Kids Can Write Novels Too!

Aaargh!

Somebody sat down and wrote an entire book about me. And that’s a really hard thing to do, but it’s not impossible! I think kids like you can write books too. In just over four days, National Novel Writing Month begins. That’s NaNoWriMo for short, and during the month of November, thousands of people (maybe millions!) try to write an entire novel in thirty days. People do it every year! And even if you’re a kid, you can do it too. The folks at NaNoWriMo have novel-writing workbooks for kids that you can download for free. Click here. And you can use it to start writing your very own novel in one month. Yes, YOU!

I think you should do it. I totally do.

I’d do it, but this darn pencil is so cumbersome! Sheesh!

Happy Divali, Everyone!

The celebrations are starting. People are bursting bamboo all over Trinidad. It’s the Hindu festival of lights, and then everybody else’s follows.

Some advice:
1. Do not stand in front of a bamboo cannon.
2. Do not try this unless you are a Trinidadian expert.

Kindle me softly

Angel’s Grace is now available for your Kindle so all you device-loving bibliophiles out there: Go nuts! Ooh look! It’s delivered wirelessly via Whispernet. Shh! Whisper the news to someone who also loves books.

2009-2010 School Visits

Fall is in full swing. The weather is getting more chilly and everyone’s well situated in their new classes. Time to plan for school visits!

If you would like Grace or me to visit your school, send an email to tracey @ traceybaptiste dot com. For more information about the kinds of visits Grace and I do, click here.

On November 12-13, I will be attending the New Jersey Association of School Librarians. I  plan on doing a raffle for a free visit there. Look for Grace and me and sign up.

How I spent my summer vacation

I should have probably gotten a fruity drink, huh?

 

 

 

 

 

Shells make good sandcastle foundations.

 

 

 

 

 

The beach air is great for my complexion.

 

 

 

 

 

Oh, and Tracey was there, too.

How do I name my characters?

In Angel’s Grace I used the names of friends and family for the characters in the book. Little did I know I could auction off the honor of having me use a person’s name in the pages of my book! Too late for that now! If you’ve read Angel’s Grace, here’s a rundown of who is named after whom.

Grace Brewster = My grand-aunt by marriage is named Grace; Brewster is the surname of one of my brother’s best friends

Sally = My husband’s step-sister.

Ma = What my mother called her grandmother

Aunty Jackie = My husband’s best friend’s girlfriend (at the time).

Raj = I think it was my best friend from T’dad’s brother, but I’ll have to call her and ask.

Karven Mitchell/Brother John = Karven is my cousin; Mitchell is a friend of my mother (or is it my father?); John was a friend of mine in college, who was also once my substitute teacher in High School.

Bruce Simeon = My husband and I went to high-school with a guy we called Bruce though that wasn’t actually his name; Simeon was my Uncle Gregory’s last name (he wasn’t really my uncle, he was a family friend).

Christine = my aunt

Macire = My best friend from high-school’s first child.

Richard = One of my best friends when I was a teen (also now dancing in the Lion King in Germany! Or is it Cirque de Soleil in Iceland?).

Shankar = A family on my street in San Fernando.

Harry = The guy who drove taxi in my dad’s car (if you’re Trini you know what I mean, if you’re not, don’t ask) and who chauffered my brother and I to and from school. (Actually his name was Harrylal.)

I think that’s everyone.

Angel’s Grace e-book

Tracey: Hey Grace! My agent just told me that Angel’s Grace is being made into an e-book. Woo hoo! You’re going cyber, how do you like that?

Grace: What do you mean going? I’ve been cyber since I started this blog!

Tracey: Right. *ahem* Sorry!

Grace: Watch out all you Kindle lovers! The tropics are coming to your screens!

Angel’s Grace Giveaway

In honor of summer beginning and my kids off at camp, I’ve started a Twiveaway campaign!

You can win a signed copy of my debut novel, ANGEL’S GRACE. Here’s how.

1) Follow me on Twitter (click on the link: http://twitter.com/TraceyBaptiste and click “FOLLOW”)

2) Retweet this message: RT @TraceyBaptiste is giving away a signed copy of “Angel’s Grace” http://traceybaptiste.wordpress.com/summer-giveaway/

ANGEL’S GRACE was named one of the 100 best books for reading and sharing by New York City librarians.

13 year old Grace is vacationing on the island of Trinidad with her sister and her grandmother when she stumbles upon a photograph of a man who has the same birthmark on his shoulder that she does. Could it be her real father? Grace spends her entire vacation trying to uncover the mystery of the man in the photo, but what she finds out, she has not bargained for.

Han Nolan, author of “Dancing on the Edge” said: “This story, with its secrets and mystery, kept me turning the pages until the very end. The warmhearted characters, Caribbean island setting, and satisfying conclusion made me glad that I did.”

Booklist: “…a moving debut that is as frank and authentic about sibling rivalry and family anger as it is about the earthy, fruit-scented tropical setting.”

Trinidad, 1938

Every now and then, a little piece of my country’s history surfaces, and I’d like to share it with you. This is a video of Trinidad in a simpler time. Enjoy.

A cut above

President Obama and a young boy have a nice moment comparing haircuts at the White House.

From the White House Flikr site.