The Nevada SCBWI Mentorship Experience- Part I

Motivating. 

Inspiring.

Validating.

That about sums up my Nevada SCBWI Mentorship Experience.

The Nevada SCBWI Mentor Program runs from October through April. I was fortunate to have been selected for the six-month program. As a mentee, my mentor takes me under his wings and shares his expertise to help me become a better writer.

I was over-the-moon when I found out Jim Averbeck would be my mentor. Jim Averbeck is the author of ONE WORD SOPHIA, IN THE BLUE ROOM, and more.

Picture Books by Jim Averbeck:

One Word from Sophia (2015)

The Market Bowl (2013)

Oh No, Little Dragon (2012)

Except If (2011)

In a Blue Room (2008)

Many of you have asked me about the details of my experience so I am sharing it with you today. Here is my story.

THE NEVADA SCBWI MENTORSHIP EXPERIENCE

MY STORY

The Beginning

The kick-off of our mentor program took place in Reno, Nevada. I was nervous about my meeting with Jim. I've seen him on occasion at local and international SCBWI conferences, but that's about it. One time I actually grabbed him without even introducing myself and asked someone to take a photo of us. I'm sure he doesn't remember this. Bold, but worth it.

SCBWI LA, Black and White Ball 2013

I digress…

My first introduction to Jim was a face-to-face critique of my manuscripts. We got down to business quick. The set-up was exactly like the LA SCBWI conference critique where you introduce yourself to your critiquer, shake hands, and wait for them to offer you to take a seat in preparation for the 

leg-shaking, 

             palm-sweating,

                         lip-biting feedback.  

Needless to say, it wasn't that bad. After my meeting with Jim, I stood up and my heart rallied. 

"Let's do this!"

Later, I met the other mentees who have been assigned to Jim. We dubbed ourselves Team Averbeck. Though I secretly wanted to be called the Robins since Jim was our Batman. He's cool like that.

With co-mentees Louise Henriksen and Lisa Crawford

The rest of the kick-off weekend was spent listening to speakers about the craft of writing. 

Being in a room with a select group of aspiring authors made me feel like part of a special forces unit in which only the elite come to train. As a writer whose been through many ups and downs, this experience was validating for me.

The Middle

I felt fortunate in that my mentor happens to live in close proximity to me so we were able to meet in person. It was nice to be able to bounce ideas off each other, clarify a comment, and get a reaction from my mentor.

Jim and I met at a local café overlooking the Pacific Ocean. We sat on comfy sofa-chairs sipping hot lattes- Chai tea latte for me, steamed milk for him. I was in writer's heaven. We engaged in a little small talk and dove right into my manuscript for a productive one hour.

Throughout the course of the mentorship, Jim assigned me a few writing exercises such as writing a letter from my protagonist to my antagonist. The exercises he gave me were so valuable in the construction of my manuscript. I appreciated that Jim took his mentorship seriously to help me become a better writer.

We went on to meet at the same café once more. The 6 month period was spent on writing and revising in-between critique sessions. Our last meeting was in Virginia City where he got to go over my manuscripts one last time for a total of four meetings.

I came into this program with what I thought were three polished pieces. It's amazing how much improvement can still be made on it. Jim helped me tighten my story more than I thought possible. My stories now have a clearer focus and streamlined story arc. My mentor Jim is intuitive, smart, and helpful. I couldn't have asked for a better mentor than him!

The End

The final retreat, held in Virginia City, was a nice way to cap my six-month long mentorship program. The weekend was spent listening to speakers (mentors), getting final critiques, socializing, and having fun.

Some of the fun things we did was tour historic downtown Virginia City, drink wine, and eat chocolate! We also shared ghost stories. After all, a weekend at the haunted St. Mary's Art and Retreat Center would not be complete without a ghost story.

At the final retreat, we all felt like one big happy family. The fact that our retreat took place in a haunted house made it feel more intimate. When things go bump in the night, you can't help but grow close very quickly.

