Stephanie [...]]]> Voorhees, New Jersey – The children of Naudain Academy were excited to learn about The Hidden Treasure today and as they discovered the next Secret Of The Heart.   Students had several guesses before Stephanie Pelly, the program facilitator, revealed the secret.   “Is it love, friendship or sharing with your friends?” they asked.

Stephanie slowly drew the the word gratitude from her special container.  This was a new word for most of the children, so she explained that gratitude means being thankful.  She also explained that being grateful is showing appreciation for people or things in your life.

The children were excited to hear the story from the Young Masters Little Wisdom book,  The Hidden Treasure. They began to understand that while it’s wonderful to receive gifts, the true gift is being thankful.  They discussed the many things for which Butaan and Phylos were grateful for in the story and after the story they shared all for which they were grateful as a class.

Then Stephanie passed around a red gift box and told the children that there was a wonderful, amazing, awesome, super, fantastic and great gift inside.  In fact it’s the greatest gift.  She told them they could all have a chance to peek and see it, but they would need to keep the gift a surprise until each person discovered the gift themselves.  One by one the gift box was passed as each child took a peek inside.  She repeated, “thank you for being here, you are a gift!”  as one by one they each looked inside the box and saw a star mirror and  - their own face looking back at them.  Some children got it right away… some took a moment to realize that they are the gift.  It’s who they are and all that they can share with other.  Some were a little confused and didn’t see themselves as a gift, so after each person had a turn Stephanie asked, “So what is this wonderful, amazing awesome, super, fantastic and great gift?”  One little boy raised his hand and said, ” Each one of us is a gift to the world!”  ”Exactly,” Stephanie said.  ”We can share our smiles and friendship with people every day! We each have something to give. Something for which to be truly thankful.”   She then asked the children to share some of the gifts they can give to others.  Immediately they chimed in, “friendship, imagination, love, kindness, sharing and playing together.” “Yes, all the secrets of the heart,” said Stephanie.

Stephanie then told the children she was going to use her imagination to give each child a gift.  One child said, “we learned all about imagination in the book The Magic Eye.  They remembered.  She went on to tell them that  in order to receive the gift she was giving them, she would need to use her imagination… and so would they.  One by one she pulled out “imaginary gifts”  and placed something inside each child’s hand or around their necks or once in awhile I even rolled a special gift to a child.  Every child said “thank you” and said they were grateful for their gifts.  One child said… “I know what my gift is, a baseball.”  Another child said, “You gave me sparkles.”  ”My gift was a mircophone!” “I got a telescope.”  ”I got a necklace.”  One child pondered long and hard and might still be thinking about what his gift really was.  ”You can think about it while you’re in bed tonight, ” Stephanie said, and added, “I gave you each my love with your gift…and that’s the best gift.”

They sang “Circle of Appreciation” and had fun playing a game where the students got to point to all their different friends during the song.  They loved this song and game.  The lesson ended as they passed  around earth ball and shared the many gifts they earth gives to us.  ”Something for which we are are very grateful,” said Stephanie, “to be on this beautiful Earth with our families and friends.”

Stay tuned for the next secret of the heart and the continuing journey for these very fortunate Young Masters at Naudain Academy.

See what wonders are happening at Naudain Academy.

I wrote a little bit when I was a child  but I never really thought of becoming a writer until I was an adult. What inspired me was really strange. One day I was reading my brothers blog. He was just playing around [...]]]> 1. When did you start writing and what inspired you to start?

I wrote a little bit when I was a child  but I never really thought of becoming a writer until I was an adult. What inspired me was really strange. One day I was reading my brothers blog. He was just playing around and making up a fantasy story. I thought he was really good and thought ”Hey, I could do that!” So I sat down, started writing a fantasy story about something we used to play as kids and I haven’t stopped writing since.

2. How do you choose the topics for your books?  What’s your age range?

The age range that I find the most enjoyable to write for is 4-8 yrs. old. They are still so imaginative at that age and in love with learning new things. They also say some of the funniest things! As far as how do I choose topics for my book, it’s all up to how I’m feeling on any given day. If something inspires me, then I write about it.

3. What kinds of things inspire you to write?

All sorts of things inspire me. If I hear a child say something funny, I’m inspired. If a co-worker tells me something hysterical or unusual that their child did, I’m inspired. If I see a movie or TV show where something amazing happens, that inspires me as well. Reading other books also inspires me. The world is full of inspiration; you just have to be open to it!

4. Have any of your stories been inspired by real people or events?  What inspires you to write?

Yes, A lot of my stories do contain something about a person I knew or an event that happened in my past. I once wrote a story about two little old ladies who lived next door to us when I was growing up. They were very sweet ladies but a little on the unusual side because they had never been married, lived in a little white house, and had hundreds of salt-n-pepper shakers all over the place. They left a great memory in my mind so I just had to include them in my story writing.

I’ve also written quite a few stories about pets I’ve had or currently have.

