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Escape from Unemploymentville is LIVE - for more details: https://www.igg.me/at/unemploymentville

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So, in anticipation of my next big publishing adventure, I thought I would update this blog. I apologize for its stark appearance, I lost a bunch of images with a website-Wordpress-meltdown a while ago and decided they weren’t worth recovering.

In my last blog post I shared my one great heartache and how it relates to the focus in my writing. I am back to a bit more of an interest in kids’ books with the addition to the family of…. drumroll.. a grandchild

.

However my primary focus of my writing is the other non-fiction project I mentioned three years ago. It is now MUCH closer to completion. I’ll update you again soon. I’ll give you a hint though….

#unemploymentville

huh?

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From My Email to a Friend - October 2014

I thought of you this morning because it suddenly clicked in my head why my interest in writing for children had dropped off so much. Basically once I was no longer even occasionally sharing children’s books with my own kids, the wonder of it all faded.

In the summer of 2012 we had a little boy from Russia, an orphan who was not quite 5 years old come and live with us as part of an adoption agency’s “Bridge of Hope” program. The program was set up to try and get older children (most were significantly older than Yuri) adopted by allowing them to come to the U.S. and live with a family for about 3 weeks. The family would then be one step closer to being able to adopt that child. When Yuri returned to Russia at the end of the Bridge of Hope program we began the vast process of adopting him. Then in December of that year (2012), Russia banned any Russian child from being adopted by Americans. For many months of 2013 we hoped that they would special case children who had already met American parents. The State Department was involved and a meeting arranged with Russian officials. The meeting did not go well and as you know Russian/American relations have never been so bad.

I realized because we still have some thought of possibly adopting a child, that this morning as I had chosen the audiobook, The Year of Billy Miller and I thought of possibly having a child in the house, how much of my love of children’s literature was tied to my experiences with my own children. Even when Yuri was here and he spoke no English upon arriving and only a handful of words when he left, I still shared a book with him. I had translated and read Sammy the Seal with the reader alternating between reading each sentence in English and Russian, so that I could turn the pages appropriately and possibly Yuri or I would learn a couple more words of each others language. Every day we listened to how Sammy left the zoo and went to school and swam in the lady’s bathtub. I have always bonded with my own children through books and when that was taken away, a lot of the joy of children’s books went away for me.

I felt better for at least making sense of why I haven’t been excited about writing for kids for the last couple years. I was kind of afraid that my lack of interest was coming from having very limited success in that field and I know now that isn’t it.

So… keep me on the mailing lists and if I am inspired to try my hand at writing for children again, then I’ll be able to jump back in. Meanwhile I have an adult non-fiction title that is my current passion (only about 5% written).

Just wanted to touch base. I also still love hearing about all of “the gang’s” successes.

Take care,

Anne

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Here is the list of the 2014 Newbery Medal and Honor Award Winners. I’m providing links to the books both on Amazon and on Audible, so you can pick your preferred method of “reading”.

If you are like me, I know you’ll want to snatch these up, partly for enjoyment, but also to learn from master storytellers.

So… the 2014 Winner of the John Newbery Medal is…. Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures written by Kate DiCamillo. Described as a “laugh-out-loud story filled with eccentric, endearing characters and featuring an exciting new format – a novel interspersed with comic-style graphic sequences, plus full-page illustrations” and a “genre-breaking new novel”. Flora & Ulysses tells the story of … oh, hell, like I could tell it better than DiCamillo. You can get Flora & Ulysses on Amazon or Flora and Ulysses on Audible – runtime 4 hours and 24 minutes. Since this book has pictures, I think I will take a look at it in person before choosing paperback or audio.

Pages: 240

Grade Level: 3 – 7

The 2014 Newbery Honor Books

Doll Bones by Holly Black Holly Black, co-creator of the Spiderwick Chronicles, is no newcomer to the children’s book bestseller list, herself.

