Authors, Kai Strand & LA Dragoni

Today it is my pleasure to welcome a lady that I’ve looked up to for a number of years. She doesn’t know this, but while I slogged through the trenches on my way to publication it was her fabulous attitude and wealth of information that often guided me. As a matter of fact it was a post on her blog that led me to discover several authors and illustrators from Guardian Angel Publishing were going to be in my area – and the rest as they say is history. I adore Margot Finke and it is a thrill for me to interview her on my blog today (blog + interview = blogview). Let’s learn more about Margot, shall we? Margot Finke is an Aussie transplant who writes mid-grade adventure fiction and rhyming picture books. For many years she has lived happily in Oregon.  Gardening, travel, and reading fill in the cracks between writing. Her husband is very supportive, and their three children are now grown and doing very well.  Seven wonderful grandchildren round out her life. Margot has ...

Springtime. Fresh sprigs of grass poke through last year’s thatch. The flapping of wings fills our ears as birds build nests. The first whiff of summer’s warmth on top of a cool spring breeze. These are familiar signs of spring to us. What if this was your first spring?   You’d wonder where the snow had disappeared and why you don’t have to bundle up in your winter jacket and mittens. You’d smell your first flower and it might make you sneeze. I love the fresh, new perspective of Margaret Rose’s picture book, First Spring. The rhyme and meter make the story a fun read aloud and the lovely pastel illustrations by Marina Movshina, will stoke a child’s imagination. Margaret, where did the inspiration for this point of view come from?      Thank you for having me, Kai! It's a pleasure to find a brand new blog to visit. As you so eloquently stated, springtime is for new discoveries. You never really know what lies buried under the snow when you're a young child. I'...

Marie and Her Friend the Sea Turtle By Nicole Weaver About the book: This story is about the love that developed between a little girl named Marie and a stranded sea turtle. The story tells the struggles Marie had as she helped the sea turtle back out to sea. What I enjoyed: I loved that the story is told in three languages, English, Spanish and French. Many families are bi-lingual and this story allows the native language speaking parent/grandparent to sit and read with the English speaking child. And it exposes that child to a third language. The illustrations are lovely, with bright colors and lots of action. About the author: Nicole Weaver was born in Port-au-Prince Haiti. She came to the United States when she was ten years old. She is fluent in Creole, French, Spanish and English. She is a veteran teacher of French and Spanish. Nicole’s schedule is jammed packed with teaching, writing, reading, reviewing, reading and more reading.   I was very thankful to Nicole for ca...

Literature For Kids is a new online children’s magazine. The creator and editor is Linda Jo Martin. Linda, herself, is a children’s author, but she works hard each month to put together a quality product for children, their teachers and caregivers. This magazine is a good addition to a homeschool’s toolbox.   Let’s get to know a little more about Linda and Literature For Kids. Linda, what inspired you to take on such a huge monthly project? Linda: I wanted to develop my website, Literature For Kids, and decided this was the best way to get steady content there. I work well with deadlines. The monthly schedule forces me to get new pages on the web regularly. Literature For Kids is a long-time project for me because I love children, and love children's literature. The idea of having a website called Literature For Kids first came in 1996. I had a site by that name back then, on a third-party website provider's domain. Later I purchased my domain name and started a blog ther...

Today blogview is happy to present middle grade and young adult novelist, Susan Kaye Quinn.   Make some noise on those keyboards and welcome Susan! Susan, I must say, you seem so approachable and kind.   If I were doing this interview in person (which, btw, I really wish I were!) would I offer you coffee or tea?   Flavored? Cream or Milk? Sugar? Susan: Straight black tea, none of that sissy stuff in it. I need caffeine! Describe the location you are answering these questions from.   Is this your usual writing location? Susan: I’m parked at my workstation with a mini-pot of (straight black) tea, under the watchful eye of Writer Mouse. I write either here or on my couch with my netbook, but more often on my desktop computer, using my shiny new Scrivener-for-Windows software. What genre do you love to read that you don’t feel you can write? Susan: Ooh, interesting question. I tend to write what I read (read what I write?), but I do love me some historical novels ...