Author Cindy Reeg's Phenomenal Blog

I made a recent discovery: Cindy Reeg's blog. The minute her page loads on your browser, you see colors galore. It has an immediate "kid appeal", which always grabs my attention. Her blog highlights news of fellow authors, such as today's post featuring Margot Finke.

I planned on just focussing on Cynthia's blog, but realized that wouldn't do her justice. I found myself browsing her entire site for quite some time. Her creativity shines right down to her "About Me" page, which is in interview format.

There's a little something for everybody. On her "Teachers and Parents" page she has information about her creative school visits. There's even tips for us writers on how to conduct a fun school visit.

No matter which page you visit, you'll likely run into something fun. The "Kids" page is just that: FUN. There's links, crafts, recipes and even suggested readings.

My personal favorite was her "Travel and Family" page. There's exciting photographs of her worldly travels. Viewing her picture of Italy may be the closest I get to that country for a while. The picture I loved the most, however, was of her two cats napping on the photocopier. Nothing could capture a cat's peronality better than that.

Hey, don't take my word for it. Go visit Cynthia's Blog and website at http://www.cynthiareeg.com/blog/index.html to see for yourself. If you love it as much as I do, don't forget to visit her contact page and tell her about it.

Shari Lyle--Soffe

Hey! Look who stopped by my blog tonight. It's children's author Shari Lyle-Soffe! She's the author of the Rooter and Snuffle series, published by Guardian Angel Publishing.
Her wonderful story-telling mixed with illustrator Kevin Scott Collier's illustrations is a recipe for a brillaint book.
Welcome, Shari!


Jen: How long have you been writing for children? What made you get started?

Shari: I have been writing for children for almost ten years. I was a professional crafter and I wanted to do something less messy. LOL. I was looking for another way to earn money from my home. Big mistake! Nobody warned me that children's writers don't make a lot of money. My love of children's books and stories, and fond memories of being read to as a child kept me going. I love to write.

Jen: Is there one particular book, story or article in which you're most proud of? Why?

Shari: Most writers will tell you it is their latest work, but I have a short story that was published in an online magazine that I dearly loved. The story was "Santa's Slowpoke Elf" and it was such fun to write but hard to sell. (It was about my husband, but don't tell anyone.)
Next to that I am really proud of my Rooter and Snuffle series. They are fun stories based on two raccoons that visited our back porch when I was a child growing up in the California Redwoods. I love animals and they are fun to write about.

Jen: What books have you written? Is there anything you'd like us to know about your latest release?

Shari: I have written many books but so far only two have been published, with a third on the way. "The Misadventures of Rooter and Snuffle" is the first book in my series and has just been released in paperback. It is available at Amazon and Borders. It is still available from http://www.guardianangelpublishing.com on CD or as a download. The second book in the series "On the Go With Rooter and Snuffle" is available on CD or as a download and will be coming out in paperback soon. The third book in the series is "Trouble Finds Rooter and Snuffle" and should be released in about three months. All three have been illustrated by Kevin Scott Collier and the pictures are really colorful and fun. They are picture/storybooks and each book contains three separate stories.

Jen: I see that you do school visits. Where are you available to visit?

Shari: I am willing to visit schools in the Southern Oregon area.

Jen: What would a typical school visit be like? If a school was interested in a visit from you, where could they go to learn more about it?

Shari: It would be for children ages 4 to 8. I would talk about the different kinds of writing I have done: craft instructions, poetry, puzzles, short stories and books. I would show samples of my writing in magazines. Read some of them, and talk about where writing ideas come from. I would also answer questions from the children.

I am also available to talk about raccoons. I can talk about how raccoons live. I can also tell children how our trash puts wild animals at risk with information I received from Wildlife Images.

For more information about my school visits they can go to http://www.sharilyle-soffe.com and click on School Visits and Appearances.

Jen: What are some books that you're reading right now?

Shari: Unfortunately I haven't had much time for reading lately and, sad to say, the library I depended on for reading material has been closed indefinitely. I guess some communities don't consider libraries a necessity. Sad.


Jen: Is there anything else you'd like us to know about you?

Shari: My mission statement:
I want my writing to entertain children, make them giggle, build their self esteem, and teach them tolerance, compassion, and a love for all living things.


Thank you, Shari, for this opportunity to interview you. We hope to see more of you.

Thank you, Jennifer. It has been my pleasure.