Meet My Character

I've been tagged by my good friend Jennifer Chow for the Meet My Character Blog Hop!

I love blog hops, but sometimes life gets too busy so I have to pick my battles. With my busy schedule and limited time, I try to focus more on my writing. Well, this blog hop was particularly interesting because the questions asked is great for character development of future works-in-progress. I thought I'd take advantage of the opportunity and practice answering these questions. It is also an opportunity for me to introduce you to the character of my new eBook, RUNNING BOY.

Jennifer is the author of The 228 Legacy, a 2013 Foreword Reviews' Book of the Year Finalist in the multicultural category. You can meet the character of Jennifer's upcoming book, Seniors' Sleuth on her blog at Jennifer J. Chow.

On to my character questions:

1. What is the name of your character? Is he/she fictional or a historic person?

RUNNING BOY is about a fictional character named Markus who is 8-years-old and is loosely based on a true story of my son. 

2. When and where is the story set?

The story takes place in Markus' neighborhood where we find him running to the playground, the park, the beach, and the redwoods. 

3. What should we know about him/her?

Markus loves to run! He runs so much that the neighborhood kids call him Running Boy. He is a free-spirited boy who enjoys being outdoors and is full of energy and life. 

4. What is the main conflict? 

RUNNING BOY is a concept story that builds on the curiosity of the neighborhood kids. Markus, who is Running Boy, keeps on running and each time he passes a friend, they can't help but ask, "Running Boy, why are you running?" Markus is not about to stop so the kids end up following him on his run.

5. What is the personal goal of the character?

Markus keeps on running. What he wants is for the neighborhood kids to join him and find out for themselves why he runs.

6. Is there a working title for this book, and can we read more about it?

RUNNING BOY was written in 2005. Yes, you read right. That was 9 years ago! I the story idea came to me during my training for the Honolulu Marathon. It was also a time when my eldest son started running and I was looking for a picture book on running for kids and could not find any so I wrote one! 

7. When can we expect the book to be published?

I'm glad you asked! RUNNING BOY has just been released on June 9, 2014 by MeeGenius. The eBook can be viewed on iPad,  iOS, Android, Windows 8, Amazon , Nook, and the web. It's so great to finally see my story in pictures! 

I hope RUNNING BOY will instill the love for running in the hearts of children. For you runners with young kids, I hope you join me in sharing the wonders of running with our children.

It's summer time so what better time to get excited about running & reading!

I’m tagging Rebecca Colby, to continue this Meet My Characters Blog Tour. Rebecca is the author of There was a Wee Lassie who swallowed a Midgie. Stop by her website on June 30th to see what she’s working on!

Twitterview is the New Interview

In the age of high speed internet and impersonalization, I bring you Twitterview! What is a Twitterview? you ask.

Twitter + Interview = Twitterview

A Twitterview is a creative use of social media in which a person uses Twitter to interview someone through a question and answer format. 

Just last week, Lori Sailiata, of Hawaii Content Marketing (HICM) asked me to do a Twitterview  with her to talk about my latest release- Tummy Monster, a picture eBook by MeeGenius. 

A Twitterview? I've never done that before. My friend Amy Pabalan offered to sit with me and show me how it's done. Here's how it works:

1) Sign in to TweetChat.

2) Log in with your Twitter account. You'll need to authorizeTweetChat to use your Twitter account.

3) Choose a hashtag to follow (A hashtag identifies specific topics). In my case it was #HICM.

4) The site will direct you to a TweetChat room. You can now start following or chatting away.

The advantage of TwitterChat is that it isolates your feed to only the topic or hastag you choose. This way you can follow the discussion without the distractions of other feeds. Another advantage of using TwitterChat is that you don't have to enter the hashtag every time you write your message. It is automatically added. If you are messaging via Twitter, you have to manually type in your hashtag to make sure your followers can follow the particular discussion or topic. Followers can also read the interview at a later time by following the hashtag either on Twitter or TweetChat.

My Experience on Twitterview

Being that this was my first Twitterview, I wanted to make sure I was ready with my links and that I had computer back up in case anything went wrong. To triple secure my experience, I had Amy sit with me through the interview in case I ran into problems.

