Council for Wisconsin Writers

Supporting Wisconsin writers from 1964 to 2022

Kate Heling

by

Children’s Authors Report June News

Wisconsin members of the Society for Children Book Authors and Illustrators are sharing their good news for June:

Susan Manske announces that her middle grade novel, Chicken Charlie’s Year won two awards in the 2016 Purple Dragonfly Book Awards. It received second in Historical Fiction and honorable mention in Middle Grade Fiction.

Pat Hall’s picture book, BEASTIES, won a first place in the 6-and-older Picture Books category. Pat’s daughter, Emmeline Hall Forrestal, did the illustrations.
From Ann Angel comes news that her short story in the Perseus anthology SUDDEN FLASH YOUTH, entitled “The Bracelet” was bought for reproduction by Cornelsen educational publishers in Germany to be used to teach English to German speakers. Also, SUCH A PRETTY FACE, SHORT STORIES ABOUT BEAUTY recently was re-published as an e-book.
Kate Heling and Debbie Hembrook’s picture book for children 3 and up, BEING YOU-NIQUE, will be published by Sterling Publishing Company with a projected release of Fall 2017. Their agent Sheri Bestor of Willow Words Literary Agency,who is a writer and member of Wisconsin’s chapter of the Society of Children’s Writers and Illustrators, worked on placing this book with Sterling.

by

A Couple of Book Launches Coming Up

Here are announcements from Wisconsin’s children’s authors about launches for their new  books:
Pat Schmatz
My book birthday for Lizard Radio is September 8, and the launch party will be at Addendum Books in St. Paul on September 18. Here’s the FB link:  https://www.facebook.com/events/414449535412991/  
See Pat’s website at http://www.patschmatz.com/ for information about this and Pat’s other books.
 Debbie Hembrook and Kate Heling
CLOTHESLINE CLUES TO SPORTS PEOPLE PLAY … is the companion book to CLOTHESLINE CLUES TO JOBS PEOPLE DO. We will be having a launch party on September 4th 6:30 – 8:00 at Martha Merrell’s Books in Waukesha, WI.
Here’s where to learn more about Debbie and Kate’s “Clothesline Clues” and other books at http://www.helinghembrook.com/Books/index.html.
 The Council for Wisconsin Writers at www.wiswriters.org  is a non-profit, tax-exempt, membership organization dedicated to promoting local, state, and national awareness of Wisconsin’s great literary heritage and to encourage excellence among today’s Wisconsin writers.

by

Children's Authors Share Good News

Silva Acevedo was interviewed recently by Tim Knox on his Interviewing Authors podcast, during which he called Silvia’s YA novel, God Awful Loser, one of his favorite books. Silvia reports that Knox said her book “kept me laughing the entire time.” The interview is archived at http://interviewingauthors.com/silvia-acevedo-tv-journalist-great-time-god-love/
Julie Bowie‘s new middle-grade series, Victoria Torres, Unfortunately Average, debuted on Aug.1. The first four books are being released simultaneously in this ongoing project. Julie says she has “so enjoyed writing the stories and working with the fantastic folks at Capstone capstonepub.com.”
More information about the series and Julie’s other books is available at her website at juliebowe.com and on her Facebook page.
Debbie Hembrook and Kate Heling are celebrating the birth date of their new book out. Clothesline Clues to Sports People Play debuted on Aug. 4. This is a companion book to their Clothesline Clues to Jobs People Do.

 
Their launch party is scheduled for Sept. 4 from 6:30-8:00 p.m. at Martha Merrell’s Books in Waukesha, WI.

by

Children's Writers' Good News



Kate Heling and Debbie Hembrook prove (as though those in the children’s publishing business don’t already know) that patience is a virtue. “Way back in 2005, we sold a few things to Highlights.  We’d almost forgotten about them but these many years later, our poem YELLOW, YELLOW, YELLOW and a related craft idea of lemon-scented play clay appear in [last] month’s Highlights. ”


Dori Chaconas reports that Viking Children’s Books has contracted to publish a Cork and Fuzz picture book to celebrate the tenth book and tenth year of the Cork and Fuzz EZ readers. The new book is a Christmas story, Dori says, due out Fall 2015.


Miranda Paul posted the cover of her book, One Plastic Bag, due out next February with artwork done by illustrator Elizabeth Zunon. Here’s the cover.  


