Super Special Project with Rhino

*****UPDATE: Audio has been redone thanks to my little brother and his recording equipment. Enjoy the new version! :-) ************

I've been teasing over the last few days about a project I'm working on concerning Rhino, Grace, and the rest of the gang from WHO WILL DANCE WITH ME? Finally, I'm ready to share.

Back when I first decided to self-publish my book, my husband had talked me into going that route by coming up with a fantastic idea: making the book into a video to share online.

A couple weeks after the book came out, I made an effort to turn it into a video. Sadly, my video making skills and available tools for creating anything remotely worth watching were nonexistent. I shelved the project and hadn't thought much about it since.

That changed this week. I managed to figure out most of what the heck I was doing and can now share the whole gang with everyone. The only issue I had was with the microphone. Sorry, still don't have professional sound equipment, but I'm hoping at some point in the future to redo the voice over to get rid of the background noise. Other than the poor microphone quality, I'm very happy with the end product.

I'd love to hear what you all think! Especially those of you who haven't had the chance to read the book yet.

In celebration, I'm giving you all a bonus Fun Fact: 

My son's name is Wesley Thomas. Since Rhino is based on him, my daughter thought for the longest time that whenever I 'yelled' at her brother, I was saying 'Wesley Rhinoceros' instead. The fact came to light when she was about two and we asked them what their middle names were. She pointed at Wes and stated his was 'Rhinoceros.' That's why the dedication is written the way it is.

New Children's Book Blog

Hey guys! For anyone who missed it, there's a new children's book blog in town. Run by Malika Gandhi, Cracking Stories 4 Children aims to help spread the word about different children's book and help readers connect. Today, WHO WILL DANCE WITH ME? joined their ranks.

Take a look and see what you think. Make sure to check back often because you never know what book might catch your, or your little one's, eye.

In Search of Readers

I know it's been a while since I've posted. There hasn't been much to write about until now.

What's been keeping me away? Writing, mostly. I've been working on several projects, one of which is ready for public eyes. This is where you all come in. I'm in need of some readers.

The book in question will eventually be a picture book, but since my artistic ability stops at stick figures, there are no pictures yet. What I need is feedback on the text of the book.

Interested? Send me an e-mail at ERMcKeon (at) gmail (dot) com. In the subject line put: I want a sneak peek. All I ask from you is feedback. What do you like about it? And any other comments you'd like to make.

To all my readers, a big THANK YOU in advance.

I Christen Thee, A Book!

That's right, folks. Saturday was the big day for the launch of WHO WILL DANCE WITH ME? While the party involved treats more along the lines of sugar cookies than champagne, it was still a pretty good success. A huge thanks to Books on the Square for hosting and to Carole and Penny, the event coordinators, for all their help. They made things go much more smoothly than I ever could.

Also, I announced the winners of my I Want to Dance! contest. Thank you to everyone who participated. I'm glad I didn't have to make the decision on my own.

And the winners are:

Congratulations to The Taylor Trio, Nicholas, Natalie & Abigail. Your copy is in the mail. I hope you enjoy it.

Since I can't really do an acknowledgement page in my book, I wanted to take this time to thank everyone who made this possible. First, my creative partner, without whom there really would be no book, just a bunch of words and stick figures on paper. Linda, thank you for all the work you've put into this project.

To my uncredited editor and best friend since kindergarten, Lindsey Gemme. You've always been one of my biggest supporters and most valuable critics. Love you!

To my husband and children. Without them, the creative spark wouldn't have been lit. Thank you for putting up with my craziness and occasional bouts of mental vacantness.

To all my friends and family, thank you for all your love and support during these last couple of years, and these last six months in particular. My mom and dad, Wilfred and Paula, for always believing in me. My brothers, Zachary, Matthew and Aaron, for keeping my imagination going when we were kids.

Love and thanks to everyone. I hope this is the first of many great launch events.

Vote Now, Vote Often!

Today is Election Day and the polls are opened. In honor of this day, voting is now open for the I Want To Dance! contest. Meet the contenders for cutest costumed. 

