This week we're celebrating National Library Week in Seekerville.
The American Library Association provides Facebook and Twitter Links so you can follow along with the fun this week. Check it out here.
And here in Seekerville we're asking "What was your very first library memory?"
And on behalf of my friend, S, I'm asking..where are libraries as we head into the digital frontier?
Post your thoughts with us today for a chance to win a copy of Kelly L. Stone's Time To Write. Winner announced in the next Weekend Edition.
We Have WinnersPlease contact Seekerville through our new web email if you are a winner and if needed, provide your snail mail address. Please note our giveaway rules in the right lower column of Seekerville.
Rainbow Rowell visited Monday with her post, Rainbow Rowell : A Woman Writing in a Man's POV. Winner of Attachments, her debut release from Dutton is squiresj.
Mary Connealy was your Tuesday hostess with Research That Leads Only To Questions. The winner of the first ever in the known universe giveaway of Deep Trouble is Nancy and because Mary is excited about the book coming out and in a generous mood, she's adding a second winner: EC Spurlock.
Wednesday we learned How Best Selling Authors Achieve High “Rewards-Per-Page” Scores, with Guest Blogger Vince Mooney. Winners of a five page RPP critique by Vince are Carol M, Walt and Dianna Shuford. The book winner (BOC from those Seeker books reviewed by Vince) is Eva Maria Hamilton.
Love Inspired cowgirl Audra Harders presented Don't Take It Personally on Thursday. Winner of Mary Connealy's Doctor in Petticoats is Sandy Ardoin and winner of an April, Love Inspired book pack is Cathy Shouse.
Friday our guest Kathi Macias as she shared, Do You Have Issues with Fiction? Winners of People of the Book from New Hope Publishers are Martha A. and Laura Russell. Winner of Train of Thought is Catherine West. Thanks Kathi for your generosity.
Saturday we welcomed Stephanie Morrill with Go Teen Writers. Winner of one of The Reinvention of Skylar Hoyt novels is Angela Bell.
And The First Five Pages critique winner is authorkathyeberly.
Next Week In Seekerville
Please note that this week we have 6 days of posts and no Best of the Archives on Saturday. We will still be drawing a name for the First Five Pages Critique. Request your name be entered in the drawing at anytime or leave a note on our Facebook Page.
Monday: We are thrilled to have author Cathy Shouse return to Seekerville with her post Ten + Tips to Turbocharge Your Marketing. And she's giving away a copy of Janet Dean's latest release, Wanted: A Family.
Tuesday: Cheryl Wyatt is back in town to present her 2011 Romantic Times BookLover's Convention recap.
Wednesday: Love Inspired Historical debut author Patty Smith Hall is visiting today!
Thursday: Steeple Hill author Ruth Logan Herne is your hostess with Grab Your Hard Hats! We're Building in Seekerville! And she's giving away Seeker Book Bash Basket, a delightful melange of Seeker books to read or give as gifts while she talks about the basic building blocks of building a platform for characterization.
Friday: Don't miss our first ever visit by author B & H author Tosca Lee.
Saturday: Harlequin Historicals author Pam Crooks is our special blogging guest today.
Seeker Sightings
Wednesday you can find Debby Giusti on the Crafty Ladies of Suspense blog.
And congratulations are in order for Debby. Killer Headline, is a finalist in the Inspirational/Traditional category of WisRWA's Write Touch Readers' Award contest.
Ruth Logan Herne will be hangin' with the gals of Get Lost in a Story on Tuesday April 12th where she'll chat about the top ten things that say you're "lost in a story" before she shamelessly promotes her new "Men of Allegany County" series with the debut of Reunited Hearts! Come by and get put in the drawing for something totally Ruthy, like a new Doodle puppy which is way cooler than Mary's old, used cow.Then on Thursday April 14th Ruthy takes the ferry across Lake Michigan, down the St. Lawrence and sails the seven seas to the Land Down Under and hangs out with Aus Jenny on her blog. Stop by for a chance to win Reunited Hearts, Ruthy's delightful romance of old wrongs and new beginnings, because everybody deserves a second chance. Don't they?
