HAVE YOU HERD? February 15, 2018 Valentine Edition! (Giveaway Video at the End) Written by Jennifer Lynn Alvarez |
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FEATURED FAN ART Megan R. age 14, drew these heart-warming pictures of her favorite Guardian Herd couples. The first pic "Bumbleberry" shows Dewberry and Bumblewind as humans! We all know how much Dewberry loved throwing rocks at pinecones in LANDFALL, here she is with a slingshot and riding a skateboard. And there's Bumblewind doing what he loves best--eating! Very clever, Megan. The second pic is "Starleaf" and it shows Star and Morningleaf nuzzling each other. If that doesn't melt your heart, then you are probably a fan of "Brackenleaf" (Brackentail + Morningleaf). For a little fun, join 4500 fans by VOTING on your favorite TGH couples. |
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RIDERS OF THE REALM: NEW REVIEWS! These lovely trade reviews came in over the last two weeks! "Told from the alternating perspectives of Rahkki and Echofrost, this first in a planned trilogy dives into the nature of humans and horses. An amazing story of survival flecked with themes of captivity and freedom, and a coming-of-age journey with a strong heart." Booklist "Readers will be enthralled. The story is action-packed and full of adventure, making it difficult to put down. A great choice for libraries serving middle grade students who crave more fantasy and a perfect readalike for fans of Erin Hunter's Warriors series." School Library Journal |
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WHAT'S ON MY DESK? This Month's Project: I completed my first round of edits on RIDERS OF THE REALM #2 and turned them into my editor. Yay! I'm waiting for her to read the changes and then either give me a second round of notes, or pass me through to the next round. If she passes me through, then we'll go from "content editing" to "line editing". Line editing is where she points out awkward phrasing, obvious inconsistencies, and she'll flag anything that is confusing or unnecessary. I'll let you know next month if I've progressed to the next round, or if I have more work to do on the content editing (big picture items) first! But just because I'm waiting doesn't mean I'm not working! I write every day, so when I have breaks from contracted work, I write new projects. I'm currently working on two "super secret" projects. I call them "super secret" to make them sound more important. I mean, why else, right? |
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SHOUT OUTS! HAPPY BIRTHDAY & CONGRATULATIONS to the following colts and fillies! Kayla had a birthday on January 13th Karina turned 11 on January 18th Pananah wishes a happy birthday to her twin brothers Jacob & Isaac, who are turning 19 on February 23rd Sylvia had a birthday on January 31st Happy upcoming birthday to Sophia's little sister Greta, who is turning 11 on February 27th Flynn had a birthday on January 17th Emily and her twin brother turned 11 on January 30th Jonathan E. turned 13 on January 5th Dave A. would like to congratulate his brother on his upcoming March 3rd wedding! If you'd like a shout out, please press the button below. I'll say hello, wish you a happy birthday, or congratulate you in my monthly video and newsletter--just let me know what's going on! |
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TRIVIA! I still get questions about THE GUARDIAN HERD: Dark Water Trials: #1Promise Keeper. An update in case you missed it, that book received a new title and cover, per my publisher. It is now RIDERS OF THE REALM: #1 Across the Dark Water. Here they are side-by-side, but they are the SAME book! RIDERS OF THE REALM comes out May 1, 2018. You haven't missed anything! |
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Pre-Order an Autographed and Personalized Copy RIDERS OF THE REALM #1 "Across the Dark Water" Copperfield's Books Santa Rosa, CA U.S.A. 707-578-8938 |
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WINGBEATS BOOK CLUB Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling Suggested by: Flamefrost on the MB This is our book for February and March. Discussion on The Message Board beginning February 15, 2018 | | |
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Book suggestions have been pouring in. Please feel free to suggest a book for the club. Let's stick with children's fiction and non-fiction. |
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HERD NERD PETS Suncatcher (Sunny) lives in New Zealand with his owner, Haylee D. They have an interesting story! Sunny was Haylee's first horse, but she was too young, and he was too untrained, for them to work well together. Sunny was sold. Years later, Sunny came up for sale and Haylee's coach recommended that she try him again. Haylee was terrified that Sunny would be naughty, but over the years, the girl and the horse had each grown up quite a bit. They got along perfectly together, and now they are showing and doing great at their events! Congratulations Haylee and Sunny | | |
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To have your pet featured, email a photo and write a few sentences about what makes him/her special! (The actual month your pet appears will depend on how many readers respond) Email your pet's pic to jennifer@theguardianherd(dot)com |
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JEN'S WRITING TIPS (photo by Nick Alvarez) |
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"Write" is a Verb A writer is one who writes, just like a jogger is one who jogs. If one hasn't jogged in a month, one might still call themself a jogger. But what if it's been a year, two years, three years? If you are a writer, when was the last time you wrote? If it's been over a year, are you still a writer? I will leave the answer to you, but keep in mind that "write" is a verb, not an accomplishment. ("Author" is an accomplishment--once you're published, you're an author forever, whether or not you actively write). Why does this matter? I once took 15 years off of writing to begin raising children, but I still considered myself a writer. One day it struck me that a writer is one who writes, not one who wishes they were writing. Once I faced the fact that I could no longer claim the title "writer", I got fired up to reclaim it by doing what writers do--writing! At first it was tough. My sentences didn't flow and my plots didn't come easily to me. I struggled to write one page. I got headaches. I grew frustrated. But I kept at it. I made a commitment to write every day. Over time, it grew much easier. Like a jogger, I developed stamina and endurance. Now I average 600 words an hour when I'm composing new material. In two to three hours, I have 1200-1800 new words, and most of my day is still free. I can write a 60,000 word novel in 40-45 work days (that's a first draft, folks! It will need revising). So ask yourself--are you a writer? If the answer is no, and you want to be a wrtier, there is an easy solution! Write something today, right now! The instant you begin to write again, the title of "writer" is yours for the taking! Start small and keep at it! Good luck and have fun! |
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A DAY IN THE LIFE I love attending conferences and literacy events because I meet new authors and I get to connect with authors I already know. This month I attended back-to-back events and each was a total blast! |
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Here I am with A.E. Conran (The Lost Celt), Darcey Rosenblatt (Lost Boys), and Jill Diamond (Lou Lou and Pea) at the California School Librarian Conference in Yosemite, CA. (See video below for more). The second event was the Orion School Author Illustrator Fair in Redwood City, CA. I loved meeting the students and their families! Fellow authors in attendance were: Elisa Kleven, Annie Barrows, Amy Dixon, Madeleine Dunphy, Oliver Chin, and Natasha Yim. Thank you for having me! |
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Video: In Which I Wear Wrist Warmers for the First Time! |
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