Be a Literacy Cheerleader.

Mere days into the new year and I have already accomplished quite a bit. I have put away all the Christmas decoration and trees (although I left up the snowmen for winter), I have purchased lots of clearance Christmas wrapping paper and bows, and I have done the laundry, entered all my tax information into my spreadsheets, and I have started reading a collection of devotions that I promised to review.

I have also renewed my commitment to being a cheerleader for fellow authors and illustrators. Last year on Twitter, I started using the hash tag #WhoAreYouCheeringFor along with a picture snagged from Amazon and the twitter handle of an author or illustrator I was following. The idea was that if authors, illustrators, and kidlit enthusiasts all started doing the same, it would encourage literary artists and expand the range of who sees and hears about their great books.

Not that many people joined me in my endeavor, and I became lax in keeping it up myself; but I am going to give it another go in this fresh new year. I would also like to encourage you all to do the same. It only takes a few minutes to save a picture from Amazon to your computer and then add it to Twitter and an additional few minutes to type your tweet including the above mentioned hashtag. Five or ten minutes of your time, and yet it means the world to an author or illustrator. So please join me in being a Literacy Cheerleader and enjoy these authors who were my first three #WhoAreYouFollowing recipients of 2016!

Paul Czjak

Ben Woodard

Melinda Kinsman

Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me for another exciting episode, same crazy time, same crazy channel. And feel free to drop by my personal website, Fun With Aileen, any day of the week for even more on reading, writing, my very own early grade chapter book, Fern Valley, the sequels, Return To Fern Valley,  and Cooking In Fern Valley, along with my very first picture book, Quack and Daisy! I'm also on twitter @AileenWStewart if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.