ENDURING PICTURE BOOKS

I read to each of my children when they were young, and still read to my youngest, who is now a teenager. My kids developed a love for reading, and my house is overflowing with all the books we purchased that they couldn't bear to part with. At times I threaten to clear out a few, but my threats are met with such vehement opposition that I always give in and make way for more.

Now I read to my granddaughter. She loves books featuring princesses and fairies, but she lets me slip in a few of my favorites in between all that sweetness. Lately we've been on an alphabet book kick, partly to help her learn them, and partly because I've always been partial to them. So many talented writers and illustrators make for endless possibilities with those 26 letters. One of my favorites is A Was Once An Apple Pie by Edward Lear. I owned a copy of that book as a child, purchased for a nickle at a junk store. Unfortunately, I often read outdoors and would sometimes get distracted and leave my books in the yard. It rains a lot in the Midwest during the summer months. Alas.

Last night, however, I didn't want to read about princesses, or fairies, or alphabet creatures. So I went upstairs to peruse one of our many bookcases, and I found something I thought my little one might enjoy. It was my son's ABSOLUTELY MOST FAVORITE BOOK IN THE WORLD when he was her age. I'm referring to Mercer Mayer's Critters of the Night, Midnight Snack. It's written by Erica Farber and J. R. Sansevere, and is one of the Step into Reading series.

Midnight Snack is a rhyming picture book - no wonder I love it - and tells the story of how Groad feeds all of his friends their favorite snacks during the dark hours. The pages are filled with the unforgettable, wonderful illustrations of Mercer Mayer. Frightening monsters and stray eyeballs fill the pages, and there is just as much story revealed in the pictures as there is in the actual wording. My granddaughter loved it and asked for it again as soon as I had finished the last page. I love when that happens.

So if you're looking for something fun, and apparently not too frightening, to read to your little ones at bedtime, this is one I would suggest. 

HAPPY READING!

Cordelia Dinsmore

SNOW DOUGHNUTS

This morning the local news team mentioned something I had never heard of before. Snow Doughnuts. Check out the link: snow doughnuts

What an interesting phenomenon! I checked out a few different links on the subject, and some of the pictures showed that the snow sometimes rolls across a field and forms a long tube-shaped roll. I've never seen one of these other than in photos, but the Kansas wind and empty wheat fields would probably make this possible. In fact, I first thought I was seeing photos of large round hay bales simply covered in snow.

While these delightful surprises are a treat to find in nature, we need to avoid them in our writing. In much the same way the wind can pick up something as insubstantial as snow and roll it into a large cylinder, a tiny spark of an idea can work its way into our plot and send it off into unintended directions, wreaking havoc with our original plan. That's why  solid plot outlines and character arcs are so important when creating a novel. Ideas need to be centered and grounded; otherwise, strange winds can come along and blow them into surprising results that may turn our hard work into something insubstantial. 

When I read the articles about the snow doughnuts, I thought the formation of the hole in the middle of these rolls to be quite interesting. The middle is made up of the first snow to be picked up as it begins rolling. It isn't as packed down as the surrounding layers, so as the ball of snow rolls and picks up speed, this inner layer is easily shed. This, too, can happen in our writing. If we don't ensure that our original plan for our story is fully formed and firmly in place, we can end up with huge plot holes that develop along the way. We have to keep that initial idea firmly centered so that our story is well-rounded and complete.

I'm not suggesting that we can't develop new twists and turns as we proceed, but if we haven't carefully planned out the logical path for our story to follow by starting out with a carefully thought out plan, some strange wind may come along and carry it off much like this snowball effect.

I hope the analogies I've made here make sense. I struggle in my own writing with outlining and then sticking to it. Hopefully these ideas will help me, and possibly others, to improve on future projects. That's my plan, at least.

Lately I've had time for quite a bit of reading, so I'll soon be back to share some thoughts on a few of my latest MG acquisitions. Until then,

HAPPY READING!

Cordelia Dinsmore

SPECIAL GUEST MIKEY BROOKS

Welcome to the Official Blog Tour of:

THE DREAMSTONE,

Book Two in The Dream Keeper Chronicles

A thrilling fantasy-adventure series for middle-grade readers!

_______________________________________________________________ 

Don't forget to check out the GIVEAWAY

at the bottom of this page for a chance

to win one of over 30 prizes! 