Well, with my laptop and iPad going simultaneously, you'd think it would be a smooth process. Nope. My faulty laptop decided to shut down in the middle of my Twitterview. I didn't know why but later realized that my laptop just had completed a virus scan and shutdown automatically. Thank goodness I have my iPad too, I thought. Well, turns out that my feeds weren't visible to the public so my iPad didn't do me any good anyway. The problem? Somehow my Twitter feeds were "protected."

Lori immediately identified the problem and Amy directed me to the source. So when you are doing a TwitterChat make sure you do the following:

1) Go to Settings

2) Click on Security and Privacy

3) Under Privacy, make sure to uncheck "Protect my Tweets"

4) Save the setting

About 20 minutes later, the Twitterview was on. The questions rolled in. It gave me a rush trying to answer the questions quickly as possible. The challenge? Responding in under 140 characters!

Overall, it was a fun and thrilling experience to take part in this concept. In an era of technology and time pressure, Twitterview is the way to go.

Happy TweetChatting!

~Romelle aka   HerStory2  

Please note: My entire Twitterview will be made available for easier viewing via Storify. More on how that works later (as soon as Amy puts it together and shows me how it's done). 

My Wild Imagination

Writers have great imaginations. I am guilty of having too much of an imagination. Take my SCBWI conference in LA experience for example.

The Andrea Pinkney, Vice President of Scholastics, critiqued my manuscript and gave me glowing compliments that left me giddy all weekend long.

Andrea said that she loved my manuscript and that it is what Scholastics is looking for. She even told me to promise her to send it to her. She also wanted to see more of my work. The only caveat is that in order for me to do so, I needed an agent because of Scholastic's policy.

Andrea asked if I had one. I didn't.  So she went so far as to recommend a couple to me (which she said she never does) and even had cocktails with one of them to talk about my work (or at least that's what she said she'd do). This is where my imagination begins to unfold.

I imagined:

• my phone ringing off the hook with agents wanting to represent me

• me having the difficult task of deciding who I should choose
• my manuscript being chosen for the Sue Alexander award
• me moving to Big Sur and living in a quiet cabin so I can write all day
• me quitting my day job so I can learn to surf

• my kids bragging about their mom being the coolest

• me taking my private jet to have lunch in New York with Andrea Pinkney 

• Stars talking about me

• Ellen Degeneres or Oprah Winfrey knocking at my door 

• me making news in Time Magazine

Well, I soon realized that it wasn't going to happen.

Rejection after rejection sent me back to reality. 

The truth of the industry held true. 

Writing is a subjective business. 

Just because the V.P. of Scholastics loves your work doesn't mean an easy ticket in.

My imagination got the better of me. The story I submitted to Andrea Pinkney is still sitting in my folder waiting to be discovered and LOVED by an agent.

But wait!

There is something I DID NOT imagine.

It's the fact that, not one, but TWO of my picture book manuscripts was accepted by MeeGenius!  

I am proud to announce that my story THE TUMMY MONSTER is out! You can find it at MeeGenius.

And another, RUNNING BOY will be coming soon!

With every bad news, comes good news!

Children's Festival of Reading & BOOKMARKS!

Look what I've been busy with...

I finally made bookmarks for my eBook, Casey Chameleon, published by Flying Books, 2012 AND a website (still in a work-in-progress)! I've been thinking about doing this for a while now. I have to thank Donna Martin for giving me the push. More on Donna later. But first, a little about my bookmarks: 

Making the Bookmarks
I went with Gotprint.com from the recommendation of the lovely ladies at the Children's Book Hub.

Here's the lowdown:
Specs: 2 x 8 bookmarks, gloss on both sides, rounded corners, economy shipping
Quantity: 250 bookmarks
Cost: $39.36

Quality: Excellent

I recommend them.  If you are comparison shopping, another company I recommend is Overnight Prints. I requested their free samples and I was impressed. They cost a tad bit more, but they offer sales on occasion and when they do, their prices are comparable. 

As for the design, I recommend Alison K. Hertz. She designed a number of our picture book author's bookmarks and postcards. I happened to design my own before I knew of Alison's services. Since I spent hours on it, I didn't want to throw my hard work away. I think it came out pretty good considering I did it myself. On a writer's budget, sometimes you have to go DIY.

