BLOG HOP ... hop ... hop

I have been asked to participate in a BLOG HOP ... Thanks Jodi Desautels for asking me to participate! I'd like all of you to visit these children's authors sites and leave a comment here-everyone who leaves a comment will be entered to win an eBook of one of my books! For those of you unfamiliar with a BLOG HOP -- it's a chance for each author to answer a few questions and for followers to learn about other authors and their works.

HAPPY BLOG HOPPING! 

1) What am I working on right now?
      Right now I am concentrating on doing plenty of marketing for my latest book - What's In the Corner? A Muffin "Tail". I'm also finishing up a sequel to A Simpler Time and hope to send that to the publisher by the end of Summer so it will release in 2014. I also have another Muffin book in the works and for those of you familiar with Muffin's books, it will also be a sing-song "tail"!

2) How do my works differ from other works in it's genre?
     My first two books challenge young readers to think and look differently at the world around them. The Life of Bud and A Simpler Time are both used by classroom teachers -- either to teach the life cycle or helping to teach children to write science journals. The two Muffin books are perfect for pre-readers and early readers - the rhyming, repetitive nature of these books make children want to read ... and when their parents download the FREE audio of the books, they hear me singing and can then SING along with the book, learning those pre-reading skills!

3) Why do you write what you do?
      I write about the world around me. I love nature and am fascinated by everything I see! My friends and family often giggle at me because I will notice leaves, or bugs, or clouds and mention things about them. I've always been fascinated with nature and grew up making mud pies and skipping rocks on the lake near my house. The Muffin books have been extremely FUN to write. I went out of my comfort zone and shared my silly side with the world - well -- maybe not the world ... YET! Being a Kindergarten teacher, I found children love to sing and if you teach them anything by singing it - they learn it very quickly! The Muffin books are rhyming, repetitive, mystery "tails" that are sung and are just a whole lot of fun!

4) How does your writing process work?
     I always tell children that my ideas come at the most CRAZY times -- I had the finished product of The Life of Bud come to me while I was in the shower. I drive with the radio off and lots of times when I'm at home the TV is NOT on. I enjoy the quiet and when an idea comes to me I grab my journal and write down ideas as quickly as I can. I then shut the journal and put it away for a few days - I will pull it out and then read what I wrote to see if it is something I really can use or was it just a fleeting idea. But, I do my best writing work, when I'm not sitting at a desk with a computer screen staring me down. I need to be cleaning, or showering, or gardening, or walking the dog, or driving .... that is when my best ideas come to me!

Please visit:

Aileen Stewart - author of Fern Valley

Brandy Herr - author of Freddie Spaghetti and Meatball

Robert Ruisi - author of I Done Did It. Yeah, I Did It!  or you can also visit Robert Ruisi's latest venture - Book-Spot  Where authors and publishers can meet the readers and sell their books with no middleman. No fees, no percentages, FREE self-publishing. It is run by the collective power of authors. This is where support your author actually means something!

H A P P Y   B L O G   H O P P I N G!

After visiting these authors sites .... stop back here and leave a comment! You will be entered to win an eBook of ANY of my titles! Drawing will be held on Muffin's Birthday - August 8, 2013!