High School Students help College Student in Haiti

High School Students Help College Girl across the Globe

September 2013 it will all begin again, but to understand the “it” allow me to take you through a story that began last June.

Christla Pierre is an aspiring
nursing student at the
University of Notre Dame d'Haiti

June 2012. Imagine the heat and humidity in Port au Prince Haiti. Christla, a promising young college student, hopes a breeze will come through the open window as she studies in the 12x12 bedroom she shares with four girls. The only furniture in the room is a single mattress, so Christla leans against a wall and focuses on completing her assignments. Her stomach growls from missing yet another meal, but she forces herself to ignore the pangs and continues to review her lessons. Christla is determined to become a nurse.

Julia Noelle Tomsic
is a founding member of TFOHI
and has served the charity
for four years

Meanwhile in America, three high school students in Boulder team together and create a fundraiser for The Friends ofHaiti Inc. (TFOHI). The Colorado teens (Julia Noelle Tomsic, Amanda Becker, and Allison Sawyer) hold a street-wide yard sale, and neighbors down the block chip in to raise money.

Fast forward to September 2012. Christla grows worried. Her finances have run out and the anxiety is real and urgent, because she has to either pay for her education or lose her spot at school. Christla’s parents are rice farmers in faraway Pignon. They earn approximately $30.00 per week. When they can, they send food to thank the family with whom Christla lives, but her parents cannot pay the tuition bills at The University de NotreDame d’Haiti. The new semester starts in one month, and the clock is ticking for Christla to find a solution. Christla doesn’t know about TFOHI and TFOHI doesn’t yet know about Christla’s needs.

Christla petitions the University; she reminds them of her hard work and excellent grades. Then she waits for a reply.

Amanda, Allison and Noelle

 Back in Colorado, the three high school students organize another fundraiser—Yoga for Haiti. Little do the teens know that while they’re making phone calls, planning venues, hanging flyers and executing the yoga events in Boulder, Christla is growing more and more worried about being ejected from school.

The University advises Christla to reach out to a charity called The Friends of Haiti Inc. (TFOHI). It’s her Hail Mary opportunity to stay in school. She writes an urgent letter to TFOHI making her desperate plea for assistance. The executive director of the charity, Joseph Provost reviews her letter, authenticates her application, and speaks with the dean of the school of nursing. Everything checks out, yet there’s still a looming problem. All funds in the charity have been committed to other students.

But as all good stories worth telling have a silver lining, this one does, too. When Yoga for Haiti concludes, the high school teens celebrate because people in Colorado were very generous. The surplus from the extra fund raising effort by the teens in Colorado rolls in, and it equals just enough to take care of Christla’s tuition, stipend and supplies for an entire year.

Thanks to the teens, people in Colorado, and generous corporate sponsors (Ben Oliver of Four Star Realty, Rock CreekSpine and Rehabilitation Clinic, Boulder Shares, Kammer and Westover DDS, and Twirl) Christla’s bills were paid covering the 2012-2013 school year. Christla worked hard, earned excellent grades, and now she is another year closer to her nursing degree. In addition to the obvious good news, you should also know that Joseph and Rev. Susan Provost visited Christla in February. They delivered new mattresses, clothes and food to her and her roommates.  

            It’s exciting to reflect back and consider how three high school girls in Colorado helped a college student across the globe. Like the three teens, Christla is simply a girl who wants to pursue her dream. The trickle down goodwill of this story will continue, because when Christla achieves her goal, Haitian citizens will be helped. Christla will stay in Haiti to work in the grossly understaffed hospitals.

We hope to repeat last year’s success with another Yoga for Haiti fundraiser in September. Yoga for Haiti will take place in Colorado during the month of September 2013, and we hope to once again raise enough money to cover Christla’s education expenses.  Please join us at:

Lifetime Fitness in Westminster on Saturday September 21, 2013 at 10:45am

Shine Restaurant and Gathering Place on Sunday September 22, 2013 at 10:45am

Yoga Workshop (time and date TBD)

Gripping, Entertaining and Relevant--Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass is a Must Read

Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass by Meg Medina is a riveting story that doesn't let you walk away until the last page is turned. New girl Piddy is the unfortunate target in the cross hairs of high school bully Yaqui. Survival stakes are on the table, so readers can expect raw tension, high school drama, and relatable, real-life ups and downs. You’ll laugh, cry, cringe, mourn and celebrate with each plot turn. Medina writes authentic, believable characters and handles this story of bullying in an absorbing way. She takes us places and forces us to look at things that make some people squirm. But beyond compelling entertainment, Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass is also an important piece of modern literature. It could be shelved next to Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak and would also be enjoyed by the same readers of Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A. S. King.

