Authors, Kai Strand & LA Dragoni

I know enough technology to get myself in trouble. So I usually do what I need to get by and refrain from going further for fear of breaking something. Alas, I knew I needed to figure out how to do some value-add on my website, but I had all sorts of excuses. Mostly, not enough time. Then I was laid off. Suddenly time was no longer an issue and the only excuse I had left was ignorance. Yeah, I hate that one. So I finally sat down and figured it out! Now my website and most importantly, The Weaver , has some value-add. What kind you ask? Book club value. Does your child participate in a book club? If they choose The Weaver as their read, you can download some suggested talking points to get the after-the-read conversation going. I even have a sheet for the book club administrator that offers some “answers” to keep the conversation going. Hidden word search. This search is geared for the 9-year-old (and up) reader, so the words might be found forward, backward and dia...

Three Times a Charm is a weekly feature that spotlights authors, illustrators, bloggers, agents, editors or promoters from the publishing industry. This week we are joined by author Jo Ramsey. Jo, tell us about yourself. When I was two and a half, I learned to read. That’s where this whole thing started. I began to make up stories, and I knew I wanted to see my stories in books like the ones I was reading. The problem was, no one would teach me how to make letters. In kindergarten, that problem was resolved, and I started writing down my stories. The first story I ever wrote, when I was five, was about a girl named Maria who went to live with her uncle. After that, I barely stopped writing. I wrote my first YA-novel-length manuscript when I was twelve, and I have a filing drawer full of spiral notebooks that contain all the stories I wrote through middle school, high school, and college. When I was in my late 30’s, I finally was published. My first YA novel, Connection ,...

Now and again I like to share a recap of my social media outlets. I’m thankful to all of you who read my posts. Welcome to the newbies who’ve been around less than a few months. If you are also on these sites, I’d love to friend, follow, like you there as well. Facebook author page Twitter Linked In Goodreads And of course my website: http://www.kaistrand.com/ which info and fun downloads and fun stuff like that. Please visit.

Three Times a Charm is a weekly feature that spotlights authors, illustrators, bloggers, agents, editors or promoters from the publishing industry. This week we are joined by the talented author, Kim Cormack. Kim tell us about yourself. After more than 15 years as an Early Childhood educator I published my first children’s book ‘Shark Boots’ in May of 2010. My second book, "Being Four" is out now. I live on Vancouver Island with my two awesome children (Jenna and Cameron) I have to date written eight hilarious books for children. Titles include: Being Four, Shark Boots, and Stuff about My Mom. Heaven Smiled on Me, Tigergators do, The Boogie Man Can, The Snowman Ate My Taco, and Freckles on His Nose and Wiggles In his Toes. I have written many poems, short stories, and songs for children that are meant to delight the hearts and funny bones of both parents and children. I also write books for mommies and daddies to Teen/Adult,”Sweet Sleep,” and Teen/Adult “The Hot ...

Do you ever get so hungry that when you open the refrigerator door, you can only stare because nothing sounds good enough or fast enough? When you take inventory of the pantry contents you simply sigh, close the door and go back to what you were doing. That is the state of my writing appetite right now. I’ve opened the refrigerator door and found there are so many ideas I can’t decide on one I want to work on. I’m so hungry that middle grade sounds too light, as though it won’t fill me up. Young adult sounds too salty, or greasy, maybe even bitter. A short story would leave me unsatisfied, but a novel takes too long to reach that sated state. I’m not in the mood for humor or heavy emotion. I want to start a new story, but don’t want to abandon the WIPs. I’ve forced myself to work on a WIP even though I’m “not in the mood” for it. The work is probably acceptable, but I felt rather disjointed and unattached from the writing while I was putting it down. Almost like the medicine h...

I haven’t posted my recents in a couple months. Granted, not one person has sent me an email and said, “Why haven’t you posted?” Maybe I’ll drop it in January, but for now it’s time to play catch up. I’m posting them grouped together by rating. Just when I think it is safe to wade into the waters of self publishing, I get one with amateur writing that is so horribly edited that I have to stop reading it. I rarely stop reading. I have not listed it on my recents and I won’t name it out of respect for the author. But I find it sad that somewhere along the way no one told her the book wasn’t there yet. I did some research. She had an editor. Though not a good one in my opinion. I don’t understand the good reviews. She’s released another in the series, which probably would be a good series if she’d taken more time. Why don’t some readers care if the writing is amateurish and there are missing words and one awkward sentence after another? Why? I’m glad there is more and more good, stro...

Three Times a Charm is a weekly feature that spotlights authors, illustrators, bloggers, agents, editors or promoters from the publishing industry. This week author Karen Bass joins us to talk about her passion: Star Wars, or maybe writing. Karen, tell us a little about yourself. I was born a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away … Okay. Not quite, but I did hone some of my writing skills penning Star Wars fan fiction. What I am is a first generation Albertan, which means nothing to my U.S. friends but trust me when I say it’s a rarity since most people have moved to Alberta (a Canadian province) from somewhere else. Like Luke Skywalker, I was raised on a farm and wanted to be a whole lot of things growing up, but never a writer. It wasn’t until I went to work at the local library that the urge to write fiction took hold. Perhaps not all that surprising since I’ve always been an avid reader. Once I’d started, writing became almost an obsession. Now I can’t imagine ...

Three Times a Charm is a weekly feature that spotlights authors, illustrators, bloggers, agents, editors or promoters from the publishing industry. This week I’m excited to welcome, smack dab in the middle of her book release, author, S.R. Johannes. Shelli, tell us about yourself. S.R. Johannes lives in Atlanta Georgia with her dog, British-accented husband, and the huge imaginations of their little prince and princess, which she hopes- someday- will change the world. After earning an MBA and working in corporate America, S.R. Johannes traded in her expensive suits, high heels, and corporate lingo for a family, flip-flops, and her love of writing. You can find her hanging out online and visit her at srjohannes.com Shelli, congratulations on the release. Tell us about your beautiful new book, Untraceable . Everyone leaves a mark.  What would you do if yours was erased?   Grace has lived in the Smokies all her life, patrolling with her for...