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Friday the 13^th is always associated with Fear. Whether it’s the fear of superstition or a masked man hiding in the closet, fear is real. It can thrill, excite, even cripple. Many will go to extremes to push the fear factor within themselves—to feel fear. Spooky movies, haunted houses, a scary book—anything that sends a quick shiver up the spine is always fun for me. Is it any wonder I wrote a book about nightmares?

A lot of readers ask me how I came up with some of the scary dreamlings in my books. I answer them honestly: those were the nightmares of my childhood. From the rubber chicken wielding psychotic clown to the creature made up completely of spiders—I dreamed about those things as a kid. Even to this day, clowns still give me the heebie-jeebies. It wasn’t easy facing some of those nightmares again, but one of the themes in The Dream Keeper Chronicles is that kids need to face their fears to overcome them. I learned as I faced the nightmares of my childhood I was able to confront them. And with the help of Parker, Kaelyn, and Gladamyr, I was able to defeat them.

In book one, The Dream Keeper, Parker and Kaelyn have to face numerous nightmares and overcome their fear of them. In book two, The Dreamstone, it is Gladamyr’s turn to face what he fears most—himself. Gladamyr is a reformed nightmare, when he was bad, he was the worst. After an encounter with a dream catcher leaves Gladamyr powerless, the only thing that will return his shape-shifting gift is to become a nightmare again. It was intense writing this because it is one thing to face your outward fears like clowns and spiders, it’s another to face the inner demons. I think those are the hardest things to overcome. Overall I want to teach kids that it’s okay to be afraid. You cannot be brave if you don’t recognize that what you’re up against is scary. I want them to recognize the fear and overcome it.

I am excited to announce the release of book two in my middle-grade fantasy-adventure series, THE DREAM STONE. It is an action-packed adventure with a toe in both the real world and the fantastic. So go check it out…what are you afraid of?

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DREAMS: 

Dorothy called it Oz, 

Alice called it Wonderland, 

but Nightmares call it HOME. 

When Parker’s mom is dreamnapped by the wicked Mab, it is up to him and Kaelyn to save her. When they return to Dreams, they discover Mab isn’t their only problem. Gladamyr has lost his powers and the only way to get them back is to become what he fears the most—a nightmare.

SYNOPSIS:

In Book 1, The Dream Keeper, Parker and Kaelyn discovered that Dreams was a real place that everyone visits while they sleep. An evil nightmare named Fyren took control of the gateway to that world. Parker and Kaelyn teamed up with Gladamyr, the only dream keeper to escape capture by Fyren, and together they save Dreams from Fyren’s rule. After the defeat of Fyren the children return to Awake to find Mab, Fyren’s next in command, has dreamnapped Parker’s mom. 

The story continues in Book 2, The Dreamstone, as the children return to Dreams to save Parker’s mom. Finding her, however, is not their only problem. Mab has waged a war on the Crossing and has sent an army of dragons to bring it down, nightmares have been released from prison, and Gladamyr has lost his powers to shape-shift. Parker, Kaelyn, and Gladamyr must once again defy all odds to set things right and save Parker’s mom before it’s too late.    

In Praise of THE DREAMSTONE:

“The Dreamstone, by Mikey Brooks, is a wild stallion of a story: fast, thrilling, and unpredictable. I was hooked in chapter one. If he can snare the attention of an old reader like me, he’ll have kids sneaking this one into class underneath their text books…If this one isn’t a kid-pleaser, I don’t know what is.” –Michelle Isenhoff, author of the Divided Decade Trilogy and the Taylor Davis Series.

“This really is a cracking novel. Action-packed and spellbinding!”—Cas Peace, author of The Artisans of Albia series.

"If you like the Percy Jackson, Fablehaven, or the Harry Potter series, you'll love this!" –An Amazon Reviewer.

