Light Up the Night

Hyperion Book CH, October 2011

Suitable for: Ages 4-8

Themes/Topics: Nighttime rituals, Cumulative Story, Bedtime, Space, Geography, Family, Home

Opening/Synopsis: From Amazon:
When it’s time to sleep, it’s nice to know there’s a place that’s safe.  In a cozy house, in a comfy bed, under a blanket that’s white and red under stars so bright they light up the night in your own little piece of the universe.

Activities:

Jean has a whole series of fantastic activities for Light Up the Night on her website, including a curriculum guide for teachers. My kids also enjoy ending the story with their own town, home, special toy.

Why I Like This Book: 

This book is brilliant in bringing a fairly complex subject – of going from the huge expanse of the universe right down to your own home, own room, own bed, own blanket – down to a child’s size. The book is not “message-y” at all, yet subtly communicates that we are all connected in this big, wide world, and that we all belong. The rhyming verse is impeccable and very soothing for bedtime. We all enjoy reading it over and over and over.

For more fantastic picture books and resources please visit author Susanna Leonard Hill’s blog and find the tab for Perfect Picture Books.

It seems I have quite a bit in common with today’s Tuesday 12 x 12 author, Kirsti Call! I, too, have kept a journal as long as I can remember and still find old poems I wrote to my parents tucked away in memory boxes in my mom’s basement. But now that we’re adults, there is one significant difference — Kirsti has managed to pursue her passion for writing, get a contract for her first picture book (coming in October 2013!) and be an active member of the 12 x 12 community all while raising 5 children! It is that kind of passion and dedication that inspires me and keeps me going. Please welcome Kirsti!

I love to write. I love the feel of a pen moving smoothly across paper. I love the sound of the words in my head. I love how each word combines to create something completely unique. I love how a good story has the power to change lives. 

I remember as a 3 year old, sitting next to my dad as he wrote his dissertation. I listened to the clacking of the typewriter, and sat up straight with my pen and paper, excited to be writing too! I started my first journal when I was 5, dictating my words to my helpful mom.  And when I was 8, I wrote my first poem. I still remember the sound of my mom’s voice, filled with laughter and pride as she read these words:

“My mother’s smile is the best. 

She smiles at every guest.

And yet the while I know that I,

have almost all the rest!” 

That was the year I wrote novellas about horses, kids, fairies and magical boots in my childish script. Even then I knew that I was a writer. I won essay contests and published articles and poetry in my school newspaper. And when I wasn’t writing, I was immersed in a book. 

But somehow getting married and having 5 children distracted me. Two years ago, in a rare moment of quiet, I realized how much I missed writing! At the time, my oldest child was 9 and my youngest was 6 months.  I spent my days playing with them, reading to them, and telling them stories. 

Picture books were a perfect fit for me! I began writing down some of the stories that I’d told my kids. I joined a critique group. I learned about revising and submitting. I went to my first ever SCBWI conference. I received dozens of rejection letters. And finally, I got a contract for one of my stories. This was it, I was going to be an author! 

The excitement of the contract was slightly dampened when I realized that my publisher could and would change my words whether I agreed with it or not. And despite multiple submissions, no one else wanted any of my other stories! 

So when I discovered 12×12 I was thrilled! Here was a way for me to be accountable for writing and revising a manuscript every month. Since January, I’ve doubled my number of stories and revised my other stories like crazy. I’ve met my incredibly talented and supportive critique partner. I’ve become part of a community of writers who get me! Just knowing that other 12x12ers are creating as I create makes me smile. And somehow I know that together, our love of writing will produce powerful stories that change children’s lives.

Kirsti Call writes picture books and dabbles in middle grade fiction.  She is a marriage and family therapist and mother of 5 delightful children who help her invent imaginative stories.  Find out more about her upcoming book, The Raindrop Who Couldn’t Fall at www.kirsticall.com

My sweet girl looking so grown up as Hermia!

Here’s this week’s Gratitude Sunday, capping off a fantastic spring week!

