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 Happy 4th of July! Even though I have an unnatural fear of all things that go bang, I still love this holiday. It's a day geared toward bringing us together, not just as families- as we do at Christmas and Thanksgiving-but as communities, as a country. In this age of technology, we sometimes forget how nice it is to come together to celebrate a common interest. Interestingly, due to the severe wildfire season we are experiencing in Colorado, there will be no fireworks in our state this year. For the first time in my life, there will be no nighttime spectacle on which to end my day. I'm curious to see what people find to substitute for the thrill of those fireworks finales. Will we start new traditions or find clever alternatives (like the red, white, and blue pinwheels I bought to take the place of sparklers) or will be choose to just sit around and mope? It'll be interesting to see. Whatever you wind up doing, make it a great day! I'm also bidding farewell to Saundie Weiss, the graduate student who worked for me and recently took a full-time job in her field. Saundie was a whiz with technology and a very capable copyeditor, so now I'm on my own again! These Constant Contact newsletters are notoriously glitchy, so wish me luck! Best of luck to Saundie, too! Did You Know: I'm an old movie buff, and I'm not ashamed to say that Yankee Doodle Dandy, starring James Cagney, is one of my favorites. It came out in the middle of World War II and is unashamedly patriotic with tributes to some of George M. Cohan's most famous tunes, such as "Over There" and "You're a Grand Old Flag." If you're staying inside this Independence Day to avoid the heat, consider renting this movie. James Cagney won Best Actor for his performance, and I guarantee you, it will put you in a July 4th mood!
Did You Know: According to a 2010 Marist poll, 26% of Americans don't know that the U.S. declared its independence from Britain. Among the countries some people thought we MIGHT have achieved our independence from were France, China, Japan, Mexico, and Spain. My son is in England right now visiting a friend. I wonder how many British citizens could answer the same question correctly. I'm guessing it's pretty high. I know I beat this horse a lot, but we have GOT to do a better job teaching history to our kids. Did You Know: Bas Bleu Theatre is a local theater that I have supported for years. They recently completed a capital campaign to help them "burn" their mortgage. We were lucky enough to attend a party to celebrate that achievement. On our recent trip to the Grand Canyon, we stopped in at the Durango Melodrama and Vaudeville show in Durango, CO. I had gone with my own mother and brother to see melodrama and vaudeville almost 30 years ago, and now I got to take my kids. They were still laughing about the show the next morning. If you are fortunate enough to have local theater in your town, please support them, even in the busy summer months. ....................................................................................................................................................................... |
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Readers
and Writers
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Readers
Celebrating 10 Years!
This year is the 10th anniversary of the release of Remember Wake, which continues to gain devoted new fans! This summer, you can order a copy from my website and get a second one free! Perfect for a gift or giveaway! Speaking of giveaways, I'll be giving away five copies of Remember Wake on Goodreads this month!
Summer Reading
If there are children in your lives who would like to read more FUN books about World War II this summer, visit my Recommended Reading page to see suggestions for middle grade and young adult readers. And if there are any great books for kids about the war that I have missed, please let me know! While you're on the site, check out my Reader's Stories page and consider sending in a memory about the war or a family story from the war era. We're hoping to build that section as a resource so kids and adults can learn more about life in the 1940s.
My Books are Available as E-Books!
All six of my other books are now available on Kindle and Nook and for do wnload on
computers and other types of readers. I'm super excited to be part of the fastest growing book market in the country!
Merchandise from TFC
Click here to see t-shirts, posters, note cards, and more! |
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Writers
Teresa's New Writing Video
I'd like to invite you to view my latest CBI Expert Guide Video on the "Three Ps of Writing Success." Find out if you are doing everything you can to move from hobby writer to professional writer. Coming very soon, you'll find the July video on "How to Plan Your Indivdual Writing Retreat." I'll be producing these Career Coach videos for Children's Book Insider, a premier website and newsletter for anyone serious about a career writing for children, but my tips will be applicable to all types of writers. Check my homepage on my website to view the newest video or visit the CBI Clubhouse at www.cbiclubhouse.com.
Writer's Tip
Summer movie season is in full swing, and the masters at Pixar have a new movie out, Brave.A fellow writer pointed me toward this list of "rules" that the Pixar writers follow, and I found it useful for all writers. Read here.
Writer's Coaching
Several of my clients have recently gone to print with their new books or completed their writing projects. I have room for a handful of new clients this summer and fall. If you are interested in learning more about my one-on-one coaching or reading testimonials from my clients, please click here.
Book a Workshop for the Fall
I have several very popular 1 or 2-hour workshops that I'm happy to book for your group or organization. Check out the list of workshops and testimonials here.
Watch for changes to my popular That Book Inside You workshop this fall as I move toward a more extended weekend experience that will allow for more time on each session topic, more individual attention, more networking opportunities, and more chances for you to share your own writing. I'll still be offering my all-day version by special invitation or through my partners, so keep an eye out for those dates or contact me to bring That Book Inside You: How to Write It, Publish It, Sell It to your area! |
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Educators
and Students
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Educators
Author Visits
Contact me to book an author visit for your school next fall. I offer assemblies and writing workshops for all grades and have worked with dozens of schools. We have matching funds for some of my visits and great suggestions for other ways to fund my appearance.