Synopsis: Zach, Poppy, and Alice have been friends forever. And for almost as long, they’ve been playing one continuous, ever-changing game of pirates and thieves, mermaids and warriors. Ruling over all is the Great Queen, a bone-china doll cursing those who displease her.

But they are in middle school now. Zach’s father pushes him to give up make-believe, and Zach quits the game. Their friendship might be over, until Poppy declares she’s been having dreams about the Queen—and the ghost of a girl who will not rest until the bone-china doll is buried in her empty grave.

Zach and Alice and Poppy set off on one last adventure to lay the Queen’s ghost to rest. But nothing goes according to plan…

You can get Doll Bones on Amazon or Doll Bones on Audible – runtime 5 hours and 15 minutes

Pages: 256

Grade Level: 5 – 9



The Next Newbery Honor book is….

The Year of Billy Miller by Kevin Henkes

A laugh-out-loud-funny story that featuring a diorama homework assignment, a school poetry slam, cancelled sleepovers, and epic sibling temper tantrums.

Keven Henkes is “the author and illustrator of close to fifty critically acclaimed and award-winning picture books, beginning readers, and novels.”

I really like this cover. This one is targeted at slightly younger kids.

Pages: 240 The print is a bit bigger, note Audible’s shorter reading time

Grade Level: 3 – 7

You can get The Year of Billy Miller on Amazon or The Year of Billy Miller on Audible – runtime 2 hours 22 minutes

One Came Home by Amy Timberlake.

One Came Home is a historical novel set in rural Wisconsin in 1871 which features a protagonist known for her aim with a rifle and her habit of speaking her mind plainly. One Came Home also has a great opening, see if you don’t agree

So it comes to this, I remember thinking on Wednesday, June 7, 1871. The date sticks in my mind because it was the day of my sister’s first funeral and I knew it wasn’t her last — which is why I left. That’s the long and short of it.

But surely, you’d rather hear the long than the short.

Excerpt from One Came Home

Well they sold me on wanting to hear the rest. If you feel the same, you can get One Came Home on Amazon or One Came Home on Audible – runtime 6 hours 45 minutes

Final 2014 Newbery Honor Book

Paperboy by Vince Vawter

is now a Newbery Honor winner, but it was already, an ALA-ALSC Notable Children’s Book, a BookPage Best Children’s Book.

Synopsis: A boy who stutters comes-of-age in the segregated South, during the summer that changes his life.

An 11-year-old boy living in Memphis in 1959 throws the meanest fastball in town, but talking is a whole different ball game. He can barely say a word without stuttering, not even his own name. So when he takes over his best friend’s paper route for the month of July, he knows he’ll be forced to communicate with the different customers, including a housewife who drinks too much and a retired merchant marine who seems to know just about everything.

The paper route poses challenges, but it’s a run-in with the neighborhood junkman, a bully and thief, that stirs up real trouble–and puts the boy’s life, as well as that of his family’s devoted housekeeper, in danger.

Pages: 240

Grade Level: Grade 5 and up

You can get Paperboy on Amazon OR… you guessed Paperboy on Audible – runtime 6 hours and 10 minutes

2014 Caldecott Medal Award Winner

And now for the big, bright, glorious picture books that are Caldecott Award Winners. First the BIG medal, the 2014 Caldecott Medal winner IS…..

Locomotive by Brian Floca

In the words of its many 5-star reviewers, this book is:

“A breathtaking look at a family’s 1869 journey from Omaha to Sacramento via the newly completed Transcontinental Railroad.”

“The pictures were amazing. Very simple, yet at the same time, detailed.”

“Wonderful picture book for kids who think they are too old for picture books.”

Amazon currently has it pretty heavily discounted, so you can add this beauty to your collection or make a train-loving kid very happy without breaking the budget.

2014 Caldecott Honor Books
Journey

A 2014 Caldecott Honor Book

Journey by Aaron Becker

Follow a girl on an elaborate flight of fancy in a wondrously illustrated, wordless picture book about self-determination — and unexpected friendship.

available on Amazon

Fora and the Flamingo

Flora and the Flamingo with Molly Idle

Synopsis: Innovative wordless picture book with interactive flaps, Flora and her graceful flamingo friend explore the trials and joys of friendship through an elaborate synchronized dance. With a twist, a turn, and even a flop, these unlikely friends learn at last how to dance together in perfect harmony. Full of humor and heart, this stunning performance (and splashy ending!) will have readers clapping for more!

