Monday, March 24, 2014

C is for Cape Cod Book Launch

Today I'd like to congratulate my friend, Christina Laurie, on the launch of her first children's book C is for Cape Cod, published by Islandport Press.

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About this Book:

This beautiful alphabet book combines playful verse, informative text, and stunning photographs to introduce children to the wonders of Cape Cod.
For each letter, a short four-line verse gives younger readers a fun introduction to the subject, and the main text provides information that will appeal to both older children and adults alike. The stunning photographs, by award-winning Cape Cod Times photographer Steve Heaslip, tell stories unto themselves – from the doleful eyes of seals to children whirling on carousels, from a frog peeping out of a cranberry bog to the engineering marvel of the Cape Cod Canal. This is Cape Cod, replete with natural beauty, rich history, tourist attractions, and much more.

Christina Laurie
An internationally best-selling poet, Christina Laurie presents workshops, poetry readings, and seminars throughout New England. Her poems and haiku have appeared in magazines, anthologies, and periodicals across the United States, England, Canada, and Japan. Christina Laurie’s first book, Seasons Rising: A Collection of Haiku, was published in 2011. She is the author of a memoir, two adult books on biblical characters, and a chapbook of inspirational insights, Inspiration Interludes (whose funds benefit the National League of American Pen Women). She lives, writes, swims, bikes, gardens, and kayaks on Cape Cod.

Steve Heaslip

Steve Heaslip is the chief photographer for the Cape Cod Times. He has been a National Press Photographers Association regional and national clip contest winner, and was named New England Newspaper and Press Association Photographer of the Year in 2001 and 2005. His photographs have been in two exhibitions, and have appeared in National GeographicLife,TimeNewsweekThe New York Times, and Yankee. Originally from Rochester, New York, he lives in Barnstable and has been photographing Cape Cod since the 1980s.
Don't you just love alphabet books?! Is there an alphabet book you remember being particularly fond of as a child? Or maybe one that was special to your children? My own children are grown, but The Handmade Alphabet by Laura Rankin still has a special place on my bookshelf. 



Sunday, March 2, 2014

The Art of Distraction

If there's one thing we have to get used to as writers, it's the waiting. Whether it's waiting to hear back from beta readers, agents, or editors, they say the best way to endure is to work on another project. So it was pretty much perfect timing when shortly after I sent my WIP to beta readers, I was asked  to work on a mural for the nursery area in our new church building. I got to play around with paints and be a part of a larger creative process with two very talented people. It was great fun.











Now that the mural is (mostly) finished , I've turned to a more familiar distraction: reading. These are a couple of YA titles that I highly recommend.




And now, I'm ready to get back to writing. What are you waiting for?