Hi Everyone! I'm excited to announce that my pre-recorded Internet radio show interview has completed its final step, and it is now ready for the world to hear! Last night I received an email from the Executive Producer that my interview will air on April 29 and 20, 2013. Here's the link for where you can access the interview: http://www.wnbnetworkwest.com/WnbAuthorsShowChildren.html.
Photo Credit: The Authors Show
It's been a semi-long process, but so totally worth it!
Here are the steps I had to take to get to where I am now.
1. Complete a request for the Children Authors Show on their website. The cool thing is that The Authors Show has various shows for different categories of books. Check it out at the link provided above.
2. Complete a pre-screen with a short list of questions to answer.
3. Complete a detailed and thorough questionnaire for the interview.
4. Connect with the host to determine a few dates and times to conduct the interview.
5. The host then sends the questions he will ask during the recording and you prep for them.
6. Complete the Internet radio interview.
7. Once completed, the recording is sent to Arizona, where the recording is professionally edited.
8. When the recording is ready, you will be informed of when your interview will be broadcasted.
9. You promote the broadcast on your social media sites, just as much as they do.
And that my friends is what it takes to get approved to be on the show. Can't wait for everyone to hear it!
If you have any friends who have published a book (or books) and looking for ways to promote their works, I highly recommend this option. What I've listed above is all done for FREE, it just takes time that you have to be willing to commit to. They have packages you can purchase to help you promote your book(s). Lastly, there is also have an option for television interviews for a fee.
Hope this helps anyone. =)
Have a great day everyone!It's almost weekend time!
I meet Zenia on a work trip in El Paso, TX, during a site visit at the University of Texas - El Paso. Go Miners! Zenia was one of the few females in the engineering programs at the university. The first time I heard her speak was during a presentation she was working on for her thesis. Let me tell you this, the girl knows her stuff! Though I was thoroughly confused during the presentation, nonetheless, it was a great presentation. I know Zenia will make great strides in the world of engineering and has a great future ahead of her. I also know her fiance, another Miner, who I had the opportunity to place on an internship at Johnson Space Center. Read about Zenia below!
1. Name - Zenia
Garcia
2. City and State - El
Paso, TX
3. What is your
educational background? (Include colleges/universities and degrees attained)
The University of Texa at El
Paso/ B.S, M.S Mechanical Engineering
4. What types of courses
does your degree require? (If no degree, put "N/A" or list
certificates)
Mathematics, Physics,
Chemistry, Dynamics, Mechanics of Materials, Material Science, Engineering Economy,
Thermodynamics, Fluid Mechanics, Heat Transfer, Vibration, Controls, Mechanical
Design etc.
5. What were the most
challenging classes you took and how did you overcome those challenges? (If no
degree, put "N/A" or list certificate classes taken)
The biggest challenge
involved in my course work was the introductory level courses because they was
always challenging to learn a completely new concept. The best way to overcome
this challenge, for me, was finding more people to work with. Having a study
group was always very important to me during my undergraduate and graduate studies
in engineering. Having everyone’s individual understanding of the course work
and then putting it all together, not only helps understand the overall concept
better, but it provides diverse views on the topic. This is important because
in the world of engineering there is never just one way to get to the same
conclusion, so understanding more than one method to come to the same
conclusion, in my opinion, makes a better engineer.
6. Did you complete any
internships/co-ops during school? If so, where did you intern or co-op? (If you didn’t complete
any, put “NA”)
Internship with NASA MSFC:
Summer 2008 & 2009 Co-op with NASA MSFC:
Summer 2010, 2011, & 2012
Photo Credit: Zenia Garcia
7. What company do you
currently work for?
NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC)
8. What is your job
title?
Structural and Mechanical
Design Engineer
9. What are your day to
day tasks?
Some of my day to day
tasks include 3D modeling, drafting, analysis, tolerance stack up and some
involvement in the manufacturing process.
10. Do you work
independently or in a team environment? Which do you prefer? I work both independently
and with a team. I personally like to work in teams, because I think more can
get done, more efficiently this way.
11. What type of skill
sets are needed for this job? Good communication,
teamwork, engineering fundamentals, being open minded and having creativity.
12. Did you have a
mentor? If so, what was the most important lesson he/she taught you?
I have had many mentors throughout
my studies, ranging from my fellow researchers at my university, to professors,
and professionals at NASA. Some of the most valuable lessons I learned from
everyone are: never give up, it is ok to be wrong, it is ok not to know the answer
to something and to believe in oneself.
13. What do you believe
to be your greatest strength?
My biggest strength is
probably being able to keep an open mind and my willingness to continue to
learn.
14. What do you believe
to be your greatest weakness?
My weakness is probably
my over analytical mind set. I like to look at every possible scenario and this
can sometimes over complicates a simple problem. It’s important for me to
remind myself that being practical is sometimes the best way to go.
15. What are some of your
accomplishments? What accomplishment are you the most proud of?
My biggest accomplishment
has been, to be able to stay focused on what I wanted to do and to have
challenged the odds in order to be where I am today.
16. What are your
hobbies? What do you do for fun?
Rock climbing, mountain
biking, hiking, snowboarding, reading
17. What did you want to
be when you were a child?
As a child I wanted to be
a professional Ice skater.
18. If you could switch
professions with someone else for a day, what would it be and why?
I would switch
professions with a grade school teacher. Our technological future is dependent
on today’s education system, as well as on what we as professional in the math
and science fields do to outreach to the kids of today’s world.
19. What advice would you
give girls wanting to go into your field?
