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One Wolf Howls Trailer!

Be sure to check out the trailer for my picture book One Wolf Howls at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFWN2_Hne3w

ISLMA Conference 2009

  • Nov. 1st, 2009 at 8:57 AM
breakfast tent card
I was privileged to participate in the Illinois School Library Media Association (ISLMA) conference in a number of different ways.

Thursday night (Oct. 29) - I made the rounds of the Exhibit Hall, visiting booths set up by Sylvan Dell Publishing (publisher of One Wolf Howls) and the Illinois SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators). Accompanying me on my rounds was my new friend (above) -- who is nameless at the moment. I think I will hold a contest to name him. The SCBWI booth was all decked out in hopes of winning a contest for "best decorated booth." The theme was "Witch Author Will Enchant Your School?"


Special guest of the IRC (Illinois Reading Council) was none-other-than Ben Franklin!

Friday morning, October 30, bright and early (well, at least early if not bright -- Ben Franklin can just forget about that "early to rise" stuff where I'm concerned), I attended the SCBWI-sponsored Author-Illustrator Breakfast. Each table of conference attendees included an Illinois children's book author or illustrator. After about 20 minutes at our first table, we authors and illustrators moved to a different table to chat with librarians about books and kids. After breakfast Anderson's Bookshop offered books for sale by attending authors and illustrators. I signed quite a few copies of One Wolf Howls and It Happened in Chicago. (Anderson's actually ran out of the latter, a "first" for me!)

Friday at 11:00 I signed books at the SCBWI booth, where I was given the honor of wearing the Author Witches Hat. My wolfy friend approved. Then it was back over to the Sylvan Dell booth at 1:00 (fortunately, the two booths were just across the aisle!) to sign a few books there.

Late Friday afternoon, I sat in on a Sylvan Dell presentation showcasing all the fabulous technological wonders that they employ to make their books so accessible, useful, and affordable. Not only can you hold a beautiful, high-quality book in your hands, you can interact with it on the internet!

Saturday morning I presented my program -- Letting the Wolf in the Door: What Little Red Riding Hood's Grandmother Doesn't Want You to Know. I had a wonderful, responsive audience of media
specialists and librarians who primarily work with students in grades K-3. We explored how humor, fiction, and nonfiction about wolves can educate and entertain young children. My handouts included lists of books grouped by age, along with other resources for activities, CDs, and DVDs that can be used when teaching about wolves. You can access them on the Home Page of my website: www.scotticohn.com.

The conference seemed to be very well organized and designed to provide a satisfying and productive experience for those who attended. This was the first year that SCBWI had a booth at this conference, so we learned a few things about what we might want to do differently next time.











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Books by the Banks - Cincinnati, Ohio

  • Oct. 20th, 2009 at 9:18 PM
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The third annual Books by the Banks bookfair was held Oct. 17 in Cincinnati. I was honored to be chosen to participate and impressed by the quality of the event on all levels.

My husband and I attended an author reception on Oct. 16, where we met a lot of enthusiastic, dedicated, entertaining people. Among them were Garth Stein, author of The Art of Racing in the Rain; Margaret McMullan, author of Cashay; Tamara Schmitz, author of Standing on My Own Two Feet; and Linda Sanders-Wells, author of Maggie's Monkeys. I ate lunch with Julie Aronson, author of Bessie Potter Vonnoh: Scuptor of Women.

The set-up for book signings on Saturday was fantastic, and the activities provided for children were fabulous. I shared a table with Christina Wald, illustrator of Henry the Impatient Heron, another Sylvan Dell title.

To my other side was Bret Witter, who illustrated Dewey: There's a Cat in the Library.

Author Tamara Schmitz was a few spaces over from me with her book Standing on My Own Two Feet.

There were very few lulls in the procession of people traveling through the book fair. I sold and signed all but two of the copies of One Wolf Howls provided by Joseph Beth booksellers.

It was fun to see the reactions of people when I identified myself to them as "The Crazy Wolf Lady." 

To me (from my admittedly limited perspective) this seemed to be a superbly-run event. I hope to participate again next year with my book It Happened in Chicago.

-----------------------
 
An email from: Books by the Banks - Authors Committee

"Dear esteemed Books by the Banks authors and illustrators,

I want to wish you a heartfelt thank you on behalf of the Author Team and Planning Teams of Books by the Banks 2009.