Quotes on Gratitude

“Start a huge, foolish project, like Noah… it makes absolutely no difference what people think of you.” — Rumi

“Let us dream of tomorrow where we can truly love from the soul, and know love as the ultimate truth at the heart of all creation.” — Michael Jackson

“Every heart that has beat strongly and cheerfully has left a hopeful impulse behind it in the world, and bettered the tradition of mankind.” — Robert Louis Stevenson

Gratitude List for the week ending May 19

1. My lovely daughter knocked the role of Hermia in her class performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream out of the PARK – even with a broken toe!
2. Speaking of broken toes, the doctor said hers is healing well and she’ll be able to get the pins out in two weeks.
3. I visited Jay’s class to present A TROOP IS A GROUP OF MONKEYS. It was the first time I’ve shown the app to a large group of children, and it was so rewarding to see them bounce around to the song, jump up with eagerness to touch the animals and race themselves to the front to get their bookmarks!
4. I finished my welcome video for my website! It’s been a work in progress ever since I agreed to be the poster-girl of vidiots for Katie Davis’ Video Idiot Boot Camp.
5. Speaking of Katie Davis, Stacey Williams – who is my publisher at Little Bahalia – was on the Brain Burps About Books podcast talking about storybook apps, including TROOP and my upcoming A SHIVER OF SHARKS.
6. Jay’s first grade teacher is retiring, and I was able to attend her retirement party and thank her for being such a fantastic teacher for both of my kids. I’m happy for her but sorry for all the younger kids who won’t get to have her for a teacher.
7. Lovely evenings to do celebratory dinners outside with the kids.
8. Fun happy hour with friends on Friday evening
9. Waking up to the sound of birds chirping
10. Giving myself time to write in my journal

What are you grateful for this week?

If I had to choose a phrase to describe today’s Tuesday 12 x 12 author Carrie Charley Brown, it would be “Newbie No More!” Her excitement and dedication to writing and this community is contagious and inspiring. She’s grabbed her passion for writing with both hands and clearly is not going to let go! And while I ordinarily wouldn’t suggest writing while driving, I had to both laugh and give a thumbs up in Carrie’s case. You go, girl! Please welcome Carrie!

How do you Spell Newbie?

Nervous, Excited, Worried, Busy, Inquisitive, Eager.

That’s enough going on inside one head to explode!  So, how do you spell relief?

12 x 12, of course!

My journey from teacher to author began in the form of a little spark in 1991. It ignited into a picture book manuscript. That flame was rather snuffed spending nineteen years on the back burner, so that a teaching career, marriage, kids, and life could happen. My husband and I assumed reversed roles when an unexpected lay-off terminated his career. Back to teaching I went! I have always wondered why that flame chose to lash out at such an inopportune time.

I vividly remember being half asleep, pumping myself with coffee, and then yelling some not-so-nice words at some guy who cut me off in traffic. I took one look at the surprised expressions on my kids’ faces in the backseat, and a fire started to roar through my mind. I grabbed a crumpled up napkin, and started writing furiously as we blazed down the expressway. (Yikes!) When I ran out of room, I snatched a wrinkled receipt and scribbled more. I was bursting! But, with such a busy schedule, I had to stuff the ideas into a notebook for a later date. I was so eager to get into my writing, but my mind was only on break during my morning drives.

My husband finally found work and we reversed our roles again. I joined the SCBWI in the fall of 2012, and finally completed the two manuscripts that had burned themselves into my driving time in 2010. I felt free, and very, very green! I read everything I could get my hands on, started a critique group, and researched agents. I completed four additional manuscripts and a handful of short stories. I received my first big rejection during a professional critique with a big time editor at a SCBWI event in October.  My flame didn’t feel so bright anymore. After trying to revise my manuscript in every thinkable way, it went in the drawer.

Enter: PiBoIdMo 2012. Yes! All I needed was more ideas! Sparks were everywhere! From there, I heard about 12 x 12 and became a Gold Member in January.

12 x 12 spells relief:

Nervous?  I am meeting so many awesome writers from all over the world! Connecting lead me to my critique groups, an amazing critique partner, and collaborations. It makes me feel comfortable when my new colleagues offer suggestions, and recommend trusted sources for education, information, and professional services.

Excited!  With a special mixture of PiBoIdMo ideas and a bunch of new ones, I am writing my little heart out!  I love “reporting in” at the end of each month and daily to my critique partner.

