Award Winning Children’s Book Author/Illustrator and Local Hero!
Meet the Author/Illustrator:
Uncle Dave Howard
Uncle-Dave Howard holds his award-winning, rhyming children’s picture book LADY’S DAY, while his main character, pup and pal shares the spotlight!
Everybody’s Favorite Uncle!
“Howard’s seemingly simple illustrations that fill each page and sometimes spill over the edges are filled with texture that speaks a language all its own.” — C.R. Nelson, Observer-Reporter
Hello and welcome, Dave. I’m so glad you could drop by 4writersandreaders for a visit. Can you tell us a little about you and about your life?
I was born in the small town south of Pittsburgh. I was put into L.D. (learning disability) classes when I was in fifth grade. I could not read or write. I have Dyslexia and Attention Deficit Disorder (A.D.D). I graduated from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh with an associate degree in visual communication.
How about your family life?
I am very close to my family. Most of my ideas come from my family.
How long have you been writing and what type of writing do you normally do?
I started writing poems when I was ten years old. I continued writing horror stories through junior high; but, the only ones published so far are children’s books. My children’s books all rhyme.
Tell us about Lady’s Day to Play and your Mom’s Choice Award.
I have several books, but my award-winning children’s book Lady’s Day to Play is about a day in the life of my dog Lady. It follows her from play time, to bath time, to nap time in a rhyming format.
I love children’s books that rhyme. What prompted you to write your book? .
Lady’s Day to Play was a baby shower gift for my niece. Her baby died of S.I.D.S. (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) when she was only two months old. I rewrote the story and made it better. I also donate one dollar per book to S.I.D.S. research.
Do you have a favorite line from Lady’s Day to Play?
“Watch her shiver watch better shake;
better dry it off before it’s too late.”
Who is your favorite character and why?
There are only two characters in the book, but Molly is in three of my other books and she has come to life. I am adding more and more to her character as I go.
What was the hardest part about writing your book?
In one word— finishing. My mind never seems to be happy with anything and is always tweaking and fixing things.
Do you do anything besides writing?
I illustrate. Sometimes the illustrations inspire the book and sometimes the writing inspires the illustrations. I self-publish my own books as well as illustrating and publishing other authors’ work. I also work in a factory that makes outlet boxes. That is my full-time job. The books are just a hobby that pays for now.
I am working on several books all at the same time. Some of them I am illustrating for other authors and one of them will be one that I illustrate and write.
Thanks so much for visiting with us today, Uncle Dave Howard. It’s been a pleasure having you. I’m including one of the many YouTube videos I found about you, so that my readers can get to know you even better. After all, many in your community and beyond consider you a local hero. You certainly know how to help kids and adults cultivate their creative side. KUDOS, Uncle-Dave Howard! — Bette A. Stevens 4writersandreaders
“Dave Howard is a larger-than-life children’s book author: With his industrious work ethic and his dedication to bringing art back to the children, Dave brings hope and encouragement to kids and adults alike to be creative and imaginative…” – Larry Pishko, Heraldstandard.com
Watch the video and learn more about Uncle-Dave Howard’s role as a local hero:
“Chatting With Sherri” interviews Maine author/illustrator Bette A. Stevens
Sherri Rabinowitz,Host of “Chatting With Sherry” onBlogTalkRadio
This week we will speak to the lovely Bette Stevens about her wonderful children’s book Amazing Matilda; A Monarch’s tale. An inspirational tale of a Monarch butterfly and her meadowland friends.
I thank author J. Naomi Ay for inviting me to join this interesting and innovative tour. You can find out what this amazing Sci/Fi Fantasy author is doing right now at: http://www.jnaomiay.wordpress.com
Now, to get to my assignment for today—interview myself… This post will update readers on my latest work-in-progress (WIP). I’ve asked some of my author friends to join the tour. You will find them listed at the end of this interview and you’re invited to visit them next Thursday, December 19th to find out what they’ve been up to!
MEET THE AUTHOR:
Bette A. Stevens
That’s right, it’s me…
What is the working title of your book?
PURE TRASH: The Short Story by Bette A. Stevens
Sean and Willie Daniels, the talk of the town.
Opening excerpt from the short story:
Saturday morning, I could see a patch of sunshiny, blue sky peeking out through the torn curtain as I yawned good morning to my little brother. Willie was six. I was nine. No school, I thought, as I smiled and plotted our course for the day. Sometimes I wished Saturdays would last forever.
