening a box of decorations, seeing an shiny ornament from decades ago that reflects that bond that has been broken, at least in the physical world, by death.
     I am grateful for the fact that I have been allowed the luxury of living past the scorching emotions that color our youth, to this middle time where the embers from those passions still glow warmly, but allow for a clarity of understanding beyond the instant passions that can clutter ones thoughts and reactions.
     Time has allowed a clarity of perspective and also given me the opportunity to really search out the meanings in words that people have shared with me over the years. With age comes an ease of looking beyond the initial attempts at communications that people offer and the ability to really understand what people mean by awkward words and phrases. We all feel the poetry in our souls, it is just hard for us to express that song to others.
     Years ago I used to help out my grandmother quite a bit. One of regular events in our weekly schedule was a trip to the local hair dresser for a standing appointment for a curl and set, and also a permanent every so few months. It was a warm, friendly place. Grandma loved going there because the ladies were so nice and because then she felt beautiful and ready to go to church on Sunday when her weekly visit was done. One of the hair dressers offered me a compliment at one of our visits, that it was so nice how I faithfully brought my "mother" in for her appointments, that she never missed a week.
     I am thankful that I kept my immediate reaction locked tightly away in the dark recesses of my mind. I was alarmed. Why did she think this dear, sweet woman was my mother? Did I look that haggard and old? Had I best highlight and color those sneaky gray hairs that were now accenting my face?
     It took me a long while and much pondering to realize that what the woman was commenting on was not my physical condition, but the condition of my heart and my relationship with my grandma. She noted that my caring of my grandma was as a daughter caring for her mother, that there was not that barrier of a whole other generation between us.
     I now treasure these words and keep them tucked safely away in my heart. These words are a witness to how much I loved my grandma. And the fact that the dear hair dresser expressed this to me, means that I lived those feelings well enough that others knew their reality and I can carry the hope that this was evident to my grandma as well.
     This reminds me of another incident with my much younger sister. She is 11 and a half years younger then me. She was long awaited by me. I had wanted a sister from the time I was about 5 or 6 and could see the advantages to having a best friend that lived right at home with you. It never occurred to me that one might not always feel that way about a dear, younger sibling.
     I was lucky that we were always close. It started with me tirelessly reading books to her. I had the "Grinch" memorized for a time. It continued as she grew older and we became camping partners and travel buddies. We shared so many moments of our lives. And it culminated in an event where we were helping to put on a party. And someone asked my sister to go get her mother from in the other room to help with the food. Well, her mother wasn't there. It was me, her older sister, but not that old of a sister!
     My own insecurities caused the same panic as from years before. Good heavens, I need to take better care of myself. More sunscreen, more lotion, and I better get serious about meditation.
     Again, as time passed, I was able to ponder what was really meant by those words. It was another witness to the fact that we were that close, me and my sister, as if we were parent and child. There was no rivalry between us, only love and appreciation. This was the reality that was being conveyed by the other person's choice of words when she called me my sister's mother-it was a witness to the closeness of our relationship.
     Since it is that time of year, when we often are put into situations that can be stressful with hordes of people we don't see except at holiday events, my best advice to myself and others is to take the time to listen and reflect on the words that people share with you before you react to what they say. Really search out the meaning they are trying to convey. There might be a secret blessing hidden behind or within the words they choose to use.
     You never know where the words will come from that will become your talisman, your witness, your gift that you will hold dear and treasure for a lifetime.

   

A Special thanks to Jennifer Young for this Liebster Award!

     I started my blog about a year and a half ago-for two reasons. One was that I needed a blogger profile so I could comment on a friend's blog. I also was encouraged to blog as a way to grow as a writer and try to interact with a community so as to be able to help self promote/market my storybook that was digitally published.
     The Liebster Award is an award that is giving out by fellow bloggers to help encourage those of us that don't have hundreds of subscribers to our blogs-yet. Jennifer has asked me 10 questions-that I will do my best to answer-and then  am to pick 5 other bloggers to pass the award to and question. I hope you enjoy this chance to meet other bloggers and read my answers!