We all know bullying is a hot button right now. The subject gets center stage on the talk show circuit, in the news and in schools across America. I applaud leaders for no longer brushing bullying aside as a rite of teenage passage. And I applaud Medina for not handling the topic in a preachy way, but instead as an experience from the point of view of the mark. It’s a book that will make readers think long after the story is over.

Every student in every grade at my daughter’s school had to read Dear Bully as one of their summer reading assignments. Ninth graders at my son’s school read Speak. It won’t be long until teachers and librarians start recommending Medina’s work. In the meantime with such an inviting title, teens will gladly pick up a copy of Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass without ever being told to do so.

Jacket flap

"One morning before school, some girl tells Piddy Sanchez that Yaqui Delgado hates her and wants to kick her ass. Piddy doesn’t even know who Yaqui is, never mind what she’s done to piss her off. Word is that Yaqui thinks Piddy is stuck-up, shakes her stuff when she walks, and isn’t Latin enough with her white skin, good grades, and no accent. And Yaqui isn’t kidding around, so Piddy better watch her back. At first Piddy is more concerned with trying to find out more about the father she’s never met and how to balance honors courses with her weekend job at the neighborhood hair salon. But as the harassment escalates, avoiding Yaqui and her gang starts to take over Piddy’s life. Is there any way for Piddy to survive without closing herself off or running away? In an all-too-realistic novel, Meg Medina portrays a sympathetic heroine who is forced to decide who she really is."

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick (March 26, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763658596
• ISBN-13: 978-0763658595

If you'd like to read more books featuring diversity in YA, please visit the Diversity in YA blog. 

Children's Book Festival

The first annual BOULDER CHILDREN’S BOOK FESTIVAL benefitting the “I Have A Dream Foundation” will be held at Barnes & Noble, 2999 Pearl Street, in Boulder on Saturday, August

17, from 1- 4 p.m.  Colorado authors and illustrators will read from just released and recent titles, sign books, and teach fun book-related crafts, writing exercises and provide curriculum-based information for teachers and librarians. Exciting give-aways and drawings throughout the afternoon. Children from toddlers to teens, parents, teachers and librarians are invited to meet and interact with some of the most talented authors and illustrators in Colorado.

The following authors and illustrators will share their picture books, middle grade and young adult fiction:

Leslie Ann Clark

Lindsay Eland

Ingrid Law

Kerry Lee MacLean

Claudia Mills

Cathy Morrison

Nancy Oswald

Elaine Pease

Kathleen Pelley

Phyllis Perry 

Pat Postek

Natasha Wing

*Leslie Ann Clark, Ingrid Law, Kerry Lee MacLean, Elaine Pease and Phyllis Perry are all from Boulder County.

This event is free.

For more information contact Jeff Oliver at Barnes & Noble, 303-444-0845.

1 – 2:30

Phyllis Perry - Colorado History using: A Kid’s Look at Colorado, Bold Women in Colorado History, Speaking Ill of the Dead: Jerks in Colorado History

Lindsay Eland – Reading and signing A Summer of Sundays.

Elaine Pease – Art project – Creating a sea urchin from Even Sharks Need Friends

Ingrid Law - a short reading, with Q&A, as well as a door prize and a drawing for teachers, offering a free 30-60 minute session in their classroom.

Leslie Clark – Art activity

Natasha Wing – Art Activities

Pat Postek – Signing and Reading

2:30 – 4

Kathleen Pelly – Reading

Phyllis Perry - Panda's Earthquake Escape - Teach a few

Chinese words

Lindsay Eland – Reading and signing A Summer of Sundays.

Elaine Pease – Reading from Ghost Over Boulder Creek

Claudia Mills – Reading with a signing to follow.