Your excellent books and engagement with our guests made for an outstanding, successful event.  We counted more than 2300 people in attendance, and the book sales on behalf of Joseph-Beth Booksellers exceeded all expectations.  Our Author Team is proud of your contributions to the success of our growing book festival."





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Myers Briggs for Your Blog!

  • Oct. 7th, 2009 at 1:06 PM
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You know about the Myers Briggs Personality Test? Well, now there’s a version of that for blogs. Visit Typealyzer, enter the URL of your blog, and see what you get. Scotti's Adventures in Writing (the blog) is:

ESTP - The Doers

The active and playful type. They are especially attuned to people and things around them and often full of energy, talking, joking and engaging in physical out-door activities.

The Doers are happiest with action-filled work which craves their full attention and focus. They might be very impulsive and more keen on starting something new than following it through. They might have a problem with sitting still or remaining inactive for any period of time.



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Laughter, Literacy, and Pumpkin Cheesecake!

  • Sep. 30th, 2009 at 2:30 PM
BN Anniversary
For its 15th Anniversary, my local Barnes & Noble (Bloomington, Illinois) pulled out all the stops with an event that lasted from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Another local author -- Patti Lacy -- and I signed books under bright green balloons while employees served samples of pumpkin cheesecake to patrons. Below, Patti and I are pictured with our "new best fan" Mary. Patti is the author of the novels An Irishwoman's Tale (Kregel Publications, 2008) and What the Bayou Saw (Kregel Publications, 2009).

Throughout t
he day, children and adults alike were entertained by a local storyteller, the mascot of the local baseball team, an Irish dance troupe, a face painter, and three separate appearances by Clifford the Big Red Dog.



Best of all, the store donated 10% of all sales that day to Book Showers for Literacy, which benefits our local community.


There were people in line at the cash register the whole time. It w
as a great atmosphere in which to meet people and promote my books!







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Author Visit Winners!

  • Sep. 22nd, 2009 at 11:35 AM
Mulberry School
Congratulations to the winners of a Free Author Visit:
  • Glenn Elementary School (Normal, IL)
  • Chenoa Elementary School (Chenoa, IL)

The winners have been contacted by email. I look forward to arranging the visits and meeting you and your students!


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Author Appearance at Wolf Creek

  • Sep. 6th, 2009 at 9:40 PM
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My constant search for "all things wolfy" led me to a wonderful place called Wolf Creek Habitat and Rescue in Brookville, Indiana (not far from Cincinnati). After my signing at Blue Manatee bookstore in Cincinnati, I paid a visit to Wolf Creek to share my book One Wolf Howls and to play with the wolves.

Me with Wolf Creek owner Kathy Baudendistel and my
new friend, Arlena Coffman.



My presentation - what a great audience!



Kissy Time!



Tummy rub!


Waya tries to remove my hair wrap...
 



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Blue Manatee Appearance

  • Sep. 6th, 2009 at 9:30 PM
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Illustrator Christina Wald and I had a great time with our joint book signing at The Blue Manatee bookstore in Cincinnati. It's a great bookstore. I would be in there all the time if I lived closer!





MORE PICS:













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Video Trailer for It Happened in Chicago!

  • Sep. 6th, 2009 at 9:26 PM
IHIC Cover
Check out my video trailer for my book It Happened in Chicago at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Qs1dJUrKy4

I created it in Powerpoint, then converted it to a .wmv file with a program I purchased. I have a longer version that I will be using when I do presentations about the book. I used copyright-free or public domain images and audio, and had friends and family record the voiceovers.



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Kreativ Blogger Award!

  • Sep. 2nd, 2009 at 9:17 AM
Kreativ Blogger
Thanks to the nomination of Sara Dobie at http://saradobie.wordpress.com/, I received a Kreativ Blogger Award. I love it! I get a cool logo to post on my blog, and I get a chance to promote some of my favorite blogs!
 

A few rules accompany the award:

1. Place the logo on the blog.
2. Link to the person who nominated the blog for this award.
3. Name 7 things about yourself that people might find interesting.
4. Nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers.
5. Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.
6. Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know they have been nominated.

So here are seven (7) things you might find interesting about moi:

1. I majored in both English and Russian in college.
2. I can create and interpret an astrological birth chart if given the date, time, and place of birth.
3. I know how to read the Tarot.
4. I play piano and guitar and used to sing folk songs in coffee houses.
5. Paul McCartney stepped on my foot outside EMI Studios in 1968.
6. I have no desire to cook, garden, or knit.
7. I love cats. I have five at home and I volunteer in the cat room at the local animal shelter.


