Children's author, Karen Coiffi-Ventrice visits The Golden Pathway

I am pleased to host author, ghostwriter, freelance writer, and 4RV Publishing Acquisition Editor Intern, Karen Coiffi-Ventrice to The Golden Pathway today. Phew...how does Karen wear so many hats effectively? Karen and I met early on in our writing careers at the Children's Writers' Coaching Club, where we both remain members. To watch her career explode into such a success is heartwarming indeed. Without further ado, I welcome Karen.

"Writing, Accounting, and Synergy"
By Karen Cioffi
In accounting, if you (the accountant or bookkeeper) are off even one penny, you have to search and work until that penny is found – all the income, expenses, assets, liabilities of a business must all sync at the end of every month, quarter, and year. You’re monthly trail balance sheet and the balance sheet, which reflects every penny in and out, must be perfect. There is also the reconciling the monthly bank statements.
The various data from every department, such as research and development, accounts payable, accounts receivable, and payroll, must all be included in your trail balance sheet and balance sheet.
Writing, in some aspects is similar to accounting; each element of a story - theme, setting, plot, conflict, characters - must all work together to create an error free product at the end. In other words, they must meld together to create a coherent, engaging, and interesting article or book. The end piece must have proper grammar and the correct formatting. And, if something is amiss, the author needs to find the troublesome spots and correct them.

In both arenas, details are important, as is balance.

Suppose in accounting your accounts payable far exceeded your accounts receivable, or your liabilities far exceeded your assets. This would make for a dire situation, and one that would need correction.
Well, in writing, suppose you have wonderful characters, but they have no where to go; your story lacks an engaging plot and conflict. Or, maybe you have a great storyline, but your characters are flat, they have no dimension; these situations are also cause for alarm and need to be addressed.
In writing, it’s the combination of all the elements of writing that moves a story forward and creates a page-turning adventure or emotional tie to the reader. You may have a character driven story, or a plot driven story, but in both, you need all elements of the story to weave together, to create synergy.

Synergy is a great word. It means the combination, joined forces, or combined effects of individual elements which will create an end result that is greater than the sum of their individual effects or capabilities.

I actually like Wikipedia’s definition: “Synergy, in general, may be defined as two or more agents working together to produce a result not obtainable by any of the agents independently.”
This is what the elements of writing, joined together in just the right way, produces. Theme, setting, plot, conflict, and characters combine forces to go beyond their individual capabilities. The writing synergy process creates an end result that is not attainable by any of the elements independently.

Karen, terrific article thank you for sharing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Karen Cioffi is an author, ghostwriter, and freelance writer. For writing and marketing information visit Karen at http://karencioffiwritingandmarketing/, and sign up for her free newsletter: A Writer’s World. You’ll get 2 free e-books on writing and marketing in the process, and two more free e-books just for stopping by.

And, Karen will be having a July Book Tour featuring her new children’s middle grade fantasy book, Walking Through Walls, which is scheduled for release the beginning of July.

You can check out information about the tour at:

http://walkingthroughwalls-kcioffi.blogspot.com/

http://karencioffiwritingandmarketing.com/


Follow the Writers on the Move tour on Thursday, June 16 when Shelby Patrick hosts Carolyn Howard-Johnson - http://writershotspot.blogspot.com/.

Thank you for your time and interest.

Have a terrific day!

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

Guest author, Margaret Fieland visits The Golden Pathway

I'm pleased to host guest author, Margaret Fieland today when she shares with us her article on "Writers Resources":

WRITERS RESOURCES


By Margaret Fieland

Back in the old days, before the internet, writers had piles of reference books on our desks, but today we have all that and more available at the click of a link. Here are some of my favorites.
The Basics

The three links no writer should be without.

Online dictionary - http://www.dictionary.com/ - Need to look up a word? Just click on the link.

Online thesaurus – http://www.thesaurus.com/ - A must for any writer, and a favorite of mine. The right word, here at your fingertips.

Rhyming dictionary – http://www.rhymezone.com/ - For poets, a great online rhyming dictionary. I have a couple of print rhyming dictionaries. I could have saved myself the money. This website is much easier to use. Type the word, click ENTER, and voila!

Fancy, Schamcy

Reverse dictionary – www.onelook.com/reverse-dictionary.shtml - My mother would have loved this. Give it a definition, finds the word.