Worried?  It is comforting to have people all around me that know exactly what I am going through. 12 x 12 is like a big hug!  Each and every person I have interacted with in this process has strengthened me as a professional and a person. I am learning that differences are good, and this business is truly subjective.

Busy!  The First 250, Query Corner, and Pitch Perfect all allow me to critique the work of other writers. I enjoy helping, and feel a knack for editing. It has helped me become better at revising my own work, too.

Inquisitive? I found support in the 12 x 12 Facebook Group when I needed to know if I was “normal.” Many of my questions are answered by reading the posts of others.

Eager!  12 x 12 has motivated me to produce 7 new manuscripts since January! I am actively submitting and received my first three requests! Everyone has to start somewhere, and 12 x 12 is the perfect place for a Newbie!

Carrie Charley Brown has been inspiring children with the magic of picture books ever since her first teaching job. After 10 years of teaching and an equal amount of years as a full-time mom, she opened a new chapter of her life as a writer in 2012. Her current writing projects include picture books, adult humor, and middle grade fiction. She lives in Mansfield, Texas with her husband Richard, and their three children. Not surprisingly, her children all love to read and write. You can follow her on Twitter at @carriebrowntx or her new blog websites, Carrie On… Together! or Carrie On.

From my kids this morning

Happy Mother’s Day to those celebrating today! For me, two of the things I am most grateful for EVERY DAY are my children and my own mother. I got the jackpot of wonderfulness in both. Case in point: my kids brought me tea in bed this morning along with “Why my mom inspires me,” poems. Now, take a look at the tea tag on the cup. Pretty amazing, huh? So I think I’m set up to have the best Mother’s Day ever – especially since we’ll be going to brunch with my mom too!

Quotes on Gratitude 

“Gratitude is the creative force, the mother and father of love. It is in gratitude that real love exists. Love expands only when gratitude is there.” — Sri Chinmoy

“Every mother is like Moses. She does not enter the promised land. She prepares a world she will not see.” — Pope Paul VI

“Motherhood: All love begins and ends there.” — Robert Browning

Gratitude list for the week ending today, May 12 (Mother’s Day)

1. For my own mother. Everything that has been possible in my life is because of her.
2. For my kids. It is an honor to be their mother, watch them grow, and witness them becoming amazing individuals.
3. Friday movie night with the kids. Pizza, popcorn and snuggles.
4. My daughter wrote down all the reasons I inspire her, put it in a frame and gave it to me for Mother’s Day. A treasure.
5. My son wrote me a five-star, framed review of A TROOP IS A GROUP OF MONKEYS!
6. The trailer for A SHIVER OF SHARKS went live on Friday. I’m in love. Little Bahalia did an outstanding job producing it.
7. For spring weather, green grass, tulips and outdoor runs
8. Meeting Cynthia Morris, one of my mentors and coaches, in person for lunch. She was a huge part of the reason I had the courage to launch the Writer’s Renaissance retreat, and I loved being able to thank her face to face.
9. A productive work week. I’m starting to feel as if I might be able to dig myself back out of the hole I’ve been in since the middle of March!
10. Having the privilege of announcing the first 12 x 12 member who found an agent through the challenge. Congratulations again to Pat Miller!

What are you grateful for this week?

Today I am ecstatic to bring you a different kind of “How I Got My Agent” story. This one is special because it is the first, of hopefully many, success stories of authors finding agents through 12 x 12. Once again I was moved to tears by a member’s expression of what 12 x 12 has done for her confidence, her writing and her career. I can honestly say the only time I’ve ever been more pleased to announce that someone signed with an agent is when it was me! Without further ado, congratulations to Pat Miller, who recently signed with Stephen Fraser of Jennifer DeChiara Literary Agency! May there be many more 12 x 12 participants who come after you!

I began my writing career out of green-eyed jealousy in 1994 with a magazine article. (That’s another story.) I mostly wrote for school librarians. I reconnected with children’s writing, thanks to Tara Lazar’s Picture Book Idea Month challenge, in November 2012. Tara mentioned Julie Hedlund’s upcoming 12 x 12 Picture Book Challenge. Perhaps it was the timing, perhaps the financial investment, but I decided to commit. Here’s how 12 x 12 has made 2013 my luckiest writing year.

