Carmela A. Martino

January 1, 1970

Welcome to my first e-mail newsletter! In this issue: • New Group Blog • My classes for children and adults • Not for Kids Only Book Club Meeting • Please help “spread the word” I had a busy weekend attending the American Library Association Convention at McCormick Place in Chicago. I visited all the publishers’ exhibits, where I picked up lots of free Advance Reading Copies of upcoming books. Don’t know when I’ll have time to read them all, though! New Group Blog In case you haven’t heard, in addition to working on a historical novel and teaching part-time, I recently founded a group blog made up of six children’s authors who also teach writing. We call ourselves the Teaching Authors, and you can read our blog at www.TeachingAuthors.com . On the blog, we share tips and exercises for aspiring writers of all ages, including “Writing Workouts” that can by used for writers and also writing teachers. I am pleased to announce that this week we will host our first guest Teaching Author interview with Ann Whitford Paul, author of 17 children’s books. Ann’s latest book, Writing Picture Books is actually a how-to for adults. To celebrate her appearance on our blog, we will raffle off an autographed copy of Writing Picture Books. Be sure to stop by www.TeachingAuthors.com on Wednesday, July 15, to enter for a chance to win a copy. While you’re there, I hope you’ll take time to also read our latest series of posts on the struggles we all face managing our writing time. My most recent post was on July 1, with an addendum on July 2. My Upcoming Classes: This summer, I will again teach my popular girls-only writing camps at the Hinsdale Center for the Arts: Girls Write! For girls entering grades 4-5 July 27 – July 31, 2009 9:30 am – 12:30 pm or 1:15 – 4:15 pm Girls Write ON! For girls entering grades 6-8 Aug. 3 – Aug. 7, 2009 9:00 am – 12:00 noon If you know anyone who may be interested, please help spread the word. But space is limited, so they should register soon! For details, see http://www.hinsdalearts.org/SummerCamp.htm I will also be offering the following classes for adults at the Mayslake Peabody Estate in Oak Brook: From Goodnight Moon to Harry Potter Saturday, August 29, 2009 9 a.m.—3 p.m An introduction to the children’s/young adult writing market for those new to the field. Learn about the genres of children's literature, the current marketplace and how to submit a manuscript. Please bring a sack lunch. Cost for the day is $60, which includes coffee/tea/water service. Children's Writing Critique Workshop Tuesdays, 7:00 - 9:00 PM Sept. 15-Oct. 17, 2009 (no class on Sept. 29) In this workshop, children’s and young adult writers receive a critique of their own work while learning how to critically study the work of other writers in a friendly, supportive environment. You must bring copies of your manuscript—a picture book, short story, or novel excerpt—to the first class. Also, before enrolling you must email Carmela at the link below for word count limits and manuscript guidelines. Attending the Goodnight Moon to Harry Potter workshop on August 29 is strongly recommended. Note: class is limited to 10 students, so register early. Cost: $110 for the 6 weeks. Turning Life into Fiction Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009 9 a.m.—3 p.m. This one-day workshop will introduce you to techniques for creating fiction based on your own life events, or those of others. Learn how to mine your past for story ideas and details that will bring your fiction to life. Find out how published authors create composite characters from real people and turn anecdotes into stories that have a beginning, middle, and end. Please bring a sack lunch. Cost for the day is $60, which includes coffee/tea/water service. Mayslake Peabody Estate is located at: 1717 W. 31st Street Oak Brook, IL 60523 For information about the Mayslake facility, visit http://mayslakepeabody.com/content/ . To register for any of these classes, call Mayslake at (630) 206-9566. Not for Kids Only Book Club Meeting If you enjoy reading books for children and young adults, consider joining us for the next Not for Kids Only Book Club meeting at 2 pm on Sunday, July 19, at the Anderson’s Bookshop in Naperville. http://www.andersonsbookshop.com/events.php This month’s book is Scat, by Carl Hiaasen. I’m reading the book now and plan to be there! Please help “spread the word” I hope you will forward this email to anyone you know who may be interested in information about my classes, publications, blog, etc. Also, please encourage them to subscribe at http://www.carmelamartino.com/newsletter.htm . I promise not to clutter your inbox—I don’t foresee sending this out more than once or twice a month. Of course, if you don’t find this newsletter helpful, or are feeling overwhelmed with email, you can always unsubscribe at the above address too. If you have any questions, for the quickest response, don’t reply to this email. Instead, email me directly. Hope you having a wonderful summer. And happy reading!