Common Wisdom of the Day

 

 

"Faith wasn’t invented to replace your brain."

 

Vince Mooney 

If Characters in a Romance Could Talk...

 

“Why do bad things happen to good characters? Because writers need conflict.”

 

Vince Mooney

 

 

Common Wisdom of the Day

 

“You can only smell the roses in real time.”

 

Vince Mooney

Common Wisdom of the Day

 

“You can’t make up the time you spent ‘not living’.”

 

Vince Mooney

 

Philosophical Artistic Definitions:

 

Artistic asymmetry: while you can’t judge a book by its cover, you can judge a cover by its book.

 

Vince Mooney

Last Few Days to Win a Bargain at the Brenda Novak Aution for a Diabetes Cure

 

How’s The Bidding Going?  Lots of Bargains & Lots of Fun. Just a Few Days Left!

 

Check out the Brenda Novak On Line Auction for a DiabetesCure.

 

I am now the top bidder in 9 of 24 auctions. People keep taking away the items I want to win by bidding over my limit. I’ve had to bid on more items to increase my chances of getting the critiques and evaluations I’d like to win. 

With just a few days left, bidders are getting more serious. Bidders who lost out on some items now must decide which items to let go and which to divert the most resources towards winning.  

This is more fun than gambling! If you don’t win, you are not out a penny. If you win, you get what you wanted at a price you are glad to pay! Better yet: all the money goes to a good cause!  

But the fun ends soon.!

 

Every year I’ve got some great bargains that I could not get any where else. 

 

You Can Too!

 

Bid here: Auction

 

Interview with Sandra Leesmith Author of "Love's Miracles"

 

 

This book is for sale on Amazon right now for $2.99 However this book will be offered for free on Memorial Day Weekend, (May 24-27), plus for one day at some point in the future.

When Lives are Shattered by War

 Love Needs to Work Its Miracles

Just As Love Provided
Healing in the Past

Love is Still Doing it Today!

 

 

Now you can read the story behind the story. Sandra Leesmith reveals why a decades old story is so needed for today's world.

 

Sandra Leesmith

Vince: Hi, Sandra,  before we start the serious questions, tell us about your RV. I’ve read that you write in a RV mobile home as you travel around the country. That will seem like the dream life to many Americans. What do you have to say about this? How does it match up to the dream? How does this kind of lifestyle affect your writing style?

 

Sandra: Hi Vince, traveling in an RV is a dream life for my husband and me. My husband is a biologist and loves the outdoors. I grew up in California and spent much of my childhood in the outdoors also. When we married, he was still in school so we had summers off. We spent them camping as that was all we could afford to do. We both ended up teaching with summers off and no income so we continued to camp. Over the years we evolved from a tent to a small 13-foot trailer to a van to a series of motorhomes. So spending time in an RV equates to summers, time off from work and generally lots of fun.

RV workplace

 

Traveling in our RV enables us to explore nature, visit historical sites, and meet people. In the old days before satellite television and cell phones, our only entertainment was books. We packed up books and spent all our evenings reading. Oh I do miss those days. Smile. ☺ 
 

One of my favorite authors was Janet Dailey. At the time she was writing for Harlequin. She lived in an Airstream and traveled all around the United States. She wrote a novel set in each state. When I was asked to write during the summer for a project with Arizona State University, I chose Ms. Dailey as a role model and started writing romance. I fell in love with writing. It was even more fun than reading.

 

To this day I still love to explore nature, visit historical sites and meet people. I find they stimulate stories and give me information for my characters and novels. Life in the RV gives me more time to write. The RV only takes twenty minutes to clean and the house takes hours. There is no yard-work while in an RV and you spend very little time shopping because there is no place to put new stuff. This equates to great writing time.
 

Vince: you could have written about any topic as a beginning author. Why did you pick this particular topic for “Love’s Miracles”? I would think that this subject, the harsh after-effects of war, would be a major challenge to write about – especially for a young author.
 

Sandra: Love’s Miracles was not my first novel. I think it was probably about the tenth one I had written. It was the third novel purchased for publication. (Some of those early novels are still collecting dust in the storage shed. LOL) So I didn’t really start with such intensity.

 

I was a young woman during the Vietnam War. My brother served eight years in the Air Force in Vietnam. He worked in air traffic control, but volunteered to fly rescue missions in the helicopters. I heard many stories from him.
 