My workshops incorporate various curriculum points and can be taught in a variety of classes. I have a brand new school visit flyer and price sheet that I would be happy to send you, or you can visit my website for details. You'll also see plenty of endorsements from educators and students! A Writing Contest for Your Students Wave Me Good-bye Writing Contest! The main character in my new book, Wave Me Good-bye, is Miriam. She loves to write stories and poems, and she has entered a writing contest at her school. Before school ends, have your students participate in the Wave Me Good-bye Writing Contest. Students can choose from the three topics below and complete the assignment according to their age/grade level and ability. I would love to see your students' writing, so if you submit it to me at teresa@teresafunke.com, it could be featured on my website. Here are the topics: Compare Then and Now How do you think growing up in the 1940s would have been different than today? How would it have been the same? Give at least three examples of each. Then tell us if you would rather have lived in 2012 or in the 1940s. Heroes Miriam's hero is President Roosevelt. Write an essay telling us about your heroes. You can include living people, people from history, or fictional characters that you admire. Do you think heroes are any different today than they were in the 1940s? Stories and Poems Write a story or poem set in the 1940s or dealing with World War II. Bonus points if you use one of Teresa's characters from her Home-Front Heroes books in your story or poem! |
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Students
Write Your Own Secret Code
Cryptology is the study of secret codes. It was very important in WWII. The ability to read encoded German and Japanese military information was critical to winning the war. Radio messages could be intercepted, so information was transmitted in secret codes.
On the home-front, cryptologists built special equipment to break Japanese and German codes, which gave us important advantages in the war. Breaking the codes helped save many lives and shortened the war.
Coding is a system of letters, numbers, or symbols converted into normal language to allow information to be communicated secretly, briefly, and/or electronically. Codes have been used throughout time. The Navajo Code Talkers are the most famous code talkers of WWII. They were skilled in interpreting one language and translating it to another.
In Wave Me Good-bye, Teresa's new book, Miriam's dad and brother create a code that works like this: the first word in David's letter home will be made up of letters that stand for different numbers. Miriam's dad can then take out a map and use those numbers to figure out the longitude and latitude of where his son is stationed. Another lady told Teresa that her husband would address his letters to her using a different middle initial in her name each time until the initials had spelled out where he was located.
Write a few paragraphs about a code that you would like to create. Would you use letters, numbers, hand movements, symbols? What would your coding system be used for? Would you communicate with your friends, family, teachers? What would the topic of your secret conversations be about? If you could use today's technology, how would you communicate with a code only your friends would understand? Then send your ideas to me, and the best codes will be featured on my website! |
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Contact Us
Teresa Funke & Company
3836 Tradition Dr.
Fort Collins, Colorado 80526
970-215-4155
tfcinfo@teresafunke.com
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News
and Events
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Speaking
Professional Speaking!
Teresa has been speaking to diverse audiences since 2002. She is also a member of National Speakers Association and an Expert Guide for Children's Book Insider. She was the on-screen host of The Write Series video series.Her audiences have included colleges, women's, business, and senior groups, youth organizations, teacher conferences, schools, art groups, and writer's conferences. To learn more about Teresa's speaking and view a list of her keynote talks click here.
Sponsor Thank Yous
Read A Hero Literacy Program
The Read A Hero Summer Literacy Program is off and running at all three Larimer County Boys & Girls Clubs. This is our third summer running the program, and I love working with the kids. Some of them have read all three of my earlier H-F books and were eagerly awaiting my newest novel. The program this summer focuses on the themes in the new book that also correlate with the teachings at Boys & Girls Clubs. Things like how to stop bullying, how to make new friends, how to participate in acts of kindness, and many others. This program is only possible thanks to our generous donors!
- North Beach Dental
- Jean and Tom Sutherland
- Lynnette Jung-Springberg and Peter Springberg
- Dr. Ann Yanagi
Thank you so much for helping us provide free books, a nine-week literacy curriculum, speakers, prizes and so much more to these amazing kids!
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Sponsor Opportunities
Contact me to find out how you can team with Teresa Funke & Company and our partner organizations to help improve literacy, education, and the arts in 2012. Our programs bring new solutions to old problems.
Programs like:
The Read A Hero Literacy Program
The Do Your Part School Kit Program
The Teresa Funke Author Visit Program
The Great Book Giveaway
The Teresa Funke & Company Arts Appreciation Program
And more . . .
If you are looking for ways to benefit your community and get good exposure for your group or business, I'd be happy to send you our Partnership Opportunities packet. Join us in making the things that matter, matter.
Catch Me Here!
I'll be attending the National Speakers Association annual summer conference in Indianapolis from July 14-18. If you're there, look for me.
Follow my speaking engagements, school visits, readings, and more on my events page. |
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Teresa Funke & Company provides books, programs, and resources to Readers, Writers, Teachers, and Students. Teresa is a Speaker, Presenter, Writer's Coach and author of six books based on true stories from World War II. For more information please visit www.teresafunke.com.
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