Category Archives: General

Jun8

June Author Spotlight: Zachariah Rippee, an author interview

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Zachariah Rippee is the author of the children’s picture book series that deals with the joys of reading.

This month, our featured Indie children’s book author is Zachariah Rippee. Zach has written an amazing series of picture books that deals with the treasure that can be found while reading. His main character, Elijah, has a series of adventures discovering the joys of taking a perusal through a book. Each book deals with a different theme of reading.  Knowledge and imagination start out the series in the first two books, Elijah and the Key of Knowledge and Elijah and the City of Danger. 

I had the chance to talk to Zachariah about his series and the joys he’s discovered writing them.

1) How did you get the idea to write your books? 

Mr. Rippee: This is a good question. It is always fun to look at the “birth” of an idea. From a young age I have hoped and dreamed of being a father. Most kids dreamed of being doctors and firemen, a policeman maybe. Nope, not me. I wanted to be a father, a husband. I think that is because of the strong example I had in my own father (who is today my biggest hero). As I got older I began to understand this desire was not only to be a father, but to be a role model for children.

Plain and simply put our children are our future. It only seems logical to want decent role models for our future. As a father I hope my children learn to love reading. As a teacher and role model I want the same thing for my students. I want to do as many things to encourage that as possible. The books are just an extension of my desire to help our children build a better future. Reading is the key to that. If a child can read, they hold the key to their own learning and to a brighter future.
2) Did you have trouble reading as a child? How did this inspire your books?
Mr. Rippee: Short answer: YES!!! I can honestly say, without a doubt and with full understanding of what these words mean, “I HATED READING AS A CHILD!” I did not learn to read easily. I fought to not read. I had such insecurities because of reading deficiencies. I can actually trace being shy and introverted back to an insecurity because of my poor reading ability. Many are shocked to find out that I did not read my first chapter book from cover to cover until I was 22 years old.
The first chapter book I read was Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Full disclosure, I only read this book so that I could talk to a girl. The girl!!! She loved reading. She always talked about the Potter books. I find it humorous that reading caused me to pull away from social settings as a child, and reading was the door through which I entered into the most important “social setting” of my adult life. That girl, the girl, is now my wife of nearly eleven years. She has helped me grow my own love of reading. Because of her example I can now see the value of reading as an important life tool. (She also scolded me for reading the Harry Potter books out of order)
My troubles with reading inspired my own books because my books were born out of the desire to prevent my story from becoming my children’s story. After I wrote my first book, Elijah and the Key of Knowledge, I realized that it wasn’t only my story or their story. Kids all over the country are living the same struggles and experiencing the same fears and anxiety that I did. Thus my continued writing.
3) What would you suggest to a reader to try if they want to be an author someday?
Mr. Rippee: In today’s world there are so many tools available to aspiring authors. Social media is full of groups and clubs that are geared towards helping authors learn and grow. Publishing has become so easy with online self-publishing platforms. You can LITERALLY write, illustrate, and publish your own books in a few days. That being said, consider these things: What is your message or story? Who is your audience? How will you build your platform? Who are people you can trust to be helpful resources (editors, illustrators, proof readers, and people to bounce ideas off of)?
Finally, if it is a dream of yours to become a writer…write!
4) What were some of your favorite authors while growing up?
Mr. Rippee: As a child I didn’t like reading. However, since I have been “playing catch up” I have found several wonderful stories by amazing authors.
I am a fan of older (some might say classic) dystopian novels, mysteries, spy novels. Ann Rand, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Ian Fleming, Ray Bradbury, Edgar Rice Burroughs, George Orwell are some of my favorite authors. I love Anthem by Rand and my favorite book is probably her epic Atlas Shrugged. The ideas and philosophies the novel discusses are interesting to me. I actually spent hours reading it during my 10 year wedding anniversary trip (in flight reading).
I love J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter. Jay Asher is a good author. I am also reading The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday.
5) What was the drawing and writing process for your children’s books?
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Sketches by Zachariah Rippee during his illustration process in creating his children’s book series.

