This is me

Summer 2020

http://www.francisart.com/my-blog

The Plastic MIrror

What do you see when you look in the mirror?
Are you happy?
Do you expect to see your reflection looking back at you?
Aubrey Vale doesn't see things the way we do. At least, not today. As she faces the social pressures of middle-grade school, she certainly doesn't expect to see a boy looking back at her when she escapes for that one brief moment inside her locker.
This is where the story unfolds, and takes us on a wild journey.

That Thing in the Sky

To students who are reading, "That Thing in the Sky". I would love to hear from you.

Please share any thoughts or questions and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

~ Christopher

Every Friday evening, I teach a writing class at the Creative Hub in Waterdown, Ontario. The goal of the course was to support the students as they developed a children's book or novel. The idea that the students would possibly have a printed copy of their stories excited them, and it didn't take long for the young authors to dig deep into developing their characters and plots. However, as the weeks past, I couldn't help but notice the level of passion decline.
I didn't understand.
I spent hours reading their work and providing them with new ideas while editing their grammar, punctuation and spelling.
But the energy simply wasn't there anymore.
What was the reason?
Finally, after the fifth week, I began providing the students with 'sentence starters' - where the students were given an opening sentence and had seven minutes to create a paragraph, short-story...anything.
Upon completing their short 'works', I took turns reading their creative texts in front of the class - with energy and excitement.
The students instantly wanted more.
"Can we play that again?" a girl suggested. She never spoke in class - at least not until then.
By the seventh week, I was doing three sentence starters a session, along with other writing activities where their 'works' would ultimately be read in front of the small audience of peers.
It was at that time I realised where my course needed to shift gears. Writers want to be 'heard' - they want their 'voice' to be shared - they crave feedback and praise.
Don't we all?
So, why am I sharing this? Why do I want you to follow my brainwave all the way down your digital screen?
Because I want to 'play' with you!
If you have seven minutes in your day this week, can you please share a creative text that starts with the following sentence:
"I rubbed my eyes and glanced up at myself in the mirror--only the reflection staring back wasn’t me."

When finished, please post - I'd love to read and comment 

Self-Publishing - How I found some success--but still itching for more

About ten years ago I decided to extend my illustrating hobby and explore the idea of writing children's books. I spent a year working on a middle-grade book (Solving Damian Dermite) while working part time as an educational assistant and attending McMaster University.
Unfortunately, I was rejected by many literary agents simply because my story (at the time) was too 'telling' and wasn't what the publishing houses were looking for.
No worries, I was lucky enough to find some success in Newspapers in Education and Solving Damian Dermite and the next two sequels landed in the hands of thousands of children all over North America.
Yay me.
But there were still the 'rejections' lingering over me and it took a while to realize this was just another invitation to explore other genres and age groups.
And then it happened--
One day, I decided to create a DIY children's book titled, "How to Sneak your Monster into School."
I created a book trailer on Youtube and linked it to my website. Somehow, the video reached thousands of viewers and it wasn't long before I started making sales through my website. As months went by, I realized my target audience were teachers, looking to launch a language unit on procedural writing. At this point, I changed the title of my YouTube video to "Procedural Writing." I then created a private full video of the book that can be ordered along with a PDF/Ebook.
I also published the book on Blurb and TeachersPayTeachers, where sales continued to increase.
At this point, I'm selling roughly 40 books/month, which may not sound like a lot, but for me, it is a success.
What is your success story?

ASK THE AUTHOR!

 Dear Teachers, Students and Parents,

Welcome to my Blog - Below are the first four Serial Stories available to you.  Being a teacher and an author, I would be delighted to hear from you. As you read these stories, feel free to send me messages, ask me questions, or simply say hello. You can also reach me at chris@nextpagestories.com.

Regards,

Christopher Francis
www.nextpagestories.com
www.francisart.com

 When eleven year-old Alex Thomas meets a new boy in his class named Henry Greenfield, Alex’s wild imagination gets the best of him. Convinced that the new boy will steal his chances of becoming popular, Alex decides to humiliate him. In the process, Alex finds himself dealing with socially awkward situations that begin to spiral out of control. However, everything changes when Alex finds Henry on the playground being picked on by Damian Dermite, the meanest boy in school. Alex is suddenly inspired to do the right thing and stick up for Henry, even if it means getting himself suspended. Ultimately, Alex learns vital lessons about respect, friendship, and himself.

An impulsive eleven-year-old boy named Alex Thomas has just angered Damian Dermite. Sadly he realizes he will likely have to spend the sixth grade finding clever ways to escape the vengeful bully. Alex soon discovers that hiding in the boy’s bathroom, stinking up the cafeteria, pulling the fire alarm and running away, are not the answers. When he finds himself standing with no clothes on in front of the entire school, Alex quickly realizes things have gotten way out of hand. With help from his brother, and a calculated plan in place, Alex faces his greatest fear...and finds the giant inside himself.

Haunted by a boy named Riley Grayson, twelve year-old Wesley is suddenly confronted by three things he fears the most in life: Love, Bullying and Ghosts. 

While on a grade eight camping trip at Lake Stoneway, Wesley struggles with his fears, trying to find ways to get the attention of Michelle Heartly while stopping his best friend from picking on a new boy named Simon.

Thinking the world is coming to an end, Bailey and Margaret watch a strange object hurtle from the sky. The two nervously investigate the mysterious crash and discover an alien has landed on earth. A teenage farm boy named Sheldon joins them as they try to help the lost creature return to its home. However, they soon realize this alien is not alone. This story highlights friendship, loyal, respect and leadership.