Thursday, November 8, 2012

Tammi Sauer is in house...A giveaway...And a winner


If you know me very well, you know I am a HUGE fan of Tammi Sauer's work.  Her new book PRINCESS IN TRAINING is soooooo much fun!  The illustrations are fantastic too.

Here's my little blurb:

Princess Viola is an awesome skateboarder, but not the "perfect" princess that the king and queen would like her to be.  So what would any good parent do?  They send her away to Princess Camp where she should learn how to behave like a proper princess.  But....it's not as easy as it sounds.  Viola tries hard, but has quite a few mishaps until a dragon comes along and her unprincess like skills cause her to save the day.

It's not only a fun read, but it  shows young readers that it is okay to be different or have different skills.  I give PRINCESS IN TRAINING five stars....ahem out five stars.  :)


I met Tammi several years ago in one of her workshops.  She is an amazing writer and I hope you'll hop to the link and see all that I learned from her.  I am always trying to pick her brain (because it is amazing) so I sent her a few questions and she agreed to answer them for us.


When did you begin writing?
I have always been a writer. As a kid, I was very big on getting mail, so I joined a penpal club. But those weren’t the only letters I wrote. I spent hours sending fanmail to various celebrities, including Loni Anderson and Barbara Mandrell.  Somewhere I have a collection of retro 8 by 10 glossies to prove it.
It wasn’t until 1997, however, that I began toying with the idea of writing picture books. I would write one day. Stop for 36 days. Write again for a week. Stop for four months. I didn't make a commitment to writing until the spring of 2003 when an illustrator visited my daughter's preschool. Seeing someone who was actually in the business inspired me to get serious about writing. That day I decided to devote my kids' nap time to writing. Even if my mom called. Even if Oprah was on. One year later, I got the offer for my first book—Cowboy Camp.

Do you have an agent?
Yes, my agent is Laura Rennert at Andrea Brown Literary Agency.

Can you tell us about the journey took until you reached publication?
When I first decided to try to become a children’s book writer, I would write something on Monday, send it out on Tuesday, and expect multiple offers by Friday.  Little by little, however, I learned more and more. I wrote. I read. I studied successful picture books. I attended conferences. I found a critique partner and a critique group. And those early stories? They were awful, but I never once thought of them as a waste of time. Those were my practice stories. It’s the same with sports or playing a musical instrument. The best way to get better at something is to practice.

Are all your books published by the same publisher?
I work with a variety of wonderful publishing houses—Bloomsbury, Disney-Hyperion, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Simon & Schuster, and Sterling.

What one thing would you say to prepublished authors?
With a lot of perseverance, some talent, and a little luck, YOU can sell a picture book. (In my experience, an unlimited supply of frozen Milky Ways also helps.)

Do you have any special news you’d like to share???
I am really excited about my upcoming book with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt called Nugget and Fang. This book is illustrated by the oh-so-amazing Michael Slack. It focuses on the unlikely friendship between a minnow and a shark.  I am hoping Nugget and Fang make a huge splash in spring 2013.

And finally the all important question:  What is your favorite kind of cheese?
Wow, that’s like asking me who my favorite child is. I am crazy about cheese. I should totally move to Wisconsin in my support of cheese.

Here are some places you can learn more about the awesome Tammi Sauer.  (I bet that makes her blush!)


I am giving away a copy of Tammi's awesome book, CHICKEN DANCE...


and Tammi is giving away two of her PRINCESS IN TRAINING buttons (so cute) on November 15th.


Now for a winner of WE HEAR THE DEAD by Dianne Salerni:

Janet Johnson


And the winner of a signed bookmark for her upcoming book CAGED GRAVES:

Kelly Polark



Thanks for dropping by!

Hugs to all!

26 comments:

  1. Lovely to meet you Tammi!! All the best with your super cute Princess in Training book and I love the badges!! Yay! take care
    x

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  2. Great interview. Loved learning about Tammi's road to publication.

    Tammi's book sounds great but my daughter is too old for it so let someone else win.

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  3. What a great surprise, Sharon! Thank you!
    Also, great interview with Tammi. She is so talented. I was naive when I started writing and thought I'll write a book, and it will be published next year. :) But yes, those practice stories are vital steps in getting published!

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  4. Yay for Tammi. (Super interview) I thoroughly enjoyed reading about her path to publication. I definitely want to win. Mmmm, Milky Ways. :-)

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  5. Fantastic interview. Hooray for another cheese lover- I love those with a passion for cheese!

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  6. Tammi, Wisconsin welcomes you with open arms! :)

    Thanks for this interview, Sharon. But do NOT enter me in a giveaway. I have won my share of wonderful Sharon-goodies. For a while, anyway. :D

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  7. Congrats to Tammy. My boys would not appreciate a princess read, otherwise I'd add it to their collection.

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  8. Wow, thank you, Sharon! I really can't wait to read it. :)

    And Tammi's books sounds so cute! My kids would love these.

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  9. great interview! Wonderful to meet Tammi and I really love that book cover@!
    Nutschell
    www.thewritingnut.com

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  10. I first met Tammi through Verla Kay's--she is a very talented and giving writer! This book sounds awesome--wishing her the best with it! :)

    Angela

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  11. Sharon, YOU are royally awesome!

    Thanks for putting together such a lovely post. :)

    Tammi

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  12. Sounds like a fun book. Hope the dragon was a good dragon.

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  13. hi!

    cool interview. ilove learning stuff bout authors. i won one of miss tammis books and its sooo cute and fun. wow! nugget and fang! i love those names. for sure its gonna be another funtastical book.

    ...hugs from lenny

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  14. I love Chicken Dance! I saw a video of a school visit Tammi did a few years ago to promote the book and she had the whole class dancing with her! It was so adorable! Great interview, Sharon and Tammi!

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  15. PRINCESS IN TRAINING sounds like a fun book to read. Cute cover! I enjoyed the interview.

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  16. What FUN sounding books! And the illustrations are great. Nice to learn more about Tammi--hehe, on your early querying process (writing it and sending it out the next day, expecting multiple offers). Best wishes for your books, Tammi!

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  17. Congrats to Tammy.
    Thank you for sharing the info. Tha badges are cute.

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  18. great interview!! and congrats to the winnners


    new follower here - hi!

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  19. all the best my friend.. Intresting picture.

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  20. how fun -- there is something so wonderful about picture books. I adore them.

    hope you are well, Sharon!

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  21. I love that princess on her skateboard! That cover made me feel like giggling; it was so happy.

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  22. Fantastic pins! So cool. Really enjoyed the interview.

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  23. Sounds like a cute book! :)

    I love Tammi's answer about her favorite cheese, I'm a huge cheese fan too!

    -K8
    http://froze8.blogspot.com/

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  24. Love it! The illustrations are adorable!

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