AUTHOR BIO:

Mikey Brooks is a small child masquerading as an adult. On occasion you’ll catch him dancing the funky chicken, singing like a banshee, and pretending to have never grown up. He is the author/illustrator of several books including the best-selling ABC ADVENTURES: MAGICAL CREATURES and BEAN’S DRAGONS as well as the middle-grade fantasy-adventure series THE DREAM KEEPER CHRONICLES. His art can be seen in many forms from picture books to full room murals. He loves to daydream with his three daughters and explore the worlds that only the imagination of children can create. Mikey has a BS degree in English from Utah State University and works full-time as a freelance illustrator and cover designer. As a member of the Emblazoners, he is one of many authors devoted to ‘writing stories on the hearts of children’. He is also one of the hosts of the Authors’ Think Tank Podcast. You can find more about him and his books at: www.insidemikeysworld.com

Now Available in Audiobook!

BOOK LINKS:

Paperback: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1939993237 

Hardback: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1939993229

eBook: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GP33YZO

ISBN:

Hardback: 978-1-939993-22-9, Paperback: 978-1-939993-23-6, eBook: 978-1-939993-24-3

PRICE:

Hardback: $19.95, Paperback: $12.99, EBook: $2.99.

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10 winners will receive a gift bag with numerous signed books marks, 

collector cards, wrists bands, and a handmade dream key necklace.

Paperback Books:

Can You Survive? Treasure Island, by Blake Hoena

The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer, by Lisa Cole Orchard

Color of Freedom, by Michelle Athearn Isenhoff

Explorer X-Alpha, by Lm Preston

Gangsterland, by Ansha Kotyk

Cycles, by Lois Brown

Andy Smithson: Blast of the Dragon’s Fury, by L.R.W Lee

Princess Kandake, by Stephanie Jefferson

Weight of the Crown, by Stephanie Jefferson

Arrow of the Mist, by Christina Mercer

Cassidy Jones, by Elise Stokes

The Seventh Attendant, by Elise Stokes

Curse at Zala Manor, by BBH McChiller

The Curse of the Double Digits, by Lynn Kelley

Into the Forest and Down the Tower, by Ann T. Bugg

Off to Camp and Discovering Art, by Ann T. Bugg

Agency, by Shantal Hiatt

Psyched, by Juli Caldwell

Ragesong, by J.R. Simmons

EBooks:

Secret Sisters Club, by Monique Bucheger

Trouble Blows West, by Monique Bucheger

The Alien Mind, by Virginia Jennings

The Last Time Keepers, by Sharon Ledwith

Frogs & Toads, by Stacy Lynn Carroll

Nexus Point, by Jaleta Clegg

Warrior Beautiful, by Wendy Knight

Shahira and the Flying Elfs, by Anna del C Dye (PDF)

 

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THANKSGIVING WISHES

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day, and I'm busy, busy, busy getting ready to feed a small crowd. It's something I love to do - cooking for others and watching them enjoy the meal.

Here in America, this is a day we set aside to remember all the blessings in our lives. For the life of me, I can't figure out why we set aside only one day a year for this, when so many of us are blessed so richly. To be honest, it would take me the entire day and more to list all of the things for which I am thankful.

I know the Pilgrims get credit for the actual holiday we celebrate tomorrow, but the idea of thanksgiving has been around for thousands of years. As a Christian, I often go back to David when looking for someone who epitomizes the heart filled with thanksgiving. His psalms are beautiful, which might be surprising when one considers many of them were written when he was such a young man.

David had much to be thankful for. Some of his actions might come across as being a bit on the reckless side. Taking on a giant with only a sling and a few stones sounds crazy to me, but he did it, and came out the victor. He found himself on the bad side of a powerful king, and survived numerous attempts to end his life. He also had a weakness for the ladies, which led to major problems. But God favored David, and saw him through the hard times and the mistakes he made. David was a shrewd and discerning man, and I believe there is ample evidence of his thankfulness.

My husband is certainly no David, but for many years now he has been my greatest blessing. I am so very thankful for him, his strengths and even his weaknesses. He has an ordered mind, which is such a blessing to me because I'm a scatterbrain. Perhaps it was the many years he spent in the military, but even though his garage looks like a disaster to me, he has an uncanny ability to find whatever he or I am looking for when he needs to extricate an item from the mess.

He also has a weakness for the ladies, but, fortunately for me, I'm the one he has loved for the last 45 years. His heart also belongs to his two daughters and his granddaughter, but I'm so thankful that I'm the one who is growing old with him. 

This was a bit of an unusual post for me, but my mood is reflective as I prepare a small feast for family and friends I'm very thankful for. I'm thankful that I have this privilege and that they trust me to do a good job of it. I hope on this one day, especially,  you all find more blessings than you can count.