Flora and the Flamingo is available on Amazon

Mr. Wuffles by David Weisner

Synopsis: In a near wordless masterpiece that could only have been devised by David Wiesner, a cat named Mr. Wuffles doesn’t care about toy mice or toy goldfish. He’s much more interested in playing with a little spaceship full of actual aliens—but the ship wasn’t designed for this kind of rough treatment. Between motion sickness and damaged equipment, the aliens are in deep trouble.

When the space visitors dodge the cat and take shelter behind the radiator to repair the damage, they make a host of insect friends. The result? A humorous exploration of cooperation between aliens and insects, and of the universal nature of communication involving symbols, “cave” paintings, and gestures of friendship.

Available on Amazon

So isn’t it ironic that the Caldecott Medal book had extensive text, far more than the average. Yet the Honor Book awards went to wordless and “nearly wordless” stories.

I hope you enjoy these books. But you probably aren’t really still there, as one of these descriptions has made you rush off to Amazon or Audible and left me all alone here.

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So in my last post I talked about following the advice in The 30-Day Productivity Plan and setting 3 goals to achieve from November 7th to December 7th. December 7th now being over a week ago. So how did I do? I had chosen 3 goals, one easy, one moderate, one a big stretch.

The ‘easy’ goal was to get, Quotes for Achievement for sale on Audible.com. Did you follow the link? Yup, so that one is done.

So… that’s the only of the 3 goals that actually got done in 30-days. Doesn’t seem like such a great performance, does it? Yes, Thanksgiving was in there and we had a family member in the hospital a couple times in this last month, but doesn’t life always throw you some curve balls?

It does.

But here is the thing with goals and plans. When life throws you that curve ball and you swing and miss. You are at least aware that you are off-course and need to make adjustments.

I thought about the very first big family vacation we took with the kids out to the Rocky Mountains. We had 3 weeks – a ton of time. But, we had minimal knowledge of where we were going and how long we’d need or want to do what we hoped to. I had carefully planned out stops in Utah, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. We did make it to all those states and saw MOST of what we planned to see. But, we had to drop some activities. We stayed longer in a few towns than we had planned to and so we had to pass by other “places to see” and “things to do.”

Thinking of that trip as a comparable situation – exploring new territory with a guide book in hand – and realizing I was not on track to complete all 3 items in 30 days, about 2 weeks ago, I began aiming at completing two of my goals for the month. I wanted to stick to the 30-day time frame and go for 2 out of 3.

Then I got a call for a job interview and another call and another call and a scheduled interview and a phone interview and… once again, my entrepreneurial adventures got paused. Because job openings are kind of like harvesting fruit, you have to pick it while ripe. It can’t wait and you can’t choose the timing.

So here I am on day 38 of my 30 day plan having gotten about halfway through my 3 goals. I think I’m more resolute than ever. After all, only by getting all 3 goals done can I prove to myself and others, that my “30-day Plan” wasn’t “just talk.” It may have been a misestimated effort or a temporarily stalled project, but it was NOT just talk.

Gotta go!

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So, it’s been quite a while since I posted last. What have I been up to? Good question, that’s something I’ve been asking myself.

Let’s see, I…

created a company to build websites, Facebook pages and help people market online
drove a U-Haul from Lewisburg, PA to Madison, Wisconsin - packing with one son, unpacking with the other son
lost a job (doesn’t sound like an accomplishment really…. but it was a learning experience)
created Quotes for Achievement on Kindle and ALMOST ready to be uploaded to Audible…

But that’s the thing, the ALMOST. I’ve got too many projects and life items that ALMOST have happened. Like the job I interviewed for last week, that I almost got.

