tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-384120632024-03-06T23:51:19.299-05:00Alison Ashley FormentoAlison Ashley Formentohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561233370577996025noreply@blogger.comBlogger143125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38412063.post-51194113887710612372014-11-12T08:08:00.001-05:002014-11-12T08:08:18.917-05:00<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>ROCK and READ</b></div>
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New books, an updated website--a new and improved author--ME!<br />
Please visit <a href="http://alisonashleyformento.com/" target="_blank">www.alisonashleyformento.com </a>to keep up with my news.<br />
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You can find me on Facebook or on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/" target="_blank">@AFormento</a><br />
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">Alison Ashley Formento
http://formentowordsinprint.blogspot.com/</div>Alison Ashley Formentohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561233370577996025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38412063.post-57802631592665865982013-09-26T09:12:00.001-04:002013-09-26T09:12:08.355-04:00Happy Autumn!<br />
Long time, no post.<br />
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Why? Busy with life and a new book, too. You can see more about what I'm doing at my new-and-much-improved website <a href="http://alisonashleyformento.com/">http://alisonashleyformento.com/</a><br />
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Welcome to the world, TWIGS!<br />
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">Alison Ashley Formento
http://formentowordsinprint.blogspot.com/</div>Alison Ashley Formentohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561233370577996025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38412063.post-71811015243343400162013-04-23T20:12:00.000-04:002013-04-24T18:37:59.639-04:00Splashing about new picture books: Two by Nancy Viau and a book giveaway just for you!<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">Let's celebrate springtime with a book giveaway and personalized signed copy of STORM SONG by Nancy Viau. </span></b><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>What do you have to do for a chance to win Nancy's new picture book? </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>It's simple—respond to this blog post by Friday, May 3rd with one word or one sentence describing something you love about spring. </b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">It's been a thrill to share my nature picture books at schools as an <a href="http://www.authorsforearthday.org/" target="_blank">Author for Earth Day</a> where I met lots of enthusiastic students eager to raise funds to help care for our environment.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I finally have a little reading time and I'm excited to splash about two wonderful new picture books by friend and fellow <a href="http://www.kidlitauthorsclub.com/" target="_blank">KidLit Author</a>, <a href="http://www.nancyviau.com/" target="_blank">Nancy Viau</a>.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.nancyviau.com/" target="_blank">Nancy</a> is the author of three nature-inspired books: <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781419705298" target="_blank">LOOK WHAT I CAN DO!</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Storm-Song-Nancy-Viau/dp/1477816461" target="_blank">STORM SONG</a>, and <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780810972995" target="_blank">SAMANTHA HANSEN HAS ROCKS IN HER HEAD</a>. She considers the ocean to be one of her best friends.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Here's the splash with author <a href="http://www.nancyviau.com/" target="_blank">Nancy Viau</a>...</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0060bf; font-size: large;"><b>Can you share a favorite beach memory?</b></span></div>
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<strong><span style="color: black; font-size: large;">I started going to the beach when I was a week old, and so I've saved up decades worth of great memories. I remember one carefree day with a summer friend when she and I rented a canvas raft and decided we would ride every wave together, holding hands. We were tossed about quite a bit, but never once let go until both our feet hit hard sand. Other unforgettable memories involve a favorite beach in Jersey where I not only introduced my babies to the waves, but scattered the ashes of my parents who did the same for me.</span></strong><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">If you were an ocean creature, what would you be and why?</span></b></div>
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<strong><span style="color: black; font-size: large;">I'd be an octopus because octopi are super intelligent and can logically figure out different ways to solve problems. Check out this<a href="http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/6474/" target="_blank"> link</a> from <a href="http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/6474/" target="_blank">Orion Magazine</a>.</span></strong></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Are seas or oceans part of your new books in any way?</span></b></div>
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<strong><span style="color: black; font-size: large;">Sadly, no. In LOOK WHAT I CAN DO! there are streams and those streams run into rivers that run into oceans (none of which you see in the book, so ok, that's a stretch). <em>Ladybug</em> published a sweet poem of mine titled "Sea Story," and I'd like to turn that into a picture book at some point. Ask me this question again in ten years?</span></strong><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Would your main characters be adventurous enough to do a deep sea dive?</span></b><br />
<strong><span style="color: black; font-size: large;">Nope, but I might.</span></strong></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>Taking care of our seas is important to me and the students in my new picture book, THESE SEAS COUNT! </b><b>What causes are important to you besides writing for children and or young adults?</b></span></div>
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<strong><span style="color: black; font-size: large;">I am a strong supporter of our national parks. I believe that kids are becoming increasingly unaware of the beauty that surrounds them, and should get out there to hike up a quiet mountain, view a crystal blue lake, or taste the kind of clean snow only available from the highest peaks. <a href="http://www.nationalparks.org/" target="_blank">The National Park Foundation</a> works to protect these gifts for future generations.</span></strong></div>
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<b>If you could create a spectacular sand sculpture on a beach, what would you build?</b></span></div>
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<strong><span style="color: black; font-size: large;">I'd build a really elaborate ship by the water's edge. I'd sit on it, wait for the incoming tide, then pretend to "sail" away on the ebb tide.</span></strong></div>
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<b>Share your favorite ocean character from books, film or T.V.<br /><span style="color: black;">I grew up on Flipper and he made me want to become a marine biologist. But now I'd have to say my favorite is Mr. Krabs from Sponge Bob. He's crusty and driven, but there's a big heart under that old shell.</span></b></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.nancyviau.com/" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> http://www.nancyviau.com/</span></a></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Alison Ashley Formento
http://formentowordsinprint.blogspot.com/</div>Alison Ashley Formentohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561233370577996025noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38412063.post-51427846039698251642013-03-29T17:11:00.003-04:002013-03-29T17:11:46.309-04:00What's the splash today? A book trailer for THESE SEAS COUNT!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyjDUBYkyDbztOZPByIvs4aZ_OJTFj5nHxwIk2E4T8UTFhyZvJF7gOemsww_ASTljLqLA5nWJg_fbw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">Alison Ashley Formento