Letters and Lines Coming this Fall

This beautiful illustration is by SCBWI member Brooke Boynton Hughes

SOCIETY OF CHILDRENS BOOK WRITERS AND ILLUSTRATORS

Attention Plucky Few:  Letters and Lines Conference Coming this Fall

September 28^th and 29^th The Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) is excited to announce the annual Letters and Lines Conference will take place at a new location, the Denver Marriott West in Golden, Colorado. Letters and Lines will be an intimate conference where participants can mingle with a panel of publishing super stars. The faculty includes three editors, two agents, a Newbery winning author, a distinguished and award winning author/illustrator, several local celebrity illustrators and authors, and a queen (okay, maybe not an official queen, but a PR Maven) .

Many dream of writing or illustrating a children’s book, but few have the courage to pursue the goal. If your interest is piqued, then count yourself as one of the plucky few. Maybe you’ve written several manuscripts, or maybe you have ideas bursting in your head, ready to be committed to paper. Since you’re spirited enough to be on this path, why not help your dream come to fruition? Attending a conference is the quickest way to fast track your goals. Conferences are an opportunity to make connections, get useful feedback, and learn the ins and outs of the publishing industry. 

If you’re still reading this post, then maybe you’re at the point when you’re wondering what the heck happens at a conference. Letters and Lines will be packed with various sessions—some structured as lectures; others structured in an interactive format with instant advice.

Visit here for the registration page,

 or take a brief glimpse of what’s on the menu:

Execute your fantasy novel

Examine the nature of a character driven Picture Book

Hear agents and editors read and give feedback to participants’ first pages

The secret to picture book writing

How to create a storybook App (w/app genius Julie Hedlund)

The eBook

Spotlight on an illustrators career

Taking your novel from concept to completion

First impressions: illustrator participants get immediate feedback

How to weave character with plot and setting

The nitty gritty of framing a story

And much much more! In addition to the great classroom and interactive session, participants can also preregister for a one-on-one personal consultation with a publishing professional. This experience alone makes the entire conference worth the effort. Writers get the first ten pages of their manuscript read and critiqued by either an agent, editor, or published author. Illustrators can also sign up to receive a professional one-on-one critique.

Register Now! Click Here for full Brochure

Still want to know more…like who will be there?

·                      Newbery Award winner Linda Sue Park

·                     Arianne Lewin, executive editor, G. P. Putnam’s Sons (Penguin Young Readers Group)

·                     Kelly Barrales-Saylor, editorial director, Albert Whitman & Company

·                     Wendy Loggia, executive editor, Delacorte/Random House

·                     Brianne Johnson, agent, Writers House

·                     Sara Megibow, agent, Nelson Literary Agency

·                     Bitsy Kemper, author and PR Queen!

·                     Award winning Illustrator/Author Michael Garland

·                     A full list of local authors and illustrators (see brochure for details)

DESTINY REWRITTEN a book review

Destiny Rewritten by KathrynFitzmaurice (Harper Collins Katherine Tegen Books) is a charming and absorbing tale. This book will capture the imagination of your eight to thirteen-year-old readers. It’s chock-full of fun quests and unique characters.  But let’s start at the beginning, where the epigraph sets the tone:

          In this short Life

          That only lasts an hour

          How much—how little—is

          Within our power

          –Emily Dickinson

How much do our decisions influence our future, or is everything up to destiny? It’s a fun premise to consider, and that’s what I love—a book full of possibilities.

 

JACKET FLAP: Eleven-year-old Emily Elizabeth Davis has been told for her entire life that her destiny is to become a poet, just like her famous namesake, Emily Dickinson. But Emily doesn't even really like poetry, and she has a secret career ambition that she suspects her English-professor mother will frown on. Then, just after discovering that it contains an important family secret, she loses the special volume of Emily Dickinson's poetry that was given to her at birth. As Emily and her friends search for the lost book in used bookstores and thrift shops all across town, Emily's understanding of destiny begins to unravel and then rewrite itself in a marvelous new way.

Twelve-year-old Emily approaches her quest with a spirit of pluck, creativity, and contagious mania. And in her hometown of Berkley, California, there’s a whole pack of interesting characters to meet—her spy-obsessed younger cousin Mortie (who may or may not be on some sort of reconnaissance mission), her friends at school, thrift shop owners and the local tree huggers.

Katherine Tegen Books, February 2013
Realistic Fiction
352 pages

ISBN-10: 0061625019
ISBN-13: 9780061625015 
Recommended for grades 4-6

Landing the Elusive Publishing Contract

Getting to Yes!

©

By Kim Tomsic

Do you have a goal to publish a book through a traditional publishing house rather than self-publishing? If yes, here is my OVERLY simplified flowchart for getting from point A to Z. Enjoy!