Seven (7) blogs I’d like to nominate for the Kreativ Blogger Award:

1. The Angsty Writer:  http://meganbostic.blogspot.com/
2. Drunk Writer Talk:
http://drunkwritertalk.blogspot.com/
3. Sylvan Dell Publishing:
http://sylvandellpublishing.wordpress.com
4. Mrs. Magoo Reads:
http://www.mrsmagooreads.com/
5. Wild About Nature:
http://wildaboutnaturewriters.blogspot.com/
6. The Cat and the Fiddle:
http://michellemarkel.blogspot.com/
7. Poetry for Children:
http://poetryforchildren.blogspot.com/

Thanks for the award, Sara! This was a lot of fun!




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Endorse Sylvan Dell!

  • Sep. 1st, 2009 at 7:03 PM
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Time to endorse a company that really deserves it. What follows is the contents of an email from Sylvan Dell Publishing co-founder and publisher Lee German. Read on, children’s book fans, and give the thumbs up to this small company, doing amazing things for children’s literature.

From Lee:
A good friend has just nominated Sylvan Dell for an opportunity to win $100,000 in grant and marketing support from American Express, and we would love to win. There are millions of small companies applying for this, and in order to win, or at least make the first cut, we need friends and family and people who believe in our company, to “Endorse” our nomination.

Here is the criteria:

  • a small business that you find inspiring
  • Has this business adopted an innovative approach to surviving tough times?
  • Does it believe in a customer-first mentality?
  • Does it give back to the community?

Here is the process:

  • We get nominated. Done.
  • We get as many Spotlight Endorsements as possible by September 13th. The top 150 endorsed stories will be evaluated by three independent judges (Diane Von Furstenberg, JJ Ramberg, and Ellen Degeneres).
  • The Judges widdle it down to three. Those three go on the final ballot.
  • Final voting will occur between the dates of 9/24/09 – 10/16/09. If we make it this far, we’ll need your help again to cast your vote for the Finalist.

The endorsing process is relatively easy but does take about 5 minutes. If you think us worthy, and could swing the time, we’d appreciate the endorsement and any help spreading the word.

If you want to help, here are the specific steps:

1. Go to the Sylvan Dell Story page: http://shinealight.ivillage.com/sbo-profile/?ProfileID=2373 and read our story.

2. Click “Register” in the upper right corner

3. Fill out the registration:

Shine a Light on Sylvan Dell!

Shine a Light on Sylvan Dell!

** It forces you to click the terms and conditions and do the character thing

4. Go back to the Sylvan Dell page: http://shinealight.ivillage.com/sbo-profile/?ProfileID=2373. It is a little confusing at this point… it doesn’t take you back to the Sylvan Dell Story page so you need to click Nominees button at the top and then type in Sylvan Dell and click go.

5. Once you get there, click the “Endorse this story now” button.

ENDORSE Sylvan Dell!

ENDORSE Sylvan Dell!

If we make the cut, we’ll be hollering and keep everyone posted.

Thank you for your support!




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Chicago!

  • Aug. 26th, 2009 at 10:53 AM
IHIC Cover
Time for a little cross-blog-promotion (or CBP)!

On my It Happened in Chicago blog, I'm doing a series of interviews with authors who have written a book about Chicago (or used Chicago as a setting for a book). The latest is Sean Chercover, author of Big City Bad Blood and Trigger City. Other interviewees include
Karen Abbott, author of the New York Times bestseller, Sin in the Second City; children's book author Laura Crawford, author of Postcards from Chicago; and Adam Selzer, author of Weird Chicago: Forgotten History, Strange Legends & Mysterious Hauntings of the Windy City.

So go check it out, okay?



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Mulberry School
Opportunity to Win a Free Author Visit!

WHO'S ELIGIBLE?
Between August 21 and September 21, elementary school teachers and media specialists within a 20-mile radius of Bloomington-Normal, Illinois, can enter a drawing for a free author visit from me -- Scotti Cohn!

HOW TO  ENTER
All you have to do is post a comment on this blog entry, letting me know why you would like to win the visit. Please leave some indication of how I can contact you if you win.

WHEN WILL THE DRAWING TAKE PLACE?
The drawing will take place on September 22. There will be two winners.

WHAT WILL THE WINNERS WIN?

Each winner will receive:

(1) An autographed copy of my picture book One Wolf Howls (Sylvan Dell Publishing / 2009), to be sent before the author visit.

