I have just returned from an exciting and successful book tour of Arizona, Texas and Colorado where Robert Florczak and I were introducing our new book, A COWBOY CHRISTMAS -- The Miracle at Lone Pine Ridge.

I am pleased to report that A COWBOY CHRISTMAS took first place in our "book most autographed on tour” contest. One smart Christmas shopper plopped down 15 copies for us to sign! It is unusual for a book that has just been released to outsell favorite older titles. ALPHABET ADVENTURE, (illustrated by our son, Bruce Wood) placed second, proving to be a strong contender, and THE NAPPING HOUSE scored third.

The most interesting comment heard on this tour was from a modern day cowboy we met in Texas. “I’ve followed a large section of the Chisholm Trail on horseback through two states,” he said. “Mr. Florczak’s paintings are so realistic, when I open the book, they take me right back there.”

The most endearing comment came from a five year old boy who leaned on the table, looked deeply into my eyes and said in a serious voice, “ I was a cowboy once. That’s why I’m a little horse now.”

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WHAT DID WE DO AT THE BOOKSTORES?

Before autographing our books, Robert and I usually gave a brief presentation. The audience in the store (if the signing was held after school hours) was often of mixed ages - anywhere from toddlers to grannies. If the signing was scheduled during school time, several classrooms from a local school often attended. Our presentation lasted anywhere from 15 to 40 minutes and could be altered on the spot according to age level and interest. If time allowed, we would take questions from the audience.

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LET’S PRETEND YOU WERE IN OUR BOOK STORE AUDIENCE

Holding up the A COWBOY CHRISTMAS, I would say something like the following…

The wonderful thing about being an author is that you never know what is going to happen when you walk into a bookstore. One day I was strolling down the aisles of a bookstore looking for a book to read. I didn’t have a subject in mind, so when I came across a shelf labeled, “WOMEN’S DIAIRES OF THE OLD WEST,” it caught my interest. I didn’t know that women kept diaries in the frontier days. I picked out one of the diaries, took it home, and read it in four hours. The next day I went back and bought every book remaining on that shelf. I became fascinated by the true-life stories pioneer women recorded in their diaries. Over the next year I collected as many other similar journals and diaries as were available.

I never know if a subject I am interested in will lead to a story. Many subjects I pursue never inspire story ideas. But after a year of research, I had discovered so many new and intriguing facts about life in the old West, a story had begun to form in my imagination. I learned that in the pioneer days, children had to be brave and strong. Their parents depended upon them to help their families survive the harsh life on the frontier. A boy of eight often had the responsibilities of a man. He would be up at dawn and work the ranch or farm until the stars came out. A girl of ten would take on the responsibilities of a grown woman. She would be expected to care for the younger children, help with the house, cooking, gardening, and any hard labor that was required.

I was amazed at how enterprising pioneer women were. For example, when the families were traveling across the country in their wagons, sometimes the father would get sick, or have an accident and die. Did the pioneer women turn their wagons around and take their families back to the East Coast? No, they did not! There are numerous accounts of strong, determined women who single-handedly raised their families on the frontier. These brave, entrepreneurial women ran prosperous businesses such as farms, ranches, bakeries, libraries, newspapers, and inns.

I also learned that the most common cause of death for a cowboy was not indians or, as Hollywood depicts, shoot-outs at high noon, but rather influenza and pneumonia. Cowboys didn’t have antibiotics, warm parkas to wear, or good nutrition like we do. So, when they got sick, it was serious. Because of the harsh conditions on the trail, the average life span for a cowboy in the old west was only thirty years. Other common dangers cowboys had to endure included; the danger of being struck by lighting on the prairie, hungry grizzly bears tearing apart their camps for food, and mean longhorn steers. These facts helped to inspire some of the most exciting sections in my story, A COWBOY CHRISTMAS -- The Miracle at Lone Pine Ridge.

At this point in the presentation, Robert would step forward and begin to quickly sketch on large pieces of paper. He drew the things he liked to draw when he was a child. His early drawing eventually led to his desire to become an illustrator. For instance, Robert drew a large half-circle with a shape that looked like a skinny, tall triangle on top of it.

“This was the first drawing I ever did,” Robert explained. “ When I showed it to my mother, she said, ‘I really like it son, but what is it?’

I said, ‘Can’t you tell? It’s an Indian hiding behind a rock!’”

After drawing several sketches (there is nothing more interesting then watching an accomplished artist work) Robert would hold up typed pages from my manuscript, A COWBOY CHRISTMAS. Several sentences in the manuscript had been underlined with a yellow marking pen. “The first time I read Audrey’s manuscript,” he said, “whenever a sentence would jump out at me, such as this one, ‘It was dark as mid-night in the pines.’ I’d underline it. These key sentences helped me to eventually decide what I wanted to illustrate for the book.”

