Denver Venture, Lewis Palmer, and Virtual Book Fair

Hi All,

Long post, but bear with me! First off, last week I spoke at the Denver Venture School and Lewis Palmer Middle School about my books and Breaking the Chain, my nonprofit for literacy. Both groups were great! Here's pictures from Lewis Palmer Middle School:


Also, I will be participating in a Virtual Book Fair on 2/26, 2/27, 2/28 with the group of authors listed below. The site for the fair is http://www.virtualbookfair.net.

Be sure to visit our other participating authors/illustrators involved in this year's fair! Purchase signed copies, get give-a-ways and more!

Tara Michener- author of the "Who I Am Series" that promotes self-esteem & diversity in kids. "Who I Am Not What I Am" Meet Janelle, A fun girl who discovers the secret to happiness is loving herself for who she is, not for fitting into what others want her to be. 100% Real-What does it mean to be real? Meet Zoey who wonders the same thing after her classmates question her about being adopted. With the help of a close friend in Janelle and her parents she discovers that she has more in common with her family than she thought. www.taramichener.com

JD Holiday-Janoose The Goose likes life in the barnyard very much. She is visiting her cousin, Molly duck and her baby, DeeDee. Her vacation is over and Janoose must go home because there are no job openings on the farm. When her flight arrives home she learns that the fox has begun a crime spree. Janoose is the only one who can stop him. ww.jdswritersblog.blogspot.com

Adra Young-The Everyday Living of Children and Teens Monologues (Volume I and II)
This series is in a class by itself. These books address multifaceted issues that kids are faced with. Parents may utilize these books to address sensitive subject matters and establish stronger bonds and communication with their kids. These books have been acknowledged for creating an acting guide that addressees appropriate socialization skills. www.ardannyl.me

Grace Hatton-The Guys The Roses & The Regrets; the Girl to Girl Dating Guide Written by a teenage girl for teenage girls this book offers practical tips and real life stories that will help teenage girls and young women navigate the crazy world of dating, relationships and break ups. This book is an Amazon Best Seller! www.gracehatton.wordpress.com

Colleen Murray Fisher-The One and Only Bernadette P. This book promotes appreciating who you are, as well as accepting others. Does liking peanut butter and pickle sandwiches, or painting with your toes, or even havining an imaginary friendmake a person strange? that's what kids say about Bernadette. But when Bernadette meets her new neighbor, Sofie she realizes that her uniqueness is nothing strange at all. www.collenmurrayfisherbooks.com

Dawn Stephens-The Little Pot Soon after a potter forms a new pot and declares that he has important plans for his creation, the little pot begins to wonder what its purpose will be. Will it be used to hold important documents? Great riches? Beautiful flowers? As various expectations prove wrong the little pot is cautioned to see...The little pot is a simple profound story about inevitable reversals. www.DawnStephensBooks.com

Dan Bodenstein-The Tale of Eartha the Sea Turtle Based on the true story of a loggerhead sea turtle names Eartha, this enchanted tale tells the story of a young sea turtle who finds help in the last place that she expected. Through colorful imagery it helps kids to help injured animals... www.seaturtlestory.com

Patty O'Brien Novak-Engineering The ABC's Imagine a world without cars and computers, or toys and televisions, or movies and microwaves...then imagine a world without engineers. This book answers questions about how everyday things work and how engineering relates to so many parts of a child's daily life www.pattyobriennovak.com

I hope you'll check it out!

Until next time,

Riley

KIPP Sunshine Peak Academy and Other News

Hi All!

I apologize for the lack of posting of late. Things have been busy, as usual :) - I've been in full writing mode working on the second book of my YA trilogy, as well as dealing with the commitments of my nonprofit, Breaking the Chain (and of course, schoolwork).

On Friday, February 12th, I visited KIPP Sunshine Peak Academy in Denver, Colorado, and spoke to four different classes of six graders there. KIPP is a great school and the kids were so interested and engaging! I loved being able to talk to them and to hopefully inspire them to do great things! Here are some pictures of the event:

I also have some more events coming up - I will be speaking at Denver Venture School on Wednesday, 2/17, Lewis Palmer Middle School on Friday, 2/19, and Kent Denver School, 3/1.

