A World of Learning through Music with Jeanette Crystal Bradley

Get ready to unlock the world of children's literature as we discuss the power of reviews, the magic of music in early education, and the art of book translation. Ever wondered how much impact a book review can have? We reveal why it's essential to avoid spoilers and overly harsh criticism, and how doing so can shape the future readership of a book and boost an author's confidence. We are also thrilled to have the gifted Jeanette Crystal Bradley, an award-winning children's author, who shares her insights on the integral role music plays in shaping young minds.

Feeling apprehensive about your child's first step into preschool? We guide you through the important role music plays in this transition, offering tips on how to use music, word association, and movement to ease any anxiety your child may be feeling. We also discuss how to use communication as a tool to help children understand their new environment, foster a sense of trust, and establish a comforting routine.

Award-winning children’s author, 7-time Telly award winner, Preschool Director & Educator, Jeanette Crystal Bradley

Find Jeanette’s books here:  https://www.amazon.com/First-12-Days-Preschool-Sing-Along/dp/173745291X/  (available in Spanish as well!)
Connect with Jeanette here:
Website:  https://jeanettecrystalbradley.com
Facebook: https://facebook.com/TheFirst12DaysOfPreschool
Instagram:  https://instagram.com/JeanetteCrystalBradley
Music Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zVTuL2jxJA
Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21016333.Jeanette_Crystal_Bradley

Free coloring page will be available at :  https://jeanettecrystalbradley.com

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:02

Welcome back everyone to the Writers Parachute. We're guiding author and writer dreams to a perfect landing. Today we have with us another very special guest. We have Jeanette Crystal Bradley and we're going to be talking to her about her book that. You see behind us it's the first 12 days of preschool, but of course we have the housekeeping to get out of the way. First we would love for you to hit that subscribe button, like and share wherever you are watching or listening to our podcast. Of course you can hit the bell to get reminders of when the next episode will come out, or you can go sign up for reminder into your inbox weekly. That is at sinfoxcom slash, the Writers Parachute. Of course we'll have that link for you in the show notes. We would love for you to go follow us on social media. We are on Facebook, instagram, tiktok, twitter, which is now X, and the new threads at Writers Parachute. That's Writers Parachute without an S. Of course we always welcome your comments. You can leave those in the comments section wherever you listen or watch your podcast.

Speaker 1: 1:09

So we've been focusing season two on reviews. Well, we're kind of getting to the end of that conversation, so today we're going to flip it over and talk a little bit about the things that you should not include in a review. So I know this is going to be outside of what most people feel comfortable. You shouldn't be directing people on writing reviews, and I agree with that. You can make suggestions and you can have opinions, but you cannot direct somebody on how to write a review or what you would like them to include. It is an honest review because they are not given in a direction as to what to say. Having said that, there are certain things that you probably don't want to include in a review. If you see that there is a problem with editing, then maybe a private message to the author or the publisher would be best served, rather than in a review. Reviews are very difficult to have taken down and even if the author does correct the mistake, the review will remain. So, again, resist the urge to tell an author that they need to get an editor or that it was poorly edited. I think that is best served in a private message.

Speaker 1: 2:28

Also, spoiler alerts. Now, yes, you can include spoiler alerts, but only if, at the beginning of your review, you include spoiler alert. If it's a longer piece and you want to give away some of the information in the book, I don't see that there's a problem with that, again, as long as it's identified as being a spoiler alert. However, if you're talking about shorter books, such as children's books, be very careful about these spoiler alerts, because typically shorter children's books are one topic, one theme, so giving it away discourages readers from purchasing and or reading it. So be very careful.

Speaker 1: 3:11

Think about the book in its entirety and whether or not you're giving away the entire part of the book. We don't want to include that in review. We want your opinion on what you read, not retelling the story. So also try to stay away from harsh negativity. There are a million ways to say that I didn't like this book or that there were problems with this book, without being harsh or overly negative.

Speaker 1: 3:42

Writers are very lonely, isolated people. I mean, we do come out of the closet, we do promote our books, we do have to go out into the world, but we're people like everyone else. So when someone writes something that is published for the world to see that is overly harsh or overly negative, that does have an impact on the writer and I really think that there's not much good reason to do that. You don't know this person. You don't know what help that they had when they were writing it or what their point or the purpose was. If you feel that there is something really wrong with the book, you can still state that without being rude, obnoxious or overly critical. So that's kind of what I wanted to talk about.