The times were troubling. I was horrified at how our American heroes were treated with such disdain. It was simply in my heart to write the story. When I started the research, I learned even more heartbreaking stories. I saw all around me men and women who had experienced the horror of war and were hurting. It is in my nature to want to fix things. Of course I can’t, but I wanted my heroine, Dr. Margo Devaull to help them heal.

A writing room with a view

 -- will travel

However, I must confess that helping vets heal was not my purpose when I wrote the book. I wanted interesting characters. I found that characters who had been in danger were more interesting because you could add depth. It turned out that my book helped a lot of vets, but it was not my intention when I wrote the book. In fact it was rather humbling when I received all the letters from vets who had been helped.
 

Of course I know now that it is through a relationship with God that you begin to even have a chance to heal. I think that comes across in the story without getting hit on the head. And I was blessed to have met a critique partner who worked at the VA hospital in Reno. She helped quite a bit with the depth and intensity of the story.
 

Vince: What did you learn from writing this book that you didn’t know before? Authors talk about character ARCs – that is, how characters change and grow during the course of the novel and how they are different people at the end of the book than they were at the start. Did you experience a personal ARC while writing this book? In other words, do you feel writing “Love’s Miracles” changed you or your outlook on life? I know this is a personal question but reading books can change people. Writing them probably can change them even more so.
 

Sandra: Interesting question Vince. In those days, we didn’t have all the insights that we have now. I didn’t know about character ARCs. I didn’t really know much about the writing craft because there was very little information out there at that time. The only reason my stories show character ARCs are because I read so much that I had internalized the sense of story that was needed. Plus I had a wonderful editor, Beth Lieberman.
 

In that sense, I grew as an author. When you work with a wonderful editor, you can’t help but grow as an author. It was subtle however. I couldn’t draw an ARC showing my learning curve.
 

Personally, I grew to have an empathy and understanding of the horror of war. It was surface and second-hand. But I had led a sheltered life that was full of love and caring. It was difficult to even imagine the things my brother and friends had experienced. I saw the effects that the war had on them and that concerned me. I think we all learned from that experience. We lost our air of innocence. I notice now that people from my generation go up to vets in public and thank them for serving our country. This warms my heart.
 

Vince: When you look back at the ‘you’ who wrote this book in 1989, how does that ‘you’ compare to the ‘you’ of today? What would you tell the ‘you’ today if you could go back in time and talk to her?
 

Sandra: The “me” now certainly knows more about the craft of writing. I know what character ARCs are. I know what plot points are. I know the difference between active and passive writing. I would definitely be bossing the old me and telling her how to write. Smile. ☻ 
 

But the old me had a passion that makes up for the lack of knowledge. The old me had much more idealism and a sense of purpose to right the wrongs one saw in society.
 

Hopefully the me of today has more wisdom, patience, and hope. I definitely have more faith in God. This gives one a sense of peace, especially when you see the horrors happening today. Social media makes it all known. I don’t think youth today has the innocence that we were blessed with.
 

Vince: I know commercial writing styles have changed somewhat since “Love’s Miracles” was written and yet you decided to keep it as it was originally written. Do you think the story you tell in that book is more powerful when told in the style of the time period covered in the book? Wasn’t there a temptation to edit the book given what you know now as a more experienced author?
 

Sandra: Another interesting question. Amber Stokes, my editor and I debated whether we wanted to change the writing style to a more active tense. In fact, I had decided to do so. But when I started, I realized that it would basically be a rewrite of the whole book. I think I would have even been tempted to change some of the character ARC. Amber and I decided to leave it as is to keep the flavor of a historical which by now it is.
 

Vince: With a title like, “Love’s Miracles” some readers may assume that this is a Christian fiction book. Is it and, if not, do you consider it as expressing essential human values? I know you’ve written a serious book on the nature of virtue. This is not an easy topic. Tells us about the values that are evident in “Love’s Miracles”.
 

Sandra: Warner actually picked the title. It went along with the marketing plan for the month it was released. There were similar titles by each of the publishing houses.
 

I like the title because I think the main theme, is how the miracle of love can heal and transform lives. The main premise however, is forgiveness. The characters need to forgive themselves in order to move on with their lives.
 

This book is not specifically a Christian book. Love and forgiveness are definitely important gifts in the Christian life. Christian values are exhibited by the characters. But most Christian fiction does not like to deal with violence and because of the nature of war, there is violence in this book.
 

