Remember books for the Xmas gift list

Just a reminder to add books as gifts for children - even if they are not too thrilled about this. You will be encouraging the reading habit.

Short list My recommendations (self-interest obvious) for the 8-12 age group.
Please note you may have to ask the booksellers to order. They notoriously do not push local books. (especially fiction for children)

Hazel D. Campbell

Tilly Bummie  short stories about life in country (rural area) and Kingston as it used to be

Ramgoat Dashalong  Short stories  - all with a touch of Jamaican magic.

Juicebox and Scandal  Short stories on the environmental theme adventure and fun

A Goatboy Never Cries Chapter book with a family story about a quaint pet.

These four available from LMH publishing company  website: https://www.lmhpublishing.com/children

Check all the pages with children's books. You doubtless will find other titles you like.

Miss Bettina's House Chapter book fantasy in which farm animals adopt a homeless boy.

Bernie and the Captain's Ghost  A novel featuring handicapped children in a high interest mystery/adventure.

These two available from Carlong Publisher's (Caribbean ) Ltd. website.
There are other books on the site which you may like
http://www.carlongpublishers.com/book_listing_subject.php?id=32



 Diane Browne

Every Little Thing Will Be All Right  Delightful contemporary short stories, each with a survival/solving problems theme

Island Princess in Brooklyn A novel showing the good as well as the challenging aspects of migration for a teen.

Also available from Carlong  Publisher (Caribbean) Ltd website
http://www.carlongpublishers.com/book_listing_subject.php?id=32


Also by Diane Browne

The Ring and the Roaring Water  A novel with a time travel adventure for two sisters.   email mdianebrowne@yahoo.com


I don't know how popular a gift of an ebook would be. You would have to know if the child has access to an ereader.
However you might like to check Amazon Kindle books for titles by Helen Williams (Delroy and the Marog Princess) and books by Geoffrey Philp

 Okay that's just to get you started. There are many books by other local authors for this age group (8-12/14 years) as well as for younger children. Do a search for Jamaican Children's Story Books. We authors need your support.

Happy Christmas

More on Hi-low readers for the Caribbean

"Students who find reading a challenge are no different from avid readers in their reading tastes. They want exciting stories with memorable characters. They don’t want boring books with condescending stories. They want “real” literature with themes and conflicts that capture the problems and situations in their own lives, and these books deliver."
Debbie Jacob http://www.guardian.co.tt/columnist/2012-11-05/novels-written-verse

 I totally agree, but the problem is, who will publish these stories in the Caribbean? and the obviously related question - who will buy them? The foreign books are cheaper or are sometimes given to schools free of cost, so there continues to be insufficient books for the hi-low readers "with themes and conflicts that capture the problems and situations in their own lives."

These books are sometimes produced as part of projects which often have strict guidelines which limit the author to just another text book kind of story.

In the late 80s I was fortunate enough to link into a local UNESCO project which allowed me the freedom to write interesting fiction. These booklets (a little above the hi-low reading stage) were given away and have long been unavailable. They dealt with AIDS (then a fairly new topic for general discussion) Drug Abuse  (cocaine and alcohol) and the environment.

Only Juice Box and Scandal ( the environment) was rescued, as  a private publisher was allowed to keep it in print. 

https://www.lmhpublishing.com/children/juice-box-and-scandal

I don't yet know of any project or 'funder' (still looking) who would just put up money for the publishing of hi-low readers of general interest, allowing an author free rein to write exciting material. (We have to eat and some of us are writing full time.)

I have a few unpublished stories like this. Also I know a few other authors who do. They are sitting in our computers waiting for . . . . .!!

The Internet is not the answer for us either, as wide distribution to OUR children remains a problem.( Lack of computers, electricity and other challenges).

ebook available today

Please check my sister blog  http://hazeldeebooks.blogspot.com/
for my adult writing for more interesting posts. 

My ebook My Darling You 

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007U78HEC

My Publications

Seems I need to make a list of my published books again, so here goes:
Children's Books Published by LMH Publishing Co
.https://www.lmhpublishing.com/children  click all the pages

short stories

environmental stories

Prize winning stories

Chapter book

Published by Carlong Publishers (Caribbean)Ltd  
http://www.carlongpublishers.com/book_listing_subject.php?id=32

Chapter book

BIAJ prize winning novel

I am the series editor for Carlong's Sand Pebbles Pleasure Series. There are nine books (including mine) in the series.








Available adult book titles

http://www.peepaltreepress.com/multiple_book_list.asp?au_id=10

 ebook on amazon

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007U78HEC

 More to come Stay tuned

See my other blog at  http://hazeldeebooks.blogspot.com/

Delroy and the Marog Princess - A Good 'e'read

http://www.smashwords.com/b/175987

Short Description :

"Delroy believes he became a marog, a type of frog, when he was swept into an underground river in Jamaica. His resolve to forget that awful event is shattered when Rana, the Marog Princess, becomes a girl and appears in his village. After his goal to turn her into a marog fails, he realizes he’s falling in love with her. Now his greatest fear is that she will transform before he can win her heart."