And here’s the link to Miranda’s blog post about the cover. http://mirandapaulbooks.blogspot.com


Janet Halfmann’s Animal Teachers, published by Blue Apple Books,will be out on Aug. 19. Here’s what Kirkus Reviews had to say: “Just like human children, animal babies from chicks to bear cubs learn lessons from adults around them. Spread by spread, the conversational text of this instructive title presents skills a dozen different young animals have to learn and connects them to readers . . . Nicely connecting the child to the natural world, this would be a useful opener for a unit about animas as well as a title to share with young animal lovers.”


 


Ann Angel, author of Janis Joplin: Rise Up Singing, consulted with the U.S. Post Office on its newest Forever stamp, which features, who else? Janis Joplin It came out a few days ago.


Dolores ‘DLo’ Brown, who is also a professional photographer, has opened a studio — a first for her.  To celebrate, “DLo’ is having an open house on Sept. 11. Her Happy Inu Studios is at 1223 South 23rd Street Milwaukee, WI 53204  Happy Inu Studios is on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Honey-Aijou-Photography/292872844097441 and on Instagram at www.Instagram.com/honeyaijou.


 by   
News From the Children's Corner


Following are details about a Carthage College event, “Wisconsin Women Write for Children”,  from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on May 14 at the Women’s Club of Wisconsin


Wisconsin Women Write for Children Event






Come for desserts and coffee in a beautiful historic mansion. 






The Woman’s Club of Wisconsin is the setting for this presentation.




Writers include:  Carole Barrowman, Ann Bausum, Lois Ehlert, Janet Halfmann,

Barbara Joosse, JoAnn Early Macken, Lisa Moser


Where:

The Woman’s Club of Wisconsin


813 East Kilbourn Avenue


Milwaukee, WI 53202

(Free valet parking available)When:

Tuesday May 14th

Doors open at 6:00 pm

Program is from 6:30-8:30 pm




Registration:

Registration fee is $15, with $5 for students.

Registration


Registration is open. Walk-ins
are welcome at the event itself
Make checks payable to The Center for Children’s Literature


Mail to: Carthage College, 2001 Alford Park Drive, Kenosha, WI 53140


or pay at the event

Jstewig@carthage.edu          262-552-5480


Carthage College Center for Children’s Literature


*     *     *


The first of each month, members of Wisconsin’s chapter of the Society of Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators announce their good news of the previous  month, generally good reviews, honors and awards, and newly published work. Here in their own words is their news  from the month of April:




JoAnn Early Macken


In addition to the Wisconsin Women Write for Children event, I'll be
teaching picture book classes in both Milwaukee and Madison over the
next couple of months. Here are the details:

Writing a Children's Picture Book, 5 Thursday evenings starting May 9 at
UW-Milwaukee School of Continuing Education (downtown in the Grand
Avenue mall). Details and registration info are at
http://www4.uwm.edu/sce/course.cfm?id=24087

Children's Picture Books: Write and Submit Your Stories, Jun 17-21, 9:30
a.m.-12:30 p.m. each day at UW-Madison. More info is at
http://continuingstudies.wisc.edu/lsa/writing/wbtl/wbtl-sessions.htm

Ann Angel

There are also some interesting writing courses available this summer at Mount
Mary College that children's writers might find appealing. These include a
six-week Writing Healing Stories workshop, a course for fiction and nonfiction
writers called Pushing Boundaries which will be taught by Madison's Chris Mohar,
and a picture book workshop that is in-person on Wed evenings and includes an
online component. For more information, you can go directly to the website: http://www.mtmary.edu/summerschool.htm
or email me personally.

For kids, RedOak writers summer writing camp is again offering the camp on Mount
Mary's campus. For more information on that camp, please go to http://www.mtmary.edu/camps.htm
Pat Zietlow Miller
I've sold two picture books. One, The Quickest Kid in Clarksville, sold to Chronicle Books. It's fiction, but it's inspired by Olympic sprinter Wilma Rudolph. The other, tentatively titled Roads, sold to Little, Brown. It's a lyrical look at the roads we take in life -- both literal and metaphorical.

Dori Chaconas
I've been fortunate enough to be offered a contract from Viking for a tenth book in the easy-reader series, Cork and Fuzz.

Emily Kokie

Personal Effects is a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award (the winner
will be announced in June). As part of the celebration leading up to the
award presentation, on May 22 I will be doing a reading in Chicago with 8
other finalists. Details:
http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/lgbt/Lambda-Literary-Awards-finalist-reading-May-22/42576.html
Miranda Paul
My second picture book went to auction, and my agent and I have accepted an
offer from Neal Porter at Neal Porter Books! Roaring Brook and Neal Porter
Books have produced some of my very favorite picture books, and this is a
significant honor for me. I'm also proud of the fact that it's a rhyming
book, and non-fiction!

