GAP FAMILY BLOG

GAP author, Kai Strand and illustrator K.C. Snider will be at the Redmond Street Festival in downtown Redmond, Oregon this weekend with their books in tow!

Kai Strand will be signing in the Central Oregon Authors booth. She'll have her award winning book, The Weaver along with its successor, The Wishing Well: Another Weaver Tale, available for sale as well as her other available middle grade titles.

KC Snider will be signing in the High Desert Society of the Arts booth. Along with her more than 30 illustrated titles, she'll have some of her fine art available.

This is the first year for the Redmond Street Festival and with antiques, arts, crafts, food, entertainment, and live music, it promises to be a fun time. EVENT DATES: JUNE 15, 16, 2013. HOURS: SAT 10-5 AND SUN.10-4 The Street Festival will be on 6th Street between Deschutes and Forest.

They hope to see you there!

My husband is from a large family (seventeen kids is large, right?). Each year it is tradition for someone to host a summer gathering and for someone else to host a Christmas gathering. Usually you call dibs for the next year’s gathering while attending one – which is what I did in 1996. “We’ll host all of you in December of 1997!” I eagerly agreed.

And then was blessed to learn that we were expecting our third child, New Years 1998.

To make matters worse, I had some very specific ideas of what my party would be like. There would be turkey, honey baked ham and roast. Scratch mashed potatoes, no bulk buy dinner rolls for my guests. And plenty of seating.

Realizing I would be cleaning and decorating and preparing for overnight guests, cooking and serving and cleaning some more, all less than a month from my due date gave me pause. Could I really pull it off?

It was my oldest sister who made the statement, “Do you think all of your sisters-in-law would let you do all the work when you are that pregnant?” I realized she was right. This would probably be the easiest party I’d ever thrown.

Mid-December rolled around and we hosted 58 people for a ‘sit down’ dinner, though obviously not everyone sat at a table. The meal went off without a hitch and like my sister said, my sisters-in-law were champions in the “You just sit and take it easy - we got this” department. Twenty-two guests spent the night in our house. It was truly a lovely time. My son was born late – January 8th – so in the end there was never really much for me to worry about.

Christmas is all about family to me and that Christmas party was the pinnacle of family togetherness.


Kai Strand writes fiction for kids and teens. Her debut novel, The Weaver, was a finalist in the 2012 EPIC eBook Awards. She is a (very lucky) wife and the mother of four amazing kids. The most common sound in her household is laughter. The second most common is, "Do your dishes!" She and her family hike, geocache, and canoe in beautiful Central Oregon, where they call home.

To find out more about Kai’s books, download companion documents, find links to her published short stories and discover all the places to find Kai both virtually and in person, visit her website: www.kaistrand.com. She loves to hear from readers, so feel free to send her an email or visit her facebook page, Kai Strand, Author.

Congratulations on the release of The Wishing Well. Please tell us more about it.

 














 

 

Traditionally the first few months of the new year have always been the months my kids struggle to stay interested in their studies. So I have gotten creative to help my kids study in surprising (and possibly annoying) ways that have prove effective.

I started this when my children were still young enough to have weekly spelling tests. We all know that studying anything weekly can get monotonous. Our traditional way of studying for spelling was to give our children a test at the beginning of the week to determine which words they needed to study. Then we would have them write out each word five times and spell it out loud as they wrote it down. The audible aspect proved just as successful as the repetition for memorization.

However, that method became less enjoyable and a bit tired after the holiday hoopla left them staring at a long stretch of school days. We’d still give them the test at the beginning of the week to determine which words they needed the most support in learning, but then we’d switch things up. All bets were off and studying could happen at all hours of the day.

Stumbling into the bathroom early morning to take a shower, they might find their words written (in soap) on the bathroom mirror. Or perhaps I’d write one with syrup on their breakfast pancakes. My favorite was the ‘earn it’ method of index cards. I taped index cards all around the house; on the pantry door or refrigerator, on the door frame of the playroom, their bedroom, the bathroom, anywhere I knew they were going to be, with one spelling word written on each card. Then we’d require our studying child to write the word three times before entering, or getting a snack, or a drink. Over the course of a week, they wrote their words far more times than our traditional study method.

