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writing
Danny the Dragon “Meets Jimmy” app featured in newest iPad 3 commercial!
Many of you may have noticed a clip of my Danny the Dragon “Meets Jimmy” app in the newest iPad commercials for the iPad 3. I am extremely honored by Apple’s recognition and support and could not be happier to see my app and book succeeding so well. With all the new attention my app has been getting, many authors aspiring to have their books released as apps have been coming to me requesting tips on how to get their books out there. Since I am always happy to help my fellows, I thought I might share some insights for …
Danny the Dragon Gets a Five-Star Review from the Lone-Star State!
It’s been such a pleasure being able to tour around the country, and even the world, on my Danny the Dragon Book Tours. As a result of our travels, you never know in what neck of the woods Danny and I are going to be mentioned in next! What a pleasure it was discover our names in the Baytown Sun of Houston,Texas! Juvenile book critic JoAnn Martin gave Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy a rave review! It was a delight to read, as she summarized in fun detail the story without giving it a way. My favorite parts of the …
Staying True to Your Vision
One of the most important parts of being a writer is staying true to your vision and standards. This can be pretty tough in today’s world when many agents and publishers put pressure on you to alter your creation so that it is….(that dreadful word!) marketable. I promised myself when I was finding an illustrator that I wouldn’t compromise my vision of Danny the Dragon. It was quite a search, taking nearly a year, but finally I found exactly what I was looking for with Aija Jatsuna, who lives in Latvia, Europe and didn’t even speak one word of English. …
Writing Spaces
As early as Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own, people have been talking about the importance of having a place of your own to write. People often ask me, “What does your writing space look like?” I love to close myself up in my studio, tucked away in a quiet part of my house. From my writing desk is a beautiful view through my French doors behind our home of a Monet-like setting—calm lake water, shady trees, and colorful flowers. It’s an ideal setting for sure, but you know what? With my busy schedule I’m hardly home, so I …
Writing Routines
When I visit schools and libraries, the inevitable comment arises from aspiring authors (adults and children alike): I want to write, but I can’t get started. Sometimes they say it’s hard to find the inspiration or motivation to write. Well, “Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration,” as Thomas Edison said. It may not sound glamorous, but in my experience I’ve seen that writing is about routine. If you sit around waiting for inspiration to wash over you, you may be sitting there for quite some time! Writing every day is key, setting aside a regular time of day—even …
Danny the Dragon Recognized in the Purple Dragonfly Book Awards
The multi-award-winning children’s author Tina Turbin has been recognized again for the first book of her children’s book series, Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy. The illustrated children’s book, which is already the recipient of a number of awards, has been awarded in the Purple Dragon Book Awards. The adventures of Danny the Dragon begin with Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy, the story of how Jimmy comes across Danny and his little travelling buddy, Skipper, on a family outing. The book has been acclaimed for its portrayal of family values and togetherness. The Mom’s Choice Awards®, according to its website, “recognizes …
School Library Journal Praises Danny the Dragon
It is with great pleasure that I read the encouraging review of Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy in School Library Journal. I am fortunate to have been recognized by many awards programs for this first book in the Danny the Dragon series, but what an honor it was to receive SLJ’s stamp of approval! School Library Journal is “the world’s largest reviewer of books, multimedia, and technology for children and teens,” according to its website. The monthly magazine was founded in 1954, and its reviews on kids books are a valuable resource to librarians, teachers, and others who work with …
Stevie Wonder Works toward Pro-Visually Impaired Global Copyright Laws
Children’s literacy is one of the most important issues facing us today. Fortunately, many groups, organizations, and individuals are dedicated to reversing the staggering statistics. However, as hard as people are working to get kids reading, there are some kids—such as the visually- impaired ones—who get left out. Thanks to Stevie Wonder, though, visually-impaired literacy is getting some of the attention it deserves. Stevie Wonder recently appeared before the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) of the United Nations urging for global copyright laws to be changed to the benefit of the 300 million print-reading-disabled global citizens, to whom millions of …
Read My Interview on BFKBooks.com
I’m honored to have been interviewed by Vicky of BFKbooks (http://bfkbooks.com), formally The Bookfiend’s Kingdom. BFKbooks features book reviews, exclusive interviews with authors, and the opportunity to buy books. Vicky asked me all about my Danny the Dragon children’s book series, my background, and my passion for raising awareness for celiac disease, an autoimmune reaction to gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. Read the interview by clicking on the link below: http://bfkbooks.com/interviews/tina-turbin-on-danny-the-dragon-et-al Tina Turbin www.DannyTheDragon.com b.a.
Creating a Memorable Main Character in Your Children’s Book
As a children’s author, I’m often pleased to find that I’ve inspired children and adults to write children’s stories of their own. A question they wonder is what exactly makes a good children’s book. It’s important that a children’s book have a charming protagonist with whom readers can identify. It seems that children tend to literally identify with characters they love; in their imagination and games, they often pretend they are indeed the beloved protagonists of their favorite movies, TV shows, and books. So what qualities should a children’s story protagonist have? If you study the most popular children’s stories …