And you can find an insightful interview with Captain Trent Michaels, the to-die-for hero of Reunited Hearts at Craftie Ladies of Romance on Sunday, April 17th. Come join the ladies for a spot o' tea with the good Captain. Total eye-candy experience!
Random News
- If you are a library professional don't miss the RWA Conference NYC Librarian's Day. (Authors invited to the networking portion! See you there.)
- Deborah Hale: What To Pack in Your Short Synopsis (From the Heart)
- Novel In 30 Days Worksheet Index (Writer's Digest)
- Tina James, Love Inspired Historical Editor Pitch is Coming! Open to any unpublished author. Further details can be found here.
- If you are an aspiring or published YA author here's information on YARWA the Young Adult chapter of RWA. Don't miss their annual event at RWA Nationals: Reception and Editor's Panel on Wednesday, June 29th.
- Soul Surfer to Premier in Theaters (Christian Retailing)
- What Happens To Your Book Once It's Accepted? (Pink Heart Society)
- Thinking Outside The Traditional Medical Romance Box (Sets) (Harlequin Blog)
- Because I couldn't help myself: McLibrary.
Seekerville is delighted to congratulate all the semi-finalists in the 2011 Genesis Contest. A special shout out goes to the Friends of Seekerville! Woot! Woot!!
YAY! And oy! Now what to send to Vince... /wrings hands/
ReplyDelete/looks at wrings and can't decide if it's right or not but leaves it anyway/
I've got breakfast. Donuts and bagels in honor of church day. And waffles. Because I can.
Looks like another great week coming up in Seekerville ;). Shocking, no?
Congrats again to all the semi-finalists :)!
And since there's no weekend edition, I'm in for the 5 page critique.
carol at carolmoncado dot com
You're looking at the WE Ed, kid. There is no Best of the Archives.
ReplyDeletePass an asiago cheese bagel please and thankyou.
Ugh.
ReplyDeleteI should not be writing this late at night.
That's what I meant. No best of the archives next weekend :p.
Oy.
Maybe working on the WIP isn't the best plan at the moment...
Wow. Here is is, 11:23 p.m. Saturday, and I get to read the Sunday edition! Sweet!
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm NOT the first commenter!
I adore libraries. I love the smell, the feel of the books' spine as I trail my fingers across them, and the prim little librarians sitting behind the desk. I love spending hours there, with my cloth bag handy, ready to fill it with books that are begging to be read. I always check out way to much, and never get to finish them all in the alloted checkout time. But that's okay...I can check them out again!
I remember signing up for the summer reading programs at my library when I was in elementary school. You read a certain amount of books and you got to put stickers on a special page. At the end of the summer, you turned the page in and were rewarded a certificate and bookmarks for reading. I loved that!
Coffee pot's set.
ReplyDeleteMy earliest library memories are of freshman study hall in the high school library.
Looking forward to another great week.
Helen
Congratulations on your semi final, Sherrinda!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Tina! I have to say finaling (I don't know how to spell that word since I get the red squiggly line no matter how I type it!) with so many friends has made it so much fun! I am just so excited. Getting to put Genesis Semi-Finalist 2011 on my writing resume will make it look so much better! (There's not a whole lot there yet!) :)
ReplyDeleteSince I've worked in libraries for almost 15 years now (law libaries, academic libaries, and city libraries) I can tell you, they're some of my fvaoritest places ever!
ReplyDeleteBut earliest memory would be staring at the handpainted cartoons on our little library basement walls and wondering why I couldn't paint on my walls at home, but they could paint on them at the library! :D
Cute, Virginia. Of course, you wanted to paint on walls as a kid. Don't you love the mind of a child!
ReplyDeleteMy best library days were summers during middle school. I would ride my bike to the small library not far from where I lived and spend hours searching for the books I wanted to read.
In those days, I kept a piece of typing paper folded like a bookmark and listed the name of each book I read. Many were classics...but also I loved Daphne du Maurier and Edna Ferber, Betty Smith and her A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Leon Uris and John Hersey and James Michener...
Wish I had kept that bookmark.
Congrats again to all the Genesis semi-finalists!
ReplyDeleteFun to see the excitement on Facebook as "friends" mentioned making the list.
So proud of the many friends of Seekerville who were recognized! We're proud of you!