The Attic of St. Mary's...BOO!

Because of the Nevada SCBWI Mentor Program, I've gained new insights to my writing, created memories, and made lasting friendships. It was an amazing experience!

2015-2016 SCBWI Nevada Mentees

Want to take part in the Nevada SCBWI Mentor Program?

Stay tuned for part II of my Nevada Mentorship Experience on how to apply, what to look for in a mentor, and general tips.

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!

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!

Spreading Love in the Writing Community: The Liebster Award

The Liebster award has been making its rounds. It is awarded to blogs with fewer than 200 followers who have inspired others in some way and could use more love from readers like you.  I am honored to be nominated by 2 extraordinary people:

Chieu Urban, the author-illustrator of Away We Go! (Scholastics, Cartwheel) and Raindrops! A Shower of Colors (Sterling).

Jennifer Young, author of Poison Apple Pie (MeeGenius), Cherry Tomato on Top (Willow Moon Publishing), and Baby Bug's Yawn (to be released in 2014 also by MeeGenius).

Check out Cheiu and Jennifer's blogs to learn more about these talented authors more intimately.

I, too, will share a little about myself through their Q & A. Since they've each asked me 10 questions, I am going to break the rules and answer 5 from each of them. Here goes:

Questions from Chieu:
1. Summer or winter?

I grew up in Hawaii so I have rays of sunshine in my blood. I love the warmth of the sun on a summer day. I enjoy runs along the beach, hikes in the woods, and walks in the park without a heavy coat to way me down.

2. Chocolate or vanilla?
My name is Romelle and and I am a chocoholic.

3. Who is your favorite cartoon character?
I love the cute and witty Tweety Bird. Okay, my character choice is revealing my age.

4. What is your favorite hobby?
I love the 3 R's- running, 'riting, and research (listed in no particular order). Okay, so writing doesn't begin with the letter R, just go with it. Anyway, I can't seem to decide on a favorite between the three.

5. If you can do something without consequences, what would it be?
Snack all day and eat anything I want!

Questions from Jennifer:
6. Favorite part of the day to write?
In the morning after I drop off the kids to school. It's so peaceful.

7. Funniest picture book you've ever read?

Froggy Gets Dressed by Jonathan London is my boys' favorite when they were toddlers. It made us all giggle.

8. What age group do you write for and why?
I enjoy writing for 3-8 year-olds. There is an innocence about them that makes them open to the silliest things. They are easily amused and I love that about them because I am a kid at heart and my dorkiness shows in my writing. Kids love that.

9. If there are no more computers would you still write?
Yes! I still use a pen and a notebook to write my drafts. I love how the ink flows on paper just as my thoughts do. But I'd have someone else rewrite my revisions. :)

10. What was your favorite blog post you published?
I have a running blog dedicated to my running and my favorite post is titled Running with Giants. I get goose bumps every time I read it. It was a challenging time for me in my running career (if you want to call it that) and it was the people I wrote about who have helped me put things into perspective.


Well, there you have it. Now I am nominating these 5 people for the Liebster award. They are fascinating people I'd like to get to know more of through the Q & A. Please visit them and give them a warm greeting!

Jackie Weliington of Why I write Picture Books?
Jarm Del Boccio of Making the Write Connections
Dana Carey of Up in the Attic Lately
Mary Bauer of Poems of Silliness
Linda Hofke of Lind-guistics

All you have to do is:

• Nominate 5-10 bloggers and let them know of their award.
• Ask them 10 questions as well as answer the questions from the blogger who nominated you.
• Link back to that blogger and spread the love.

Here are my 10 questions for you:
1. If you weren't a writer (or other current occupation), what would you be?
2. What types of books do you like to read?
3. Who is your favorite author?
4. What is your favorite color and why?
5. What is your favorite inspirational quote?
6. What is the best tip on writing you've ever received?
7. What is your favorite blog post you've written?
8. What is your writing goal for this month?
9. If you could have a super-power, what would it be?
10. Apple or PC?