It is not easy to be a
girl in my field, as a minority, it is always necessary to prove yourself to
others, which in the end is a good way to keep you on your toes. Do not be
discouraged by the challenges the field of engineering can bring, but welcome
an opportunity to overcome them. Lastly, don’t let anyone ever tell you that you
are not cut out for the job. With hard work and persistence, you are capable of
accomplishing anything you set your mind to. Many say girls are stubborn
creatures, who said that was a bad thing?
Friday marked the day I participated in my second author visit. This particular school, Ward Elementary, was an honor, because my oldest, Mackenzie, attends school there. It was a very cool feeling to come in, not only as a mom, but as a professional, kind of like Career Day, but only featuring me and my book!
When introducing myself, I asked the group of approximately 250 students if they knew who Mackenzie was, and about 75% of them raised their hands. This, of course, didn't surprise me at all since my girl is a social butterfly and loves to talk to ANYONE and EVERYONE. Needless to say, she was the coolest kid yesterday because everyone thought it was so awesome that her mom was an author.
After introducing myself, I told the students and teachers some cool facts about me, one of which included a video of me being spun in microgravity on the Zero G plane. Can we say A-W-E-S-O-M-E!
After cool facts, we did some activities about jobs in the community, I read the book out loud and the students took the "I Know I Can" pledge. The words come from the chorus of Nas' song, "I Can," which was released in 2003, on his album, God's Son. Trust an believe I cited that bad boy in my Prezi because I wanted to make sure credit was given where it was due, which sometimes people tend to forget to do or don't do at all. Wish I could let the kiddos listen to the whole song, but somehow, I doubt the teachers or parents want their kids hearing some of the lyrics, even though the message is good; however, thanks Nas for an amazing song, just the same!
We had a Q & A session, and I loved hearing all the questions that the students and teachers had for me. Note to myself for next time: have each class in each grade level participating come up with a question as a group and request to have them ready prior to my arrival. With a list of predetermined questions with the associated class teacher's name and grade level, this would allow for a smoother Q & A session. This way, I don't feel bad when some children aren't selected to ask a question because we are running out to time. Also, it is a safeguard for the same question not to be asked multiple times.
I'm not going to lie, it felt good to sell some books, but THE...BEST...PART was definitely when some of the students asked me for hugs, waved at me as they left the library and said thank you for the fun presentation. One little girl asked me to autograph the palm of her hand. I would have so totally done it to feel like a rock star, but I didn't want her to get in trouble with her parents when she got home.
SIDENOTE: though the book is geared for girls, the boys were just as interactive during the presentation as the girls, and enjoyed it equally. I even had a few book orders from the boys. Now, that is what I call winning! Sorry Mr. Sheen, but you ain't got nothing on me and what I am trying to accomplish with my book. ;-) (<--- This last sentence is definitely the Houstonian coming out of me y'all...LOL!)
After the presentation concluded, Mackenzie's teacher came up to me and told me that she loved the fact that I used Prezi rather than a boring old PowerPoint presentation (no offense Microsoft). By the way, if you haven't used Prezi, I highly recommend it. It's very interactive and keeps your audience (especially children) engaged. Only downside is that your presentation is accessible to the public, well the free version at least. So glad I figured that out before I included all the pages of my book on it. Instead, I use the pdf copy my illustrator provided me, turned the pdf into a PowerPoint slide show using the book's physical dimensions and facilitated the book reading from the computer. This proved to be a success because it was large enough for all the children to see, versus me reading the actual book.
All is all, it was a great author visit, and I can't wait to schedule more. Remember, I don't charge for author visits in the Houston and surrounding areas. I only request reimbursement of mileage to and from the venue, and the only money made is through book orders, which are discounted at a lower rate for author visits.
East author visit is a learning experience and a way for me to improve my presentation based on feedback I received for future visits. There are some vital bits of information that I left out, that I didn't realize until I sat down with the Librarian and had a nice conversation about. Needless to say, I will be updating my presentation (again). Onward and upward, right?
Oh yeah, before I forget, Kenzie informed me that one of her friends said that my author visit was the best one he's been to. I honestly don't know how many author visits Ward is used to getting, but the fact that HE made that statement truly made my day. Making a difference in a child's life is one of the most fulfilling feelings EVER!!! What a great way to finish out the week and start the weekend with.
I am so ready for Thursday to get here, because I have a few upcoming events that I am super excited about. I'm ready to get the word out there about my book and take it to the next level. If you are just tuning into the blog and didn't already know, last year I self published my first children's book, When I Grow Up: A Little Girl's Big Boy Dreams. The book serves as a motivational push for little girls to pursue male dominated fields, as well as showing boys, from an early age on, that girls are their equals and that girls can accomplish the same things as boys. The book offers a rhyming couplet of the job titles, a brief description of what each job entails and illustrations of women of all colors, shapes and size doing those jobs deemed male dominated. The book is told from a little girl’s first person perspective, in which she has supportive parents who encourage her to dream big and consider doing any job she wants to, not those just typically geared for females.
Events: April 11, 2013 - I record my interview for The Children Authors Show, which will then be professional edited.
April 12, 2013 - I get to do an author visit at my oldest daughter's elementary school. I was very excited to hear my name mentioned in the automated school wide message this past Sunday, see my name in the school weekly call out on Sunday and see my name on the Principal's page on the school website. This event is the one I am most excited about. Ahhhh, see below!
Photo (Email) Credit: Ward Elementary in Houston, TX
April 13, 2013 - I will be doing a book event at Bouncin' Bears Texas. I hope the owner lets me jump while I'm there! (Then, I get to go back on April 16th and do it all again.)
As always, thanks for stopping by! Please share and/or subscribe.
