by amanda in General Information

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Um … How do I deliver this?

Being a children’s author, I often speak to large groups of children. Sitting on author panels and participating in writing events etc. I speak to other writers, prospective writers and authors. However, there are certain events where the audience is a combination of both, adults and children. Depending on the age of the children, this can be quite challenging.

The message that I try to share is simply encourage imagination, teach the joy of writing, allow kids to express themselves via words, and of course spend time reading. Every now and then something comes up that force you to change the delivery of what you were going to say. This is exactly what happened to me last week, and I realized it as soon as I stood behind the podium.

As I looked around the audience, parents, students, siblings, small siblings, my immediate thought was, “ugh oh.” The original plan was to inspire, motivate and encourage the children, not unusual during an author visit, but there was such a mixed audience. I had met some parents; some were foreign and couldn’t speak English very well, but impressively where there anyway. Some of the siblings were in strollers, very small, and some were grandparents that had come out in support of their grandchildren. Teachers, staff members, principal, and others were included, a great group of people!

I thought to myself, now how do I deliver what I was going to say? I wanted the parents to realize, that even at an early age their children could be born writers. The children themselves may not know it yet, but the parents may recognize it first, as my mother had when I was a child.  The key was keeping the children’s interest and not bore them to death. A dilemma it seemed. Share with the adults without losing the kids. Normally I would give two different speeches and in two different manners, one geared toward children, and one toward adults.

As a child, my mom recognized something I didn’t.  Back then my mind raced all of the time, in fact it still does. Often the reason I think why writers can’t sleep; our minds never shut down, they just keep racing. I loved to write short stories and by the time I was nine years old, she encouraged me to write everything down that popped into my head. It was a life saver for me at times, particularly in school. If kids write down what distracts them, they seem to forget about it, at least momentarily. (For me it was, what if’s and can you imagines, poetry and short stories). I knew that I wanted to share that story with an example of how she embraced imagination with the parents, in case they have a child whose mind races at ninety to nothing as well.

I wanted the children to know that they’re never too young to write, but wanted it to sound like fun and not like a chore. Kids don’t write for fun anymore; they write because they have to, but can you even imagine what they could compile if they wrote down what popped in their heads at the exact moment that it did.  It could be an incredible story line one day, a story that they were supposed to write, a wonderful song lyric, a beautiful poem, you just never know.

I shared a story of when I was small. My mom embraced imagination and was a fantastic story teller, different than reading a book. She often told me and my sister beautiful stories. One day I ran into the house and told her I had seen the fairies. I was very small, about four. She listened to every word I said, knelt down and looked me in the eye. “Were they beautiful?” she asked. Now as a mom myself, I realized the gift she had. She could have said a million things that day, “Go play,” “Don’t be silly” or “You know that’s your imagination, fairies are in the stories.” She didn’t. She just ran with it, knowing of course that I would figure it out my own. Imagination is a beautiful place to escape, especially for a child. In today’s world, they need to escape if only for a minute.

Needless to say I combined the two speeches; one story directed toward the children and one toward the adults. The kids didn’t fall asleep and they wanted things signed afterward. I took that as a good sign, though I was asked by several children if I had seen the fairies. “No I did not,” I said. But I told them that they might if they dream about them or write about them.  The parents thanked me and said they’d enjoyed what I had to say.

I do know that if I had spoken to the two groups separately, parents and children, I could have shared so much more. Balance is tricky sometimes. Kids are just different than adults, they’re supposed to be. It definitely gave me something to think about. Mixed audience….um, how do I deliver that!

by amanda in General Information

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F or the love of words

I was the guest speaker at Meadowcreek Elementary earlier this week.  Speaking to hundreds of children at one time is not unusual and it never gets old. I always discuss the following things: the writing process that I personally use, how I got started, my favorite authors, motivation and inspiration, and of course my characters Lilly, Boris & Jack, from the Mischief series, specifically ‘Mischief in the Mushroom Patch.’ It’s impossible not to mention Pearle, who joins them in ‘A Fairy Match in the Mushroom Patch.’

That particular day I told the children that when a writer writes a story they never know who their story will  touch, and I demonstrated my point via Pearle’s story. (It’s beautiful and can be found in an older blog post). Even my latest novel, ‘The Ghost of Whispering Willow’ has a story behind the story. It just seems to work out that way and is often unintentional. I also told them that if they write a story, they shouldn’t worry if other people like their work. It’s theirs and it can’t possibly be wrong. If they love their story first, someone else will likely like it. That’s really where it all starts, one person sharing your story with someone else.

