For anyone who is just checking out my blog, let me introduce myself.  My name is Janice Spina and I am an aspiring writer of poetry, children’s books and young adult and other novels.  I have been writing since I was a young child.  I was also on my high school newspaper as a writer of poetry.

Something else you might notice is that I  love roses!  I will add some to each of my blogs.  They add a little beauty – nothing wrong with that.

I have not yet published my children’s books or novels but I did have a poem published in the Lawrence Eagle Tribune Newspaper in October of 2008.  This blog was started to introduce my writing to the public.

I have written several children’s books, two of which my husband has illustrated. I sent out one book, Louey the Lazy Elephant, to two publishers recently.  I’m trying to keep positive about the feedback.  There are so many talented writers out there and they are all trying to do the same thing – get published and get known.   My other book, Ricky the Rambunctious Raccoon, is ready to go to publishing too.  I am working on sending it out within the week as soon as I find the appropriate fit in a publisher.  I think that is very important to know who to send your work to.  Each publisher is looking for a particular genre and you need to make a good match and hope they like your work.

I am  actively working on my murder mystery, Mariah, cover illustrated by my husband.  He did a beautiful painting for the cover.  I am going to publish this novel through Smashwords as soon as I can finish the editing.  Editing is a slow process and takes almost as long as writing the story.  I am finding this out by trial and error.  I have three other novels that are also in need of editing.  As you can see I have my work cut out for me!

My blog will cover my updates on my progress as I go from aspiring writer to published author.  I will put in excerpts from my poetry and books from time to time. Here is the first page of Louey.

I also have done book reviews of other authors’ books.  I think we writers have to stick together and help each other along our road to success.  I am always available to help any fellow writer who asks.

Here is my latest book review:

I just finished reading a beautifully illustrated and well written children’s book by JZ Bingham, Dreamy Drums Trouble in Paradise.   I thoroughly enjoyed the rhythmic verse and clever illustrations in this book.  Preschool and school aged children will love this colorful and fun story. The characters are well defined and capture the heart of the reader from the first page.  The story is built around the main character, Sammy, a white puppy, his sister Kat, who is a cat, and their friends, a squirrel and a worm.  This story will keep children actively engaged and captivated as they follow the adventures of these adorable characters.  I felt like a child as I read each page and became completed engaged and concerned about the outcome of the story.  This is the first book in the series of adventures of the Salty Splashes Collection.   I give this book 5 STARS out of 5 – EXCELLENT book!  Well done, JZ!!

Check out JZ’s  amazing website for more fascinating adventures by this talented author at JZBingham.

As I always say – READING GIVES YOU WINGS TO FLY!