Mr. Rippee: The drawing process began 5 years and 9 months before my first book was published. I illustrated my character Elijah on the day my wife told me she was pregnant for the first time. (included image). All of my illustrations start as hand drawn sketches that are then scanned and colored digitally. Formatting has been a fun journey for me, as I format all my own books. That is the beauty of self-publishing. You get creative control of the entire project. Several steps happen in between the first sketch and the final draft.

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Finished layouts of the book Elijah and the City of Danger by Zachariah Rippee.

As far as the writing process, I have adapted a saying my father taught me. When building something ( we dabble in woodworking) he says “Measure twice, cut once.”   I will consider a page or paragraph in my head for days, rewording it, revising it, and so on. When it hits the paper it is usually fairly close to the finished product. Most of my writing happens in quiet times of waiting ( at the grocery store, eating lunch, in the car). My mind just rolls it over and over until something shiny pops out at me!

6) What writing projects do you have coming up?
Mr. Rippee: I am currently rolling around several stories in my head. I just began self-publishing in the spring. So several ideas have been pent up waiting to burst forth. I am currently working on books that nod to the classic monster movies and campy 60’s superhero shows. I am also working on a whimsical look at how feelings affect our perception of the world around us.

Thank you so much to Mr. Rippee for sharing his experience and his creative process with me for my blog readers. I’m hoping you’ll be inspired to start writing your own stories. For more information on Zachariah Rippee’s books, visit him at Facebook or his Amazon Author Page at:

Facebook Link: https://m.facebook.com/mr.rippee.sir/

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Zachariah-Rippee/e/B06XFKLHK9

ElijahKeyKnowledgeCvr***His picture books, Elijah and the Key of Knowledge, Elijah and the City of Danger, and The Green Ladybug: A Book About Kindness are available on Amazon.

***Barnes and Noble links:

***Next week, book reviews of the featured books by the author in the Indie Authors Monthly Spotlight!

-Tiffany Turner

***Tiffany Turner is a children’s author that has been self-publishing for over 10 years. She started the Indie Children’s Authors Connection to help get the word out about amazing children’s books she has found by other Indie authors. Her children’s fantasy adventure books, Crystal Keeper Chronicles series, is available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. 

May17

UPDATE: The Lost Secret of Time: Final Book in Crystal Keeper Series Due out Spring 2018

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Working cover for the last Crystal Keeper Chronicles book, The Lost Secret of Time. 

I wanted to give everyone an update on the progress of the last book in the Crystal Keeper series, The Lost Secret of Time. I’m proud to announce that there has been a schedule set up for it’s completion. It is outlined, and has 9 chapters of the 14 written thus far. It’s scheduled with my editor for the end of October, and I’ve been working hard with the help of Camp NaNo to get it completed.

I have to thank all of my fans for your patience. I know this one is taking longer, but sometimes life throws things at you that can’t be planned for, like a heart attack, going septic in the hospital and having acute pneumonia. I’m just happy to still be alive and be around for a second chance to finally complete the series.

I also have to mention I did try to end the series with the third book, but the characters WOULDN’T let me. They insisted that the story carry on. So, that is why the third book ends the way it does in a cliffhanger. There was just more story to tell.

Plus, once I wrap up this series, I’m planning a prequel in which Brewford, the cat sorcerer, will be the main character. There are a lot of things hinted about his past in the series, and I want to write a prequel that explains it all. So, the ending of the Crystal Keeper Chronicles won’t be the end of Wanda’s fairy world. It will continue in other forms.

It has been an amazing ten year journey so far. I’m sure many of you fans have grown up waiting for the books to be written. If anything, you’ve learned that writing is a process and takes time, an average of two years per book at least. The biggest thing that a reader needs to possess is patience for your favorite books. I know your pain. I’ve gone through the same thing with my favorite authors, Anne McCaffrey, Anne Rice and Mercedes Lackey. I think the secret is having LOTS of favorite authors so you can switch between them between new book releases. It’s how I cope. 😉

Until then, take care, and I hope you enjoy your other favorite authors until the new and last book in the series is released next Spring. Stay tuned for fun summer reading activities and giveaways. Have a fabulous summer.