The children are always amazing, and at the end of my presentation several children wrapped their arms around me and told me that they wanted to be writers too. That’s when I knew that I’d accomplished what I set out to do. Share, inspire, and hopefully motivate the children I spoke with that day to do something they love, anything as long as they love it.
What I didn’t know, was that during my presentations  I had caught the attention of several teachers. Many stayed behind to visit, principal included. Three of them were aspiring writers, one was an author, and one wanted to dabble but hadn’t yet taken the first step, which was writing down their fabulous thoughts and ideas. We discussed the market, the changing industry and starting a writers group. We also talked about the pieces we were currently writing or wanted to write in the future.

Listening to these writers and potential writers, men and women, was refreshing. I understood where they were coming from. I have changed so much over the years. The way I write and my thoughts about writing, even my approach to my manuscripts has changed over the years.  Growth is a beautiful thing, and something one should never be afraid of. I choose to embrace growth; not to run away from or be afraid of it. Change is often good and sign of moving forward. There was a time I thought my approach would never change, I know now that it has changed a great deal.

I received beautiful emails that day from several staff members, and invitations to guest speak at other schools that they were affiliated with.  I was certain I had done my job with the children, I just had no idea that my words would connect with the adults in the room. It was truly amazing. We all loved the same thing: words. Writers….For the love of words!

by amanda in General Information

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You Can’t Do That!

It is a busy time of year for everyone, Christmas, even a little hectic at times it seems. During the months of November, December and  January, I participate in many book fair fundraisers with one of my local Barnes & Noble’s, (Barnes & Noble Arlington at the Parks).

Spending all day with the children speaking to each grade level isn’t unusual, followed by a signing with children and parents in the store which is always fun, too. I sign copies of ‘Mischief in the Mushroom Patch’ and ‘A Fairy Match in the Mushroom Patch’ and a portion of the sales goes toward the book fair.

Last week a lovely little boy walked up to me, his hand in his moms, and picked up a copy of my Mischief book. We discussed two of my characters Boris and Jack, and I’m certain because he was a little boy, Lilly wasn’t on his mind. His mother smiled at him and asked, “Would you like that book?” and he beamed and nodded his head.

She handed me the book and asked if I could sign it for him, “Why of course,” I said. She asked the little boy to tell me his name and I proceeded to personalize his book. “YOU CAN’T DO THAT!” he exclaimed in horror. “Write in books!”

I laughed, his mother laughed, and the little boy just stared at the sharpie in my hand as if daring me to finish writing in the book. I continued to write and said the words  I wrote aloud as he stared in disbelief. “It’s Okay,” I said, “I can write in this book because I wrote it.”  The little boy’s eyes grew huge, “You wrote the book,” he said with such disbelief in his voice that I realized I had not visited with the boy earlier that day.

I explained I could sign the book for him because it was my work, and it was pleasure to do so. His mother asked if we could take a picture and of course we did and I swear, the little boy, never took his eyes off the sharpie. He acted as if he was afraid I’d write all over the pages of his book! It was the cutest thing ever. It was almost as odd as when a man asked me to sign a book and it wasn’t mine to sign. “I can’t do that,” I said. He asked me why and my answer was simple, “I didn’t write that one!”

YOU CAN’T DO THAT! …

by amanda in General Information

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Author Amanda M. Thrasher

Mansfield Writes!

A room full of adults and one beautiful little girl!

Diane Kelly, invited me to sit on the author panel for the fourth annual event of Mansfield Writes! Five authors sat on the panel that evening. Diane Kelly, she has written a humorous mystery novel, Urania Fung, writes fantasy, Bret McKinney, Screenwriter, wrote the script for “Music Within,” Emily March, New York Times bestseller and me. I was their very first children’s author and I discussed writing for children, creating an unbelievable, believable story. I also discussed writing and working with a small publisher.

To say the event went well would be an understatement, there were no chairs left in the library. Some people patiently stood and listened to  us speak. The authors on the panel were seated behind a table at the front of the room, and I watched the room fill up as we prepared. Urania Fung was first to speak. I listened, learned, and waited patiently for my turn. Diane Kelly was next; I did the same thing, listened and waited for my turn.