“Good morning sleepyhead,” Mum smiled as I bounced into the kitchen. “Get yourself dressed and run out and split some firewood and bring it on in. I’ll fix you some hotcakes.”
I slipped on my overalls, grabbed the ax from behind the broken chair and headed straight for the outhouse. I had to pee bad. Didn’t know if I’d make it. Whoopie, I managed to hit that darned hole just in time. I whistled as I thought about what a great day this was doing to be. Willie and me, we were going to ride our bikes into town, and I was sure we’d find some empty bottles and cans, maybe enough to buy some soda pop. The birds chattered back and forth in the maple branches that hung down over the old two-holer as I sat and thought. Sunshine streamed in through the east cracks. Yes, it was going to be a great day.
“Gee, Mum, can we go now?” I asked, as I gulped down the last forkful of hotcakes smothered with the maple syrup Mum had boiled down from this winter’s sap.
“Now, Shawn, you be careful. Willie hasn’t gone out on the roads much, so you let him ride ahead of you. Keep a good eye on him, you hear?”
“Sure, Mum,” I answered as I headed for the living room to get Willie. Dad sat in the big brown chair, his feet propped up on the worn hassock. Beer can in hand, all he heard or saw was the TV. It was Saturday, and Dad loved his baseball. Though I knew he’d find time to take us boys to do some fishin’ later. The games would be over by the time we got back. We’d run down to the brook, walk out into the cool swirling water and catch some fish for supper. Yes, it would be a great day all right. “Come on, Willie,” I hollered. “Let’s go!”
Willie jumped up and raced me to the door. Mum reminded us to be careful. “Yes ‘um,” I hollered back. Willie and I jumped on our bikes and peddled hard up the dirt driveway.
Mum said it was three miles to town. I kept my eyes on Willie as we pumped up the first hill and coasted like skiers down the other side, invigorated as we headed up the next climb.
“Pull over, Willie.” I hollered when we got to the top of Andover. That was the biggest hill we’d have to climb and the perfect spot to find empty cans and bottles on either side of the ridge. I never did understand why anyone would just throw them out like trash. But I was sure glad they did. Stark’s General Store paid cash, two cents each, and we thought we were rich every time the clerk handed us our loot in real money.
Peddling up the half-mile hill was a lot of work, but it was worth it, and not just the empties. Coating down the other side gave me the best feeling in the whole wide world. I guess that’s how eagles feel inside when they soar above the pines under those high, puffy clouds.
Once we reached the peak, we plopped our bikes on the ground and threw ourselves onto the soft bed of leaves at the edge of the woods. It was so peaceful. My mind wandered into the sky and I dreamed about the ride down the other side and about the Orange Crush we’d buy at Stark’s. (to be continued…)
I would love to get your feedback:
You can leave your comments at the end of this post.
Please leave feedback in the Poll below by clicking the relevant circles YOU LIKE from this excerpt from PURE TRASH: The Short Story:
Where did the idea come from for your book?
The idea for this story came from many years of actively listening to friends and family. Many of the life experiences of kids growing up in the 1950s and 1960s were very different from what mine had been. I lived a fairly comfortable middle class life with lots of support from family. Shortly before I wrote the original draft of the short story, I had read THE BEANS OF EGYPT MAINE by Caroline Shute. Her story reminded me of the personal stories I had heard over the years about a dysfunctional, poverty-stricken family, also from New England. This family included an alcoholic father, who had little thought or ambition to improve his own lot in life, never mind his family’s. The kids were the butt of the entire town’s jokes. School provided no respite. The oldest son was responsible for any shred of normalcy that prevailed. The mother had ambitious plans for her family, but little hope in having those plans materialize. As a listener to these tales, I was interested and empathic; I felt that others would be interested as well. Since my childhood had been what could be labeled as normal, I thought it would be a story worth telling — The story of a boy growing up in a family whose turmoil pervaded every aspect of their lives.
What genre does your book fall under?
Young Adult/ADULT Fiction, Coming of Age
Which actors would you choose to play in a movie rendition?
Sean Penn as the ne’re-do-well, alcoholic dad, Ed Daniels.
Jodi Foster as the mother, Mum to the kids: a woman with high aspirations, but little power to see them realized.