Childlren's Festival of Reading
The Children's Festival of Reading is coming up on May 18, 2013 in Knoxville, Tennessee and Donna Martin is hosting a booth.  She is offering a free giveaway for the over 15, 000 families that will be attending.  Donna has graciously opened up her project to our writing community to help us promote our books in the hopes of instilling the love for reading. It's a win-win situation! 

"Proceeds from the festival will benefit Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, which fights against illiteracy by donating free books every month to children ages NB to 5-years-old."

I couldn't find gummy chameleons so the lizards should suffice

Since I have an eBook, I can only handout autographed bookmarks with a QR code directing readers to my publisher's site. I am in the process of working out a way to offer the eBooks for free for a limited time or quantity.  I'll let you in on the details as soon as I figure it out.   

In the meantime, I am on my way to the post office to mail the bookmarks with gummy treats to Donna. The Children's Festival of Reading is a wonderful event. I wish I could be there.

If you are interested in donating to the festival, visit Donna Martin for more information!

Chameleons, Colors, and the Creative Muse

Most people believe that chameleons change color in response to their surroundings.  Instead, chameleons change color based on temperature, health, light intensity, and mood-- much like my main character in my eBook, Casey Chameleon.

Available at Flying Books

"Casey thinks someone has stolen her special feather and she finds herself turning red with anger. Can she manage to turn green again? A story about learning to manage emotions. Young readers will identify with Casey's feelings and fall in love with her playfulness and determination."

While a chameleon's mood can affect its colors, the colors of our environment can affect people's moods. When we see a field of bright sunflowers, we feel livelier and happy. 

courtesy of sxc.hu

When we see grey clouds, we instinctively feel gloomy.

courtesy of sxc.hu

Artists use colors to evoke emotion, communicate mood, or enhance meaning. As writers, why not create an environment of colors that promote creativity?

Below is a list of colors and its effect it can have on us:  

RED stirs up excitement and stimulates our heart rate and breathing.  It can also stimulate conversation. Red is also known to spikes our attention and alertness. 

YELLOW is energizing and uplifting. It communicates happiness and can stimulate memory.  But too much yellow tend to create feelings of frustration and anger.

BLUE is calming, relaxing, and serene.  It can  promote imagination and intuitive thinking. Encourages exploration and boosts creativity. But dark blue can evoke feelings of sadness. 

GREEN also has a calming effect like blue. It encourages unwinding and promotes comfort and togetherness. It helps relieve stress and controls anxiety. 

PURPLE is associated with creativity and luxury. Lighter shades of purple have a restful quality.

ORANGE is an energizing color that evokes excitement and enthusiasm. It stimulates appetite and encourages conversation.

If you will excuse me, I'm going to paint my room with colors that inspire my creative muse- blue with purple stripes and a splash of yellow in preparation for my February picture book draft for 12 x 12 with Julie Hedlund!

My Creative Wall

What colors would you use on your wall?



--------------------------------------------------------------
References:
http://psychdigest.com/colors-influence-mood/
http://www.artyfactory.com/color_theory/color_theory_3.htm
http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/home/color-of-room-affect-mood.htm
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/feb/05/scientists-find-colors-can-affect-focus-and/
http://www.pbs.org/edens/madagascar/creature3.htm
http://www.nwf.org/Kids/Ranger-Rick/Animals/Amphibians-and-Reptiles/Chameleons.aspx

Debut Author Interview: Nessa Morris, Author of Reaching for Rainbows

Reaching for Rainbows, the Ebook way

You may want to grab a hot cup of coffee or tea and get comfortable because you are in for a treat! Nessa Morris is here to talk about her experience publishing her eBook, REACHING FOR RAINBOWS, with uTales.   She's got some valuable information you don't want to miss.

About Nessa Morris: Nessa is the director of a library that serves people with visual impairments. Before becoming a library director, one of Nessa’s favorite jobs was being a children’s librarian. 

Many of you may be familiar with her popular e-newsletter:  Opening a Can of Bookworms Daily.  If you're not, go check it out for interesting articles focused on the world of picture books.

