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Renee Writes Now!

Tag Archives: book

Let the light in

08 Thursday Sep 2022

Posted by ReneeWritesNow! in Uncategorized

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arts, author, book, entertainment, publishers, read, Writer

In the foreword of his book, The Place of Books in the Life We Live (copyright 1923), author William L. Stidger writes, “Books are like the windows of a tower. They let light in. Every life is a growing tower. It is put stone by stone. The higher it grows, the darker it gets if we do not put in a window here and there to give light. That is what a book does to a life. It lets light into that life.”

Well said, indeed.

Stidger believed that a book could frequently be the turning point in the life of a boy or girl, man or woman. It can change the course of a human life, awakening the soul like nothing else. In addition, he believed that books would keep the soul and the world alive, raising people to greater heights.

One of the greatest things we can do is to encourage others to be eager readers. We can give books for gifts and urge others to expand their horizons through the creation of excellent reading habits.

Keep reading, my friends, and inspire others to do the same!

Renee Garrison is the award-winning author of two Young Adult books, “The Anchor Clankers,” and “Anchored Together.” She is Past President of the Florida Authors and Publishers Association.

Renee interviews Author Jayne Rose-Vallee

02 Wednesday Oct 2019

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author, book, children, Humor, Life, school, Writer

Jayne

Jayne M. Rose-Vallee. Jayne is an author and publisher of children’s books. Her mother’s love of poetry and quick-witted humor sparked an early appreciation for a good rhyme. Being raised on a farm taught her hard work and a little bit of dirt builds character. After raising three children on the east side of Detroit, she found time in the next chapter of life to follow her passion and write. The hesitant Jayne was encouraged by her daughter to publish her first book, Dinosaurs Living in My Hair, which catapulted her into a new business venture. Dinosaurs Living in My Hair is now a series with the third book currently being illustrated. The educational DLIMH!2 Coloring Book takes much of her dinosaur research and presents it to children with creativity and fun.

Tell me about your background. Where you grew up, where you live now, education, work experience? Share some interesting things about yourself that we should know about.
I grew up in the Midwest. Attended Michigan State University. Married. Three children before the age of twenty-six. Stay-at-home mom. Volunteered and served on a variety of non-profit boards and community organizations. President of the Mothers’ Club of Grosse Pointe South High School and board of directors. Baked thousands of chocolate chip cookies for children’s athletic teams.
In summer, I cheered from the steamy pool deck; fall I watched from the sidelines of a muddy soccer field; winter I was bundled up under heat lamps in an ice arena; spring I was outside stiff from anxiety holding my breath through tennis rallies. My life was consumed with my family. When the last one went to college, we continued to drive and watch tennis matches, however, life as I knew it shifted.

What inspired you to write this book? What is the story behind the story?
My daughter was an ambassador for Lululemon (she’s an Ironman/triathlete). As training for her ambassadorship, she underwent a program which asked her to identify life goals. She began mentoring me. She wanted me to publish a poem I wrote for her when she was four. After a year of ignoring her, I began to wonder, “What if?”
I found an illustrator, Anni Matsick, who agreed to undertake this project with an unknown, unpublished author. We worked together with Chris Schechner, (art director), and published books one and two. Bonnie Hawkins will be illustrating book 3 which is an underwater reef book where DLIMH tackles the subject of caring for Mother Earth.
Twenty-eight awards later, hundreds of school visits done, and thousands of hugs given, I am grateful to Lauren, my daughter, for her persistent encouragement to publish. It’s been an amazing journey. Not only is she the protagonist for the main character, but she single-handedly kicked me to get here.
Dinosaurs Living in My Hair is a poem I wrote for Lauren which details early childhood living with a mass of blonde curls. She would come in from play with sticks and dried leaves stuck in her tight spirals. It pulled and hurt to brush, comb, wash, etc. Parts of her hair never saw the light of day. I used to say, “Lauren, dinosaurs could live in that mess and I’d never know?” She’d shrug with those round blue sparkling eyes and dart out the side door to go play. Dinosaurs were the most ridiculous thing I could think of to say. I love the word imagination. I think to write the ridiculous is fun and persuade children think like this. Adults ask “Why dinosaurs?” Children know the answer is, “Why not dinosaurs?”