(2) A form for parents to complete if they want to order an individual copy of the book for their child(ren), to be sent before the author visit.

(3) A one-day author visit, including up to four presentations, with the date to be determined by the teacher/media specialist and author.

The school may choose from the following programs:

(1) A Year in the World of Wolves with Scotti and Lobo  (designed for Grades K-3; a Natural Sciences presentation)

(2) Is There a Poem in the Picture?  (designed for Grades 1-4; a Language Arts/creative writing presentation)

(3) The Road to Publication  (designed for Grades 3-6; from Idea to Promotion of a published book)

(4) How Many Ways Can You Write about Wolves? (designed for Grades 4-6; exploration of genre)

On the day of the visit, each student who attends my presentation at the school will receive:
* Wolf stickers
* A wolf coloring sheet (featuring pictures from the book, drawn by the illustrator, Susan Detwiler)
* A One Wolf Howls bookmark

FOR MORE INFORMATION, REVIEWS, and FREE EBOOK PREVIEW

For more information about my book One Wolf Howls and the programs mentioned above, go to my website: http://www.scotticohn.com. Click on the cover for One Wolf Howls at the top of the main page. Click Author Visits.

If you would like to read reviews of One Wolf Howls, there is a separate link on the One Wolf Howls page that will take you to reviews.

To read (and listen to!) a complete ebook version of One Wolf Howls in English and Spanish, please click on the following link: http://www.sylvandellpublishing.com/eBooks/reader/book/Wolf/?lang=en




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Chance to win a free, autographed book

  • Aug. 14th, 2009 at 3:18 PM
IHIC Cover
UPDATE: The winner has been notified. Stay tuned for more quizzes!

Would you like to win a free, autographed copy of my new book It Happened in Chicago? Head on over to my "other" blog and answer the questions for Quiz #1. If you get them all right, you'll be entered in a drawing for the book.


Good luck!





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The Book Lady!

  • Aug. 13th, 2009 at 3:15 PM
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Imagine my surprise when Sylvan Dell's publicist sent me a link to a TV show from San Diego in which the "Book Lady" (Antoinette Kuritz) reviews several cool-sounding books and offers generous praise for Sylvan Dell in general and One Wolf Howls in particular!

You can watch
HERE. Her comments about One Wolf Howls are near the end of the show.

I'm thrilled that she mentions children enjoying the book!





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How is your book doing? Is it selling well?

  • Aug. 12th, 2009 at 10:04 PM
question
A conversation I had today with a very dear writer-friend prompted me to ask for input on something that I've been wondering about.

For those of you who are published: How do you respond when someone asks "How is your book (are your books) doing?" or "Is your book (Are your books) selling well?"

I get asked this question by friends and family fairly often. I don't know quite how to answer. I suppose I could give them the number of books sold so far, but how would they (and how do I) put that in perspective? What number would indicate a "good" or "great" number of sales for my book(s)? I could tell them the amount of my most recent royalty check but, again, is that really a meaningful piece of information? How do they (I) judge whether the number is "good" or "bad." I can tell them I have earned back my advance -- but again, well, you get the idea.

If I answer the question with a simple "Good!" or "Great!" -- they look at me expectantly as if waiting for more information to support my statement.

What do you answer when asked this type of question?



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KIDS DAY - Widlife Prairie State Park

  • Aug. 9th, 2009 at 1:47 PM
Seth_Lobo
Of course I had no way of knowing what the weather would be like when I agreed way back in February to participate in Kids Day at Wildlife Prairie State Park in Peoria. As luck would have it, August 8 turned out to be the hottest day of the summer (so far), complete with a heat index advisory. The wind was a blessing, but played havoc with my signs and seemed about to blow the tent down at times.

Kids (and their parents) turned out en masse to take part in the festivities, which included a Rotten Sneaker Contest sponsored by Odor Eaters. I had a tent with a table and chairs next to one of the food vendors (perfect).

A highlight of the day was a visit from a dear friend who brought her daughter
and grandson.

I gave away wolf stickers, bookmarks, magnets, etc., and used my brand new wolf paw stamp often at the request of the kids who came by. Unfortunately, the heat and humidity caused the ink to smear and run within seconds after it was applied. :(

Later in the day, my husband and I walked the trails through the park, where I got a few interesting pictures of some of the animals.

A trip to the Prairie Country Store  netted a beautiful wolf T-shirt and a copy of a children's book written by one of the park's animal caretakers, Kristy Raines: Grizzer the Goofy Wolf. The main character is named after a member of the ambassador pack at the International Wolf Center in Ely, Minnesota. I had a chance to photograph Grizzer and his pack-mates when I was in Ely this summer.