Vince: I think the times are more right today to receive this book than they were when it first came out. I would think reading this book would be especially helpful for the loved ones of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans. Vietnam was over forty years ago and yet the pain people suffer has not changed. Who do you see as the primary reader for “Love’s Miracles”? Young people today or older people who lived during those turbulent times?

 

Sandra: The only reason I could see for the times being more right today for Love’s Miracles is the element of time. Pain is easier to deal with at a distance. So for older people, it will be easier for them now because there has been time to separate the individual from the pain. It’s like you and I not wanting to read a story about Alzheimer’s because we have recently had to deal with it. The pain is too recent and raw. But maybe forty years from now, it can be looked at from an objective vantage. I think older people of the boomer generation will be more objective and able to read about the Vietnam War now because of the time element.
 

Those returning from Iraq and Afghanistan might still be too raw. Their emotions might be too tender to deal with the traumatic issues Zane deals with in Love’s Miracles. However, if any of them do read it, I would hope that they would be encouraged to know that love does truly heal and miracles do happen, especially if you trust in God.
 

Sandra playing pickleball

Vince: “Love’s Miracles” is a serious book and I thank you for accepting the challenge of taking part in this serious interview. I am always more influenced by an author than what their books are about. Thank you.
 

Sandra: You are welcome, and thank you, Vince. It is an honor to be featured on Philosophy of Romance.
 

 

About the Book

 

Dr. Margo Devaull came to Dominic Zanelli's mountain retreat confident that she could help this Vietnam veteran overcome the torment that kept him apart from the world. But her training as a psychologist had not prepared her for the tragic, explosive contradictions brewing inside him. For here was a sensitive artist who could be gentle – and a man whose eyes flashed with violence and pain when he told her to leave and never come back. Yet Margo did come back, slowly gain his trust, and awaken the sleeping needs of his heart. Only by reliving her own wounded past and helping Zane confront a terrible memory from the war could she set them both free – and save their last chance for love.

 

 

Teaser from Loves Miracles
 

The high heels of Margo’s boots echoed as she walked across the uneven planks of the porch. She knocked.

Nothing happened.

She listened for sounds within the rustic A-frame cabin.

“Anybody home?”

No answer.

Where was Zanelli? Vinnie had assured her that he’d told his brother they were coming. She turned and scanned the edge of the woods. An eerie silence settled around her. Odd shapes took form in the dark shadows of the redwood forest. Margo shook off the uneasiness and tamped her growing irritation. She wasn’t going to be able to interview Zane if she couldn’t find him.

Suddenly, a shrill cry cut through the stillness. Margo stiffened. The cry echoed again and chills raced down her spine. It sounded like an animal in pain. She’d never heard the sound before but sensed it with bloodcurdling certainty. It came from the rear of the cabin.

 

“Love’s Miracles” -- A Romance as Moving Today as the Turbulent Times it Portrays!

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Famous Writing Quote of the Day

 

Evil Queen Synopsia

“A detailed plot outline is like the ‘mirror, mirror, on the wall’ in fairy tales. What you see in the mirror might not be very pretty so it’s better not to look in the first place.”

 

Vince Mooney 

 

 

Writing Contest Quote of the Day

 

"You can write but
can you tell a story?"

 

“A writing contest without a synopsis denies the judges the opportunity to determine if you can tell a story.”

 

Vince Mooney

 

Famous Writing Quote of the Day...Plus More

 

“Description tells a story as richly as any other element of the narrative.” 

 

Vince Mooney

 

 

When the hero enters the courthouse he sees only negative elements in the environment: a dead tree, cracked sidewalks, uneven steps, weeds in the flower beds, graffiti on the a dumpster, etc. Yet, when the hero leaves the courthouse, after winning his case, he sees the gazebo where he’s had good times, the beautiful roses and not the weeds, the hundred year old historic oak tree. As he looks up he see and appreciates the interesting cloud formations. He plays a game of seeing object in the clouds. He sees happy objects.

 

Like being there!

Description can set a mood, mirror character actions, lay a foundation for future actions, foreshadow key events, create AEs (anticipator events), plant ‘red herrings’, and in a more rewarding sense: description can delight a reader as when a beautiful and exotic setting lets the reader vicariously visit that location. Descriptions alone can make some books worth buying and a joy to read.

 

Not developing a genuine skill in using description is like a pianist not learning how to use the black keys. Yes, the pianist could still make music but there will be a poverty of richness.

 

"Not developing a genuine skill in using description is like a pianist not learning how to use the black keys."

Read the Post That Comes Before this One.

