A sneak preview of the fourth Boreas book: Boreas en de vijftien vrienden! The cover isn’t final yet, but I am pretty sure it will be as exciting as the first three Boreas books. Pub date is set for early September this year, right on time for the Dutch National Children’s Book Week.
Mina Witteman – author | editor | teacher of creative writing
Posts from the “Children’s books” Category
Today, I visited the clipper Stad Amsterdam, a tall ship from the Netherlands which is currently moored at the San Francisco Embarcadero. Quarter Master Frank van Wamelen and Captain Andi Manser welcomed Boreas and me aboard their ship, where I presented them with copies of the three Boreas books for the ship’s library to entertain crew and guests during long ocean crossings. So, from now on, Boreas will sail the seven seas aboard the Stad Amsterdam, too! Next destination is Mexico. I am excited and so is Boreas. And the Captain and the Quarter Master? They can’t wait to start reading the books! Here are some pictures: Of course, I hurried back home to finish Boreas 4 which will come out this fall.
The San Francisco North and East Bay region of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators had asked me to teach a workshop on plot for their Contra Costa County Meeting in Walnut Creek. Sixty people signed up, all children’s writers eager to hone their writing skills and improve their craft. Now, I love teaching, but when the room is filled with people who simply love what they are doing, people who are dedicated to and persevering in their dream to become better writers, my heart leaps. Yesterday was such a joyful day. I set out to show how plot structure formats — and there are so many out there that a web search brings you 3.000.000 results in 0.76 seconds! —…
Sat. March 3, 2018 2 – 4 pm, Contra Costa County Meeting, Plotting with Mina Witteman! Date/Time Date(s) – 03/03/2018 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm Location St. Paul’s Episcopal Church 1924 Trinity Ave – Walnut Creek, CA 94596 The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators San Francisco North and East Bay Region Contra Costa/Alameda County Presents: A PLOTTER’S PARADISE Featuring: Mina Witteman Please join us for a presentation on plotting by the plot master herself, Mina Witteman, at our latest SCBWI meeting in Walnut Creek. Mina’s plotting class is for picture book and middle grade/ YA authors. She will demonstrate the techniques required for all genres. Come prepared with paper and pencil to get the most out of this class. Refreshments will…
Tagged: Creative Writing, East Bay, Mina Witteman, Plot, SCBWI, Walnut Creek, writing workshop
This week was the start of a new chapter in my life. I recently obtained a visa for the US, a so-called artist’s visa that identifies me now as an alien with extraordinary abilities in writing children’s books. Needless to say I am super excited at this opportunity to spread my children’s books wings. But it’s also a life-changing leap into uncharted waters and I feel like the little ones in the picture below. Intimidated by the dark around them, you can see them think: are we going in or… I’m that little one at the end of the rudder. I made my choice and went in. These next years I will be exploring and navigating these, to me, uncharted waters. I’ll be enjoying Californian life, too. Let myself be lifted…
My Dutch publisher will be in Bologna, located in Hall 29 D23. Boreas again features prominently in their foreign rights guide. Please, do not hesitate to inquire with their representatives, Dania van Dishoeck, Luciënne van der Leije and Sophie Mulder. They have synopses of the three Boreas books and the translation of the first chapters of Boreas and the Seven Seas, all in English, of course. And publishing friends abroad: know that the Dutch Literary Fund issues grants for translations of Dutch literature. A substantial help in covering the costs of translation.
Categories: Books, Children's books
Hurray! BOREAS EN DE VIER WINDSTREKEN (BOREAS AND THE FOUR WINDS) has been proofed and should be on its way to the printer now. I am super excited about this third book in the Boreas series, which will come out mid April. Again, I’ve thrown Boreas in adventure after adventure on his trip around the world with his parents on their yacht the Argo. In BOREAS AND THE FOUR WINDS, the family sails from Miami up the East Coast of America all the way to New York, and back south again to Key West, Cuba, the Cayman Islands and Colombia. After passing through the Panama Canal they sail north to San Francisco for a short trip to the Sierra Nevada. The final destination of this…
Mina Witteman 