-Tiffany (Mrs. Turner)

 

Mar30

Tiffany Turner Appearance at 20th Annual Tartan Day Scottish Fair-April 1, 2017 in Fremont, CA

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Tiffany Turner will be at the 20th annual Tartan Day Scottish Fair at Ardenwood Park in Fremont, CA on April 1, 2017. She’ll be there to sell her children’s books and

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Visit Tiffany Turner’s booth and enter the $25 Amazon Gift Card giveaway.

talk to visitors about her upcoming book, The Lost Secret of Time: Book 4 in the Crystal Keeper Chronicles. There will also be a giveaway for a $25 Amazon Gift Card at her booth. Stop by and sign up to enter, and get a chance to win the gift card or one of three Crystal Keeper pendants designed by Mrs. Turner.

The fair includes living history demonstrations including the Scottish Queens court, sword and battle demonstrations, and Scottish foods on sale. Come visit to experience a piece of Scotland and Celtic culture for a day.

Tartan Day Scottish Fair Website:

http://www.eastbayscots.org/

East Bay Scottish Association
Tartan Day Scottish Faire
Saturday April 1st, 2017
Ardenwood Historical Farm
Fremont, California
Gates open at 10 AM
Admission Adults: $12.00 Seniors (62+): $8.00
Children (4-17): $5.00
Children under 3 Free
Free On-Site Parking!

UPDATE: Announcing the winners for the Tartan Day Giveaway:

**All winners have been mailed their prizes. Thanks everyone for entering at the event. Hope to see you next year with the newly released fourth book: The Lost Secret of Time.

$25 Amazon Gift Card: Bruce W.

Winners of an official Crystal Pendant:

  1. Elizabeth L.
  2. Janice M.
  3. Olu S.

 

Mar14

Self-Publishing Speaking Engagement for Tiffany Turner

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ebookmarketTiffany Turner will be speaking on the self-publishing panel at the AODSF conference at the Santa Clara Convention Center on Sunday, March 19 at 10am-11am Live Event Rm 4.

Come find out the exact steps you’ll need for self-publishing you’re own book. From your beginning ideas to pushing the button to self publish, Tiffany Turner will join in a panel to walk you through the process. Ask questions and find out all the publishing platforms, how to hire you’re own editors, formatters, cover designers, and start that important step to building your author platform. Ask questions and get started from the information you’ll receive from this talk.

AODSF Conference Schedule/Website

http://aodsf.org/events/list/

Mar5

Tiffany Turner Titles During “Read An Ebook Week” March 5-11 on Smashwords

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ebookweekbanner20172I love being someone to encourage new things. Once a year, Smashwords holds a big sale to motivate people to try to read ebooks. This has been going on for SEVERAL years now, and I’m happy to be supportive again of this great event.

IF you have children that go through books quickly, ebooks are a great way to keep them supplied. Plus, this sale will be a way to get them on the road to some new great books, many of them for FREE!

I’ve decided to list the first in my Crystal Keeper Series, The Lost Secret of Fairies, for FREE during this week. The second in the series, The Lost Secret of the Green Man, will be on a 50% discount at 0.99. It’s a great way to get them started on a fantasy adventure series that will feed their love of reading.

To further promote reading this week, I’m including a sneak preview of my upcoming fourth book in the series, The Lost Secret of Time. I do apologize for the slow progress on this particular manuscript. I did suffer some medical issues a few years ago, and they’ve taken a very long time to recover from. You can read all about it in this post. But I promise, it will happen. And to my shock, the characters are telling me there should be a fifth most likely. They just can’t stop the adventure they are on. It should all be blamed on them. After all, I just write down what they tell me. 😉

The Lost Secret of Fairies (FREE)

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/6090

The Lost Secret of the Green Man ($0.99)

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/115942

NOTE: Deals start on Smashwords at midnight in your time zone.

Here is the excerpt from the first page of The Lost Secret of Time:

The Lost Secret of Time

By Tiffany Turner

©2017, All Rights Reserved

Chapter 1

“Mom?” I looked at the girl in front of me. I couldn’t believe what had happened. The girl looking back at me had my Mom’s eyes. In fact, she could have been my sister. She was my age, and looking like a total throw back to the eighties. Her brown hair was clipped back with a barrette with ribbons woven around it. Her clothes were very retro, with a rainbow t-shirt and jeans. Her shoes were tennis shoes, but not designer like Nike. I think they were just regular tennis shoes made of blue denim. My Mom looked totally different. Or rather I was totally not where I should be. I was in 1983.

