#giddygragert

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Don’t Play With Your Food:  Oliver’s Pub Book Trailer

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If you have read Fufu’s Bistro, please write a review on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Fu-Fus-Bistro-Giddy-Gragert/dp/1633810526/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1470821727&sr=8-1&keywords=giddy+gragert

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I have written a children's book. Now what?

I wanted to publish my book, but had no idea of how to go about this endeavor.  My first plan of action was to go to my favorite place for info...Google.  I found a lot of information on how to self publish and not a lot of info on publishing companies.  It appeared that in order to get my manuscript even breathed on by a big name publishing company I would need an agent.  Since there were no agents knocking on my door, I decided to self publish.

I spoke to an already self published author for some guidance.  It was explained to me that I needed to find a self-publishing company that would allow me to own my book.  The author recommended that I get a DBA (doing business as) since I was writing under a pen name.  She even recommended a fabulous illustrator.

Check back to find out more about the illustration process and other steps in self publishing a children's book.

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Inspiration for my books...

Main Character & Adventure

My inspiration for my main characters and their adventures are inspired by my daughter and our adventures together.  In my first book, FuFu's Bistro, Danny gets in trouble for playing with his food.  When my daughter was younger she would always play with her food, whether it was the black olives on her fingers during a Thanksgiving meal or "wagon wheels" she would roll around on her plate at our favorite restaurant. 

  Setting

The adventures in FuFu's Bistro take place in Paris, France.  I dream of one day being able to travel.  It was from my desire to travel that inspired me to have the setting of my book take place someplace other than in my own backyard.     

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Becoming an author...

I have always enjoyed writing.  I can remember being so young (not in school yet) and I would pretend to be writing real words.  In elementary school, I learned cursive handwriting in the second grade,  I was so excited.  I would practice every chance I got.  Of course I would write the letters how I was taught, but I would also make them in different fonts.  Back then, not that I’m old, we had never even heard of fonts.  In the fourth grade, we were given our first pen to write with.  Cursive handwriting and a pen!!! 

I mostly wrote poetry growing up.  I couldn’t tell you why…that’s just what I wrote.  I never had a diary or anything.  My writing was random and always private. 

I grew up an only child with a lot of time on my hands.  I would always get ideas & thought someday I’m going to write a story about that.  I have journals where I have written a lot of ideas.  I will also write down notes on my phone when I wake up in the middle of the night with a great idea for either a book or a certain aspect within a book that I am already working on.

I never spoke to many people about my wish of becoming an author.  One day I was speaking to someone at work.  We had never really spoken about anything other than work.  As we spoke, we realized how much we had in common.  Among other similarities, she too had stacks of journals where she wrote down her ideas to fulfill her dream of one day becoming an author.  After speaking to her, I was so motivated.  It was as if a light switch that was turned off suddenly was turned on.  All the lights came on and I realized that my wish of becoming an author someday had turned into becoming an author now.