Storm Watcher Blog Tour: Guest Post from Maria V. Snyder & Giveaway

Feb 19 - Mar 5, 2014

Hosted by readnowsleeplater.com

Join us for interviews, guest posts, reviews, and giveaways!

Thank you Alethea and Maria for organizing the blog tour and sponsoring the giveaway!

Time to Geek Out! 

 By Maria V. Snyder

An aspect of writing that I've discovered to be lots of fun is research. I'd never would have thought that when I was in high school and college, searching through microfilms and smelly ancient books for a research paper on a topic I had no interest in. Back then I hated the R word :). But now I can research things that I'm interested in and the knowledge can be incorporated into my novels. Bonus!

My research is done in one of three ways: the Internet, books/magazines, and hands-on. If possible, I'll do as much hands-on as I can. There is no better way to learn and translate that experience for the reader. Some examples of my hand-on research are learning how to ride a horse, how to fence, and how to blow glass. The books I use are usually juvenile non-fiction because I usually only need a basic understanding of the subject (for example bats) and they have big color pictures, which help when I'm describing things (like bats) in the story. Doing research has also sparked ideas for stories or helped with a plot problems. Fist pump!

However, fiction writers just can't dump in all this cool information we've learned. No that would be boring. I've learned that the needs of the story come first. I learned how to blow glass and work with molten glass after deciding Opal Cowan, my main protagonist in the Glass series would be a glass magician. She works with the equipment and the glass during the story so I needed to know how to do this the correct way. Her actions teach the readers about glass blowing. And I want to get it right. A reader once emailed me after she visited Murano, Italy (known for their glass artists). She went on a tour, but already knew everything from reading my books. Score!

With Storm Watcher I had a great deal of prior knowledge. I'd earned my BS degree in Meteorology from Penn State University and I worked at a dog kennel for four months. Again, I didn't want to dump in all this technical knowledge about storms and weather instruments and put my readers to sleep. Instead, the main protagonist, Luke is a weather geek and he mentions a few facts to his friend during a bad thunderstorm. He also builds weather instruments for a science fair project, which helps him re-connect with his father. Awww...

One of the fun things for me was putting together the appendix for Storm Watcher. It's called, Luke's Weather Notebook and I was able to geek out and put in a ton of cool weather information, facts, quizzes, and doodles (I drew about half of those graphics). The appendix also includes an article my sixteen-year-old daughter wrote on why hurricane's have names. Sweet!

Writers do a ton of research for their stories, and we have to be careful not to spend all our time researching and not writing. I'll research the big stuff like glass blowing first, but then I'll start writing and will make a list of research topics as I work through the story. I'm not going to stop to find out what an indigo plant looks like while I'm in the middle of writing. That's something that can be added in during revisions. Yes!

So I'm finally enjoying research and I use it as an excuse to do new things all the time. Ziplining? Research for a clan of people living in the tree canopy. Participating in a mud run? Research for a character being chased through a swamp. Photography class? Needed for a story about a fashion photographer. See how easy it is? I'd bet you can come up with a number of “research” topics, too. Boo Ya!

Storm Watcher is Maria V. Snyder's first middle grade novel.  It was released on October 19, 2013 with Leap Books.

Description from GoodReads: Luke Riley is lost. His mother's recent death has set Luke and his family adrift. Even though his father, twin brothers, and their three Bloodhounds are search and rescue volunteers, they have been unable to rescue themselves and become a family again. The summer after sixth grade looms in Luke's mind as a long, lonely three months where the only thing he can look forward to is watching The Weather Channel. Luke is fascinated with the weather, but since his mother's death in a storm, he is also terrified. Even the promised 13th birthday present of a Bloodhound puppy fails to lift Luke's spirits. He would rather have a different breed - a petite Papillon, but his father insists he get a Bloodhound.

When Luke decides to get the Bloodhound from Willajean, a dog breeder who owns Storm Watcher Kennel, he works out a deal to help at her kennel in exchange for the expensive dog. Thrilled to have a summer with a purpose, Luke befriends Willajean's daughter, Megan and together they plan how Luke can get a Papillon puppy instead of a Bloodhound. But nothing seems to work as they struggle with stubborn fathers, summer storms, unhelpful siblings, and hidden guilt. Can one little white dog really save both families?

For more about Maria V. Snyder: website | blog | facebook | goodreads

To check out all of the interviews, guest posts, and reviews, see the schedule below...