http://formentowordsinprint.blogspot.com/</div>Alison Ashley Formentohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561233370577996025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38412063.post-41012158409594594342013-03-28T11:25:00.000-04:002013-03-28T11:25:16.785-04:00Splashing about books...Fairy tales, scuba diving, and swimming rats! Oh, my!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><b>The new book splash today is all about a new young adult novel: <a href="https://www.nobleromance.com/Books/439/Ratgirl%2c-Song-of-the-Viper" target="_blank">RATGIRL: SONG OF THE VIPER</a> (Noble Romance) by <a href="http://www.gayleckrause.com/HOME.html" target="_blank">Gayle C. Krause</a>. </b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipSf8chnHlQtzET-YxjuGIQXrKIuo_d2R0ZwN4pKmTJpIH9cdYrn-OvFMKkzkbtWlVYFYb96-fyuVnGLW-ccIiap2JOOKuxy7blppFENg9vu0KJ3Eu5k2kRv8tHeGFA0r11UgQmQ/s1600/RatGirlFinalMed.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipSf8chnHlQtzET-YxjuGIQXrKIuo_d2R0ZwN4pKmTJpIH9cdYrn-OvFMKkzkbtWlVYFYb96-fyuVnGLW-ccIiap2JOOKuxy7blppFENg9vu0KJ3Eu5k2kRv8tHeGFA0r11UgQmQ/s1600/RatGirlFinalMed.jpeg" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Gayle writes across genres from poetry to short stories and picture books to young adult novels, too. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Her best-selling picture book,</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rock-Star-Santa-Gayle-Krause/dp/0545084490/ref=la_B008M0DFRU_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1364483669&sr=1-2" target="_blank">ROCK STAR SANTA</a></i></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">, is available from Scholastic Book Clubs, and has sold over 139,000 copies.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPiZk72eBXQEurtlSEY52s8xKEkULY6QvT4WTPt3FfF35TkP2oN-bplkam2iZzWjSO1cccYnh9CLUTTVVS65ffpIiX6VIS45Zn_KM8_HMhLWkQWer9G62_rygGt7VZ1_bgfgLsIw/s1600/rockstar-frontcover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPiZk72eBXQEurtlSEY52s8xKEkULY6QvT4WTPt3FfF35TkP2oN-bplkam2iZzWjSO1cccYnh9CLUTTVVS65ffpIiX6VIS45Zn_KM8_HMhLWkQWer9G62_rygGt7VZ1_bgfgLsIw/s1600/rockstar-frontcover.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Here's the book splash on <a href="http://www.gayleckrause.com/HOME.html" target="_blank">Gayle C. Krause</a> and her new novel, <i><a href="https://www.nobleromance.com/Books/439/Ratgirl%2c-Song-of-the-Viper" target="_blank">Ratgirl: Song of the Viper</a></i>. </span>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial;">Can you share a favorite beach memory?</span></b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial;">When I was a child, my family visited cousins at Cape Cod. They lived close to the beach and when the parents gathered to reminisce, or do whatever adults do when kids get into something they shouldn’t, I led my sister and my cousins out to sea. Not in a boat or on a boogie board. Oh, no, we walked for what seemed like forever. The blue horizon was ocean and sky, and we kept walking.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Little did we know the tide was out, which made walking the sandbars easy. But, it would eventually come back in. Need I say more? My cousin’s grandmother came searching for us, with her dress hiked above her knees, yelling for us to get back to shore. We weren’t allowed to go to the beach unsupervised after that, but it was a great experience, exploring the fish, shells and life in the tide pools. Almost sounds like it should be a picture book, doesn’t it? </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial;">If you were an ocean creature, what would you be and why?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">I’d like to be a bioluminescent creature because they look like diamond dust on a human’s skin at night, and because they live only in tropical waters, so I’d be warm all the time. Some of them are pretty unique and I’d like to think I am, too.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial;">Are seas or oceans part of your new book in any way?</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial;">Actually, no. The only body of water mentioned in <b><i>RATGIRL: Song of the</i></b> <b><i>Viper</i></b> is a toxic river, where Jax, my main character, leads the rats of Metro City to their death, with her hypnotic singing voice. The only problem is rats are good swimmers, and she must risk her life in a boat to lead them across the deadly waters. Halfway across the river, the boat springs a leak. Jax and her companion must think quick, or die like the rats she was commissioned to kill.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial;">Does your main character enjoy, live near, or visit the ocean? <span style="color: red;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial;">No, Jax lives in Metro City, a once beautiful, bustling city. Now, with advanced global warming and a tyrant Mayor, who has hoarded all the electricity for himself, it’s a dying city. Jax and the other homeless are forced to live underground, surfacing only at night to barter their goods and services for food.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial;">Would Jax be adventurous enough to do a deep-sea dive?</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial;">Jax is a streetwise warrior. She’d do anything to save her friends or her little brother, Andy. This is clearly demonstrated in her story. So, if her brother was held captive under the sea somewhere, I’m sure she’d gather the courage to do a deep-sea dive to rescue him, even if she didn’t know how to swim.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">What, you say? Sounds impossible. I told you I was unique. I went scuba diving in the Virgin Islands many years ago, but I didn’t know how to swim. </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial;">Taking care of our seas is important to me and the students in my book, THESE SEAS COUNT! What causes are important to you besides writing for children and young adults?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: Arial;">Insuring that today’s children are aware of good nutrition and healthy lifestyles. When I was a teacher I was the first to introduce my high school students to BMI and healthy food choices. I even carried my “healthy choices” mantra to my preschoolers, when I checked their snacks from home. They told their parents I said, “No sugar water and no chips.” Believe it or not, snacks changed after that, to fruit slices, cheese sticks and natural juice or water.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial;">If you could create a spectacular sand sculpture on a beach, what would you build?</span></b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">A life-sized sandcastle, complete with Rapunzel in one turret and Aurora in the other, bramble covered one. Can you tell I’m a fairy tale enthusiast?</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><div class="blogger-post-footer">Alison Ashley Formento
http://formentowordsinprint.blogspot.com/</div>Alison Ashley Formentohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561233370577996025noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38412063.post-11763760876258965852013-03-19T06:36:00.000-04:002013-03-19T06:37:43.905-04:00Splashing about books: Vampires and Light<br />
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It's easy to find photos of new books to share. It's easy to find photos of authors, too. But it's not often that you find a photo of an author, their new book, reading fans, and <b>VAMPIRE TEETH!</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVoR8uvxC6MrNEXGGZirbBEXaQ9553MvPkQ9HzokW57qhLU7UbtzEDsSjyFdP8KxKN2AtclGo-8blm4DR95HlXamwF3-T_MbdUKWmeNCFpEaZM3BLUXQHEwQsNwnH3WZ-1nFJcXg/s1600/Vampires+&+Light+Readers+and+Teeth.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVoR8uvxC6MrNEXGGZirbBEXaQ9553MvPkQ9HzokW57qhLU7UbtzEDsSjyFdP8KxKN2AtclGo-8blm4DR95HlXamwF3-T_MbdUKWmeNCFpEaZM3BLUXQHEwQsNwnH3WZ-1nFJcXg/s320/Vampires+&+Light+Readers+and+Teeth.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.capstonepub.com/product/9781429699280" target="_blank">VAMPIRES and LIGHT </a>(Capstone Stone) is written by one of my lovely and talented critique partners, <a href="http://jodyjensenshaffer.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jody Jensen Shaffer</a>. Jody has written about a lot of fun subjects, including books about bread and jeans, not to mention books on several celebrities such as Taylor Swift, Lea Michele, Dwayne Johnson, and Hunger Games actors Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth (Lerner). Take a look at her fun blog <a href="http://jodyjensenshaffer.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Just Kidding</a>. You'll enjoy Jody's books. No kidding.</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Alison Ashley Formento
