Writing My Stories: July 2012

Sunday, July 29, 2012

How I Survived Without Writing

How many words have slid off my keyboard this summer? Few. Fingers too wet. Sweat dripping into my eyes. Back stiff from sleeping in a chair in a way too cool room with AC set at the max. But in my unproductive writing mode has my brain been on summer leave? Oh just see my long list of what I did this summer and I won't even be expected to write a back-to-school essay using that theme. I read whole novels in a single sitting, even if I started at bedtime. I watered the patio pots and garden, letting the leaky hose cool me from fingertip to elbow. I stared at the Super Moon from eastern horizon rising to clouded obscurity--enjoying the cricket chirp background and dampish cool. I proved that with care and feeding, even I could grow a colossal tomato plant in a pot. All summer I have studied closely, and in awe, the daily life of another happy tabby. I've recorded piano pieces and my Author voice reading of kid's picture books. Having survived the heat, I'm once again thinking back to the keyboard. And here I am. Writing.

Writer or Waiter?

When served at ________ (fill in the blank), you will hear "Enjoy!" It is universally accepted as an accompaniment with food presentation. But is that admonition acceptable--even with a smile--as you sign your published work? Assuming your text is the finished product of your writer training, don't start (or stop) pushing your pen until you've fashioned a signing that reflects and is a credit to the whole. Funny, clever, poignant, provocative, it can make a favorable lasting impression if it's right. Readers will know.
Leave "ENJOY!" in the hands--er, the mouth-- of the capable waitstaff. Sign your work like a writer.

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Author News Flash

What could be more entertaining than just holding a book in your hand while watching the pictures fly by? My guess would be that having a story read to a child by the author of the text would enhance the experience by much. So watch for notification of when mini CDs will be available to accompany each of my published picture books. They will be offered with every new purchase and will be available for previous purchases. Whose voice best reflects the tone of my stories? Mine!

My Blog Site

http://mariampineno.blogspot.com/

International Readers

Afternoon tea at the Visser home in Enkhuizen, Holland. Lis accepts hostess gift, happy to read it to her young granddaughters in Dutch.
(Spring 2005)

Mr. Visser asks the author to
read a few pages aloud.

Young Serbian host adds picture books to his growing display of gifts from guests.
(Spring 2006)

The Croatian interpreter is happy to accept specially-signed books
after the school entertainment. (Spring 2006)

In Moravsky Svatyjan
of the Slovak Republic,
Elena Simkova
(Elementary English Teacher, K-6) and retired-teacher mother, hostess of lunch, happily accept gift books signed for Elena's children Zuzana (5) and Ondrej (4)
(2005-2006)

After a home-hosted lunch in Spreyer, Germany, 7-year-old Maja and her mother, Maven join us in our riverboat cabin to accept gift books. (April 2008)

It Doesn't Grow on Trees

Jonathan James hasn't sung a solo since his first grade disaster.
Now he considers auditioning for the fifth grade musical.
From before and after "Do-or-Die Day," Jon endures the daily taunts of Big Bad B and his buddies. But how could this be worse
than bearing the brunt of one of Ms. Fa-La-La's big time explosions?
Maybe this will be the year Jon finds his motivation
and surprises himself most of all!

ISBN 978-1-4389-2678-0

Retail price: $9.00

IT DOESN’T GROW ON TREES: The Story Behind the Story

No, it isn’t one of thousands of books and online articles about money. Titles based on the old cliché rival the stars in number, but my first chapter book is not about some kid being bored by an adult’s preachy take on monetary matters. What this junior chapter book is about can be found on page 14. I won’t spoil it for you, as discovery is ever at the heart of page-turning. You will delight in finding the title’s roots and repetitions right to the end.

Is the story about a real 10-year-old boy? Definitely. Based on a music-teaching experience, it’s a tale I’ve wanted to tell for a very long time. Memory, intact, was kept alive by the child’s wallet-size class photo kept over my desk. I know but one Pop-Pop in real life. He gave permission to use his grandkids’ affectionate title without fear of my taking literary liberties. In school I often answered to “Mrs. Piano,” but Ms. Fa-La-La was more fun to create in booming tones—which was not me. No secret, highly fictionalized characters/scenes make great stories.

Imagination coupled with experience kept sentences flowing from chapter to chapter. Initially wondering what past incident could cause a child enough anxt to keep him from performing, I had only to recall one program where a first-grader lost his lunch onstage. I changed the song title and the prop because . . . (Ask me).

A fine alternate choice from dark fiction, this 10-chapter book (enhanced with original illustrated pages) shows the positive side: an easily intimidated child blossoms into his real potential with perseverance, work, and latent talent. You can put your money on that.

IT DOESN'T GROW on TREES is also available online at www.AuthorHouse.com and Amazon.com. Books can be purchased from www.eCygnet.com

a Box of Bears

Stuffed polar bears in a gift shop feel sad that they are constantly passed over for other toys because their pale fur makes them blend into a cotton snow background.