Jennifer's Questions for me:

1.  If you could meet your favorite author what question would you ask him/her? If I could meet Agatha Christie-I would ask her how she felt about her writing, if she is amazed at her continued influence. I would also thank her for the pleasure that her books brought me-for the hours I spent hidden away in the library-just me and her books-as I happily read-immersed in her world-so I could avoid my world-which quite often involved me being the new kid at school.

 2. Favorite part of your day to write? My favorite time to write is pretty random-whenever I have a chunk of time and can focus-before work or after work.

 3. Funniest picture book you ever read? There are so many---I always enjoy Richard Scarry.

I also recommend these books:

 

4. What age group do you write for and why? My storybooks are for 3-8 year olds and I am also working on mid-grade chapter mystery books.

5. If there were no more computers would you still write? Yes-I used to write stories for family and friends by hand-and draw pictures for them-then staple them together to make booklets.

6. A book you've read more than three times? Ordinary People, The House Without a Christmas Tree, The Four Story Mistake.

 7. Three books that made you cry or laugh?  Ordinary People made me cry. 

8. Most fascinating world an author took you to in their book? I have enjoyed traveling through the Star Wars Universe-I started reading those books when I was in about 5th grade. I also have been able to "travel" to may countries and time frames as I have read mysteries set around the world and in different time frames. Such joy!

9. What was your favorite blog post you published? I want to check it out :) Most of my posts are about family and friends-and how important they are to me-so it is hard to pick one post-but this is a great example:

http://terrikrowe-writer.blogspot.com/2012/04/lasting-gift.html

10. Thanksgiving is coming... What are you thankful for this year that's different then last year?

I have so much to be thankful for--but this year some of it is tinged with a wistful sorrow...I am grateful that I had my grandma hear for 44 years---she passed away in February-2 weeks after celebrating her 99th birthday. This will be my first Thanksgiving that I am not able to visit with her.

This is a link to Jennifer's blog:  http://jennyleeyoung.blogspot.com/2013/10/liebster-award.html

Please check out her blog when out have a moment!

These are the bloggers I am picking for the award: Beth Arnstein, Bethany Telles, Terri Zellar Wallace,

Jane Ann McLachlan, and Sharon Willett

These are my questions for them:

1.  If you could meet your favorite author what question would you ask him/her?

 2. When, where,why,  and how do you write? 

 3. What are some of your favorite picture books? 

4. What age group do you write for and why? 

5. Even if it is not your main job-will you continue to write? 

6. A book you've read more than three times?

 7. Three books that made you cry or laugh?

8. Most fascinating world an author took you to in their book?

9. What was your favorite blog post you published? I want to check it out :) 

10. Thanksgiving is coming... What are you thankful for this year that's different then last year?

October Memoir and Back Story Blog Challenge-Week 3: Secrets. Could I Be That Unaware?

     It has been interesting to take part in this challenge. I have had to come face to face with the fact that I am not as devoted to my craft as I would like to think I am. Maybe that is the big secret reveal for me. I have missed several deadlines-all with good excuses-but missed none the less. This has sort of shaken my core perception of myself.
     Maybe I am reading too much into my short comings. This is just one of many random self imposed goals-so what does it really mean? Does it speak toward being burned out? Is it a reflection on my real abilities or desires?
     I don't really recall there being any great secrets or mysteries over the course of my life. I am going too need to ponder this. It may be that I discover that the greatest secrets I have encountered are the ones I have kept from myself, tucked away, deep in my heart.