I glanced around the room as the other authors spoke; and it was then that I caught site of her, the most beautiful little girl you’ve ever seen. She was holding a book. Of all things, it was a Mischief in the Mushroom Patch book! She stood patiently at the back of the room, no seat to sit on.

As soon as I saw her, I couldn’t help but smile. It was an evening event and she was the only child in a room full of adults. There she stood with my book next to her chest. During the break I walked toward her and squatted down. Opening my arms, she jumped into them. I picked her up, hugged her tight, and introduced myself to the person that had brought her to the event. They said, “We saw in the paper that you would be here and she had to come see you.”

I visited with her for a while and we talked about Lilly, Boris and Jack. She showed me her ‘Mischief in the Mushroom Patch’ book, and I read aloud what I had signed for her the day she bought it. It was actually over a year ago at a signing, and I couldn’t even tell you which one. I had even written in her book, “You are a beautiful little girl, enjoy!”

She told me she wanted me to know that she had read the book, loved it, and wanted the new one. She asked if I would sign it and of course, I did. The event was amazing, but I will never forget that little girl. To me, that’s what all of this is about …  a room full of adults and one beautiful little girl!

by amanda in General Information

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Boys love fairies too…. gotta love it!

Author Amanda M. Thrasher

Being a children’s author, I spend a lot of time visiting local schools and speaking with children of all ages. I have heard and seen the most incredible things. Children often lose sight of the simplicity of ‘child like’  imagination, especially in today’s world. However, every now and then, you catch a glimpse of magic, such as during a recent visit of mine.

I was telling a story to younger children, not reading one but telling the story, it is different. I knew immediately I had captured the room. All eyes were upon me and the children were mesmerized, that never gets old! Half way through the story, I stopped talking and pretended to listen to the fairies, my fairies, Lilly, Boris, and Jack.

The teachers smiled as the children gasped, and we watched them look around the room for the ‘fairies’ that they thought were suddenly in their midst. It was a beautiful sight. Their eyes sparkled as they looked about them. They were so innocent and for a second they were not in that classroom, but they were actually in the middle of my story. I finished the tale and they all clapped. I continued to watch their little faces.

As the children lined up to leave the room, the coolest thing ever happened. A little boy, Mohawk and all, tugged at my sleeve. “I saw them,” he said, “The fairies, while you were talking.” I smiled at the beautiful little boy and I said, “Was it magical?” and he nodded his head, yes. “Perfect,” I said and he hugged me goodbye.

We all know that little girls love fairies; it is wonderful, but it was awesome when the little boy saw the fairies, too, if only in his imagination for a second.

Fairies, not just for little girls anymore, and it is beautiful!

by amanda in General Information

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The Mischief series

NC/NE Texas SCBWI Regional Conference

Recently I attended the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators conference. It was a very informative weekend. The event had several wonderful guest speakers and professionals from the industry. The rooms were filled with writers, awesome, to be among like-minded people.

Some writers had published works and some did not. Some were with large houses and some with small. Some were self-published and some did not know  yet what to do with their work. But it is safe to say that we were all inspired by the presentations given by author Bruce Coville and Tammie Sauer, and by guest speakers such as Random House Editor Wendy Loggia, Literary Agent Quinlan Lee, Simon & Schuster Illustrator/ Designer Laurent Linn, to name a few.

Highlights that I felt were the most valuable:

• Agents can have over 8000 submissions a year/ yes they are the gatekeepers, advocates for the writers, contract negotiators and of course the ones that ‘sell’ or ‘place’ the manuscript with the editor that is the appropriate fit for your work. They are busy!
• Editors work very closely with agents they trust. They enjoy a ‘scramble,’ an overnight read and meeting where a decision has to be made a.s.a.p. in regards to the purchase of a manuscript about to go to auction.
• Editors want to feel something. The words are still the most important element of the work they review. A good story will grab an editor every time. Polish is important but creativity is more important.
• (For Children’s) but could certainly apply to any manuscript: Grab the reader within the first sentence if possible. Definitely, within the first few sentences because a child will not give a book a chance if it takes too long to warm up.
• Most writers receive hundreds of rejections before finding a perfect fit.
• True writers write for the love of words. I BELIEVE THIS TOTALLY!
• Book covers sell books. Be careful with your artist. You may not always have a choice but trust your advisors.
• Great writing is often produced in blocks of time and not in massive word counts. I TOTALLY AGREE WITH THIS TOO. It is impossible to maintain the intensity it takes to create something amazing for hours at a time. Quality is better than quantity.

by amanda in General Information

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The 'Mischief' series

Ugh oh…. I can’t even argue with that!

