Freelance journalism work!

Any of you fine writers interested in freelance journalism work? I'm managing editor of Chicago Health magazine and am looking to add a few good writers to the roster. Contact me at davidh@chicagohealthonline.com.

Beth's Banter: The Advantages of Joint Book Signings

Great article written by fellow children's book author & friend, Beth Carter: Beth's Banter: The Advantages of Joint Book Signings: Earlier this month, I participated in the first-ever Authors at Art Walk at the Park Central Library in downtown Springfield. The event was ...

Indie Authors, "Clearing up false perceptions"

I wanted to take a moment to touch on the subject of "Editing" and the importance of editing your work.  Indie Authors are often perceived by authors that had their manuscript published through traditional publishing houses, as well as the publishing houses themselves, as writers who produce less than stellar or quality work.

I would like to be the first to put this myth to rest.  This is not true of ANY writer, whether they've chosen to use a traditional or indie publisher who takes pride in their work and how their work is perceived by the world. The method and reason a writer chooses to publish their work is as individual as the goals each writer has set for themselves.

I chose to become an indie author for several reasons. (1) I wanted to retain all creative control over my manuscript and characters. (2) I wanted to retain the rights to my manuscript and images. (3) I did not want to wait the 12-18 month time frame it takes to publish my work and deprive children of enjoying it sooner.  

None of the reasons I stated above would indicate my work is one of poor quality, but simply reveals a personal choice I've made.  The editing process can be tedious in addition to time-consuming.  It is always an excellent idea to have several pairs of eyes on your manuscript.  No matter how many times I read over my manuscript,  my editor always finds something I missed or offers their suggestion on how I can make it better.   Now, I want you to keep in mind when your editor offers their suggestions, their suggestions should NEVER override your own gut in terms of what and how your manuscript should read.  "Take the GOOD throw out the BAD" still rings true!

I have several colleagues who have been very generous in allowing me to use their eyes by helping me edit my manuscripts.  I can only begin to imagine how many typo's and grammatical errors my manuscript would have contained had it not been for the keen eyes of these two lovely ladies, Donalisa Helsley, author of "The Day No One Played Together "  and Tracey Searight-Dilbert, author of "Detective Pancake"

If you are not as fortunate as I am do not worry, there are plenty of authors who share my desire to help other writers critique their work.  You can locate and sign up to be a critique partner @Ladies Who Critique.com   I just recently signed up as a member and I am looking forward to sharing my experiences with you, good or bad.

Until next time, Happy Critiquing!

Writing Resources:   Copy blogger

Blog Hop for Children's Authors

Welcome to the children’s author blog hop!

Thanks to Beth Carter, author of children's picture books, women's fiction, contemporary romance, romantic suspense, six-word memoirs, short stories and haiku. @ http://banterwithbeth.blogspot.com/ who invited me to participate. After you finish here, I invite you to read about Beth's books.

Blog hops are a great way for authors and readers to connect, plus by adding links to each other's pages, we create some dynamic group marketing. The blog hop rules are simple. Each author answers four questions and invites three other children's authors to participate the following week. I invited some very entertaining, talented authors to participate. You'll see their names, book titles and links to their sites below. First up, my job is to answer four blog hop questions as follows:

What are you working on right now?

I just completed the editing my second children's picture book "Obie The Giant Polka- Dotted Octopus" & I am working on my first middle school book titled" The Locket"

Why do you write what you do?

I write what I hear. When I sit down at my computer, with coffee in hand I am meditating. I am listening and waiting on my next creative idea (character) to emerge. Once I receive it, I know it's eventually going to be a new character in one of my children's picture books. I absolutely love creating and breathing life into fictional children's characters because they capture and hold the attention of children through play (entertainment)

What is the hardest part about writing?

For me, it's finding time during the day just sit, get still and listen.

What scares you? Public speaking. I am extremely introverted.

I hope you got to know more about me. Now, don’t forget to hop over to my fabulous friends’ blogs next week. All of their books are amazing!

Donalisa Helsley, Donalisa is an award winning children's book author. She lives in Oklahoma with her husband & two daughters. Donalisa has a Masters in Social Work and is a family and children's therapist. She has worked in behavioral health with children and adolescents for over 12 years. Her mission is to encourage a love of reading in our children and re-ignite the love in you.


Uncle-Dave Howard,  - "Uncle" Dave Howard is an award winning author and illustrator of children's books. He grew up in Monongahela, Pennsylvania where he graduated from Ringgold High School in 1992. He continued his studies at The Art Institute of Pittsburgh where he graduated with an Associates degree in visual communications in 1995. His awards include the 2011 U.S.A Best Book award finalist, the 2012 International book award finalist, and the Mom's Choice Award for "Lady's Day To Play". He wrote this book for his nieces baby shower as a personalized gift, but her baby died when she was only two months old of (S.I.D.S.) sudden infant death syndrome. He now donates a dollar of every book to S.I.D.S. research.


Aileen Stewart,  - Aileen Stewart is the award winning author of the children’s books Fern Valley- A Collection of Short Stories, a public speaker, amateur photographer, and a blogger. In addition, she hosts writing workshops for children and holds a degree in Business Administration and a certificate in Sales and Marketing. She resides in lovely Shelby, Ohio with her beautiful daughter, wonderful husband, and their crazy cats Max and Daisy. Besides writing, she loves to cook, quilt, craft, garden, travel, bird-watch, assemble puzzles, go Geo caching, and volunteer at her daughter’s school and her local library. Her motto is “Kids Who Read Can Do Anything” which was inspired by her late father, the man who instilled in her a love for the written word.

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