An added benefit to the public display of spelling is that all the children in your household benefit, regardless of their education level. I sort of miss the whimsy of writing on the mirror with soap. Plus there is no guarantee the mirror is washed weekly any more. Hmmm … maybe I’ll start leaving them soapy love notes.

If your child is struggling with academic doldrums, get creative and surprise them with a new way of studying.

About Kai Strand:

Kai is a children's author of middle grade and young adult novels. Her debut tween novel, The Weaver, is available now and her second middle grade novel, Save the Lemmings! will be published in 2012. Kai is a regular contributor to Knowonder, a website dedicated to publishing a daily read aloud story for children ten years old and younger. She is a (very lucky) wife and the mother of four amazing kids. The most common sound in her household is laughter. The second most common is, "Do your dishes!" Obviously she likes to write. She reads a lot as well and calls it research. She loves to garden, though she doesn’t consider herself very good at it. She sings incessantly; you might very well find her singing in Latin while browsing at Target. Most of the time she doesn't realize she’s singing aloud. She and her family love to hike and geocache in beautiful Central Oregon.
About The Weaver:

In a town of word weavers, Mary suffers through her third year of Novice Word Weaving. Mary thinks her troubles are over when she meets a gnome-elf who grants her a wish. But instead of weaving a better story, she's weaving strange yarn charms to accompany her still pathetic tales.

The Weaver is a lyrical tale that offers a little magic and a lot of storytelling, for children 9 – 12 years old. The Weaver is a finalist in the EPIC eBook Awards. Click on the link to read an excerpt from the book.
You can find out more about Kai and her writing on her website: http://www.kaistrand.com/.

The day after Thanksgiving is often the day families decorate their homes for Christmas. But in my friend’s household, it is the kickoff day of a beloved family tradition. Each year, Jen pulls out a decorative sleigh large enough for a toddler to sit in and fills it with their collection of Christmas books. She’s been collecting books related to the Christmas holiday since her boys were babies. They have titles that range from traditional stories to quirky tales. But what makes the tradition so special in my eyes is that each night from the evening the books are set out until Christmas itself, her boys pick one book to be read. At some point in the evening, after homework is completed, or tae-kwon-do class is over, but before the boys shuffle off to brush their teeth and maybe even curl up with a book of their own, Jen and her boys settle together in the living room to read a Christmas story. They have some favorite books, which have been read repeatedly over the years, but they also look forward to sharing new stories together.

Can’t you just picture the cozy scene? The boys cuddled under their throws either laughing at Christmas antics or in awe over the story of Jesus’ birth; and Jen, sharing those moments night after night, year after year with her (now 10 and 13 yr old) boys.

What a lovely and enduring tradition.

Guardian Angel Publishing has several holiday titles to kick-start your annual tradition, or, as in the case of my friend, add to an existing one:

A BLESSED BETHLEHEM BIRTH- www.guardianangelpublishing.com/blessedbirth.htm

A STAR IN THE NIGHT- www.guardianangelpublishing.com/star-night.htm

ANGEL EYES- www.guardianangelpublishing.com/angel-eyes.htm

BABY JESUS IS MISSING! - www.guardianangelpublishing.com/baby-jesus.htm

CAMILLE'S JOURNEY: Christmas Musical Play & Master www.guardianangelpublishing.com/camille.htm

CURLEY, THE CROOKED CHRISTMAS TREE- www.guardianangelpublishing.com/curley.htm

LITTLE SHEPHERD- www.guardianangelpublishing.com/little-shepherd.htm

O CHRISTMAS TREE- www.guardianangelublishing.com/o-christmas-tree.htm

ONE FAMILY'S CHRISTMAS- www.guardianangelpublishing.com/christmas-angel.htm

SECRET SERVICE SAINT- www.guardianangelpublishing.com/secret-saint.htm

THE BEST CHRISTMAS GIFT- www.guardianangelpublishing.com/best-xmas-gift.htm

THE CHRISTMAS ANGEL- http://guardianangelpublishing.com/christmas-angel.htm

'TWAS THE YEAR CHRIST LEFT CHRISTMAS - http://www.guardianangelpublishing.com/christ-left.htm

Kai Strand is the author of The Weaver, a tween chapbook that offers a little magic and a lot of storytelling. Though it isn’t a Christmas title, it would make a fine Christmas present for any 9 – 12 year old.