Speaker 1: 4:32

Of course, always, most people write great reviews. Even if they're only one or two star reviews, you can still write a great review, and we do appreciate that To authors and writers. Reviews are king. This is how we get seen in the world. This is how people found out about our books. This is the feedback the most only feedback that we get on the work that we put so much time and effort to. So the next time you read a book whether it's good, bad or somewhere in the middle don't forget to go leave a review.

Speaker 1: 5:03

All right, well, that's going to wrap it up for that topic of the week and, of course, we're going to jump over and talk to Jeanette. Jeanette is coming to us from San Diego, california. Jeanette Crystal Bradley is an award winning children's author. She's also a preschool director and educator. We're going to talk to her about her book, the First 12 Days of Preschool, which is available in English and in Spanish. So Jeanette has been a preschool owner for 25 years and educator. She loves to teach and inspire children and fun and creative ways. The first 12 days of preschool was created out of her passion for children and preschool students. Both are during come true and we want to announce here that she is the seven time tele award winner for her music video that is in association with the book the First 12 Days of Preschool, and we will have the link to that video and song for you in the show notes. Welcome to the writers' parachute, jeanette. How are you today?

Speaker 2: 6:11

I'm great, Donna. Thank you so much for having me on today.

Speaker 1: 6:14

Oh, you're very, very welcome. I read your book and I was pretty impressed. So I know that you talk a lot about music in the book and I want to know, why you think that music is so important for child's growth and development. I mean, this is a pretty young age to be introducing this kind of music and I want to know what your opinion on that is.

Speaker 2: 6:38

Well, there are so many benefits to music for children and adults. Right, it opens up more parts of our body, more of our senses. Listening to and creating music helps kids learn numeracy, literacy and even emotional skills. When we incorporate our music into routines and play in these early years, which are so important, it has a really positive influence on their early development, and so they get them moving, thinking, and it inspires creativity. And then also, music is one of the few activities that uses both sides of our brain, so the logical and the creative side, and so that means it helps to build important brain connections, and then the more connections that we have, the faster that we're able to think. And then also the music gets them really excited about learning, which is what we want to do, right, get them excited about learning.

Speaker 1: 7:43

Right, and I'm going to add another caveat here, you know, is that you know we have a rhythm to life. There is a rhythm to life that we had, you know, in sleeping patterns and things we do at certain particular times. And encapsulating that into music, especially with words, for people to remember also is like our most people's first introduction into memorization Exactly, is remembering the beat, the lyrics of the song and the words. You know the words with it and the message in it. The more we repeat it, the more it comes. It's like think about when you're a child, nursery rhymes. What was their purpose? They were teaching us particular skills in a fun song that just kind of you know. It's like that song gets stuck in your head that you get annoyed with. It's what happens to us as children. We get it stuck in our heads so we learn whatever that message is. So I just love this you know method that you've gone after with this book. I think it's very helpful, especially at a preschool age and giving them that first introduction to formal learning.

Speaker 2: 8:55

Yes, and it's funny because when you were talking, I was thinking about how, when the adults hear the song and listen to the music video, they're like oh well, you know, this reminds me of the 12 days of Christmas. But then when these kids grow up and they listen to the 12 days of Christmas, they're going to think of the first 12 days of preschool.

Speaker 1: 9:20

Right, which it's a completely different mindset. I love that, so I want to know what your inspiration was behind this book. The first 12 days of preschool.

Speaker 2: 9:29

Well, initially it came from we at the preschool. We put on a couple of programs each year and in trying to come up with some new ideas for our Christmas program, I was looking for some new songs and and the 12 days of Christmas just kept sticking in my mind for a few years actually, and then, when the kids were rehearsing the song they were singing we Wish you Merry Christmas. We were practicing for the program. I started to get this download of the things that we do in preschool and I just started to write this while they were singing Christmas songs.

Speaker 2: 10:06

But it has become such a great tool, not only because of what they're learning in the book and the music and the movement, but also getting kids ready for preschool. So it has been just fabulous and I've had this picture in my brain, in my head, of the preschool world and the things that we do and the things that I want to teach and the ways that we make it so fun, and being able to put it into a book and then have a video. The video is literally what's in my brain. Letting the world see what's in my brain is unbelievably amazing for me.

