Crystalee Calderwood- Writer and Poet

2010 Walk Now for Autism Speaks: Blair County - General Donation

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 20:36:00 +0000

2010 Walk Now for Autism Speaks: Blair County - General Donation

I'm moving my blog!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 17:27:00 +0000

After years of faithful and problem-free blogging here at Blogger, I have decided to switch to Wordpress for my blogging needs. I have several reasons for the switch, the main one being that the amount of spam I have been receiving as comments to this blog has gotten out of control. I thought it was time to wipe the slate clean and start over with a new, better blog in 2010. My current blog will stay up, of course, but I will eventually be disabling comments so that I will not have to moderate the excessive amount of spam that I get every day.

I hope that everyone will join me at my new blog http://crystaleecalderwood.wordpress.com/. Update your bookmarks!

Revisions

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 18:00:00 +0000

I dislike revising. I always did. I think I picked up the bad habit of not revising in college when I was still naive enough to believe that a poem was perfect the first time I put it on the page. I had this crazy notion that, since poems were my thoughts and emotions, they didn't need revised. This bad habit even lasted until grad school, where I often despised my poems because I was under so much pressure to write poems that were "publishable" and "accepted" instead of poems that were true to my style. As a result, if I didn't have to revise a poem for class, I didn't. I hid it away and didn't look at it again.

Now that I'm writing for children and teens and seriously pursuing publishing novels for the first time, revision has become part of my daily writing life. The hard truth is, you cannot get a novel published without hours of revisions. There are the pre-submission revisions, then the post-acceptance revisions, and even last minute before it goes to the publisher revisions! It seems to never end. For me, revising is still my least favorite part of the writing process. I will enjoy every moment of writing a novel in anywhere from one month to nine months, but revisions seem to drag out forever.

Right now, I'm revising Comfort Zone (which has a new title), the young adult novel that I finished in August. Just six more chapters to go, and my writing group will have read all of it! Even though I've been revising diligently, I still don't know if it's good enough to find a home for, and that scares me. I don't want to have gone through all of this revising for nothing!

The Funniest Reasons Customers Reject Books

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 23:14:00 +0000

This article from Publishers Weekly mostly concerns children's books, which makes it even more sad and funny. Workers in bookstores and librarians must really hear everything! The Funniest Reasons Customers Reject Books

All About Carolyn Howard-Johnson

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 05:01:00 +0000

Today, it is my honor to be hosting Carolyn Howard-Johnson! Carolyn is such a prolific and talented writer that it will be a challenge to only host her on one day.

Carolyn's writing history:

As a college freshman she was the youngest person ever hired as a staff writer for the Salt Lake Tribune, where she wrote features for the society page and a column under the name of Debra Paige.

Later, she was an editorial assistant at Good Housekeeping Magazine. She also handled accounts for fashion publicist Eleanor Lambert who instituted the first Ten Best Dressed List, where she wrote releases for celebrity designers of the time including Pauline Trigere, Rudy Gernreich and Christian Dior. She was also a consultant for the Oak Park Press in the Chicago area.

Her nonfiction and humor have been seen in national magazines and her fiction and poetry appear regularly in anthologies and review journals. She has been a columnist for The Pasadena Star News and is now a columnist for Home Décor Buyer, a trade magazine, and Myshelf.com and others. She writes movie and theatre reviews for The Glendale News-Press.

She studied at the University of Utah, graduated from USC and has done postgraduate work in writing at UCLA. She also studied writing at Cambridge University, United Kingdom; Herzen University in St. Petersburg, Russia; and Charles University in Prague.

The author’s first novel, This Is The Place, and her book of creative nonfiction are award-winners. She also wrote a screenplay, The Killing Ground. Her book The Frugal Book Promoter: How to Do What Your Publisher Won't was named USA Book News' Best Professional Book of 2004 and won Book Publicists of southern California's Irwin award.


The second book in the HowToDoItFrugally series is The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success which also won a USA Book News Best Book nod. It is also the winner of Reader Views Literary Award and a finalist in the New Generation Indie Best Book Awards. Her marketing campaign for that book took top honors for marketing.
 
Howard-Johnson’s stories have appeared in anthologies like: Pass/Fail, edited by Rose A. O. Kleidon, PhD; Calliope’s Mousepad  in review journals like California State University at Stanislaus's Penumbra and the Mochila Review.