Congrats to all the winners! My first library memories. I remember when I started first grade at a new school. It was library day and I choose a book off the 3rd grade reading level shelf. The librarian told me it was to old and that my parents would have to read it to me. I told her I was planning on reading it by myself. She didn't want to let me check it out still feeling that I wouldn't be able to read it. Finally she had me sit down with her and read out loud the first few pages of the book. Which I did very well proving that I could read the advanced material. After that she never gave me problems when I was checking out books.
ReplyDeleteI'm in for breakfast! Getting ready to go to church.
ReplyDeleteAs for the libraries in this digital age - well I live in a small southern town (Mississippi) so our library is not online or anything. Well, when you check out they do that by computer and they have computers for you to look up a book. However, you can't do anything from home concerning the library. We are still the traditional library I guess. I love libraries! My daughter (lives in Texas) can go online and find and reserve books for their library. That sounds neat.
plhouston(at)bellsouth(dot)net
There was a public library across the street from my elementary school and I accidentally discovered it and opened a huge world for myself.
ReplyDeleteThough I hated the card catalog, I love just wandering the stacks looking for books. I discovered Beanie Malone there and would take my books and walk home reading. It was heaven.
BTW EXCITING NEWS !!! I am emailing with Kelly L. Stone, author of Time to Write and she will be visiting us in Seekerville.
ReplyDeleteEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!! So thrilled.
Patsy, I am thrilled that your library is still traditional. I like change but I don't want it to happen too fast. I love reserving online and going in and doing self checkout but I don't want libraries to change too fast.
ReplyDeleteLaura, your story is so sweet. Love it.
Libraries! Love them! My first job as a teen was working in a library.
ReplyDeleteOur neighborhood library was recently renovated and now is a self-serve type place. You check-out your own books with a little scanner machine and check them back in on a conveyor belt.
The only problem is they don't have a lot of the books I like to read, namely Christian fiction. I do get some sent in from other branches, but they're sketchy at best. Plus we have no bookstores that sell Christian fiction so I end up buying them on line! Now that shipping costs have gone CRAZY, I have to budget myself!
Congrats to Sherrinda, Pepper and all the other semi-finalists! I was absolutely thrilled that one of my entries finaled (though not the one I expected! LOL).
Very exciting!
Cheers,
Sue
SHERRINDA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI saw your name on the GEensis Finalist List!!!!!!!!
Congrats to all winners and Semi-finalists!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the WE, Tina.
When I was a kid, the closest public library was 30 minutes away, so I became very familiar with my little bitty elementary school library. Found BOTH hiding spots. Though small, it opened up an amazing world for me - outside of my small, Appalachian community. Laura Ingles Wilder, The Secret Garden, Nancy Drew...
When I went to middle school I thought I'd entered a giant bookstore when I saw their library for the first time. Twice the size of the one I'd always known...and I read by first Louisa May Alcott and Charlotte Bronte there.
I suppose there could be e-libraries. We have those at the university where documents will be electronically on loan to profs and students. We have access to the link for two weeks and then have to renew our request.
It was a new experience for me. Love it!!! But I'm sure you all are familiar with it. I'm a slow learner.
Sue,
ReplyDeleteCongrats!!!
I can relate. The entry I had slaved over - and thought for sure would be the one to final...DIDN'T.
The one I never imagined would final...DID! Weird.
But I've never been good at guessing. I guessed that all of my children were the opposite sex for which they were born. Never got ONE right. So much for mother's intuition.
Tina!! What kind of change do we win? That's what I want to know!!! (It's a curse... ack)
ReplyDeleteWow - the FOS list grows and grows! Congrats to all the finalists (Maybe I don't understand this double-final thing. Pepper's name was in 2 categories, right? But it didn't say she double-finalled. I know eh? One L or 2... ??)
Ruthy - I don't think Mary's cow was a USED cow, was it? But puppies are always good. In fact, May was helping me edit her book last night. I got some hilarious photos of her I'm going to post shortly to her FB page. She is a hoot. That May.)
And congrats to all the winners. YAY Seekerville.
I don't know it's spring and I'm in a really joyous mood today... Don't mind me. Now please pass the waffles, CarolM. :)
Libraries - digital. yeah... I don't think real books will ever be replaced. Seriously. They will survive in some form/fashion. Telephones have. We're not to Vulcan mind melds quite yet.