Kate Heling
Debbie (Hembrook) and I are pleased to announce that our picture book CLOTHESLINE CLUES TO JOBS PEOPLE DO (Charlesbridge) was named to the 2013 Best Children's Books of the Year list by the Children's Book Committee. We've also recently received word that this book will be coming out in paperback in Spring, 2014.
And even more exciting........we've been offered a contract for CLOTHESLINE
CLUES TO SPORTS PEOPLE PLAY, publication date of August, 2015.  We
anticipate that the new CLOTHESLINE CLUES book will have the same
illustrator, Andy Davies from the UK.

Janet Halfmann


Eggs 1, 2, 3: Who Will the Babies Be? (Blue Apple Books) won the Lupine Picture Book Honor Award from the Maine Library Association. The award recognizes an outstanding contribution to children's literature of Maine.


Plus, Little Skink's Tail is on the Just Read, Florida! 2013 Summer Recommended
Reading List for K-3.

Becky Wojahn

My news is that MALCOLM AT MIDNIGHT won a 2013 Friends of American Writers
Literary Award (http://www.fawchicago.org/)


Kashmira Sheth


I have a book signing coming up for Tiger in My Soup and I hope some of you
can make it. It is on the 14th of May at 7:00 PM at Barnes and Noble west (in Madison).
Michael Kress-Russick


Cricket has asked me to generate four illustrations for a piece of historical fiction to be run in their 75th anniversary issue (Sept).


Please check back after the CWW Awards Banquet next Saturday, May 11. I hope to be able to post some pictures from it on this blog.  Meantime, please visit the CWW website at www.wiswriters.org.




 




 by   
August Wisconsin Writers' News


Here are several bits of news from Wisconsin writers:


Becky Wojahn reports that hermiddle-grade novel, Malcolm at Midnight, comes out next month and has received a couple nice reviews. Publishers Weekly called the book a “first-rate debut,” and Kirkus says it’s “a rip-roaring tale; even rodent haters will have to like Malcolm.”


Janet Halfmann says that when Sylvan Dell Publishing asked its readers to choose a “classic” from its 70 titles, they chose her Little Skink’s Tail! For winning, her book will be featured as a free e-book for a future month on the publisher’s website. Janet also was chosen to be a featured author on the Girl Scouts Studio: http://studio.girlscouts.org/authors/janet-halfmann/


Emily Kokie reports that her first YA novel, Personal Effects, comes out on Sept. 11. Pictures are on her author Facbook page at http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.481524391859552.114483.172848542727140&type=1#!/EMKokie. Here’s what Kirkus said of Personal Effects in its review:


“Kokie grounds readers so thoroughly in Matt’s misery that they will be as itchy to escape the brutal emptiness of life with his father as he is. Realistically, though the inevitable revelation and resolution bring peace to Matt, they do not heal his father; readers will just have to hope he can make it through. A fine addition to the literature of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.”


Kokie is celebrating with a book launch party at A Room of One’s Own Bookstore, 315 W. Gorham in Madison, on Sunday, Sept. 16, at 2 p.m.


Kate Heling and Debbie Hembrook have the following two items of news:


1)    Our latest book, Clothesline Clues to Jobs People Do, is now out, and activity guides are posted on our website.  We’ll be doing an author visit at Martha Merrell bookstore in Waukesha on August 10th, beginning at 6:00, during downtown Waukesha’s Friday Night Alive weekly festivities.


2)  We just received the following message from our Random House editor: “I wanted to share the good news that Mouse Makes Words and Mouse’s Hide & Seek were part of a 28-book deal for Simplified Chinese/English bilingual translation by China Translation and Publishing. Hurray! It’s nice to know that these books are chugging along, helping kids of many nations learn to read!! The term is for 6 years and will certainly keep the books in print. Congratulations.” (These were our first published books, beginning way back in 2001.)


Their website is at www.helinghembrook.com


Viking has made an offer for the ninth book in Dori Chaconas‘s “Cork and Fuzz” series, which will be published in 2014. “It still amazes me that a single EZ reader title has stretched into a series of nine!” Dori said.


The Wisconsin Academy of Arts & Sciences says it is pleased o t host the Wisconsin Poet Laureate Commission and work with Wisconsin poets laureate both past and present in keeping Wisconsin poetry alive and well. Check out Poet Laureate Bruce Dethlefsen‘s August appearances in Wisconsin by visiting their poet laureate’s page here on their website or make a donation to help ensure the continuation of the Poet Laureate program. The open call for 2013–2014 Wisconsin Poet Laureate applications begins late this month.


While you’re online, drop by the Council for Wisconsin Writers website at www.wiswriters.org.