HAPPY READING!

Cordelia Dinsmore

AUTISM AND OVERNIGHTS

The holidays are fast approaching and I'm already busier than I like. Since I'm throwing a small Thanksgiving party, I've been shopping and planning menu ideas. I've also spent what seems like hours and hours in the toy aisles getting suggestions for Christmas gift ideas. 

Several fun get-togethers are coming up soon, which will involve more shopping for gifts, and cookie baking, which are activities I actually enjoy quite a bit. But they wear me out.

This weekend, however, I'm participating in an exciting outing that is probably going to be my undoing. Survival is questionable. 

Our church youth group is attending a fall festival that is loads of fun. I've attended in the past as a sponsor for the girls, and had such an enjoyable time. Little sleep, but lots of bonding and laughing and sharing. 

This year, however, is going to be a whole different ball game.

My son is protesting that he doesn't want to attend. I can understand this, because social situations are quite difficult for him, at least when they center around kids. He is much more in his element when surrounded by adults. His autism and anxiety disorder interfere with his ability to let down his guards and enjoy himself, and one situation that is most difficult for him is being away from one of us for an overnight.

We discussed the idea of my husband going in my place, but then he would be in the same cabin as our son, and we thought it would be good for him to stay with people he knows and can trust, but still make it a growing experience - at least, that's our hope.

So I will be there, but I'll be staying with the girls. He can do this, I know, but I'm not expecting it to all be smooth sailing. He'll be highly stressed, but hopefully he'll be reassured enough by my presence to avoid a full out meltdown.

I'm happy to have the opportunity to attend. I love to see him overcome obstacles and learn that he can be successful. He's a neat kid, and of course I love him with my entire being, but it's still hard to see him struggle so much with social situations that should be all joy and uplifting. The fact that I can trust my husband to keep the other kids safe and take care of the chores here at home is priceless.

Unfortunately, the weather is not going to cooperate in helping make this a thoroughly enjoyable experience. The high 60's and low 70's that we've been blessed with this week are moving out tomorrow, and the weekend is predicted to bring snow and freezing temperatures. And wind, of course. What would Kansas be without the wind?

I just hope there is room in the van for my arctic sleeping bag, and extra blankets, and thermal socks, and wool longjohns. No chance of packing just a small bag with a toothbrush, pillow, and book. Surely I can find a place to stash my Nook!

HAPPY READING!

Cordelia Dinsmore

DAY 13 OF 13 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN

13 FUN HALLOWEEN PICTURE BOOKS

Since I've been working on some picture book manuscripts lately, I thought it might be fun to share some fun reads for the youngest audience members. These are all guaranteed to please and are not too frightening. 

1. Big Pumpkin – Erica Silverman, S. D. Schindler – All witch wants is a pumpkin pie for Halloween. But her pumpkin is too big for her to move. Her friends all volunteer to help, but none of them can budge the heavy pumpkin. Then the solution to the problem arrives in an unlikely hero.

2. Bone Soup – Cambria Evans – a retelling of Stone Soup with grizzly ingredients. When the hungry skeleton comes into town, he’s hoping for a feast, but no one wants to share their food with the greedy goblin. So he uses trickery and persuasion to use the town folk to help him concoct a savory meal for all of them to share.

3. Click, Clack, Boo!: A Tricky Treat – Doreen Cronin  & Betsy Lewin – Click,Clack, Moo with a Halloween theme. The animals are out at the barn, ready for some Halloween fun, but Farmer Brown wants to curl up in his footie jammies and call it a night. Guess who wins the battle.

4. Five Little Pumpkins – illustrated by Dan Yaccarino – This song is a favorite with all the preschoolers and kindergartners, and the fun illustrations make it even more enjoyable.

5. Goodnight Goon – A Petrifying Parody – illustrated by Michael Rex - A little werewolf can’t go to sleep so he tells everyone and everything goodnight. Then a mischievous goon wreaks havoc.

6. In the Haunted House – Eve Bunting, Susan Meddaugh – Rhyming text and a fun story of what it’s like to walk through a haunted house. The identity of the two moving through the house isn’t revealed until the very last page.