I am thankful that I’ve had a tremendous amount of interest in hiring me as a Java programmer (a little sidegig I like to do when I’m not writing and publishing) and I now have 3 or 4 recruiters who are trying to match me with a job opening so they can collect a commission on doing so. I’m inclined to let them earn their pay by finding me that next gig and use November to…. write? publish? promote existing products? all of the above?

See I’m assuming that it’s unlikely I land a gig and start before December 1, so I have this month to use as I see fit. This thought is both exciting and horrifying. When I look back over the last months, I’m not completely thrilled with what I’ve accomplished. I don’t want to blow this rare opportunity. Yesterday I asked myself what I most wanted to accomplish and as I struggled to come up with a 30-day plan, what should come along, but an email which said

What makes this so important at this time of year is that almost everyone starts out years with high hopes, big dreams, and goals to break through certain income “glass ceilings”.

Often those don’t work out. Life happens, time passes quickly, and before you know it, Halloween has passed and we’re looking at another disappointing year.

The main reason is that people may want more, but their habits and internal thermostat is set at a certain level, and unless something changes that, the same disappointing and frustrating results happen year after year.

That doesn’t need to be the case, and this book will help people get on a fast track to success with the promise to readers “get more done in 30 days that you did all year”.

The book is The 30-Day Marketing Plan. I bought it and I’m following it and I plan to blog about my progress. I am as far as picking my top three priorities for the month. Stay tuned…. I’ll be posting more as my 30-days of awesome productivity unfold.

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So, it’s been quite a while since I posted last. What have I been up to? Good question, that’s something I’ve been asking myself.

Let’s see, I…

created a company to build websites, Facebook pages and help people market online
drove a U-Haul from Lewisburg, PA to Madison, Wisconsin – packing with one son, unpacking with the other son
lost a job (doesn’t sound like an accomplishment really…. but it was a learning experience)
created Quotes for Achievement on Kindle and ALMOST ready to be uploaded to Audible…

But that’s the thing, the ALMOST. I’ve got too many projects and life items that ALMOST have happened. Like the job I interviewed for last week, that I almost got.

I am thankful that I’ve had a tremendous amount of interest in hiring me as a Java programmer (a little sidegig I like to do when I’m not writing and publishing) and I now have 3 or 4 recruiters who are trying to match me with a job opening so they can collect a commission on doing so. I’m inclined to let them earn their pay by finding me that next gig and use November to…. write? publish? promote existing products? all of the above?

See I’m assuming that it’s unlikely I land a gig and start before December 1, so I have this month to use as I see fit. This thought is both exciting and horrifying. When I look back over the last months, I’m not completely thrilled with what I’ve accomplished. I don’t want to blow this rare opportunity. Yesterday I asked myself what I most wanted to accomplish and as I struggled to come up with a 30-day plan, what should come along, but an email which said

What makes this so important at this time of year is that almost everyone starts out years with high hopes, big dreams, and goals to break through certain income “glass ceilings”.

Often those don’t work out. Life happens, time passes quickly, and before you know it, Halloween has passed and we’re looking at another disappointing year.

The main reason is that people may want more, but their habits and internal thermostat is set at a certain level, and unless something changes that, the same disappointing and frustrating results happen year after year.

That doesn’t need to be the case, and this book will help people get on a fast track to success with the promise to readers “get more done in 30 days that you did all year”.

The book is The 30-Day Marketing Plan. I bought it and I’m following it and I plan to blog about my progress. I am as far as picking my top three priorities for the month. Stay tuned…. I’ll be posting more as my 30-days of awesome productivity unfold.

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Tags:achieving goals,goals

Just a quick post to say that Dogs, dogs, Dogs (on Kindle) will be free on Fridays in July.

The paperback version should be available on Amazon by July 25th! FINALLY!!! We had some challenges creating the paperback version. First the ratio of height to width had to change. The paperback book ended up being square, 8.25 inches by 8.25 inches. Secondly, some of the photos used for the Kindle version were too low a resolution for print. So I did a lot of searching around for similar pictures. Try seeing how many pictures you can find of a dog sniffing a flower. Amazingly, there was more than one available.