ENCOURAGEMENT I began reading other people’s work and submitting my own in the 250 Words Forum. I had done more than six months of research on the sea captain who invented the hole in the doughnut. Now I felt encouraged to stop researching and start writing.

COMPANIONSHIP The 12 x 12 Facebook page peopled my writing space with amiable fellow writers. I was surrounded by their hopes and encouraged by their work. My difficulties were theirs–I wasn’t alone. I began showing up at my desk every morning at 7:00, feeling the invisible but warm company of kindred spirits.

ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS Is a particular conference worth the money? Which writing books are most helpful? How does one format a picture book? The 12×12 group reminds me of a trampoline—throw out a question and within hours, answers bounce up from all over! When I asked if anyone had experience with making book trailers, Julie connected me with Katie Davis. I’ll be joining her Video Idiot Boot Campin May.

RESOURCES Members often suggest sites, blogs, and resources that inspire and educate. Lori Degman told us about a site called Rate Your Story. Over the next couple of months, I submitted three stories. My Stone Soup variant rated a 7, The Hole Story of the Doughnut earned a 3, and Lone Star, Lone Star convinced someone to give it a 1. Encouraged, I sent Lone Star out to several regional publishers.

EXPERT HELP I committed to bringing my Hole Story to completion. I returned to Rate your Story to peruse their list of editors for hire. From a list of heavy hitters, I chose Jill Esbaum, author of 11 picture books and former instructor for the Institute of Children’s Literature. She helped me revise my story, and with high hopes, I submitted it to the Highlights Fiction Contest.

I had more than 200 pages of research on my doughnut inventor. In February I began to feel a book was necessary. But where to begin? What to include? What to leave out? On January 23, Elaine Kearns recommended Dear Editor.com, where you send in questions to editor Deborah Halverson. Deborah’s answer to my questions appeared the next day. I began the book.

NEW DIRECTIONS In mid-January, Janie Reinart posted a site about building one’s author platform. Reading it convinced me I needed to learn about using social media to promote my work. In a marvelous coincidence, another member recommended marketing magician Rivka Kawano. On January 28, I took her three-hour online seminar called “Author Success in 2013”. It was so helpful that I signed for her twelve week course,  Author’s Marketing Class.

CRITIQUE GROUP In early February, Laura Carpenter posted on the forum’s Critique Connect that she wanted to form a group. Lickety-split, nine of us joined her from seven states and Canada—my first critique group! Soon the stories began to fly, as well as posts about our vacations, our discouragements, and our delight in the group.

SHARED SUCCESSES  We participated in the voting for Janie Reinart’s book, Love You More Than You Know, nominated for Best Cleveland Book of 2013. And she won! Tracey Cox shared news of the debut of her cleverly named Arachnabet: An Alphabet of Spiders. Cheryl Lawton Malone nearly won the March Madness Poetry Match with her poem, “Autocorrect”. The success of any of us gave us all hope.

ACCESS TO AGENTS In January, Emma Walton Hamilton taught us to write query letters and posted her analysis of 40 queries submitted by 12x12ers. In February, Stephen Fraser of the Jennifer de Chiara Literary Agency became the first of 11 monthly agents willing to look at our work and make suggestions.

By mid-February, The Hole Story of the Doughnut had been through numerous revisions and shaped up as a picture book biography. I crafted my e-query based on Emma’s advice. I followed it with the manuscript that had been through my critique group, Rate Your Story, Jill Esbaum, and Kathi Appelt, the Newbery-honor winner whose critique I won at a local SCBWI auction. With a small prayer, I hit “send” and off went my manuscript to Stephen Fraser.

A REALIZED DREAM Julie sent out interview and biographic information on Stephen Fraser when he stepped up to be our first agent reader. He sounded experienced, passionate, and kind. Just the kind of agent I would like if I had one. He amazed all of us by turning our stories around in three days or less. And he liked my story. Could I make some changes and resubmit? The day after April Fool’s Day, Stephen called me and offered to represent The Hole Story. I tried not to squeal like a pre-teen at a Bieber concert. He patiently answered my questions and said his contract would be in the mail. HIS CONTRACT WOULD BE IN THE MAIL! I was fizzy with joy, thrilled to have an agent, and very aware of how much I owe to Julie Hedlund and  the writers of 12 x 12. Thanks to them, my nineteen-year career became an overnight success.

