Kevin McNamee is a writer and poet living in Yonkers, NY.   He primarily writes for the children’s market.  His work has appeared in Beyond Centauri and he has several children’s picture books being published by Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc.  His first book, “If I Could Be Anything” is available at www.amazon.com, or ask your local bookstore.  Look for other titles by Kevin including The Sister Exchange, The Soggy Town of Hilltop, Lightning Strikes, Papa’s Suns, and more.

Thanks for being my first guest of the New Year, Kevin. I’m sure everyone would like to know more about you and your life as a writer.

1. Can you describe the time you realized you were indeed a “real” writer?

Somewhere along the way, I stopped doubting my ability.  A rejection of my manuscript ceased to be a rejection of myself.  A rejection letter became an opportunity to send my manuscript somewhere else.  Comments and criticism became opportunities to strengthen my story, revise something unworkable, or something to ignore altogether if it didn’t fit with my vision of the story.  I was able to refer to myself as a writer without feeling self conscious and … oh yeah, someone was willing to pay me for what I wrote.

Tell us about how you got started writing.

I first started writing in the second grade.  I wrote a poem that was displayed outside the classroom and I liked seeing my poem and my name in public like that.  I found that I took to writing naturally.  Growing up, I was a constant daydreamer and would construct stories in my head all the time.  Eventually, I started writing them down.  Throughout my teenage years and throughout adulthood I always felt compelled to write.  Although there were many, many times that I put creative writing on the back burner, I found that I was still writing at my day job; memos, procedures, proposals, requests, and I was receiving recognition for it.  I realized that writing had been a constant in my life, but I wasn’t writing what I wanted to write.  Now I make sure that I write what I want as well.

Tell us about your childrens book, If I Could be Anything.   

Print ISBN: 978-1-61633- 011-8; 1-61633-011- 2
eBook ISBN: 978-1-61633- 012-5; 1-61633-012- 0

If I could be anything, what would I be?

I think that eventually I would be me.

What are you currently working on?

Right now, I have several stories in various stages of completion, one story that has been finalized and critiqued and needs a final revision, and a few that are finished and have been sent out to various publishers.

This book is available from guardianangelpublishing.com, amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, or ask your local bookstore.

We look forward to seeing more of your books. How can someone find out more about you and your books?

To find out more about me, please visit my website at www.kevinmcnamee.com or my blog at www.kevinmcnameechildrensauthor.blogspot.com I also have a new child-friendly site with games and activities at www.kevschildrensbooks.com

It’s been a great year of virtual book tours and guests.  This coming year of 2010 is going to be even better. Our Virtual Book Tours – Authors on the Move group is going to have ongoing tours that last through the month so you’ll have plenty of time to visit all the blogs and meet even more writers.

We are a group of children’s book authors, fiction and nonfiction who love sharing fellow authors with our readers. In January, the first post is January 2nd on this blog. I’ll have a schedule of the additional blog tour and dates available.

This is Christmas week and my favorite time of the year. I love the music, the Christmas movies, and getting together with friends and family. Most of all I love celebrating the birth of Jesus and what that means to me and others.

Christmas Tree

2009 has been an amazing year of book releases under my own name – Rebekah Redeemed, Shelter from the Storm, and participating in the anthology Flash Tales: An Adventure in Words. One of the books I ghosted became a best seller in Canada.

I’m hoping that everyone will have a wonderful 2010.

I had a great book signing at New and Again in Everett, WA, on Saturday December 12. I had a great time.

The store supports the Domestic Violence Services of Snohomish County.  I wanted to share some pictures from this book signing that is part of the book launch for Shelter from the Storm.

New and Again book signing

Shelter from the Storm is available on amazon.com and Barnes & Nobel as well as from my website.

For those of you in the Seattle, Washington area, there will be a book signing to benefit the Domestic Violence Services of Snohomish County.

BOOK AUTOGRAPHING

“Shelter from the Storm”

Saturday, December 12, 2009

New and Again

3116 Rucker Avenue

Everett, WA

12:00 noon – 2:00 pm

]]> http://diannesagan.wordpress.com/2009/12/05/upcoming-booksignings/feed/ 0 diannesagan http://diannesagan.wordpress.com/2009/12/01/my-holiday-guest-is-lea-shivaz/ http://diannesagan.wordpress.com/2009/12/01/my-holiday-guest-is-lea-shivaz/#comments Tue, 01 Dec 2009 15:35:32 +0000 diannesagan http://diannesagan.wordpress.com/?p=290 ]]>

Thanks so much for coming by for a visit, Lea,                               

I’m glad to be here, thanks for having me.

You are one of the busiest women I know. Lea is the founder of the MuseOnline Writers Conference and maintains the Museonline writers group, as well as numerous blogs and websites. And, she still has time to write and occassionally dog sit. Tell us about your book, Bubba & Giganto: Odds Against Them.

Bubba  hates it when his dad gets a contract for a new project. That means uprooting the family from one city and moving to another. Attending a new school is a major pet peeve of his. His smart alecky nature attracts the bullies in every school he’s attended.

