A Shiver of Sharks App: Available Now!

A Shiver of Sharks, the ocean themed follow-up to Julie Hedlund's A Troop is a Group of Monkeys is now available for iPads on the App Store! Congrats to Julie, illustrator Pamela Baron, and Little Bahalia Publishing on another fun, vibrant, and enlightening interactive storybook app. I'm so glad to have had the chance to return as the narrator for the "read-to-me" option. And, be sure to hang around at the end credits for my piratey Sharks song. This new app is a great companion to Monkeys and features a boatload of fascinating collective nouns--from seagulls to stingrays. So, whether you're a landlubber or prefer to sail the Seven Seas, we've got something for everyone.

Visit the A Shiver of Sharks iTunes preview page HERE.

My Brain Burps Interview With Katie Davis

A snapshot from our Google Hangout interview.

I'm pleased and proud to be able to say that I was the featured guest on this week's episode of Katie Davis's Brain Burps About Books podcast! What an amazing experience that was. For a children's writer, Brain Burps is the kidlit equivalent to the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Truly an honor and a great opportunity.

It was just a little over a year ago that I discovered Katie's podcasts through my participation in the 12x12 writing challenge. Shortly after, I sent her a jingle for her show, which she now uses as her opening theme song. Clearly, I'm a huge fan, so this interview was an absolute thrill.

But it nearly wasn't! Thanks to a clunky wi-fi connection in my office, our video connection on Google Hangout was less than stellar. At the last minute, I grabbed my laptop and microphone, ran into my bedroom, and plugged directly into the cable modem. Problem solved. Of course, I then had to do the entire interview sitting on the edge of my bed, but hey, who's complaining? It worked!

We had a great discussion about songwriting, making videos, and lots more. I even got to answer Katie's famous Last Question, which is: "If you could go to the yard sale of any character in the history of children's literature, whose would you go to, and what would you buy?" To find out my answer, you'll have to listen to the episode, which you can find on Katie's website HERE. (http://katiedavis.com/135/) or on iTunes HERE.

Video Idiot Boot Camp Welcome Video Assignment: COMPLETED

By the end of Katie Davis's Video Idiot Boot Camp, all campers should have the knowhow to create a welcome video for their websites. As I was formulating the plans for my welcome video, I jumped ahead and started my kidlit vidcast series which you can view on my VIDEO page or on my YouTube channel at youtube.com/timmccannawriter. But now, I'm proud to present my completed welcome video! Along with a special cameo by my son, Nate, it benefits from a heaping helping of 70's and 80's TV sitcom title sequence cheese. Enjoy.