She was honored as Woman of the Year in Arts and Entertainment Award by California Legislature members, Carol Liu, Dario Frommer and Jack Scott. She is the recipient of her community's Character and Ethics award for her work promoting tolerance. She was honored by her city's Character and Ethics committee for promoting tolerance with her writing and was named to Pasadena Weekly's list of 14 women of "San Gabriel Valley women who make life happen"

Whew! What a list of accomplishments! I'm exhausted just reading about them.

Carolyne truly is someone who can teach writers a lot about their craft and marketing.

To learn more about Carolyne Howard-Johnson:

E-mail: HoJoNews@aol.com 
or see her blog http://sharingwithwriters.blogspot.com/

VBT: Writers on the Move December Tour

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:59:00 +0000

December will be here tomorrow. (Can you believe it?) With a new month comes a new tour from VBT: Writers on the Move.

This month, we will all be touring tomorrow, December 1st. Below is the schedule. Check back here tomorrow for some information on a fascinating and very talented woman, Carolyn Howard-Johnson.

Dianne Sagan is hosting Lea Schizas

Karen Cioffi is hosting Heidi Thomas

Kathy Stemke is hosting Martha Swirzinski

Lea Schizas is hosting Brigitte Thompson

Nancy Famolari is hosting Kathy Stemke

VBT Writers on the Move is hosting Karen Cioffi

Crystalee Calderwood is hosting Carolyn Howard-Johnson

Katie Hines is hosting Stephen Tremp

Helena Harper is hosting Deborah Weed

Liana Metal is hosting Dianne Sagan

Carolyn Howard-Johnson is hosting Debra Eckerling

Gayle Trent is hosting Dana Donovan

Mayra Calvani is hosting Helena Harper

Marvin Wilson is hosting Mayra Calvani

Linda Asato is hosting Marvin Wilson

Stephen Tremp is hosting Gayle Trent

Elysabeth Eldering is hosting Katie Hines

Darcia Helle is hosting Linda Asato

Deborah Weed is hosting Liana Metal

Brigitte Thompson is hosting Nancy Famolari

Martha Swirzinski is hosting Margaret Fieland

Heidi Thomas is hosting Jane Sutton

Jane Sutton is hosting Darcia Helle

Dana Donovan is hosting Crystalee Calderwood

Dallas Woodburn is hosting Linda Suzane

Linda Suzane is hosting Elysabeth Eldering

Debra Eckerling is hosting Dallas Woodburn

Check out Robins Falls Magazine!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:42:00 +0000

EXTRA! EXTRA! COME SEE ALL ABOUT IT!
at http://www.robinfalls.com/RFM.html
***********************************
We would like to invite you to visit our new Robin Falls Magazine. The magazine is a seasonal online display of work by international Writers and Artists. Most are members of FaceBook group Red River Writers.

It is divided into four sections: Red River Writers, Robin Falls Kids, Radio Shows, and the Book & Art Shop. Within the pages of the sections are 5 interactive, recurring posts where you can ask related questions and get answers from experts.

Red River Writers section contains: Articles, Poetry & Lyrics, Short Stories, Writing & Promoting, Book Reviews, Videos, Excerpts from books, and Art Displays.

Robin Falls Kids section contains: Articles, Stories, Poems, Music, Art, Kids Activities, Book Reviews, Writing & Promoting Tips, Coloring Pages, and Book Trailers.

Radio Shows section relates to Red River Writers Live and Robin Falls Kids Blog Talk Radio Shows. There you will find profiles of Shows, Hosts, Guests, and Assistants. The shows motto is “To Entertain and Education.” Currently Robin Falls produces 15 different styled radio shows, representing all genres. There pages will definitely entertain.

Book and Art Shop at Robin Falls Magazine features work of friends of Robin Falls from all genres. Direct links to learn more about each item with ability to purchase are provided.

As if that was not enough, the magazine is stuffed with links and flashing buttons that will lead you directly to one of our more than 500 merchant affiliate stores. Special effort was made to give you an exciting online shopping experience. There is variety galore and discounts to boot.

So, please enter and relax by our beautiful falls while you view the magazine's magnificent scenery athttp://www.robinfalls.com/RFM.html.

You can see numerous articles and book reviews by myself in this inaugural edition!