http://formentowordsinprint.blogspot.com/</div>Alison Ashley Formentohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561233370577996025noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38412063.post-62765499683525741972013-03-05T17:17:00.000-05:002013-03-05T17:17:45.460-05:00One fish, two fish...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg5tZaqNfuDtOihF9im1wZmXwA-oOrnhCgyLbbzV2wMV0exVoDixMIZ4774e7Petj_pa6_79-zX3DucKxKbjomQurBkUmp4Z5vryITEDCtiTDaZOmlkiviC0IBEDJhVP7gVcHreQ/s1600/IMG_0273.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg5tZaqNfuDtOihF9im1wZmXwA-oOrnhCgyLbbzV2wMV0exVoDixMIZ4774e7Petj_pa6_79-zX3DucKxKbjomQurBkUmp4Z5vryITEDCtiTDaZOmlkiviC0IBEDJhVP7gVcHreQ/s320/IMG_0273.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">Alison Ashley Formento
http://formentowordsinprint.blogspot.com/</div>Alison Ashley Formentohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561233370577996025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38412063.post-29186386003288619822013-03-01T08:03:00.000-05:002013-03-01T08:11:44.982-05:00Splashing about new books...The Ballad of Jessie Pearl<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Happy March! Spring is on the way...at least, we all hope so.<br />
I've been splashing about my new picture book <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780807578711" target="_blank">THESE SEAS COUNT!</a> I'll be at a school Read Across America party tonight and at the Picture Book Palooza at <a href="http://wordsbookstore.com/events/" target="_blank">WORDS Bookstore in Maplewood, NJ</a> tomorrow.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfAvo9t2llE_NkAG4ojDVsqEsGkfN7vJFEKKbLlLXVcTIT0w0FKPRdPp7ahVD3qbDpO4ZU44rPTnZiPo0GZTEX5zayuWgweDWIYfCrtNIB2vCJHUlMx5O3GalzoMNJZUb9VrJaRw/s1600/Words_Web_Events_PictureBookPalooza-253x115.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfAvo9t2llE_NkAG4ojDVsqEsGkfN7vJFEKKbLlLXVcTIT0w0FKPRdPp7ahVD3qbDpO4ZU44rPTnZiPo0GZTEX5zayuWgweDWIYfCrtNIB2vCJHUlMx5O3GalzoMNJZUb9VrJaRw/s1600/Words_Web_Events_PictureBookPalooza-253x115.jpg" /></a></div>
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A lot of new books to splash about in March and I'm starting today with <b><i><a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781608981410" target="_blank">The Ballad of Jessie Pearl</a> </i>by <a href="http://www.shannonhitchcock.com/" target="_blank">Shannon Hitchcock</a><i>.</i></b></div>
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<b><i><img src="http://www.shannonhitchcock.com/images/shannonsmx.png" title="Shannon Hitchcock 2012" /></i></b><a href="http://www.shannonhitchcock.com/images/jessiepearl2x.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The Ballad of Jessie Pearl" border="0" height="400" longdesc="http://www.shannonhitchcock.com/The%20Ballad%20of%20Jessie%20Pearl" src="http://www.shannonhitchcock.com/images/jessiepearl2x.png" style="padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 0px;" title="The Ballad of Jessie Pearl" width="285" /></a></div>
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<i>It’s 1922 and Jessie has big plans
for her future, but that’s before tuberculosis strikes. Though she has no
talent for cooking, cleaning, or nursing, she puts her dreams on hold to help
her family. She falls in love for the first time ever, and suddenly what she
wants is not so simple anymore.</i></div>
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Here's the splash on Shannon and her new book...<br />
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<b>Share a favorite beach memory.</b><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">My big extended family vacationed at Carolina Beach every year when I
was growing up. I played in the water all day with my cousins, ate lots of
fried seafood, and hit the amusement park every night. It was magical!</span></div>
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<b>If you were an ocean creature what would you be and why?</b><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">A dolphin because they’re social creatures, and
have been known to protect human beings from sharks. Sharks creep me out!</span></div>
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<b>Are seas or oceans a part of your new book in any way?</b><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Yes, my character has never seen the ocean, but she
longs to. In one scene, she traces a map of North Carolina with her finger, and
wonders about the ocean.</span></div>
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<b>Would Jessie be adventurous enough to do a deep sea dive?</b><span style="font-weight: normal;"> Yes, Jessie is an adventurer, but I’m not sure deep
sea dives were an option in 1922. I’ll have to look that up!</span></div>
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<b>What causes are important to you besides writing for
children and young adults?</b><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Literacy. I’ve
volunteered as a reading tutor for underprivileged children for the past five
years.</span></div>
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<b>If you could create a spectacular sand sculpture on a
beach what would you build?</b><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">I’m going to
cheat on this one. I wouldn’t build anything spectacular. Instead I’d hit the
rewind button and spend the day digging a moat and making a regular old castle
with my son. He’s nineteen now, and I didn’t appreciate those simple times
nearly enough.</span></div>
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<b>Share your favorite ocean character from books, film, or
T.V.</b><span style="font-weight: normal;"> – Madison, Darryl Hannah’s character
from the movie, “Splash.” The young man who took me to see that movie later
became my husband. I have fond memories of that night<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=38412063" name="_GoBack"></a>.</span></div>
<!--EndFragment--><div class="blogger-post-footer">Alison Ashley Formento
http://formentowordsinprint.blogspot.com/</div>Alison Ashley Formentohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561233370577996025noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38412063.post-18123236452535082762013-02-16T12:52:00.004-05:002013-02-16T13:06:26.808-05:00THESE SEAS COUNT!...Whale Watch<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
If you've every gone <a href="http://www.whalewatching.com/" target="_blank">whale watching</a>, you know the thrill of seeing a whale leap from the ocean. Everyone on the boat points and shouts. "Oooh! Aaaah!" You frantically try to capture the photo before it's too late. Most of the time you are just that. I went whale watching while doing research for my book <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780807578711" target="_blank">THESE SEAS COUNT!</a> It was a wonderful time on the ocean, but I didn't get an photo of a whale that day.</div>
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This stunning three minute <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7AxQZ6xKOA&feature=youtu.be" target="_blank">video</a> puts you in the water with a <a href="http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/humpback-whale/" target="_blank">humpback whale</a> who swims and spins with the lovely grace and style of a prima ballerina.</div>
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">Alison Ashley Formento
