An interview with talented children's author, Rhonda Patton

Good morning everyone. Today I have the pleasure of chatting with talented author, Rhonda Patton. She has written several children's books, but today we will discuss her book, Grayson the Bully Frog.
We'll get right to the questions so you can learn more about Rhonda and her work.

·        Tell us a little about your story Grayson the Bully Frog:  

Ted and Raymond are best frog friends and they have been since they were little.  When they come up to one of Raymond’s friends, Grayson, Ted is made fun of by the biggest bully, Grayson. Ted is very sad and upset that he was made fun of.  

Sadly, bullying is part of today's society. I'm looking forward to the day when children are more understanding of others.

·        How did you get the idea for this story?  My daughter was bullied at her school from many people.  She hurt as well.  I want to change the next generation so they can see how it feels when they hurt someone, even name-calling.

I'm sorry to hear that. You have a beautiful family. It's a shame your daughter was subjected to bullying.

>·        Did you have a particular message to share in the story? 

My message to the younger generation is to be kind, look at how Ted reacts in the story of being bullied.  It hurts.

 That's excellent advice, Rhonda. If children would stop and think about how it feels to be teased, they might take a minute to think about their actions.

·        What age range would this book be best for? 

I believe anyone can read the book and learn a lesson but I am targeting Kindergarten to 5^th grades.

I'm sure that age range would enjoy this story. The message is an important one.

·        How long have you been writing stories for children? 

I started out my first original story was “The Croak 500” and I wrote it when I was 19 years old.  I have always loved writing poetry.  

I've never tried poetry. I think you need a particular talent for that. Good job!

·        Do you have any writing projects now?  

I have many book titles I will be coming out with soon.  I just haven’t had the time as I have been in school.

I'll look forward to your new book releases.

·        What has been the most enjoyable (or exciting) part of your writing career so far? 

The children.  I love making happy stories for children that will stand out to them and be a better little person and young adults. 

We definitely agree about that! It's fun when the children are excited about your books, isn't it? It' the primary reason we write the stories. I think happy stories with important messages make the world a better place.

·        Who illustrated your book? 

My husband drew the characters and backgrounds and I filled the illustrations in with colors and background images. 

They're so cute and it's nice you can work together, the way my sister and I do with our books. It makes the process more fun.

·        Please share purchase links for your books: You can go to my website and the first page directs you to my book links to buy. 

www.thecroak500.com

https://www.facebook.com/FreckledFROGDesigns1/

Thank you so much for talking with me today Rhonda. We had fun together. I'm sure my readers will enjoy learning more about you and your talents.
Before we leave, I'd like to congratulate you on earning your Associates Degree in Graphic Design and working toward your Bachelor's Degree! 
You're welcome. I'm already looking forward to our next interview together."


copyright: 2015: Deanie Humphrys-Dunne
Website: www.childrensbookswithlifelessons.com
tube.com/watch?v=Rba4hkmmTyc&feature=youtu.bebook trailer: 