Speaker 1: 10:53

Yes, that's always fun when you can get somebody to actually see what you visualize inside your head. And and I love the fact that you know you're not only using music association but you're using also word association to kind of re implant the ideas behind the book. So you stated that the book does follow kind of the nursery rhyme style and the music of the 12 days of Christmas. So why is this kind of style of learning with music critical for students who are just starting preschool?

Speaker 2: 11:26

Well, one of the things that we've been able to do with this book is use it as a tool to help children that are getting ready to start preschool, and so the way that it's formatted with the book and we bring animal fun into the classroom.

Speaker 2: 11:43

So the book shows the children doing different things and there's animals in there too, sitting next to them, lining up, and this has been used in such a great way to help reduce anxiety and stress as they're getting ready to start preschool. So it's helping parents, it's helping kids, but one of the most the music is the music and the words and the book and the pictures and the dancing and the movement is just a great way to help them. The movement is just one of the most powerful ways of cross training for your brain. So you're bringing all these things in together and it is amazing for them because, even though they can't really express what it is, they're feeling like you know, not knowing what to expect when they're starting school. They know they're feeling something, but they're not able to express it, and so when you can solve a problem before they even realize what the problem is, that's amazing, right.

Speaker 1: 12:51

Right and beyond that, it's like it really is creating a habit. You know, we as adults, we naturally form habits. You know how do I open the podcast every single week. It's kind of the same way I might change a little bit, but it's pretty much and it's a call to come listen to the podcast. The same thing. You know, we have rituals in the morning and rituals at night and for this, this is a call to students who are entering a formal education to now it's time for school, right.

Speaker 2: 13:21

Yes, and, and you know, the first five years are the most formative and they lay the foundation of learning, trust, building relationships, what to expect, and you know how do you feel about learning, and so we're teaching them to learn, we're teaching them to love to learn, and so that is going to go with them on to kindergarten, elementary school, middle school, high school and college Right, these things we get the first opportunity to jump in there and say, hey, this is what it looks like, so we really want it to be incredible, amazing. I want them to feel good about it and be excited about it. I want them to be so excited about learning that they go home and they want to learn.

Speaker 1: 14:11

A lot of my students do that which is amazing, that that is amazing and I can clearly see that. You know the coming books are going to be the first days of preschool and the first days of junior high and the first days of high school and you know, following them through in kind of giving them a hints in a way of what to expect that year, which I think it's very helpful because you know, as much as we recognize anxiety and adults, we don't often recognize it in children and they have anxiety for the same reason we do. You're going to know.

Speaker 2: 14:47

Right.

Speaker 2: 14:47

So so you know, like the first time you started a job or your first podcast, it can be, you know, a little uneasy, and we know what we're doing, but when you look at the little kids, especially our preschoolers, they don't know what is going on.

Speaker 2: 15:08

They don't understand necessarily why they're there or what is packed, and so we really have to work at making it fun, letting them see what is this going to look like, and the communication is going to be huge. So, talking to the kids, letting them know what to expect, and then and they don't think in time, right. So we say, okay, come to school in the morning and you're going to have breakfast and then you're going to have some free play and then you're going to do certain time and then you're going to go to the table and you're going to do some work, and then you get you know, then there's going to be a party break. So everything is like you know, an activity is how we label it. So they know, and then mom and dad are going to come back. So just knowing what to expect is going to help them a lot.

Speaker 1: 15:56

Right, well, and there's a lot of other things involved. It's usually their first time away from you know their parents, for any long period of time, on a regular basis. Also, for some children, it's their first time interacting with children who are not their siblings and sometimes other children in general. It's also their first time being in a formal situation where they're not the center of attention where they're not.

Speaker 1: 16:24

You know their needs are not the foremost thought. You know it's the needs, you know, of the, of the all of the students, not just them particularly. So lots of adjustments for kids going into preschool. And also, you know, parents have their own way of introducing ideas and thoughts to their children and we have to take all of that and bring it together and do it where it's helpful to everyone. So sometimes there's an adjustment period with that as well, as just you know how the information is being presented and taught. So I do think this is an amazing book. I encourage children, parents with any children getting ready to go into preschool. You know, with even within the next couple of years, that this is be a good book, a good starting point to get them down that pathway towards preschool. So what do you think readers are going to think of this book or will say about it in 10 to 20 years from now?