The experience is DIFFERENT with a book v. a computer. So - at least I hope this is the case that books hang around. I do enough on computers and want a real book when I read.
Mom took me to the library when I was itty bitty. It was free and something fun to do and got me used to interacting with other kids during the story times. Still remember...
Libraries--my first love, affair to be sure!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a kid, there was only one library in the county we lived in and it was on the other side of town. So I was beyond excited when a new library opened just TEN MINUTES from my house--you would have thought I was going to see Shaun Cassidy rather than a buidling full of books.
And I did the reading program at the library too--the year I was eleven, my mom got a call from the head librarian, telling her that no only had I read the most books in the county, I had read all the books in my age class and would need a parent's signature in order to read more advance books. Good times!
Congratulations to all the semi-finalists of the Genesis! And to everyone who entered--it's a huge step to send your baby out into the world!
Have a great Sunday!
Patty
I am a HUGE library girl. I have discovered so many authors there that I ended up loving and buying. I really believe in them.
ReplyDeleteBoth of the libraries I hang around have recently been facelifted until they're just beautiful, really staggeringly beautiful.
But I walk in this open, airy places with computers everywhere and space, so much space...and I kind of miss the old, squeezed in books, stacked to the ceiling. The news buildings are fine but I loved being surrounded by books.
Sue! Pepper! Congratulations to you both!
ReplyDeleteEarly library memories...
ReplyDeleteNow that I'm more coherent...
My first real memory checking out books was in jr high. I could check out 25 at a time. And I did. And I read them all and came back the next week. The YA section was too small for me :P. I read many over and over.
I started taking my kids last summer. They got their own cards and get to check out two fun books and one learning book at a time. Except the now 3yo. He'll get a card this year most likely. We did get him some Curious George etc books though :).
Earlier library memories...
My mom taught science at my small Christian school. Her classroom had a door that exited to the library. That was way cool. And I knew how to use a paperclip to open the door to the back room. But not until later.
I know this is totally random and doesn't have anything to do with books but...
They held faculty Christmas parties and stuff in the library. When I was ten, my mom was dying of cancer [though we didn't know that for sure yet]. Mom and Dad walked in and there were presents sitting on one of the tables. No one had told them anything about a gift exchange and they decided that they hadn't been told because everyone knew they wouldn't be able to afford it with the medical bills etc.
As it turned out, instead of doing a secret Santa type gift exchange, all of the teachers chose one of our names and all of the presents were for the four of us. They were sure our parents wouldn't be able to do much for Christmas and they poured out their love on us. I still tear up thinking about it and still have a couple of things I KNOW came from that Christmas.
So nothing to do with books. But happened in the library.
And that was where we did taste tests on regular v. blue mashed potatoes. But that memory doesn't make me cry ;).
Carol, those are sweet memories. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteNow about the blue mashed potatoes....?????????????
Hi Tina:
ReplyDeleteBy far my best library experience was in the military when I was stationed in Italy. There were no real English bookstores. Books in English at Italian bookstores were very expensive. There was little room in the barracks to store books even if you did buy them. I spent a lot of off time in the library.
Also, the library was a great place to meet single girls who spoke English. Of course, we had to avoid all dependents. That left older librarians who were working in Europe to explore the continent and experience life to its fullest.
As they say, “In praise of older women.”
Vince
I love libraries! My earliest library memory is when I finally became old enough to cross Main Street by myself--which meant I could ride my bike to the library any time I wanted. No more waiting around for older brothers and sisters (who weren't into books) to take me. And even tho' our librarian seemed ancient (she had blue hair and smelled like Jean Nate), she always found the best books for me . . .
ReplyDeleteThat small town library and the one I frequent today are both part of the excellent Mid-Hudson Library System of New York State. I can search the catalog online and borrow ebooks from my library. The selection of what can be emailed is limited but growing. It's great!
And, also, congrats to Susan, Sherrinda, Pepper and other semi-finalists :)
reneeasmith61 [at] yahoo [dot] com
Jean Nate!! OOOOh memories like Bonnie Bell splash for teenyboppers.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to Renee Ann on her semi finalist placement!!!