This is a lively tale, follow-on to Delroy in the Marog Kingdom, published by Macmillan in their Island Fiction Series. When the story begins, Delroy is just settling back into his normal life with his mother, and his father's family including his half-brother, Mario. He is even doubting that he had been a marog  and experienced living with them - until the return of Tevon, a boy the villagers thought had been drowned six years earlier. Immediately Delroy recognizes him as the boy-turned-marog he had met in his previous adventures. When Rana turns up, he no longer doubts his memories, and must deal with the threat against her so that she can safely return to her father in the marog kingdom.

There are several twists and turns as Delroy finds out more about marog history and tries to save Rana from a dangerous marog turned human who wants to kill her. Interest is heightened by the budding romances between the teen characters.  The author also enriches the story with clever use of references to the Tainos from Jamaica's past and the folkloric, River Mumma.

This is a very good summer's read for the YA age group. Get your copy at:   http://www.smashwords.com/b/175987

Independent Schools

 

Listen tomorrow, July 4, to the radio launch of the Directory of Independent Schools on Power106, 10 am to 2:30pm.

The Directory is a comprehensive list with contact numbers for all 'private' schools in the island - from pre-schools to high schools to special schools for the gifted as well as the handicapped. Also vocational schools, including music, computer, nursing schools,etc.

It's a call in program , so join the conversation and air you views on the role of independent schools in our country and their contribution to development.

Coming soon - Another Delroy story-update

Helen Billy Elm Williams

Cover for 'Delroy and the Marog Princess' which will soon be available as an e-book

UPDATE Now available at 

http://www.smashwords.com/b/175987 

This is the second story in the Delroy series. The first, Delroy in the Marog Kingdom was published by Macmillan

Look out for this exciting, intriguing continuation of Delroy's adventures with the marogs. 

Drog

Last week, I went to look at the illustrations for my upcoming children's book being published by LMH Publishing in Jamaica. They are verrrrrry interesting. It's a picture book for ages 6-8 about a dreggen named Drog, who lives in DreggaeLand. I will share a picture of Drog when I am allowed. Stay tuned.

When are you going to publish my book?

I suppose that in  this modern age when every thing is instant - even publishing can be instant via 'e' publishing, it must be difficult for authors to understand that they have to wait to get a response from a publisher. And that publishing can take up to two years from date of submission ( I have had to wait longer). and that enquiry after two weeks will not hasten the procedure. New authors, especially, are often guilty of the overzealous request - for WHEN will I be published.

 'Attitude' does not help either, the threat to take the Ms elsewhere will not move your manuscript any faster through the process and might well turn off a prospective publisher of your story.

If you really can't wait, then go into epublishing. It's quick, low cost and gets you instant results.

 link to my other blog

Link to hazelcampellbooks

Review of My Darling You ( my new ebook of adult stories)

I thank Geoffrey Philp for his review of my ebook My Darling You. Among other things he says:

The stories in My Darling You are engaging in their deft development of character, use of dialogue, and adept handling of plot. But there's more. They also give the reader a brief glimpse into the lives of characters who have been changed by love while skillfully exploring Jamaican attitudes toward sexuality ("Emancipation Park) and the influence of the church on the romantic decisions of its members ("First Love").

But wait, there's even more......

Read the full review here
http://geoffreyphilp.blogspot.com/2012/04/e-book-review-my-darling-you-by-hazel.html

My New Blog

I HAVE STARTED A NEW BLOG to talk about

my first ebook - a collection of short stories

my writing for adults
Check it here
http://hazeldeebooks.blogspot.com/

Writer's Reward

Ages 8-12

I haven't been posting for some time. I must confess that writing for adults has seduced me away from writing for children for a bit. All writers know that you have to follow  the muse where she leads. She has a mean kick if you resist.

Anyway, on Saturday, March 17, it was book fair day in Kingston at Emancipation Park. Many children and parents turned out to look and buy books As I sat in the  Carlong booth, I was pleased to see that some of the children had already read at least one of my books published by Carlong in the Sand Pebbles Pleasure series for ages 8 -14.


One boy, when he heard that I was the author of Miss Bettina's House, came over to speak to me. We chatted a bit about the story and in leaving he turned back to add: 'You know what I find funny? Animals adopting a boy. I really laughed at that.' That was my reward for the day.

Also Miss Bettina's House was featured on a children's program, Kids Say, on local station TVJ. The host, Suzanne, read a portion on the book to some very alert youngsters and I was interviewed by a nine year old. Rewarding Saturday.

Catch the repeat showing of Kids Say on Wednesday 21st on TVJ at 4:30 pm

I'll see if it is possible to get the video for posting.