Robert then proceeded to show the process he used to illustrate my story. Holding up a little hand-made book illustrated with line drawings in ink, and a text written by hand, he explained that it was a “dummy book,” not a real book. The dummy book he had created was a rough model of the final book. Robert would then open the dummy book and show the audience one of his quick sketches inside. At the same time, I would open our published book and place it beside Robert’s early sketch. “Can anyone see what changes I made from the dummy to the final book?” he would ask. The audience had a wonderful time calling out all of the changes.

To see the rough sketches from the “dummy,” and compare them to Robert’s final art, visit Cowboy Christmas art page.

After Robert shared his illustration process, it was time for me to read a portion of the book, but before I did so I would give a short introduction such as the following…

A COWBOY CHRISTMAS is a story about a Christmas miracle. It’s Christmas Eve on the prairie and Evan, a young pioneer boy who lives alone with his mother on Lone Pine Ranch, is waiting for his best friend, Cully the cowboy, to return home. Every year, Cully has kept his promise and returned to the ranch to help the struggling family through the cold months. Evan has grown to love the cowboy. He fears the delay in Cully’s arrival means something is wrong. Cully has never been this late getting back to the ranch. Evan is right. Cully is in trouble, desperately ill and lost in a winter storm. Only a miracle can save him.

At this point I opened a page in our book and began to read the most exciting part of the story in which Evan strikes out in the storm on his horse, searching for Cully. His mother rides close behind him.

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WHAT AGE CHILD SHOULD I BRING IN TO MEET AN AUTHOR?

I was happily surprised that even the youngest child was able to listen with spellbound attention during my reading of A COWBOY CHRISTMAS in the stores. I think all children love a story in which a child takes on responsibility and proves to be a hero. I also believe that whenever a strong mother is present in a story, the youngest child feels secure, even if the story reveals danger or conflict. After the reading I would close the presentation with …

A COWBOY CHRISTMAS is a family story, a book for all ages. It’s a story about the power of love and faith. It’s a story about the value of friendship in hard times. I hope that you get a chance to read it this Christmas and discover what life may have been like on the frontier West.

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ABCDEFG….

If time allowed (and especially if there were several pre-school children in our bookstore crowd) I would follow our basic presentation with a lively reading of ALPHABET ADVENTURE (for ages 3 to 6).

To find out why teachers think ALPHABET ADVENTURE is an easy and fun way to effortlessly teach reading skills (without children even knowing they are learning something) check out 16 FIVE-STAR REVIEWS written by educators at www.amazon.com

BOOKS CAN BE A HOLIDAY TRADITION

My family has long had the tradition of sharing something after the holiday dinner. We each bring a book, poem, joke, a bit of news, story or even a song to share. My offering is usually a picture book. I think picture books are perfect because they are short, and fun to read at a gathering.

AUTHOR’S TIP

Before you share a book, read the story to yourself, out loud, three times in front of a mirror. This will help to familiarize you with the words. Change your voice when the characters speak, and give each voice its own rhythm and personality.

THE AUTHOR SUGGESTS

THE CHRISTMAS ADVENTURE OF SPACE ELF SAM

This action-packed space adventure contains a lesson about the Christmas Spirit - bringing happiness to others is the greatest Christmas gift of all. When I read the lines of the Gommers (the little long-nosed, green aliens on the planet Gom) I like to use a high-pitched, computer-sounding voice.

A COWBOY CHRISTMAS -- The Miracle at Lone Pine Ridge

A COWBOY CHRISTMAS is a longer picture book. If you feel there’s not enough time to read the entire story, but you want to introduce A COWBOY CHRISTMAS to a gathering, use a cliff-hanging excerpt. Here’s what I did in the bookstores. The crowds were always so enthralled you could have heard a pin drop!

Begin at the top of the page where Evan is looking up at the sky and thinking about the star the wise-men followed in Bethlehem. End at the bottom of the page that shows the riderless horse perched on the edge of the ridge. Close the book and tell your listeners you don’t want to ruin the surprise ending. They will need to read the book for themselves later! ************************************************************************************

NEW SUBSCRIBERS!

Check out our past Smart Piggy's Newsletters! Enter THE CLUBHOUSE at http://www.audreywood.com and click on the "Parents and Teachers" link, then click on "Smart Piggy's Newsletter past Issues" link.

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Keep your questions and suggestions coming!

Warmest Regards,

Audrey Wood

Info@audreywood.com

http://www.audreywood.com