VBT - Writers on the Move February 2011 Schedule

WE’RE BACK! After a nice long two month hiatus we’re ready for action in 2011.

As always, we have a great tour planned with writers and authors who collectively, have tons of writing and marketing experience and information to share.

We’ll be trying to provide more value packed informational content so you can not only learn about the authors books and services, but also pick up tips and advice on writing, ghostwriting, marketing, and more.
So, look over the schedule below. Each day in February a different author and information will be presented.

Just follow the schedule and click on the corresponding day.

We really appreciate your comments and following.

Writers on the Move’s February 2011 Tour Schedule

1st Debra Eckerling http://www.writeonline.com/ is featuring Jennifer Gladden 

2nd Kathy Stemke http://educationtipster.blogspot.com/ is featuring Jenny Turner

3rd Nancy Famolari http://nancygfamolari.blogspot.com/ is featuring Jennifer Wylie

4th Margaret Fieland http://www.margaretfieland.com/ is featuring Nancy Famolari

5th Carolyn Howard-Johnson http://sharingwithwriters.blogspot.com/ is featuring Mayra Calvani

6th Heather Paye http://heatherpaye.blogspot.com/ is featuring Virginia Grenier

7th Marvin Wilson http://theoldsilly.com/ is featuring Mari Taylor

8th Stephen Tremp http://stephentremp.blogspot.com/ is featuring Carolyn Howard-Johnson

9th Darcia Helle http://quietfurybooks.com/blog/ is featuring Margaret Fieland

10th Martha Swirzinski http://wholechildpublishing.blogspot.com/ is featuring Kathy Stemke

11th Heidi Thomas http://heidiwriter.wordpress.com/ is featuring Karen Cioffi

12th Dallas Woodburn http://dallaswoodburn.blogspot.com/ is featuring Maggie Ball

13th Karen Cioffi http://karenandrobyn.blogspot.com/ is featuring Stephen Tremp

14th Maggie Ball http://magdalenaball.blogspot.com/ is featuring Donna McDine

15th Virginia Grenier http://thewritingmama.blogspot.com/ is featuring Shelby Patrick

16th Kevin McNamee http://kevinmcnameechildrensauthor.blogspot.com/ is featuring Darcia Helle

17th Elysabeth Eldering http://elysabethsstories.blogspot.com/ is featuring Dallas Woodburn

18th Marietta Taylor http://marismorningroom.blogspot.com/ is featuring Heidi Thomas

19th Robert Medak http://rjmbookreviews.blogspot.com/ is featuring Debra Eckerling

20th Donna McDine http://thegoldenpathway.blogspot.com/ is featuring Heather Paye

21st Shelby Patrick http://writershotspot.blogspot.com/ is featuring Robert Medak

22nd Mayra Calvani http://www.thedarkphanptom.wordpress.com/ is featuring Martha Swirzinski

23rd Jennifer Gladen http://jgladen.blogspot.com/ is featuring Elysabeth Eldering

24th Jenny Turner http://jr-turner.blogspot.com/ is featuring Marvin Wilson

25th Jennifer Wylie http://jlwylie.wordpress.com/ is featuring Kevin McNamee

Please follow along and be sure to leave comments!

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Best wishes,
Donna McDine
Children's Author

The Golden Pathway - August 2010 - Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc.
http://www.guardianangelpublishing.com/

Tappan Library Visit Recap with Children's Author, Donna McDine

My visit at the Tappan Library, Tappan, NY recap.

On Monday, January 17, 2011 I visited the Tappan Library, Tappan, NY in celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day when I presented my children's book The Golden Pathway.

Prior to showing the children and parents The Golden Pathway book trailer we chatted about what they knew about the Underground Railroad and provided them an opportunity to ask questions after reading them an excerpt of the book.
It was quite the lively conversation with a few of the older children expressing that they would do whatever it would take to help slaves reach freedom if they lived then.

Several more expressed interest in writing their own stories and I took this opportunity to talk to them about the Guardian Angel Kids Ezine http://www.guardian-angel-kids.com/ and their chance to submit their stories for publication consideration. The parents happily provided their email addresses to receive the submission guidelines. To see the excitement from the children with not only reading, but with writing too is an experience every children's author is thrilled to experience. I know I was!

I would also like to share with you the heartfelt feedback from several of the parents via email:

"Donna is adept at relating well to young children. Her book deals with an important subject and a difficult time in our history with grace and simplicity for young minds. The story comes alive through the characters' feelings so that all children can understand the courage and sacrifice by both David and Jenkins. The book would be a great tool for learning in schools." ~ S. Cama

"We were happy to attend your presentation on The Golden Pathway and thought you did an EXCELLENT job!! Brady had so many questions at the dinner table about the Underground Railroad, which made for very stimulating conversation!! Also, he was looking at the pictures in your book all evening long and is very excited for me to read it to him!! Congratulations!" ~  Amy Clarke, M.Ed.,
LiveFree Coaching and Personal Fulfillment Coach


"Donna's beautifully designed title about the underground railroad or 'the golden pathway' illustrates clearly for young readers the history of the deep-rooted racial divide in our nation. It helps our children grasp the significance of more modern tragedies like the assassination of Martin Luther King and serves as an outstanding complement to standard 2-6 grade course material about slavery, emancipation, and the perennial kindness across the color line. Donna's presentation at the Tappan Library needs to be replicated across schools and libraries. It speaks to listeners as young as Kindergarten and teaches children more than 'just a story' about the freeing of a slave - it teaches children about the importance and power of empathy that sprouts in childhood and grows with the person through adulthood." ~ Jill Gross, Librarian, Tappan Library (Tappan, NY)