Visual Dictionary – http://www.visual.merrscam-websites.com/ - When you want an image to go with that word.

Citation Machine – http://www.citationmchine.net/ - Perfectly formats citations for your research paper.Choice of MLA or APA format.

Body Language, and more

Say it with gestures:

The Bookshelf Muse - http://www.thebookshelfmuse.blogspot.com/ - Site features an emotion thesaurus, setting thesaurus, and much more.

An absolutely terrific resource, especially when the only way you can think of to express grief is Nonverbal Dictionary – http://www.center-for-nonverbal-studies.org/ - Dictionary of gestures, signs, and body language cues.

Darkworld RPG Character Flaws – www.darkworldrpg.com/lore/flaws.com - List of character flaws, from absentminded to zealot

Candles by Victoria Scent Descriptions – http://www.candlesbyvictoria.com/ - Describes all their candle scents, but great for finding that elusive scent you need for your manuscript

Text Analysis Tools

Gender Genie – www.bookblog.net/gender/genie.php - Based on work by Shlomo Argamon, Moshe Koppel, et al, you can paste your work in here and see if it thinks it's written by a man or a woman. Great for checking that first person narrative you hope sounds like the opposite sex.

Autocritter – www.savvyauthors.com/vb/autocritter.php - Help finding weak or repetitive words.

Wordcounter – http://www.wordcounter.com/ - Counts how many times you use particular words in your manuscript.
Miscellaneous

State Curriculum Standards - http://www.educationworld.com/ - By state, by subject

Self publishing Coach – http://www.self-publishing-coach.com/ - Shelley Hitz has some great tips on her site.

Preditors and Editors – http://www.pred-ed.com/ - Check out publishers, agents, and more

Duotrope's Digest – http://www.duotrope.com/ - Find that perfect venue - search by name, by category, more

Submit your website Free

Scrub the web – http://www.scrubtheweb.com/

Search engine submitter – http://www.searchenginesubmitter.com/

AddPro – http://www.addpro.com/

AddMe – http://www.addme.com/

SubmitExpress – http://www.submitexpress.com/

Google add url – www.google.com/addurl/?continue=/addurl

Submit your press release Free

prfocus – http://www.profocus.com/

PressExposure – http://www.pressexposure.com/

Prlog – http://www.prlog.com/

I-News Wire – http://www.i-newswire.com/

Free Press Release – http://www.freepressrelease.com/

Author Bio:

Born and raised in New York City, Margaret Fieland has been around art and music all her life. Daughter of a painter, she is the mother of three grown sons and an accomplished flute and piccolo player. She is an avid science fiction fan, and selected Robert A. Heinlein's “Farmer in the Sky” for her tenth birthday, now long past. She lives in the suburbs west of Boston, MA with her partner and seven dogs. Her poems, articles and stories have appeared in journals and anthologies such as Main Channel Voices, Echolocation, and Twisted Tongue. In spite of making her living as a computer software engineer, she turned to one of her sons to format the initial version of her website, a clear illustration of the computer generation gap. You may visit her website, http://www.margaretfieland.com/.


Margaret, thank you for visiting today and sharing all these valuable resources.

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

Heidi Thomas author of Follow the Dream is The Golden Pathway's Guest Author

I am pleased to feature, Heidi Thomas author of Follow the Dream today.

Cowgirl is a State of Mind



Dale Evans Rogers defined it well: "Cowgirl is an attitude, really. A pioneer spirit, a special American brand of courage. The cowgirl faces life head on, lives by her own lights, and makes no excuses. Cowgirls take stands. They speak up. They defend the things they hold dear. A cowgirl might be a rancher, or a barrel racer, or a bull rider, or an actress. But she's just as likely to be a checker at the local Winn Dixie, a full-time mother, a banker, an attorney, or an astronaut."

“Cowgirl up” is an expression that means to rise to the occasion, not to give up, and to do it all without whining or complaining. It is easy to say “Cowgirl Up,” however it takes a true cowgirl at heart to live up to the true meaning.

Another quote from Dale Evans:” The cowgirl faces life head on, lives by her own lights and makes no excuses.

Although I grew up on a ranch in eastern Montana and I rode horses, gathered cattle with my dad and helped with branding, I never really thought of myself as a “Cowgirl.” But through my years of reading and researching for my books, I’ve come to realized that I am—maybe an “urban cowgirl” by strict definition, but a cowgirl by attitude.

