The Wonder of Learning to Read

I have a six-year old granddaughter who started kindergarten in September. It was fun during those pre-school years to watch her learn the alphablet, her numbers, colors, shapes, and on and on. However, the most rewarding experience has occured over the past few months as she has started to develop reading skills. I suppose part of my enthusiasm for listening to her read stems from my own love of books, but I can't help but feel that the whole world is slowly opening up to this bright young mind as I listen to her read out loud.

I, myself, have been reminded of basic things I learned all those years ago about insects, birds, fish, and all sorts of other living things just by listening to my granddaughter read elementary books about them. If you want to learn about a subject for a WIP, go to the library and check out the children's section. You usually obtain the general information you need in very simple terms.

Two years or so ago, I saw an anthology of the old Dick and Jane books and snapped it up to give to my granddaughter for Christmas. It is a book of 100+ pages, and when she recently read it over the course of just a few days, she thought she had achieved something wonderful. Well, she did. She learned new words, gained self-confidence with her reading skills, and earned bragging rights that she had read a book much longer than any her mom read at that age!

I don't recall at what age I learned to read, but I'm sure it wasn't in kindergarten. I definitely know my kids learned in the first grade. In fact, the teacher who instilled a love of reading in their young hearts is still a substitute teacher today, although very seldom anymore. Small wonder, since she taught my husband in first grade as well almost 60 years ago.

I was a parent volunteer in her class when my son had her for a teacher. I remember she had the "crown" reward system. A student received a crown made of construction paper for every 25 books they read. This included books read to them by their parents until the student was able to read on their own. I helped make the crowns and they became more elaborate with each step that was achieved. I recall each crown had the representative number written in magic marker in the center of the crown, "25" "50" "75" "100", and so on. The "25" crown was kind of plain, but the higher the number, the more design, glitter and color appeared on the crown. I can't recall the highest number attained, but I know it was a huge incentive for my kids. They would come home beaming with pride each time they received a new crown.

The incentive is a bit different in school today. My granddaughter is part of the AR - accelerated reader- program. I like the fact that for every book she brings home, there is a computerized test she takes the next day to test her reading comprehension. This is a good thing since several people, myself included, may read a lot but not necessarily retain what they read. (OK, at my age, I suppose part of this is senility!). The AR students get special privileges, such as "AR night". The last AR night, which I had the privilege to attend, consisted of a pizza party, games, and a movie. The next one will be a trip to Chucky Cheese - quite an exciting outing for kids who live three hours away from the closest one.

Today, my daughter, granddaughter, and I had some errands to take care of in Pueblo. We stopped at Barnes and Noble to pick up a book for a friend of my daughter's. My granddaughter was like a kid in a candy store. Her mom had told her she could buy two books this trip. It was quite a time of decision-making for her. She considered her options, made choices, and changed her mind about four times before coming up with her final purchases. My daughter and I had the pleasure of listening to her read both of her books on the trip home.

If a grandparent was limited to doing only one thing for a grandchild, I know my choice would be to listen to that child read, even if I end up listening to the same story a hundred times in a week. I would praise him or her for each new word they learn, and challenge them to higher levels of reading. I'm pleased that my granddaughter has a wide range of reading material, from such staples as Dr. Seuss to inspirational children's books by Max Lucado. I look forward to the day when I can pass on some of my tried and true favorites to her.

Reading can take us anywhere, stimulate our desire to learn, and help us achieve goals beyond our wildest dreams. Do everything you can to help the children in your life fall in love with reading!

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Interview with New Author Megan DiMaria

Welcome, Megan. I’m thrilled to interview you on my blog. Tell us about your book, Searching for Spice.

Thanks for hosting me on your blog, Pat. Searching for Spice is the story of Linda and Jerry Revere. Linda longs to experience a sizzling affair, with Jerry, her husband of nearly 25 years. Of course you know how life is—nothing goes according to plan.

What prompted you to write about this particular subject?

Searching for Spice was written as a response to a running joke I had with some girlfriends. You know, despite being long married, women still want romance in their lives. God hard wired us to crave closeness and a special connection with the men we love. Unfortunately, some times we need to remind them of that. J

When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

I’ve known I wanted to be a writer since I was in the 6th grade. I had a wonderful teacher who would read to the class every day. Around Christmas time we were given the assignment to write an essay about the season. I wrote about a girl walking home as the day faded and Christmas lights began to glow from houses. My story was about how she was looking forward to going home and decorating her Christmas tree. A few days later, when the class came in from recess, that teacher had decorated a cork board with images from my essay and had placed my essay in the center of all the pictures. She said that I was such a good writer that she could see exactly what my character was experiencing. Her words gave me the confidence to start scribbling out my stories. Also, my mother would take the kids to the local library every week. I loved wandering around all the lovely books, savoring the decision about which adventure I wanted to take next. I had a very early love of books. Another turning point was when I was 17 and had an internship with the local newspaper. One of the editors was very generous with his time and encouragement. One afternoon we were opening his mail and he received a book. He handed it to me and said something along the lines that one day I could write a book. The idea tickled me so much that I went home and told my dad. Unfortunately, neither of my parents lived to see my success.