http://formentowordsinprint.blogspot.com/</div>Alison Ashley Formentohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561233370577996025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38412063.post-58113545165098543892013-02-12T22:30:00.001-05:002013-02-12T22:37:28.586-05:00Splashing about new books...BLAZE (or love in the time of supervillians)<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">What's better than getting a new novel you've been excited to read? It's finding your name in the acknowledgements! I'm honored to be mentioned as a writing friend by <a href="http://lboylecrompton.com/" target="_blank">Laurie Boyle Crompton</a> in her debut novel <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781402273438" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">BLAZE (or love in the time of supervillians)</a> published by Sourcebooks Fire. Laurie's author journey is an inspiration to all aspiring writers—she survived the years of waiting, rejections, and tears to finally sell not one, not two, but <b>three</b> new books in a matter of months. BLAZE has made quite a splash since it launched this month, with good reason. It's a compelling and fun page turner and will make you want to learn more about <a href="http://lboylecrompton.com/" target="_blank">Laurie Boyle Crompton</a> and her upcoming novels, too.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">When she was 17, Laurie Boyle Crompton painted her first car hot pink using 40 cans of spray paint. It dried really drippy but looked great when she was flying down the back roads of Butler, PA where she grew up. She now lives near NYC in Queens, but maintains a secret identity in New Paltz, NY where she and her family can often be found tromping through the forest. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Here's the splash on Laurie and her new book <b><u><a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781402273438" target="_blank">BLAZE (or love in the time of supervillians)</a></u></b>...</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fbb2f6; color: #222222; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.23em;">When comic-obsessed Blaze stands up to her evil ex he posts a racy picture of her online and a battle of epic proportions ensues. Before she knows it,</span><span style="background-color: #fbb2f6; color: #222222; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.23em;"> Zap! Thwack! Pow!</span><span style="background-color: #fbb2f6; color: #222222; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.23em;"> Blaze becomes the target of intense bullying. She must learn to channel her inner-superhero if she hopes to gain the ultimate victory; rescuing herself. </span><span style="background-color: #fbb2f6; font-size: small; line-height: 1.25em;"> </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; line-height: 19px;">Laurie, can you share a favorite beach memory?</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">When I was a kid growing up in Pennsylvania, we’d visit family on Long Island every summer and always made it a point to go to Jones Beach. Living so far away from the ocean made it that much more exotic and special. I loved body surfing on the waves as well as adding to my collection of beach glass. Of course my memories of sweltering in the car as we sat for hours in ‘Beach Traffic’ on the Meadowbrook Parkway are just as strong!</span></b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: #222222;">If you were an ocean creature, what would you be and why?</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"> </span></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">An octopus. I like to think all those tentacles would make me really good at multi-tasking.</span></b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; line-height: 19px;">Are seas or oceans part of your new book in any way?</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; line-height: 19px;">Would Blaze be adventurous enough to do a deep sea dive?</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><b><span style="color: #222222;">I think that by the end of the book she absolutely would. In fact, I like to think of her having all sorts of fun adventures after novel ends.</span></b></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: #222222;">Taking care of our seas is important to me and the students in my new book, THESE SEAS COUNT! </span><span style="color: #222222;">What causes are important to you besides writing for children and or young adults?</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b style="line-height: 14.65pt;"><span style="color: #222222;">I am very invested in helping young women build their self esteem. There are so many ways that our culture sends the message to girls that we need to look a certain way in order to be lovable. Advertisements with impossibly skinny models who have been airbrushed beyond recognition. Actors getting plastic surgery in order to adhere to some artificial ‘ideal.’ We need to share the news that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes! Here is a great link to a story about choosing to be a Whale vs. a Mermaid. Actually, I'd like to change my ocean creature answer to Whale please! </span></b><span style="background-color: transparent; line-height: 19.516666412353516px;"><span style="color: #222222;"><b><a href="http://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_journal_individual.asp?blog_id=4521299" target="_blank">http://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_journal_individual.asp?blog_id=4521299</a></b></span></span> </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">If you could create a spectacular sand sculpture on a beach, what would you build?</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #222222;">Since we’re wishing here I’ll say a life-sized sand castle decorated with shells and seaweed. It might not be lasting, but doesn’t that sound like a lovely place to spend an afternoon reading? The temporary nature of such a structure would only add to the precious time spent inside.</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; line-height: 19px;">Share your favorite ocean character from books, film or T.V. </span></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Since my main character, Blaze, is obsessed with comics, I’m going to cheat and say Sub-Mariner from the Marvel comics! A good friend of mine just recently pointed out that Sub-Mariner could kick Aquaman’s butt. I heartily agree, but then you weren’t really looking for this to turn into a nerdy comic book character discussion, were you?</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNWimb3zVllQeLuClBAIyhNQW-wiI1RhvZAqxQqH2q2N5ms3J7YFxAQQxPr9SpVQs6erMOQ5-zblwHk7OBS-gLsIEkg1Wt8plItv4HB_fwgdyQrM6LD4PZVGJTHgDN3fyZEOvjoA/s1600/wpb347810b_05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNWimb3zVllQeLuClBAIyhNQW-wiI1RhvZAqxQqH2q2N5ms3J7YFxAQQxPr9SpVQs6erMOQ5-zblwHk7OBS-gLsIEkg1Wt8plItv4HB_fwgdyQrM6LD4PZVGJTHgDN3fyZEOvjoA/s320/wpb347810b_05.jpg" width="213" /></span></a></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Alison Ashley Formento
http://formentowordsinprint.blogspot.com/</div>Alison Ashley Formentohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561233370577996025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38412063.post-7635426268352892002013-01-29T08:33:00.000-05:002013-01-29T08:33:00.082-05:00Peter BrownGreat illustrators inspire authors like me. I'm lucky enough to have <a href="http://www.libbyford.com/snowgallery.html" target="_blank">Sarah Snow</a> illustrating my books.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ruSkCngwwj_y9uo11Cfi8wWCSyI53PtSUR_LNi3lKfdV_7lVFHMXwgYPAYOzCzhnYWdJUC_-H9IxsPrgWdfK8p78AZ-ifZOMFJraGHQayT0cM0WfxNbgHo73_Yb98urvSoyH7Q/s1600/535855_10150938431994346_1289208043_n-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ruSkCngwwj_y9uo11Cfi8wWCSyI53PtSUR_LNi3lKfdV_7lVFHMXwgYPAYOzCzhnYWdJUC_-H9IxsPrgWdfK8p78AZ-ifZOMFJraGHQayT0cM0WfxNbgHo73_Yb98urvSoyH7Q/s320/535855_10150938431994346_1289208043_n-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFTvCOh9qCXASX_eBgymxjUIyym2gW3vDXlxU0p3bv-YyVIlDfLxvr2LAu44g5Pj6asfYmb-X7zxDwxCDOV3MnW-vJ8f-sgzDndTnczb-T-LshDo-W-oCw1GSptRs6QVIzEnGeFg/s1600/creepy_carrots.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFTvCOh9qCXASX_eBgymxjUIyym2gW3vDXlxU0p3bv-YyVIlDfLxvr2LAu44g5Pj6asfYmb-X7zxDwxCDOV3MnW-vJ8f-sgzDndTnczb-T-LshDo-W-oCw1GSptRs6QVIzEnGeFg/s320/creepy_carrots.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="http://www.peterbrownstudio.com/" target="_blank">Peter Brown</a>'s wonderful CREEPY CARROTS! just won a Caldecott Honor yesterday! I'm happy to be a big fan of Peter's books. I love carrots, too, even the creepy ones.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Alison Ashley Formento
http://formentowordsinprint.blogspot.com/</div>Alison Ashley Formentohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561233370577996025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38412063.post-16887787232729197482013-01-27T02:38:00.003-05:002013-01-27T02:45:27.005-05:00Imagine a world where everyone can read...<br />
