GAP FAMILY BLOG

Guardian Angel Publishing is pleased to announce that My Sister is My Best Friend by Nicole Weaver and illustrated by Clara Batton Smith has been awarded the Children's Literary Classics Seal of Approval.

Sisters are very special: Meet two sisters that do everything together. This delightful story transcends all cultural barriers. It will warm the heart of little girls from all over the world.

Las hermanas son muy especiales: Conozca a dos hermanas que hacen todo juntas. Esta bella historia trasciende todas las barreras culturales. Tocará el corazón de todas las niñas del mundo.

Les sœurs sont très spéciales : Rencontrez deux sœurs qui font tout ensemble. Cette jolie histoire transcende toutes les barrières culturelles. L’histoire va réchauffer le cœur des petites filles dans le monde entier.

This tri-lingual book is also the winner of the 2012 Preferred Choice Award in the Kids Picture Storybook category through the 2012 Creative Child Awards Program.

Print ISBN: 9781616332099; 1616332093
eBook ISBN: 9781616332105; 1616332107 


You can purchase this and other GAP books at http://www.guardianangelpublishing.com

 

Margot Finke is an Aussie transplant who writes midgrade adventure fiction and rhyming picture books. For many years she has lived in Oregon with her husband and family. She has 11 books published so far. Gardening, travel, and reading fill in the cracks between writing. Her husband is very supportive, though not interested in children's books . Their three children are now grown and doing very well. Margot didn't begin serious writing until the day their youngest left for college. This late start drives her writing, and pushes her to work at it every day. Margot said, "I really envy those who began young, and managed to slip into writing mode between kid fights, diaper changes, household disasters, and outside jobs. You are my heroes! "

We thought it would be fun to have some of our Angels share their New Year's resolutions. First up is Nicole Weaver. She is the author of the trilingual book, My Sister is My Best Friend.

My new year’s writing resolutions are to edit my middle-grade novel titled, There’s Nothing Wrong with being Smart and to start writing a woman’s novel titled, No Place to Belong. I recently took an eight-week YA class with Victoria Hanley, an award –winning author of teen fiction published in 10 languages. I learned so much from taking Victoria’s class. Each week during class, she critiqued 10 pages of my manuscript. Now, I need to take the time to re-write the manuscripts following her suggestions.

I plan to take a second class on writing woman’s fiction. I will be able to get No Place to Belong critiqued. It is a win-win situation for a new author.

Additionally, I need to make time to promote my newly released book My Sister is My Best Friend. I look forward to having a great 2012.

Nicole Weaver is a trilingual children’s author. She teaches high school French and Spanish. To learn more about her newest trilingual book, you can visit her blog: http://mysisterismybestfriend.blogspot.com. You can also visit her online at http://www.melangeofcultures.wordpress.com/ http://nicole-weaver.com/.

To learn more about this and other GAP titles, please visit http://www.guardianangelpublishing.com/.

Due you lack ideas on what activities to do to keep your child interested in learning French or Spanish. If you answered yes, here is what you can do.

Make a habit to introduce seasonal themes. This is an easy and fun way to introduce new vocabulary to kids. For example, since it is now fall you can spend some time introducing vocabulary relating to fall. Furthermore, you can always take your child to the park to experience what fall is like. Have your child gather leaves that have fallen to the ground and make a collage with it.

Next, have the child label each item in English first, then label it in the language your child is interested in learning.

Here are some concrete examples:

Autum/L’automne/El otoño


Leaves/Les feuilles/Las hojas


We go to school in the fall/On va à l’école en automne/Vamos a la escuela al otoño


Nicole weaver was born in Port-au-Prince Haiti. She came to the United States when she was ten years old. She is fluent in Creole, French, Spanish and English. She is a veteran teacher of French and Spanish. Her second children's trilingual book titled: My Sister is My Best Friend will be published by Guardian Angel Publishing. Her third children's book, My Brother is My Best Friend is currently under contract with Guardian Angel Publishing. She is also the author of a children's trilingual picture book titled : Marie and Her Friend the Sea Turtle. The story is about a Haitian little girl who resided by the beach in Haiti. Nicole has traveled to France, Spain, Switzerland, Belgium, Mexico, Canada and London.

Websites:http://outskirtspress.com/nicoleweaver
http://www.melangeofcultures.wordpress.com/
http://nicole-weaver.com/

My Sister Is My Best Friend Blog:http://mysisterismybestfriend.blogspot.com/

My Birthday Is September Eleven Blog:http://mybirthdayiseptembereleven.blogspot.com/

Marie and her Friend the Sea Turtle Blog:http://marieandherfriendtheseaturtle.blogspot.com/

Educational Expert:http://www.bizymoms.com/city-experts-cp/ce-nicole-weaver-130.php

Blogcritics Contributor:http://blogcritics.org/writers/nicole-weaver

Food Day was celebrated on October 24th! GAP author, Nicole Weaver offered us this great article she wrote, that is a great reminder every day of the year.


