Book Review: The Tighty Whitey Spider by Kenn Nesbitt

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Just in time for National Poetry Month, beloved children’s poet Kenn Nesbitt has a new collection of poems called The Tighty Whitey Spider and More Wacky Animal Poems I Totally Made Up. Perfect to read out loud with your son or daughter, these poems will have you both giggling about the silly antics Nesbitt’s animals get up to.

I couldn’t resist such playful titles as “My Kitten Won’t Stop Talking,” “My Chicken’s on the Internet” and “Beavers in the Bathroom.” Nesbitt often ends each poem with a play on words that’s sure to appeal to younger readers. Ethan Long’s illustrations are fun to look at, too. The expressions on his animal faces match the action in each poem perfectly. I particularly liked his smug-looking flying pigs and grim-faced goldfish in a military-style tank.

Readers can also download companion audio tracks of Nesbitt reading quite a few of the poems himself. It’s quite a treat to listen to Nesbitt read while you follow along with the words and illustrations in the book. Instructions for downloading the tracks, which can be played in iTunes, Windows Media Player, Quick Time, and any other player that supports mp3 files, are included at the beginning of The Tighty Whitey Spider.

You can also check out Nesbitt’s great poetry website, http://www.poetry4kids.com. And Nesbitt’s collection called My Hippo Has the Hiccups is available for a free download or viewing online with audio tracks.

The Tighty Whitey Spider is exactly the kind of book my daughter would have loved when she was in elementary school. I can’t think of a better way to help younger children develop an early appreciation for poetry than reading Nesbitt’s poems.

Author Mama, A Book for Writers by Christina Katz

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My good friend and writing mentor Christina Katz has recently released an e-book called Author Mama: How I Became a Published Author & How You Can Too. If you’ve ever considered writing a book, I highly recommend this as a way to help you decide if you want to take the plunge and learn about what will be expected of you. Author Mama can help answer some of the following questions for you about publishing a book:

  • What would the process be like?
  • What are the steps?
  • What do publishers do for authors?
  • How long would it take from start to finish?
  • Can you make any decent money?
  • Should you self-publish or traditionally publish?

Christina had great tips that helped me while I was writing Book by Book: The Complete Guide to Creating Mother-Daughter Book Clubs, and I know she’s got great advice that all writers can benefit from.

Here’s what she has to say about Author Mama:

Why would you do an e-book after two traditionally published books?

Like most traditionally published authors, who blog, teach and speak, I have a backlog of quality content to draw on and some of it, though not all of it, will lend itself to the e-book format. So I plan to write several e-books over time and Author Mama is the first. I have old sketchbooks full of ideas I’ve had over the years, which will lend themselves well to e-formats. Equal opportunity access to e-publishing technology offers all of us writers a lot more creative leeway than we have traditionally had, which can lead to exciting and fun possibilities.

Besides being in e-book format, how is Author Mama different from Writer Mama and Get Known Before the Book Deal?

Author Mama is the story behind how I landed my book deal for Writer Mama and then wrote the book. I wanted to describe in play-by-play form what writing a non-fiction book is like for the benefit of moms considering the possibility with the lessons I learned along the way. One of my students who is on the verge of querying agents with a nonfiction book proposal says that Author Mama “goes there.” In other words, it deals squarely with the rollercoaster ride that most first-time authors experience. The format of my traditionally published books is not as driven by my personal experience, even though it informs them both. In Author Mama, I include all of the books that I recommend first-time authors read before, during, and after the book deal, so they can become as informed and empowered as possible.

Who are the intended readers for Author Mama?

Well, my two traditionally published books don’t target the same exact audience and neither does Author Mama. When I wrote Author Mama, I had my Writer Mama readers in mind, but of those readers, I was specifically focused on anyone seriously considering writing a book someday. Not every writer mama wants to write a book someday. Some are perfectly happy writing and publishing articles. So Author Mama is a slice (a writing book), of a slice (for moms), of a slice (who are considering becoming an author some day), and therefore too small of an audience for a traditional publisher. But many of my students and fans have this question and would like to answer it for themselves. Author Mama is for them.

Did you have any hesitations about self-publishing?

Considering how much content I have sitting around languishing on my hard drives, I am sorry that it’s taken me this long. The person I had the hardest time convincing was myself. I’ve had some hang-ups about e-books that I’ve had to get over in order to move forward. As long as my work continues to serve the best interests of my readers, why wouldn’t I self-publish? I certainly have a lot more to offer than I would just letting it sit around collecting virtual dust. At this point in time, I feel like it would be foolish not to e-publish, even as I continue to write traditional books.