5. Do you work on more than one book at a time?

Oh yes. I don’t know how smart or good that is, but I’m usually working on at least four or five stories at a time. Sometimes it gets a little overwhelming but I find that I am constantly coming up with new ideas and just have to get them on paper. However, when you are working on so many stories at one time, it tends to prevent you from completing any one item, therefore it slows you down from getting things completed and out the door. I need to work on focusing on one story at a time!

6. Are you signed exclusively with a publisher?  Are you self -published and how does that work for you?

I am signed with FutureWord Publishing for my book The Pea In Peanut Butter.

7. Do you write every day and do you have set hours that you work?  Where do you write?

Yes, I write or do something with my writing every single day. There is so much involved with writing that it’s nearly impossible not to be involved in it every day. However, sometimes I spend more time marketing, blogging, and doing administrative things that my total time in a week actually writing is probably only four hours. It just depends on what I have going on and what deadlines I have.

I don’t have set hours to write because I also work a full-time job elsewhere. I have to fit my writing time in around that.

I do some of my writing at work in between busy times, and at home on my laptop in the evenings and weekends. I have a designated room to do that.

8 .Has anyone ever written you a fan letter that you’d like to share?

My book has only been published since June 2011 so the word is still getting out about it. However, I once received an email from someone whose children read my book. She said it’s their favorite book at present and they keep trying to memorize the beginning of the book which reads:

I love the super duper, gummy yummy, sticky lickin’, and belly rubbin’ taste of peanut butter. If Mommy would let me, I’d spread it on hot dogs, fish sticks, chips, and pancakes. I’d eat it on bananas, grapes, apples, and frosted flakes.

And to me, that is what it’s all about for me. Knowing that a child smiled and enjoyed my story!

9.  Who was the first character you ever created and why?

I don’t remember the first character I ever created because it was back in grade school. However, I do remember the first PLACE I created. It was a land of nothing but peanut butter. And surprisingly, my first published picture book, is about peanut butter as well! Hmmm, guess it’s a no-brainer that I love peanut butter!

10. Is there anything about yourself that you’d like to share – hobbies,where you were born, special talents other than writing/illustrating?

I was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan but was raised in Edgerton, Ohio. When I turned 22 or so, I moved to St. Louis with my husband. From there his job has transferred us to Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi and back to Louisiana where we currently reside. I have many other hobbies. I read a lot, dabble around with stained glass, do interior decorating, and at work I do a lot of graphic design type things.

Find out more about The Pea In Peanut Butter on Amazon.com!  Or visit Allyn at www.allynstotz.blogspot.com

Donna: Thank you so much for the opportunity to interview with you.  We both just love your website.  You offer such a refreshing and inspiring view of the world.

1. Did you write stories when you were growing up? at school? Or at home. As a hobby? As a young child, [...]]]>

Donna: Thank you so much for the opportunity to interview with you.  We both just love your website.  You offer such a refreshing and inspiring view of the world.

1. Did you write stories when you were growing up? at school? Or at home. As a hobby? As a young child, or as a teenager, or both?

Donna:   I did write as a child.  I began when I was still in elementary school copying my favorite poems and story passages into a spiral notebook that I took everywhere.  And I committed these passages to memory.  Even today, 40 years later, these memorized passages spring to mind at unexpected moments.  In middle school, I moved from copying and memorizing, to mimicking in my own writing what I liked in the writing of others.  I didn’t know it at the time, but I was doing what all writers do – I was journaling.  I began making my own observations about people or places or events that moved me, and I wrote about them, learning to use words to evoke feelings in others.  To this day I journal.  Sometimes it is random thoughts.  Sometimes I journal to respond to a moving homily I hear at church, or to an article I read in the newspaper, a beautiful sunset, or any other topic that moves me.

Rosemarie:   I was an ardent fan of Lois Lane and Brenda Starr. I wanted nothing more than to be a newspaper reporter! My

friend and I used to make up stories to write. I was paid  for an anecdote published in Readers Digest when I was 12 years old and thought I had made the big time. I submitted two more anecdotes and never heard back, so I stopped submitting. While I was in Nursing School I wrote the majority of our yearbook, putting a short, descriptive poem under each picture and a narrative synopsis of our three years at school. Then as a new mom, I amused myself by writing humorous poems about things I didn’t like to do or if I had a cold–ie. An Ode to Dirty Dishes

and A Code in da Node.

2. When you were a child did you ever have moments when you decided that you were going to be a writer when you grew up?

Donna:  I can’t say there was a single moment when it occurred to me that I could be a writer.  I know that by the time I was in high school I was writing plays and stories and poems, and I hoped to go to college to learn to

write.  It was an evolving dream of mine.  More a passion.  First was the need to write.  It was later, after college, that the desire was born to have my writing read by a wider audience than my family and friends – hence the journey into the world of publishing.

3. How do you choose the topics for your books?  What’s your age range?

Rosemarie:  The topics for our books were chosen because we both had a need to say what we felt. Our first book, Little Acts of Grace, was written for preschool children as a result of our desire to afford children of today the comfort of knowing, believing in and praising God. Donna wanted to share her thoughts about Mary, the mother of Jesus. So we wrote Just Like Mary, also for very young children. Our third book, The Mass Book, was a suggestion from the publisher and targeted second graders.

