Literary Works by Greta Burroughs
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Write it Yourself

6/25/2013

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Inspiration for writing and sharing stories can come from the ones closest to you. I want to thank Cedar Sanderson for sharing her experiences with us:

          I have been reading since I was four, and my mother’s task was actually to keep me from reading all the time, so a few years ago when I found myself presented with the opportunity to become a children’s librarian, and a few months later, to write a novel for young adults, I dove in with both feet, feeling that every child should love reading the way I do. 

            As a librarian in a library too small to need a full-time children’s librarian, I spent a few hours a week book shopping, planning programs, and just plain talking to kids about books. Because I was familiar with the books in our collection, what was popular, and books that I knew where to find them through inter-library loans, I was often able to steer reluctant readers toward books that would tickle their fancy. I wound up writing a story that bloomed into a novel because of this desire to help kids find books like the one they just read.

            My eldest daughter, who was 11 at the time, had read a book she adored. There was a series by the same author, and she read all that were out at the time, and insisted that I read the first of them, because she wanted to share her pleasure in them (which is a great way to get your kids involved with you in reading - read some of their books, and discuss. Or read aloud to one another). I read it, realized that there were very few books in the library or my home collection, or indeed, in modern releases, that featured mythology, and decided I would write her a story.

            When she went off to a long summer camp, gone for three weeks, I wrote a story about a girl who loved kittens, and who was a mythological gods’ descendant, just like in the book she had wanted me to read. And just like she is - she loves cats, and some other things I wrote into the story. She came home from camp, told me it was a great story, and summer passed. In the fall, she came home from school one day, brandishing a piece of paper. She wanted me to take part in NaNoWriMo, and make the story into a novel, especially since now her two younger sisters were ‘into’ that same series and would want to read more of my stories.

            I did win NaNo and finished the novel for them, but that was just the beginning. They still read avidly, as they always have, but they also are interested in writing now, and my eldest participated in NaNo herself at the youth writer level last fall. I believe she will again this year as well. Her sisters tell me their ideas for my stories all the time, most of which come from the books they are reading.

            With my children, as with the kids who came into the library, I usually just had to worry about supplying them with titles that they would enjoy reading. With the other children in town who I saw less often, I relied on the Summer Reading Program to bring them in, and I would have books on hand to get them interested. Kids like the shiny, the new, the same old subjects, so it can be a challenge to keep older books going out when they look a bit shabby, and to justify buying yet another book on dinosaurs, because that is what all boys of a certain age love.

            Once I had the novel completed and was telling my patrons at the library about it, I discovered that the hook worked not only for my kids, but the library kids. They were thrilled to know a ‘real author’ and often told me all about what they were writing, while asking me about how to write. This led to me recommending books and websites to them for research as well. It was a self-feeding interest that I believe even authors of MG/YA books can help out with, by being willing to volunteer at their local library and talk to kids about writing and reading. Maybe even to take the time to start a junior writer’s club and foster interest and skills that way.

Cedar Sanderson's blog is: www.cedarwrites.com

You can find "Vulcan’s Kittens", the YA novel Cedar wrote for her daughters, and excerpts from it, here: http://cedarwrites.com/vulcans-kittens/


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Passing the Torch by Yvonne Hertzberger

6/19/2013

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PictureNoah passing the torch to the next generation
When our kids were young, even infants, reading was a daily part of their lives. At first it was nursery rhymes, which I sang to them as we looked at the pictures, then Dr. Seuss, Find Waldo, Richard Scary, animal books and others with lots of pictures that we would talk about. It wasn’t long, though, until there had to be a story, be it following all the cars on a train and learning their names, Peter Rabbit, or The Polar Express.

While our daughter caught on to reading right away, we discovered that out son has some dyslexia and found reading and writing a frustrating challenge. So reading aloud to the kids went on for many years, even when Noah ought to be reading on his own.

When Noah, the elder, was about ten, his dad began to read the entire Narnia Chronicles aloud. This became a cherished bedtime routine and there was considerable complaining on nights that were missed. Both our kids loved those books and we would discuss parts they asked about. Our daughter later reread them herself when she was about ten and has been an avid reader ever since.

During that same time Noah was interested in trains, model trains, and all things technical, so we bought him books and magazines with those subjects, mostly short articles that told him how things worked and what they did. Because he has a keen aptitude for those they did not frustrate him the way stories did. But he still struggled with fiction.

Then, in high school, he got the kind of help that he needed to overcome his difficulty. An exceptional teacher took a shine to him and each year his marks rose, so that he eventually made the dean’s list his first year in community college, studying IT.

Now, Noah reads novels, mostly crime and detective or mystery books, but you could have knocked me over with a feather the day he told us he had completed Moby Dick. I mean, I haven’t read Moby Dick, for heaven’s sake.

Now, Noah reads about a book a week as he sits on the train during his daily commute. He reads for pleasure. I credit our early reading aloud sessions for whetting his appetite, and that wonderful teacher for helping him believe in himself.

I cannot stress enough, how important it is for parents to share books and a love of reading with their kids. Had we not done that our son would likely not be the successful man he is today. Now it’s his turn. Even as his wife’s belly grew, he would read to the bulge every night. Now that Nathan is born that continues. The torch is passed.



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Yvonne Hertzberger lives in Stratford, Ontario with her spouse, Mark. She calls herself a late bloomer as she began writing at the ripe age of 56.  The first two volumes of her Fantasy trilogy, ‘Earth’s Pendulum’ have been well received and the third is on the way. She loves to sing, garden and spend time with like minded people and family.


Twitter:  https://twitter.com/YHERTZBE

Facebook Author page: http://www.facebook.com/EarthsPendulum.YvonneHertzberger.author

Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/Yvonne-Hertzberger/e/B006X3DEOC/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

Amazon. UK:  http://www.amazon.co.uk/Yvonne-Hertzberger/e/B006X3DEOC/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3217107.Yvonne_Hertzberger

Website/blog:  http://newfantasyauthor.com



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    Inspiring Children..
    One Book at a Time

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    One of the most valuable gifts you can give a child is the love of reading.

    This blog is  for parents, teachers and caregivers and all those who have the power to help young minds to become great minds.

    If you would like to write a guest post for this blog, please send an email to greta799(at)yahoo.com

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    Greta Burroughs

    believes that sharing the joy of reading is one of the most important gifts we can give to a child. 
    Books can teach, entertain, launch imaginations and help a child/middle grader/teenager to excel in school as well as in life.

    Greta is the author of several children's and MG/YA books and her website is
    here.
                                       
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    Books by Greta Burroughs. Click cover for more information


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