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<a href="http://litworld.org/worldreadaloudday/" target="_blank">World Read Aloud Day: March 6, 2013</a></h3>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #777777; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Visit <a href="http://LitWorld.org/">LitWorld.org</a> to learn more about how you can help words change worlds.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Worldwide at least 793 million people remain illiterate.</span></div>
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<em><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Imagine a world where everyone can read...</span></strong></em></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Alison Ashley Formento
http://formentowordsinprint.blogspot.com/</div>Alison Ashley Formentohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561233370577996025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38412063.post-23391566870625725072013-01-21T10:36:00.003-05:002013-01-21T10:37:38.785-05:00Never stop dreaming. Thank you, Martin Luther King.<div style="text-align: center;">
Never stop dreaming...</div>
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and doing what you can to help make them come true.</div>
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Thank you, Martin Luther King.</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Alison Ashley Formento
http://formentowordsinprint.blogspot.com/</div>Alison Ashley Formentohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561233370577996025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38412063.post-11502870035813900402013-01-11T10:53:00.004-05:002013-01-21T10:37:05.643-05:00Splashing about new books...<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bees love flowers, and I love books! In 2012, I buzzed about new books and authors to celebrate my picture book <a href="http://www.albertwhitman.com/content.cfm/bookdetails/These-Bees-Count" target="_blank">THESE BEES COUNT! </a>This year my new picture book out in March is all about caring for our seas and oceans: <a href="http://www.alisonashleyformento.com/www.alisonashleyformento.com/MY_BOOKS.html" target="_blank">THESE SEAS COUNT!</a> illustrated by <a href="http://www.libbyford.com/snowgallery.html" target="_blank">Sarah Snow</a> and published by <a href="http://www.albertwhitman.com/content.cfm/bookdetails/These-Seas-Count" target="_blank">Albert Whitman & Company.</a></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's January and it may be cold where you live, but it's always nice to spend time at the beach. And it's always time for a great new book, or two, or three... </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today's splash is all about author <a href="http://www.annastan.com/" target="_blank">Anna Staniszewski</a> and her humorous middle grade fantasy series. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Her new book is </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.indiebound.org/hybrid?filter0=my+epic+fairly+tale+fail&x=32&y=9" target="_blank">My Epic Fairy Tale Fail</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> (Book 2 in the My Very Unfairy Tale Life series). </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Such a fun cover!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The first book in the series is one you don't want to skip. It you haven't read it yet, check out <a href="http://www.annastan.com/books/" target="_blank">MY VERY UNFAIRY TALE LIFE</a>.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The splash on the author...</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.annastan.com/" target="_blank">Anna Staniszewski</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> was </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">born in Poland and raised in the United States and </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">grew up loving stories in both Polish and English. She was named the 2006-2007 Writer-in-Residence at the Boston Public Library and a winner of the 2009 PEN New England Susan P. Bloom Discovery Award. Currently, Anna lives outside of Boston, Mass. with her husband and their adopted black Labrador, Emma. When she's not writing, Anna spends her time teaching, reading, and challenging unicorns to games of hopscotch. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The splash on Anna and her new book, </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.annastan.com/books/" target="_blank">MY EPIC FAIRY TALE FAIL</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #e7eaef; line-height: 17.46666717529297px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Can you share a favorite beach memory?</b></span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last year, my husband and I went on a cruise that stopped in Cozumel, Mexico for a day. We did a tour that brought us to a gorgeous beach where we donned flippers and snorkels and swam right out to a reef. It was amazing to swim through the warmest ocean water I'd ever been in (while our tour guide complained about how cold it was--he'd clearly never been to New England!) and be surrounded by such breathtaking marine life. The afternoon was relaxing and just perfect.<br style="background-color: #e7eaef; line-height: 17.46666717529297px;" /><br style="background-color: #e7eaef; line-height: 17.46666717529297px;" /><span style="background-color: #e7eaef; line-height: 17.46666717529297px;"><b>If you were an ocean creature, what would you be and why?</b></span><br style="background-color: #e7eaef; line-height: 17.46666717529297px;" />I think I'd like to be a sea anemone, partly because they look like underwater flowers, and partly because "anemone" is such a fun word to say.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: #e7eaef; line-height: 17.46666717529297px;" /><span style="background-color: #e7eaef; line-height: 17.46666717529297px;"><b>Are seas or oceans part of your new book in any way?</b></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes! The opening scene of<i> <a href="http://www.annastan.com/books/" target="_blank">My Epic Fairy Tale Fail</a> </i>takes place on a tiny island, right in the middle of a mermaid battle. The main character, Jenny, finds herself surrounded by angry mermaids who catapult sea sponges and starfish at each other. Here's a tip for you: Stay upwind of mermaids. They smell like a bucket of old fish.<br style="background-color: #e7eaef; line-height: 17.46666717529297px;" /><br style="background-color: #e7eaef; line-height: 17.46666717529297px;" /><span style="background-color: #e7eaef; line-height: 17.46666717529297px;"><b>Does your main character enjoy, live near, or visit the ocean? </b></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I must say that after her encounter with the mermaids, Jenny isn't a huge fan of hanging out near the ocean anymore. <br style="background-color: #e7eaef; line-height: 17.46666717529297px;" /><br style="background-color: #e7eaef; line-height: 17.46666717529297px;" /><span style="background-color: #e7eaef; line-height: 17.46666717529297px;"><b>Would Jenny be adventurous enough to do a deep sea dive?</b></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Absolutely. Jenny is an adventurer which means she goes off on daring missions all the time. If there was a magical crisis deep in the ocean, she'd sigh, make a snarky comment, and dive right in.<br style="background-color: #e7eaef; line-height: 17.46666717529297px;" /><br style="background-color: #e7eaef; line-height: 17.46666717529297px;" /><b><span style="background-color: #e7eaef; line-height: 17.46666717529297px;">Taking care of our seas is important to me and the students in my book, THESE SEAS COUNT! </span><span style="background-color: #e7eaef; line-height: 17.46666717529297px;">What causes are important to you besides writing for children and or young adults?</span></b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm kind of a nut when it comes to animals. My family adopted a retired racing greyhound when I was in high school (he was the sweetest creature) and now my husband and I have an adopted black Lab. I know puppies and kittens are adorable, but I wish more people adopted adult animals. They are fantastic pets and really need homes.<br style="background-color: #e7eaef; line-height: 17.46666717529297px;" /><br style="background-color: #e7eaef; line-height: 17.46666717529297px;" /><span style="background-color: #e7eaef; line-height: 17.46666717529297px;"><b>If you could create a spectacular sand sculpture on a beach, what would you build?</b></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, I'm a total <i>Star Wars</i> nerd, so probably a star destroyer. Maybe a life-sized one. :-)</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Time to catch a wave...</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thanks, Anna!</span></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Alison Ashley Formento