I have three children and I love them all, but like most kids their personalities are different. My son, the oldest, is figuring his life out and doing a great job. My oldest daughter, well, she’s an over achiever at times but is holding her own. But then there’s my youngest. She challenges me on a daily basis and at times I wonder, “What on earth am I doing wrong?” But she is lovely and most of the time makes me smile.

During our usual drive home I asked the girl’s how their day went, all was well. Out of the blue my youngest said, “Mommy, I have something I need to tell you but you can’t get mad.” I explained that telling the truth was  important and that we would discuss once I knew what it was, she agreed to tell me.

“I got kicked out of class today,” she said. “What?” I asked uncertain I’d heard her correctly. She repeated it. “I was kicked out of music class today.” I was shocked, she’s nine. How does a nine year old get kicked out of class? Very calmly I asked her what had happened and she explained. Her explanation put me in a difficult position.

“A kid was playing the flute, really, really bad,” she said. “AND I couldn’t stop laughing because he was soooooo bad.” My face was expressionless as I pictured my daughter trying not to laugh, but knowing my daughter this wasn’t easy for her. She continued her explanation. “My teacher told me to stop laughing,” which was a reasonable request, “But I couldn’t,” she said. Then my daughter continued, “And when my teacher told me to stop again, I said have you heard him? Because he was really bad, but then the boy started to cry and the teacher told me to get out of his class!”

Well I was trying not to laugh. She shouldn’t have laughed at the little boy; that was wrong, but she’s just a little girl and evidently he sounded really bad. I explained to her that laughing at anyone, for any reason wasn’t very nice. I thought the best way to handle the situation was to have her apologize to the boy, her teacher and have her tell her dad when he got home. My daughter decided she would not wait to tell her dad, she wanted to get it over with and proceeded to make a phone call. It did not go as I expected.

She told the story again and concluded with, “And I don’t want a big discussion about this when you get home, because I’ve told you the truth and mom has it covered.” Oh my goodness, what will we do with that one!

by amanda in General Information

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The Mischief Series

Finished & I’m Thrilled!

If you are a writer you’ll know exactly how I feel right now. Absolutely ecstatic! My novel is complete; it is finished! I had an idea that I was able to turn into a beautiful story; perfect for my little readers, and with twists even I didn’t see coming until they started to unfold.

Like other writers I’m sure, I have work that I’ve written over the years that’s mediocre at best. I have some pieces that are sweet and good, some are just ok, and some are plain old awful! But this manuscript started with an idea that hit me in such a way, that I actually remember pulling over on the side of the road and writing the idea down right then and there.

The second installment of my Mischief series, A Fairy Match in the Mushroom Patch, had just been released. My daughter and her friends were hanging out upstairs where I work. They asked what I would be writing next and I remember saying, “I’ll know when it hits.” I shouldn’t have said that! They all started asking can you write a book about such and such or  at least about this and that?  I explained that I don’t typically write that way; but I did make a compromise. They asked if they could be in my next project and I said, “Yes.”

So now I had three names of potential characters and no story. I don’t generate stories in such a way; so it took some time before an idea hit that would work, but it did. It was foreign to me at first using the names of girls I knew, because they didn’t match my characters. My main characters are actually boys, but slowly I tried to incorporate some of their traits as I fleshed the fictional characters out. It started to come together and every now and then, if you know these kids, you’ll catch a glimpse of them.

I baby sat this project for over a year; taking my time, writing carefully. I even discussed many of the elements with my mentor prior to starting it and during the actual writing process. It’s safe to say, “I love this piece!” I’m a firm believer that the writer has to love their work first, before the reader can truly love it second to that. If a reader lays down a book or walks out of a movie and says, “I loved that book or I loved that movie,” the writers had to love it first in order to bring it to life.