Pat Miller is the author of 20 professional books and more than 200 articles for school librarians. Her first children’s book, Substitute Groundhog, garnered 32 rejection letters before publication by Albert Whitman. It was named a Junior Library Guild selection. Find out more at www.patmillerbooks.com.

The second reason is thus. During that first challenge, it was day six and I was writing a story with the clever title of “Thomas’s Promises.” In it, a boy named Thomas keeps promising his mother he’ll clean his room, do his homework, feed the dog… just as soon as he’s finished playing. Of course he doesn’t keep those promises, so one day his mother decides to turn the tables on him and boy does he learn a lesson!

It was in the midst of boring the pants off myself writing this story that I decided I couldn’t stand to work on it for one more minute. I decided instead to start over on a brand new draft I’d been wanting to write for a while based on another catchy title. I had the basic premise, but I had no idea how I would execute on that premise.

What happened next was one of the most exhilarating experiences I’ve ever had as a writer. The story took over and brought me along on the adventure as it unfolded. When I reached the unexpected (to me) ending, I had tears in my eyes. Having one of my own stories make me cry had never happened before, nor has it happened since. But it was at that moment I knew my writing could trigger deep feelings in readers.

That story has gone through many revisions. It is as yet unpublished, but I know it will be someday. More importantly though, it stoked my confidence as a writer. For that, I am forever grateful to Paula and NaPiBoWriWee. I wanted to share the story with you to demonstrate the power of writing challenges and writing communities like the one Paula puts together every year.

Congratulations, Paula, on the 5th Anniversary of NaPiBoWriWee!!

P.S. Doesn’t this year’s logo match my website perfectly?

Finally! A Tuesday 12 x 12 author who loves sleep as much as I do! I always thought I was the only one who was rabid about getting enough sleep. Meet Teresa Robeson, who has brought so much humor and heart to the 12 x 12 challenge (AND a recipe for vodka creamsicles!). Just read her bio at the end of this post and you’ll have a good sense of how lucky we 12 x 12 folks are to get to steep in her enthusiasm and energy every day. Please welcome Teresa! 

Once upon a time, a young girl loved writing and drawing so much that her mother urged her to take creative writing or fine arts at university. But like any cranky kid, she didn’t listen to her mom and tried to do a science degree instead.

Fast forward a few years – while panicking about turning 30, the girl decided to get serious about writing. So she took a writing-for-children course and wrote what she thought was a nice picture book based on autobiographical material. Turns out it was more of a short-story, and while Ladybug Magazine published it, the girl thought she was a failure as a picture book writer and moved on.

You might think this was the end of the story, but fast forward again a bunch more years, and this girl, now no longer young, had her interest in writing PBs renewed when she came across Paula Yoo’s NaPiBoWriWee. Sometime thereafter, she “met” Julie Hedlund at Write-On Con and Verla Kay, and the rest is 12×12 history! The end.

Kidding.  But I’ll stop talking about myself in the third person.

I joined 12×12 because it sounded like what I needed after doing NaPiBoWriWee. So far, 12×12 has exceeded my expectations. Through it, I have become a part of the most amazing critique group (love you ladies – Kristen, Elaine, Victoria, Yvonne, Renee, and Sylvia!), written 3 drafts and polished a couple of old ones, submitted to the three scheduled agents, and made friends with a bunch of supportive and talented writers.

I usually don’t feel qualified to give people advice, but you’re probably here to read some and not just to see me ramble on about myself. LOL! Three things have worked well for me in my so-called writing career. I want to share them with my fellow PB-Padawans:

1) Get thee to a critique group. I can’t believe I wrote (on and off) for 20 years without one. Now I have three and they are my guiding lights, my partners in crime, and my cheerleaders extraordinaire! I was invited to join these critique groups by invitation via a Gotham Writer’s Workshop class, the local SCBWI chapter, and the 12×12 Challenge. Whether you’re already part of one or need to start one yourself, I recommend the book “The Writing & Critique Group Survival Guide” by Becky Levine to help guide you.