1. Write an incredible story!

Check out these RESOURCES to help you write that book:

STORY GENIUS by Lisa Cron

WRITING THE BREAKOUT NOVEL by Donald Maass
WRITING PICTURE BOOKS by Ann Whitford Paul

Check your beats, plotting, and pacing by reading SAVE THE CAT by Blake Snyder

Follow Deborah Halverson on the blog:
DEAR EDITOR

Join the SCBWI, take a webinar, attend a conference, network and learn the business side of publishing, too.

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2. Ask your critiquing group for input 

If you are not part of a critiquing group, JOIN ONE! It will fast-track you to better writing. I promise!

3. Edit

More resources:  SELF-EDITING FOR FICTION WRITERS by Renni Browne and Dave King

Consider hiring a reputable professional editor or editing service such as: 

Deborah Halverson,  DEAR EDITOR
Harold Underdown at https://www.underdown.org/
Emma Dryden at Dryden Books

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4. Repeat 

Repeat steps two and three over and over and over again until your story is polished, your characters are compelling, your plot is paced perfectly, your ending is unexpected yet inevitable, and you are ready to submit!

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5. Learn the business!

Learn the business side of publishing, including how to write a compelling query letter, logline, jacket flap, and synopsis. Learn about word count and how to talk about genres. Figure out where your manuscript fits.

Receive input from your critiquing group

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Edit. Edit. Edit.

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6. Ask beta readers to give you input on your manuscript

Edit. Edit. Edit.

7. Research Agents:Most publishing houses only accept manuscript submissions through agents, so step seven is to RESEARCH agents. This is a lengthy process, but worth the effort. Research by reading their clients' books, reading interviews with the agent, and even reading the agents' social media posts. You'll know an agent is a good fit after you've thoroughly researched, because you'll be able to determined that they not only represent the  type of books you write, but you'll also come closer to knowing if they are someone with whom you'd want to have a long-term professional relationship.

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8. Query your top five agents

By now, you should have been learning about the publishing business. 

Here's a brief article on how to write a query letter:  LINK

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If your query is not receiving any kind of traction or personal responses, either your query letter needs work, or your querying the wrong type of agents, or your manuscript still needs some work. Take your query letter to your critiquing group and to beta readers. Repeat some edit steps before you move on.

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Query five more agents (whom you have researched and matched as before)

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9.  Hooray!! You've landed an agent!!!

celebrate!

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10.  Work with your agent to get your manuscript submission ready! Agent is probably an editorial agent (in this market, most good ones are). Therefore work with your agent to Edit. Edit. Edit. Polish, Polish, Polish.

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11.  Agent will take your query paragraph, logline, jacketflap work, and synopsis to compose a “for sale” letter to an editor at a publishing house. Why do most publishing houses have an agent-only submission policy…because the editor knows that all the above steps were taken, the project is polished, and an agent probably submitted based on an editor’s personal taste (i.e. maybe your agent knows an editor who is specifically looking for a dystopian mystery with a paranormal twist and a Jane Eyre-ish main character)

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Big moment!!! Editor loves your project…what’s next?

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12.  Editor writes a memo in preparation for next acquisitions meeting (and you better believe it will be an easy memo to write if your agent wrote a compelling "for sale" letter based on the amazing query/synopsis/jacket flap and logline you wrote). 

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Editor presents project to acquisitions committee for a vote

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If vote goes well, editor writes an editorial memo to the Sales/Marketing/Design team and puts a Profits and Loss statement together on how they project will play out. Editorial memo will include author bio, selling points of manuscript, similar titles in the market, P&L statement, the manuscript, synopsis.

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Editor makes pitch

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The Sales/Marketing/Design team vote. Maybe other votes take place.

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Congratulations…you’ve got a Yes!!!

Two 2013 Scholarships Available: One for Children's Book Writer and One for Children's Book Illustrator

Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Can Receive a Free Opportunity:

Attention children’s book writers and illustrators—would you like a free chance to attend a conference and meet agents, editors and Newbery Award winning authors? Only two weeks remain to apply for the VICKIE FERGUSON MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP. Scholarship recipients will receive fully paid tuition to the 2013 RMC SCBWI Letters and Lines Fall Conference, plus a manuscript or portfolio review (as indicated on the free application). The scholarship will be awarded to one writer as well as one illustrator—please apply if you’re actively committed to your craft.  Application deadline is June 22, 2013. 

