Children and Young Adult Books

Interview with Author – Ron Roecker

Interview with Author – Ron Roecker

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It was the perfect storm one day in kindergarten when I got teased once again for the birthmark on my neck that looked like a hickey AND I had nothing to share for Show & Tell. I thought things would work themselves out until Scott Sherman pulled out his pet iguana and the class went insane. There were 13 classmates ahead of me so I had to use that time wisely. At last it was my turn. I stood up and proceeded to tell everyone that it was not actually a birthmark on my neck (I apologized profusely for leading them astray and let them know I did it with their best interests in mind) for it actually was a skin graph from a burn I received while selflessly saving a kitten from a burning building on the way to pre-school one random Tuesday. Mrs. Dodd, my canary-haired teacher, sent me home with a note that afternoon which said, “Ronnie has a very active imagination and quite a competitive nature, but…” blah, blah, blah. I was over the moon at the tremendous kudos I had been given. That’s when I knew I was going to be a story teller. (FYI, I still tell the skin graph story whenever anyone asks me about the birthmark…when it works, it works…)

Award-winning writer and artist Ron Roecker recently released the first in his series of books for children of all ages titled, “Six of One, Half a Dozen of the Other,” which is based on well-known adages and idioms. “Why Ball Wouldn’t Bounce” is the first in the series and the first to be written, illustrated and published by Roecker. “Why Christmas Is Cancelled: Santa Spells it Out,” is based on a holiday letter Roecker wrote in 2017 that was published and syndicated by the Kansas City Star newspaper. He decided to develop it as a book for the entire family with new, hand-drawn illustrations and published this second book October 2019. Originally from the Midwest, Roecker has lived in Los Angeles for the past 20+ years and moonlights as a brand marketing consultant, executive coach, media spokesperson and professional public speaker.

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Interview with Author – David Radman

Interview with Author – David Radman

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I am an award-winning author who began writing children’s stories as a single father, when my two daughters were very young. My love of being a dad inspired me to share my creativity through the magic of storytelling. My first published book, “Santa’s Zany, Wacky, Just Not Right Night Before Christmas”, was released in 2014 and won The Gold Medal Moonbeam award, as well as being a USA Best Book finalist, in 2015.

I went on to write “When Grandpa Gets Going”, a celebration of family and my tribute to Grandpas, which was published by Black Rose Writing in 2018.

In 2019 my third book, “Peek and Boo are Looking for You”, was also published by Black Rose Writing, which introduces young readers to all the fun of Halloween, without being too scary.

I enjoy spending time sharing my stories with children in both schools and hospitals, and I have devoted a great deal of time doing author talks in community centers, middle schools, and conventions. I continue to write stories that I hope to share with the world in the future. I live in Littleton, Colorado with my wife and two dogs.

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Interview with Author – Barbara Ann Mojica

Interview with Author – Barbara Ann Mojica

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Barbara Ann Mojica, M.A. S.A.S., S.D.A is a historian and retired educator. Her education career spans more than forty years serving as a teacher, special educator, principal, and school district administrator. Barbara writes monthly historical articles for the Columbia Insider under the banner “Passages.” Using the whimsical Little Miss History character to narrate her book series, Barbara hopes to educate, entertain and inspire children to learn about historical people and places. Little Miss History’s antics make reading nonfiction a fun-filled adventure for all ages. She firmly believes, “If you don’t know your history, you don’t know what you’re talking about.”

The Little Miss HISTORY book series has garnered more than two dozen awards including B.R.A.G. Medallions, International Book Excellence Awards, International Readers’ Favorite Awards, Eric Hoffer, and Independent Author Network Awards

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Interview with Author – Erin Thomas

Interview with Author – Erin Thomas

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As a 5th generation member in a long line of National Park Service employees and appreciators, Erin was born in northern Arizona. With her career NPS parents, Erin lived inside of six different National Park sites. She even worked for Death Valley National Park in the Youth Conservation Corps; and at Scotty’s Castle for the Death Valley Natural History Association.