Are publishers anxious about traditional authors self-publishing? Doesn’t this undermine their business?

I think, when it comes to self-publishing the opportunity always exists to take the enlightened view or the fearful view. I have heard people in publishing make comments that authors self-publishing is terrible news, which is absurd. The fearful attitude is, “Oh no, if that author can self-publish, then we lose.” The enlightened view is that when the people you partner with are more successful it’s good for you too because it raises all boats. Besides, when all the folks involved in a partnership are empowered and come together because they want to be there, that’s good for the relationship. It’s important to have good boundaries and communication in business and know the difference between what’s yours, what’s not yours, and what is joint ownership. When you keep these things in mind, and communicate clearly, there is really nothing to fear but fear itself.

How do you keep people from “stealing” your e-book?

I can’t stop people from stealing my e-book. I am completely powerless over that aspect of e-publishing, as most of us are. However, my target audience is not teenage boys and young men, who are supposedly the folks who do most of the pirating, according to the experts who study these trends. So I’m not going to lose any sleep over it. Also I don’t plan on giving my e-books away to avoid the impression that they are “freebies,” whereas with a traditional book I always do a lot of giveaways to get the content out into circulation. E-books are a lot easier to circulate. I can send one to you in seconds. So at this time, I don’t see the point in giving them away and encouraging others to share them without permission. I’d prefer to sell them to a smaller, more exclusive audience, who will see the value and, hopefully, respect my copyright.

What are three major points you hope aspiring writers learn from reading Author Mama?

  1. That landing a traditional book deal and delivering a well-written book is possible but not easy by any means.
  2. That someone else has survived the rollercoaster of emotions that come part and parcel with a first traditional book deal and you can too.
  3. That some writers actually give up along the way and don’t succeed at delivering their first book but this won’t happen to the writers who read Author Mama because forewarned is forearmed.

Is this book only for nonfiction writers or can fiction writers benefit from it too?

Author Mama is specifically about my nonfiction book writing process, which is different from the process for other genres like fiction or memoir. However, a lot of my readers, who write in other genres, have said over the years that they find a lot of takeaways in my nonfiction experience. Also, I fully expect Author Mama to convince a few readers to try writing a nonfiction book, who might have only considered themselves other types of writers or not even writers at all.

Can I order a print copy of Author Mama?

When the book comes out in the final version in May, I will make it available for purchase in print-on-demand format, as well as all the other e-formats. During April, while it’s in beta, Author Mama is available in PDF format, which means you can print it out and put it in a binder yourself, if you prefer a hard copy. I’ve invited the first readers to participate in the process, so I’ve included a feedback form with the e-book but participation is voluntary. However to sweeten the deal, I will provide those who share feedback on the beta version with the final version for free, after it’s updated in PDF form.

Can I order this e-book for someone as a gift?

 

Sure you can. When you place your order, simply submit their e-mail address in the notes section and I will e-mail the copy to them instead of to you.

About Christina Katz, The Author Mama

Christina Katz has been teaching writers to cultivate thriving careers for the past decade. Many of her students start by writing short articles and work hard and long until they eventually succeed in landing traditional book deals. Christina is the author of Get Known Before the Book Deal, Use Your Personal Strengths to Grow an Author Platform and Writer Mama, How to Raise A Writing Career Alongside Your Kids, both from Writer’s Digest Books.

In addition to writing books and articles, Christina publishes a weekly e-zine, The Prosperous Writer, hosts The Northwest Author Series, travels to writing conferences and literary events, and coaches a hundred writers a year. She holds an MFA in writing from Columbia College Chicago and a BA from Dartmouth College. She lives in an idyllic cottage in Wilsonville, Oregon with her husband, daughter and far too many pets.

Keep up with Christina, if you can, at www.christinakatz.com.

Book Review: The Year of Goodbyes by Debbie Levy

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In The Year of Goodbyes, author Debbie Levy takes a fresh approach to memoir and the story of German Jews in the late 1930s. The book takes place in the year 1938, when Jutta Salzberg, Levy’s mother, is a 12-year-old girl living in Hamburg, Germany. Restrictions against Jews have gotten tighter during the last few years, and her father is desperate to leave with his family for the U.S., where he has relatives who will sponsor him. They have permission from German officials and the money to book transportation, but visas from the U.S. are slow to come.

Jutta certainly is aware of the tensions, but she’s also concerned with the same things any 12-year-old girl would be—school, friends, her pet bird, and the neighbors in her building. Each day that goes by brings news of someone else who has disappeared, and often Jutta hears Nazi boots in the stairwell of her own building as soldiers come to take away neighbors. Salzberg’s family managed to leave Germany for France and finally the U.S., departing just before Kristallnacht, otherwise known as Night of Broken Glass, when the Nazis destroyed many Jewish homes and businesses.