Oh, Teenster ... great WE, and a favorite library memory?? Does the bookmobile count, I hope???
ReplyDeleteThe bookmobile came to our Catholic school once every other week or so, and each and every time, my girlfriend and I would take out the limit, which was about ten books, I think. My stack was ALL romance -- Victoria Holt, Emilie Loring, Margaret Mitchell (yes, I read her over and over and over ... all one volume of her work ... :)), and my girlfriend's stack was always all adventure, mystery, science, etc. She ended up being a doctor and I ended up being a romance novelist -- oh, what a surprise!! :)
SUPER CONGRATS TO ALL THE GENESIS FINALISTS ... MANY OF WHOM ARE SOME OF MY FAVORITE ONLINE PEOPLE AND HUGE FRIENDS OF SEEKERVILLE -- WE ARE SOOOO EXCITED FOR YOU. ONWARD AND UPWARD!!
And, VINCE ... your quote that said, "As they say, “In praise of older women”?
Gosh, there are just SO many reasons why I like you, my friend, but I have to say, that that quote is surely one of the best! ;)
Need to get back to work -- I'm sitting on my lower deck with my feet up and laptop in my lap, staring at blooming dogwoods and redbuds in 86-degree weather with a gentle breeze while I write a love scene. Sigh ... as far as work goes, it just doesn't get any better than that!
Hugs,
Julie
Winning is so exciting! Thanks! And congratulations to all the other winners!
ReplyDeleteOne of my earliest library memories includes the day I got my very own library card. Such a grown up thing. I had to sign my own name :)
I still love libraries and the ones around us have play areas and programs for children that keep us going there constantly with our daughter.
Have a nice weekend!
Eva Maria Hamilton at gmail dot com
Tina -
ReplyDeleteIIRC we were trying to see if there was a taste difference or if it was a psychological thing. IIRC, when blindfolded, most people couldn't tell which was which...
But there's still something inherently wrong about blue mashed potatoes...
And Ruthy - my kids would love it if I won a puppy ;). I wouldn't be nearly as excited =D.
MARY!!!!!!!!!! I know! Hard to believe!!!!! Thanks for the encouragement, friend. :)
ReplyDeletePepper, what is a WE that you are thanking Tina for?
ReplyDeleteOh wait...
ReplyDeleteAs soon as I hit send I figured it out...duh.
WEEKEND EDITION!!!!!!!
They are always so creative!
Sherrinda,
ReplyDeleteYou who are supposed to be of one mind with me...Sigh (eye roll)
Tina's FABULOUS Weekend Edition (WE) as usual.
Winners, announcemnts, fun, links...
People vying for another prize.
Ya know. ;-)
Oh - and congrats again on the semifinal, my dear friend. WONDERFUL news!!!!
Pep, we ARE of the same mind. My brain is just a slow-churner, whereas yours churns in double-time!
ReplyDeleteBahahahah!
My mom was very sick pretty much my whole sixth year, and died when I was seven. I remember my grandma (my mom's mom) taking me and my little brother to the library during that time to give us some "family time." That's probably where my love of books started. LOVE the library. And would LOVE "Time To Write."
ReplyDeleteNext week looks FABULOUS. And congrats to the Seekerville friends for Genesis finaling! Lynda! Pepper! wooo!
And please enter me in the five page critique! joanne(at)joannesher(dot)com
Aw, Joann, those are beautiful memories and wasn't your grandma smart to know to create them.
ReplyDeleteMy first library memory is of going to my small-town library that was in a former house. I might have been seven or so and the books were hard cover and some were very worn. The kids' books usually didn't have book jackets. The art and title were right in the covers, which has a strong texture. I just loved all books.
ReplyDeleteI guess there was a special scent to the place, maybe because the books were older. I associated it with the very good experiences I always had there. At some point, a family friend became the librarian, which made the experience all the more special.
I'd love to win the book!
cathy underscore shouse at yahoo
Sorry I'm late, everyone. It was nice to see the good company I had on the semi-finalist list. I didn't expect to be there either, but I'm certainly not complaining.