About This Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 15:26:00 +0000

Hello my readers,

About a month back I started receiving strange anonymous comments on one particular post about Elysabeth Eldering. They were full of links and didn't make much sense. Since then, I have received dozens of these comments, sometimes up to 10 a day. I was forced to set my blog to moderate Anon comments. After speaking with Elysabeth I learned that she is having some issues with her blog as well. Just to be safe, I have removed the offending post from my blog completely. I am also looking into if I can disable anonymous comments. I hope this prevents any future problems.

All about Harry Gilleland

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 14:08:00 +0000

Harry E. Gilleland, Jr. is a 64-year-old southerner. Born and raised in Macon, Georgia, he earned a B.S. (1966) and a M.S. (1968) in Microbiology from the University of Georgia in Athens. Following three years of service in the U.S. Army as a captain, including a tour of duty in Vietnam, he returned to earn a Ph.D. in Microbiology from UGA in 1973. He then headed north to complete a two-year fellowship at the University of Western Ontario in London, Canada. In July of 1975 he joined the faculty of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in Shreveport, Louisiana. After twenty-nine years of teaching microbiology to medical and graduate students and performing vaccine research, Harry retired in July of 2004. Today Harry lives in Shreveport with his wonderful wife Linda. Harry enjoys being able to engage in his passion for writing full-time.

Harry has previously published three books of his personal poetry: Poetry For The Common Man: Storoems and Poems (2003, ISBN 1411600649), Gilleland Poetry: Storoems and Poems (2005, ISBN 1411629272), and Poetic Musings of an Old, Fat Man (2008, ISBN 978-1-4357-1242-3). In addition, Harry has published two books of prose, a tale of fantasy entitled Bob the Dragon Slayer (2005, ISBN 1411633156) and a contemporary romance story entitled White Lightning Road (2006, ISBN 978-1-4116-8693-9).

Harry Gilleland’s poetry recently won two cash awards in the 2008 Tom Howard Poetry Contest associated with Winning Writers.com. Harry’s rhyming storoem The Old Salty Poems won 2nd Place with a $1,000 prize, while his free-verse poem The Assembled Waiters earned $200 for a High Distinction award. Harry was the only poet to win two cash awards in the contest.

Harry Gilleland’s poetry has been included in four multi-author print anthologies of poems and short stories, in several poetry e-zines, and on numerous Internet poetry forums, in addition to his own three published collections. His storoems (story-poems) and poems are readily accessible to all readers, including those who do not regularly read poetry. Harry views the world with a poet’s eye.

To see Harry's books: http://www.lulu.com/harry
To see Harry's book covers and samples of his poetry: http://www.gillelands.com/poetry/
Harry's books are available for purchase at: LuLu.com, Amazon.com, and Barnes and Noble.com

NaNoWriMo 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 15:56:00 +0000

Today is my last day of sanity. NaNoWriMo begins in just about 12 hours! It is the one month of the year I both love and despise. Despite my excitement yesterday, today I feel anxious and doomed. I've realized just how many of my writing friends have actually completed this seemingly impossible task. Some even twice! And here I am, a third time participant, still looking to take home the gold.

I have a couple of things on my side this time. I don't have school or a job to get in the way. I could theroetically sit in front of my laptop all day and just write. I don't have super fantastic Thanksgiving plans like usual. I have completed a complex, month-long NaNoPrep program on Writing.com. I am more prepared than ever. But, I do have the task of strengthening my YA novel up enough to subit it to a contest, judging some contests on Writing.com, putting together a newsletter, job searching, and taking the pesky Praxis test. So, despite my boy scout-like preparedness and the fact that I'm best friends with my characters, I'm under more pressure than every. Not to mention trying to keep up with my two online writing group friends who have both finished NaNo twice!

Good luck to everyone who is declaring their insanity tomorrow. See you December 1st in the looney bin!

VBT-Writer's on the Move Celebrates Its First Anniversary!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:36:00 +0000

Well, it's a YEAR! That's right, we have been cross-promoting and helping one another for a year now.
To celebrate this accomplishment, we will have a SUPER-DUPER Anniversary Tour!
The number before the host's name is the day in November that he/she will post in the tour.