Can a giving spirit help Big Bear and Little Bear out of their predicament?

Follow these cuddly critters from cover to cover to learn how one good gift leads to another.

ISBN 0-9721897-3-6 Read-yourself grades 2 and up

Retail price: $12.00

The giving theme in A BOX of BEARS, suitable for all ages, elders included, makes this new book a thoughtful school, community, or hospital library gift/donation.
This book was officially released on Friday, November 13, 2009

A BOX of BEARS: the Story Behind the Story

I can do better than that. What children’s writer hasn’t thought, if not said it? Exactly how I felt on reading the free book accompanying the plush toy-of-the-year. I didn’t like the cover and I objected to the title. A confusing half-dozen or more character names began with the same letter. The story ending suggested the inappropriate child behavior of keeping a secret from Mother. But I had already bought the toys for a classroom gift from invited December Author.

After I’d explained my feelings about the commercial story this was one first-grader’s question on politely raising his hand: “Why did you buy it if you didn’t like it?” Good question.

“It was free,” I said, “and you can’t always judge a book by its cover!” But I admitted I do.

For the first and second-grade classes, I’d written my own story about toy bears without any relation to the original. It was too long for their attention level, but well-received anyway. Then I worked on and off for years on revisions and cuts to suit a young-reader picture book format.

And when my professional artist/daughter Marti said yes, our fourth collaboration was launched. It didn’t exactly crash, but keeping it afloat for a couple of years was our biggest book challenge yet. Know any artist who thinks white-on-white is easy? Doubtful.

More than once we hoped our book might be marketed in time for holiday shoppers. 2009 is the year for reality. A BOX of BEARS’ bright, beautiful acrylic illustrations will bring the joy of giving right into the heart and home of every lucky reader. Its evergreen theme defies shelf-life conventions for holiday books. And I truly believe. I did better.

The Bear Models

A BOX of BEARS Gift Basket. This one of a kind, All Occasion Gift Baskets Online exclusive gift basket contains a new book that makes a great gift for children of all ages The November 2009 release was written by Mariam D. Pineno and illustrated by Martha L. Pineno. The story follows stuffed polar bears in a gift shop who feel sad that they are constantly passed over for other toys. Follow these cuddly bears from cover to cover to learn how one good gift leads to another. Pier 1 brown rice gift basket, A Box of Bears book signed by the author and the illustrator, 3 plush 12" Cuddly Cousins bears, 2 plush bear hand puppets, 1 Buddy Bear paint-by-number artist set, 1 7oz. fat free gummi bears, 1 2oz. box of mini Teddy Grahams, and 1 acrylic polar bear dish.

Books can be purchased from www.eCygnet.com

a Hat for Hannah

All-School Hat Day is a week away and kids tease Hannah every day, sure she won't find a hat to wear. Determined, Hannah will keep on looking, if it takes all week. Choices. Choices. A jaunty French beret? A fancy red gardening hat? Will Hannah ever find a hat with p i z a z z? Time will tell. A delightful little picture book 4.25 x 5.5-Postcard size-- perfect for your little one's hands.

Copyright 2004 An Early Reader: Pre-School to Grades 2-3
ISBN 0-9721897-2-6
Retail price: $5.00

Hat for Hannah: the Story Behind the Story

Pizzazz? Or pizazz? According to Webster’s D. you can have it either way. But if you were a second grade reader sounding out, wouldn’t your mouth stop and drool at pizza without bothering to finish the word? That’s how I decided which version to use. “Hannah needs a hat. A hat with pizazz. She needs it for next Friday.” So the unique post card size book opens. For a week, Hannah bugs everyone in sight about hats. Perseverance pays. But I’m getting ahead of my story.

I saw the hot pink hat—sunflower-backed—among second grade kids invading my daughter Beth’s music room. Some more outlandish than others from theme-land headgear to authentic sombreros. I happened to be visiting on Hat Day when Emily’s pizazzy hat and lively style caught my eye. In turning my observation into a story, I imagined a variety of hat styles from everyday life and when I found them, I needed models.

My illustrator/daughter Marti wanted visuals so I/we shot five fat rolls of film of everything from porches, screen doors, school entrances, railings, family members, and even me—the grandma watering her flowers. For me, the book’s most poignant page was based on a photo of my dad in his jaunty French beret, sitting at a sidewalk café in Paris. Ever the avid reader, wouldn’t he be pleased with his role in illustrating a modern child’s book?

Mentor/editor/friend Joy Cowley had brief input into this book, too, and no surprise, her

contribution again was about choosing from while deleting “darlings.” In my enthusiasm, I had developed more hat scenes than appropriate to include. Not bad ideas—just too many. Another exercise in writer’s choices. I’m still learning.

