Mina Witteman – author | editor | teacher of creative writing

Posts tagged “Boreas en de zeven zeeën”

Boreas in Bologna

Posted on March 16, 2017

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

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Boreas and the Four Winds

Posted on March 9, 2017

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…

Categories: A Bit of Everything, Books, Children's books

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Gone Writing – Day 39

Posted on February 9, 2016

Is there no end to this writing trip? Actually, there is. I have one more week to go before I fly home to settle back at my desk in Amsterdam, where – I hope – the line edits for my new Dutch middle grade Boreas en de duizend eilanden (Boreas and the Thousand Island) will be waiting for me.   Am I excited to go back home? I have mixed feelings. It’ll be great to wander around in my own house again, to sleep in my own bed, to eat the delicious spelt bread from the store around the corner, and above all it will be absolutely fabulous to see my favorite curly-headed boy in real life again. Skyping and texting is an excellent way to keep…

Categories: A Bit of Everything, Books, YA books

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Gone Writing – Day 15

Posted on January 16, 2016

One more day and night to go before I travel on to my next destination.   These past weeks were intense with days of glorious, sometimes even demonic writing and days of calm and reflective composing. Days of solitude and days when my muse popped in to shake up my thinking. Days when I shamelessly called in my writer friends Jim, Donna and Scott to brainstorm about this wretched project of mine. Days that I plunged so deep into the dark that I was beyond grateful to be enveloped by the loving care of the Adelson family. Good weeks. Productive weeks. Weeks that taught me my writing soars when I’m alone.   The book ain’t half done and I have decided that I need to come back here to finish it. It’ll be a few months…

Categories: A Bit of Everything, Books, YA books

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Gone Writing – Day 7

Posted on January 8, 2016

Last year has been a bit of a self-inflicted overload, work-wise, and after summer I realized that I had no brain space or energy left for what I love doing most: writing. Spurred on by my best friend Sieneke, I mapped out jobs, tasks, responsibilities, assignments, school visits, teaching gigs, mentoring projects and whatnot. On my page – or my three pages – appeared a staggering number of commitments. No wonder my brain refused to engage in new writing projects. It had already way too much to process. I knew that if I wanted to go back to writing I had to whip my stubborn self into change. Luckily, it turns out I can be pretty persuasive with the whip. I shelved all my commitments until further notice, and…

Categories: A Bit of Everything, Books, YA books

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How to make your reader sweat!

Posted on September 5, 2015

What have I been up to? This summer, I finished the second book of my Dutch middle grade series Boreas and the Seven Seas (Boreas en de zeven zeeën). The first book came out in June and reviews are coming in now summer is over. It seems kids, adults and reviewers alike love this new adventure book that tells the story of 12-year-old Boreas, who has to go on a round-the-world trip with his parents. On a sailboat. For three years! Needless to say, Boreas isn’t psyched about this adventure. Which 12-year-old wants to spend three years on a small boat with his parents? Boreas wants to hang out with his friends, go to soccer games, start high school after summer break. But he has no…

Categories: A Bit of Everything

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