http://formentowordsinprint.blogspot.com/</div>Alison Ashley Formentohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561233370577996025noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38412063.post-23066376485357372332013-01-03T13:06:00.003-05:002013-01-03T13:06:58.953-05:00Mumuration of StarlingsI'm not sure how to link to tumblr, but if you love words, you'll enjoy this link and video posted by NPR/Fresh Air.<br />
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<a href="http://nprfreshair.tumblr.com/post/39572771567/im-going-to-sound-like-a-real-geek-here-but" target="_blank">A murmuration of starlings</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">Alison Ashley Formento
http://formentowordsinprint.blogspot.com/</div>Alison Ashley Formentohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561233370577996025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38412063.post-37373090381192904402012-12-02T17:50:00.001-05:002012-12-02T17:50:19.000-05:00Knowledge Quest--Personal Learning Networks PLNs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_FAMm-rmYrFg1JzZ9sNeYUdI6K0PxGAD77fQq4ZQ13AUzNC38H15iDG5qoa_0KM17bkmbReiW6jgCbhxw273yzVgCUOKhvEBsNhdkxURXP5zQaV5yw30wysGa1GSSgpgLE9qfxw/s1600/Cover_NovDec2012_200wd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_FAMm-rmYrFg1JzZ9sNeYUdI6K0PxGAD77fQq4ZQ13AUzNC38H15iDG5qoa_0KM17bkmbReiW6jgCbhxw273yzVgCUOKhvEBsNhdkxURXP5zQaV5yw30wysGa1GSSgpgLE9qfxw/s1600/Cover_NovDec2012_200wd.jpg" /></a></div>
A big thank you to the <a href="http://www.cbcbooks.org/meet-the-author.php" target="_blank">Children's Book Council</a> for inviting me to write an article for the November/December issue of <a href="http://www.ala.org/aasl/knowledge-quest" target="_blank">Knowledge Quest, the bi-monthly magazine published by AASL</a> (American Association of School Librarians). This entire issue is on PLNs or Personal Learning Networks and is full of useful information for authors, librarians, or anyone looking to extend their social media outlets beyond the sphere of Facebook, Blogger, Twitter and most popular on-line venues.<br />
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">Alison Ashley Formento
http://formentowordsinprint.blogspot.com/</div>Alison Ashley Formentohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561233370577996025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38412063.post-54390342271583393192012-11-24T18:09:00.003-05:002012-11-24T18:09:41.243-05:00October was a busy blur of a month. On the 29th of said October, Hurricane Sandy roared through, creating an enormous AFTERMATH (capital letters required) that took homes, businesses, power for weeks, and most devastating—several lives. <a href="http://www.redcross.org/hurricane-sandy" target="_blank">The ripples of loss due to Sandy continues in New York and New Jersey and will for some time to come. </a><br />
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Here's to <a href="http://www.redcross.org/hurricane-sandy" target="_blank">helping those who have lost so much</a>.<br />
Happy and healthy wishes to all for a wonderful holiday season.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Alison Ashley Formento
http://formentowordsinprint.blogspot.com/</div>Alison Ashley Formentohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561233370577996025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38412063.post-64566988685874625562012-10-04T12:10:00.000-04:002012-10-04T12:10:21.618-04:00Awesome Autumn!A few things I'm enoying this October...I hope you are, too.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Apple picking.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Festival fun.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Falling leaves.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Happy smells...and smiles.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Books, books, books!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Pumpkins, jack-o-lanterns—</span></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">BOO!</span></b></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Alison Ashley Formento
http://formentowordsinprint.blogspot.com/</div>Alison Ashley Formentohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561233370577996025noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38412063.post-7186305394888317782012-08-25T14:42:00.001-04:002012-08-25T14:44:21.673-04:00Dog Days of Summer<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family: arial;">The "<a href="http://wilstar.com/dogdays.htm" target="_blank">dog days of summer</a>" refers to the time between July 3rd and August 11th, when the days are long and humid and there's a feeling of inactivity or stagnation. </span><br />
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</span></span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family: arial;">Most dogs I know don't pay attention to the calendar.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV3CisR1HDkY9K5cb15gvadaSxjNhBmxwdO9Wp4Vil6uY_ohg6x335d24yJurcuKIlJLOuFifFdiRLCSmFWE3ueHe7ix4Vp2yymg2_Rpb7K5wbYwrQgEBfddbjzSTCZVIUJJ358w/s1600/_49449959_010325497-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV3CisR1HDkY9K5cb15gvadaSxjNhBmxwdO9Wp4Vil6uY_ohg6x335d24yJurcuKIlJLOuFifFdiRLCSmFWE3ueHe7ix4Vp2yymg2_Rpb7K5wbYwrQgEBfddbjzSTCZVIUJJ358w/s1600/_49449959_010325497-1.jpg" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family: arial;"><br />
</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family: arial;">I hope you're enjoying the dog days of summer, whether it's vacationing, visiting family or friends, or sitting under a tree with a great book and a pitcher of your favorite icy drink.</span><br />
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</span></span><div class="blogger-post-footer">Alison Ashley Formento
http://formentowordsinprint.blogspot.com/</div>Alison Ashley Formentohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561233370577996025noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38412063.post-36409939682913046672012-08-10T16:02:00.002-04:002012-08-10T19:54:50.846-04:00THE GREAT BEE COUNT! August 11, 2012Some people count money.<br />
Some people enjoy <a href="http://www.countingcrows.com/" target="_blank">counting crows</a>.<br />
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Saturday, August 11th, spend 15 minutes outside and <a href="http://www.marinij.com/larkspurcortemadera/ci_21277571/national-great-bee-count-set-saturday-is-brainchild?source=rss&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter" target="_blank">count bees</a>.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQvG4erFpLbHcM4fdHBRh87snremG0ugFdcah_YX61vqj0KTrRShGIRVB3LsmfrBIEQwI2z0Zs0B3xenjUbsveXETNOmub0a3-hEIbULC2mC5aaf9LQ8COpIsgnU7UGaIQ6ox7lA/s1600/20120727-DSC_4343-small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQvG4erFpLbHcM4fdHBRh87snremG0ugFdcah_YX61vqj0KTrRShGIRVB3LsmfrBIEQwI2z0Zs0B3xenjUbsveXETNOmub0a3-hEIbULC2mC5aaf9LQ8COpIsgnU7UGaIQ6ox7lA/s320/20120727-DSC_4343-small.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Be a part of the <a href="http://www.greatsunflower.org/" target="_blank">NATIONAL GREAT BEE COUNT!</a><br />
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<div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 15px;"><b><i>T</i></b><i><b>he project has been gathering information since 2008 and now boasts the largest single body of data about bee pollination in North America.</b></i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 15px;"><i><b>"We want people to report what they see."</b></i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Bees need help surviving in the modern world.</span></b></i><br />
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</span></b></i> <i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">*Photo credit:</span></b></i><br />
<i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"> <a href="http://www.susantaylorbrown.com/" target="_blank">Susan Taylor Brown</a></span></b></i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
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</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Alison Ashley Formento