The Future of Children's Books

'So here's a conundrum.. If you have kids, you get told over and over limit their screen time. And you're also told, instead of screen time, get them reading more, which is all well and good, except that these days, many children do their reading on a screen, which raises some interesting questions about how children read today and what direction things are headed in children's book publishing

             2012 National Public Radio®.

Read the discussion in this topic here:  http://www.npr.org/2012/02/18/147099486/the-future-of-childrens-books 

Since we, in the Caribbean,  are so linked into the rest of the world this could also be our future - at a slower pace.

 

Today's Food for Serious Thought

Here's an excerpt from an article in the Vancouver Observer
Since we don't do much of this kind of research in the Caribbean  (that I know of) we have to look at the trends elsewhere and match these to our own observations. Check out the article
http://www.vancouverobserver.com/blogs/new-education/2012/01/30/parenting-advice-how-make-teenagers-read-book

Based on research over the last 20 years teenagers that don’t read books are less likely to attend college, have reduced language skills, experience depression more frequently then non-readers and have lower paying jobs. That is a lot to be alarmed about. Research also notes that reading fiction has significant benefits to the brain including increasing attention span, developing empathy, improving overall social cognition and enhancing reasoning ability. Reading books benefit our teenagers in so many ways.

Six Impossible Things

I follow a number of interesting blogs, one of  which is Random Thoughts by Bish Denham, a children's writer. I was just reading her post on Alice in Wonderland- the movie

http://bish-randomthoughts.blogspot.com/search/label/Alice%20in%20Wonderland

in which she says:

 the thing I took home with me, that will stay with me the longest, is this lesson from Alice: that she imagines at least six impossible things every day. And I thought, what a great writing prompt!

She lists her 6 impossible things and got me thinking about what I would choose,. so, here goes

Snow in Jamaica

Moving sidewalks- no more traffic
                                                       

Self-repairing body parts

Knowledge injections - no more schooling

Thought travel -think of a place and you are there 

Peace on earth ( very tongue in cheek that)

Some of these are already in science fiction.

Share your 6 impossible things

Underwater sculpture park in Grenada

What stories for children could you weave around these fantastic images?

Just wondering

I am just wondering how us older ones can keep up with the language nuances.I saw this as part of a newspaper report on how the people in our new New Prime Minister's constituency were celebrating her  swearing- in ceremony at Kings House

One young man summed up the optimism of the gathering by holding aloft a can of 'tin boom' (tin mackerel).

Now if I were to refer to tin boom in a children's story ???????????

Recently, I heard a young girl giving testimony at a church service and admitting to deliberately waiting on
'the music bus.' Our people language is very vibrant and fluid. While I immediately understand music bus, (the buses that play loud music and lewd songs, despite the law) I will have to ask somebody why tin boom.

Lists of best children's books for 2011

From: http://randomhouse.tumblr.com/post/13119041969/the-best-of-the-book-lists

We need a similar list for the Caribbean!!!!!


CHILDREN’S and TEENS’ LISTS
Association for Library Service to Children’s Notable Books of 2011
Amazon’s Best Teen Books
Amazon’s Best Children’s Picture Books of 2011 
Brain Pickings’ Best Children’s Books of 2011
Common Sense Media’s Kids Book Picks
Horn Book’s Best Books of 2011
Kirkus Reviews Best Children’s Fiction of 2011
Kirkus Reviews Best Teen Books of 2011
NY Times Best Illustrated Children’s Books of 2011 
NY Times Notable Children’s Books of 2011
Publishers Weekly Best Children’s Fiction of 2011 
Publishers Weekly Best Children’s Nonfiction of 2011 
San Francisco Chronicle’s Best Children’s Books
Spellbinders’ Best Picture Books of 2011
Wall St Journal’s Best Children’s Books of 2011

I won a competition!

Me receiving the prize  at  Kingston Bookshop in Jamaica

Hope you have all started the new year on the right footing. I did.

I had forgotten that I had entered the competition on facebook to identify the author of the opening passage from a Caribbean book until I got a notice that I had won  the prize of £25 (book token) from Macmillan Caribbean books!

 The question was:

Which classic Caribbean novel opens with the following line?

‘The tongues in the lane clack-clack almost continuously, going up and down the full scale of human emotions, human folly, ignorance, suffering, viciousness, magnanimity, weakness, greatness, littleness, insufficiency, frailty, strength.’

The passage is from Roger Mais' classic story - Brother Man.

My book choices are

Time Swimmer by Gerald Hausman

The Chalice Project  by Lisa Allen-Agostini

(both from the Island Fiction series)

Brother Man by Roger Mais (to replace my lost copy)

The Girl with the Golden Shoes by Colin Channer

Thanks Macmillan

I wonder if this means I will have a good year winning competitions? LOL