I write a lot about my life and pull from my experiences. How else do I really stay "in touch" with my readers and get you to know me?
I am very much a 'what you see is what you get' type of person. If you haven't learned yet, Dani and Chloe are a big mixture of both myself and my daughter. We can both be really sweet and sassy---although, truthfully---I'm pretty much the sassy one. Don't let that fool you. Inside I'm just a pile of mushy "feels."
One of the best parts about being a children's writer is that they are brutally honest in their praise and in their indifference. If they have an opinion, you can rest assured you are going to hear it whether you want to or not.
Authors are just like everyone else. We all want to hear praise and to know someone enjoyed what we have written, but we can't expect everyone to like everything we write. It isn't humanly possible. That is when we have to put our emotions and our egos aside and listen. It also means what one person doesn't like, the next will. Regardless of this knowledge, the reader has the potential to take us to the top of the highest mountain or send us down into a dark, deep cavern underground. That is the risk we take when we put ourselves out there.
I have been fortunate that I have received a warm response from my young readers thus far. I am truly humbled and grateful for that, more than you will ever know. I was also told by one adorable--although, I doubt he would like me to refer to him as that--young man who said he thought my book was, "Eh, alright. Is that okay if I think that?" Of course it is! He didn't want to read about two girls, but he did like the story. I assured him that some of my future books would include, "Ricky," a male character being introduced in the third book.
As children's authors we all love and appreciate reviews, but the opinions we truly value most are those of a child. Did we touch them? Did we attain our goal? Did they escape into a new world, a new adventure, for at least a moment? Did we get them to want to pick up the next book?
I obtained that answer from one little girl this morning and I haven't stopped smiling. Okay, every time this happens I can't stop smiling for the day. I went into our local coffee shop as I do every morning for a donut before work. The owner who I am on very friendly terms with called out across the restaurant that she needed to talk to me. I waited while she finished up with a customer. She came over and asked how soon my next book would be out? I told her I was set to release it any day. She was so excited to hear my response! She said she would be visiting her young niece whom she had given the first book to as a gift. Apparently, she hasn't stopped talking or asking for the next book in the series. I believe the quote was, "Auntie, it's AH-MAZING! AH-MAZING! When can I get the next one?"
These are priceless moments that touch my heartstrings. I reached my goal. If only for a short while, this little girl escaped reality and stepped into Dani and Chloe's world. She was traipsing through the dusty, gloomy halls of the Haunted House in search of a saboteur. She was the one with the backwards baseball cap out to solve a mission. She was learning the values of true friendship.
Every child deserves the gift of reading. To have that passion for literature. To grow up living life in the pages of a storybook. Help your child find that passion! For me, as an author, I know this is the reason I write.
Wishing you all a little adventure,
K. Lamb
Author of the Dani P. Mystery series
www.danipmystery.com
www.facebook.com/danipmystery
www.twitter.com/danipmytery @danipmystery
It's the adventures of Dani P.
Join her in her mysteries!"
I am very much a 'what you see is what you get' type of person. If you haven't learned yet, Dani and Chloe are a big mixture of both myself and my daughter. We can both be really sweet and sassy---although, truthfully---I'm pretty much the sassy one. Don't let that fool you. Inside I'm just a pile of mushy "feels."
One of the best parts about being a children's writer is that they are brutally honest in their praise and in their indifference. If they have an opinion, you can rest assured you are going to hear it whether you want to or not.
Authors are just like everyone else. We all want to hear praise and to know someone enjoyed what we have written, but we can't expect everyone to like everything we write. It isn't humanly possible. That is when we have to put our emotions and our egos aside and listen. It also means what one person doesn't like, the next will. Regardless of this knowledge, the reader has the potential to take us to the top of the highest mountain or send us down into a dark, deep cavern underground. That is the risk we take when we put ourselves out there.
I have been fortunate that I have received a warm response from my young readers thus far. I am truly humbled and grateful for that, more than you will ever know. I was also told by one adorable--although, I doubt he would like me to refer to him as that--young man who said he thought my book was, "Eh, alright. Is that okay if I think that?" Of course it is! He didn't want to read about two girls, but he did like the story. I assured him that some of my future books would include, "Ricky," a male character being introduced in the third book.
As children's authors we all love and appreciate reviews, but the opinions we truly value most are those of a child. Did we touch them? Did we attain our goal? Did they escape into a new world, a new adventure, for at least a moment? Did we get them to want to pick up the next book?
I obtained that answer from one little girl this morning and I haven't stopped smiling. Okay, every time this happens I can't stop smiling for the day. I went into our local coffee shop as I do every morning for a donut before work. The owner who I am on very friendly terms with called out across the restaurant that she needed to talk to me. I waited while she finished up with a customer. She came over and asked how soon my next book would be out? I told her I was set to release it any day. She was so excited to hear my response! She said she would be visiting her young niece whom she had given the first book to as a gift. Apparently, she hasn't stopped talking or asking for the next book in the series. I believe the quote was, "Auntie, it's AH-MAZING! AH-MAZING! When can I get the next one?"
These are priceless moments that touch my heartstrings. I reached my goal. If only for a short while, this little girl escaped reality and stepped into Dani and Chloe's world. She was traipsing through the dusty, gloomy halls of the Haunted House in search of a saboteur. She was the one with the backwards baseball cap out to solve a mission. She was learning the values of true friendship.
Every child deserves the gift of reading. To have that passion for literature. To grow up living life in the pages of a storybook. Help your child find that passion! For me, as an author, I know this is the reason I write.
Wishing you all a little adventure,
K. Lamb
Author of the Dani P. Mystery series
www.danipmystery.com
www.facebook.com/danipmystery
www.twitter.com/danipmytery @danipmystery
It's the adventures of Dani P.
Join her in her mysteries!"
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