The Greatest Fear: Your publisher has sent the new artwork for your book. The first glimpse is the hardest. You don't know what to expect. You are nervous. Did they capture the essence of your characters?

Italy is Pizza, Pisa, Da Vinci, snowy mountains, gellato, hot beaches, strong coffee, tasty wine, beautiful views of picture postcard valleys, and a celebration on the football pitch waiting to happen.

But, what about their children?

Serbia is

Hope your nighttime reading sends chills down your spine.

I wrote out a draft of a new picture book. I was was quite happy because I don't nail an idea in the initial draft. I waited a day or two and then I re-read it. Instantly, the story's flaws jumped off the page at me. So, I re-wrote a new version which addressed all these issues. In the end, I felt I had written a better story.

J.C Hine's Goblin Quest series plays with traditional fantasy character roles.  The story's main character/anti-hero is Ig, a goblin who is bullied by his fellow goblins.  While on patrol, he is captured and dragged along on a quest to retrieve an ancient artefact. It is no surprise that he is even despised by the group: two princes, a dwark and an elf. 

As they journey through the dark tunnels deep beneath the earth, nasty surprises await them around every corner.

 Enjoy this enticing read.

This subtle blue background and shading give off the feeling of a dark nighttime world.
A scared girl is climbing stairs. Gears and Cogs surround her. Why is she there? What will happen to her? These questions make me want to tear open the book.

A classic book which never gets old. No matter how many times I read it. 

What should I read next?

The Tale of Despereaux by Kate Dicamillo

A Prince without A Kingdom by Timothée de Fombelle

The Boggart by Susan Cooper

The Misifits by James Howe

Goblin Quest by Jim C. Hines

The Secret of Platform 13 by Eva Ibbotson

Recently, an editor suggested one of my stories could make a good chapter book and recommended Kate Dicamillo's books as a good model.

I have never written in this genre so I read Dicamillo’s Mercy Watson.

This is what I learned:

Hi Tim.
My favorite book is Rapunzel, because she has long golden hair and also there was a witch and at the end Rapunzel married the prince.

International Reader #3

Sandwiched between Old Europe and Russia, Ukraine has its own version of Pinocchio to tell.
The Golden Key or The Buratino Stories from O. M. Tolstoy.

American kids love their books for story time or on their own.
Here is a list of readers and their favourites.

Parents and children from around the world share their favorite books.

Hope you find a new title, a new author and, of course, amazing stories to read day or night, at the beach or in bed. Enjoy and keep reading.

Here are new words to stimulate your imagination.

You can read your story umpteen gajillion times and still you will find mistakes: A missing period. A questionable article. A line of stitled dialogue.

As I have been working with an editor, I realized, there is always something to improve in a story.

Making mistakes.

Before I submit my writing, I check for grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Then, I print a copy and check spacing, character font and size. After I finish, I give the story to my editor friend and she checks it.

I don’t want to make amateur mistakes and risk my chances with an agent or publisher.

But, last week, the worst happened.

Robert likes the three investigators, a detective series about three boys who solve crimes and talk to Alfred Hitchcock.

You can't stop reading a good book.

In the August 2013, the Write Life blog published an article about the proper number of agents to query. In this article, Chuck Sambuchino advises only 6 -8 agents. If you are rejected, it means the writer’s query needs revising. After submitting to your next group, if you are rejected, you need to revise your manuscript.