Tour Schedule

Wed 2/19 - The Book Monsters - review & giveaway

Thu 2/20 - I Am a Reader - interview & international giveaway

Fri 2/21 - Unleashing Readers - guest post & giveaway

Mon 2/24 - Bookalicious - review & international giveaway

Tue 2/25 - Kid Lit Frenzy - guest post & giveaway

Wed 2/26 - Sharpreads - review & giveaway

Thu 2/27 - The Mod Podge Bookshelf - guest post & giveaway

Fri 2/28 - The Windy Pages - review, interview & giveaway

Mon 3/3 - Teenage Reader - review & giveaway

Tue 3/4 - Read Now Sleep Later - review & international giveaway

Wed 3/5 - The Brain Lair - review & giveaway

Complete the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win a copy of Storm Watcher and see how Maria put all of her research to use in creating this great story.

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It's Monday! What are you reading? From Picture Books to YA - 2/24/14

It's Monday! What are you reading? is hosted by Sheila of Book Journey.  Jen from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing Readers have adapted it to focus on Picture Books to Young Adult Books.

This past week I was a bit all over the place with my reading. I have been working on a presentation for a training that I am doing about Ezra Jack Keats.  As a result, I went to the library and took out as many of Keats books that I could find and sat down and read and re-read them (I did not list them below for sake of space).  It was interesting to read them in publication order and to begin to see things I had missed when I read them years ago.  I have learned so much about Keats and admire his skill and his stories more than ever. 

Here is what jumped out of the pile...

Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith (Dutton Juvenile, February 11, 2014) - This upper YA book by Andrew Smith is not for everyone and certainly not for those who are squeamish about very large insects.  However, I did find it to be brilliant and creative.

Lunch Lady and the Schoolwide Scuffle (Lunch Lady #10) by Jarrett K. Krosoczka (Knopf Books, January 28, 2014) - What a fun conclusion to the Lunch Lady series. I will miss these books.

Scholastic Reader Level 2: Ugly Cute Animals by Melvin and Gilda Berger  (Scholastic, January 7, 2014)- This has a certain aww factor - seriously, ugly but cute animals?! Loved it.

Extraordinary Jane by Hannah Harrison (Dial, February 6, 2014) - Sometimes ordinary is extraordinary.  Such a cute story.

Ezra Jack Keats: A Biography with Illustrations by Dean Engel and Florence B. Freedman (Silver Moon Press, 1995) - A perfect middle grade biography on Ezra Jack Keats. I really enjoyed learning more about Keats.

Still reading...

Kiss of Deception by Mary Pearson (Henry Holt, July 15, 2014) - High fantasy with solid characters and good world building.  Can't wait to get back to this one.

So, what are you reading?

Video of the Week

Normally, I leave the weekly video picks to Mr. Schu at Watch.Connect.Read but recently, I discovered a video that I needed to share.  While I was at the Scholastic Book Fairs, Principals' Advisory Board Meeting in Florida, one of the Scholastic staff shared a video with us called THE READER produced in South Africa.  He did not warn us though that we should have tissues on-hand.

Our discussions, during the meeting, were around creating independent readers.  As we watched, there were so many little things communicated about learning to read in this video.

Motivation.  Determination. Application.

Take two minutes to watch this video, and if you are like me, have the tissues handy.



Note: If you didn't know that Bell's is a Whiskey, you will have no idea about the actual focus of the commercial until the very last scene.  If you stop around 1 minute and 50 seconds, you will miss the commercial focus altogether.  I did have to hunt for a version though that did not have a warning label about drinking responsibly. Thank you to ADWeek for the write up and video.

If you are like me and watch this video multiple times, you will also note some fun details: 

* I love the scene where he is reading a graphic novel called Laugh.

* In another scene, he uses Campbell's Alphabet Soup to write out a short message to his wife.  She in turn uses magnetic alphabet letters on the refrigerator to return a message.

* I also enjoyed when he wrote the word WASH on the dirty window of the car.

To watch the behind the scenes making of the commercial, click here.

This also reminded me of the question, what is your book story?  What is the book that changed your life? Was it a gift? Did you find it in a library? At a bookstore? Did it come from a parent, relative, teacher, or friend? When did you know that you were a reader?

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday - #nf10for10 event

Thank you everyone for signing up for the Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge 2014.  It is going to be an amazing year of sharing nonfiction books with one another.
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Today, I am joining with Cathy Mere, Mandy Robek, and Julie Balen for #nf10for10 event. 

Here are the rules:

• What:  10 nonfiction books you can't live without
• Hashtag:  #nf10for10
• Who:  Anyone interested --- educators, media specialists, librarians, parents, etc.
• When:  Wednesday, February 19th 
• Where:  All posts will need to be linked at Write at the Edge.  Then I will move them into a jog resource during the week of the event.  