 

May 17th Writing Quote of the Day – Revisited, Again

 

A Hellcat on the Yorktown

Details in descriptions provide one of the most powerful tools a writer has at her command.

 

Yet so many writers avoid descriptions in favor of dialogue. This is a mistake.

 

Consider a description of a man’s office which the hero is visiting. The room is described by the author by providing a list of ten items in the office. The reader now has a good mental picture of the rather generic office. The reader 'sees' it but it tells him little and it carries little to no emotion.

 

Another writer only describes the office with just three items mentioned but they are all meaningful to the story. In the first description there was a standard office calendar. Generic white with no illustration. In the second the calendar has a full page photo of a WWII carrier fighter at the top.

 

1. what does this say about the office tenant?

2. what if the hero visitor can identify the plane – name it?

3. what if the hero’s grandfather was killed in such a plane in WWII?

4. what if the grandfather died in the plane because the admiral would not turn the carrier lights on because of fear of enemy submarines? His grandfather and sixteen other pilots were sacrified just to avoid the chance that a sub was in the area. Injustice or not?

5. What if the calendar was hanging crooked?  Does this bother the hero? Does it show the office tenant is sloppy or unattentive?

6. what if the hero gets up and straightens the calendar when the tenant leaves the office for a moment?

7. what if the hero gets up and straightens the calendar as he is talking to the tenant? Does this speak to power?

8. what if after the hero leaves the tenant puts the calendar back crooked just the way it was? Defiance or compulsive behavior?

9. what if the date 23 is circled in red with arrows pointing to it on four sides? AE -- Anticipatory event? What is going to happen on that date?  Is it an AE and a foreshadowing of something else to come that the hero should have anticipated?

 

Each detail can be mined to open up many different possibilities to entertain the reader and support the story objectives.

 

For many writers description and the effective use of detail is a lost art. I’m reading a book right now by a very good author and the first 25% of the book is in the same setting with just two people having a very witty dialogue. Great dialogue but it’s not much of a story. I can’t even believe an experienced writer would do this.  How many blogs do you see about how to write description? How many blogs are about making details do more than just paint a word picture of a scene to give the story a greater sense of reality?

 

I think one of the problems is all the interest in writing a novel in a month -- or even a week. This  leads to novels that are mostly dialogue. The novel is written, or 1000 words are written in an hour, and the description has to wait until the second draft where a little description will be layered in -- more as an unpleasant necessity than a golden opportunity to make the narrative a better reading experience.

 

The devil is in the details…or shall I say in the lack of salient details.

 

P.S. What else was in the office?

 

Item #2. An old high school football trophy on a shelf behind the desk. It was broken once and the arm throwing the football was glued back on poorly.

 

Item #3. A large white plastic floor fan angled in a way it would only direct air at the office tenant's desk.

May 17th Writing Quote of the Day – Revisited

 

“Only about 5% of the value of details is found in descriptions while 95% of the value is about advancing the story objectives and enhancing the reading experience.”  

 

Vince Mooney

 

When I wrote this quote yesterday, I was not sure if other writers would understand what could comprise that other 95% of details. Then a few minutes ago I was reading a post by Candace Calvert on Facebook about a garden tour and it make me think of a good example of the richness of details when used as more than description. 

Here is my example as it came to me just a few minutes ago. 

I’m a big fan of cuttings – especially in romances. A plant may be just a flower in an author’s description of a cottage. This may be used to make the cottage seem more ‘real’. However, if it is a cutting taken from the old country when the owner left Ireland, then it has significance and can carry emotion.  

If it was a gift from the hero’s mother before she died, then the plant is a living reminder of his mother. This creates sympathy for the hero. It’s something the reader can begin to feel.  

If the mother was unjustly killed by a British soldier and fell near that plant, then seeing the flower may well cause an outrage of emotion against the injustice.  

Now we are making the reader really feel the story.  

If it is the first year the plant is in the new country soil and it is not known if the plant can live through an Oklahoma summer, then this creates an anticipatory event – something for the reader to look forward to among many other AEs the author has set up to keep the reader turning pages.  

If the plant struggles and survives as the story progresses, that could mirror the hero and heroine going through analogous conflicts in the narrative.  

In the epilogue the blossoms from the plant could be used for a wedding bouquet or garlands. To complete the cycle, cuttings from the plant could be given to special guests.  

All this comes from one flower. And this is only one detail in a description that could have had many other descriptive details. Such details can do double and triple duty in advancing the story and enhancing the reader’s reading enjoyment. 