Speaker 2: 17:24

I think that the readers are going to. It's going to be generational, so the parents are going to remember this is how I helped to get my children ready for preschool and then those children are going to grow up and use the book to get their children ready for preschool. And, and you know, another fun thing is when you're doing this at home and then when we're in class we're singing the song. The kids love it and every, every day has a different movement. So we're singing and dancing and it's, you know, like different the.

Speaker 1: 17:59

You know the different songs out there when you go to weddings, I think you're, I think maybe you could expand that dream just a little bit further, because I can clearly see where this is. This book is either going to be on the recommended reading list for new students or in the packet going out to new students and rolling in preschool to prepare them. I think this is going to be a wonderful way to make to help parents, students and teachers deal with that kind of a big transition. And it is it's probably one of the more difficult transitions that kids will make, so it is.

Speaker 2: 18:38

And when you're when you're reading this and singing and dancing at home, it's always fine to watch the parents try to do all the moves, but then, when they come to school and it's the same thing that you did at home, it's like you were talking about how they have different backgrounds and the parents are teaching them different ways at home. But when they can come to school and have something that's something that they had at home, that makes them feel even more secure.

Speaker 1: 19:05

Absolutely, and that repetitiveness and that you did that, that feeling of belonging starts to build, which is so important and critical to you, for you know the social learning skills. So I want to know if you could go all the way back to the beginning. We just had this little seed of an idea. What do you wish you had known? Or that somebody had told you about writing and publishing a book?

Speaker 2: 19:31

Well, so what I was told was that there's something that I have to say that somebody needs to hear, and it could be one somebody, it could be 10 somebody's and is it worth it for that one person? And to me, going through the journey, it was a little different than what I expected, but what it's kind of like growing a bamboo. It's a process, I think. Because I believe in what I'm doing, I keep going. It gives me the perseverance, it gives me the confidence, knowing that and I do get to see it because I live in the preschool world so I see parents and they get so excited about it they're like the kids get excited about it, and so I do see, like there, that people are being affected, that it is helping people and that that encourages me to keep going. But I truly believe in the message, because you don't believe in your message than nobody else will.

Speaker 1: 20:51

Right, absolutely, so you didn't have anything that you would do differently for your second book or things that you learned along the way that will help you with a second book.

Speaker 2: 21:03

Well, one of the hardest things that we had to do was we just released the book in Spanish, and so I wish I would have known that there's all different types of Spanish, because we literally rewrote it five times Because when we first did it it was a different type of Spanish. And then I had somebody check it and they said, no, that's not how you should do it. So we did it, had somebody else do it, and then I had somebody else check it and we had to fix that. So by the time we finally got it to where it was good, it felt like it was the right Spanish. Then I had to hire a Spanish singer and she said oh, no, no, no, no, no, there are five more syllables in every sentence, and this is not funny.

Speaker 2: 21:59

So I wish I would have been able to do that better, because it took me almost two years to do that Spanish translation instead of one. So now that that's up and running, we are looking at the next language, so I'm thinking maybe Arabic or Vietnamese, I'm not sure which one yet.

Speaker 1: 22:19

OK, well, and that is a good point. It's like anytime you're looking at doing a book in a language that you do not natively speak, then you are going to want to first, I think, foremost reach out to another author who has a book in that language and get some, maybe hopeful, advice from them about the journey and best resources. And then, of course, there are people who do specialize in translation. I know that they can get a little expensive, but you are always best served because they probably would have caught this issue early on for you, and it's unfortunate. It's all a learning system, so I'm not going to say it's bad, but yeah, it caused you a lot of time and energy, and so that was very helpful to the audience here, because we do have a lot of people that do want to have their books translated into other languages, and sometimes it's not as easy as it sounds. And no, google Translate won't do it for you. People Don't even think about it, don't try it, right.

Speaker 2: 23:29

When I first decided that I needed to write this book, I joined a Writers Association, and they're using a translator.