 

I read the year from the calendar hanging in the office. It all looked super retro to me. I was having trouble absorbing the fact I was in the eighties. In fact, I might be stuck in the 80s.

 

I’d traveled through a time portal, chased by the evil sorcerer Balkazar, as he battled with my friend and allie, Brewford, a cat sorcerer. I don’t know who won. And now I was looking at my mother in the front office of my middle school, 30 years in the past.

 

“You got your pass?” My Mom says.

 

I struggle to remember her first name. “Katrina, right?” I look at her to see if I got it right.

 

“Yeah. It’s Katrina. How did you know?”

 

“I think I heard it from the office lady.” There. Good cover. I hope she buys it.

 

“OK. Come on. I’ll be your buddy to get you to your homeroom. Which one is it?”

 

It was all happening so fast. If I gave her my regular homeroom, it would probably not work. I wasn’t even born yet, let alone really enrolled in the school. So, I blurted out the first thing that came to mind. My normal sanctuary at school seemed like the best place to start. “The library. I start my day there.”

 

“OK,” she answered. “Let’s go.”

 

We walked out of the office, and down the corridor towards the cafeteria. I looked around at my school, 30 years in the past. All the shrubs and trees in the quad looked new. Grass was starting to grow, and signs were up to stay off of certain sections. It looked like there had been a complete landscape.

 

I thought trying to make some conversation might help. So, I turned to my Mom. “So, when did they put in the new plants?”

 

She shoveled her shoulders. “Yeah. They’re trying to spruce up the place after shoving us all into it. They just turned it from a high school into a Jr. High. We’ve got 9th graders here too. The Freshman think they own the place. You just move here?”

 

“Yeah. Just moved here over the weekend.” I played it dumb. I thought it would be best.

 

“You’ll like this school. Most of the teacher’s are pretty awesome. They totally like listen to you. Like they really care, you know?”

 

I nodded. I still was a little freaked out about seeing my Mom as a 13 year old. We could have been sisters. She had the same long brown mousey hair that I did, and glasses. Except mine had no frames around the lenses. Her glasses did. We were a total “Revenge of the Nerds” type casts. It was a bit weird.

 

We neared the doors to the library which ended our awkward silence. She started with the good-byes first. “Well, here’s the library.” She handed me a schedule list.

 

“This will help you sort out where you need to go after here. Good luck at Drexel Junior High.” She gave me a wave and walked back heading towards the office. I put my hand on the knob, not sure what I would find in there.

 

Drexel Junior High? This was a middle school during my time period in the future. I looked down at my schedule for a moment and was happy to see that “Library Assistant” had come up as my first class. Wow. Something was up. I had no choice but to follow through with fate. In fact, I got a weird déjà vu feeling as I opened the door and walked into the library.

 

I felt a warmth from my pendant. I held it to get in touch with the crystal fairy within.

 

“Yes. I helped schedule you here. You’ll see why.” The crystal fairies high tinny voice echoed in my mind. I’d almost forgotten I was not totally alone.

I hope you enjoyed this excerpt. Thanks for all the support through the years, and enjoy “Read An Ebook Week”! -Tiffany Turner

Feb15

Speaking Engagement for Children’s Author Tiffany Turner

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Tiffany Turner will be leading a Creative Session at the SCBWI Asilomar Children’s Writing Conference. The session will be entitled: Writer’s Block Walk and will be on Saturday, March 4 at 3:15pm-4:00pm.

writerblockwalkDescription: Got writer’s block on a project? Bring your project for a walk around Asilomar along the beach and dunes. Brainstorm with other writers, and take some time in nature to write and release new ideas.

Still time to sign up for this excellent children’s writing conference at: https://sfsouth.scbwi.org/events/2017-golden-gate-conference/.

A message from Tiffany Turner:

“I’ve been attending the SCBWI South San Francisco Asilomar Writing Conference for over 10 years. Each year it is a shot in the arm to help get my creative juices flowing. It is also a great opportunity to mingle and pitch to children’s editors and agents. It’s a small conference, and many times it’s a nice family and friend-like atmosphere that is great for children’s writers just starting out to the seasoned veteran like myself. Great weekend getaway and chance to focus on your children’s writing career.