When Jutta Salzberg left, one of the few treasures she took with her was her poesiealbum, an autograph book filled with inscriptions, verse and drawings, all written to Jutta by her friends and relatives. Each chapter of The Year of Goodbyes highlights a page from the poesiealbum and notes from Jutta’s diary entries around the same time.

The result is a simple, but moving account of everyday people, living everyday lives in an extraordinary time. Salzberg and her family knew they were leaving friends and family behind to move across an ocean; they never imagined the fate that awaited those who could not or did not leave. The book is even more poignant because Levy includes notes on her research and her discoveries about what happened to each of the friends who wrote in her mother’s poesiealbum during the year as well as the fate of the Salzberg family’s relatives. Photos of many of the people also brings Jutta’s story to life.

The heart of this book can be found on the pages from the poesiealbum. I was struck by how thoughtful the writings were, and the sentiments they expressed. They show a maturity that seems uncommon for 12 year olds of today. The Year of Goodbyes may be quick to read, but the words will linger in your mind for a long time to come. I highly recommend this book for mother-daughter book clubs with girls aged 12 and up. If you are considering reading it, you may also be interested in watching this book trailer Levy posted on  YouTube.

Book Review: Poetry Speaks Who I Am, Edited by Elise Paschen

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Poetry collections directed to teens are not very common; you’re much more likely to find collections of poetry for children or adults. This lack of poems for teens to appreciate is exactly what editor Elise Paschen addresses in a new collection that is part of the Poetry Speaks series: Poetry Speaks Who I Am. The more than 100 poets whose work is represented include classic poets like Emily Dickinson, Edgar Allen Poe and Robert Frost as well as contemporary poets such as Sherman Alexie, Maya Angelou and Kim Stafford.

Some of the poems are whimsical, such as Death of a Snowman by Vernon Scannell, while others are more contemplative, such as One Art by Elizabeth Bishop, which is about the art of losing things. Girls may cringe when reading Bra Shopping by Parneshia Jones. And of course, there are poems with rich imagery. Here are just a few lines from one of those, Blackberry Picking by Seamus Heaney:

“Late August, given heavy rain and sun

For a full week, the blackberries would ripen.

At first just one, a glossy, purple clot

Among others, red, green, hard as a knot.

You ate that first one and its flesh was sweet

Like thickened wine: summer’s blood was in it”

I recognized poems I memorized in high school, like Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley, marveling that memorizing was much easier for me then than it seems to be now. An added bonus to Poetry Speaks Who I Am is that is comes with a CD of 47 poems being read by their authors or others. There’s something hypnotic about listening to poems being read, especially by the author, who knows where she intended emphasis and can add tone.

Blank pages in the back of the book encourage readers to write their own poetry, which could be a great activity for a mother-daughter book club. National Poetry Month-April-is coming up. Reading Poetry Speaks Who I Am would be a great way to celebrate.

Interview with Bonnie Hearn Hill, Author of Aries Rising of the Star Crossed Series

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Bonnie Hearn Hill

Yesterday, I reviewed Aries Rising by author Bonnie Hearn Hill. Aries Rising is the first in a new series, and I’m giving away a copy to someone who comments on yesterday’s post, so be sure to visit before midnight (PDT), Friday, March 26 and leave a comment. Today, I’m featuring more information about Hill, and she answers a few questions for Mother Daughter Book Club readers.

Prior to writing the Star Crossed series for young adults, Hill penned several thrillers. She has an interest in astrology, and she is close friends with Cosmopolitan Magazine Astrologer Hazel Dixon-Cooper, which helped her find the inspiration for her new books. You can find more information about Hill, including her own astrological sign (Gemini) at her website, Bonnie Hearn Hill.com.

When I told Hill my own sign, Virgo, she said, ” That is a great sign for a writer, Cindy. Details, details. In fact the only down side is that you might be too critical, especially of yourself. If so, that could slow your process, because a writer must be extremely self-forgiving in the first-draft stage. Sometimes a Virgo can put in too much detail (Stephen King), but, from O Henry to D.H. Lawrence, Virgos have been leaving a legacy of fine writing.”

She definitely nailed me on the critical part; it’s something I’ve been working on for years.

When I was in high school, I loved reading about astrology and finding meaning in my everyday horoscope. I didn’t take my interest very far, but what I did find was fascinating. I think a lot of teens today feel the same way, they should really enjoy the Star Crossed series. Now let’s read what Hill has to say.