My grandmother was a cowgirl—a real one, one who not only rode horses, but also rode bucking stock in rodeos in the ’20s & ’30s.

The 1920s was the heyday of rodeo for women. They grew up riding out of necessity alongside their fathers, brothers & husbands and naturally they were just as competitive in trying to see who could stay on the back of a bucking bronc or steer or roping calves as the men.

Rodeos started out as impromptu events—cowboys betting each other who was going to get bucked off the quickest. Annie Oakley paved the way for women when she gained fame in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show as a sharpshooter. Lucille Mulhall, when she was 18 years old, lassoed and tied three steers in 3 minutes, 30 seconds—faster than the best cowboys—won a gold medal and a $10,000 prize for a world record!

This “cowgirl attitude” is the way my grandmother lived. And I modeled my character, Nettie, on my grandmother, and that cowgirl attitude.

Nettie has a dream to become a rodeo star and the tenaciousness to follow that dream. In Cowgirl Dreams, during the 1920s, she faces family and social barriers to that dream. The sequel, Follow the Dream, finds her still holding on to her dream. But the drought and depression of the 1930s forces her to make some tough choices and rethink how her dream works in with her family and life in Montana.

Both books are available through my website http://www.heidimthomas.com/, from my publisher http://www.trebleheartbooks.com/SDHeidiThomas.html. Follow the Dream is also available on Kindle.

Author Bio
Heidi M. Thomas grew up on a ranch in eastern Montana and now lives in western Washington where she writes, edits for other authors, teaches community writing classes and blogs http://heidiwriter.wordpress.com/ She is a member of Women Writing the West (http://www.womenwritingthewest.org/,  Skagit Valley Writers League (http://www.skagitwriters.org/) , Northwest Independent Editors Guild (http://www.edsguild.org/)  and VBT—Writers on the Move (http://www.vbt-writersonthemove.blogspot.com/) .


• Courage

• Optimism

• Warrior

• GiddyUp

• Inspiration

• Respect

• Loyalty

• Daily Oats: food for the horse lover’s soul

Remember, a Cowgirl’s heart always has a heart full of hope and a life full of laughter.


From Embracing Your Inner Cowboy at http://culturemap.com/newsdetail/03-02-10-a-life-in-red-cowgirl-boots/ 

To me, the spirit a horse leaves behind compared to a human’s is the difference between au de toilet and perfume.


Spirit and Simple is what being a cowboy is all about. You don’t have to ride a horse, wear boots or listen to country western music to be one. It’s an inside job first. The rest is all outdoors.

She quotes Robb Kendrick: “common threads that pull these people together and used to be a common thread in America before the techno world came into play. It crossed all fields, lawyers, writers, farmers, welders, photographers, nurses, etc. It’s the simple stuff you know? Good manners, helping a brother or sister out, basic human qualities that reflect the team spirit while keeping your individual priorities in tact. Being a team when needed and an individual the rest of the time without sacrificing your own values.”

When I asked Robb to describe what he thought “inner cowboy” meant, he nailed it. “Basically the inner cowboy is doing it till it's done right.”

Bonnie Hunt~ “Don’t let praise go to your head, and don’t allow criticism to affect your heart.”

Vicki Frederick http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000148383828

Cowgirl Rule: If we cannot find the road to success, we will make one.

Follow along on the April VBT Writers On the Move as Shelby Patrick hosts Dallas Woodburn at http://writershotspot.blogspot.com/

Thank you.


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

Dallas Woodburn ~ New Release: Dancing With The Pen: a collection of today’s best youth writing

Please join me in giving author, Dallas Woodburn a warm welcome as she shares with us today her latest project.

New Release: Dancing With The Pen: a collection of today’s best youth writing

“The best children’s book writers are not people who have kids, but people who write from the child within themselves.”

— Andrea Brown

In 2010, I founded the youth publishing company Write On! Books with the belief that young people need and deserve a vehicle to share their unique voices with each other, and with society as a whole. Our debut anthology, Dancing With The Pen, features stories, poems, and essays by more than sixty young writers in middle school and high school from across the United States and even abroad: Singapore, Canada, and New Zealand.

