Showing posts with label young readers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label young readers. Show all posts

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Children's Author Spotlight: Chance to Dance by Keisha Bussey




Chance to Dance by Keisha Bussey Illustrated by Tyrus Goshay

Author Bio

Keisha Bussey is the author of Chance to Dance. She is also a dance educator. Keisha has a passion for dance and life with her students and colleagues.  She has been a dance educator for 19 years.  She believes in implementing dance books into dance curriculum.  As a little girl, she always had a love for books.  Her mother taught her to enhance her imagination while reading.  Keisha credits her early reading with her mother for an increase in her reading fluency as she became a more effective reader throughout school.  She also credits her third-grade teacher, Ms. Curry with inspiring her love for reading and books.  

Author Interview

DF: Tell us about your journey as a writer.  When did you start?  
KB: My journey as a writer was a long process because I started with a chapter book then decided I to change it to a children’s book. I started writing years ago, brainstorming on ideas I could write  in my journal to creating my manuscript. There were a few life changing things that came up so the process was longer than I expected.  I’m happy for the  learning experience in becoming an author. I’m a visual person so I wanted lots of illustrations for my children’s book. 

DF: Who are some of your favorite writers? 
KB: Maya Angelou and Alice Walker 

DF: Tell us about your current children's book. 
KB: Chance to Dance tells the story of Keisha, a fierce, sassy, dancer who full of energy and excited to learn how to dance. This book allows children to “Dream Big,” follow their hearts desires, believe in themselves, have a vision, and pursue it!

DF: What inspired you to write this book? 
KB: I have always wanted to write a children’s book because I have a passion for dance. My inspiration came from  my third grade  reading teacher.

DF: What has been the reaction to your book?
KB: The best reaction from my book has been my adult friends have said, “I love this book, it  makes me inspired to do what I want in life. You have giving me hope to “DREAM BIG” too. 

DF: In what ways do you keep a connection to your readers and audience?
KB: I’m getting ready to do a Chance to Dance book tour . I have social media to keep us connected, and I also have a book club I will start to do. 

DF: What advice do you have for aspiring children's authors?  
KB: My advice is to do what you love to do. Learn lots of things  while you are young. Continue to read books and  challenge yourself to new adventures. 

DF: What’s next for you (projects, events, etc.)? 
KB: Book Signing and book launch coming up soon. Chance to Dance book tour, and book club coming up next. 

DF: How can we connect with you on social media? 
KB: Facebook Dancing Keisha and Chance to Dance 
Instagram @dancingkeishachancetodance
www.fierce6elitedance.com 



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Thursday, November 24, 2016

NEW BOOK! Quincy Rules by DuEwa Frazier



I'm excited to announce my newest title, Quincy Rules (October 2016, Lit Noire Publishing/CreateSpace) a teen novel!  Read the description below, and check out Quincy Rules in paperback and Kindle editions at Amazon.com!
Book Description
Quincy Rules $9.99 192 pages
Imagine receiving mysterious letters and cards with no return address, only colorful stamps from all around the world. These letters and cards tell little about the person who sends them, other than the fact that the sender, is the father you have never met. Quincy Lyles is a 15-year old teen who mastered yoga at a young age, gets straight A's in school and never gets into trouble. That is, until she starts to search for her birth father. Struggling to understand her true identify and background, Quincy goes on an adventurous quest to find her father. The one friend Quincy can depend on, Delaney Rojas, helps her in her quest. Quincy begins to develop parts of herself she never knew existed within her new found "sleuthing" abilities. Quincy Rules is a young adult mystery with hints of humor and mysticism. Grades 6-9.
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Tuesday, April 28, 2015

NEW RELEASE! Cake Literary presents TINY PRETTY THINGS




The New School MFA in Creative Writing Program, my alma mater, has cultivated a cadre of talented children's writers who have stopped at nothing to be leaders in the genre of young adult and middle grade fiction.  Within this list of talented and prolific children's writers who are alums of the New School Writing for Children program include: Tonya Hegamin, Jenny Han, Caela Carter, Coe Booth and now Cake Literary founders Sona Charaipotra and Dhonielle Clayton (class of 2012).  

I met both Sona and Dhonielle at The New School during a children's literature workshop we took with YA author and Scholastic editor, David Levithan.
Sona and Dhonielle have done much to bring issues in children's publishing to the forefront in recent years, particularly within the We Need Diverse Books movement.

The duo is now set to release their first project, a young adult novel TINY PRETTY THINGS, after founding CAKE Literary, a literary development company.

Friday, December 26, 2014

Jacqueline Woodson's Brown Girl Dreaming Takes Center Stage


Children’s author Jacqueline Woodson’s Brown Girl Dreaming has received a number of accolades this year, breaking barriers for diversity in children’s books.  Brown Girl Dreaming, a memoir, won this year’s National Book Award in the Young People’s Literature category.  Jacqueline Woodson discussed Brown Girl Dreaming on MSNBC’s Melissa Harris Perry Show last week.  Brown Girl Dreaming reveals the childhood and coming of age of Jacqueline Woodson during the 1960s and 70s.  The story is set in the places where Woodson grew up:  Columbus, Ohio, Greenville, South Carolina and Brooklyn, New York.  NPR recently interviewed Jacqueline Woodson about details of her life in Brown Girl DreamingBrown Girl Dreaming has been named among the New York Times’ Notable Children’s Books of 2014.

Jacqueline Woodson is the author of 27 other titles, including picture books, books for middle grade readers and young adult books.  Woodson has previously been honored with The Newberry Honor Medal, Coretta Scott King Award, The Caldecott Medal, ALA Notable and Margaret A. Edwards Award.  Visit her website at JacquelineWoodson.com.

Written by DuEwa Frazier
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Thursday, July 17, 2014

My new teen novel, DEANNE IN THE MIDDLE!


After working with teens and pre-teens for many years, I wanted to craft an engaging story that would peak the interest of young readers!  My new novel and offering for young readers is DEANNE IN THE MIDDLE

Check out my new book - DEANNE IN THE MIDDLE - a great summer read for teens!

Author Spotlight: Nathaniel Terrell

  Poet Nathaniel Terrell  Is There Not a Cause? by Nathaniel Terrell  Available at Atmosphere Press , Amazon , and Barnes and Noble . About ...