What has been your biggest challenge or obstacle?
As an author/publisher the most difficult challenge to overcome was to believe in myself; to take myself seriously. Traditionally published authors and traditional publishers used to make me feel ‘less than.’ It’s taken five years, but finally I acknowledge in my heart, I’m legit. It’s the students who cheer, laugh, applaud, hug, and love the books, who changed this for me. They are the best indicator of quality. I trust them.
Recently I founded, Literacy for Kids, Inc., (LFK) a non-profit corporation whose mission is to promote literacy, advocate education, support tolerance, and encourage acceptance. We are busy organizing our first AUTHORS: IN-Detroit program where the purpose is to unite award-winning authors/illustrators with students at a face-to-face event. Each child will receive an autographed book from the respective author assigned to their school. LFK will selectively choose titles which promote vocabulary, history, culture, acceptance, and self-esteem. Since we have seen firsthand how students respond with excitement and optimism when engaged in this personal educational experience, we felt Detroit Public Schools would be a great place to launch our first project.
I am currently editing my first YA novel. It’s a cross between John Paulson’s, “Hatchet” and John Grisham’s “Client.” I wanted to write a book where Mother Earth was also a character. We have a piece of property in the middle of nowhere which speaks to anyone who has walked there. It feels sacred. My intent is to paint this emotional reaction into words. What I lack these days however, is time.
The second DLIMH!2 book has been adapted into a Spanish version. This is currently being printed and will be available soon. The book series is in rhyme and it was challenging to give it a beat and rhythm through the translation. We look forward to its addition to our selections.

What has been your biggest “aha” moment or success?
Most of my writing ‘ah-ha’ moments come early in the morning when I first wake. A year ago, we travelled to Africa. I was able to write for three weeks continuously while overlooking a watering hole. Every animal imaginable within walking distance made its way to drink directly in front of me. The marmot monkeys flitted around the treetops overhead, the baboons strolled down the dried river eyeing me cautiously, the padded grey elephant feet snuck in quietly, and the towering giraffes blended into the trees miraculously. Sleeping outside in a tent for three weeks, waking and writing, falling asleep and waking to write again, was one of the most magical times of my life. The wee hours, with my sleep angels having answered manuscript questions, were still fresh in my mind when I started typing each day. I find if I’m struggling with writing plot – characters – etc. – I pose the question in my mind before sleep, invariably I have my answer in the morning. It’s best to keep my pencil and paper next to my bedside to jot down before the day erases all of my secrets. I think I have sleep fairies.

What are your interests outside of writing?
I am an avid fly-fisherman. It’s an activity my husband and I learned together about year ten (10/40) in our marriage. We began in Montana streams and rivers and fell in love with the speckled trout. Now, we fish most in saltwater. We divide our time between Michigan and the Florida Keys. I still prefer wading in water – but being in the back country of the everglades is also spectacular. I have a half-written book (where fly-fishing is a character), sitting in my bottom drawer. Time. It’s my worst enemy.

What authors do you like to read? What books have had a strong influence on you or your writing?
I read a lot of children’s book because I like to introduce my granddaughter to the world of words. She loves rhymes which makes me happy. I love Jory John’s humor; Kenneth Kraegel’s, “Green Pants,” is awesome. When I hear my son read Mo Willems’ “Pigeon Needs a Bath” out loud it tickles my heart. It’s funny when his scratchy voice and scrunched up eyes recite words like, “too hot, too cold, too deep . . . “, it makes a mother proud to see him interacting with his daughter and a book. My all-time favorites though will always be nursery rhymes. They speak to me.

Share some tips for other Authors or Aspiring Authors: What would you do differently? What would you do the same? Please share anything you think would be beneficial to those reading this.
My advice to anyone who wants to write is simply, “Write.” There’s no doubt the more you write the better you become. I love George Orwell’s advice when it comes to rules:
1. “Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.”
2. “Never use a long word where a short one will do.”
3. “If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.”
4. “Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.”
5. “Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.”
He goes on to say notice the words ‘never’ and ‘always’ suggest these rules are absolute and must never be broken. Although with all rules – he was known to break them often!
I would add two more rules from my experience:
6. When proofreading take out the word “that” It’s seldom needed.
7. Editing is done best when work is read out loud. If you stutter through a sentence, something isn’t right.
We must encourage children to be creative and use their imaginations. It’s a dying art. God bless the children and the young at heart.

 

Renee Garrison is the award-winning author of The Anchor Clankers. To suggest an author interview, email her at rgarrison@bestversionmedia,com

Names have power. ~ “The Lightning Thief”

13 Thursday Nov 2014

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author, barista, book, bylines, CIA, coffee, coffee shop, Names, Rick Riordan, Starbucks, The Lightning Thief

Coffee shop

Whenever a barista bellows my name in a crowded coffee shop, I squirm.
Why do I feel so exposed?
I understand the concept: Baristas write the names of customers on cups to speed up lines and ease confusion.
Perhaps I should work at the CIA…
A recent Washington Post article about the CIA Starbucks echoed my uneasiness about the practice. According to a food services supervisor at the Central Intelligence Agency (who asked that his identity remain unpublished for security reasons,) “Giving any name at all was making people — you know, the undercover agents — feel very uncomfortable. It just didn’t work for this location.”
They should use an alias – like me: In December, I may be “Holly” or “Noelle.” By April, I’ve switched to “Iris” or “Bunny.” In July, I become “Summer” or “Sandy.”
I certainly don’t mind seeing my name written on a cup – or printed in a newspaper.
Bylines, blessedly, remain silent.
In fact, most newspaper and magazine readers don’t even notice the names below the headlines. (Mothers and spouses are the obvious exceptions.)
My name is personal and when someone approaches me using it, I’d like to be sure that we’ve actually met – instead of simply having heard it shouted in a coffee shop.
Allow me to introduce myself. Please.