In other news, Breaking the Chain, my nonprofit for literacy, is launching a new program called Bookin'It. We're putting books into classrooms and in the hands of elementary and middle school students. KIPP was a recipient of our book donations, but we currently have 20 classrooms requesting books. There is an incredible need! It costs only $250 to "adopt a classroom" and provide them with the books that they need. If you can help or would like to learn more, please visit out website at www.linkbylink.org. Anything helps!

Until next time,

Riley

Kidlit Contest

Hi All,

For those who are interested, there's a great Kidlit Contest going on. Your entry has to be for a children's novel (YA or MG, no picture books), it has to be for a manuscript that is FINISHED and could be sent out to an agent, and the entry must be under 500 words.

Here is the link if you're interested in participating.

Riley

A Word on Outlining

I am often asked how I manage to write so prolifically. Many people think that I must have a great deal of time on my hands to write, but it's not abundance of time that has allowed me to write six books in the past year and a half, rather it’s the ability to plan. I’ve read a lot of blogs and articles lately that discuss the writing process, and more specifically, whether to outline or not. Many people think that outlining ties you down and restricts your story.

I would argue just the opposite.

An outline is not a prison. It does not restrict the writer's movement or creativity. It is merely a tool to ensure that your story actually comes to life. Before I wrote The Fire Stone, I had struggled for several years to write the same story. I would write about seventy pages and then it would occur to me that I had absolutely no idea where I was going with it. I did that over and over until I realized that I needed to have a plan. Could it be that I needed an outline?

The outline is an often dreaded, and frequently maligned, writing tool. An outline forces the writer to come up with a plot. We hate it because we are forced to come up with a fully formed idea instead of flailing about for days and weeks and years on end. This is actually a good thing. Without a plot there is no story. An outline forces us to have a goal. It doesn't mean we're locked into anything, it just gives us some boundaries.

When I outline I start with a very bare-bones sketch of what I think might happen. Then, I begin to add to that skeleton, a little bit at a time. Eventually, I begin to put in details so that everything fits together, but also so that I can remember important things that I want to add to certain scenes. I outline the story chapter by chapter, allowing half a page to a page of prose to describe each chapter.

Other authors may do less or more when they outline, but the point of an outline is to have an idea of where I am going before I begin to write. That certainly doesn’t mean it’s set in stone. I have as much freedom as I want to add, delete, or change directions. I have changed major characters and added whole chapters to my story that weren't in my original outline. The story and the author still have complete control over where the story will go, but using an outline ensures that the story actually gets written. After the story is written, it can always be edited and tweaked until it feels right. The editing is easier than than the writing process. So, my writing motto is: "just get it on the page", and the only way the writing will always get on the page is with an outline.

So that's my answer to how I write so quickly. I don’t feel that outlining limits my creativity; I believe it expands creativity because I have the freedom to add new ideas into a story that actually has a point.

On a very different note, I would just like to add that it is so important that we not abandon the people of Haiti during this catastrophe. It is very difficult for them to get the aid they need to recover from the earthquake. To donate to the Red Cross relief efforts in Haiti, you can text "HAITI" to 90999 to donate $10. It will be automatically added onto your phone bill.

Please help if you can.

Until next time,

Riley

Chicago and Indianapolis and Other News

Hi Everybody!

I know I haven't posted for a while, but I was busy on a two week trip to Chicago and Indianapolis speaking at schools. It was an incredible trip - I gave 14 speeches and spoke to approximately 2,500 kids about my book, reading, and reaching out to help each other. It was great to see the kids get so excited about not only reading and writing, but about doing good in the world. Here are a few pictures from the trip:

With students at Attea Middle School in Glenview, Illinois

Speaking to students at Countryside Montessori in Northbrook, Illinois

Signing books at St. Pius X in Indianapolis, Indiana

At Amore Pizzeria in Zionsville, Indiana talking with a teen library group

I have several videos of speeches that I gave at schools and I will post them as soon as I can. You can also view a list of all the schools I visited on the trip at my website here. In the mean time, I've also had several interviews since I got back from my trip.