Tell us a little about your journey, from the time you started writing Searching for Spice to publication.

I started writing Searching for Spice in early 2005 to enter it into the ACFW Noble Theme Contest (now called the Genesis Contest). I would write and then ignore the story for months and then write a bit again. I had some interest from an editor that May when I attended the Colorado Christian Writers Conference, but the story wasn’t complete. By the time I had almost finished it, she left her job. I was eventually rejected by a follow-up editor.

I was 99% finished with Searching for Spice when I went to the 2006 ACFW conference. At the last meal of the conference, I rushed into the dining room to try to get a seat at the table of an editor that I wasn’t able to get an appointment with. Just as I was about to reach the table, someone took the last seat. I hurried across the room to sit with an agent who was on my list, but wouldn’t you know, the same thing happened again, and I missed getting the last seat by moments. By now the MC had begun to speak, so I dropped into the nearest seat—at the table hosted by Tyndale’s acquisition editor Jan Stob. Honestly, I was a little discouraged because I thought it was a waste of time. I had thought Tyndale would never be interested in an unpublished author like me. Jan was lovely and asked about everyone’s project. She would smile and then move on the next writer. She never requested a proposal. At the end of the meal when everyone was leaving the dining room, there was a traffic jam at the door. I happened to find myself standing next to Jan and felt that I had to say something. So, I asked her if she would like to see my proposal. She said yes. I had five requests for proposals as a result of that conference. I went home, finished writing the story and sent out my proposals in October. I immediately got four rejections. A few months later Jan requested a full manuscript, and I got “the call” in March of 2007.

What are your plans for your next book? Will we see the Revere family again?

I’m happy to report that my next book, Out of Her Hands, is another Revere family story. This time the story is more focused on the frustrations of living with young-adult children. Out of Her Hands is scheduled to release in October 2008.

Any parting advice for prepublished writers?

Yes, write regularly, read regularly, join a writers group or two, hang out with writers, have your work critiqued and attend conferences if you can. I confess, many times in my writing journey I was tempted to throw in the towel. But the moral of the story is, don’t give up. Hold on to your dreams. Press on. Trust God. Someone once told me writers don’t fail, they quit. And I decided to believe it.

Thank you very much for letting me stop by and visit, Pat. Please feel free to check out megandimaria.com and chat with me via my blog at megandimaria.blogspot.com. I wish you the best of luck in your writing journey.

Thank you, Megan for a delightful interview.

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A Pitch for CCWC

The first time I heard about the Colorado Christian Writer’s Conference, I was driving home from work and listening to a Christian station I had recently located on my radio dial. I memorized the phone number, and when I arrived home, I called and spoke to Marlene. She sounded so welcoming on the phone and put a brochure about the conference in the mail right away.

I learned a lot at that first conference. Mainly, I learned there is such a thing as Christian fiction. I had some idea it was out there, but hadn’t paid much attention. I was thrilled to discover that there were people who actually wrote the kind of stories I wanted to write with an inspirational message.

I made contact with people who have since become good friends. I was introduced to ACFW at that first conference, even though I didn’t join until the following year.

My first editor appointment was with Jim Peterson. I was so scared, but Jim put me at ease right away. I don’t remember all that we talked about, but there is one thing I will never forget. At the conclusion of our meeting, Jim said a prayer with me and for me.

CCWC is a deeply spiritual conference. The worship sessions are filled with the presence of the Holy Spirit. Even though I can’t sing, I enjoy being bathed in the glory of all those voices raised in praise to our Lord. Marlene speaks so fluently and offers her petitions to God with such smoothness that it is as though she were speaking to a physical human being standing next to her. I always marvel at the way she moves from speaking to praying all in the same breath.

The backdrop of the resplendent Rockies adds a certain magic to this conference. Whether sunbeams kiss the tops of the peaks or bone-chilling winds blow snow across their faces, the mountains stand as an awe-inspiring testimony to God’s creation. The thinner air can drain a person’s physical strength, yet its purity invigorates the soul.

Marlene always offers a stellar line up of authors, agents, and editors who are there for the sole purpose of helping the conferees further their careers and make their dreams come true, all within the boundaries of God’s will. Her guest speakers provide inspiration and often take us to other parts of the world, speak of other ministries, and fill our hearts with the joy of seeing God at work in this dark and dying world.

Hope to see you in Estes Park in May!

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