This is why I say that details are only 5% description and 95% the potential to advance the story in a dozen different ways. Thanks again to Candace Calvert for stimulating my imagination with her many interesting posts on Facebook. 

 

An Interview with Sandy Wardman – Author of the illustrated Southwest Folktale Series for Children…

Review Here

Review Here

Review Here

Sandy Wardman is the Author of the Three Southwest Folktale  Children's Books Shown Here. 

 

These books are so unique that I’ve asked Sandy to give Philosophy of Romance this interview.

 

 

1. How did this series come about?  Whose idea was it?  Were you filling a gap in the market or was this just something you wanted to do…like a labor of love.

 

When I retired from teaching I wanted to write. I had twenty years experience with kindergarten and since they say write what you know, I thought it would be fun to write children’s picture books.

 

I live in the Southwest and love the animals of the Southwest so I targeted them for my characters. My husband is a biologist, so we have always been interested in wildlife and enjoy observing them while out camping. It seemed natural to focus my stories on them.

 

Sandy's RV Office

One thing I discovered is that writing children’s picture books is not as easy as it would seem. In fact, I think they are more difficult than a novel. You only have 500-1,000 words to develop plot, character arc and action. So each word has to count.

 

I noticed this right away. These are full stories with a plot, a beginning, a middle, and an end. Each also offers an essential lesson or moral. You have used a vocabulary, images, and situations children can understand and find interesting.

 

 

 

2. Tell us about the artwork. It’s all full color and of the highest quality. Many of the full page pictures are suitable for framing. Can you tell us something about the artist?

 

The artist, Jeff West, was hired by the publisher to illustrate the manuscripts.  I’m just going to quote now from Jeff’s website.

 

 Jeff West is a visual effects artist and a formally trained artist. He started designing T-shirts and drawing caricatures at theme parks and went on to serve as the lead visual effects artist on the POWER RANGERS television series, and contributed to ANGEL, MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE, SABRINA THE TEENAGE WITCH, WEIRD SCIENCE, FRIENDS, THE TWILIGHT ZONE,and CARNIVALE. West worked on the smash hit TV series BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, and recently contributed visual effects work to the series FRINGE, KINGS, VALENTINE, CHARMED, CSI , and OVER THERE.

 

 

He was recently nominated for an Emmy for his work on The TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES. Movie credits:VAN HELSING, MAN ON FIRE, THE PUNISHER, SIMON BIRCH, and KNOCKOFF. Storyboard artist on SMALLVILLE, BIRDS OF PREY,VAMPIRE BATS. He also did boards for Rolland Emmerich's "2012" and VACANCY 2. Commercials list:Mazda, Vibe.Music videos DMX, Sheryl Crow, In Sync. Companies: Modern VideoFilm, Encore Hollywood, CBS Digital, Pixomondo,Zoic Studios. He currently freelances as a graphic artist and illustrator, doing storyboards, conceptual designs, and other work for films, bands, and kids books.

 

I can sure pick out talent, can’t I?  When I first saw the artwork in these books, I had to have them all. I have a good and dear friend who is an accomplished artist and I’ve already sent him “Cody the Coyote” .

 

3. Are these books designed for classroom use? Home schooling? Who did you have in mind as readers when you wrote these books?

 



Sandy Wardman

My husband and I travel to all of the National Parks and in their gift shops they have animal books.  I targeted that market, but have yet to break into it.

 

I do know that teachers and home school moms use my books.  The stories are fiction but in the back there are non-fiction fun facts about each animal.

 

4. What gave you the idea to improve on “The Boy Who Cried Wolf”? It would not have occurred to me to even try to update that classic tale and yet your version is improved in many different ways. I mentioned these improvements in my review of the book.

 

 

We were traveling in Southwestern Utah and there were many educational displays in the National Forest about the prairie dogs. I thought they would be a fun animal to write about. When I did the research on them I discovered they actually have a different bark for each predator. From that came the idea of using The Boy Who Cried Wolf theme and Percival became the naughty prairie dog.

 

Sandy's RV

I also learned that when you fictionalize an animal, you have to give them the same behavior and characteristics they would have naturally. So when Percival was punished, he had to do what prairie dogs do—like pick fleas off his cousins, bring grass for the baby prairie dog’s nest, etc.

 

 

I’ve also learned in my writing association (Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) that you can use the themes from fairy tales.  Many authors have done so. It was fun to do. I had no intention of improving on the fairy tale. I was simply trying to adapt the story to the behavior of a prairie dog.

