Rumblegut

Just recently I did both a reading and a bookstore signing of my book, Roll Up the Streets. I’ve been giving it some thought as to which is better for an author to do. I think most people would assume, and I always have, that a reading is better than a signing. You get to sit down with a group of interested listeners, read a couple of chapters—I did a bit of acting with props and a squeaky voice I worked on, don’t ask why I gave my villain a squeaky voice—interact with the audience and actually see and hear their reaction to your story. My reading at the Tinman Too bookstore went very well and I got to hear the laughs in person. That’s always rewarding for any writer used to working in isolation. I also spoke with a couple of 11-year olds, my core audience, both of whom wanted to be writers. So as well as being entertaining, I could also encourage future writers. I also managed to sell a few books. All in all it was as good of an experience as I expected. The signing was a bit diffe

Stop by and see my book reading of Roll Up the Streets! Saturday, Oct. 9, 1:00 pm. Tinman Too Chidren's Book Store. 809 W. Garland Ave. Spokane, Wa. For more info call the Tinman Too Bookstore: (509) 325-3001 Or email: tinmanartworks@yahoo.com Directions: Map

For those of you who don't know, SCBWI is the tongue-twisting acronym for the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. It's a professional organization for writers and illustrators, and would-be writers and illustrators, all looking to make contacts, improve their skills, and generally be better at their craft. SCBWI holds a yearly conference during the summer in Los Angeles, where the headquarters are, and regional conferences all over the country and world during the whole year. This past weekend I had a great time attending the regional conference in Spokane, Wa, my home region . If you're serious about writing you should consider attending some kind of conference. The guest speakers are usually other writers or illustrators, and editors and agents who are available to also do critiques for the attendees. This is a good way to see how your writing looks to someone from the biz and not just your spouse or even critique group. It's also a good way to

I love being interviewed! So check out this one by D.L.Kingwriter . I answer all of your questions, or hers actually, and only make up a few things.

Book readings are the best way to see the reaction of an audience to your work, especially for a children's writer. Reading to a critique group of adults is great for the writing process, and scanning a review once in a while, well, that's a mixed bag. Too many reviews are much too brief to be of any help. But reading to a group of kids can tell you a lot about how your intended readers will respond to your story. I wrote my book, Roll Up the Streets! while reading it a chapter at a time to fifth-graders at Holmes elementary school in Spokane, Wa. Every Friday I'd sit down over lunch and read a new chapter while watching the kids chomp on whatever horrifying public school lunch was offered that day. The whole idea of centering my story around evil corndogs came from those lunch readings as well as half the gross passages in the book. I owe a lot to those kids. I'm holding a book reading on Oct. 9 at the Tinman Too children's bookstore in Spokane on Oct. 9. It&#