Various Child Actors: two boys (ages 4-18) two girls (infant-13)
What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?
Sean Daniels grows up as the oldest child in a family whose abject poverty defines who they are and inevitably determines the young man Sean will become (PURE TRASH: The Novel: memoir of a young army recruit on his way to boot camp).
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
As an Indie Author, I’ll use CreateSpace to publish. My plan is to start by publishing PURE TRASH, The Story (This short story encompasses one day in the life of young Sean Daniels) first as a paperback, then as an eBook. Next, I’ll incorporate this one day into a coming of age novel. I’m working on the novel now. The novel will be a memoir as Sean looks back on his life and heads toward his future as a U.S. Army recruit. The short story will be appropriate for middle-grade students as well as young adults and the general public. I think it would be helpful for a younger audience to be exposed to the dark side of growing up in a family engulfed in alcoholism and poverty. Since bullying is such a hot topic in our schools today, this story will help open up the table for further discussion.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
It took about a month to write the first draft.
What other books would you compare this story to?
I’ll choose a few that come to mind about coming-of-age and dysfunctional families (not to compare in any other way):
The Tale of Lucia Grandi: the Early Years by Susan Speranza
Before, After, and SOMEBODYIn Between by Jeannine Garsee
A Room on Lorelei Street by Mary Pearson
Who or what inspired you to write the book?
I was taking a creative writing class at The University of Maine. The stories I had listened to over the years were fascinating to me and I felt that others would enjoy them as well. When I read the original short story to my peers , they were drawn in to this little known adventure about growing up in the have-not environment the Daniels kids called home. My classmates wanted to know a great deal more about Sean and Willie Daniels. I thought that a novel, written from Sean’s perspective would find an audience among young adults.
What else about the book might pique the readers’ interest?
When most of us think about the 1950s and 60s,TV’s hit series “Happy Days” often comes to mind. It’s fun to reminisce if you grew up in that era; but those times were far from happy days for the children growing up in poverty in a dysfunctional family. Sean does enjoy some happy days on his journey to adulthood, but the not-so-happy days are the ones that help to mold his character.
Thanks for visiting and for your input on my latest work-in-progress: PURE TRASH: The Short Story. Don’t forget to leave me your feedback in the comments section at the end of this post. THANK YOU! Bette A. Stevens
Thank you Dear Kitty for nominating 4writersandreaders for anotherInspiring Blogger Award on December 12, gifting One More Star to add to the chart, making 2012 an amazing one for this blog ! It is you, however, all of my gracious nominators, who deserve the stars. Happy Holidays and Abundant Health, Success and Happiness into the NEW YEAR and beyond!
UPDATE: 12/15/12
I did receive my 6th STAR, but haven’t had a chance to pass it along, yet. The year is fast slipping by, so I must get busy:
Tis the Season to be inspired.
So click all of the links;
And let them know what you think!Congratulations, Best Wishes & Happy Holidays to All! Bette A. Stevens
Heartfelt thanks to the following blogs for nominating 4writersandreaders with a total of five stars— amended on 12/12/12, see award caption in this post— for THE 2012 BLOG OF THE YEAR AWARD! I am both honored and humbled in accepting them. I am very new at all of this internet technology (IT), but I love to write and I love to follow your blogs. I am thankful to all of my readers and fellow-bloggers and for the opportunity to part of the IT community.
First and foremost, I want to acknowledge and thank all of the blogs that I follow for the wealth of inspiration they provide me with on a regular basis.
4writersandreaders’primary focus is on literature and literacy and I am delighted to pass the BLOGGER OF THE YEAR AWARD on to four of the blogs that I follow for their literary expertise and excellence:
Thanks for your outstanding reviews of newly published children’s books that I can pass on to my friends, family, fans and followers on all of my social networks.
Thanks for inspiring me to embark upon the delightful task of interviewing authors and writing my feature posts MEET THE AUTHOR . You have provided me with a perceptive and professional example to follow.
Congratulations and sincere thanks to each one of you! Below you’ll find out how to accept and display your award. Just click the link, grab your star and keep shining!– Bette A. Stevens 4writersandreaders.
‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award
‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award
Do you know a blog that deserves an award?
Do you have special blogs that you love to read?
Which blogs do you bookmark and follow?
Would you like to give them an award this year?
Then the ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award is for you!