 

5. Do you have any plans for additional books to the series?

 

I do have two other stories written, Annie the Antelop and Alphie the Albino Squirrel.  They haven’t been picked up yet by a publisher.  My publisher for these books is looking at Annie the Antelop so hopefully it will be coming out in the future.

 

6. Have you thought of doing a version of Native American folktales? Perhaps a Southwestern tribe. I’m thinking here in terms of tales about how animals became the way they are. For example, how the raccoon got the rings on his tail. There are many such tales that try to explain the world to both children and adults.

 

I thought about it, but to be honest, I would have a difficult time marketing them since I’m not Native American. Another deciding factor is that there are several already out there written by Native Americans.

A Nice Place to Write Stories

 

7. Tell us about the marketing? These books must be expensive to produce and yet they are not expensive; however, they are also not for sale on Amazon. How are they sold?

 

The marketing of these books has been a learning experience. My publisher does not work with distributors which makes it difficult for in store placement. Most stores want to buy their books from one source rather than setting up accounts with each publisher. I have had many store owners tell me they would stock the books until they discover they can’t be purchased from a distributor.

 

My publisher did have them on Amazon, but took them off when he put them on I-Tunes. They are really great on I-Tunes.  I’m not sure why he took them off Amazon.

 

To buy them online, you can purchase them from my webpage.   

 

Sandy Playing Pickleball

I also sell them at craft fairs when I’m in the RV resorts where I camp. I sell a lot to pickleball friends who purchase them for their grandchildren.  They are my personal best customers. 

 

We made the books paperback to keep the price down. I purposely kept the price down because people will buy more books if the prices are low.

 

8. Who do you see as your primary market? I think they are ideal books for a parent or grandparent to read to a child. I’m in my sixties yet each story held my interest.

 

 



Sandy and Fan
on the Road.

Grandparents are my best customers. I have discovered that parents rarely buy books as they need their funds for more pressing matters.  But grandparents know the importance of books in the home and they have the money to buy them. They also get a kick out of having the books autographed for their grandchildren.

 

9. I love the Southwest which actually has it own literary genre. Is there a reason these books are set in the Southwest? Is it your love of the Southwest?

 

As mentioned above, I do love the Southwest. I have lived in the desert for the last forty plus years. I have probably hiked through most of it over the years and love to simply sit and observe the wildlife around me.

 

10. You’ve got a lot of different animals in these books. You even had two creatures that I did not even know existed…at least by their names. Is this why you have pictures of every animal that is mentioned? It seems a child would learn a lot more different things with these books than by hearing the normal moral fables.

 

 

The artist decided what animals to illustrate.  They try to illustrate what is in the text. I mentioned several animals because they are indigenous to the area. If anyone learns from these books, that is a bonus. I wrote to entertain, but I am a retired teacher so I’m sure educational elements creep in.

 

11. I am assuming there is a right way or a preferred way to use these books. As the author, how do you see their highest and best use?

 

I wrote them to entertain children. I pictured them selling in the National Parks bookstores. Often families buy the books in the stores there to provide entertainment for their children while they camp.  That was my intent when writing them.  I’ve yet to break into that market and that has a lot to do with my publisher. However with the paradigm shift in the publishing world, that will change. I think the fact these books are on I-Tunes at a low price will bring lots of entertainment to the children. Today’s children are electronically oriented so they will enjoy the I-Tunes versions. 

 

 

12. Some of the animals are very cute like Percival the prairie dog but some like the coyote are pretty scary–especially the coyote with his teeth bared.  How do young kids react to that picture?

 

Girls love the cute pictures. Boys love the scary pictures. For that reason it is good that each book has both.

 

13. Can you tell us about  your actual experiences in reading these books to children. I’d love to hear how the children have reacted. Was it what you expected as an author or have the children surprised you?

 

My most popular book is "Hector Wants To Play". I think the fact it is in rhyme is the reason. Children love rhyme. They love to look at the pictures and point to the animals. Its almost like they see something different each time the stories are read.

Rhyme is easy to remember and if you read the story often, soon they are reading with you even when they haven’t learned to read yet. I love that.

 

14. Is there anything you’d like to add that I have not asked you?

 

Can’t think of anything Vince.  You were pretty thorough.  Smile!  But if you think of something else later, fire away. 

 

Thank you Sandy. I know I ask a lot of questions. Thankfully, you had the answers for us.

 

 

You Can Purchase These Books Direct From The Author's Website here.