http://formentowordsinprint.blogspot.com/</div>Alison Ashley Formentohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561233370577996025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38412063.post-34821412113613104252012-06-18T12:24:00.001-04:002012-06-18T12:25:41.434-04:00Summer, Bees, John Green<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgycv3VN2hWpncUUlV_LFV__CQOIEPTdQdqVMEuhIdYRB40tNUmRMlVOpoMd71EZ_m8erHzxG7JseIY10vhkfoJIox8efYucHk8ybRxvRF5z0LW0rb8gyvaC4TbCIl_J-a0s7CKZQ/s1600/IMG_0238.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgycv3VN2hWpncUUlV_LFV__CQOIEPTdQdqVMEuhIdYRB40tNUmRMlVOpoMd71EZ_m8erHzxG7JseIY10vhkfoJIox8efYucHk8ybRxvRF5z0LW0rb8gyvaC4TbCIl_J-a0s7CKZQ/s320/IMG_0238.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>It's been a wonderful 2012 so far, buzzing books from school to school. Thanks to all the student worker bees, teachers, and librarians I've met during this school year. It's also been a joy to meet some of my favorite people (or bears) such as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corduroy_(book)" target="_blank">Corduroy</a> and author extraordinaire <a href="http://johngreenbooks.com/" target="_blank">John Green</a>.<br />
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Wherever you are, I hope you get to read a lot of books this summer and to quote awesome John Green:<br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">DFBTA! </span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">DON'T FORGET TO BE AWESOME!</span></b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-KVX68mNRL2hPw2oYsqyknrWBg4-vxIslJOMvR8moy8BRTZMAP8xiwX7KoAHfAwHeRFgoU2hL6QZuPHvp2JFSkSe4G88ZkM-WRPHu5u9UACYIBh5gkMjdvNZIf2WGcm8j8JHu7A/s1600/IMG_0219.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-KVX68mNRL2hPw2oYsqyknrWBg4-vxIslJOMvR8moy8BRTZMAP8xiwX7KoAHfAwHeRFgoU2hL6QZuPHvp2JFSkSe4G88ZkM-WRPHu5u9UACYIBh5gkMjdvNZIf2WGcm8j8JHu7A/s320/IMG_0219.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Alison Ashley Formento
http://formentowordsinprint.blogspot.com/</div>Alison Ashley Formentohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561233370577996025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38412063.post-84543789247778334602012-06-02T15:03:00.001-04:002012-06-02T15:06:10.482-04:00YEAR OF READING and Neil Gaiman's beesI'm sending a special thanks to Australian blogger <b><a href="http://366books.blogspot.com/2012/06/154-these-bees-count-by-alison-formento.html" target="_blank">366 Books: My Year of Reading</a></b> for her lovely post about THESE BEES COUNT! and recognizing that bees are vital as nature's farmers.<br />
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Neil Gaiman is a bee enthusiast, too. Check out this amazing <a href="http://vimeo.com/40830178" target="_blank">hi-speed video</a> of him installing new bees into a hive. Video credit to <a href="http://vimeo.com/40830178" target="_blank">Matt Kuchta </a>for this fabulous piece. I've tried to upload it, but if it doesn't show, visit this Vimeo link to see the bees.<br />
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<a href="http://vimeo.com/40830178">http://vimeo.com/40830178</a><br />
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">Alison Ashley Formento
http://formentowordsinprint.blogspot.com/</div>Alison Ashley Formentohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561233370577996025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38412063.post-64872565954017968282012-05-10T13:31:00.004-04:002012-05-10T13:34:50.909-04:00Bee Book Buzz: THE MONSTER WHO LOST HIS MEAN by Tiffany Strelitz Haber<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Buzzing about an "Onster" today! </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Everyone knows that the M in “monster” stands for MEAN. But what happens when a monster can’t be mean any more? Is he still a monster at all? </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There's one way to find out with this special "Onster" in <a href="http://www.itsrhymetime.com/Home.html" target="_blank">Tiffany Strelitz Haber's</a> debut picture book, <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/hybrid?filter0=the+monster+who+lost+his+mean&x=49&y=11" target="_blank">THE MONSTER WHO LOST HIS MEAN</a>, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">illustrated by <a href="http://pencilpocket.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Kirstie Edmonds</a> (Holt/Macmillan), out this July.</span></div>
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</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's Tiffany holding her very cute, un-mean monster.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Enjoy the buzz on Tiffany and her new picture book, </b></div>
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<b>THE MONSTER WHO LOST HIS MEAN.</b></div>
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</span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you were a bee, would you be </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">a) the queen (She lays around 1500 eggs a day for two to three years), </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">b) a drone (impregnates queen and dies), </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">c) or a worker</span></b><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Works non-stop building hive, pollinating, gathering nectar, making honey, feeding baby bees. Lives about 6 weeks and dies)?</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oh my. I'm not a big fan of those life spans! Nor am I keen on becoming the egg-laying extravaganza. I'll go with worker. Sound like a good combo of chaos and productivity, without the torture of monotony. Go workers!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Same question for your main character, Onster? Queen, drone, or worker?</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm gonna say The Onster would go for the same. He's clearly domestic: "Sweeping, heaping, light house-keeping, organizing drawers."</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Have you ever competed in a spelling bee? If so, what was your winning or losing word?</b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was obsessed with spelling bees growing up! I will never ever forget that after correctly spelling probably 70 of the trickiest words you can imagine, in a row, to finally earn a spot in the big "school wide" bee...I choked on my first turn with NINETY. I went for NINTY. Game over.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bees pollinate most of the vegetables and fruits that we love to eat. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Did you eat your vegetables when you were a kid? </span></b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I know I loved spinach.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>What's your favorite fruit or vegetable?</b> </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Going with artichokes.</span></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What's Onster's favorite fruit or vegetable? </span></b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He grew up on eyeball soup, so I think his exposure to fruits and veggies has been limited up until now</span></div>
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</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Bees pollinate plants and flowers, too. What's your favorite flower? </b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I don't know. I'm awful with flower names :-( I always wished I knew more about that kind of stuff. Maybe one day....</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Are flowers mentioned in your latest book? </b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They sure are! And they are also the focus of the most amazing illustration by </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://pencilpocket.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">KIRSTIE EDMUNDS</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> about half way through the story.</span></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Books and bees make life sweeter every day. If you had to choose: Honey or sugar? </span></b></div>
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http://formentowordsinprint.blogspot.com/</div>Alison Ashley Formentohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561233370577996025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38412063.post-79749615560222245352012-03-30T09:23:00.000-04:002012-03-30T09:23:10.997-04:00Springing!Spring has a arrived and if you have books about trees and bees like I do, then you're busy sharing them, especially this time of year. <br />