The ‘rules’ for this award are simple:
1 Select the blog(s) you think deserve the ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award
2 Write a blog post and tell us about the blog(s) you have chosen – there’s no minimum or maximum number of blogs required – and ‘present’ them with their award.
6 As a winner of the award – please add a link back to the blog that presented you with the award – and then proudly display the award on your blog and sidebar … and start collecting stars…
Kathy’s niece took these pictures of boomers the other night west of Edmonton. Kathy and I talked about what we saw in the clouds. There is a lot in there and yesterday, as I walked, I understood clouds meaning something different during different seasons of life.
The spring of childhood,
Clouds were homes
Where
My imagined friends
Came to life
Nursery rhymes, fairy tale, cartoons
People lived there.
A voice called: “Hurry home before it rains.”
Spring met summer
Romance arrived
A single rain drop touched us
We scrambled
Holding hands
We discovered shelter
In each other
And laughed: “Let it rain.”
The dog days of summer arrived
I looked up
Storm clouds overhead
Ominous
Please, I need to finish the lawn
Or there goes the BBQ tonight
I hear my voice: “Hurry home before it rains; so much to do.”
Thank you, Petrel141 of the bloghttp://dearkitty1.wordpress.com/and Eunice of the bloghttp://nutsfortreasure.wordpress.com/for nominatinghttp://www.4writersandreaders.wordpress.comfor the Very Inspiring Blogger Award! You are both, along with all of the other blogger friends in my community, a great inspiration to me. You continually amaze me with your wonderful posts that teach, encourage and inspire me to be a better writer and a more competent blogger. As The Bard would say, “Thanks, thanks and ever thanks” to each and every one of you! I am humbled and honored to be a part of a fantastic community of bloggers. Bette A. Stevenshttp://www.4writersandreaders.wordpress.com
The rules of this award are:
1. Display the award logo on your blog
2. Link back to the person who nominated you.
3. State seven things about yourself.
4. Nominate fifteen other bloggers for this award and link to them.
5. Notify those bloggers of the nomination and the award’s requirements.
Seven things about myself are:
I am currently reading The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak: historical fiction with a twist. DEATH, the omniscient narrator follows a young abandoned girl during Hitler’s Holocaust. Not quite finished, but I highly recommend this read.
I am working on my first novel: 1950’s and ‘60s fiction.
I have a cat named Midnight, whose every wish I gladly fulfill. She has her own grooming table where her masseuse (that’s me) brushes, combs and massages her several times a day, while she manicures her nails on her very own tree cookie.
I have a wonderful husband, who is a veritable genius at just about everything. He’s turning our little old shack into a min-mansion.
My husband called me “fire woman” since I keep the fire box filled and the home fires burning when outdoor New England temperatures demand a respite from the cold.
I love art and find my treasures at local thrift shops and yard sales. Fifty of these great buys ($25 or less each) take turns adorning the walls here at the old homestead.
I encourage milkweed to grow and flourish in my flower gardens just so that I can marvel at the amazing Monarchs (nature’s stained glass sun catchers) as they fulfill their dreams.
J. Naomi Ay, author of the Science Fiction/Fantasy series, The Two Moons of Rehnor
What the reviewers are saying…
”Excellent series! This author sucks you in with the depth of her characters… It is obvious that none of them are perfect, but that’s what brings you closer to them. The character of Senya is a most interesting combination of good, and what we normally think of as evil. One minute, I thought he was heartless, the next minute I changed my mind. The Senya character is constantly evolving throughout this series. The whole series is a keeper, and worth the price.”
Welcome, Naomi. It’s great to have you with us today.
Tell us a little about you and about your life on the Pacific Coast.
I am fortunate to live in one of the most beautiful areas in the country. In fact, it probably looks a lot like your beloved Maine. I live north of the Seattle area on the Olympic Peninsula on a small bay inlet off of Puget Sound. Dungeness crab season is open again, as we speak. In fact, my husband was just out on the water today dropping pots. Hopefully, that will be our Thanksgiving dinner.
Sounds like the perfect plate to me right now! Tell us a little about your family.
I have a husband of 27 plus years, three kids and a Pomeranian. My boys are both adults now, one just graduated from the University of Washington and the other is attending, both majoring in Engineering. Our daughter is thirteen and still in middle school; and, a budding actress.