7. Room on the Broom – Julia Donaldson, Axel Scheffler – Another fun rhyming tale that centers around a witch and her adventures on her broom. A great opportunity to teach the rewards of sharing and helping others.

8. Scary, Scary Halloween – Eve Bunting, Jan Brett – Someone – or something – is watching a parade of frightening creatures pass by. Soon more eyes begin observing this scary scene. A cute tale with a possibly surprising twist.

9. Ten Timid Ghosts – Jennifer O’Connell – When a witch moves into the ghosts’ house, she doesn’t want to share, so she frightens them off one by one by disguising as different scary monsters. But the last ghost isn’t quite so timid, and when he discovers the truth, he tells his friends, who are now angry ghosts. Do they get their house back? You’ll have to read it to see

10. There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bat – Lucille Colandro, Jared Lee – Another parody that is loads of fun during this haunting season. And the fact that she doesn’t die should make it easier to swallow.

11. Where’s My Mummy – Caroline Crimi, John Manders – In an effort to delay bedtime, Baby Mummy asks for another game of hide and shriek. He comes across all kinds of scary creatures, but it’s an unlikely fright that has mommy mummy running to his rescue.

12. Who’s There, Little Hoo? – Brenda Ponnay – The young owl is experiencing his first Halloween, and not sure he’s brave enough. But every time there’s a knock on the door, he discovers one of his friends dressed in a costume. Cute for the youngest audiences.

13. Who’s There on Halloween? – Susan Hagen Nipp, Pamela Conn Beall, Charles Reasoner – Each page has clues as to which Halloween creature is on the following page.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Cordelia Dinsmore

DAY 12 OF 13 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN

THE CORN MAZE

The corn maze (or maize maze) has become a huge attraction for the fall season. It seems like every organized group of young people here in the Midwest incorporate a trip to a maze as part of their Halloween celebrations. I've traveled through mazes with scout troops, church groups, school groups, to name a few, and enjoy the exercise, and I marvel at the inventiveness of people who create these mazes.

If you've never visited a corn maze, you might want to give one a try. It's a great way to get out and enjoy some fresh country air, and it's more of a workout than you might expect. In fact, take along a bottle of water because you might become disoriented, and the corn has a habit of blocking off air flow, so the heat can be a factor, even in October.

In case you aren't familiar with mazes, here are a few little factoids about them that you might find interesting. 

Corn for a maze is often planted about 3 months later than corn crops intended solely for crop usage. This allows the corn to still be green when maze season comes around, which cuts down on the opportunity for people to 'cheat' as they traverse the paths. The crop is also usually planted at a higher population - in other words, the corn is planted up to twice the volume it normally would be in the field. This makes the stalks closer together, again discouraging 'cheating'.

To plan the maze, a GPS system is used to first record the coordinates of the four corners of the field, and later to walk the field during cutting the pattern in. Once the coordinates are determined, the pattern for the maze can be planned and adjusted to fit. Some of these patterns are quite intricate and are a joy to see from the air.

Once the corn is approximately 12 to 24 inches tall, the pattern is cut. This is often done with a riding mower. One person walks the pattern using a handheld GPS, while the mower follows along behind.

In many mazes, check points are set up along the way so that maze goers can mark their progress. Sometimes these are quite elaborate, consisting of small boxes covered in plexiglass with riddles or clues that the mazers must solve before moving on. Once the riddle is solved, instructions are given for moving on to the next stage. If you don't solve the riddle, you can wander around aimlessly for hours inside the maze.

I've been to some mazes where platforms were erected around the maze that allowed watches to look down over the maze to make sure everyone is safe and to help out if someone can't find the correct path.

Usually, after all clues are deciphered and the maze is complete, a reward or prize is given out at the end. This is always fun for the kids, but the real fun and satisfaction often comes from maneuvering through the maze without assistance from an adult.

A lot of the mazes in our area have additional attractions, as well. Some provide pumpkin cannons, hay rack rides, assorted crafts, and other good, clean fun, along with a variety of homemade snacks and goodies.

If you haven't experienced the fun of a fall maze, why not try it? My advice would be to hit it on a dry day when the mud factor is at a minimum. It's a great way to spend time with friends and family. Or leave the younger kids with a sitter and take the older ones for a moonlit maze experience. Those are a lot of fun, too.

Until next time,

HAPPY READING!

Cordelia Dinsmore