Trinity and Kylie. They're cute, but
I don't think they read

Stacy (mom)

Lily

Natalie, Abigail & Nicholas

Want to enter? I'll allow write-ins. E-mail me at ermckeon (at) gmail (dot) com with subject line: I WANT TO DANCE! Send a picture of your little one dressed up with their name and your contact information.

Look What I Have!

The proof for my children's book, WHO WILL DANCE WITH ME? came in the mail yesterday. Check out the pictures. Sorry they're a bit blurry. My camera doesn't like the lighting in my apartment.

Cover Work.

Interior Spread

Interior Art

My daughter making
Bunny read.

Bunny making an appearance

Want to win a copy for your little princess or prince? Check out the contest!

My First Contest!

With my children's book WHO WILL DANCE WITH ME? scheduled to hit shelves next month combined with seeing so many awesome kids in costumes last weekend, I've decided to hold my first ever contest. Winner(s) will received a signed copy of the book. Want to know how to win? Here are the rules:

• Take a picture of your child in an awesome costume and e-mail it to me, along with your child's first name, age and an e-mail address I can reach you at. Subject line should read: I want to dance! (This will keep it from being deleted.)
• Pictures can be sent any time between now and November 5th.
• Starting November 1st, I will be putting the pictures I receive up on the blog. People can then vote on their favorites, so make sure you let your friends and family know! Voting will end November 15th.
• On November 17th I will announce the winner at my book launch. 

To be eligible, the child must be 6 years old or under. It's not that I don't love older children and want to see their fabulous costumes, but my book is for a younger audience.

You do not have to be present to win, but I do ask that you live in the US to enter. 

If you have any questions or I forgot to include something, email me or comment below.

Good luck everyone! I can't wait to see the entries.

Come One, Come All!

It's official! The book launch for WHO WILL DANCE WITH ME? will take place on Saturday, November 17th at 2pm. Books on the Square in Providence will be hosting the event.         

Check out the flyer for the event and feel free to help spread the word!

This also means I can add more appearances to my schedule. If you would like to have a book signing at your library or local bookstore, have them send me an email! I'd love to set up a date.

Bookmarks & Postcards & Stickers, Oh My!

The promotional materials for WHO WILL DANCE WITH ME? have arrived! Check them out.

Postcards, Rhino Stickers & LOTS of Bookmarks

3 Different Bookmark designs!

Who wants some?

Anyone interested in helping distribute some to their local libraries and bookshops please send me an email.

Who Will Dance With Me? - Press Release

Children’s Book asks ‘Who Will Dance With Me?’

Written by Emily McKeon  Illustrated by Linda Clearwater

Pawtucket, Rhode Island –November 2012-  Debut author Emily McKeon and veteran illustrator Linda Clearwater team up to bring a new pre-school fairytale to life.

When the princesses of Wesalopolus have a party, they invite everyone in the kingdom. As each princess chooses a dance partner from the assembled guests, Rhino worries no one will dance with him.

Princess Bridget tells him he can’t leap high enough and Princess Bella thinks she’ll be scratched by his rough skin. Can Princess Grace see past these things and find the perfect dance partner?

A whimsically illustrated book for anyone who’s ever felt different.

Emily McKeon (author) resides in the tiny state of Rhode Island with her husband and two children. When not writing, she enjoys playing clarinet and eating crackers with cheese and jam. A graduate of Rhode Island College with a B.A. in theater and writing, she spun around and landed on the random career of bookkeeper before returning to her love of writing. This is her first book.

Linda Clearwater (illustrator) has been designing and illustrating children’s books for over 20 years She graduated from Moore College of Art in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and started her career creating feature illustrations for the Philadelphia Inquirer. She has designed and illustrated books for numerous publishers, including Reader's Digest Children's Books, Harvest House, and Zonderkidz.

For more information about WHO WILL DANCE WITH ME? please visit thewidewritingworldofEmilyMcKeon.blogspot.com or contact Emily McKeon at 401-499-3813 or ERMcKeon@gmail.com

Welcome!

Glad you all could join me. This blog will be focusing on news surrounding my children's books and Young Adult books. For those of you who have ventured over here from my other blog, Enjoy! For anyone who is new to me and my work, take a look around. New things will be added as they become available. Share with your friends and family. The more the merrier.

~Emily~