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For my post, I decided to pick 10 of my favorite nonfiction picture book writers or illustrators and list my favorite nonfiction picture book that he or she has written.  The books listed below are listed in no particular order.   And there are so many wonderful authors and illustrators that were left off this list because I only had 10 slots. Here are my #nf10for10 for 2014...
 

Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade by Melissa Sweet (Houghton Mifflin Books for Young Children, 2011)

Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans by Kadir Nelson (Balzer & Bray, 2011)

Frog Song by Brenda Z. Guiberson; Illustrated by Gennady Spirin (Henry Holt & Co., 2013)

The Day-Glo Brothers by Chris Barton; Illustrated by Tony Persiani (Charlesbridge, 2009)

Island: A Story of the Galápagos by Jason Chin (Roaring Brook Press, 2012)

Down, Down, Down: A Journey to the Bottom of the Sea by Steve Jenkins (HMH Books for Young Readers 2009)

No Monkeys, No Chocolate by Melissa Stewart, Allen Young ; Illustrated by Nicole Wong  (Charlesbridge, 2013)

The Hive Detectives: Chronicles of a Honey Bee Catastrophe by Loree Griffin Burns; Photographer Ellen Harasmimowicz (HMH Books for Young Readers, 2010)

Can We Save the Tiger? by Martin Jenkins; Illustrated by Vicky White (Candlewick, 2011)

Who Says Women Can't Be Doctors? The Story of Elizabeth Blackwell by Tanya Lee Stone; Illustrated by Marjorie Priceman (Henry Holt & Co., 2013)

Don't forget to link up your nonfiction reviews below, and if you participated in #nf10for10, please remember to link it up with the jog as well.

Slice of Life - Affirmation Through TED Talks #slice2014

Last summer, I was hoping to participate regularly in the Slice of Life challenge at Two Writing Teachers.  Then life got in the way.  I keep hoping to post regularly.  At this point, I seem to post when I have something that feels important.  If you want to participate, you can link up at their Slice of Life Story Post on Tuesdays or you can just head on over there to check out other people's stories. For more information on what a Slice of Life post is about, you can go here.
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When I was a child, I quickly learned that being an extrovert was preferred over being an introvert.  Not only preferred but that it was somehow better to be outgoing than introspective and that there was something inherently wrong with me as a result of my personality.  At the time, it wasn't that anyone specifically commented to me that being an extrovert was better, but it certainly was something I could sense being communicated by those around me.  And surprisingly, the subtle message from childhood became a much more explicit message at various times in my career. 

Over the years, I would watch extroverts in social situations and truly felt pangs of envy. I discovered that if I had a very specific role or task I could manage in a large, unstructured setting.  If I could create a smaller community within a larger one then I could be more successful.  And despite, years and years of experience, I still dislike large social situations.  Give me a small dinner party with a few friends over a large social mixer any day. 

Recently, while I was having dinner with Donalyn Miller (The Book Whisperer, and Reading in the Wild), she mentioned that she was reading Brené Brown's The Gifts of Imperfection and suggested that I also watch the TED Talk by Brown entitled Listening to Shame.  This led me to watch Susan Cain's Ted Talk about The Power of Introverts.

Take a minute to watch Brené Brown's Ted Talk - Listening to Shame.



Now take a few more minutes and watch the TED Talk - The Power of Introverts by Susan Cain, author of Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking 


These two TED Talks resonated with me.  They also made me think about the types of messages that we send to students on a daily basis. Are they messages that affirm or messages that convey that a child is inadequate or broken because of how they approach life or process information? Do we lift up or tear down?

One of the things that jumped out of Cain's talk was the following:

"And the vast majority of teachers reports believing that the ideal student is an extrovert as opposed to an introvert, even though introverts actually get better grades and are more knowledgeable, according to research." 

Now let's couple it with a quote from Brown's talk:

"Shame is a focus on self, guilt is a focus on behavior. Shame is "I am bad." Guilt is "I did something bad."

Listening to the two presentations back to back made those statements fall into place in a way that they might not have if I listened to them at separate times.  As teachers, are we communicating a message of shame to students who have a different learning style or preference?  We need to remember that for all of our students it is important to communicate that they are valuable and that their personalities and preferences are not wrong.  In a world where cooperative work is prized, can we create a place for both introverts and extroverts in the process? Can we celebrate that all personalities and learning preferences are valued?

Thank you Donalyn for recommending The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown.  I have downloaded the e-book and look forward to reading it.  And thank you Jen Vincent for sending me a copy of Quiet by Susan Cain. Your recognition and affirmation of my personal style is much appreciated.