Incorporating healthy eating on a daily basis is not difficult. Most students, because of convenience, usually purchase lunch at school. I have seen firsthand the type of junk that is served at many school cafeterias. I have been teaching for twenty-six years at the middle and high school levels. I would not feed the slop at my school to my worst enemy. The stuff is completely devoid of nutritional value. What can a parent do? Many times kids feel very uncomfortable carrying lunch to school. I bribe my kids by paying them extra allowance if they eat what I make them for lunch.

Now, let us examine what constitutes a healthy brown-bag lunch. Children need to eat a balanced meal for proper brain development. They need to eat protein, carbohydrates, and fruit. I always pack a piece of fruit with a sandwich made of whole wheat bread, cold cuts, lettuce and tomatoes, along with sliced carrots or celery sticks. I only purchase cold cuts that are nitrites and nitrates free and raised without added hormones. Non-organic meats are loaded with deadly chemicals that have been proven to cause cancer. All of my fruits are also organic.

A healthy brown-bag lunch should also include snacks. I buy organic almonds, organic raisins and dried coconut from the health-food store. I mix and put some in a snack bag. VOILA! You have a very healthy snack, which is not laced with a ton of sugar.

How about beverages? I buy organic juices for lunch. Sodas are loaded with too much sugar; too much consumption of sugar is known to deplete your body of vital nutrients. It is shameful the many soda machines that are placed in schools. Many of my students come to class with a sugar buzz. Some even fall asleep before the end of class. I also encourage my children to drink plenty of water. I am not fond of school water fountains, so I buy a polycarbonate water bottle and fill it with filtered water. This bottle is glass-like, non-porous, no plastic or dioxine leaching. The traditional plastic bottle leaks cancer-causing chemicals in the water. The bottle can be kept in a locker or a backpack for easy access.

As parents, we have a duty to make sure our children are well cared for. Healthy minds and bodies start from the inside.

My daughter graduated with top honors from high school and now my sixteen-year-old will be a junior. I will monitoring his eating habits, just as I did my daughter's. He may get some weird looks, but at least he will be in the best of health.
Nicole weaver was born in Port-au-Prince Haiti. She came to the United States when she was ten years old. She is fluent in Creole, French, Spanish and English. She is a veteran teacher of French and Spanish. She is the author of a children’s trilingual picture book titled ” Marie and Her Friend the Sea Turtle.” The story is about a Haitian little girl who resided by the beach in Haiti. Her second trilingual children’s picture book will be published by Guardian Angel Publishing. The book titled, ” My sister is my Best Friend ” will be published in 2011.

Visit Nicole online athttp://nicole-weaver.com/

Be prepared for Food Day 2012 by visiting http://foodday.org/!

The July 2011 issue of Guardian Angel Kids ezine is now available at http://www.guardian-angel-kids.com/.

This month you'll find special book, poetry, game and article features that center around Outer Space. We also have three videos for kids, including a child telling the story of Jack and the Beanstalk.

For parents and teachers, GAP author Nicole Weaver provides an informative article titled, "The Greatest Gift You Can Give Your Child."

You can also find back issues on our website at http://www.guardian-angel-kids.com/.

Nicole Weaver, whose first Guardian Angel book will be released soon, is interviewing Lynda S. Burch, the brains behind Guardian Angel Publishing. Lynda talks about seeing a need and working to fulfill that need in the children's market.

You can read the interview at http://mysisterismybestfriend.blogspot.com/2011/03/interview-with-my-publisher-lynda-burch.html

For more information about Guardian Angel Publishing, please visit http://guardianangelpublishing.com/

Last February I visited my local library to inquire about doing a reading of my newly published book, Marie and Her Friend the Sea Turtle. The attendant gave me the email of the programming coordinator. I emailed her and much to my delight she replied within a few days. She coordinated for me to perform three presentations at three different libraries.


The icing on the cake came when she asked me how much I wanted to be paid. I told her to please donate my payment to the Lambi Fund of Haiti instead. I had a blast reading my book and was also allowed to sell my book after the reading.

The coordinator liked the presentations I did, so she invited me to return for a special programming in fall 2010 called PASSPORT TO THE CARIBBEAN. I quickly developed a good rapport with the coordinator. I have already been invited to return once my book with Guardian Angel Publishing is published.


On September 14, 2010, I did my fourth presentation. I had around 35 people who showed up. Before I read my book, I showed the kids a YouTube video of a mother sea turtle laying her eggs. Additionally, I showed a video of newly hatched baby turtles heading to the ocean. The kids really liked my book. I had three teen helpers who helped cut out paper plates in preparation for a sea turtle craft. It was an unforgettable experience to have so many parents and their kids show up for this program. I have one more presentation on November 27th. I expect to sell a lot of books being that it is so close to Christmas.




What I learned from this experience is to never be afraid to ask. Most authors do readings at schools, but since I work fulltime it is very difficult for me to make school visits. I am currently working on booking readings with after school programs in my area.

If you have not done a reading at your local library, I highly encourage you to do so. You never know what doors might be opened for you. I think much bigger doors will be opened once my book with GAP is published. I can’t wait!


