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Mummy Fun
It turns out that you are never too old to have a birthday–as in a 3,000-year-old birthday!!! That’s right. A mummy at the St. Louis Museum of Art will celebrate his birthday next month. His name is...
View ArticleEarly Start to Summer Fun
Summer is nearly here. School ends and fantastic summer reading begins. Summer is the perfect time for kids to kick back with some books. Children who read during vacation will enhance their reading...
View ArticleMonster to the Max
Exciting news! Jolly Fish Press has acquired my middle-grade fantasy series Monster or Die and will be publishing the first book, From the Grave, in Fall 2016. Editor TJ da Roza fell in love with my...
View ArticleIt’s Almost Here
Are you ready??? Tomorrow is NATIONAL SUMMER LEARNING DAY! What do you plan to learn? Perhaps some words in a new language: Spanish for Beginners by Helen Davies This book not only has plenty of words...
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Quite the Character!
The July Blogging Theme for The Sweet Sixteens (#SixteensBlogAbout) is CHARACTERS. With that in mind, I thought I’d look back on a couple of my favorite past blogs on the subject. Getting Into...
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Pitch Wars Mentee Bio
I’ve decided to participate in Brenda Drake’s PITCH WARS contest, which is ramping into action even as I type. The contest allows mentees to submit a work for...
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An Evening with Author/Illustrator DAV PILKEY
TRA-LA-LAAAA! How does an evening with children’s author Dav Pilkey begin? (well,after waiting in a looooong line wrapping all the way around Headquarters library…) Waiting for Captain Underpants With,...
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R.L. STINE and MARC BROWN CREATE NEW MONSTERS
Monstrous Fun On Friday night I had the privilege to attend the Premier Event at the St. Louis County Library Headquarters, featuring R.L. Stine and Marc Brown. R.L. Stine is famous for his spooky...
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SCARED SILLY: Halloween Joke Fun
SACRED SILLY at HALLOWEEN In my upcoming Middle Grade Fantasy, FROM THE GRAVE, (Fall of 2016 from Jolly Fish Press) one of my favorite supporting characters is Stan & Dan, the two-headed gargoyle....
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Halloween FUN Treat
SACRED SILLY at HALLOWEEN If you want to be frighteningly funny this Halloween, here is a list of 100 MONSTER JOKES for you. And if you have a favorite Monster Joke you don’t see on my list, please...
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GRATITUDE at Thanksgiving
THANKSGIVING It’s truly one of my favorite times of the year. FAMILY, FOOD, and THANKS! In this past year, I’m especially thankful for both old and new friends—those writer buddies who’ve keep me...
View ArticleMonster Writing Prompts: Part 1
Creating MONSTER CHARACTERS: Likes & Dislikes! For the month of January, I’ll post some pointers on Creating Your Own Monster Characters. Be sure to come back next week for another quick writing...
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Monster Writing Prompts: Part 2
Creating MONSTER CHARACTERS: Appearance For the month of January, I’ll post some pointers on Creating Your Own Monster Characters. Be sure to come back next week for another quick writing tip,...
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Monster Writing Prompts: Part 3
Creating CHARACTERS: Family In FROM THE GRAVE, monster families care for each other. How does a writer create characters readers care about? In FROM THE GRAVE, the main character, Frankenstein...
View ArticleTHE LAST GREAT ADVENTURE OF THE PB & J SOCIETY
A Middle Grade Treasure Hunt THE LAST GREAT ADVENTURE OF THE PB & J SOCIETY by Janet Sumner Johnson Capstone Press, Debuting April 1, 2016 Fourth graders Jason and Annie, friends and neighbors...
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MONSTER WRITING PROMPTS: Part 4
Creating Characters: FRIENDS Although Frank, in my story FROM THE GRAVE, is a misfit, he has a number of friends. Unfortunately, they are all considered misfits also. Frank’s best friend Oliver is a...
View ArticleLizzie and the Lost Baby
Middle Grade Historical Fiction 10-year-old Lizzie and her 7-year-old brother Peter are forced to evacuate wartime London, due to the threat of bombs. They and a multitude of other children ride a...
View ArticlePAPER WISHES
In this bittersweet story set in the United States during 1942 and World War II, 10-year-old Manami—a Japanese-American girl—endures evacuation and internment at the dessert camp of Manzanar. Forced to...
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Monster Writing Prompts: Part 3
Creating CHARACTERS: Family In FROM THE GRAVE, monster families care for each other. How does a writer create characters readers care about? In FROM THE GRAVE, the main character, Frankenstein...
View ArticleTHE LAST GREAT ADVENTURE OF THE PB & J SOCIETY
A Middle Grade Treasure Hunt THE LAST GREAT ADVENTURE OF THE PB & J SOCIETY by Janet Sumner Johnson Capstone Press, Debuting April 1, 2016 Fourth graders Jason and Annie, friends and neighbors...
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