Writing Tips & the 84th Kid Lit Blog Hop

Carpinello's Writing Pages is back once again with writing tips from the authors interviewed. These interviews are from March and April 2016. As always, read and please leave a writing tip of your own in the comments.

Keep writing. Don't let setbacks discourage you. Go to conferences, take courses, join a critique group, and read, read, read—Darlene Foster, author of Amanda in Alberta-The Writing on the Stone

Don’t write to make a living. Write because you love it—Jessica Therrien, author of Children of the Gods series
 
Write what you’re passionate about. Dig down inside to find the emotion to put on the page. Don’t publish the story before it’s ready. Just because you can easily self-publish doesn’t mean the story should be quickly put out there before its polished. Get away from your writing regularly to refill the well with activities and experiences that inform and energize your stories. But most of all, don’t write/publish in a vacuum – join a supportive professional organization related to your genre/category of books to learn and grow as an author—Betty Bolte, author of Hometown Heroes

Keep writing! I find that if I take a break, it’s much harder to get back in the swing of things. Also, do your research about the publishing process to determine if you want to go the independent or traditional route. Whichever route you choose, be informed—Elizabeth Woodrum, author of The Maisy Files series.

And now,

Welcome back to another month of terrific children's literature on the May 2017 Kid Lit Blog Hop. 

On this Hop, Carpinello's Writing Pages interviews
MG Author
Gary Val Tenuta

This hop takes place every 3rd Wednesday of the month. It is designed to engage a  group of people who love everything that has to do with children's literature. Everyone is welcome to join us: bloggers, authors, publicist, and publishers!

Have you seen the  Kid Lit Blog Hopper Facebook fan page? This page has all the news and information related to the hop plus ongoing posts, giveaways, news articles, etc. related to Kid's Lit. Check it out and of course, please like the page.

So for our hop, please make sure that your posts are related to Children’s literature only and add it to the linky. (Please make sure to add your direct post only) If you are an author, feel free just to link to your blog. Once you are done, then hop around to visit others. Please follow the co-host and visit at least the one or two people above your link. Please leave a comment when you do visit, we all like those.

Also, it would be appreciated if you grab the Kid Lit Blog Hop Badge and display it on your blog and/or your post. Note: Make sure you have the newest badge as the old one goes to the wrong page.

We would also be grateful if you tweet and/or posted on Facebook about the blog hop. Let’s grow this wonderful community.

Thanks for sharing your great children's books with all of us! The hostess will be around to see you.

Happy Hopping!

Reading Authors, Hostess

The Bookshelf Gargoyle, co-host

BeachBoundBooks, co-hostess

                                                    Pragmatic Mom, co-hostess

Jump Into A Book, co-hostess

Spark and Pook, co-hostess

                                              Carpinello's Writing Page, co-hostess

An InLinkz Link-up

Meet MG Author Elizabeth Woodrum

Carpinello's Writing Pages welcomes one of our favorite types of authors today: Teacher-Author Elizabeth Woodrum.

First, a bit about Elizabeth:

I am originally from Indiana. I moved to Ohio after college for a teaching position and have lived in the Dayton area since 2002. I have been a teacher for about fourteen years, having taught grades four, six, seven, and eight during that time. I currently teach sixth-grade language arts.

I began working on my first independent author project in 2012 and published the first book in my middle grade mystery series in 2013.

Why did you pick to write books for Middle Grade?

I chose to write for a middle grade audience because I was inspired by my time spent with fourth-grade students. I taught that grade for ten years, and I know that age level well. I kept them in mind as a possible audience while writing.

What types of books do you like to read?

My favorite genre is fantasy, though I do enjoy realistic fiction as well. I read a lot of YA books, especially now that I teach sixth-graders. I like to keep current with what they are reading, but I also just really enjoy that genre.


When you are not writing, what do you like to do?

I spend a lot of time reading or listening to audio books. I find inspiration from books I enjoy. I spend a lot of time walking or playing with my dog. I adopted her from a rescue organization four years ago, and she is my little shadow.

Tell us about Maisy and the Mystery Manor and how the story came to be.

My current book is the third in the Maisy Files series. This particular story came about because I wanted to have something that would be timely, since I wanted to publish it in October. I also wanted to mix things up a little bit. The previous two books took place mostly at Maisy’s school. The third book has a completely different setting.

Here's a peek at Maisy and the Mystery Manor:

Super sleuths will be thrilled to know that everyone’s favorite fourth-grade detective is back with a double dose of mystery adventure!

As Maisy participates in a mystery weekend event for junior detectives, she uncovers a real case. Could a ghost be haunting Mystery Manor?

Find out in the exciting third installment of The Maisy Files!





Have you written other books? If so, tell us a bit about them.

My other two books, Maisy and the Missing Mice and Maisy and the Money Marauder, are my two other published works. They introduce readers to the character of Maisy Sawyer, a fourth-grade detective with quite an imagination. In the first book, Maisy is tasked with finding the school’s missing mice mascots. In the second, she must solve the case of stolen lunch money.

What’s next for your writing? Are you working on a new story?

I’m currently toying with a few new ideas for Maisy. But, I also have a YA novel that is bouncing around my brain. I’m planning on releasing another Maisy book in the spring or early summer. But, I would like to also write a YA novel sometime in the future.

What advice do you have for other authors?

Keep writing! I find that if I take a break, it’s much harder to get back in the swing of things. Also, do your research about the publishing process to determine if you want to go the independent or traditional route. Whichever route you choose, be informed.

Anything else you want readers to know?

I want readers to know that I greatly enjoy writing stories for Maisy. A lot of my inspiration comes from my classroom experience, and I think that makes my stories very relatable for young readers.

Where can readers find you and your books?



Website
Facebook
Twitter
Amazon Author Page


My books are available online. The e-books are available only through Amazon, but the paperbacks can be bought at just about any online retailer. The first two books are currently available in audio book format through Amazon, Audible, and iTunes. The third audio book will soon be available as well.