Still time to sign-up, and if you are coming already, please join me for the walk. It’s something similar to what I’ve done and I’ve heard others do during this writing conference. Except I’ve taken it to a new level by giving this walk some structure and applying it to something I think a nature walk helps with the best, writer’s block. It should be a fun writing activity. I look forward to meeting you.” -Tiffany Turner

Oct29

Pumper the Pumpkin Picture Book Free Oct. 28-31/Write Your Own Spooky Story

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Every year, I like to give away a little treat of my own. I’ve written a picture book from a story I originally wrote when I was 10. I originally wrote it back in Mrs. William’s class when I was in the Fifth Grade. 35 years later, here is the story of that long ago character I created, Pumper the Pumpkin.

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Pumper the Pumpkin: A Halloween Tale by Tiffany Turner *Available for Free on Amazon 10/28-31

On Halloween Eve, Pumper is trying to be a jack-o-lantern. Only he needs to find the right family to adopt him. Will he in time? Join Pumper in this amazing Halloween quest of being a part of something bigger.

This Halloween short story is intended for ages 3-10. Get into the Halloween spirit with this family friendly tale.

For years, I’ve carved Pumper the Pumpkin has my pumpkin in hale to this character I created so long ago. Sometimes, things you make up as a kid, like having unicorn friends come hang out with you in your bedroom, can make their way into a children’s story to entertain children that were once your age.

Remembering those fun, creative activities always has been a plus for me. I use them all the time in my stories. And yes, I still have the Pumper original story. I promised myself that when I got bigger and my language arts skills improved, I would rewrite Pumper the Pumpkin. The original story had bully kids come in and throw all of Pumper’s family to the ground, breaking them into pieces. It’s how I said he was alone originally. But I cut that out in the rewrites, and made it that he just hadn’t been picked yet. I added the character Miraballe. Voila! A new, improved Pumper story was born.

So, if you’d like to write your own Spooky story over the next few days before Halloween, check out the steps on How To Write Your Own Spooky Story below. These can be done in a few days if you double up a few of the lessons. Try two lessons a day, and you can make your story in time for Halloween. Waaaahhahhahahahha!

Day 1 For Writing A Spooky Story: Main Character Creation

Day 2: Creating a Spooky Setting/Plot

Day 3: Starting the Rough Draft

Day 4: Continuing Rough Draft with Dialogue

Day 5: Revision and Proofreading your story

Day 6: Writing the Final Draft

For those of you that would like the full lesson plan, it is available on Teachers Pay Teachers at this link: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Spooky-Story-and-Summary-Report-October-Writing-Unit-2763010

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The Spooky Story Writing Unit is available on Teachers Pay Teachers for $2.95.

Only $2.95!

Plus, Pumper the Pumpkin will be free on Amazon between Oct. 28-31!

https://www.amazon.com/Pumper-Pumpkin-Tiffany-Turner-ebook/dp/B005X1CS1A

HAVE A HAPPY AND SAFE HALLOWEEN!

-Tiffany Turner

 

 

Oct21

Spooky Writing Project Unit On Sale 10/21-10/23 @ TeachersPayTeachers

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spookystoryunitbkcvrSo, I’ve been writing down all my teaching wisdom to preserve and share it with current and future teachers. I’ve had 18 years experience teaching with a specialty in writing. So, I’ve been writing up some fabulous projects on TeachersPayTeachers.com. I’ve just put my Spooky Story writing project unit on sale for this weekend, 10/21-10/23. The unit follows current Common Core standards. It’s on sale for $2.36. Unit includes graphic organizers(worksheets), sample writing paragraphs, grading rubric, and all the lesson plans for the unit. It even includes a Spooky Book Summary Report.

I’ve had kids over and over say this was their favorite project in my classroom. So, if you’re a teacher and need something for Halloween, have the kids write a story. They can’t get enough of this. Or even if you’re a parent and you want to keep your kids busy from now until Halloween, try this project and have them read it on Halloween night. There is nothing more magical than watching kids entertain themselves with their own writing.

LINK To TEACHERS PAY TEACHERS HERE For Spooky Story Project!

Plus, my Halloween read-aloud is available exclusively on Amazon Here!

And I’ve just posted a new writing unit for Mysteries!