 On the first day of school, Bubba bumps into this rather large student. Fearing a confrontation, he wears his tough guy attitude and waits for the punches to begin. Remarkably, the new student apologizes, and Bubba and David (aka Giganto as Bubba eventually nicknames him) become best friends.

 Bubba and Giganto try out for the high school soccer team, and that’s when trouble begins. Bubba knew eventually he’d meet the bullies of the school, and he was right.

 In the first initial weeks, Bubba learns about a death that occurred the previous year; faces the bullies on several occasions; helps Giganto practice soccer before tryouts; and challenges the bullies to a scrimmage.

 Little does Bubba know Giganto holds a secret – one that will place Giganto in a deadly situation.

Lea, this sounds like a great children’s book. Where can people get for a Christmas gift?

It’s available at these places:

 Amazon.com

http://www.amazon.com/Bubba-Giganto-Odds-Against-Us/dp/0979751365/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1219156292&sr=1-1

4RV Publishing

http://4rvpublishingllc.com/Store.html

Barnes & Noble

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Bubba-and-Giganto/Lea-Schizas/e/9780979751363/?itm=1

The Reading Warehouse

http://www.thereadingwarehouse.com/book.php?ISBN=9780979751363

Thanks so much for visiting during this busy time of year, Lea.

I was glad to visit. Thanks for having me.

The following Book Launch Signings are scheduled in Amarillo, Texas. I’ll be doing other books signings and keep you informed. If you live here are in the area, then I’d love for you to come.

««««««««««

Amarillo Senior

Citizens Association

12th and Polk St.

10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

OR

Saturday,

December 20

Hastings

2001 S. Georgia

2 to 4 p.m.

You can find my most recent radio interview at The Christian Author Show

It is running for the next 3 days – November 27, 28, and 29th. You can sit down and put your feet up to relax after shopping and listen to the interview with host, Don McCauley. We had a lot of fun the day we recorded it.

This was a great day for our family and hope it was for you and your’s as well. It has been a challenging year with the loss of dear friends and my Dad, financial circumstances for most of our children, but today — I am thankful for our health, our home, food to eat, a car to drive, and six wonderful children and four awesome grandchildren. It has been an amazing year for me as a writer with three books released during this year of 2009.

Great things are happening during this wonderful holiday and Christmas season. Come back and see the “Spirit of the Season” online catalog on December 1st.

“Shelter from the Storm”, my latest novel, is set for release that same day – December 1st, as well as “Flash Tales: An Adventure in Words”, an anthology that includes 20 very short stories I wrote. There are five contributors, including myself, in this fun little book.

I’ll be doing a book laugh autographing in the Seattle area in mid-December and will keep you’all posted for details. Please come back often and check out what’s coming up.

Well, it’s a YEAR! That’s right, we have been cross-promoting and helping one another for a year now.

To celebrate this accomplishment, we will have a SUPER-DUPER Anniversary Tour!

The number before the host’s name is the day in November that he/she will post in the tour.

1 Dianne Sagan is hosting Heidi Thomas
2 Harry Gilleland is hosting Karen Cioffi
3 Karen Cioffi is hosting Martha Swirzinki
4 Kathy Stemke is hosting Brigitte Thompson
5 Nancy Famolari is hosting Deborah Weed
6 Margaret Fieland is hosting Elysabeth Eldering
7 Crystalee Calderwood is hosting Harry Gilleland
8 Katie Hines is hosting Heather Paye
9 Helena Harper is hosting Steve Tremp
10 Liana Metal is hosting Crystalee Calderwood
11 Carolyn Howard-Johnson is hosting Marvin Wilson
12 Gayle Trent is hosting Dianne Sagan
13 Mayra Calvani is hosting Carolyn Howard-Johnson
14 Marvin Wilson is hosting Gayle Trent
15 Linda Asato is hosting Mayra Calvani
16 Heather Paye is hosting Katie Hines
17 Steve Tremp is hosting Helena Harper
18 Elysabeth Eldering is hosting Linda Asato
19 Darcia Helle is hosting Liana Metal
20 Deborah Weed is hosting Nancy Famolari
21 Brigitte Thompson is hosting Margaret Fieland
22 Martha Swirzinki is hosting Darcia Helle
23 Heidi Thomas is hosting Kathy Stemke

Each day there will be prizes offered. All you have to do is leave a comment on the host’s site on the day he/she is posting for their guest and you may be a WINNER!

The Winner will have a choice of ONE of 2 or 3 books of our members or other related gifts, OR a one day guest spot on THIS site!

Prizes being given away EVERY Day from November 1st through November 23rd!

OH! Wait a minute! That’s not all! We are still having our Mystery Site Giveaway and the SUPER-DUPER PRIZE is a $25 (US) GIFT CARD to either Amazon, Target, or an American Express Gift Card. I’ll know for sure by the end of this month.

Winners will be notified the day after each posting. The Mystery Site Winner will be notified Sunday, November 29th.

Come celebrate with us and have the chance of being one of the WINNERS of a great gift in the process.