But, before I explain more about it, here's the schedule:

1 Dianne Sagan is hosting Heidi Thomas

2 Harry Gilleland is hosting Karen Cioffi

3 Karen Cioffi is hosting Martha Swirzinki

4 Kathy Stemke is hosting Brigitte Thompson

5 Nancy Famolari is hosting Deborah Weed

6 Margaret Fieland is hosting Elysabeth Eldering

7 Crystalee Calderwood is hosting Harry Gilleland

8 Katie Hines is hosting Heather Paye

9 Helena Harper is hosting Steve Tremp

10 Liana Metal is hosting Crystalee Calderwood

11 Carolyn Howard-Johnson is hosting Marvin Wilson

12 Gayle Trent is hosting Dianne Sagan

13 Mayra Calvani is hosting Carolyn Howard-Johnson

14 Marvin Wilson is hosting Gayle Trent

15 Linda Asato is hosting Mayra Calvani

16 Heather Paye is hosting Katie Hines

17 Steve Tremp is hosting Helena Harper

18 Elysabeth Eldering is hosting Linda Asato

19 Darcia Helle is hosting Liana Metal

20 Deborah Weed is hosting Nancy Famolari

21 Brigitte Thompson is hosting Margaret Fieland

22 Martha Swirzinki is hosting Darcia Helle

23 Heidi Thomas is hosting Kathy Stemke

Each day there will be prizes offered. All you have to do is leave a comment on the host's site on the day he/she is posting for their guest and you may be a WINNER!

The Winner will have a choice of ONE of 2 or 3 books of our members or other related gifts, OR a one day guest spot on THIS site!

Prizes being given away EVERY Day from November 1st through November 23rd!

OH! Wait a minute! That's not all! We are still having our Mystery Site Giveaway and the SUPER-DUPER PRIZE is a $25 (US) GIFT CARD to either Amazon, Target, or an American Express Gift Card. I'll know for sure by the end of this month.

Winners will be notified the day after each posting. The Mystery Site Winner will be notified Sunday, November 29th.

Come celebrate with us and have the chance of being one of the WINNERS of a great gift in the process.

Angeline is Excited for Halloween!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 18:48:00 +0000

Guess what she wants?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 05:01:00 +0000

State of Reservations by Elysabeth Eldering

What is the state of reservations? That's what young readers must figure out in the latest book in the Junior Geography Detective Squad Series by Elysabeth Eldering.

Today, I'm honored to bring you a short interview with Elysabeth Eldering, in which we discuss the series, her publication process, and the upcoming books State of Reservations and State of Altitude.

What was the inspiration behind the Junior Geography Detective Squad series?

My story, "Train of Clues", which placed second on a fan mystery contest with Armchair Interviews for the coming of Silence of the Loons was my inspiration to develop this series. I realized a few years ago when I flew to New Jersey for job training that kids aren't learning geography in school any more. My daughter assumed New Jersey was west of us and only one or two states over; she had no idea where other states were in relation to South Carolina. I took the original story and sent it to an editor with the SCBWI, not for editing but for advice to make it a series with the states being the mystery destination or the mystery. She sent me back some advice and I kind of just let it sit on the back burner for a couple of years. I had to figure out how to do it as a series.

How did you approach 4RV Publishing about the potential of publishing a series? Not many publishers would consider such a lengthy commitment.

In 2007, there was a call for submission for 5-minute mysteries. I contacted them and they were excited about having something like this but I couldn't make the stories work for what they wanted. I met up with Aidana [Willowraven] about that time and we kind of talked about it. She became my agent and then she got me with one publisher and things started going south rather quickly. She and Vivian [Zabel, publisher at 4RV] had been working on some other projects and she talked to Vivian about my series and it was a matter of time to get out of one contract and into another. Vivian believes in the series because she is a retired school teacher.

What can you tell me about State of Reservations?

State of Reservations is the third in the series. I can't really reveal much and if I tell you what clues are represented on the cover, I think you would know which state it is, and we don't want to give away the state. This one involves Jolene (the girl that both boys like) and Matt, the owner of the game. I'm trying to vary the characters and keep it interesting as well. I can tell you I'm learning about each of the states and I would like to visit the areas I've been writing about.

Do you find that the books get easier to write as you go along?

No. Some are easy but some seem to be stumping me. The hardest part is figuring out what info to use as clues, keeping in mind that I'm trying to make the facts fun, educational and interesting for 10-year-olds. Sometimes I have to step back just so I don't start thinking in terms of adult readers.