Nessa's first eBook, Reaching for Rainbows, was released in June 2012 with uTales.  You can read more about her at http://nessamorris.com and her worthwhile project at http://www.indiegogo.com/reaching-for-rainbows.

Welcome, Nessa!

Because you serve people with visual impairment, I understand your need to develop a wonderful concept book that helps toddlers and preschoolers experience colors in a different way.  I think it is a fabulous idea.  What drove you to self-publish?

I'm new to writing and publishing, and what better way to learn about the whole process than doing it yourself. I've gone into self-publishing with a trial-and-error, learn-as-you-go approach. It tends to be my approach to everything in life, and has worked well so
far.

Why did you choose to publish with the online publisher uTales?

I learned uTales was using a new publishing model where authors and illustrators could team up to create a picture e-book. I've always loved new technology and uTales seemed like a worthwhile project so I wanted to take part in it.

I decided that Reaching for Rainbows, which was originally called Amelia's Rainbow, would be a good story for the uTales, because it's a color concept book with a unique perspective. I couldn't see the story being picked up by a traditional publisher, so this seemed like a good option.

uTales only allows submissions of completed picture books.  How did you find your illustrator, Caroline Lee to work with you on this project?

uTales has a collaborators forum on Facebook for authors and illustrators to introduce themselves and pitch projects.  I posted a synopsis of my story and Caroline sent me a few illustrations that she created for another uTales book.  I then sent her the full manuscript. Everything looked good, so we decided to work
together.

What kind of arrangements did you make with your illustrator regarding pay?

uTales is set up so that the profits are equally divided between collaborators. The uTales technology makes that easy.

Did you provide illustration notes or did you give free reign to your illustrator to interpret your book?

Because Reaching for Rainbows is a color concept book, many pages have only one word. I did research to find flowers, foods, and items for specific colors, and made these suggestions on the manuscript. Caroline had free reign to interpret how to use them, and I love how she turned rainbows into tangible objects. As the project progressed,
we gave each other feedback, and made changes as necessary.

What was the publishing process like with uTales?

Caroline and I emailed each other about the project, and she shared a DropBox folder with me so I could see the work as it progressed. I offered her feedback and tweaked the manuscript to better fit the illustrations. Once the book was finished, each page was uploaded individually. After the files are uploaded, it's just a matter of clicking the submit button. If there are no major problems with the book and it meets the uTales guidelines for subject matter, the book will be approved.

Your eBook, Reaching for Rainbows, is now published in book format .  How is that compared to publishing it as an ebook?

 Reaching for Rainbows now on Amazon

In uTales, each page needs to be uploaded individually, but in CreateSpace only two files are uploaded: cover and pages. Caroline had to alter the files to fit the CreateSpace template. Other than that, the submission process is very similar. Once the files were uploaded, we submitted the book. CreateSpace reviews the files to let you know if there are any technical issues. I ordered a proof and reviewed it. Caroline made a few changes based on the proof. Then, we approved the book and it was listed on Amazon.

What advantages did you find with self publishing?

In self-publishing, you have complete artistic freedom and editorial control. The speed of publication is also faster than traditional publishing. I haven't worked with a traditional publisher for a picture book, so I can't really say what other advantages might be.
Any disadvantages?
You are responsible for everything. Unless you pay for professional services, you're pretty much on your own. I'm lucky that I have a great critique group. While there is a wealth of info on self-publishing novels and writing a picture book, there is not a whole lot about self-publishing picture e-books or apps.

Is there anything you'd do differently the next time you self-publish?

I can't really say I'd do anything different because I view the whole project as a learning process. You learn from mistakes. Plus, at this point it's still early enough that I'm not sure what mistakes I've made. Ask me again in ten years, and I'm sure I'll have a different answer.

****

Wow!  This is great stuff, Nessa.  Thanks for taking the time to answer all my questions.  I think it's important to let readers know that every eBook publisher handles their submission process differently and not all eBook publishers are self-publishing.  So, you must do your research. 

With uTales, even if the creative process is left solely to the writers and illustrators, which is classified as self-publishing, their finished product must still get an approval by the editorial panel of uTales.  This assures that consumers get quality children's books.