How long have you been writing and what type of writing do you normally do?
Since kindergarten. I write Science Fiction/Fantasy. Basically, I put contemporary normal people in odd situations and surround them with futuristic and not so contemporary people. That makes the stories both interesting and humorous, I think.
Is there a specific age or demographic group that you write for, Naomi?
I thought I was writing for women of my own demographics although that has of course shifted over the years. As I age, my characters have aged too. I find that I get the most fan mail from women but surprisingly, men like my series as well. I’ve had some lovely fan letters from men and my husband has become quite the cheerleader for me. In fact, in some of my recent novellas he complained that Senya wasn’t in them enough and he isn’t doing enough cool things. Food for thought as I craft more stories.
Can you give me a brief synopsis of your latest book and series?
The Two Moons of Rehnor series is about a very strange man who is created to be King of the planet Rehnor. The Rehnorian people have spent much of their history killing each other and so the two enemy kings finally figured out that they could stop the wars if they created a single man to rule everyone on the planet. A royal marriage was arranged and a prince was born. The prince turns out to be very different from what the two kings had imagined; and, unfortunately, bad things happen to him. The series follows him from birth to well into middle-age and is all told in first person narratives by the people around him including the love of his life — a normal, ordinary human girl from Seattle. I think what sets my series apart is that even though it focuses on Senya, nobody has a bit part. You will get very involved in the lives of people who are on the periphery of Senya’s life. I like to think of Senya as the hub and all of the other characters are spokes revolving around him.
What prompted you to write your stories?
Boredom or an undiagnosed and subsequently untreated psychological condition. Actually, I started writing the series more than twenty years ago and kept writing and rewriting it. Finally. earlier this year I decided, enough! After releasing it and coming to the conclusion that I can’t change what’s already published, I’ve been able to actually write something else! It’s amazing how all new characters and all new story lines simply popped into my head as soon as I dumped out that one.
Do you have a favorite line from your latest book?
Yes. In Metamorphosis, book 7 in the series, Senya says:
“Sometimes we need to make it snow in June so we will be thankful for normal weather.”
I’ve had that very thought myself a time or two, Naomi… Who is your favorite character?
Senya, of course. He’s everything — amazingly beautiful, powerful, paranormal, brilliant, rich and vulnerable! (Sigh…) He also says incredibly smart things. It’s nice to channel a wise sage.
What was the hardest part about writing your book?
Originally, I wrote the whole thing in first person present tense. So for 20 years, that’s how I continued. Then I decided to self-publish and read that you shouldn’t use present tense. Uh, oh! I had to go back and change everything to past tense. Lots and lots of editing and lots and lots of mistakes, especially in the Book 1. By Book 4 and 5, I had figured it out and the stories were much cleaner.
Do you do anything besides write?
I do lots of things but the one that keeps me most busy is my sales job in the renewable energy sector.
How can my readers get a copy of your book?
Just about all of them are available at all major book and eBook retailers. Book 1, The Boy Who Lit Up the Sky is available from Amazon at this link:
I started another series earlier in the summer called Journey to Rehnor It’s set about 1,000 years before the Two Moons of Rehnor series. Book 1, The New Planet, was released in July; and, I’m currently scrambling to finish Book 2, Aran’s Gift and release it before the holidays. In the meantime, I’m also adding more and more novellas or novelettes to my novella collection. These are about 10,000 word fill-in-the-gap stories, giving more background on some of the characters. They are quick and fun to write, and they each sell for around $1.29.
I’m not done with the Two Moons series although Senya and Katie are hitting their golden years. I think I’ve got another novel or two about them before — well before — you know….
GREAT Adult Science/Fiction Fantasy: GET YOUR COPY TODAY!
Thanks so much for joining us today, Naomi. I am certainly enjoying your books. In fact, I highly recommend your series or individual titles, which can stand alone, to readers who tend to go for contemporary and historical fiction. Your Science Fiction/Fantasy series takes readers like me on a new journey, a welcome change of pace!
Welcome to 4writersandreaders
I’m a writer inspired by nature and human nature. You’ll find great books, authors, writing tips and more right here. I advocate for kids & families, childhood literacy and the protection of monarch butterflies and their habitat.Happy reading & writing!~Bette A. Stevens, Maine author
Bette A. Stevens, Maine Author 
Written
on 12/15/2012