Donna:  When Rosemarie and I began writing together, our grandchildren were in preschool.  Our books have grown up with our grandkids.  As for how we choose what to write, sometimes I think our topics choose us.  Rosemarie and I are co authors, but our third partner is God.  We truly feel our topics are inspired by Him.

4. What kinds of things inspire you to write?

Rosemarie:  Love inspires me to write. I write about people I love, people who love, and the places and memories I love. I am inspired by the joys and sorrows of everyday life.

5. What gave you the idea for your very first book?

Rosemarie:   Donna and I met by accident–or Divine intervention– at a church dinner. We had each been on a Pilgrimage, compared notes and soon found that we had very similar thoughts and a desire to write from the heart. We talked about little things we did as children.  In spite of the difference in our ages, our memories, beliefs and feelings were so very similar. So, we wrote about how little actions displaying love for God would please Him just as little acts of love and kindness please people. And–we went on from there to create a series of books for children.

6. Have any of your books earned special recognition?

Donna:  Our 4^th book, Living the 10 Commandments for Children, won 2^nd place in the children’s category for the 2008 North American Catholic Press Association.  That was a real thrill for us.

Rosemarie: This same book has also been printed in Lithuanian at the request of a priest who enjoyed it while in America!

7. Have any of your stories been inspired by real people or events?  What inspires you to write?

Rosemarie: Most everything I write is inspired by real people or shared life experiences. I notice that in Donna’s work also. Her love and compassion shines through her words. The book she is self publishing at this time emphasizes pre teens respecting and caring about others —social justice.  Icky, CeCe and the Mysterious Mr. Thuan is due to be released at the end of November.

8. Do you work on more than one book at a time?

Donna:  I think this is sometimes one of our strengths, and a potential pitfall.  While Rosemarie is a focused writer, I tend to work on more than one topic at a time.  As a result, I am slower in brining any one project to fruition.  I tend to write in response to an inner calling.  Rosemarie is the disciplined one.

Rosemarie:  Donna and I get a chuckle out of the fact that our Myers-Briggs Type Indicator results are on target. I seek closure on each project before beginning another. Donna is comfortable beginning several projects. I believe we complement each other with these opposite characteristics. I speed her up on each project and she slows me down to make sure our words are what we really want to say.

9. Which of your books did you most enjoy writing?

Rosemarie:  It’s a tossup between The Beatitudes for Children and The 10 Commandments for Children. I learned a lot as we wrote about current life in relation to God’s teachings. My favorite adult piece was the story of the unexpected death of my granddaughter on the day my son came home from the Gulf war. That writing was therapeutic and helped me resolve her death. It took 2 years to write.

Donna:  For me, my favorite book it is definitely Just Like Mary.  Written for preschool aged

children, this book helped me answer a question from when I was a little girl.  I was always told that Mary, the mother of God, is to be my role model.  I couldn’t understand how to do that.  But writing this book helped me answer how we all can be just like Mary.

10. What are you working on now?Donna:  We have a couple of projects we are working on.  We have two children’s books:  one on Purgatory, and one on Priests.  I am working on a series of middle grade novels.  And we are experimenting with developing one of our books as an animated book for an ipad.

11. Are you signed exclusively with a publisher?  Are you self published and how does that work for you?

Donna:  We have not signed exclusively with any one publisher, but to date, all of our children’s books have been published by Our Sunday Visitor.  That has been a wonderful relationship we hope will continue.  I am also currently working on self publishing my middle grade novels.  I am working on a series of 4 middle grade novels, each one which addresses a different issue related to social justice:  homelessness, the plight of the refugee, etc.  These books will appeal to that segment of our population who embraces conservative values.  As you know, this is a small, niche market.  So I have ventured into the realm of self publishing.  I am working with an editor who has some experience in this area and feel confident this is a plausible way to go.  With the help of social networking, Amazon and e-bay, marketing the books has become, while not easy, certainly possible.

12.  Do you do school visits, if so what question do children ask you most?

Rosemarie:  I love doing school visits! Last year I read to a pre-school in Northern Virginia and had a wonderful time with 4 year olds.  Last week, I read snippets from Little Acts of Grace 2 to the Kindergarten and 1st grade classes. They were a great audience, wanting to participate as well as listen. I also read A Really Scary Time to 3rd and 4th graders. We sang the World War ll songs from the book. Donna and I have had opportunities to speak to children and their parents at PTO meetings in the public school and at a Military base. We both enjoy talking to adults and to children.

Donna Piscitelli lives in Alexandria, Virginia, with her husband Steve.  They have four children and ten grandchildren.  Donna has been writing and publishing children’s books for ten years, and is currently working on publishing her first middle grade novel.  She has worked in the field of education for 32 years and has been a teacher, a counselor and an adminstrator.  Donna and Steve are both active in their church.

Rosemarie Gortler lives in Fredericksburg, Virginia, with her husband Fred.  They have five children and seventeen grandchildren.  Rosemarie has been a nurse and a clinical counselor.  She and Fred are active in their church.

www.jmjpilgrim.com

Your may find Piscitelli and Gortier’s books on Amazon by clicking here.