Hot off the presses: Mystery Genre Writing Unit LINK HERE!

OH yes, have a spooky and safe Halloween!

Sep16

Back To School Blog Tour: Day 5

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backtoschool2016I’d like to wrap up the blog tour by saying a big thank you to all of the participating authors for joining this annual event. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about the different featured authors this week.

Please feel free to visit the blog/websites of participating authors to find out more about them:

Plus, here is a list of additional blog posts that appeared on participating blogs this week:

An interview with Martine Lewis on Erin Liles’s blog:

https://editperfectword.com/2016/09/15/martine-lewis-author-of-the-grey-eyes-series/

For an interview with me, Tiffany Turner, head over to Sandra R. Anderson’s Blog:

http://www.sandrarandersson.com/2016/09/back-to-school-blog-tour-interview-with_12.html

Teaching Tips on Philip Gibson’s Blog:

http://www.wordbywordseries.com/blog.html

SO, TODAY IS THE LAST CHANCE TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAYS/PICK UP DISCOUNTS AND FREEBIES!

GIVEAWAYS and DISCOUNTS

Here is one last shot at the list of freebies, discounts, and giveaways during the blog tour. All discounts, freebies and giveaways will be running through the blog tour dates: 9/12-9/16.

  1. Win a $25 shopping spree on Amazon! Link to the Rafflecopter giveaway link here!
  2. Download a free copy of Konrad and the Birthday Painting HERE!
  3. Philip Gibson’s Graded Word For Word Reader 1 & 2 Free
  4.  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B018ZQQ98C
  5. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B019J1U2RQ
  6. The Lost Secret of Fairies: Discounted to $0.99
  7. Win a notebook set, bookmarks or the book Tinker Bee by Erin Liles: http://erinbethliles.weebly.com/blog/back-to-school-blog-tour-giveaway

Thanks so much for joining myself and the other Indie children’s authors this week. I’ve enjoyed hosting the Back to School Blog Tour again this year. I can’t wait to celebrate the 5th Annual tour next year. Sign-ups will begin in August 2017.

To all of those teachers and students out there starting the 2016-2017 school year, best of learning to you all! Have a great year!

-Tiffany Turner

Sep15

Back to School Blog Tour: Day 4

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backtoschool2016We’re already up to Day 4 of the blog tour. I hope you have been enjoying the daily featured authors. There has been a wide range of books, from Middle Grade to Reading instruction readers, to a picture book. Today, I share with you the author of a fabulous Middle Grade reader, Sandra R. Anderson. She is the author of Konrad and the Birthday Painting. She is a mother of two boys who fortunately have yet to show any interest in art. They are too busy catching Pokémon.

After several years of translating other people’s books by day and reading tons of children’s books every night at bedtime, she decided that she had some stories of her own to tell. She first got started by taking a course in writing for children at the cultural center Näs, right next to Astrid Lindgren’s childhood home.

She writes books for children and for grown-ups and anyone else who likes stories that are about something more than at first glance. She still works as a translator. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, baking, and Postcrossing, although not simultaneously. She is an accidental stamp collector and keeps forgetting to water her potted plants, particularly when she’s working on a new book.

I had the chance to ask Ms. Anderson about her thoughts on writing, her favorite school memories, and what she is up to right now.

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Sandra R. Anderson is the author of Konrad and the Birthday Party available on Amazon.

