Special Delivery Book Anniversary and Selfish Holidays

Special Delivery Book Anniversary and Selfish Holidays

Melanie Tioleco-Cheng
Doctorly Musings

Celebrating the 5 year book anniversary of Special Delivery:

What's Special Delivery?  It's a children's book that I wrote when Mini Me was two years old and I was pregnant with Macy, my daughter who lived only briefly.  One sleepless night I couldn't get these words out of my head as we were figuring out how to tell Mini Me that her sister was likely going to die. 

Eventually, for Macy's funeral, we had five  books printed at a local shop.  And then, in 2012, we received a grant from Sappi Ideas That Matter to have the book published so that we could distribute them to other families, free of cost. 

First Pages: Twilight

First Pages: Twilight

Melanie Tioleco-Cheng
Creative Endeavors, First Pages

As promised, Stephenie Meyer's Twilight is the second book in our first pages study session this month in honor of National Novel Writing Month. Why?  Again because both the Harry Potter series and The Twilight Saga were instrumental in changing the face of children's book publishing.

"I'd never given much thought to how I would die--though I'd had reason enough in the last few months--but even if I had, I would not have imagined it like this."

First Pages: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

First Pages: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Melanie Tioleco-Cheng
First Pages, Creative Endeavors

First Lines: In the years I've participated in National Novel Writing Month in the past, I was part of a large group of women writers who would send messages of encouragement during the month.  One of the first posts was inevitably "First Lines" in which we would share the first lines of the novel we were working on.  I thought it would be fun to dissect and discover the First Lines/First Pages of some of the best YA/middle grade novels.

The first? Harry Potter, of course.

Leo, A Ghost Story

Leo, A Ghost Story

Melanie Tioleco-Cheng
Dr.Bookworm Book Rec

It's the time of ghost and goblins and ghouls.  And it's also the perfect time for me to recommend Leo: A Ghost Story to you all. Currently I've been fangirling (Is fanboying a saying too?) over picture books that have a very specific monochromatic color scheme.  And picture books that are more than what they seem.  Leo: A Ghost Story encompasses both of those things!

Fridays I'm in Love

Fridays I'm in Love

Melanie Tioleco-Cheng
Doctorly Musings

On Fridays on my way to work, I see the same man walking toward the cemetery with a huge bunch of flowers.  I only see him if I go to work after dropping off the girls, but like clockwork, he is there with his fisherman's vest on, and that bright bundle of flowers. Every time I see him, I can't help but smile.  But it's a bittersweet smile.

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