An interview with Elliott

"Hello everyone, today we have the pleasure of interviewing Elliott, a handsome dog, notorious for his big head. Good morning, Elliott. So nice to have you as my guest today. Elliott, I noticed you're getting a big restless, wiggling and wagging your tail. I bet you want to get on with the interview.
"I am, Deanie. I love interviews. I just like to tell people about my animal friends.
 We'll get right to the questions then.
Please tell us about your book Charlene the Star.
Of course. Charlene comes from a famous racing family. EVERYONE expects she'll become another outstanding racehorse. But from the beginning, Charlene is quite independent. She tells her Mama she'll decide what she wants to do when she gets old enough.  Charlene likes to show her emotions. She has her own type of "tantrum" where she hops up and down stiff-legged. Here was her Mom's reaction the first time she saw it:
"Charlene,Why are you hopping up and down like that? Those little hops are called crow hops."
"I'm having a tantrum," said Charlene. Little people can have them so I thought I could have them since I'm a little horse."
She certainly knows what she wants Elliott.
Well, Charlene was wondering if she could make a living from having tantrums, since she was so talented at it.
Tell us how you met Charlene the Star:
Charlene was feeling nervous and upset once she moved to Jumping for Joy Farms. She refused to eat and was very sad. Charlene's trainer thought it would be helpful to get a special friend for her and I got the job! You might have noticed I"m a pretty calm fellow and my over sized head has room for brains and good thoughts. My job was to help keep Charlene calm and happy. We get along well.
Did Charlene have a long racing career?
No, she didn't. She found out she had other talents. She loved her new career. It's something she's very gifted at.
I think it's important for children to develop their own talents and not be afraid to be different from your friends.
Tell is about the second book you star in,  Charlene the Star and Hattie's Heroes.
Oh, this time my friends Charlene, Hattie the Chicken, and Wooliam the sheep start a new business.
We're looking for something exciting to do in our spare time. We come up with a great idea to help some of our friends. I can' t give away all the secrets, but we become coaches.
Oh, that does sound exciting Elliott! 
Yes, we made a great team and lots of exciting things happened.
What do you specialize in ?
I specialize in building confidence in my animal friends. It's one of my favorite things to do. My friends seem to look at my head and figure I have natural talents for building self esteem.
I agree with that, Elliott. 
How many books are in the Charlene the Star series?
We have 3: Charlene the Star, Charlene the Star and Hattie's Heroes and Charlene the Star and Bentley Bulldog. We share an exciting adventure in each one. But it actually all starts with Charlie the Horse, since he's Charlene's big brother.
Thank you so much for spending time with me today, Elliott. I know your young fans will love hearing more about you and your friends.
You're welcome, we had fun together.
Purchase links:
http://www.amazon.com/Charlene-Hatties-Heroes-Deanie-Humphrys-Dunne/dp/1612860710

http://www.amazon.com/Charlene-Bentley-Bulldog-Deanie-Humphrys-Dunne-ebook/dp/B00S7295MC/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1450109651&sr=1-1&keywords=charlene+the+star+and+bentley+bulldog

http://www.amazon.com/Charlie-Horse-Deanie-Humphrys-Dunne-ebook/dp/B00CEJ2Y4A/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1450109696&sr=1-1&keywords=charlie+the+Horse

website: www.childrensbookswithlifelessons.com
book trailer:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rba4hkmmTyc&feature=youtu.be

copyright 2015: Deanie Humphrys-Dunne

Conflict, what exactly is that?

One of the keys to a successful children’s story is conflict.

What exactly is that?

Do your characters have to be engaged in a knock down drag out fight?

No, but one of the building blocks of a good story is a struggle of some sort.

Usually, the main character has to be involved in the conflict you develop.

Another word for a conflict is a problem that involves the main character.

Why does it need to be the main character?

Generally, the main character learns something important by solving his/her problem. The main character has to do something which will bring about the result that he/she wants.

Let’s look at some examples so you have a good picture of what I’m trying to convey.

Reblogged from Chris, the Story Reading Ape.

for more please visit:

http://thestoryreadingapeblog.com/2015/09/16/conflict-exactly-what-is-that-guest-post/

The Journey

Excitement was surrounding us. I studied Medical Coding with the hope of securing a job using my new skills. I worked tirelessly preparing for the daunting final exam and scored well. I even got a letter of recommendation from the school for scoring in the top ten percent. But actually being hired was far more difficult than I imagined. It seems that people were hesitant to hire a Medical Coding person who had no experience. Naturally, this adventure didn’t end the way I hoped it would. What path should I take now?
reblogged from Chris the Story Reading Ape's Blog.
 To read more, follow this link:
http://thestoryreadingapeblog.com/2015/07/14/the-journey-guest-post/

copyright Deanie Humphrys-Dunne 2015