I had a live interview on Fox 31's Everyday on Thursday, the 17th. You can watch the video here.

I also taped a segment with Fox31's MartinoTV which will air on Christmas Day.

Today, I participated in a live blog chat with Indiependent Books. You visit their website and buy and autographed copy of The Fire Stone here.

I'll post again soon, but for now, happy holidays to all!

Check back soon,

Riley

Interviews, Fan Videos, Reviews, and More

Hi all!

Now that I have digested my Thanksgiving dinner, I am finally able to write a blog post. First off, here's a link to my appearance on Cyrus Webb's radio show Conversations LIVE! Thanks so much to Cyrus for having me!

Also, a faithful fan posted this video on YouTube of her review of The Fire Stone. It's excellent! Thanks so much for that!



Also, check out Chris Brett's blog The Pirate's Bounty. He has posted a review of The Fire Stone and is also doing a giveaway of the book. Thanks so much, Chris!

I did a guest review on Books For Kids Reviews on Going Bovine by Libba Bray. You can read it here.

Monday, 11/30, I leave for Chicago and then go on to Indianapolis to speak to a number of schools in both cities. You can see a complete list of all schools here.

Check back soon for updates on all of the events!

Riley

Cherry Hills Village Elmentary School Book Fair, Blogs, News, and Appearances

Hi all!

I have a lot to report in this post! Last week, I signed books at the Cherry Hills Village Elementary School book fair. I sold 110 books in four hours! Here's a picture from the event:


Also, I’ve been featured on a few blogs. Here’s an interview I did with Shelli Cornelison at her blog Shelli’s Soliloquy and Tara Michener at her blog Whoaminotwhatiam. I was also featured on Feed Your Good Dog. Thanks to Shelli, Tara, and FYGD for the support!

I was also featured in a brief news story by 9News. You can view it here. I was interviewed yesterday by Fox31 here in Colorado for their Martino Show and I will be interviewed live on Fox31's Everyday Show at 4:00 mountain time on December 17th.

On November 24th, I will be on Cyrus Webb’s Conversations LIVE! Radio at 8:00 eastern time. You can listen to it live here.

And now, the most action-packed part of the post! I will be touring Chicago and Indianapolis for the first two weeks of December to speak to kids at schools. Here’s the schedule:

12/1 – Central Elementary School
Wilmette, IL
12/2 – The Skokie School
Winnetka, IL
12/2 – Lake Forest Country Day School
Lake Forest, IL
12/3 – Wilmette Junior High
Wilmette, IL
12/3 – Attea Middle School
Glenview, IL
12/4 – School of St. Mary
Lake Forest, IL
12/8 – St. Thomas Aquinas School
Indianapolis, IN
12/8 – Westlane Middle School
Indianapolis, IN
12/9 – St. Pius X School
Indianapolis, IN

This evening from 7:00-8:30, I'll be talking to the Teen Creative Writing Group at Koelbel Library in Centennial, Colorado. I'll post about it afterward, so check back soon!

Riley

Now Available on Kindle

Hello!

The Fire Stone is now available on Amazon Kindle, so all of those with Kindle reading devices, buy it and enjoy! Here's the link.

Riley

List of Must-Reads!

Hi all!

Just for kicks, I put together my personal partial list of must-reads. Enjoy:

The Hunger Games and Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling (of course)
The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
The Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer
The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah
Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson, David Oliver Relin
The Maximum Ride series by James Patterson
The Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
His Dark Materials series by Phillip Pullman
The Redwall series by Brian Jacques
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
The Merlin series by T.A. Barron
The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke

Until next time,

Riley

Cherry Hills Village Elementary School Visit

Hello!

Yesterday, I spoke to classes at Cherry Hills Village Elementary School in Colorado. I spoke to seven different groups, each around twenty-five minutes long - whew! I had a really fun time and the kids were great!

Here are some pictures:


My next appearance is at the Teen Writing Group at Koelbel Library. More information here.

Check back soon!

Riley