The wander-lust lifestyle did not end with the National Park Service. Erin and her husband (Coast Guard retired) lived on all four United States borders. With each move, Erin and her family sought out National Park sites to visit. Her own children make the 6th generation in this lineage who admire and enjoy visiting our National Parks! To date, they have visited 109 NPS sites (at least those they can remember!).

She is a National Board Certified teacher, and has a Master of Science degree in Science Education, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education. Erin has taught students in grades K-12 as a classroom teacher, computer resource specialist, Gifted/Talented instructor, and served as a building-wide Instructional Coach. She was honored by Virginia Beach City Public Schools in 2013 as being a City-Wide Teacher of the Year Finalist. Erin has received two additional Teacher of the Year awards, and is a member of the National Science Teachers Association and National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Erin loves getting students excited about STEM, National Parks, and learning!

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Interview with Author – Paul Venosdel

Paul Venosdel’s love for baseball began when he played as a young boy. His personal experiences as a young player, and now as manager and coach, provide him a keen sense of the emotions and drama involved in baseball. He has managed over 400 games in nine years, winning more than 60%, including 13 Championships in Travel Ball, League, and Tournament competitions as of the writing of this book. His innovative and inspiring style of coaching is based on his belief that what matters most is instilling truth, confidence, and character in the lives of children. He writes with humor and insights that authentically portray baseball life as seen through the eyes and hearts of young players.

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Interview with Author – Susan Antony

Interview with Author – Susan Antony

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My name is Susan Antony and I write young adult fiction. Becoming a writer was a childhood dream I’d buried years ago. One day in the recent past while spring-cleaning, I came across a fifty-page novel I’d written as a ten-year-old and my long forgotten passion awoke again. I currently live in South Carolina with my sixteen-year-old son and two naughty but adorable Cairn Terriers.

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Interview with Author – Kristy Centeno

Interview with Author – Kristy Centeno

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Kristy Centeno loves to spin tales of creatures that go bump in the night, with a sprinkle of romance to top them off. Her passion for writing stems from a lifelong enjoyment of reading and the pleasure derived from the magical worlds created by authors like her. She prefers her female leads strong, independent, and stubborn who will stop at nothing to save their loved ones and protect those they care for.
Kristy currently resides in Pennsylvania with her five kids and a trio of noisy parakeets. When she’s not working or writing, she juggles her free time between raising a handful of minions and pursuing other career goals.

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Interview with Author – Emily-Jane Hills Orford

Interview with Author – Emily-Jane Hills Orford

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An avid gardener, artist, musician and writer, Emily-Jane Hills Orford has fond memories and lots of stories that evolved from a childhood growing up in a haunted Victorian mansion. Told she had a ‘vivid imagination’, the author used this talent to create stories in her head to pass tedious hours while sick, waiting in a doctor’s office, listening to a teacher drone on about something she already knew, or enduring the long, stuffy family car rides. The author lived her stories in her head, allowing her imagination to lead her into a different world, one of her own making. As the author grew up, these stories, imaginings and fantasies took to the written form and, over the years, she developed a reputation for telling a good story. Emily-Jane can now boast that she is an award-winning author of several books, including Mrs. Murray’s Ghost (Telltale Publishing 2018), Queen Mary’s Daughter (Clean Reads 2018), Gerlinda (CFA 2016) which received an Honorable Mention in the 2016 Readers’ Favorite Book Awards, To Be a Duke (CFA 2014) which was named Finalist and Silver Medalist in the 2015 Next Generation Indie Book Awards and received an Honorable Mention in the 2015 Readers’ Favorite Book Awards and several other books. A retired teacher of music and creative writing, she writes about the extra-ordinary in life and the fantasies of dreams combined with memories.

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Interview with Author – Laura Smith

Interview with Author – Laura Smith

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Laura Smith is an office worker by day and an indie author/blogger/editor by night. Born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA, she earned her B.A. in Creative Writing from Carlow University in 2007. She has since self-published three middle grade novels and is at work on her first middle grade series. She has also blogged for several websites, most recently HubPages, and is a volunteer editor for LitPick student book reviews. When she’s not writing, she’s usually drawing, watching movies, working in her yard, and spending time with her family.

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