Renee Garrison is the author of “Sweet Beams: Inspiring Everyone Who Lives Under a New Roof,” available on amazon.com.

Lucky guy – Andrew Gross

30 Monday Jun 2014

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"Nothing to Lose", Andrew Gross, BEA, best sellers, book, Book Expo. author, James Patterson, Le Coq Sportif, Leslie Fay Companies, literary agents, publishers, writing

Andrew Gross

I had the pleasure of interviewing Andrew Gross, recently. He was promoting his latest book, “Everything to Lose,” a thriller which actually kept me up a few nights as I was reading it.

“I don’t like to terrorize people, but I enjoy creating a feeling of suspense,“ he said, modestly.

In addition to being charming and fairly easy-on-the-eye, I found Andy to be one of the luckiest men I’ve ever met. (Look, his publicist called him “Andy,” so I did, too.)

Not because his father and grandfather ran the Leslie Fay Companies. (Andy worked there, too, before leaving to pursue his own opportunities at Le Coq Sportif, a boutique tennis/ golf brand, and Sun Ice, Inc, a Canadian skiwear manufacturer, the latter, “ending poorly and abruptly,” as Gross says, “and hastening my writing career.”)

Andy is lucky because he finished a draft of his first book Hydra, a political thriller, in 1998. Rejected by dozens of agents and ultimately publishers, the book was never printed. Gross admits “not knowing what my next step in life was, and sitting around my study, wondering what cliff I was going to drive our SUV off of, I received a phone call from someone who asked, ‘Can you take a call from James Patterson?”

They met for breakfast – “The smartest thing I’ve ever done” – and discussed the early concepts for what ultimately became the Women’s Murder Club series. Patterson explained that the head of his publishing house forwarded Gross’s unpublished manuscript to him with five words written on the cover: “This guy does women well!”

The rest, as they say, is history.
Hell, I’d sharpen James Patterson’s pencils if he asked me to.

But Gross, who learned his craft from a master, also had some advice for me: “Have patience. Don‘t rush the process. Most good work comes from the second or third draft. Keep at it until it’s GREAT.”

I plan to, Andy. And when it is, I’d like to take you to breakfast.

Renee Garrison is completing her new Young Adult book, “The Anchor Clankers,” and looking for her own literary agent.

Sign me up

17 Monday Feb 2014

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Architecture, book, Conversation, Design, Family, Home, Homeowner, Houses, Memories

DSCN0291

Recently I was asked to do a book signing at an upscale boutique in Tampa, Florida. Emails went out to the shop customers, an exterior sign heralded my name, and items appeared in newspaper columns, announcing the event.

I was a bit uneasy about engaging a lot of strangers in conversation, (“Do you need a house-warming gift?”) but it turns out I didn’t need to be: The people who arrived were old friends – some I hadn’t seen in more than a decade – like Fred Rock (pictured above.) They came to congratulate me, to catch up and be supportive. (One even brought the most delicious donuts to tide me over until I could eat a late lunch!)
I was humbled and happy to see each of them.

Today, few friendships survive corporate relocations, divorces or deaths. Virginia Woolf summed it up rather nicely: “I have lost friends, some by death, others through sheer inability to cross the street.”

But I thank God every day for the lasting ones – the people you call when the doctor says “I‘d like to run a few more tests,” or your child moves in with someone you’ve never much liked or trusted.

Funny thing – I’ve no idea how many books were sold last week. I simply know how many friends showed up. And that means so much more…

“Sweet Beams: Inspiring everyone who lives under a new roof!” is available on amazon.com.

Giving birth to a book

05 Thursday Dec 2013

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Architecture, author, book, Construction, Design, Family, Gardens, Home, Houses, Housewarming, Humor, kitchen, Memories

FrontCover

Working with a graphic artist to design a cover for your book is a bit like giving birth to a child: After months of effort, you hope it will be reasonably attractive when it‘s delivered.
I’m a writer (not an artist) who recognizes her design limitations. Trying to convey a sense of contentment, encouragement and happiness at home on an 8-by-5 inch book isn’t easy. The cover has to speak to potential readers…beg them to pick it up and look inside.
I’m delighted to say my new book does just that. After a flurry of emails – both photographs and text – graphic artist Kristin Johnson did an amazing job of selecting just the right image and type font. (Don’t you love finding the authors’ names hiding under the bed?!)
I hope this book and its cover will speak to you, too. “Pick me up…look inside.”

Sweet Beams: Inspiring everyone who lives under a new roof! also is available on amazon.com.

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