To apply, please click link for application: [2013VF_ScholarshipApplication.pdf]

More about the conference: The Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) is excited to host the annual Letters and Lines Conference at a new location; this year we will be at the Denver Marriott West in Golden, Colorado on September 28 and September 29. This weekend conference will include two unforgettable days packed with valuable learning and networking opportunities.  Attendees will find many opportunities to connect on a personal level with our speakers during break-out sessions, intensives, individual critiques, pitch sessions, query workshops, first page readings, and more. If some of these terms are foreign to you, it’s all the more reason to attend. You’ll not only learn how to elevate your work, but you’ll also learn the business side of your craft.  This year’s lists of distinguished speakers include:

Linda Sue Park

• Newbery Award winner Linda Sue Park
• Arianne Lewin, executive editor, G. P. Putnam’s Sons (Penguin Young Readers Group)
• Kelly Barrales-Saylor, editorial director, Albert Whitman & Company
• Wendy Loggia, executive editor, Delacorte/Random House
• Brianne Johnson, agent, Writers House
• Terrie Wolf, agent, AKA Literary Management
• Bitsy Kemper, author and PR Queen!
• Illustrator Michael Garland

Take a look at last year’s scholarship recipient: click here

You must be a member of the SCBWI in order to apply for the scholarship. Members get a gazillion benefits (a.k.a. a bunch). JOIN NOW.

Thank you Vickie Ferguson. The Vickie Ferguson Memorial Scholarship honors the memory of Vickie Ferguson, long-time member of RMC-SCBWI, who passed away in May 2005. Vickie was dedicated to her writing. This scholarship seeks to support those writers and illustrators who are committed to their craft and are actively writing and/or illustrating.

A Fresh Perspective on How to Write a Query Letter

I’ve seen a lot of “Query Letter” posts, but none like the one Chuck from Writer's Digest features on his blog at Writers Unboxed. His article focuses specifically on writing that last paragraph—the bio section—of the query letter, and he gives a fresh perspective on the “do’s and don’ts”. It’s definitely worth a read:

See link: http://writerunboxed.com/2013/05/27/may-2013/comment-page-3/#comment-396428

HERE’S A QUICK LOOK AT THE COMPOSITION OF A QUERY:

There are many many many…many blog posts on how to write a query (I’ve listed several links at the bottom of this post) But if you’re craving a quick rundown, here we go:

I.                    Firstly, personalize your letter—Dear, Jen. NOT Dear, Agent.

II.                 Secondly, limit your query to one page. Have white space so it looks reader-friendly; and break it down to three simple paragraphs—the hook, the book, and the cook.

A.     Paragraph One (the hook):

Your first line can tell the agent why you queried them: Thank you for speaking at Big Sur in the Rockies. I blah blah blah w/you. Or: I enjoyed your interview on such-and-such blog and …

The next line is where you include your hook, title, genre and the word count of your book.  Please consider my 70,000 word count YA novel THE UNACCOUNTED. It's teenage Jason Bourne meets The Prisoner of Zenda.

(In addition to saying if your book is YA or Middle Grade, include if it is fantasy, magical realism, paranormal, science fiction etc. as relevant).

B.     Paragraph Two (the book):

Write a paragraph about your manuscript that reads like jacket flap copy (present an exciting glimpse of the story without giving up the ending). A jacket flap describes the story in such a gripping way that book store browsers slap down some cash to buy the book. Agents may use this copy to help present your book to a publishing house, so create a compelling and tight paragraph.

A.     Paragraph Three (the cook):

This is your biography, and nobody explains the “how’s” better than Chuck, so please visit his blog.

III.              Thirdly, be professional, know the business, be courteous, and close with your name and contact information. 

Good Luck!!! 

Bonus info:

The above “hook” was an actual pitch by David Lipsky and Darin Strauss's for THE UNACCOUNTED and this title will be available in bookstores winter 2013. 
More on "high concept" hooks, please visit my link about high concept hooks and pitches. 

 More discussion on queries can be found:

http://kimscritiquingcorner.blogspot.com/2012/01/dispelling-rumors-and-myths-about.html

How to write a query links:

Nathan Bransford

Query Shark (this is a great blog where writers can receive feedback)

Agent Query

Jill Corcoran

Mary Kole