Nicole Weaver was born in Port-au-Prince Haiti. She came to the United States when she was ten years old. She is fluent in Creole, French, Spanish and English. She is a veteran teacher of French and Spanish. She is the author of a children's trilingual picture book titled Marie and Her Friend the Sea Turtle.


The story is about a Haitian little girl who resided by the beach in Haiti. Her second trilingual children's picture book will be published by Guardian Angel Publishing. The book titled, My sister is my Best Friend, will be published fall 2011.


You can visit Nicole Weaver’s website at http://www.melangeofcultures.wordpress.com/

Joining us today is author Nicole Weaver. Nicole was born in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti. She moved to the United States when she was ten years old. She is fluent in four languages and is a high school teacher. We'll talk to Nicole about her writing, the book she self-published, and her book under contract with Guardian Angel Publishing.


Welcome to the GAP Family Blog, Nicole. It's wonderful to have you with us. Can you start by telling our readers a bit about you and your writing?

I am Haitian American, who came to the United States when I was ten years old. I lived in New York, and after college I moved to Houston, Texas. I met my husband, married, and then moved to Colorado. I have three children who are 22, 20 and 14. My daughter Michele will be a junior in college and Jean-Paul my oldest just finished a dance program affiliated with Dominican University. Luc will be a sophomore in high school in the fall. I am a full time high school French and Spanish teacher. I took up writing as a hobby. A close friend of mine talked me into attending a writer’s conference with her. The conference infused me with enough confidence to venture out and write my first children’s picture book manuscript.

What is it that inspired you to pursue a career in writing?

I love spending a lot of time in the children’s section of my local library reading new releases. I became quite discouraged to see so few books about children of color. After reading Embracing Your Second Calling by Dale Bourke, I am convinced God is calling me to write books that will portray children of color in a positive light. I do the bulk of my writing during the summer months while I am on vacation from teaching.

Let’s talk about Marie and Her Friend the Sea Turtle. You self-published this book using Outskirts Press. Can you share what that experience was like?

This is a very touchy subject for me, but I am glad you asked the question. I did not like the experience at all. It was very frustrating working with my so called author representative. Many mistakes were made during production of the book. If I had to do it again, I would not go down that road. Discouragement from too many rejections got the better of me. I became too anxious and succumbed to self-publishing my book. Overall, there is a very negative sentiment toward authors who self-publish. All I can say is I am so very happy to have my second book published the traditional way. I am thrilled beyond words. This was a confirmation from God this is indeed what He wants me to do as a second career.



Marie and Her Friend the Sea Turtle is written in English, French, and Spanish. I’ve seen several bi-lingual books, but not many tri-lingual books. Why did you choose to write this book in three languages?

I am fluent in four languages, and I know from firsthand experience that a child’s brain is wired to learn languages through immersion. The younger you are the easier it is for you to master the language. I figured it would be a good idea to have all three languages side by side on each page. I have received a lot of positive feedback from parents. One parent told me after reading my book to her daughter, her daughter wanted to learn both French and Spanish. Fortunately, in Colorado we have a slew of Immersion schools. The child now attends an immersion school where she is learning both languages.

In addition to your children’s book, you’ve written poetry that has won awards. Can you tell us about this aspect of your work?

In 2005 I entered a poetry contest sponsored by my local library. I entered the contest just for fun. I never dreamed I would win first prize. I have several pieces that have been published in my church's journal. I still write a lot of poetry, it is very therapeutic for me. I hope to publish a book of poetry someday. But for now, I have included some of my poems in my memoir.

How did you become involved with Guardian Angel Publishing?

Donna McDine did a review for my newly published picture book. I saw the GAP emblem on her blog. The name Guardian Angel caught my attention, so I decided to check out their website to learn more about the company. I liked what I read about GAP and made the decision to submit my manuscript to Lynda. After a few revisions she offered me a contract.

What is your book about and when will it be released?

My book is called My Sister is My Best Friend. It is about two twin sisters who do everything together. The script is in English, French and Spanish. I got inspired to write the book after I met my half sister from my father’s side. Meeting her left me wondering what it would have been like to grow up with her. My imagination went to work full time and that is how I came up with the script. I do not know the exact time and date when the book will be released. I can only estimate that it will be late 2010 or early 2011. When I first signed the contract Lynda informed me her books are usually published between 9-12 months. I am keeping my fingers cross.



What are you working on now?

I am working on my memoir and a second children’s picture book. A group of Black editors from London invited me to submit work for a book that will be launched on August 13th, 2010. All the proceeds from the book will go to the Lambi Fund of Haiti for earthquake relief. I have one short story and a poem that will be published. Four out of six students who submitted work from my French class will get published too. I am really excited about this opportunity. Once the book is released the local media in Denver will be interviewing me and my students.

Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

I tell aspiring writers to never give up. Writing is like learning a foreign language the more you practice the better you will get at it.

Is there anything you would like to add?

Thank you Cheryl for interviewing me.

Thank you to Lynda for making my dreams come true by giving me a contract. Last but not least, a big thank you goes to all of the Angels, you all are the very best!

Thanks for being with us today, Nicole. We enjoyed learning more about you. Good luck with your writing.


You can visit Nicole online at http://www.authorsden.com/nicoleweaver.