Write On! Books has a twofold goal: give young writers an outlet for expression, while also publishing exciting, creative work that gets kids excited about reading. Dancing with the Pen is a book for young writers, young readers, and the young at heart. I like to tell young people, “Even if you are not normally a big reader, this book is still for you. Maybe you'll recognize yourself in these pages.” I hope people who read this book are inspired to pick up a pen, step out on the dance floor, and go for a whirl themselves.

The idea to start Write On! Books was sparked within me more than a decade ago, when I released my first book, There’s a Huge Pimple On My Nose: a collection of stories and poems. I was in fifth grade, and the book – and my writing dreams – snowballed in magical ways I had not thought possible. Pimple was reviewed in national media outlets including CosmoGIRL!, Girls’ Life, and The Los Angeles Times. I was interviewed by newspapers and radio shows. I spoke at various writers conferences and book fairs, and the Santa Barbara Book Festival had a “Dallas Woodburn Day.” Perhaps most important of all was the thrill of seeing my own words in print. I felt proud and energized – the excitement of Christmas morning paled in comparison. My self-confidence blossomed. My love of writing intensified. I wanted to be a writer. I saw myself as a writer!

In the thirteen years since Pimple debuted, I have published a second collection of stories; contributed pieces to dozens of magazines, newspapers, websites, and Chicken Soup for the Soul books; written plays that were produced in Ventura and Los Angeles, California; and am currently pursuing my Master’s degree in fiction writing at Purdue University.

When I visit schools to speak about my own personal writing journey, I always ask the students if any of them are interested in writing. Usually a few tentative hands raise. In contrast, at the end of my talks when I ask the same question, nearly all the students excitedly thrust up their hands as if trying to touch the ceiling. Many young people tell me they didn’t know kids could be writers. Not only can kids be writers, they can be brilliant writers! They can write imaginative, touching, thought-provoking pieces, as Dancing With The Pen attests. And writing, especially for young people, can create many amazing opportunities.

The mission of Write On! For Literacy, which I founded in 2001, is to encourage kids to discover joy, confidence, a means of self-expression and connection to others through writing and reading. Activities and projects include writing contests, fun creative writing workshops, and an annual Holiday Book Drive that has collected and distributed nearly 12,000 new books to disadvantaged kids. For every copy purchased of Dancing With The Pen, a new book will be donated to Write On’s Holiday Book Drive to benefit disadvantaged youth.

Copies of Dancing With The Pen are available on Amazon:

Discounted bulk orders are also available through our website:

http://www.writeonbooks.org/writeonbooks.aspx
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/dancingwiththepen
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/writeonbooks

Bio: Dallas Woodburn is the author of two award-winning collections of short stories and editor of Dancing With The Pen: a collection of today’s best youth writing. She has written more than 80 articles and essays for national publications including Family Circle, Writer’s Digest, The Los Angeles Times, and the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. She graduated from the University of Southern California with a B.A. in Creative Writing and is currently pursuing her Master’s degree in Fiction Writing at Purdue University, where she also teaches undergraduate writing courses.

Website: http://www.writeonbooks.org/

Blog: http://dallaswoodburn.blogspot.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/writerdallas

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/dallaswoodburn

Be sure to follow the author's of VBT Writers on the Move at the next stop when Shelby Patrick hosts Heather Paye http://writershotspot.blogspot.com/.

Thank you for your time and interest, it's been a pleasure having you visit.


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

Guest Author: Heather Paye - A Gift From Above

Heather Paye first started writing when she was about six years old. She started out writing lyrics, and when she was nine started writing short stories. When she turned ten, she moved on to full-length novels. At the age of 12, she started writing poetry as her love of that style of writing developed from her mother. Currently she is working on a book series of nine, with the first installment finished and being prepared to be released on bookshelves soon. The first draft of the second installment is almost finished. Her novel A Gift From Above which she wrote for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) in 2008 was published March 28th, 2009 - a tribute to her parents as it was published on their anniversary. She's a part of many organizations and author groups.
So far, this is all of her "story" that has been "written". Stay for a spell and learn more about Heather through her insightful interview.

DMc: How long have you been writing?

HP: I've been writing for around eight years.

DMc: What started you writing for publication?