Now that my novel is finished and done, I can hardly express how I excited I am. Though not yet placed, I feel as if I’ve conquered the world. Now the time has come to consider my options; like other writers I will. That’s when the work really begins it seems! But for just a minute or a few, I want to take the time to revel and enjoy the fact that my manuscript is actually finished. Finished and I’m thrilled!

by Amanda M. Thrasher

by amanda in General Information

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Re-writing Chapter Eleven …Following Instincts

It’s very exciting when a writer’s manuscript leaps off the paper and comes to life. It’s interesting, at least to the writer, when it changes course unexpectedly. I’m certain that every writer has experienced this at some point. It’s a sit back and “I didn’t see that coming,” moment. At times it’s a “Really?” moment. Either way when the manuscript changes direction, it takes a minute to digest the new material, (even when you’re the creator of the work).

I have a story, a manuscript that I’ve been babysitting for over a year. I like it, no, I love it. I don’t know if others will, but I do, and that’s the best place to start. I truly believe if I don’t love it first, no one else can love it second. With that thought in mind, I’m hopeful my little readers will enjoy this piece once it’s complete.

I was certain that chapter eleven was perfect. I had it mapped out in my head prior to writing a word. Every single detail including dialog, scenery, even the pattern design on my characters comforter, (though I didn’t actually describe the comforter), I could see it in my mind’s eye. I wrote the entire thing as I believed it should be. So you can imagine my surprise when I woke up in the middle of the night and told myself, “Nope, that’s not going to work!” Really? Because I’ve already written it!

Normally I would have re-read the chapter to see if there was anything worth salvaging, anything at all, but I didn’t. I trashed the entire chapter and re-wrote the whole thing. Now that was a totally new experience for me. However, the re-written chapter was better. It made sense.  I can’t speak for other writers, but for me as a children’s author, the fictional pieces that I write still have to make sense and it does.

Chapter eleven now makes perfect un-believable, believable sense. That’s important when writing for children. Obviously it’s not real but it has to be believable. I can honestly say that I haven’t done that before, trash my work without reading it first. I believe I took a leap of faith that day. I trusted my instincts regarding my work.  I had no idea if it would actually work and it did. (Chapter eleven is a critical chapter 60 thousand words in and peaking).

Re-writing Chapter Eleven…it worked!

by amanda in General Information

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Barnes & Noble Book Signing, Texas PTA Conference & Jeff Savage!

I was invited by Charley Carrol, Community Relations Manager, B & N, to sign in the Barnes & Noble booth at the Texas PTA Conference. Naturally I was thrilled and accepted. They’d expected at least 3,500 attendees at the convention center, and they had that many teachers, aids, parents to name a few on site.

I was going to sign for two hours, and I’d be signing side by side with another author. I had no idea who the other author was, but it turned out to be Jeff Savage. If you’re not familiar with Jeff, he is among the nation’s leading authors of non-fiction children’s books. He’s also a multiple award winner. He’s written over 177 books, and the A.R. program, (Accelerated Reader Program-kid’s chase those points), have accepted over 100 of those. I did not know that I would be signing with him, and that’s probably for the best. I think I might have been a nervous wreck, had I known all of his accomplishments.

He had come all the way from CA; I had come down from Fort Worth. As we visited I found out that he’d met and interviewed athletes such as LeBron James, Albert Pujols, Peyton Manning, Tiger Woods, to name a few. I write fairy tales, children’s novels, and I have an adult novel that I’m still baby-sitting. It’s not quite finished, but it’s waiting for me to return and pick up where I left off.

You’d never have known that this gentleman had accomplished so much in his field; he was so personable, had fantastic advice and pleasant to sign with. I met his boys, and we talked about my family. We discussed our roles as authors, agents, publishers, and what we would like to obtain down the road in regards to careers and our personal goals.

I held my own as we signed, (CRM told me she ordered 40 of my books), each of us only having a few books left at the end of the two hours. But like anything in this world, when you have something that you love, and someone in your field offers advice or encouragement, you hold onto it and I did that day. Jeff said these words to me and they took me by surprise.  “You have to realize that you have accomplished so much already, remember that and forge ahead. Look at what you’ve done, remember you are the author, you wrote the words!” I was almost speechless. How did someone that had just met me, realize how long this road had been?

I will remember those words. I will also remember that someone so nice offered advice so  freely and warmly. TX PTA 2011- that was a great event for me, on a personal level and professionally.

(Special thanks to Charley Caroll, Community Relations Manager Barnes & Noble, (Arboretum. Austin, TX)