From what I could see, it looked like people (especially the kids) were having a great time. It was fun for me to be there!












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Move Over, Kindle!

  • Jul. 29th, 2009 at 10:36 AM
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I am excited about what my publisher Sylvan Dell is doing to promote literacy and language with their e-books! Check out the press release below. Be sure to use the free 90-day trial code to check out all of Sylvan Dell's books.
------------------------

Contact: Sara Dobie, Public Relations

SaraDobie@SylvanDellPublishing.com

877-958-2600

SYLVAN DELL PUBLISHING

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JULY 29, 2009

MOVE OVER KINDLE

 

Sylvan Dell’s innovative eBook format promises to improve reading speeds, comprehension, and language learning skills

MT PLEASANT, SC - Sylvan Dell Publishing goes LIVE this week with its next generation eBook, proving the company represents “so much more than a picture book;” it represents a full-fledged campaign for literacy in America.

From Sylvan Dell publisher and co-founder Lee German: “These are the most technologically advanced eBooks in the world today, featuring Auto-Flip, Auto-Read, and Selectable Language. There is nothing even close to this on the market. Amazon/Kindle and Barnes & Noble eBooks are not even in the same category. I encourage parents and teachers to take a test-drive and see for themselves. Let the children play with these for a few weeks, and you’ll be amazed at their excitement and improved reading performance. For children wanting to learn a foreign language or ESOL families learning English, these are phenomenal tools.”

 

Below is a link to a 90-day trial of all 45 Sylvan Dell eBooks:

http://www.sylvandellpublishing.com/ebooktrials.php?e=MSBL9J
Code expiration date: 10/31/2009

For guided directions: http://www.sylvandellpublishing.com/documents/eBookOperatingInstructions.pdf 

“Whether in Auto-Flip or Manual Mode, switch back and forth between English and Spanish text and audio (more language choices on the way) and remain on the same page,” said German. “With the addition of Auto-Flip and Auto-Read features, our Sylvan Dell eBooks are powerful literacy and language learning tools to complement our mission of teaching ‘Science and Math Through Literature.’”  

Sylvan Dell is no newcomer to literacy education and no stranger to technological advances. Since the company’s founding in 2004, co-founders Lee and Donna German have been ahead of the picture book publishing curve. Last year, Sylvan Dell awarded free eBook site licenses to over 2600 elementary and Title I/III schools nationwide through their School Resource Grant Program.  

What’s next? According to German, “We want moms, dads, and grandparents to be able to record a reading of our books and add that audio to the language selection list. This is especially important for military families with a parent overseas. We are also developing an iPhone, iPod, and iPod touch application so that our eBooks will be available on handhelds and an online data capture system to allow teachers to track student reading and quiz performance.”

Sylvan Dell eBooks are available on the company website, http://SylvanDellPublishing.com, as are an array of free educational resources, which include Teaching Activities and Interactive Math and Reading Comprehension Quizzes. For more information about the eBooks, visit http://www.sylvandellpublishing.com/ebooks.php. For more about the eBook Resource Grants: http://www.sylvandellpublishing.com/ResourceGrant.htm.

 

 #          #          #




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Wolf sighting in Connecticut!

  • Jul. 27th, 2009 at 8:37 AM
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Many thanks to fellow Sylvan Dell author Lucy Nolan, who sent me a link to this photo on the blog of Newbery honor winner Cynthia Lord.

The picture was taken at Wilton Library in Wilton, Connecticut. 

 



 




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Video Review of One Wolf Howls

  • Jul. 22nd, 2009 at 10:35 AM
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I'm loving the video review of One Wolf Howls by Megan Bostic of Sock Puppet Productions!

Megan is an enormously talented writer who devotes considerable time to video reviews of books published and unpublished. Her style is inimitable and sometimes her beautiful family gets in the act as well.

After you watch the One Wolf Howls review, be sure to check out her other videos!






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Good Time Had By All

  • Jul. 20th, 2009 at 10:20 PM
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My visit to Scovill Zoo in Decatur, Illinois, was a lot of fun. The weather was ideal and my location next to the wolf enclosure was perfect. I was not far from the gift shop, which made it easy for people to pick up a book and come back to have me sign it. The staff was wonderful; the kids were great, as always, and the animals were a delight. I even got a mention in the Herald & Review!




















 



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