2) Don’t believe the lies and excuses you tell yourself about why you can’t spend more time writing. I love my sleep. I used to joke that the top three things I love most are my family, food, and sleep, not necessarily in that order. I claimed that I couldn’t give up sleep to write like professional writers urged us to do. This year, with the big Five-Oh breathing down my neck, I decided that it was time to stop making excuses. I started getting up 1.5 hours earlier than I used to and, holy cow, I got so much more writing in! It’s apparently decent writing too because I’ve won two contests since and was a finalist in a third.

3) Never stop learning. I’ve taken classes at the Institute of Children’s Literature, Gotham Writer’s Workshop, and Indiana University Continuing Education, and am currently taking Picture Book Academy and will be taking Making Picture Book Magic in June, taught by the fabulous and talented Mira Reisberg and Susanna Hill, respectively. And, of course, read voraciously about the craft and all books in general.

Teresa grew up in Hong Kong and Vancouver but, these days, find herself in the middle of nowhere Midwest as a homeschooling mom and a wannabe-homesteader. Baking is her preferred method of procrastination but she also enjoys knitting, sewing, crocheting, making cheese and yogurt, and will soon start spinning and weaving. She was raised by Star Trek and Chinese fairy tales, and writes speculative fiction for adults and YA in addition to picture books. She has a degree in Speech Science/Linguistics that she never uses, and still wants to be an astrophysicist or opera singer when she grows up. You can find out more than you ever wanted to know about her at her webite, teresarobeson.com, or blog, Growing, Writing, and Creating.

Then I saw this quote from literary agent Rachelle Gardner’s blog. Technically the post was about Pinterest, but it applies to video too. “As a writer, you may be more attuned to words than visuals. You may not be a YouTube fan, and you prefer to read a written blog post rather than watch a vlog. But the rest of the world – your readers – isn’t like you. They enjoy pictures as well as words (or more than words).”

Lucky for me, just when I wanted to learn video, Katie Davis asked me to beta-test her latest online course, Video Idiot Boot Camp. I’m telling you, I went from knowing NOTHING to being able to create all different kinds of videos in a matter of weeks. And you know what? I’ve found I LOVE making videos! It’s a brand-new creative outlet for me, and I’ve discovered that making videos is just telling stories in a different medium.

Now the course is officially launched so YOU can learn to make videos too. I know firsthand that to get just one professional video created costs, at a minimum, $200, and more often $500+. So this course is a great deal. In fact, I’m now so passionate about what I learned I’m helping Katie promote the course.* What better way to do that then to share a video testimonial with you. I hope you enjoy it! If so, check out my YouTube channel too!

If you decide to sign up and use my link, I get a referral. So if you do, thanks!

My Brave Girl

Well the big drama this week was my 10 year-old daughter having surgery on a broken toe. But I was glad to be able to help calm and comfort her.

Quotes on Gratitude

“Miracles start to happen when you give as much energy to your dreams as you do to your fears.” — Richard Wilkins

“Gratitude is an opener of locked-up blessings.” — Marianne Williamson

“He who is not contented with what he has would not be contented with what he would like to have.” — Socrates

Gratitude list for the week ending May 4

1. Em’s surgery on her broken toe went very well, so now she is on her way to healing!
2. The fact that Em was couch-bound for a couple of days gave me a chance to catch up on some favorite movies with her, including The Princess Diaries 1 and 2 and Harry Potter 1 and 2.
3. A snowy beginning of the week has given way yet again to spring.
4. The melting snow has made the grass green. The contrast between the green down here and the mountains caked with snow in the distance is nothing short of breathtaking.
5. I made a recipe I learned at the Writer’s Renaissance cooking class at Badia a Coltibuono — Fagioli all’ucelletto con salsiccia. Not only was it delicious but BOTH of my kids liked it. Now THAT is a miracle!
6. Peace and quiet this weekend
7. My mom’s generosity
8. The ability to make a video testimonial to thank Katie Davis for all of the skills I have acquired by taking her Video Idiot Boot Camp course. I am truly grateful to be able to make videos as an additional creative outlet.
9. To the folks who answered my plea to like my Facebook Author Page so I could get to 500 “Likes.”
10. The iPhone app Viber, which allows free texts and calls internationally.

What are you grateful for this week?