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Best wishes,
Donna M. McDine
Award-winning Children's Author
The Golden Pathway ~ August 2010 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. http://www.guardianangelpublishing.com/pathway.htm

Award-winning Children’s Author, Donna McDine Visits the Tappan Library, Tappan, NY – Monday, January 17 at 3 pm

M E D I A  R E L E A S E


CONTACT: Donna M. McDine
Children’s Author

Website: http://www.donnamcdine.com/  

Email: donna@donnamcdine.com
Phone: 845-721-7802


For Immediate Release

Award-winning Children’s Author, Donna McDine Visits the Tappan Library, Tappan, NY – Monday, January 17 at 3 pm

Tappan, New York – Join Donna M. McDine at the Tappan Library, Tappan, NY – Monday, January 17 at 3 pm when she presents her first children’s book, The Golden Pathway, August 2010, published by Guardian Angel Publishing. This historical fiction story book transports the reader back through time to the Underground Railroad.

As one young boy struggles to come to terms with his father’s beliefs and actions towards slaves, he pulls from deep within his soul, courage and determination he never knew existed. Will David’s attempts to save Jenkins come to fruition or does David get caught red handed in defying his Pa?

“David crept into the barn. His first attempts to help Jenkins hadn’t gone well. Jenkins cringed when he saw David. Over time, David gained Jenkins’ trust with promises that he was not there to harm him, but to help. Tonight the wounds from the whip were worse than ever. The welts looked as if caterpillars were stuck under the skin.”

Journey along as McDine puts forth her unique mesmerizing voice where the depths of emotions from the main character spill forth from the pages and has you spell bound from the onset.

Visit Guardian Angel Publishing – http://www.guardianangelpublishing.com/pathway.htm for ordering information.

About the Author:
Donna McDine’s first story book, The Golden Pathway, placed in the top 100 of the Children’s/Young Adult category in the 77th Annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competition, resulting in publication with Guardian Angel Publishing. Her articles and stories have been published in over 25 magazines and McDine has two more books under contract books with Guardian Angel Publishing.

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Full Media Kit, Headshot, Book Cover Art and more are available upon request.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Best wishes, Donna M. McDine
Award-winning Children's Author
The Golden Pathway ~ August 2010 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. http://www.guardianangelpublishing.com/pathway.htm

Code Words Were Essential in Conducting the Underground Railroad

The Underground Railroad was a pivotal time in American history. The bravery and determination of those opposed to slavery is one to admire and emulate. To take the time out to have compassion and empathy of others’ plights will certainly bring a greater understanding of each other. Beyond the bravery, the organizing of the Underground Railroad came to fruition through the use of code words. By utilizing code words it assured that those for slavery would not “catch-on” to the escape routes and intentions of the slaves to achieve freedom.


Some of the most common code words:

Abolitionist – a person who demanded immediate emancipation of slaves.

Agent – a person who coordinated the course of escape.

Bundles of wood – escaping slaves to be expected.

Conductors – the people that helped the slaves along the Underground Railroad.

Drinking Gourd – Big Dipper and the North Star, which aided the slaves in their nighttime travels to ensure they were traveling in the correct direction.

Forwarding – the transportation of salves from one station to the next.

Freight or Packages – the slaves were considered passengers or cargo.

Heaven – referred to Canada because once there freedom was imminent.

Load of Potatoes – slaves hidden in wagons under farm produce.

Moses – Harriet Tubman, a conductor who was instrumental in aiding slaves to freedom.

Quakers – white folks that did not believe in slavery.

River Jordan – The Mississippi River or the Ohio River.

Shepherds – people who escorted slaves from one station to the next.

Station – place of safety, a safe house.

Station Master – the keeper of a safe house.

Stockholder – one who donated items to the running of the Underground Railroad.

The use of code phrases was also instrumental in communicating along the Underground Railroad:

“A friend of a friend sent me” – this statement indicates that the slave was sent by the Underground Railroad network.

“Steal away, steal away, steal away to Jesus” – a phrase from a spiritual hymn to alert other slaves an escape attempt would occur soon.

“The dead trees will show you the way” – a telling sign that moss grows on the north side of dead trees, hence providing direction.

“The river bank makes a mighty good road” – since dogs cannot follow a human’s scent through water this is the best way to travel.

“The river ends between two hills” – visual directions to the Ohio River.

“The wind blows from the South today” – this signals the workers on the Underground Railroad that fugitive slaves were in the area.

“When the sun comes back and the first quail calls” – early spring was the best time to escape via the Underground Railroad.

The wealth of information on the Underground Railroad is immense. Interested in learning more, I offer the following resources to get you started:

Carson, Mary Kay. The Underground Railroad for Kids: From Slavery to Freedom. Chicago Review Press, January 2005.

Afrolumens Project, Central Pennsylvania African American History for Everyone.
“Names Used for Enslaved People in Pennsylvania”
http://www.afrolumens.org/slavery/names.html

Oracle Education Foundation – The Think Quest Library.
“Underground Railroad, The Fight to End Slavery – Timeline”
http://library.thinkquest.org/J0112391/underground_railroad.htm

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Best wishes,
Donna M. McDine
Award-winning Children's Author
The Golden Pathway ~ August 2010 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. http://www.guardianangelpublishing.com/pathway.htm