HP: After I read Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (yes, I read the second one before I read the first one) I was simply touched by the story and become absolutely obsessed with it. You can bet I went out and bought every book out there that had anything at all to do with it. Which was when I bought "Muggles and Magic" which had a short interview in it with J.K. Rowling. One thing she said was "Anyone can write a book" that was the sentence that changed my life.

Before then, I swear, I didn't know just anyone could write a book, I thought you had to be someone special. That was when I started out writing my first short story. I only managed to write three short stories before I decided that I wanted to write something bigger, something better - a novel. It took me four years, but I managed to write my first full length novel. During those years, I had been studying publishing, how to do it, where to go, what you need. It payed off, I'm signing a contract for my series of nine and I still have yet to get a rejection letter.

DMc: Do you have a set time when you write, or just whenever you get the urge?

HP: I try to write as much as I can. Whenever I'm not busy I spend my spare time writing, my schedule is too busy to really set a time.

DMc: What do you recommend to aspiring authors?

HP: Don't rush writing (Rome wasn't built in a day), study, take notes, pay extra attention to your English class, and don't underestimate the power of revision/editing. I used to think I didn't need editing, I just thank goodness I got that out of my mind before it was time for me to edit my first novel.

DMc: How do you invent your characters?


HP: This is a tough question, when I need to create a character I just make him/her up as I go along. I gather up a few ideas - visual appearance, overall attitude - and I go from there. Most of my characters are completely fictional and thought up. A couple of times I have tried to model my characters out of people whom I know in real life... but they always seem to take on a style all their own.

Heather, it's been a pleasure interviewing and hosting you today. Best wishes for your continued success!

Tomorrow, visit with Robert Medak at Shelby Patrick's blog - http://writershotspot.blogspot.com/.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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

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!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Best wishes,
Donna McDine
Children's Author

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

Guest Author ~ Elysabeth Eldering "The Perfect Gift"

Today’s special guest is Elysabeth Eldering. Elysabeth and I originally met online through the MuseItUp Club and have forged a cyberspace friendship and it's with my pleasure to sheer her own with each success.
The Perfect Gift
by Elysabeth Eldering

What do you give someone who seems to have everything? Gift cards seem too impersonal; money is good but it seems to say you don't care. Why not give a book. The gift that keeps on giving.

With books, you can go on many adventures. You can leave your life for a few days and get caught up in the characters' lives. You can go to outer space and come back again, only to do it all over it again.

When I was younger, my godmother used to send us "care packages" for no reason and almost every box contained a few books for me to "read" to my brothers. Of course, my parents would have to read the books to me first so I could read them to my brothers, but I always enjoyed getting books. I still enjoy receiving books as a "just because" gift. It doesn't take too much to make me happy. A well written mystery that keeps me turning page after page to get to the whodunit or the reason for the mystery, and I'm a very happy camper.
In this day and age with technology overtaking our lives, it seems that reading has gone by the wayside, but there must be a resurgence of new readers coming about since it seems libraries are staying busy and book sales seem to be coming up some, even if they are for ebooks or ereaders, but folks are reading.

With the VBT Writers on the Move group, we have something for everyone. Children's books, nonfiction, mysteries, cowgirls, thrillers and everything in between.
We have:

Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the Frugal writers and other books

Dallas Woodburn, author of short stories and contributor to many magazines and anthologies

Darcia Helle, author of several self-published thrillers

Debra Eckerling, creator of WriteOn!

Diane Sagan, ghostwriter

Donna McDine, author of many articles, and creator of the Write What Inspires You newsletter and website as well as children's books

Elysabeth Eldering, author of the Junior Geography 50-state mystery trivia series and writer of short stories

Heather Paye, young author of a self-published novel as well as illustrator and graphic designer

Heidi Thomas, author of cowgirls' memoirs based on her grandmother's life

Helena Harper, author of humorous writings

Janet Ann Collins, author of middle grade mysteries and children's books

Jennifer Gladen, author of children's books

Karen Cioffi, author of children's books and many health articles

Kathy Stemke, author of children's books

Kevin McNamee, author of children's books

Lea Schizas, author of children's books along with creator of the MuseItOnline free conference

Maggie Ball, poet

Margaret (Peggy) Fieland, poet

Marietta Taylor, author of a non-fiction series dealing with unemployment

Martha Swirzinski, author of children's books

Marvin (The Old Silly) Wilson, author of several novels

Mayra Calvani, author of children's books

Nancy Famolari, author of young adult novels

Robert Medak, freelance writer and editor/reviewer

Shelby Patrick, horror author

Stephen Tremp, author of a thriller trilogy

Virginia Grenier, author of children's stories and creator of the Stories for Children Magazine

Vivian Zabel, author of mysteries, children's stories and publisher

So find a good book and give the gift that keeps on giving. There are many new authors out there with a variety of books.