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I have a lot of fun events coming up which means I get to meet lots of wonderful students, teachers, and librarians and talk trees, bees, and even seas (since I'm working on that book for 2013). Another fun way authors share books is at book festivals. I'll be going to a few this Spring, including the wonderful Albany Book Festival on April 28th and the huge, spectacular <a href="http://hudsonchildrensbookfestival.com/" target="_blank">Hudson Children's Book Festival on May 5th in Hudson, NY. </a><br />
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Guess who's going to be at the Hudson Children's Book Festival, too?<br />
<a href="http://www.walterdeanmyers.net/" target="_blank">The National Ambassador for Young People's Literature! Walter Dean Myers himself! </a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnoalqH7XV75Nj7PMTaud7oZt_AUVHK-inzdrsdvClWJgb0YvA9ft0lMeolbpVSYzf9FCfClgVVRC8GfxIjT6ZaETmSDz_-UPnj64Dm0fmUqE43cmHqayjDjYTu9dmSsjQ1x1Jqg/s1600/WDM-NYT-literary-articleLarge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnoalqH7XV75Nj7PMTaud7oZt_AUVHK-inzdrsdvClWJgb0YvA9ft0lMeolbpVSYzf9FCfClgVVRC8GfxIjT6ZaETmSDz_-UPnj64Dm0fmUqE43cmHqayjDjYTu9dmSsjQ1x1Jqg/s320/WDM-NYT-literary-articleLarge.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/qewv19O66m4?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>Check out this great YouTube commercial with kids from Hudson, NY with info about the festival and featuring lots of great books.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Alison Ashley Formento
http://formentowordsinprint.blogspot.com/</div>Alison Ashley Formentohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561233370577996025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38412063.post-41101205029473713412012-03-21T22:27:00.002-04:002012-03-21T22:34:55.748-04:00Bee Book Buzz: PIECES OF US by Margie Gelbwasser<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 16px;"></span><br />
<div><div style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 18px;"></span></div><div><div style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The buzz is all about <a href="http://www.margiewrites.com/" target="_blank">Margie Gelbwasser</a> and her new young adult novel <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780738721644" target="_blank">PIECES OF US</a>, which is now available at your favorite bookstore. Margie's first book, INCONVENIENT was a great page-turner and I'm sure this new story will be the same. Check out the Bee Book Buzz with Margie, a fellow <a href="http://kidlitauthorsclub.com/" target="_blank">KidLit Author</a>, and visit her <a href="http://www.margiewrites.com/events/" target="_blank">website</a> to see a list of her upcoming events.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7bMYAjMlOm9-fBr3poxNsD1q1IjGxhKLr6P8D8KiNWQDz89KrX_VVAU9uSnHOASOciCNYeMDQ-TwhBrYF4ivBRqozF03uSta5lykZ5-gvF-HthEiar74vDwMvZJKXN1S68nFZtA/s1600/margiepiccover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7bMYAjMlOm9-fBr3poxNsD1q1IjGxhKLr6P8D8KiNWQDz89KrX_VVAU9uSnHOASOciCNYeMDQ-TwhBrYF4ivBRqozF03uSta5lykZ5-gvF-HthEiar74vDwMvZJKXN1S68nFZtA/s320/margiepiccover.jpg" width="178" /></a></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcB_L1kaE1lqaEYnJl2scbbILpeluzfwqrh36RezEdz7XwmcoJtis_Vn8_vforaq022oH-dQiTav0zLlZ-oeCFgCTHEvELnD5BUEth5OQgsAL0BHiK8fnKJQG47D1kvRU-fr7yuw/s1600/PiecesofUs_Final.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcB_L1kaE1lqaEYnJl2scbbILpeluzfwqrh36RezEdz7XwmcoJtis_Vn8_vforaq022oH-dQiTav0zLlZ-oeCFgCTHEvELnD5BUEth5OQgsAL0BHiK8fnKJQG47D1kvRU-fr7yuw/s320/PiecesofUs_Final.jpg" width="207" /></a></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><b>If you were a bee, which would you be and why?</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><b>Queen, drone, or worker?</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Confession time: I had no idea what the responsibility of each bee was so I had to look it up. I'm definitely a worker bee because she has the most responsibility. I feel I always have to take care of everything.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><b>Same question for your main character in PIECES OF US? Queen, drone, or worker?</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">That's a tough one. I have four characters, and I don't know which title best suits each one if any. In the sense of all of them feeling they have a variety of responsibilities, I'll say they're worker bees. But I can see how they would fit into each of the three categories, especially the drone. The drones are victims, and each of my characters has been victimized in some way.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><b>Bees pollinate most of the fruits and vegetables we love to eat. When you were a kid, did you eat your vegetables?</b><br />
<div>I always ate my veggies. The only vegetable I hated then and still do is brussel sprouts. I have yet to find a recipe that makes this veggie edible.</div><div><br />
</div><div><b>What's your favorite fruit or vegetable?</b></div><div>I love all fruit. They're all so yummy! Favorite vegetable? I'd say the potato. There is so much you can do with it!</div><div><br />
</div><div><b>What's your main characters' favorite fruit or vegetable? </b></div><div>All my characters go to lake houses in the summer. The houses are in the Catskills in Upstate New York, with the woods as a backdrop. Katie's and Julie's grandpa always goes berry picking, and then their grandma makes delicious jam and punch from the berries. She gives some of the berries, jam, and punch to Kyle and Alex's grandparents. So, I would say berries are the characters' favorite fruit.</div><div><br />
</div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><b>Bees pollinate plants and flowers, too. What's your favorite flower?</b> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My full name in Russian is Margarita. My sister named me after her favorite flower, the daisy. Because of this, I've always been partial to the daisy. :-) However, my hubby recently bought me roses and the house smells so nice, so I like these too.</span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"></span><br />
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</span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><b>Beeswax is useful for so many products, including skincare items and candles. On your most recent birthday, were you able to blow out all of your candles on the first try? </b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There was only one candle on the cake, so yes. :-)</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
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</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Have you ever competed in a spelling bee?</b></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I did! When I was in elementary school, we had them every week in class. I did pretty well. But in junior high school we had this qualifying exam for like the National Spelling Bee. Did not very well that time.</span></span><br />
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</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>My causes are bees, trees, seas, and all things affecting our environment. </b></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><b>What's important to you besides writing for children and or young adults?</b> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm trying to get more involved in charity work, like working in a soup kitchen or shelter.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Books and bees make life sweeter every day. If you had to choose: Honey or sugar? </b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I love the different kinds of honey and the various textures it has, but I also LOVE sugar cubes. Don't really have them now, but they were a special treat as a kid.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<div style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 12pt;"></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Alison Ashley Formento
http://formentowordsinprint.blogspot.com/</div>Alison Ashley Formentohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561233370577996025noreply@blogger.com0