Thursday, January 24, 2013

Around the Writer's Block by Rosanne Bane


Around the Writer's Block

by Rosanne Bane


Procrastination and a lack of inspiration are things many people encounter in their daily lives, regardless of background or trade. But those who write—whether for pleasure or for a living—can be especially plagued by the woes of writer’s block, excessive self-criticism, and self-sabotage.

Enter AROUND THE WRITER’S BLOCK (Tarcher/Penguin paperback, $15.95, on sale Aug 2). In this singular book, author Rosanne Bane—who has worked as a writer for two decades—approaches the problems writers face in a new and innovative way. She tracks writer’s resistance to the source: your brain.

By utilizing the most recent breakthroughs in neuroscience, Bane outlines three habits and how to put them into practice to defeat writer’s resistance once and for all.

BIOGRAPHY


Rosanne Bane is a creativity coach, teaching artist, speaker and author of Around the Writer’s Block: Using Brain Science to Solve Writer’s Resistance and Dancing in the Dragon’s Den: Rekindling the Creative Fire in Your Shadow.

A veteran teaching artist of more than 20 years at the Loft Literary Center, University of St. Thomas, University of Minnesota and elsewhere, Rosanne has helped thousands of writers, artists and creative people of all sorts achieve their professional goals and make their creative dreams reality. She specializes in helping  creative people understand why it’s so hard (at times) to do the very thing they love to do and what to do about that resistance. Her books, coaching, classes and presentations show writers and artists how to stop feeling disappointed, frustrated and guilty. 

Rosanne Bane lives in Minneapolis with her partner and their two agility dogs, Blue and Kelda.

WEBSITE

Author: http://www.RosanneBane.com
Blog: http://www.BaneOfYourResistance.com
Facebook: http://www.Facebook.com/AroundTheWritersBlock
LinkedIn:  http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=17416110&trk=tab_pro


PURCHASE


Ask for Around the Writer’s Block at your local indie bookstore. It’s also available at Magers & Quinn, Common Good Books, Reading Frenzy (print and ebook versions), Powell’s, IndieBound, Barnes & Noble (print and Nook versions) and Amazon (print and Kindle versions)


OTHER PUBLISHED WORKS
Dancing in the Dragon’s Den: Rekindling the Creative Fire in Your Shadow (1999, RedWheel/Weiser)

PUBLISHER
Tarcher/Penguin

QUESTIONS TO THE AUTHOR



In your book, you talk a lot about motivation. What inspired you?

The funny thing is that I learned a tremendous amount about motivation from a completely unexpected source: my dog, Blue. (If you’re wondering, our best guess on Blue’s mix is Border Collie and Labrador, maybe some Husky.)

For the fun and the physical and mental challenge for both of us, Blue and I play agility [Editor's note: agility is a dog sport in which a handler directs a dog through an obstacle course] together. Blue has been in training since she was four months old. We go to class once a week and compete in trials four or five times a year.

Over the years, Blue and I have worked with some amazing trainers who all added to my understanding of my dog and myself. I never anticipated that so much of the training would be about me learning to get it right; I thought I’d be training the dog to follow instructions. Instead, Blue teaches me, and she is the most consistently observant, forgiving and loving of all my teachers. We’re a pretty good team, (though I still need training of course). Blue has earned two scrapbooks full of ribbons and over ten agility titles. (In case you haven’t noticed: I’m besotted with this dog. I can talk about dogs for hours, so I’ll stop now.

Brain science sounds difficult. How do you make your examples accessible to your readers?


When I talk with clients and students about how to motivate yourself to write or create, I draw on my experiences in agility to explain concepts like “rewarding approximate behavior,” “learned industriousness” and “oppositional reflex.” To reassure my clients and students that I know the differences between motivating people and motivating dogs, I include the latest cool things I’ve found in my never-ending reading in human neurology and then connect the dots between the theory and how to keep writing and creating.

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Nighttime Ninja by Barbara DaCosta

Nighttime Ninja

by Barbara DaCosta

Late at night, when all is quiet and everyone is asleep, a ninja creeps silently through the house in search of treasure.  Soon he reaches his ultimate goal and gets a big surprise!  Will the nighttime ninja complete his mission?  This is an adventure-filled story about the power of play and imagination.
  • Nighttime Ninja is one of Publisher's Weekly's "Best Children's Illustrated Books 2012"
  • Starred reviews from Publisher's Weekly and Booklist
  • Horn Book "Book of the Week"
Available at bookstores and online. Signed copies available at Wild Rumpus Books and Once Upon a Crime.

BIOGRAPHY

Barbara DaCosta writes for children and adults alike. Her children's picture book debut is Nighttime Ninja, illustrated by Caldecott Award-winning artist Ed Young (Little, Brown 2012) . Her debut as a mystery writer came with the short story "Cabin 6" in the anthology Resort to Murder, edited by Minnesota Crime Wave. 

Meanwhile, she's putting the finishing touches on her novel Death by the Depot—the tale of a murder, the search for a missing man, and the uncovering of a nest of crime at a nursing home—features Thea Franco, a hardworking, overly curious, detail-oriented researcher with a stable of quirky clients---divas, dealers, teachers, historians, waitresses, and lawyers. Sometimes, though, Thea finds she’s taken on way more than she can handle….

WEBSITE
Author - http://www.barbaradacosta.blogspot.com
Book - http://www.nighttimeninja.net
Twitter - https://twitter.com/barbaradacosta
Goodreads - http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/857251.Barbara_DaCosta
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nighttime-Ninja/198377556860448

PURCHASE
Amazon

OTHER PUBLISHED WORKS
DaCosta's stories for adults have appeared in anthologies such as "Cabin 6" in Resort to Murder: Thirteen Tales of Mystery (Nodin Press, 2007) and "For Want of Some Gloves," in Why Did Santa Leave a Body (North Star Press, 2010).

PUBLISHER

Little, Brown Young Readers

Friday, January 11, 2013

Jacqueline the Great! The Pirate Captain by Christin Berger


Jacqueline the Great! The Pirate Captain

by Christin Berger

Jacqueline's favorite thing to say is, "Girls can do anything they want to do!" And, she means it! 

She embarks on a series of adventures, fueled by a very active imagination, that explore many, varied fields and moments in history. She is undeterred when someone tells her that girls can't or girls didn't do something. 

This time Jacqueline and Jacob are off on a pirate treasure hunt. Jacqueline is the captain of the pirate ship that takes them to an island where she hopes to find the treasure of Pirate Williams that was lost at sea many years before. Will they find the lost treasure before it is time for Jacob to go home?

BIOGRAPHY

Christin Berger has a deep and abiding love of books and has been writing stories and poetry since she was a child.  Her passion for writing is second only to her passion for spending time with her family.

Ms. Berger sees childhood as a great adventure and grew up in a family that valued creativity and imagination.  Her love of both is evident today in her writing.  She will take you on a journey that will make you laugh and inspire you to re-discover the joy in parenting and play!

WEBSITE
Author - http://www.christinb.com
Book - http://www.jacqueline-the-great.com
Twitter -  https://twitter.com/ChristinBerger
Goodreads - http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6541650.Christin_Berger
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Christin-D-Berger/284701868260704

PURCHASE
Amazon
Barnes and Noble


OTHER PUBLISHED WORKS

Jacqueline the Great! Runs for President