Dogs, dogs, Dogs is a children’s picture book. I really enjoyed writing it and while my Amazon Reviews for this book are far more mixed than for my other books, it has a large number of fans. My favorite customer comment is: If you love dogs, you’ll LOVE this book!

You can also enter my Goodreads Giveaway for an autographed copy! Good luck to all who enter!!

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Goodreads Book Giveaway







Dogs, dogs, Dogs



by Anne Emerick

Giveaway ends July 26, 2013.

See the giveaway details

at Goodreads.

Enter to win

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Just a quick post to say that Dogs, dogs, Dogs (on Kindle) will be free on Fridays in July.

The paperback version should be available on Amazon by July 25th! FINALLY!!! We had some challenges creating the paperback version. First the ratio of height to width had to change. The paperback book ended up being square, 8.25 inches by 8.25 inches. Secondly, some of the photos used for the Kindle version were too low a resolution for print. So I did a lot of searching around for similar pictures. Try seeing how many pictures you can find of a dog sniffing a flower. Amazingly, there was more than one available.

Dogs, dogs, Dogs is a children’s picture book. I really enjoyed writing it and while my Amazon Reviews for this book are far more mixed than for my other books, it has a large number of fans. My favorite customer comment is: If you love dogs, you’ll LOVE this book!

You can also enter my Goodreads Giveaway for an autographed copy! Good luck to all who enter!!

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Goodreads Book Giveaway







Dogs, dogs, Dogs



by Anne Emerick

Giveaway ends July 26, 2013.

See the giveaway details

at Goodreads.

Enter to win

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Wow, tonight I had that feeling of realizing that I had REALLY thought something was a lot more complicated than it was.  Maybe I should back up.  I’ve known for a long time that Goodreads is a great place to meet “book people”, people who LOVE books.  As an author, like most authors, I love books too.  So I have something in common with every Goodreads member.

I had set up a Goodreads profile quite a while ago, back when I was looking for early feedback on my No-Work Spanish audiobooks.  I had poked around the site enough to realize that:

Goodreads is more of a community where Amazon is more of a store where you might once in a while chat with a fellow shopper, but people rush into and out of, intent on what they are buying.

Goodreads is populated by devoted book-people, voracious readers and folks with a tad higher standards than the average Amazon buyer.  Books generally aren’t given loads of 5-star ratings.

I had figured out the very first baby steps with Goodreads of:

– creating a user profile, tell us about the books you read

- creating an author profile

- making sure the books you have written are listed on Goodreads

and I had joined a few groups and then I suddenly felt rather lost.  What to do next? I was pretty sure that what I was NOT to do next was to jump up and down and tell people “buy my book”.  That’s why I titled this “Author Non-Promotion” — so what SHOULD I do?

Unsure of the next step, I bought and started reading, Goodreads For Authors: How To Use Goodreads To Promote Your Books.  It said:

Don’t fall into the trap of thinking of Goodreads as just another place to have a presence as an author. Think of it as a place to talk about books. If you do, one day your Goodreads friends could be talking about your books.

So the goal is to go make some book friends at Goodreads and also to provide information about my books and my writing to anyone who might be interested, but not to bludgeon them with it. I got the basic concept pretty quickly, but wanted a bit of hand-holding on the many ways that people talk about books on Goodreads. For this, I found the following useful:

Goodreads For Authors: How To Use Goodreads To Promote Your Books

and

Get More Book Sales a video tutorial series that could be described as a quick-start guide to Goodreads. Exactly what I felt I needed.

So I just set up my first Goodreads giveaway. I had been scouring information about how to do so for days and I found that filling out the form took….. about 30 seconds? okay, maybe a minute. But I had totally built it up in my mind as more complex than it is. I still have to wait for the giveaway to be approved and then I can add an ad for the giveaway and also a Widget about it. But that will have to wait till next week. Stay tuned!!!

 

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