Kevin Janison has got to be one of our happiest authors. He loves getting kids excited about reading and writing and they love his zany Deputy Dorkface, star character of his trilogy of children’s books. Presenting 100+ school assemblies a year, from the left coast to the Atlantic, he teaches the kids the process of writing, illustrating, and producing a book. Each DD book focuses on something the kids like — and the parents, too! After “deputizing” his audience, they head back to their classrooms or home, and armed with their new knowledge and enthusiasm, and begin writing their own fantastical stories. Kevin’s day job (well, technically, it is a night job) is predicting the weather. He’s a meteorologist for Channel 3 News here in Las Vegas. You might think Las Vegas weather would just be reporting hot, hotter, and blazing hot, but we really do have “weather” here. Sometimes it even snows! Check out the Deputy at here. If you’d like to request Kevin make a presentation to your child’s school, just get in touch at info@stephenspress.com.

One of my favorites events, year after year, is the opening kick-off reception for the Las Vegas Writers Conference. It is just so much FUN to hang out with literary-minded folks — writers, editors, agents, publishers — who love their craft and encourage each other. Their creative spirits and determined optimism inspire me.

My Working Titlez readers know that I’ve always recommended would-be authors both join a critique or writers group and also attend a writers conference or two. You’ll learn so much. You can find out more about the LVWC here.

But wait, there’s more! All interested writers are welcome to attend the reception, even if you can’t attend the conference this year. This is a super event for getting together with other writers and networking in the publishing biz. Add it to your calendar and come on over!

Winter Break Internship: Fun!

By Brooke Mikkelsen

When I came in my first day of being an intern at Stephens Press, I thought it would just be a good way for me to get out of the house over Winter break.

Upon arrival, I was given a notebook and told to start taking notes. Then Carolyn launched into all the things I would need to know and do, never repeating herself without my asking, but explaining things that needed explaining.

The scariest part to me was answering the phone. I’ve always been good at communicating with people, but somehow, when that phone starts ringing, I start to doubt myself. This internship really forced me to turn that fear into a skill that I shall probably use for the rest of my life.

The best part was how trusted I was. I got to be the face of Stephens Press for a few weeks, writing letters, returning calls, and even talking to the press!

At the end of every day, when I was about to leave, Carolyn asked me if I had had fun that day. Every day, I answered in the affirmative. Even though my tasks had been to help me grow as an intern, they were also exciting.

I’d like to thank Carolyn Uber for not only giving me this internship, but letting me become a part of Stephens Press. I hope that my positive impact lasts longer than the few short weeks that I have interned!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Wanna Free Copy?

Post a comment about rejections (or acceptances) to this post and you’re automatically entered into our DAMN GIVEAWAY. We’ll randomly pull a winner from the proverbial hat. We’ll contact the winner for an address and ship it off to you post haste.

Meanwhile, if you can’t wait and want to read an excerpt right now, visit the Damn the Rejections website.