Short and Sweet #3, A VERY FROSTY KISS, MISS

December 17 , 2012 Short and Sweet (#3 in Our Three Part Holiday Series) A VERY FROSTY KISS, MISS   Here are the Spellbinders at the December 11 Alamosa Bookstore event. We collected many books for the APS Title One Homeless Student Project and had a fun time visiting with other local authors, librarians, and families. Thanks to everyone who helped us sing our holiday spoofs, especially the kids who played bells and other instruments.   Congratulations to GoofyJ who won In the Trees, Honeybees by Lori Mortenson as part of our November giveaway.  Here is the third and final installment of our song spoof trio. WARNING - There are spoilers, so if you haven't read all the books in the Twilight series, you might want to wait on this song: EDWARD THE VAMPIRE or A VERY FROST KISS MISS by Carolee Dean Inspired by the Twilight Series by Stephanie Meyer (Sung to the tune of "FROSTY THE SNOWMAN") Edward the vampire is a boy without a soul. He has a sparkly smile and a GQ style, but his eyes are black as coal. "Edward the Vampire is a school girls dream," they sigh. But Bella knows that he's white as snow, because he's dead inside. Her heart goes Thumpity, thump, thump, Thumpity thump, thump when he walks the hall. Thumpity, thump, thump Thumpity, thump, thump watch her trip and fall. Edward the Vampire is a vegetarian. Though the Voluri are much more scary, they claim to have more fun. Edward's a Vampire but Bells is not afraid. Though she is a clutz, and her friends are nuts, Edward loves her away. Her heart goes Thumpity, thump, thump, Thumpity thump, thump halfway through Book Four. Then she gets wed, becomes undead. Now her heart will beat no more. To check out the other two songs in our Holiday Series or any other articles you may have missed, find past issues at the Spellbinders Blog along with tips for creating your own book spoofs:  We are taking a break and will be back on January 14, 2013. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!    Join Our Mailing List! Meet the Spellbinders Carolee Dean has made numerous appearances as a guest poet/author at schools, libraries, poetry events, and teacher/library conferences. She holds a bachelor's degree in music therapy and a master's degree in communicative disorders, and she has spent over a decade working in the public schools as a speech-language pathologist. Her first novel, Comfort,was nominated as a Best Book for Young Adults, was named the Best YA Novel of 2002 by the Texas Institute of Letters, and was on the TAYSHAS (Texas Library Association) reading list. Take Me There is a YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers. Her upcoming paranormal verse novel, Forget Me Not, will be published by Simon Pulse in October of 2012.    She conducts teacher trainings on inspiring reluctant writers including "The Secret Language of Stories" and "Random Act of Haiku."             Caroline Starr Rose spent her childhood in the deserts of Saudi Arabia and New Mexico, camping at the Red Sea in one and eating red chile in the other. She's taught English and social studies to upper elementary and middle-school students in New Mexico, Florida, Virginia, and Louisiana. Back in New Mexico, Caroline now writes middle-grade novels and picture books full time.    To find teacher's guides, writing activities, and information about author visits, go to my website.    Kimberley Griffiths Little is the recipient of the Southwest Book Award, The Whitney Award for Best Youth Novel of 2010, and the author of the highly acclaimed, The Healing Spell and Circle of Secrets, published by Scholastic Press. Look for her books at the Scholastic Book Fairs, as well as two more forthcoming novels in 2012 and 2013.    She lives on a dirt road in a small town by the Rio Grande with her husband, a robotics engineer and their three sons. Kimberley is a favorite speaker at schools around the country, presenting "The Creative Diary", a highly successful writing workshop and has been a speaker at many conferences. Please visit her website to download free Teacher's Guides and Book Club Guides.                           Upcoming Author Events February 2, 2013 Montgomery Book Festival Houston, TX  Carolee Dean Kimberley Griffiths Little

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Happy birthday, Elana Johnson, Blogger Extraordinaire and Very Special Friend!

It's your birthday, Elana Johnson!!! And I'm excited to be a part of the blogging world who is wishing you the very best birthday *ever*! 

If you don't know Elana, you simply must check out her blog which is chock full of advice and writerly help and experience and teaching. And she does it all with style and humor and wit - and bacon! 

Elana is one of the founders of Query Tracker, an online resource for querying literary agents as well as HOW to write those terrific query letters!

AND WriteOnCon - a free online, fantabulous writer's workshop every August!

She also has written a FREE E-book called From the Query to the Call, which I recommend to everyone! A **Must-Read** for any aspiring or experienced writers.  Get yours HERE.

And I am lucky and blessed to call her my friend. (I get to meet Elana every May at LDStorymakers workshop and dish about books and writing!) 

And it's YOUR (my blog readers!) lucky day, too! Guess what?!? 

Christine Fonseca, another online buddy and wonderful writer is giving away a set of ALL of Elana's YA novels to celebrate this wonderful day - plus a few other books and E-books and goodies! (Check out all of Christine's awesomely delicious YA novels, too! She is the brains behind the birthday logo and giveaway!)

