Schedule for The Art of Science Blog Tour

Beginning May 20, learn more about The Art of Science! The blog tour will show more about the book and probably a bit more about the author.

May 20 – Vivian Zabel at Brain Cells and Bubble Wrap
May 21 – Jamie Eyberg at A Continuity of Parks
May 22 – Shanachie at Ramblings of a Confusted Writer’s Mind and Quill, Parchment, and Ink – Writings and Ramblings
May 23 – Karen at Sharing with Writers and Readers
May 24 – Nancy Famolari at Nancy Famolari’s Place
May 25 – Crystalee Calderwood at Crystalee Calderwood, Writer and Poet

The Art of Science Blog Tour

The Art of Science blog tour will be stopping by here on May 25th!

The Art of Science is a YA written by my good friend Ransom Noble.

Check back soon for more information on the book and a complete agenda of the tour!

NaPiBoWriWee

NaPiBoWriWee went POOF! up in smoke, and all I have to show for it is one completed manuscript, one mostly completed manuscript, and one barely started manuscript.

But I'm not feeling too discouraged. Not yet. It was a rough week, so of course I wasn't able to work under the extra pressure. Getting sick didn't help matters either. BUT I do have one decent book that just needs reworking and one book that I think could turn into something great with a lot of time and effort. And that's two more books than I had when I started.

Some people who don't write picture books don't realize how hard they can be to write. Some of us who do write them do silly things like trying to write seven in one week because we know if we can do it then we'll be better than all of those people who didn't...

But what about doing it for yourself? For doing it because you'll feel good about having started seven or six or five new picture books? Shouldn't we be more concerned with how we're improving our craft than how we measure up to everyone else?

NaPiBoWriWee- We're all struggling!

It's a relief to see that my friends are struggling through NaPiBoWriWee, not just me. It's already 6PM and I have no idea what to write about today. Yesterday's book is about half done (in my defense, it's a tough concept book and I don't know if it will be truly done for some time).

Today I passed out water cups at the Pittsburgh Marathon and when I came home, I collapsed in bed. The work of an AmeriCorps member is never done.

New Website!

I've been busy designing my new website. I think the new look is cleaner and simplier than the old one.

You can view it at http://crystaleecalderwood.bravehost.com/ . It still needs some minor tweaking (and you may notice the navigation bar doesn't appear on the pages. It works, there's just no graphics) so look for changes in the coming days.

Day 1 of NaPiBoWriWee

I've managed to punch out a draft of a short picture book called "Peggy, Not Piggy!" today. I'm so excited because I think this book will be a good one with some TLC.

I also have an idea for tomorrow's book (and all day to do it!) but I need to do a bit of research first.

Good luck to all of you doing NaPiBoWriWee!

Introducing Fiona Ingram

ABOUT FIONA INGRAM

“My story-telling career began at age ten!”

Fiona Ingram’s earliest story-telling talents came to the fore when, from the age of ten, she entertained her three younger brothers and their friends with serialised tales of children undertaking dangerous and exciting exploits, which they survived through courage and ingenuity. Haunted houses, vampires, and skeletons leaping out of coffins were hot favourites in the cast of characters.

Although Fiona Ingram has been a journalist and editor for the last fifteen years, writing a children’s book—The Secret of the Sacred Scarab—was an unexpected step, inspired by a recent trip to Egypt. The tale of the sacred scarab began life as a little anecdotal tale for her 2 nephews (then 10 and 12), who had accompanied her on the Egyptian trip. This short story grew into a children’s book, the first in the adventure series Chronicles of the Stone. The author is already immersed in the next book in the series—The Search for the Stone of Excalibur—a huge treat for young King Arthur fans. Although Fiona Ingram does not have children of her own, she has an adopted teenage foster child, from an underprivileged background who is just discovering the joys of reading for pleasure.

Naturally, Fiona is a voracious reader and has been from early childhood. Her interests include literature, art, theatre, collecting antiques, animals, music, and films. She loves travel and has been fortunate to have lived in Europe (while studying) and America (for work). She has travelled widely and fulfilled many of her travel goals.

After winning the Emma Smith Scholarship to finance her university studies, Fiona Ingram graduated from the University of Natal, Durban with a double first in her B.A. (French & Drama). She won a Human Sciences Research Council Bursary, which enabled her to do her Honours in Drama at Natal. Fiona then went to the University of the Witwatersrand to do her Masters in French-African literature (the impact of colonial language and culture upon the development of African theatre and literary forms), a subject which has interested her greatly. Fiona applied for and won the Emma Smith Overseas Scholarship for further study. She studied drama at The Drama Studio in London and mime at L’Ecole Jacques le Coq in Paris. Upon her return to South Africa, Fiona immersed herself in teaching drama at community centres, and became involved in producing community and grassroots theatre with local playwrights and performers in Natal for several years. A move to Johannesburg took her in a new direction—that of journalism. She has written freelance for the last fifteen years.

Read more about her books at:

http://www.secretofthesacredscarab.com/
http://www.chroniclesofthestone.com/