Three Times A Charm with Penny Lockwood

Welcome to Three Times A Charm. I love meeting new authors, illustrators, bloggers, agents, editors or promoters from the children’s publishing industry and sharing their careers with my readers.

Today’s guest is author Penny Lockwood. She is stopping by Strands of Thought as she tours the internet with her new book Boo’s Bad Day. Welcome Penny. Tell us about you, please.

Kai, thanks for hosting me.  At the end of the tour, I will pick out one commenter’s name and send an autographed copy of Boo’s Bad Day to a United States address only.  If the name I pick is someone who lives outside the U.S., I will send a PDF copy of the book.  So remember, readers, be sure to leave contact information when you comment!

If your readers missed yesterday’s post, they can find my interview at

http://hazelnutt.com/category/picture-book-reviews. Tomorrow, I will be visiting at where your readers will find a review of Boo’s Bad Day

http://hazelnutt.com/category/picture-book-author-interviews.

Penny, tell us a little about you, please.

I have published more than 100 articles, 75 stories, a chapbook, and my stories have been included in two anthologies. I write for both adults and children. My fiction has appeared in numerous genre and children’s publications, and non‑fiction work has appeared in a variety of writing, parenting, and young adult print magazines and on line publications.  I edit for MuseItUp Publishing.  Visit my web site at http:// pennylockwoodehrenkranz.yolasite.com. My writing blog is located at http://pennylockwoodehrenkranz.blogspot.com/.

I have recently released Boo’s Bad Day with 4RV Publishing and have three other children’s books under contract with them: Ghost for Rent, Ghost for Lunch, and Many Colored Coats. I have three romances published by MuseItUp Publishing: Love Delivery, Lady in Waiting, and Mirror, Mirror.  My short story collection, A Past and A Future, is available through Sam’s Dot Publishing and Smashwords.

Tell us about your book.

BOO’S BAD DAY
By Penny Lockwood
Picture book for children aged 18 months to 6 years
Published by 4RV Publishing
ISBN# 13: 978-0-9852661-5-8

4RV - http://www.4rvpublishingcatalog.com/penny-lockwood.php

$8.99 includes s/h

Look inside at Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Boos-Bad-Day-Penny-Lockwood/dp/0985266155/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

$7.32 prime

Tagline:

Boo sneaks out of the house and discovers that freedom by himself can be scary.

Blurb:

Boo is a very bored kitten. When Timmy and his mom return home, Boo sneaks out of the house.  Boo is frightened by the noises of the big world outside of the safety of his warm home.  When Timmy coaxes Boo back into the house,

Boo realizes some places are safe and some are not.

Talking Points for Parents and Teachers:

1.      If you had a pet, what do you need to do to take care of it?

2.      Why would you need to do more for your pet than just give it a hug once in a while?

3.      What kinds of dangers are there on a busy street?

4.      Why shouldn’t you cross the street by yourself?

5.      Why do you think a big truck or snowplow wouldn’t be able to see you if you were outside by yourself?

6.      What do you think is a safe place?

7.      What do you think is an unsafe place?

8.      What do you think could happen if Timmy couldn’t get Boo out of the tree?

Now, for the Threes. Share with us your top 3’s to help us know you a little better.

• Top 3 skills to hone for people just starting in your business.

1. Study the English language and learn proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Don’t rely on your computer’s grammar and spell checker.

2. Accept constructive criticism.  Be willing to listen to what your critique group, beta readers, and/or editors have to say to make your manuscript a better story.

3. Learn how to study publishers’ guidelines and catalogue offerings to find the best fit for your manuscript when you’re ready to submit.

• Top 3 leisure activities.

1. I love to garden.  It gets me outside, gives me some exercise, and rewards me with beautiful flowers and delicious vegetables and fruits.

2. I enjoy walking.  This also gets me outside and gives me exercise.  In addition, I can listen to the birds, think about stories I’m working on, and clear my head.

3. I spend a lot of time reading.  I read for pleasure, and I also read to keep up with what is current in the genres in which I generally write. I could probably read from sun-up until sun-down and be perfectly happy.  Unfortunately, chores and work get in the way.

• Top 3 hit songs from when you were in the age range of your target audience.

I’m not sure if you would classify these as “hit” songs, but when I was a toddler and in kindergarten, these are three of the songs my friends and I sang and enjoyed.

1. Mary Had a Little Lamb

2. Bingo

3. Old McDonald Had a Farm

Where can our tech-savvy readers go to keep up with you and your writing?

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/penny.ehrenkranz

Twitter: @PennyEhrenkranz

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/pennyehrenkranz/

Website: http://pennylockwoodehrenkranz.yolasite.com

Blog: http://pennylockwoodehrenkanz.blogspot.com

Thanks for charming us on this week’s Three Times A Charm, Penny. Thanks for coming by on your tour! Good luck to you and Boo.

THANKS!

GUESTS WELCOME!  I am always looking for guests for Three Times A Charm. If you are an author, illustrator or book reviewer, an agent or an editor. If you have something related to children’s publishing that you’d like people to know about, feel free to contact me about a future appearance.