I have tried following the advice of well-known authors who tell you to write every day to be successful. Honestly, that has just overwhelmed me. During the school year, I wake up at 5:15am just to have my quiet time, exercise, and get ready for the day. Despite becoming a morning person as I get older, I can’t imagine getting up any earlier. When I get home from a full day of teaching first graders, I don’t have the mental capacity for very much creativity. I have found that for me, I can be most creative when I have long stretches of time to write. Hence, summer break is my most productive time for writing.

Recently, I found out about #1000wordsofsummer via my friend/editor, Ashley Shannon. It’s pretty straightforward: write 1,000 words a day for two weeks. I can do that. I think. Maybe. That’s a lot of words. So far, this newsletter is only 161 words. Okay, I won’t dwell on that. Just keep writing, Amy.

Even if I don’t hit 1,000 words each day, I will be writing each day, and that’s the real goal for me. Summer is the time for me to open the doors of my mind and let creativity run free. So, as they say, on your mark, get set, GO!

Book News

The Bookworms are back!

Last summer I wrote Brooks and Beatrix’s second adventure, a trip back in time to learn about the printing press, and now it’s available. I am super excited about this new adventure! These sweet little bookworms and their teachers are so dear to my heart.

Brooks and Beatrix love learning history with Mr. and Mrs. Bookworm. Through the use of time-traveling goggles, their teachers make lessons come alive. On this adventure, their curiosity carries them to the year 1442, where they encounter inventor Johannes Gutenberg and get an up-close look at the early printing press. As they explore the print shop, Beatrix falls into a sticky situation. Will her brother and teachers rescue her, or is she doomed to float in a sea of darkness forever?

Follow along as twin bookworms, Beatrix and Brooks, enter the Middle Ages and learn about Strasbourg Cathedral, Aesop's fables, Marco Polo's adventures, illuminated manuscripts, parchment, and quills. With curiosity and intention, they solve problems creatively, just like Johannes Gutenberg, whose invention of the printing press changed history forever. Infused with both literary and historical references, The Bookworms Visit The Printing Press is a great addition to the shelf of any child who loves curiosity, learning, and adventure.

The Bookworms Visit The Printing Press is available now on Amazon. Coming soon to bookstores in the Omaha area.

Enter to Win!

Lastly, visit my Instagram account for a chance to win a Bookworms Summer Gift Basket! amystanley402 (contest starts 9am June 1st)

As a teacher, I have always felt the busyness and excitement that May brings. Walk into an elementary school, and you can feel the energy. It’s spring fever mixed with nine months of familiarity with classmates and teachers. We’re counting down the days left while also trying to focus on that last math test. I find myself ready for summer break, but also sad to close a chapter with the group of students I have seen lose teeth and learn to read. They’ll go on to second grade, and I’ll start over with a new crew in a couple of months, but for a few more weeks, we’ll learn together, tell jokes, and hopefully remember to raise our hands.

Book News

April 21st I released my first picture book, “The Little Seedling”.
This book started as an Assembly talk at school a year and a half ago. It’s a growth mindset book about the hard work of stretching and growing. Bonus: My good friend and next door classroom teacher illustrated the book! Didn’t she do an amazing job?

The Little Seedling-Amazon link

In true Maycember fashion, I am working on releasing a new book at the end of the month!

“The Bookworms Visit the Printing Press” is a sequel to my children’s chapter book that I released last May. (See, I just love to pack May full of surprises!)

Stay tuned for more details!

You can follow me on Instagram at amylstanley402

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