What is next in the Junior Geography Detective Squad series?

State of Altitude - see my blog http://jgdsseries.blogspot.com/ - for cover. There will be a surprise character in this one. State #5 has clues but is untitled as of yet due to the fact that my friend who comes up with the titles first hasn't been around lately.

Thank you, Elysabeth, for taking the time to answer some questions for my readers!

To contact Elysabeth:

email: eeldering@gmail.com
blog: http://jgdsseries.blogspot.com/
website: http://junior-geography-detective-squad.weebly.com/
alternate blog (for non-children's blog tours and other things): http://elysabethsstories.blogspot.com/

The entire Junior Geography Detective Squad series can be purchased from http://www.4rvpublishingllc.com/Store-Books.html

Quotes. (Hit refresh for a new one!)

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 23:44:00 +0000

Crystalee's favorite quotes

" Try, reach, want, and you may fall. But even if you do, you might be okay anyway.
If you don't try, you save nothing, because you might as well be dead.
-Tibby Tomko-Rollins"— Ann Brashares

Goodreads Quotes

Meet Author Elysabeth Eldering

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 05:01:00 +0000

Today, it is my pleasure to introduce you to Elysabeth Eldering, author of the Junior Geography Detectieve Squad series, and fellow 4RV author.

With a childhood spent traveling the globe, writer Elysabeth Eldering developed a passion for geography. Growing up in a military family, Elysabeth lived in Japan, Germany, New York, Kentucky, and Texas before her family finally settled in a small town in South Carolina. Elysabeth, who lives in Honea Path, put her globetrotting skills to work in the Junior Geography Detective Squad's 50-state mystery trivia series.

Published by 4RV Publishing, the series made its debut in summer 2008 with State of Wilderness. The Junior Geography Detective Squad will continue to put their mystery-solving talents to work in each state, challenging young readers on their knowledge of the nation's geography and interesting facts about each state. State of Quarries is next in the line-up.

The mother of three - an adult son and a teen-aged son and daughter - juggles a schedule that includes volunteering with her children's school activities, such as marching band and band competitions. An avid pet lover, Elysabeth is caretaker for the family's three dogs and a rabbit named Easter. She's active in the Greenville chapters of Sisters in Crime and the SC Writers Workshop and has judged entries for the Derringers Awards competition.

Elysabeth entered her first writing contest on a dare from a friend. Since then, the prize-winning writer has received awards from Armchair Interviews and Echelon Press. Her most recent story, “Bride and Seek,” was published in the SC Writers Workshop anthology The Petigru Review and is available on www.amazon.com. She has an article on editing and self publishing, also with Armchair Interviews.

To learn more about the Junior Geography Detective Squad, visit http://jgdsseries.blogspot.com/ . Contact the author at eeldering@gmail.com .

Books may ordered from http://www.4rvpublishingllc.com/ or Vivian at president@4rvpublishingllc.com (for special orders)

On Saturday, we will take a look at the latest book in the series, State of Reservations.

Angeline Will Be Traveling and more updates

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 16:04:00 +0000

Angeline will be making an appearance at the Orange County Children's Book Festival on October 4, 2009. I wish I could go with her! I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to send a copy of Angeline Jellybean and some promotional materials to the festival through the website AuthorsDen.

Recently, I've been writing for a brand new online magazine called Robin Falls Magazine. It is run by April Robins, leader of the Red River Writers group on Facebook. The magazine contains two sections. Red River Writers is where writers share tips, short stories, and book reviews. Robin Falls Kids for children, parents and teachers contains activities, poems, short stories, and reading advice. I have written two book reviews and an article about online promotion for writers, which will appear in the first issue this winter!

All this, and I'm gearing up for NaNoWriMo and the Muse Online Writer's Conference, too!

What does it mean to be a "real" writer?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 23:57:00 +0000

Over at Nancy Famolari's blog, there's a discussion going on over what it means to be a "real" writer.

I was flabbergasted when I read that Nancy had dealt with a group who defined "Published Author" as someone who had received an advance from a publisher. This rather snobby definition exclude authors who have been published in magazines, e-zines, e-books, self-published and by small presses who can't afford to offer advances.

Nancy asks the question: "What does it mean to be a real writer?"