The Real Grandma

Photo by Kerry Shirk -- THE PICTURE PLACE

Books can be purchased from www.eCygnet.com

Leonardo's Lesson

Readers who followed the Talented Tabby,
Leonardo da Cat, already know him as
Official Greeter and Artist's Model.

From the early morning PLUNK! of a big box,
to the silence in the last class of a long, long, day,
Leo wants to learn.
Now who, on this purr-fect day, will teach him?
Does it really matter?
Perhaps Leo's best lesson is about people.

This is a limited edition book - get your copies while supplies last.

Leonardo’s Lesson: The Story Behind the Story

“Will there be a sequel?” Kind of tongue-in-cheek, Marileta Robinson, a Senior Editor at

Highlights for Children magazine asked after reading her gift copy of Talented Tabby. She had guided my first cat’s tale in early-draft stage during private mentoring sessions at the 1996 Highlights Writers Conference at Chautauqua, NY.

Sequel? A possibility I had considered. But what followed T.T. morphed into an earlier-reader version of Leonardo da Cat’s antics, not a chronological progression. Brighter watercolors, shorter sentences, more white space and action for young read-yourselfers.

“He’s your cat, Marti,” I said. “Give me some ideas to go on.”

Well, never one to run from a challenge, she did. Our second collaboration started with her sticky-note scraps of paper, each briefly stating some real activities in Leo’s Cygnet Studios’ life. And no surprise, my accumulation of scene prompts eventually exceeded the reasonable number for my perceived-reader interest: pre-school through second grade. I’d need to cut. I did.

The story’s subtle ending shows how making friends doesn’t need to be hard. My friend, Joy Cowley (Author of Mrs. Wishy Washy fame), after a week-long Highlights Foundation workshop and the book’s printing, proclaimed, “I love Leonardo! What a cat!” And “Thanks for my copy. I shall treasure it.” High praise from a world renowned writer who met him only through my words and Marti’s art.

Joy, as mentor/editor reinforced the idea-limiting concept. So Leo wasn’t alone in his quest for learning. To be a good writer I had learned: Sometimes we must delete our “darlings,” printing only the best and filing the rest.

Leonardo da Cat keeps tabs (or more accurately, sharp green eyes)
on the illustrator-signing of the first box of books delivered.

Books can be purchased from www.eCygnet.com

Talented Tabby

Leo, the tabby cat, was far from ordinary.

Leo (short for Leonardo da Cat) had talent. But one day this art studio OFFICIAL GREETER becomes bored. He decides to look for a real job.

As readers follow him about the studio from office to waiting room (and places in between) they may wonder if lovable Leo
will ever find his true talent.Or could it have been there all along?

This is a limited edition book - get your copies while supplies last.

ISBN 0-9721897-0-X Read-Yourself: Grades 2-4 and up

Talented Tabby: The Story Behind the Story

“Does he always do this?” I ask as Leo makes a beeline for the art studio’s opening door. “Of course,” blocking the tabby cat’s path.“He’s our Official Greeter!”

Aha! A storyline inspiration. Now I’m reminded of my earlier photo-op—Leo’s lazy pose atop artist/daughter Marti’s office desk. That print begged to become a Cygneture portrait titled “Leo as Paperweight”—exactly how he appeared. Look for this painting’s beautiful adaptation as a watercolor illustration. The original oil goes along for Show ‘n’ Tell on school presentations.

I, an occasional studio visitor, admired—studied, actually—Marti’s growing Cygnet Studios Gallery collection of larger-than-life oil paintings featuring Leonardo da Cat. Based on photos, he appeared to be posing in various precarious positions on ladder tops, high railings and such.

I “put myself in the cat’s paws” (a phrase that came to me in a classroom response to “How do you know what the cat thinks?”) to ponder possible purposes in his choices of places to be. Thus, my first fiction writing took flight. My first ever kid’s book was born, its subtle message that being yourself is more than okay.

Talented Tabby, the book, is a Limited Edition, but lovable Leo will forever wrap “warm furry figure eights” around our hearts.

Leonardo da Cat (Leo) keeps tabs (or more accurately, all four paws) on his story from 30 drying watercolor-illustrated pages to delivery and illustrator-signing of the first box of books!

You may purchase the book at: www.eCygnet.com

About the Author

Mariam Davis Pineno holds Bachelors and Masters degrees in Music Education from Mansfield University and Penn State University and a diploma in Writing for Children and Teenagers from the Institute of Children’s Literature. A member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, her work has appeared in poetry anthologies and national magazines.
In collaboration with daughter/professional artist, Martha Pineno, she has published four full-color young reader picture books: Talented Tabby; Leonardo’s Lesson; A Hat for Hannah; and A BOX of BEARS was released in October, 2009. Her Junior Chapter book, IT DOESN’T GROW on TREES came out March 2009 at Author House Publishers.

A retired music educator, Mariam credits Joy Cowley of New Zealand as her most revered mentor/editor. Friendly-reader e-mail makes her heart sing: Writemuse@webtv.net