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Program:
PLEASURES, PERILS AND
PROFESSIONAL PROBLEMS
OF WRITING BOOKS FOR CHILDREN

Two New Jersey Authors Will Offer Tips on How to Write Children’s Books and Get Published at the
June NJ Creatives Meeting

 

May 21, 2005 – Paramus, NJ -- Writing children’s books is not all fun and games. It takes a lot of creativity, hard work and persistence to compete in a very crowded marketplace with so many other hopeful authors vying for a coveted spot in the literary world of children’s books. The market can be tough to crack, and even after becoming a published author, there is much to know to navigate a smooth course and avoid certain pitfalls. To learn how two children’s book writers became successful published authors, come to the Wednesday, June 8, meeting of the NJ Creatives Network.

The workshop will be held at the Bergen Museum of Art and Science, located on the lower level of the Bergen Mall in Paramus, NJ. Networking begins at 7:30 p.m. and the meeting and program begin at 8 p.m. The meeting is free for members, $10 for non-members and $5 for students who show proper identification. Refreshments are provided during the networking portion of the meeting.

Guest speakers include Deborah Guarino, author of the popular children’s book, “Is Your Mama a Llama?”, now in its 16th year in print, and Lori Lee Corson, author of “Everyone is Different,” published in 2003 by Lori Lee Creations, LLC. Says Guarino, “Writing is not kid’s stuff!” At the meeting, she and Corson will discuss their backgrounds and how they each were inspired to write children’s books. Guarino will also share her personal experiences as a children’s author and speaker and talk about what she does for her “day job.” Then they will both reveal their personal experiences, from their creative inspiration and writing process to their publication and post-publication triumphs and tribulations.

Topics Guarino plans to cover include:
- What all potential children’s authors need to know.
- What the most commercially successful types of books are to write.
- Who the best source is for creative advice.
- Why Bugs Bunny is a hero.
- What you should be reading, watching, listening to and thinking about BEFORE starting to write.
- Why it’s best to be a “double threat” when it comes creating picture books.

Corson, 43, grew up on a farm in Wall Township, New Jersey, and still resides there. A recent May 2005 graduate of Drexel University, where she earned her Associate’s Degree in Science/EMS, Corson is an Emergency Medical Technician instructor for the state of New Jersey and holds many certifications for her paramedic work. "Everyone Is Different" is her first book. Corson has a website, www.everyoneisdifferent.com, devoted to information about the book. The second book she is already planning will be entitled "Everyone Grows Old." Explains Corson, “I'm fully committed to making this book and the books to come number-one best sellers. I believe that reading is the foundation of our future for our children and I plan to do a series of children's books. I will work relentlessly to spread the word that together we can abolish prejudice.”

Guarino has been a professional writer since she sold her first story to “Ms. Magazine” at the age of 19. Born and raised in New Jersey, she has lived in New York and London, where she sold two original works that were produced and broadcast by the BBC. She has since written several other produced plays—three of which were performed with her late friend and mentor, Isaac Asimov—and has worked as an editor, journalist and advertising copywriter. She now lives in Sussex County, where she’s a single parent to her two sons, Josh and Daniel. As a toddler her older son indirectly inspired her most well-known work, “Is Your Mama a Llama?,” after she pointed out a llama at the Central Park petting zoo and wondered aloud, “Do you think that’s a papa llama or a mama llama?”

“Is Your Mama a Llama?” is celebrating its 16th year in print. Originally published in hardcover, paperback, Spanish, French and Big Book editions, it is now available in English and Spanish paperback editions, Big Book and baby board book editions and as an animated DVD narrated by actress Amy Madigan. It has also won the International Reader’s Award, “Publisher’s Weekly’s” Cuffie Award, was a Literary Guild Selection and recommended by the “New Yorker’s” Christmas List, “Nickelodeon Magazine” and the PBS series, “Between the Lions.” It was one of the first titles selected for inclusion in the International Children’s Digital Library, a worldwide website sponsored by the Library of Congress, UCLA and the University of Virginia, and was recommended by Oprah Winfrey for Oprah’s Book Club for Kids. To date it has sold over a million copies and is still earning royalties for Guarino and its illustrator, Steven Kellogg. Used nationwide in literacy campaigns for adults and children, it has even been turned into a reggae song for a soon-to-be-released compilation CD inspired by popular children’s books. Guarino’s next book, “If the Shoe Fits,” is due to be published by Chronicle in 2006.

Says Guarino, “I will come prepared to share anecdotes, laughs and some real insights into the pleasures, perils and professional problems of writing for children. I will also share how one writer handles daily life as the author of a book that’s much more successful—and famous—than she is!” There will be time for the authors to field questions from the audience and for both to sign copies of their books.

Begun in 1984, NJ Creatives Network, formerly known as S.W.A.N., has grown into a successful non-profit organization that boasts a diverse membership of talented professionals. Members include writers, designers of print and web media, illustrators, photographers, video producers, public relations specialists and other creative professionals.

For more information on the current meeting, please contact NJ Creatives Network President Stan Cohen at 201-384-9784 or visit the Meeting Section of the website. To find out more about joining NJ Creatives, please contact Membership Director George Kamper at 973-394-9974 or visit the Membership Section of the website.

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