Was it difficult for you to write for teens?
BHH: It was a joy. I’m a Gemini who never grew up, and I believe teen emotions are universal. We all remember how it feels to fall for a guy, to experience the high highs and low lows of love. We know what it’s like to want something so much that a tool such as astrology seems magical.

But astrology isn’t magic, is it?
BHH: Absolutely not. That’s one of the messages of the book and the series. Logan learns about the zodiac right along with the reader (and with me). She realizes what she can and can’t do with it, and she ultimately sees that the power she seeks is within her.

You credit humorous astrology writer Hazel Dixon-Cooper with teaching you astrology. How long have you worked with her?
BHH: She joined my writing workshop about 16 years ago. After the first four years, she got a really nice book deal with Simon & Schuster, and then the astrology columnist job for Cosmopolitan magazine. Somewhere along the way, she became my closest friend. You can’t be friends with someone like her and not be interested in astrology. She’s funny, original, very, very intelligent, and she truly gets astrology in a practical, not mystical woo-woo kind of way. My books are more accurate because of her suggestions.

You’ve mentored many other writers in addition to her. Why have you been able to help so many people publish?
BHH:. Again, I’m a Gemini—the Twins. Somehow, I can put myself out of the way when I look at what someone else writes. I can almost become them and see what they are trying to say, not necessarily what is on the page. Thus, I avoid leaving editorial “fingerprints” on someone else’s work. I hear the writer’s voice, not my own.

What advice would you offer those who want to write for teens?
BHH: Respect your reader. Don’t decide to write for young readers because you think it’s easier, because, believe me, it isn’t. I would also suggest reading every teen book you can get your hands on. I think young adult is one of the most exciting and surprising genres around. Once you experience what’s out there–what talented writers are producing right now–you’ll be inspired by the possibilities and the challenges.

The teen market is crowded. Why do you think your series sold? Was it in the stars?
BHH: Maybe. I hadn’t found any teen novels that dealt with astrology. My wonderful editor said she liked the fact that the female characters had goals beyond just getting the guys they were crushing on. But then, that editor is an Aquarius, the same as Logan. So maybe luck was with me, and maybe the stars helped out.

Book Review: Aries Rising by Bonnie Hearn Hill

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Logan McRae wants to accomplish two important goals before finishing her sophomore year in high school: get accepted into a prestigious summer writing program and get a date with Nathan, the senior she can’t stop thinking about. Her chances of achieving either goal seem remote until she happens to find a book in a closet at home called Fearless Astrology. Can Logan use the information she finds out about her teachers and friends by reading their star signs to help her get what she wants?

Aries Rising is the first in the Star Crossed series by Bonnie Hearn Hill. The premise is intriguing: use astrology to find out what motivates the people you know to act the way they do, then adjust your own actions to help you get along with them better and maybe get what you want in the process. It’s a tribute to Hill’s writing that Logan doesn’t come off as manipulative in her quest. She truly wants to understand people, and as she tests the things she’s learns in Fearless Astrology, she also finds out how to see below the surface that most people project. When she looks past the preconceived notions she has about the English teacher many students despise and the art teacher they dismiss as ditzy, she starts to see real people, motivated by real emotions. This means she begins to relate to them differently too, and the reader can see her grow in the process.

Each chapter of Aries Rising starts with a quote from Fearless Astrology, setting the tone for the action to come. Each chapter also ends with a “Notes to Self” section written by Logan. Even though the book is told from Logan’s perspective, these notes are similar to diary entries, and they reveal a little more about her than what the reader learns from the chapters. Each of these features keeps the action moving along.

There’s also a bit of mystery involved. A group of students dubbed The Gears has been vandalizing the school. Their actions escalate as the book progresses, and Logan is convinced she can figure out who they are and stop their actions by using astrology.

I believe Aries Rising is a great book to read with a mother-daughter book club whose girls are in high school. Moms can remember their high school days, and daughters can identify with their current experiences. Both will likely know with what it feels like to be insecure and thinking that many people around you are more confident and have their lives more together than you do. In many ways that seems to be a universal feeling, and the lure of using a book to help you figure it all out is strong.

The astrological information is also fun. Logan talks a lot about what she learns for each of the sun signs of the people around her. Once she gains more confidence, she digs deeper and looks at moon influences and rising signs. You’ll also find a page of temporary tattoos for each sign inserted into the back of the book. It all may just send you out looking for your own version of Fearless Astrology.

I intend to read all the books in the series, and I’m glad to know I won’t have to wait long for the next two. Taurus Eyes is scheduled to be released in May and Gemini Night comes out in September. Both books are available for preorder now. More information can be found on Hill’s website: http://www.bonniehearnhill.com.