October Memoir and BackStory Blog Challenge - 2nd week: On Relationships. My Uncle, My Hero

     He has been gone for five years now. A stunning thought as I contemplate this passage of time. The rain pouring down outside adds to my melancholy. The sound of traffic in the distance speaks of trips that won't be taken, things that won't be seen. Faintly, at the back of my mind, I can conjure up a song, "the falling leaves drift by my window."
     Is it acceptable to think I still have a relationship with him, I mean, since he has been dead now for half a decade. Our relationship was one of the most important ones for me during my formative yeas and well into adulthood.
     I was a sickly child. I was born prematurely back in a day when there were not neonatal units and specialized care for preemies. My parents were given all sorts of dire predictions about my prognosis-which-fortunately-did not come too pass.
     One precaution they took-was keeping me some what isolated at first-to allow my immune system and nervous system more time to develop. One result of this-I was a very shy child. I would cry-even when left in the care of relatives-since I spent little time with them.
     My uncle looked and sounded exactly like my father, his younger brother, though. He could hold me when I was a toddler, briefly, because it would take me a bit to realize he was not my dad. There are several pictures from when I was quite young that show me jumping out of his arms-trying to reach for my father, who is just out of frame, as I have come to the conclusion that this is not my dad.
     I can remember being about 4 or 5 and seeing these pictures and feeling quite badly about having been such a fussy baby and wondering-had it hurt his feelings at all? I remember then it was my goal each year to make sure I had my picture taken with him-showing how happy I was to be with him, on his lap.
     I have always said that my uncle and my father were the bookends of my life. They allowed me to think the world was really a safe and happy place-even though they both knew better. My uncle being a police officer, then detective, then administrator, and my dad being a corrections officer.
     I can still remember paddling between them at a local campground's small lake. It was when I learned my first tentative dog paddle, that I could be safe and get around in the water on my own. I spent a whole afternoon swimming back and forth between them as they talked and talked and talked.
     Even though he is gone-I still will pause to reflect in a situation-to think what would he thing about this-what would he say if I did this? He still influences me to this day, so I think it is fine to continue to feel that my relationship with him is alive and well, beyond the limited boundaries as I understand them in this time and space.
   
Nat King Cole's Autumn Leaves

Memoir and Back-Story Blog Challenge: My Other Grandmother

     My mother's mother was the only grandma I ever knew. And we were blessed that she lived just a tad (2 weeks) over 99 years.
     I know my life has been enriched because I was able to have her for 44 years. It has been just over six months since she died. She was ready too go and died peacefully. She wasn't alone. It was as she had wished it would be.
    And yet-it is still difficult for me. It is still surprising. I know it would seem sill or selfish to the average passer by, but I am still surprised she died. even as I type that statement, I know it seems unbelievable. It is just, well, I sort of thought that maybe my grandmother was eternal.
     She was always there. A strong, comforting presence-even if she was only barely over 5 feet something and really rather small. By the time I was 11 I towered over her.
     I am so fortunate that I have 40+ years of memories with her. But one of the most important could have been the most terrifying-for both of us. But it turned out okay. And we never talked of it again.
     I am staying at her house. It could have been for the afternoon, maybe I had stayed over night. I'm not sure. I spent lots of time at her house. It was one of my favorite places to be.
     She has made us sandwiches-roast beef, left over from one of her previous suppers, on white bread with a little lettuce and mayo. She cuts the sandwiches into triangles. I always think this is very fancy when she does this.
     I am happily eating my lunch, when suddenly I am not. Something goes wrong-and I am choking-in a can not draw in any air, panicky, what will I do sort of way. And she reacts calmly and swiftly-not necessarily the way that one is trained to do in first aid today-but it was what she knew to do and it worked.
     She always wore matching ensembles-house dress, shoes, polish, and lipstick. I can see her bright red talons coming at me. She pries open my mouth and snatches out the offending piece of beef, tears it right from my throat.
     My throat is raw and I am shaky, but I don't cry. I am too surprised by what has happened. She gets me a drink and we slowly regroup. And we never speak of this again. As I look back now, I bet she was just as scared as I was in that moment-but she acted swiftly-and I never knew if she was or wasn't.
     I think this is one reason why I always felt close to her-and believed she was capable of almost anything. If it hadn't been for her-I might not be here and able to write this at this moment.