Enter below! Easy Peasy! 

Have a blessed birthday, darling Elana! 
xo,
Kimberley

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Short & Sweet #2: HUNGER GAMES HOLIDAY TRADITIONS

December 10 , 2012 Short and Sweet (#2 in Our Three Part Holiday Series) HUNGER GAMES HOLIDAY TRADITIONS     This was the float Alamosa Books created for Albuquerque's Twinkle Light Parade. See the Christmas tree in the left hand corner? Now check out the close up below...   Sean and Elizabeth, the owners of Alamosa, decorated the tree with books including titles by the Spellbinders.   Here is our second song in the series: HUNGER GAMES HOLIDAY TRADITIONS by Carolee Dean Based on The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins. (sung to the tune of "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire") Rabbits roasting on an open fire. Tributes shooting at your rear. Mockingjays singing songs like a choir. Kids dressed up in combat gear. Everybody knows some arrows and a few berries, are what you need to win this fight. But mutant mutts with their eyes all aglow, make it hard to sleep tonight. You hope that medicine and soup is on its way, and Haymitch didn't drink the sponsors pay. Though probably he's passed out now and sleeping. This happens every time that there's a reaping And so I'm offering this simple tale, about a bunch of kids with bad behavior. Though its been said many time many ways, "May the odds be ever in you favor." Go to the end of this post for a reminder of the steps you may use to create your own spoofs.  The Spellbinders will be at Alamosa Books in Albuquerque, along with several other local authors, on December 11 from 6-8 p.m. In addition to mingling with librarians and conducting a multi-author book signing, we will be collecting books for the Albuquerque Public Schools - Title One Homeless Project. This project has already served over 400 students this year alone. A book is a gift a child may treasure forever. If you are not located in the Albuquerque area, consider donating books to your local homeless shelter, or better yet, partner with a local bookstore and start a book drive of your own. As part of the evening's entertainment, we will be singing Christmas Carol Spoofs. I must give kudos here to the staff at Alamosa (Chris Warner, Megan Herceg, and Corey Bowen) for helping me brainstorm these wacky songs. They were the ones who suggested zombies and brought out a host of Jonathan Maberry books. To check out last week's zombie song or any other articles you may have missed, find past issues at the Spellbinders Blog.  Here is a copy of last week's tips for creating your own book spoofs:  1) Make a list of characters, locations, key phrases, etc. from the novel. 2) Explore a variety of songs and decide which one might lend itself to a spoof of that particular book. 3) Study the song you have selected, line by line, and see if any of the original lines of the song can be retained in part or whole. 4) Look back at your list of characters, locations, and phrases and see if any of them rhyme. 5) Go through the song, line by line, substituting your own lyrics. 6) Sing and Enjoy! Next week we will have the final song in our Three-Part Holiday Series: December 17 - EDWARD THE VAMPIRE or A VERY FROSTY KISS MISS After that we will be taking a break until January 14, 2013! HAPPY HOLIDAYS    Join Our Mailing List! Meet the Spellbinders Carolee Dean has made numerous appearances as a guest poet/author at schools, libraries, poetry events, and teacher/library conferences. She holds a bachelor's degree in music therapy and a master's degree in communicative disorders, and she has spent over a decade working in the public schools as a speech-language pathologist. Her first novel, Comfort,was nominated as a Best Book for Young Adults, was named the Best YA Novel of 2002 by the Texas Institute of Letters, and was on the TAYSHAS (Texas Library Association) reading list. Take Me There is a YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers. Her upcoming paranormal verse novel, Forget Me Not, will be published by Simon Pulse in October of 2012.   She conducts teacher trainings on inspiring reluctant writers including "The Secret Language of Stories" and "Random Act of Haiku."             Caroline Starr Rose spent her childhood in the deserts of Saudi Arabia and New Mexico, camping at the Red Sea in one and eating red chile in the other. She's taught English and social studies to upper elementary and middle-school students in New Mexico, Florida, Virginia, and Louisiana. Back in New Mexico, Caroline now writes middle-grade novels and picture books full time.    To find teacher's guides, writing activities, and information about author visits, go to my website.    Kimberley Griffiths Little is the recipient of the Southwest Book Award, The Whitney Award for Best Youth Novel of 2010, and the author of the highly acclaimed, The Healing Spell and Circle of Secrets, published by Scholastic Press. Look for her books at the Scholastic Book Fairs, as well as two more forthcoming novels in 2012 and 2013.    She lives on a dirt road in a small town by the Rio Grande with her husband, a robotics engineer and their three sons. Kimberley is a favorite speaker at schools around the country, presenting "The Creative Diary", a highly successful writing workshop and has been a speaker at many conferences. Please visit her website to download free Teacher's Guides and Book Club Guides.                           Upcoming Author Events December 11, 2012 SCBWI Winter Party and multi-author book signing featuring all of the Spellbinders and several other authors February 2, 2013 Montgomery Book Festival Houston, TX  Carolee Dean Kimberley Griffiths Little

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Have a Zombie Christmas - and Rot and Ruin by Jonathan Mayberry!