Coming tomorrow: an interview with author Bonnie Hearn Hill.

Book Review: When I Married My Mother by Jo Maeder

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As a successful Manhattan radio DJ, Jo Maeder led what many would consider a glamorous New York City life. Yet when it became increasingly clear that her mother could no longer live on her own in the home she owned in Virginia, Jo made a choice to leave the city and move with her mother to North Carolina, where they would be near her brother and his new wife.

While that’s the basic story behind When I Married My Mother: A Daughter’s Search for What Really Matters—and How She Found It Caring for Mama Jo, there is so much more to be told in this memoir from author Jo Maeder that makes it remarkable. Jo’s parents had separated when she was a teen, and she moved away from her mother to live with her dad and brother in another state. Even before then, she didn’t feel close to Mama Jo, who collected dolls and hoped her daughter would share her passion. She didn’t. Over the years, Maeder and Mama Jo didn’t find much to connect them.

So Maeder’s decision to give up her friends and the life she had lived in New York for so long to care for Mama Jo was anything but easy. Complicating the decision was the fact that Mama Jo was a hoarder; her home was a jumble of worthless trash that needed tossing and precious family heirlooms that Jo wanted to hold onto. And Maeder, who was not particularly religious, was moving to be near her brother who, like many people who lived near their new home, was.

When I Married My Mother will strike a chord with anyone who has wondered what she will do when an aging parent can no longer care for herself. Who in that situation would not worry whether she is willing to or capable of changing her own life for an unknown future? Jo’s story is very personal in its specific details, but it’s also universal in the questions it asks us to consider: What will I give up if I care for my mother? What will I gain? How will my life change? Will it be worth it?

Readers have a glimpse of Maeder’s ultimate conclusion to that last question in the subtitle of her book: A Daughter’s Search for What Really Matters—and How She Found It Caring for Mama Jo. But she doesn’t sugar-coat the difficulties she encounters in adjusting to her new life, and she doesn’t present herself as the perfect daughter. She also continues to question where her new life will lead her. Above all, Maeder gives her readers a look at what is possible when you open yourself up to choosing differently than you ever thought you would.

This book has stayed with me since I’ve finished reading it, and I think about it often. I’ve been recommending it to my friends as well as on this site. I believe part of the reason it had such impact on me is because so much of what I read directed to adults caring for elderly parents is about how to make the unbearable bearable. Maeder’s experience makes me believe it can be more than that. Certainly Maeder was unmarried and had no children when she decided to take care of her mother, but she had a vibrant life. She chose to fit caring for her mother into it, and she is happy with her choice. Most parents take joy in ushering their children into this world; Maeder has given us a way to find joy with our parent even when helping them leave it. I believe mother-daughter book clubs with girls aged 16 and up would appreciate When I Married My Mother.

Book Review: Heavens to Betsy by Maud Hart Lovelace

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Heavens to Betsy cover imageMy daughter, Catherine, and I went to our mother-daughter book club meeting on Monday. We were set to discuss Heavens to Betsy, one of the Betsy-Tacy series by Maud Hart Lovelace.

The book begins with the news that Betsy’s family is moving away from her beloved home on Hill St. to a larger place on High St. Betsy will be far away from her best friend Tacy, and at first she’s not happy about being in a new neighborhood. But as she starts school and makes new friends while still being able to see Tacy regularly, Betsy begins to like her new life.

Two local boys walk Betsy to school every day, but they joke around a lot and she doesn’t consider either one to be a boyfriend. When a tall, dark stranger arrives at her school and becomes part of their crowd of friends, Betsy is taken with him and wonders if he is interested in her as well.

Even though the series starts much earlier, this was the first book we read as a group. The girls chose it because it’s about Betsy’s first year in high school, and as sophomores, they well remember what it’s like to be freshman.

Discussion was good. The girls noted the differences between high school and social life in the early 1900s and today. One of the girls said she thought it was a perfect book to read when you want to de-stress from a hectic schedule. It’s light reading, with little conflict. On the other hand, some of the girls had a hard time relating with Betsy’s perfect life. She got along well with her sisters and her parents, she had lots of friends, and homework didn’t take up much of her time. They believed the book would have been more interesting if there were a few more worries thrown Betsy’s way.

I think we would have liked it better if this wasn’t the first book in the series that we read. If the girls had begun reading about Betsy when they were younger, and if they had followed her story from when it started, I believe we would have had more to talk about.

All in all Heavens to Betsy was interesting for the glimpse it provided of what seemed to be upper-middle-class social life for teens in the early 1900s.

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