1) Who was your favorite children’s author and how did they influence you?
I was the type of kid that read everything I could get my hands on, so I couldn’t name just one. I loved the classics, wandering around on that deserted island with Robinson Crusoe and exploring the oceans with Captain Nemo, but I also solved mysteries alongside Nancy Drew and the Hardy boys, discovered smugglers and hidden treasure with the Famous Five and slept with my feet on the pillow and baked gingerbread cookies on the floor with Pippi Longstocking.
I honestly can’t imagine the person I would have grown up to be if I hadn’t had all of these characters in my life as a child and am eternally grateful to the authors who created them. They opened my eyes to other people’s lives and experiences and made me see things differently. They broadened my horizons and made me a far better person than I would have been otherwise.
2) What is your most memorable school moment?
The best time I ever had in school was when I lived in Norway for a few years and went to school in a tiny school building with the sea on one side and tall mountains on the other. One time the entire school (not that many kids, perhaps 60 or 70 in all) rode a bus to the next valley over and then went on skis back over the mountains. Eating my school lunch at the top of a mountain is a memory that I will treasure forever.
3) Do you have a writing routine? Share what works for you.
My best writing gets done really early in the morning, before the rest of my family wakes up. I’m an early bird and often wake up at 4 or 5. When everything is quiet, and the whole family is tucked away in bed, that’s when I can give my undivided attention to the characters in my stories and go on adventures with them. That said, if that wasn’t an option, I would write with blunt crayons on wet napkins up in a tree in the middle of a hurricane. Sometimes a story just needs to be told.
4) Was there anything in school that was difficult for you?
Sure. I’m not very good at a lot of things. I’m pretty good at reading and writing, but that’s about it. When it came to the more practical subjects, I was all thumbs, and I am still capable of burning a salad or sewing a shirt to my trousers if I try to replace a lost
button. But the thing I found most difficult in school was the social aspect, the unwritten rules that govern the playground. We moved a lot, so I was always the new kid, always failing to fit in.
5) What is writing to you in one sentence?
The magic that allows us to see the world through someone else’s eyes, explore places and situations that would otherwise be out of reach, and be anyone we want to be.
6) What projects are you working on right now?
I’m writing the next book in the Artworld series, of course, to find out what Konrad gets up to now that he has discovered an exciting new world inside of paintings. I’m also working on a science fiction story for ages 9 and up and have a coming of age saga for the same age group on the back burner. I  like to work on several different projects simultaneously, to avoid writer’s block, but there are only so many hours in a day, unfortunately. I also write for grown-ups under a different pen name, and have a few projects I’m working on there, as well. The most urgent is a ghost story that I hope to have done in time for Halloween.
To connect to Sandra R. Anderson, find her at:

Her website: www.sandrarandersson.com

Her Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/AuthorSandraR

 

BOOK REVIEW: KONRAD AND THE BIRTHDAY PAINTING

konradb-daypaint

Sandra R. Anderson writes a brilliant fantasy world in this Middle Grade Book available on Amazon.

***** Five Stars

Konrad and the Birthday Painting is a fast and fun fantasy adventure for middle graders. Konrad, a second grader, finds some mysterious glasses that allow him to look into a painting in the school office that, by chance, is like a map of the real school. He witnesses the taking of the Fifth Grade field trip funds, and has to stop his friend, Casper from being blamed for the theft.

Along the way, he discovers that the glasses work on other paintings at a nearby museum. This introduces him to the virtual world of “Artworld”. Will he want to come back to reality once he discovers this amazing new place?

This is a real creative fantasy that plays with the concept of the real world and a virtual world. I love stories that play with a fantasy world just on the edge of the real world. Anderson does a brilliant job of creating the world and the tension that Konrad has to struggle with. He has to think about his family still in the real world, and make a choice between the two. With wisps of Narnia, I recommend Konrad and the Birthday Painting to readers that love to play in fantasy worlds.

As part of this week’s special discounts and giveaways, you can download a free copy of Konrad and the Birthday Painting HERE!

**The giveaways are still up and going. Here is a list of all the books on discount/free and the big $25 Amazon Gift Card giveaway.

**Also available on Amazon.

GIVEAWAYS and DISCOUNTS

Here is the current list of freebies, discounts, and giveaways during the blog tour. All discounts, freebies and giveaways will be running through the blog tour dates: 9/12-9/16.

  1. Win a $25 shopping spree on Amazon! Link to the Rafflecopter giveaway link here!
  2. Download a free copy of Konrad and the Birthday Painting HERE!
  3. Philip Gibson’s Graded Word For Word Reader 1 & 2 Free
  4.  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B018ZQQ98C
  5. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B019J1U2RQ
  6. The Lost Secret of Fairies: Discounted to $0.99
  7. Win a notebook set, bookmarks or the book Tinker Bee by Erin Liles: http://erinbethliles.weebly.com/blog/back-to-school-blog-tour-giveaway

For an interview with Martine Lewis on Erin Liles’s Blog, LINK HERE! 

Come back tomorrow for the final post to wrap up this week of Back to School celebration!