Personally, I distinguish the terms "writer" and "author." A writer is one who writes. Anyone can be a writer. A writer becomes an author when he or she sees their work in print. They don't even have to receive a paycheck for their writing. The process of being published, regardless of the terms of that publishing, makes a writer an author.

Although some means of publishing are more socially acceptable than others, they are all valid methods.

What do you think? What makes a "real" writer?

Book Trailer for Angeline Jellybean!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 00:09:00 +0000

After months of procrastinating, I have finally made a book trailer for Angeline Jellybean. The process wasn't as hard as I thought, and in fact was lots of fun! I made the video using Windows Movie Maker, a free, easy to use program that came with my computer. You can now view the video on YouTube! I hope you enjoy.

An Interview with Deborah Weed

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 05:01:00 +0000

Could you tell us more about the interactive, original musical that you are putting together for children and their families?

Yes! Since my background includes creating and producing theatrical experiences for both
children and adults, I have learned something very important. If you want someone to really
remember something and make learning FUN, then put your words to music.

Have you ever created and produced a children’s musical before?

Yes! I created and produced The Sticky Bun Bandits. It was a riot. The music included everything from rock-n-roll, pop, and reggae, to hip hop.

What was The Sticky Bun Bandits about?

It helped children understand the what solutions are through my main characters: Wickelsnaker, a grandpa; his grandchildren, Sarah and Drew, and a multi-colored zebra called Jammin. I branded them “Solution’s Tour Guides.” Their first adventure was to help Big Ant find out where the greedy Sticky Bun Bandits were hiding all of the sugar, yeast and dough in Sweetland.

Where were the shows performed?

The cast performed at Malls; festivals; schools; parties, etc. I built it into a show that had a
tremendous demand.

Are you still doing the production?

No, right when I was at the top of the game, I experienced a health challenge that derailed my
career.

What have you learned from that experience?

Great question. I learned that success is not what I thought it was. Success to me, is being happy moment to moment. If I am having fun doing what I am doing, that is enough.

How will The Luckiest Penny be different?

Before, I wanted to prove what I was capable of. I did that. This time around, I want to share my wisdom and expertise with others so that they can shine!

Is there anything else that you would like to share with my readers?

Yes! Never, ever give up! We always hear these words and it can sound like platitudes. However,if you’ve lived a “Chutes and Ladders” type of life like I have, then you can say it from a different place--a place where it is not an exchange of words but an exchange of energy from the heart!

Meet Deborah Weed, Author of "The Luckiest Penny"

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 05:01:00 +0000

Deborah Weed has had an extensive thirty-year career in marketing/entertainment that has
included everything from being: Director of Marketing for Fame International responsible for a
26 million-dollar pavilion; Director of Development for Citibank; Creator/Producer of
“Sensations”; “The Disappearance of Dino Dinero”; “The Sticky Bun Bandits”; “Compassionate
Chip Cookies & Milk,” etc. . .

A life threatening health challenge redirected Weed’s life. She got stuck and realized that people
defined her by the circumstances, rather than by a lifetime of experiences. After regaining her
mojo, Weed decided to leap into the world of writing, inspirational speaking and coaching so that
she could provide a shortcut for others who are experiencing disappointment and feeling
misunderstood.

“The Luckiest Penny,” is Weed’s first book. “The Luckiest Penny” is the story of two rare 1943
pennies. One penny remains out of circulation, full of himself and selfish, caring only about how
much money he is worth. The other penny decides to experience living and along the way
discovers what really matters in life.

“This book was written to give children a healthy set of values that will assist them on their
journey in life. I want them to remember what is really important so that they don’t get
discouraged by life’s ups and downs,” said Weed. The book’s genre is a fable/allegory and the
illustrations by Ernest Socolov, transport the reader into the alternative world of a penny who is
tarnished and yet loved!

An all original, musical interactive production is being created and produced for “The Luckiest
Penny.” The show should be ready in November.

Weed is currently working on: a second children’s book with collaborator Ellen Brazer; a book
that shares her father’s wisdom (The working title is “Dancing on my Father’s Shoes) and a
social network to help people of all ages and background get unstuck.

Weed is also an award-winning artist. Water sculptures are the primary medium for her mixed media pieces. The result is a salubrious technique that takes color into a new arena of purity that is vivid, fluid and alive.

