Imaginative Quill
Aug. 1, Issue #4
I'm absolutely thrilled I have two books coming out this month. No School for Me! (Change is Hard), part of Charlesbridge Publishing's Chicken Soup for the Babies Soul series, just released on August 5th. It's my first board book and I'm so excited to share it with you. And Luna and the Case of the Missing Mooncakes, a Storytelling Math book, will be released on August 12, also by Charlesbridge Publishing. It's a sequel to my previous trade book with Charlesbridge, Luna's Yum Yum Dim Sum, which was published in 2020. The Storytelling Math series introduces young readers to math concepts through fun stories featuring diverse characters. In Luna's Yum Yum Dim Sum, Luna has to decide how she and her brothers can split five pork buns among three people. In its sequel Luna and the Case of the Missing Mooncakes, Luna and her cousin Mina use logical thinking to follow clues and discover who's stealing mooncakes during their Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations.
No School For Me! (Change is Hard)
It’s the first day of preschool, which means new shoes, an unfamiliar place, and new classmates. Little Turtle does NOT want to go. Mama Turtle tells Little Turtle that trying new things can be a lot of fun. Little Turtle doesn’t want anything to change.
A first-day-of-school read that supports little ones on their big day.
Luna and the Case of the Missing Mooncakes
Someone in the family is stealing mooncakes! Could it be big brother Kai? Luna’s other brother Benji? One of the cousins? Or maybe a grown-up? Detectives Luna and Mina search for clues and eliminate suspects during the Mid-Autumn Festival celebration. Can they catch the thief?
BRAIN DUMP
- Grab a piece of paper and pen/pencil
- Write down anything that's cluttering up your mind: tasks, worries, unfinished projects
- Let your thoughts flow - no thinking, no organizing
- Just put your brain clutter onto paper. You'll be surprised how free your mind can feel afterwards.
- Now you're ready to Write!
SETTING YOUR INTENTIONS
This one's my favorite. It really helps me focus, and smells great as well:
- Light a scented candle. People tend to underestimate the power of smell to create the right mood for writing or to conjure up the perfect setting for your scene.
- Close your eyes, and set your intention for your writing session (be it an hour, half a day, or just 10 mins.). "In this writing session, I'm going to revise my picture book/finish Chapter Two/Write a scene" etc.
CREATIVE IDEATION GAMES
In May, the SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) San Francisco North and East Bay region had a Mental Health for Creators event. Our Contra Costa County co-Coordinator Gennie Gorback conducted a wonderfully fun 15-min. session called "Ideation Games for Creators". These are quick, timed creative spurts you can do by yourself or with a group to loosen up your writing mojo, or rejuvenate your writing. With her permission, I'm sharing her Ideation Game handout.
Luna and the Case of the Missing Mooncakes had its book birthday at the Cloverdale Library on Saturday, August 16. A book reading was followed by a mystery treasure hunt in search of mini-mooncakes, then prizes, mooncake tasting, snacks, beverages and a book signing. Fun!
Flip flop clue
Mini-mooncakes
Solving the last clue