Guest Post: Sean McCartney

Hey everyone! I want everyone to welcome a fellow teacher (via NY) a

Happy Release Day!!

Sean McCartney is the author of The Treasure Hunters Club: Secrets of the Magical Medallions which is being released today. Keep reading to find out more about him and his new novel!

xoxo

Jennie

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First off I would like to thank Jennie for allowing me to talk with all of you. This is my first blog so it is quite exciting for me.

My name is Sean McCartney and I’m currently on a blog tour to promote my new young adult action adventure novel entitled THE TREASURE HUNTERS CLUB: SECRETS OF THE MAGICAL MEDALLIONS. It’s being released on July 6^th, 2010 from Mountainland Publishing.

The story is about Tommy Reed and his treasure hunting friends Shannon McDougal, Jackson Miller and Chris Henderson. One day Tommy receives a rather ordinary looking medallion from his very famous treasure-hunting uncle “Diamond” Jack Reed and finds himself the object of an evil treasure collector named Manuel de la Ernesto. Now Tommy and his friends must find the secret behind the medallion before Manuel can get to them and the medallion.

When I set out to write The Treasure Hunters Club: Secrets of the Magical Medallions I wanted to pull together all the things from books and movies that I liked. The mystery of the Hardy Boys and Encyclopedia Brown, the adventure of Percy Jackson, a little magic from Harry Potter and the action and history of the movies Indiana Jones and National Treasure.

Though this is the first book in the Treasure Hunters Club series, with your help to make it a success, the next books will follow. I have planned six treasure hunting books as they follow the club through the 8^th grade and into high school. Of course, as they get older their treasure hunts get more dangerous and more exciting.

I have been asked why I created a series around treasure hunting. The truth is I believe treasure hunting is something everyone can do. You don’t need super powers just a desire to do research and find where to look. Also treasure hunting touches on the sidebars of history, the stuff not in the textbooks. That is usually the most interesting and provides a solid building block for the series.

My goal has always been to be published and have a series that kids can enjoy and have a lot of fun reading. I was lucky to find a publisher who believes in the series as much as I do. What I was surprised to find out was how much the publishing world has changed since I started this journey toward “being published.” The emergence of ebooks has shaken the publishing world like never before and I believe we have only scratched the surface of what this new technology can do to help promote reading.

In the meantime, I hope you take a moment to check out my website HERE and learn more about the series and read some short stories about the characters.

Thank you again for this opportunity and allowing me to be here and I hope you enjoy the book and the series.

Thanks,

Sean

Smells Like A Dog Review and Tour!!

Smells Like A Dog

by Suzanne Selfors

Genre: YA Mystery

Pages: Hardcover, 368 pages

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (May 1, 2010)

Meet Homer Pudding, an ordinary farm boy who's got big dreams-to follow in the footsteps of his famous treasure-hunting uncle. But when Uncle Drake mysteriously disappears, Homer inherits two things: a lazy, droopy dog with no sense of smell, and a mystery.

Why would his uncle call this clumsy dog his "most treasured possession?" And why did he put a gold coin on the dog's collar?

And who will continue Uncle Drake's quest-to find the most coveted pirate treasure in the world?

Join Homer, his sister Gwendolyn, and Dog on an adventure that will test their wits and courage as they leave their peaceful farm and head into a world where ruthless treasure hunters hide around every corner. Where they discover that Dog has a hidden talent and that treasure might be closer than they ever imagined. . .

First, let me welcome author Suzanne Selfors today because she will be stopping by to answer questions (I will post them at the end)! Yeah! Second, let me tell you how much I love this book. I laughed so hard during this book that my husband kept looking at me like I was nuts (nothing new here people, but still). Suzanne has written an absolute gem with this one. I love Homer because of his shy, unsuspecting ways and can see many of my students in him. Dying to prove that there is more to them than we could ever imagine but just not quite sure how to do it. Homer definitely does that through his quest to find out more about Uncle Drake’s death. He meets people along his journey that help him find who he is and be proud of that all the while dealing with a dad who seemingly doesn’t understand him, a sister who stuffs the animals that have lost their lives on the farm (who is freakin’ hilarious by the way), a mom who mother’s way too much, and a little brother who I just want to squeeze. The characterization in this book was wonderful and I found myself hearing their voices as I was reading. I am proud to say that this one will be used for many different writing techniques in my classroom next year because Selfors does an amazing job using many of the things in her writing that I struggle with helping my students understand and understand the importance of!