ReplyDeleteI've always loved the library. I go in one and could get lost, spend all day, breath in the knowledge. My children hate going with my to the library for this reason. Of course, I really only like reading fiction, but you learn history through historical fiction right? That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
When I was growing up, my library had a large carpeted mountain with lots of spaces to sit. It's hard to explain, but it was great. I'd get my mom to drop me off, find a book, and spend all the time I could tucked into a corner of that mountain. I loved it!
Oh, forgot to say...I already have Kelly's book so don't enter me for the drawing.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to Dianna as well!
ReplyDeleteWe carpooled (either my mother or my aunt) when I was in elementary school and we stopped at the library at least once a week to check out books. It was awesome.
ReplyDeleteThen, one summer I got a big poster with a "Bookworm" on it. You filled in each little slot on the bookworm for every book you read. I read 100 books that summer.
And, when I was in 6th grade, we had to do a book report, but my teacher sent me to the high school library because she said I couldn't do a report on any of the books on her shelves. I had to get a bigger book than the rest of the kids. But that was okay. I got to read a BIG book. lol
My earliest memory of the library is learning the Dewey Decimal System and searching for books in the card catalog. I loved the library as a child and still do. Unfortunately many libraries in my area are closing or limiting their hours which makes me sad. How many of you remember the Book Mobile? How cool was that! The first Monday of every month the Book Mobile would come to my neighborhood bringing all of my favorites, Little House, Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys....those were the days.
ReplyDeleteI don't remember doing the summer book club stuff, but I do remember my first grade teacher [Mrs. Love - isn't that a great name for a first grade teacher?!] putting a dot on a pig? hippo? something like that for every book we read. Me and Mark Abeta were the only two to end up with two hippos because our first ones were full. I forget who had more books at the end of the year though. Second grade. Mrs. Jobe. Same thing. Third grade. Mrs. Cook. No animals on the wall with dots for books read :(.
ReplyDeleteStarted Reunited Hearts Friday night. Finished it last night!!
ReplyDeleteIt was a VERY satisfying read.
Thank you, Ruthy, for making me the boss.
Carol:
You mentioning teacher names triggered a memory.
When our youngest son was in first grade, his teacher was Miss Bee. His second grade teacher was Mrs. Byrd. We figured we sent him to school very young to learn from the birds and bees.
Congratulations to all the Genesis semi-finalists. A great WE Ed, Tina. A great lineup for next week. I got reacquainted with my nearby library when homeschooling my boys. That was fun, too.
ReplyDeleteHelen, that's hilarious.
ReplyDeleteHi Pat Jeanne!
Hi Helen:
ReplyDeleteI’m 99% sure that Woman’s World would buy your story about the ‘Byrds and the Bees’. It’s just what they like. Look at any issue page 3. Good luck.
Vince
My first library visits were into town with mom and we took out books.I was a second grader and mom was an avid reader and gave book reviews. We had the bookmobile come to our school..I loved it.bevachwind at hotmail dot com.
ReplyDeleteI remember when we first moved to Overland Park, Kansas (I was in 4th grade)and I couldn't believe it when I found out the Johnson County Library system had NO restrictions on how many books you could check out at a time. I went a little crazy :)
ReplyDeleteI have no idea what will happen with libraries as we move into the "digital frontier." The libraries here in Overland Park have been amazing about adapting with the times. I'll be interested to watch how they adjust to ebooks.
Stephanie(at)StephanieMorrillBooks(dot)com
Congrats to all the semi-finalists! Excited for you all:)
ReplyDeleteMy first library memory was when I was in Jr. High school and browsing through all the fiction books and magazines, what fun:) Going through the card catalogue took me awhile to learn:( I don't remember going to the library in Elementary school as we lived quite far North and the teachers that taught us actually lived in teacherages(that's seriously what they called them:) on the school property. I've always totally loved reading! I been taking our 4 children to libraries since they were very little...we love it! I think I see more access online to library books in the future, but I hope they don't get rid of library buildings altogether:(
I would really love to be entered for a chance to win Kelly L. Stone's "Time to Write" as that is something I'm really struggling with and need help!
lornafaith at gmail dot com
My mother took us to the library very early. I remember little wooden tables with little wooden chairs surrounded by floor-to-ceiling shelves filled with colorful books. I could never get enough books, even back then. I think my first book out might have been a Babar or Curious George book.
ReplyDelete