Write down the stages that need to be accomplished in the order you need them and go ahead and get started. You will learn as you go and it wouldn't hurt to imitate another book along the same lines. It will be like eating an elephant: it seems insurmountable at first but you just take it one bite at a time. I did write a childrens book and for me, the hardest part was not writing, illustration or printing which I did myself, but was the marketing. You should say in both the front and the back HOW TO REORDER. Give this information as many ways as possible, phone number, postal mail and email. Next you must promote the book so print a few extras for promotional use. Tell if you wish, the committees involved in publishing the book and what the profits will be used for. Decide on a price and check on what the cost of postage and envelopes would be if it has to be mailed. The printer may keep records in case there is a reprint but I would keep a copy of the original myself on a disk stored in a secure place in case there are any revisions and there usually are. Identify your potential market and sales venues.

I wonder how you're ever going to wean him off of the good stuff when he is completely healed?? LOL I've been wondering that myself. Did the vet get rid of the scar to promote healing and help with movement?? I can't imagine a ct sitting still for that!! Maybe Mickey won't bother it as much now. Do you still have to do the once a day soaks? What did she say about the collar? You know, I didn't even seen her remove the scab. I saw it on the table, and said, "What's that?" She said she took it off to see how it looked underneath. It wasn't a neat scab like it looked two weeks ago; it seemed to have a lot of hairs in it. She said the soaks were optional, but I'm going to continue at least once a day until my Epsom salts are gone, and then reevaluate. She said the collar needs to stay on for now. How do you bring him from the house to the barn? I think I would need a carrier for our cats in case they got scared and tried to get away. I'll definitely use a carrier. Many years ago I had to transfer my daughter Jill's cat, Houdini--a very large and rather neurotic black & white male, totally devoted to Jill but not so crazy about everyone else--across the road. Jill, who was out of town, told me to use a carrier, but I was lazy and just carried him in my arms. All was well until a dog came bounding along. Houdini fought like crazy to get away from me and the dog. Not only did he use his claws, but he used his teeth as well. I knew if I let go of him he'd disappear, never to be seen again, so I hung on. By the time I got to the house I was screaming for my kids to help me. I remember telling Suzanne to get my wedding ring off while we could still do it. Houdini's tooth had gone under the ring and into my finger. She couldn't do it, but I managed somehow to get it off before my fingers swelled like sausages. He did a lot of damage. I still have scars, and I'm surprised I don't have more. The doctor was afraid I was going to lose part of my index finger to bone infection. What a mess. So yes, I'm going to use a carrier. :-) You could probably write a childrens' book about him and how he had to wear the collar and how so many old ladies from every state were pulling for him. Hey, that's not a bad idea! Thanks!!

Marie I want to apologize for adding this to your post. I didn't kmow it was going to do that.I belong to a club here in SD. There is about 10 of us who get together once a month. One goes south for the winter. We hold a meeting and if you don't have something to tell about yourself or something else thats interesting to tell you have to pay a dime. We do a birthday party at the nursing home in the next town over im March and in December we go out to dinner and go to see the decorated Chreistmas trees in the state capital building in Pierre. This year we also helped a one of the ladies fill plastic easter eggs for an egg hunt that she puts on. Sometimes in the summer we take a road trip to somewhere around here and have lunch too After the meeting we have lunch and sit around and talk. We pay a quarter for lunch. Everyone takes a trun holding it in their home. I belong to another club in the next town over. It is a homemakers club or CFEL(community and family extension leaders) club. My mother belonged to a club like this for years and I always wanted to join one. When I moved down here from Bismarck I called the county agent to ask if their were any around here. The secretary belonged to one and she asked me to join it. She told me about the other one over here in our town. I joied both of them. It really helped me to meet people and get over my shyness. The CFEL club is run about the same as the other one but we have dues that go to the state and national organization. Here we usually do a craft though. We pay a dollar each month. Does anyone else belong to a club like these?

I have a 10 year old girl and 13 year old boy. My son is not a big fiction reader, he reads for information, but he loves Artemis Fowl or anything by Eoin Colfer. He also loves Calvin & Hobbes, Foxtrot and Tintin comics. I think that consulting with a good children's librarian may be better than the awards (though the Newberry is always pretty reliable), because some of the YA award books can have some material you might consider objectionable. For example the book Tender Morsels that had a thread on here not long ago. Here's a list of books my kids have really enjoyed: Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH The Tale of Desperaux Any of the Magic Treehouse books The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents Andrew Clements' books (Frindle, Janitor's Boy etc...) Dragon Rider Here's what's on the eighth grade summer reader list at my son's school: They all have to read Warriors Don't Cry by Melba Patilla Beals, then they can choose any of the following: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings - Maya Angelou It's Not About the Bike - Lance Armstrong Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood - Ibtisam Barakat A Walk in the Woods - Bill Bryson Facing the Lion Growing up Maasai on the African Savanna - Joseph Lemasolai Lekuton In the Heart of the Sea: the Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex - Nathaniel Philbrick (we live near Boston, so local history) Chew on This - Eric Schlosser The Man Who Ate the 747 - Ben Sherwood Big Mouth and Ugly Girl - Joyce Carol Oates Travel Team - Mike Lupica A Step From Heaven - Na, An A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams Summerland - Michael Chabon Dune - Frank Herbert The Green Mile- Steven King There are a few others on the list. For the younger ones, there are some really great picture books: The Olivia books by Ian Falconer The Three Pigs by David Wiesner The Miss Spider books Jan Brett books are a feast for the eyes Hope that helps.