December 3 , 2012 Short and Sweet (#1 in Our Three Part Holiday Series) HAVE  A VERY ZOMBIE CHRISTMAS     Two of the Spellbinder Authors (Carolee Dean and Caroline Starr Rose) dressed up in lights and marched in the Twinkle Light Parade on Saturday, December 1, in downtown Albuquerque to promote our upcoming SCBWI winter party and multi-author book signing. For entertainment at this notorious event, we will be singing Christmas Carol Spoofs based on young adult novels. For the next three weeks we will be sharing the spoofs along with some hints for how you may create your own unique songs.      ROT AND RUIN THE HOLIDAYS by Carolee Dean Based on the Rot and Ruin series by Jonathan Maberry. (sung to the tune of "Jingle Bells") Dashing through the snow with my brother Tom I had to get a job, so I'm out hunting Zoms. They used to be our friends, but watch out for their bite. The eve the zombies rose is what we normies call First Night. Oh... Rot and Ruin, Flesh and Bone, Death and Decay, Fire and Ash, Lets make a dash, We need to get away. Hey! Rot and Ruin, Flesh and Bone, Death and Decay, You can have fun on a zombie hunt in a one horse open sleigh. Find the missing girl. Defeat Charlie Pink Eye. Your brother's not a coward. He's really a swell guy. Try not to lose your cool. Hold on to your head. Even if they're ruthless Zombies, please respect the dead.   Oh, Rot and Ruin, Flesh and Bone, Death and Decay, Fire and Ash, Let's make a dash, We need to get away. Hey! Rot and Ruin, Flesh and Bone, Death and Decay. You can have fun on a zombie hunt in a one horse open sleigh. If you are in Albuquerque, NM on Tuesday, December 11, please stop by Alamosa Books from 6-8 at 8810 Holly Avenue NE where you can hear songs like this performed LIVE by the Spellbinders! Classroom Teachers - Consider assigning a song spoof for your next book report, or better yet, write a collaborative song with your entire class based on a novel everyone has read. Here are some tips to help you get started:   1) Make a list of characters, locations, key phrases, etc. from the novel. 2) Explore a variety of songs and decide which one might lend itself to a spoof of that particular book. 3) Study the song you have selected, line by line, and see if any of the original lines of the song can be retained in part or whole. 4) Look back at your list of characters, locations, and phrases and see if any of them rhyme. 5) Go through the song, line by line, substituting your own lyrics. 6) Sing and Enjoy! Watch for the following titles in our Three-Part Holiday Series: December 10 - HUNGER GAMES HOLIDAY TRADITIONS or RABBITS ROASTING ON AN OPEN FIRE December 17 - EDWARD THE VAMPIRE or A VERY FROSTY KISS MISS After that we will be taking a break until January 14, 2013! HAPPY HOLIDAYS    Join Our Mailing List! Meet the Spellbinders Carolee Dean has made numerous appearances as a guest poet/author at schools, libraries, poetry events, and teacher/library conferences. She holds a bachelor's degree in music therapy and a master's degree in communicative disorders, and she has spent over a decade working in the public schools as a speech-language pathologist. Her first novel, Comfort,was nominated as a Best Book for Young Adults, was named the Best YA Novel of 2002 by the Texas Institute of Letters, and was on the TAYSHAS (Texas Library Association) reading list. Take Me There is a YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers. Her upcoming paranormal verse novel, Forget Me Not, will be published by Simon Pulse in October of 2012.   She conducts teacher trainings on inspiring reluctant writers including "The Secret Language of Stories" and "Random Act of Haiku."             Caroline Starr Rose spent her childhood in the deserts of Saudi Arabia and New Mexico, camping at the Red Sea in one and eating red chile in the other. She's taught English and social studies to upper elementary and middle-school students in New Mexico, Florida, Virginia, and Louisiana. Back in New Mexico, Caroline now writes middle-grade novels and picture books full time.    To find teacher's guides, writing activities, and information about author visits, go to my website.    Kimberley Griffiths Little is the recipient of the Southwest Book Award, The Whitney Award for Best Youth Novel of 2010, and the author of the highly acclaimed, The Healing Spell and Circle of Secrets, published by Scholastic Press. Look for her books at the Scholastic Book Fairs, as well as two more forthcoming novels in 2012 and 2013.    She lives on a dirt road in a small town by the Rio Grande with her husband, a robotics engineer and their three sons. Kimberley is a favorite speaker at schools around the country, presenting "The Creative Diary", a highly successful writing workshop and has been a speaker at many conferences. Please visit her website to download free Teacher's Guides and Book Club Guides.                           Upcoming Author Events December 11, 2012 SCBWI Winter Party and multi-author book signing featuring all of the Spellbinders and several other authors February 2, 2013 Montgomery Book Festival Houston, TX  Carolee Dean Kimberley Griffiths Little

Forward email This email was sent to kglittle@msn.com by spellbinders@peifercomputing.net |   Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy. Spellbinders | 3 YAF Authors | Albuquerque | NM | 87181