You know you want to write a children’s book, but wonder what to write. That seemed to be the prevailing question on my mind. Where to get ideas? Where to start? When I attended college, my first writing course, “Creative Writing 101” answered these two questions. The professor said, “Write about what you know!” Well, duh, that sounds simple, right?


I have always had the “itch” to be creative whether by illustrating--I think I came out of the womb with a crayon in one hand--or by writing, as the other hand must have held a book. This was my life’s goal. So, one day as I considered what I wanted to write it became clear after I witnessed some children picking on one of their peers. Thus, I wrote Tiny Angel.

As a child, I was very sensitive and shy, which I am happy to say, I have outgrown! I kept to myself and spent my time engrossed in schoolwork and books. Also having terrible eyesight, I started wearing glasses in the third grade. Due to this, a few boys in my class started tormenting me. I was always being called “four-eyes” or “teacher’s pet”, with never a day going by without receiving hurtful taunts. Many times I would not respond, but after one classmate crushed my beloved plastic Barbie lunchbox, that did it. I reported it to my teacher. Sadly, that made matters worse. From then on, all I wanted to do was crawl into a hole and become invisible.

Remembering those unhappy days was the impetus to write Tiny Angel. It more or less was a purge of the sadness I felt, but I also wanted to help other children who are teased and tormented. My desire was for them to know they are not alone, that someone else has endured this, and that things can get better. Children being bullied often feel isolated and tend to magnify their hurts. After all, they are the center of their own world. When they are bullied, they feel slighted and less of a person.

I am also a firm believer that we have guardian angels. I can cite times when I know my own (also named Jody, after the angel in my book) has come to my aid. The thought of having an angel can give a child the modicum of comfort.

What is ironic is since I have matured and reconnected with several of my old classmates, I have learned many of them have admitted their own insecurities and fears as children; and these are people whom I thought back when I was a kid, that were the “cool kids” with not a care in the world. Funny how that is not the case. No matter how happy or “with it” children may seem, I believe everyone tends to have something they fear or an aspect about themselves they feel does not measure up.

Needless to say, if I can or have reached only one child with Tiny Angel and helped them through the difficult time of growing up and this story gets them to feel good about themselves, then I will have accomplished the main goal for writing this book.


Nancy Carty Lepri, born and raised in Massachusetts, earned an AA degree in Visual Art from Cape Cod Community College and a BA in Liberal Studies with a concentration in writing from Western New England College. In addition, she was a freelance reporter for several local newspapers.
In 1995, Nancy and husband Art relocated to Wilmington NC where her publishing credits included the “Wilmington Magazine” as well as two national and international food-industry trade magazines.

Receiving Editor Certification through Cape Fear Community College in 2006, Nancy taught online writing and drawing courses, illustrated children’s books, started four mainstream novels, and had her children’s chapter book Tiny Angel, published through Guardian Angel Publishing in November 2009.

After a move to the Raleigh area in 2007, Nancy freelanced as senior editor for a national publisher, edited and wrote press releases for more than twenty novels, and was copy editor and reviewer for “Affaire de Coeur” magazine. She currently edits and critiques manuscripts, reviews for ReaderToReader.com and New York Journal of Books, and is completing her sequel to Tiny Angel.

Visit Nancy online at:

http://nancycl.webs.com/
http://nancycl.blogspot.com/
http://nancycl.livejournal.com/

Looking for a good book for your child. In some school districts, daily reading is required as early as Grade 1. Parenting.com offers this helpful guide to books for a variety of tastes and ages.

From Littlest Angels up to Chapbooks for Tweens, Guardian Angel Publishing offers many titles in electronic and print format to engage the young readers you know. Visit our website for a complete list of titles.