I tried to keep track of some of these things so that I could refer back to them and just keep track of thoughts and other things while I was reading in a reading journal. I got this idea from Ruth (Two Writing Teachers) and wasn’t sure how it would work, but it was a blast and I am looking forward to keeping up with it this summer along with my writing journal. Here is what one of my pages looks like…

(notice Phineas and Ferb…. yes, even they have a place in this story!)

So now, without further ado, I will post my questions for the splendid Suzanne Selfors (nice use of alliteration… I know). Thanks again for stopping by Suzanne and make sure to check out Good Books for Kids blog on June 20, 2010 where Suzanne will be vising next. And check out Suzanne's site here for more information on her books and other cool stuff! I will tell you that since I am teaching solely writing next year, my questions are focused on that and to give info for my students. I will be using this (along with the book) in my room to help them out! Thanks for reading and make sure to go get Smells Like A Dog today!!

1. What advice can you give for those who say they can't write?

This is a tough question. My art professor in college told me that anyone can learn how to "draft", but not everyone can "draw." I think it's the same with writing. The "craft" can be taught, and most people can improve their writing skills in the classroom. I certainly have. But what makes a great story stand out from a good story is "voice" and I'm not sure that can be taught. Oh, many will argue with me on that one.

2. What is the most rewarding thing you have found about writing?

Honestly, it's meeting readers. Little girls who come up to me, hugging my book, and tell me how much they loved a certain moment in the book. Or a letter from a teen reader who identified with the struggles of my protagonist. I've gotten many letters from teens telling me that because of one of my books, they want to become writers. WOW! Amazing. I'm humbled by such remarks. To inspire another life through story is the best thing ever.

3. Do you write everyday? If so, do you have a special place where you like to write (or feel inspired to write)?

I'm a mom, so no, I don't write everyday. I'm driving here and there and doing all those parental things that take up so much time. Forget about writing on weekends. But I do try to write in the mornings while the kids are in school, and I usually go to a coffeehouse because I like the white noise. If I stay home, I get distracted by housework and Oprah.

4. What is the biggest challenge when it comes to writing?

Time. It really surprised me after my first book came out, To Catch a Mermaid, when I realized that I was supposed to promote the book and visit schools and answer letters, all of which are important but take time away from writing the next book. It's a constant juggling act.

5. Who inspired you to write?

There is one writer I love with all my heart--Roald Dahl. When I read his stories, even now, I feel as if he's writing just for me. I wish I could have met him.

Thanks again to Suzanne for stopping by today and enlightening me that there are more things to do with a stuffed raccoon than I ever thought of... hello hole punch! :)

Blog Tour: Angela Morrison

Happy Release Day to Angela Morrison!!!

Today I am honored to be hosting Angela Morrison as part of her blog tour on the most important day... RELEASE DAY!! I posted my review of Sing Me to Sleep yesterday (you can read it here if you missed it) and today I am happy to share with you more student created questions for Angela.

Angela is an amazing lady whom I have enjoyed getting to know over the past few months. When I started this blog right after giving birth to my second child, I came across Sing Me to Sleep on a blog and fell in love with it. I found Angela's email address and emailed her to let her know that I had featured it in my "Waiting on Wednesday" post (check it out here). Much to my shock, I got a replay and this is what I read in my email:

I make Penguin send me a box of ARCs so I can send them to middle school English teachers just like you.

I am not ashamed to say that I squeed like a little girl when I read that! I got the book and literally could not put it down (feeding Jaxon with one hand and reading with the other... I am sure there are pictures!). I am so glad that you can all get your hands on this amazing novel now and you need to RUN to the nearest bookstore and buy it! Thanks again to my students and their amazing questions. Angela, you are amazing and your patience with a crazy middle school ELA teacher is astounding! Now, on with the interview!!

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How did it feel when you got the letter back from the editor saying that your book was good and would be published? -Patrick (7th grade)

It was pretty exciting. If a publishing house is going offer you a contract, the editor will call you on the phone. I was living in Switzerland at the time and my editor was in New York, so she sent me an email saying she wanted to talk. So I kind of freaked out for a day or so until she called. My stomach was in knots. I couldn't eat. I couldn't hold a conversation. When she did finally call, we were out! My kids called us on the cell, and we drove home as fast as we could so she'd still be at her office. I needed to call her on our international internet phone at home. That was for my first book, TAKEN BY STORM.