Elysabeth Eldering is a traveler from birth. She has traveled with her family due to her father being in the military. She has lived in several states and overseas during her childhood. Ms. Eldering calls South Carolina home these days with a mindset of "Southern by choice, not by birth." She entered her first writing contest at the age of 41 and took second place for a children's mystery story, which has inspired her to take that story and write a series for children, the premise being that each state would be the mystery. Her series has a Jeopardy!® like style to it but for guessing the state in the form of a question. Each book concentrates on one state and there are supplemental study guides available, which take the series cross curriculum. For more information on the series, please visit http://jgdsseries.weebly.com/ JGDS website. Elysabeth may be reached at eeldering@gmail.com with any questions or to place an order.

Visit, Martha Swirzinski the next featured author on the VBT Writers on the Move November Virtual Book Tour hostedby Shelby Patrick http://writershideaway.blogspot.com/.

Thank you for your time and interest.

Venture into the Paranormal if you Dare with Guest Author, Kim Rapier

I am delighted to host Kim Rapier author of Crossed Out today

Bio:

Kim Baccellia has always been a sucker for the paranormal. She blames it on her families' love for such things such as having picnics at cemeteries, visiting psychics, and reading her mother's copies of the daily horoscope. She even had her own horoscope column in middle school, which was a big hit!


Kim's other works include the poem, "My Father", which appears in the anthology Mind Mutations, published by The Sun Rising Press. Her essay about the adoption of her son, Finally, Our Turn, appeared in Adoptive Families magazine. Her YA multicultural fantasy, Earrings of Ixtumea, is published by Virtual Tales and available now at Amazon.

A member of SCBWI, Kim is currently writing the sequel to CROSSED OUT. She's also putting the finishing touches on an upper MG fantasy No Goddesses Allowed. She lives in Southern California with her husband and son.

Following the light can't be that hard, right? So why don’t the dead just do it and leave Stephanie Stewart alone?

However nothing is ever as simple as it should be, as Stephanie learns when her hidden ‘gift’ becomes more than a nuisance, quickly turning unto a liability.

If she can't learn to trust someone with her secret, the world as she knows it will go to hell. Literally. But if she doesn't choose wisely, she might just end up learning firsthand how hard it is to follow that light.

Because she's next on the list to be crossed out.

Purchasing links:

http://www.lachesispublishing.com/proddetail.asp?prod=Crossed%5FOut

Visit Kim at: http://www.kim-baccellia.com/.

Kim, thank you for visiting today, it has been my pleasure to host you.

VBT - Writers on the Move - September Tour Schedule

Well, we're back, and better than ever. We have a couple of new members also. As part of our author group, we try to provide our readers with writing and marketing information as well as updates, information, and reviews on great books.

Each day in September a different author and information will be presented. Just follow the schedule and click on the corresponding day.




Check out the schedule at:

http://vbt-writersonthemove.blogspot.com/2010/08/writers-on-moves-september-2010-tour.html

We look forward to your visit.

Thank you.

VBT - Writers on the Move - Donna McDine guest at Karen Cioffi's blog

Hello All:

Phew, is it really September 1st already. Where did the summer go. It feels like it just started and now it's coming to a rapid end.

I'm thrilled to announce I am the guest at Karen Cioffi's blog today - http://karenandrobyn.blogspot.com/2010/09/all-about-author-donna-mcdine-and.html.

I'd be delighted if you stopped by.

Best wishes to a lovely Labor Day weekend.

VBT - Writers on the Move

Put your writing career in motion with our yahoo marketing group VBT–Writers on the Move. Promote your platform, yourself and your books! We utilize ONGOING feature spots for our members; link exchange; and much more to increase visibility and readership.

Visit: http://vbt-writersonthemove.blogspot.com/

To find out more contact Karen at: karenrcfv@yahoo.com.

Please put "VBT (dmc)" in the subject box.