Look what's in the works for spring of 2012! Tammi has not one, but TWO new picture books to celebrate! Congrats, Tammi! We hope everyone will get an autographed copy of these amazing books!
Introduction
Tammi Sauer grew up on a farm outside the small town of Victoria, Kansas. While there she chased pigs, kept tabs on the cows, and occasionally danced with chickens. These days, Tammi bawks and rolls with her husband and their two children in Edmond, Oklahoma.
Background
Tammi decided to write for children when her favorite college professor—Dr. Marjorie Hancock—told her she should. If this teacher would have said, “Tammi, you’d make an excellent sky-diver,” Tammi would have agreed to it. She was a total teacher’s pet. Well, she’s convinced she would have been if her teachers hadn’t spent the bulk of their days telling her to quiet down.
Books
Tammi has several picture books—Cowboy Camp,Chicken Dance, Mostly Monsterly, Duck Means Business—and has several more titles under contract. Two of them are Me Want Pets! and Bawk and Roll (sequel to Chicken Dance). Her publishers include Bloomsbury, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Simon & Schuster, and Sterling.
Cowboy Camp was a 2006 Finalist for the Oklahoma Book Award, a Barnes & Noble 2005 Holiday Pick, the premier Oklahoman title at the 2007 National Book Festival, the featured book at the 2009 Read Across Oklahoma event, and a Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. bestseller. Cowboy Camp has also been nominated for the 2009-2010 Buckaroo Book Award. Booklist calls Cowboy Camp “…a simple, clever tale that promises to be a crowd-pleaser.” Tammi agrees.
Chicken Dance was chosen for Read Across Oklahoma and as the lead title for Sterling Children’s Books Fall 2009 List. In this giddy, goofy barnyard romp, cows jump over the moon, ducks surf in a water trough, and one very familiar rooster gets all shook up. Look for Chicken Dance to shake some tail feathers at libraries, bookstores—and barnyards!—near you.
Speaking
Tammi is a former teacher and library media specialist. She has given over a hundred fun, engaging, and informative presentations for preschoolers through sixth graders. With a little magic, some humor, just the right props, and a lot of audience participation, Tammi Sauer promises to rock your crowd.
Tammi Sauer celebrated "Read Across Oklahoma" at the OKC Zoo. Look who stopped by for concert--both Elvis Poultry AND Elvis Presley! Be sure to read her picture book, Chicken Dance. You'll squawk, bawk, and rollllllll! Thank you, thank you very much.
Image:
Chicken Dance has been accepted into the 2009 Original Art Show in New York
2009/2010 school year....Chicken Dance is the featured book for Oklahoma Celebration of Reading
November 1, 2009...Tammi Sauer is a presenter at the Texas Book Festival
February 5-6, 2010....Tammi Sauer is a keynote speaker at the Southwest International Reading Conference
Spring 2010....Chicken Dance is the featured book for Read Across Oklahoma
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Chicken Dance (Sterling, 2009) For freebies, fun, and much, much more, check out www.elvispoultrybooks.com. It'll have you all shook up.
Always wondered what goes on in the life and times of a rock and roll rooster? Then please follow a certain someone on Twitter. Click here: https://twitter.com/elvispoultry
Princess in Training (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012)
Oh, Nuts! (Bloomsbury, 2012)
The Twelve Days of Christmas in Oklahoma (Sterling, 2012)
Nugget and Fang (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013)
Princess-in-Training
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, forthcoming
Picture Book
Blurb:
Viola Louise Hassenfeffer is a princess who is anything but prim and proper--she karate chops, dives into the moat, and skateboards up and down the drawbridge. Princess Academy is a total bust--until a surprise dragon arrives and only Viola can save the day.
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Oh, Nuts!
Bloomsbury, forthcoming
Picture Book
Blurb:
Three chipmunks with attitude feel like they're just not getting the attention they deserve at the zoo, so they go to great lengths to compete with the elephants, tigers, and zebras.
Check out Tammi's great videos from YouTube!
OCAI's Exclusive Interview:
" When I'm typing away and smiling at my monitor, I know I'm onto something. When I'm thwacking my head against my desk, I start over."
OCAI:Tammi, how in the world did you get your clever idea for Chicken Dance?
Tammi: One summer, I took the kids to visit my sister who, at the time, lived in a gorgeous area outside of Plymouth, Massachusetts. I loved every bit of the trip--except for my early morning wake-up call. Each day, the sun would come up around 4:30am and the rooster who lived about a quarter mile away would let me know it. Each morning, my dislike for that rooster grew. And grew. I got to hoping that bird was missing out on a lot of barnyard fun since he had to make sure he was ready to greet the early morning sun in such an excessively loud and enthusiastic way. Sooo...since I was up at 4:30am anyway...I started brainstorming. What did that rooster miss out on? What had the other animals been up to when he was catching his zzzzzs? Then I knew--a barnyard talent show.
The joke's on me, though. In the book, the rooster didn't sleep through the talent show after all. Instead, he ends up being one of the stars of the story as everyone who partakes in the competition is out for the grand prize—tickets to see “Elvis Poultry in Concert:The Final Doodle Doo.”
OCAI:What's your writing schedule like? How do you juggle being a mom, wife, and writer? Any tips for those out there who want to do the same?
On most days during the school year, I set aside 9:30 in the morning until 3 in the afternoon for writing-related activities. These activities include brainstorming new ideas, revising manuscripts, critiquing manuscripts, answering email, working on
promotional/marketing ventures, filling out interview questionnaires, tinkering with my website, developing presentations for school visits and writers’ conferences, reading, visiting libraries and bookstores, and staring at a blank computer screen.
Tammi:My number one tip is to make your writing a priority. Often, I won’t even answer the phone during my designated writing time. I’ve realized that if I don’t view my writing time as a priority, no one else will either.
My number two tip is to always carry paper, pens, and a book with you. I rarely “just sit there” during carpool or ball game practices. Every extra minute I find is an opportunity. I try very hard not to let them slip away.
OCAI: Can you briefly share a little about your writing and revision process.
Tammi: Once I latch onto an idea for a picture book, the brainstorming begins. I jot down information about my main character, his key problem, and the obstacles he must overcome. I think up funny lines and word plays that tie into the character, setting, and situation. I bounce ideas off my critique partner. Always, I strive to come up with an unexpected twist for the end. When I’m typing away and smiling at my monitor, I know I’m onto something. When I’m thwacking my head against the desk, I start over.
As for revision? I go through each draft and make sure every word is necessary. I amp up the humor. I choose words that sing. I raise the stakes for the main character. I tighten the story arc. I get feedback from other writers. I keep at these things until the manuscript gives me that YES feeling.
OCAI:So what are you working on now?
Tammi: My work-in-progress is called Super Norman. This manuscript stars a kid who comes from a family of superheroes. Everyone in the family is astounding. Except for Norman. No matter how hard he tries, he just can’t save the day.
OCAI: Thanks! We love your "Librarian Dance" video, by the way. Good luck with your future projects!
