Have you ever heard retirees ever utter the phrase, “How did I ever find time to work?” This is the place where I find myself these days as I explore the world of writing. Some of the things that have happened in the last few years are:
I wrote and self-published my book about life as a teacher. My book is available online at the following links: https://www.amazon.com/They-Call-Mom-Difference-Elementary/dp/1977200052/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1634075792&sr=8-1
https://outskirtspress.com/bookstore/details/9781977200051
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/they-call-me-mom-pete-springer/1129113478
As a veteran teacher, I’ve always liked anything associated with promoting literacy. It seemed like a natural fit for me to join the committee for the Humboldt County Children’s Author Festival. I’m excited to be a part of this group which brings twenty-five children’s authors to our area biennially. The highlight of this festival for me is watching the authors talk to children about their books and the writing process. Here is the link to the website: https://www.authorfest.org/ Here is my blog post about the Authors’ Festival: https://petespringerauthor.wordpress.com/2019/10/28/promoting-literacy/
I started a Facebook group called Supporters of Teachers. It is meant to be a place where educators and parents find positive stories happening in schools and uplifting messages that provide support to teachers who face a host of challenges. Here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/281121539162065/?source_id=2139080869676157 If you would like to be part of this closed group, please e-mail me. I’d love to have you on board.
I entered a video contest that my publisher, Outskirts Press, held for the authors who have published with them. I made a ten-minute YouTube presentation about my experiences as a self-published author. My video was chosen as the winning entrant, and I won a new laptop for my efforts. Here is an article about the contest.
https://selfpublishingnews.com/2019/02/28/the-votes-are-in-the-winner-of-our-2019-show-us-your-love-contest-is/
Everything I’ve been doing in the past couple of years has been to work passionately toward my goal of writing novels for children. I’m at the point in my life where I go after my aspirations with purpose and without fear. I’m a member of SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators), take writing classes and workshops, participate in a writing critique group that meets weekly for four hours, and practice writing daily.
I recently had my debut children’s novel, a 60,000 word MG story (Second Chance Summer) edited professionally, and I’m beginning to query agents.
Writing children’s novels is a natural evolution for me. It’s my new form of teaching as I embed subtle lessons for children through contemporary realistic fiction.
Pete Springer 