And the editor had a big surprise for me. They wanted to buy that and sign me up to write a second book for them. So I went from being excited to being shocked. SING ME TO SLEEP is that second book.

When you don't know what to write (hit a mental block) do you doodle or just start writing about anything? -Shamone (8th grade)

I'm lousy at drawing so I don't do that, but if you like to doodle that's a good way to let your mind relax. Writing about anything is good, too. Just keep going until you are writing something you like. Cut the stuff that you warmed up on. Sometimes, though, when you relax and don't think too much about what you are writing, you write the very best stuff.

Mental blocks happen when we are stressed and our brains are on fast mode. To be able to write--or create anything--you need to slow down your brain waves. I know it sounds hokey, but it's true. I swear by it. If you've got a mental block, take a nap. Serious. Scribble what is in your brain when you wake up--while you are still relaxed and dozy. Or put your assignment by your bed, read through it just before you go to sleep, and make sure you have pencil and pen right there on your nightstand table. When you wake up, write whatever you are thinking. Even if it doesn't seem to have anything to do with the assignment. Sometimes completely unrelated junk blocks us. Get rid of that and you can access great creative stuff. I do this all the time. That's how I wrote both my novels. No lie. (This is called "morning pages" and you can read lots more about them and writer's block in Julia Cameron's THE ARTIST WAY.)

It also helps to take a walk, go for a drive, or even go swimming. Just the right music helps me get my brain ready to write. I have to turn it off while I write, but I find a lot of ideas in good song lyrics.

What did you feel when you write Sing Me to Sleep? What emotions played a role in writing? -Chris T. (8th grade)

The material I worked with for SING ME TO SLEEP is so emotionally powerful that I was a basket case the whole time I worked on it. I cried so much I kept on having to stop and dry off my keyboard. I hope you feel all those tears as you read the book.

But there are many emotions in SING. I tried hard to make sure you experience those emotions right along with Beth--embarrassment, anger, confusion, passion, love, happiness, joy, sadness, devastation, hope. I'm eager to hear from readers what emotions they felt when reading it.

How old were you when you wrote your first book? -Marquez (8th grade)

I wrote my first book in fourth grade. It's called "Henry the Bookworm," and I still have the handmade copy I made of it. But it took me until my own children were mostly teenagers to finally write an entire novel. I went back to school to learn how to do it when my youngest son started grade school. If you are going to be a professional at ANYTHING, you need to qualify yourself. You need mentors, coaches, to teach you how to do it. I found that in a master's degree program where my teachers were all authors. It was the coolest school ever.

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers? -Stephen (8th grade)

Yeah. Lots of advice. Check out my blog for writers on my website. Click on "liv2writ" for a start.

I always tell students when I speak at their schools that writing is just like any other endeavor. To be good at it, you have to practice A LOT! Read the kind of books you want to write. Study them. Write every day. Whatever you want. Especially when you're sleepy--when you've just woken up or before you go to sleep. Don't worry about spelling, grammar, punctuation. Just let it flow. You can add all that later. You will surprise yourself.

Find good mentors and listen to them. It took me three and a half years after I had my degree to finally find an editor. I got loads of rejections. But sometimes an editor would make a few suggestions that could improve the book. Those suggestions were gifts. I took them and rewrote my novel again and again.

While you are in school, you have teacher mentors who are there to guide you. Every red mark on your paper, every comment scribbled in the margin is a huge gift--of their time and talent. Don't get angry and waste their efforts. When they write on your paper, it isn't because they are angry with you or you blew it. It's because they care about you. They want you to get better and better at this wonderful mystery we call writing. Just because you don't get it right the first time, doesn't mean you'll never get it right. The beauty of writing is you get to do it over and over and over until your words sing. You only fail if you give up. You only fail if you aren't willing to revise it one more time.

Save everything you write. It is precious. Some day you'll be in my position and need that great source material!

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Thanks again, Angela, for sharing this time with me on the blog and answering the questions and writing such an amazing book. Here's to all the success you deserve! Happy reading everyone!

In kindergarten I wanted to be a veterinarian and a mom. I planned to have ten kids and a hundred cats. Then in first grade, I learned how to write.
~Angela Morrison