Born and raised in Miami, Weed is blessed with a loving family and friends that are her
champions.

More about Deborah:

Email: deborahweed@mac.com
Websites:
http://deborahweed.ning.com/
http://web.mac.com/deborahweed
http://www.theluckiestpenny.com
http://www.discoveredartists.com/gallery/ArtofBliss

Tomorrow: Meet Deborah Weed

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 15:29:00 +0000

Tomorrow and Thursday: Meet Deborah Weed, author of the children's book The Luckiest Penny. Learn all about the book and her other projects, including children's musicals!

Everyone Loves Mo Willems!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 11:00:00 +0000

Everyone loves Mo Willems, author/illustrator of great picture books like the ever-popular Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus. Now you can read his fantastic blog that takes readers behind the scenes of the life of an author/illustrator. You can even follow the rants of the Pigeon on Twitter!

Just another example of how truly everyone is jumping on the blogging/Twitter bandwagon.

Vote at First Book!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 17:34:00 +0000

For many kids, books aren't widely available. That's where First Book can help. Right now, First Book is asking you to vote for the state you feel is most worthy of a donation of 50,000 new children's books! You can vote once a day up until September 30th at http://booksforkids.firstbook.org/whatbook/. First Book also wants to know: What book got you hooked? Results of the national vote – as well as a Top 50 list of books that got readers hooked – will be published in October.

A New Tour of VBT: Writers on the Move Starts Sept. 1st!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 17:08:00 +0000

VBT: Writers on the Move starts their next round of promotion on September 1st! Each month, a group of talented, award-winning writers set aside their blogs on the 1st and the 3rd to promote each other's latest books and projects. This month, we start the VBT: Writers on the Move Mystery Site Give-away. Each month, the winner will have the choice of receiving the Mystery Site Host's book or a guest spot on VBT Writers on the Move blog. So, go visit all our blogs and see what we've been up to, and you could also be a winner!

VBT Writers on the Move September Schedule

Dianne Sagan hosts Crystalee Calderwood- That's me!

Harry Gilleland hosts Steve Tremp (Author of Breakthrough)

'Karen Cioffi hosts Vivian Zabel (Author or Case of the Missing Coach, Midnight Hours, and many more, and publisher at 4rv Publishing)

Kathy Stemke hosts Heather Paye (15 year old author of A Gift from Above)

Lea Schizas hosts Nancy Famalari (author of Summer's Story)

Nancy Famalari hosts Carolyn Howard-Johnson (Author of The Frugal Editor and The Frugal Book Promoter)

Vivian Zabel hosts Kathy Stemke (Author of Moving Through all Seven Days)

Margaret Fieland hosts Dianne Sagan (Author of Rebekah Redeemed)

Crystalee Calderwood -that's me! hosts Deborah Weed (Author of The Luckiest Penny)

Katie Hines hosts Marvin Wilson (Author of I Romanced the Stone, Between the Storm and the Rainbow, and more.)

Helena Harper hosts Mayra Calvani (Author of Crash!)

Dorothy Massey hosts Harry Gilleland (Author of numerous books of poetry)

Liana Metal hosts Lea Schizas (Author of Bubba and Giganto- Odds Against Us and founder of the Muse Online Writer's Conference)

Carolyn Howard-Johnson hosts Gayle Trent (mystery author)

Gayle Trent hosts Karen Cioffi (Author of Day's End Lullaby)

Mayra Calvani hosts Katie Hines (Author of upcoming book Guardian)

Marvin Wilson hosts Liana Metal (Author of Storytime)

Anita Yasuda hosts Dorothy Massey (her work appears in the Mini Mysteries and Spooky Stories anthology for kids)

Linda Asato hosts Helena Harper (Author of It's a Teacher's Life!: A Collection of Poems Set in a Girl's Private School)

Heather Paye hosts Anita Yasuda (Author of numerous books for both adults and children)

Steve Tremp hosts Margaret Fieland (Author of Moving Through All Seven Days)

Deboran Weed hosts Linda Asato (Author of the 4RV book Spider in Our Mailbox)

Come Visit my Amazon.com Store!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 00:38:00 +0000

This month on my Amazon.com store, I'm featuring Angeline Jellybean, as well as a number of back to school books for young readers. I hope you'll check it out and purchase books for your children as they head back to school!