 

For more information on how to create books on uTales, visit their blog:  http://blog.utales.com/2011/07/10/how-to-create-books-on-utales-com/

****

Here are some interesting tidbits about Nessa's REACHING FOR RAINBOWS:

• It took 1 week to get the approval from uTales after submitting the completed project
• It took 4 months of writing and revising before it was submission ready
• It took 4 months to develop Reaching for Rainbows into an eBook
• It took about 5 revisions 

****

For more author interviews: 

Donna Earnhardt, author of BEING FRANK

Laura Murray, author of THE GINGERBREAD MAN LOOSE IN THE SCHOOL

Sherri Duskey Rinker, author of GOODNIGHT, GOODNIGHT CONSTRUCTION SITE
Amy Dixon, author of MARATHON MOUSE
Karin LeFranc, author of A QUEST FOR GOOD MANNERS

*    

The Excitement of Waiting Full Term

I've been keeping a secret for 9 whole months!

And now the wait is over.

Today, I am proud to announce

the birth of my baby

 CASEY!

On sale now at Flying Books or visit your app store 

This is my first eBook (or any book for that matter) titled, Casey Chameleon.  Charming and Delightful.  These words best describe Casey, the main character.  It's easy to read her, because she wears her heart on her sleeve...I mean, skin.  Casey can turn all sorts of colors, depending on her emotions.  

It's a concept picture book about feelings and color.  

Interesting tidbit:  The main causes of the skin-color change are the chameleon's emotional state. The surroundings are not a influencing factor.

And in case you're wondering, here are more interesting tidbits on how my ebook came to be:

• December 2011- Informed by Flying Books, Ltd. via Twitter regarding open submissions 
• January 2012- Submitted ms to Flying Books
• February 2012- Signed contract
• March 2012- Introduced to my illustrator, Lydia F. Ferron
• October 8, 2012- HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CASEY CHAMELEON!

Of course, traditional publishing does not happen this quickly. The pregnancy on that could take several years. Right now, I'm feeling some stretch marks again and kicking too.  Anyone got a pickle?  And some peanut butter too?

  

BOOKS, E-BOOKS, PICTURE BOOK APPS AND NOW THIS…

Have you heard of Smories?  No, not s’mores, the campfire treat of roasted marshmallow and a layer of chocolate sandwiched between two graham crackers.  Smories is a website showcasing videos of children reading aloud original stories.  

www.smories.com, created by Lisa Swerling and Ralph Lazar, made its debut early this year.  As the stories are read, the words appear on the screen. Since there are no illustrations, readers can use their imaginations to create their own pictures in their minds.

The online storytelling is a cute concept.  Children are captivated by real-life videos, especially of other children.  They enjoy seeing their peers on film.  YouTube, a video-sharing website, has captivated audiences of all ages.  But Lisa and Ralph decided to provide a better alternative for children.  

Embracing Technology 

Since technology isn’t going away, I decided to embrace it and be one of the first to get on board and participate in the newest concept in children’s publishing.  I chose to submit, “Running Boy,” my only rhyming story, which is fast pace and easy to read. 

Rhyming stories are difficult to sell (unless you are a master rhymer), but I could not let this story go to my dormant file because of my passion for running.  See  http://www.smories.com/watch/running-boy/.   My quest is to instill in the hearts of children the love of running. 

The Advantages of Smories

Smories is a great place to test your story.  With Smories, you can listen to your story being read by children.  It’s a lot different than reading it yourself.  It opens up your mind to possible changes to your story to make it even better.  The other great thing is that you retain all rights.  This means you can withdraw your story from the site at any time.

Having your story and byline on the website is a great promotional tool.  If readers like your story, they will be more inclined to look you up and see what other stories you have in print.  I’ve had people ask me if they can purchase my book.  Unfortunately, I don’t have it in print.  But if I create enough buzz, perhaps I can create a good fan base for upcoming book deals.  Creating buzz is good practice for marketing future projects.  It doesn’t hurt to plan ahead.  It also doesn’t hurt to try something new. 

Smories Readers

Please watch my video story at

 http://www.smories.com/watch/running-boy/ and spread the word.  Help me instill in the hearts of children the love of running…and reading!