Speaker 2: 23:38

So, several people in this association are using the same person, and so she's the one that I went with initially, and it's Colombian Spanish. There's nothing wrong with Colombian Spanish if that's what you want, but that's not what I wanted. I didn't realize that that's what they were doing, so I wanted to do more of because we're close to Mexico, where I'm from, and so we wanted to do more of the Spanish that you would get from Mexico as opposed to Colombia. So just really do your homework and identify what it is you want, so you know what direction to go in. And I always just had everybody double check and proofread, and proofread, and proofread like crazy.

Speaker 1: 24:22

Yes, yes, native speakers are always good. But, yeah, it's like when you're looking to do a book in a different language, always ask for the country of origin of the language, because sometimes the terms Spanish, english, even English language is like there are various versions of English language. There's the American version, there's the UK version. There's so many different versions of it, so it's the same thing. So it's always best to ask for a translation for the country of origin that you're wanting to promote it in, and even that you may need some clarification from that. So I do think that reaching out to native speakers and see if they can clarify that information for you, but also speak to other authors who've had these translations, because I guarantee they went through something very similar. So I want to know what advice you would give to new authors and writers out there.

Speaker 2: 25:28

I would say follow your dream. Somebody does need to hear what you have to say. Get it out, believe in your project. And if you're taking two steps forward and you feel like you're taking one step back, you're still moving forward, and so just keep going, keep going, keep going, keep going. Just don't give up. And, donna, I really love what you offer, I love what they do, and I know people that have worked with you and everybody has really great things to say. And just remember, there are people out there, like Donna, who are so amazing that can help you, and that's OK, like we're all here to help each other. So that's another reason that I love that you're doing this, donna, because people need to hear it. It's not easy to write a book.

Speaker 2: 26:29

And like we were talking about earlier, like once the book is done, then you're forever promoting it, right, and so it feels like a full-time job on top of your full-time job. But have fun with it. This is part of you you want to share with the world. So have fun and don't give up. And get help from amazing people like Donna. She's available for you.

Speaker 1: 26:57

Thank you, that's so kind and we talked about this in the green room a little bit. So writing a book is a marathon, it is not a sprint. It doesn't end with the book being published. I mean, that's sort of just not even the halfway point. I call that like the first quarter of it Because, as you said, you'll be promoting it for your life and beyond.

Speaker 1: 27:18

And that's the scary part for people because they don't think about what the marketing of promotion is. Marketing and promotion is just you trying to connect your book to the people who need to read it. And so if we look at that as being just a way to connect to the readers to find your book, it's a little less scary and it makes it a little easier to do. But we also have to think backwards on marketing is what do I want in the end versus this opportunity presents itself and I'm going to grab it. It's like I always tell people.

Speaker 1: 27:51

It's like if you're writing a children's book, it's like putting a big sign on the front of the beer processing company Probably not your best audience, although they probably have children too, but still that's not the best place to promote it. So you have to think of the end first, what is it you want to achieve, and then market towards that purpose. Because a lot of times we end up with these scattershot things where it's like, oh you know, author A did this promotion and they did really well with it, and author B did this marketing thing and they did really well with it. But then author C wants to try both of those things, but they can't articulate what author A or B got. And then they don't know what they want, and so they all do it and they're all disappointed and can't articulate what they got out of it, spending a bunch of money and time.

Speaker 2: 28:41

I'm like, yeah, Exactly, and I love the way that you said that and that's exactly how I teach my students. So I look at where do we want to be at the end of the year, what are the goals, what do I want them to learn, and then I move backwards and then that, because we know right With the whole, but for every person, like you said, it's going to be different. Know your audience. But for me I didn't even upload the book myself.

Speaker 2: 29:09

I'm not a techie girl. Tech makes me crazy. I can write like a really great letter, I can write a great book, I can write a great chapter in just a lot of different areas. But don't ask me to upload anything on the computer, because I'm still trying to figure out how to save things on WeTransfer. But I can acknowledge that that's not my strong point and so, rather than trying to beat myself up for not being able to do that part of it, I just kind of did the math and I know it's better if I just pay somebody to do it for me, that I can keep doing what I need to do.

Speaker 1: 29:50

Yeah, that's good. And it's like of course I'm on the other side of this coin. I'm a lot older, but I look at it this way. It's like who am I going to hurt if I mess this up? Nobody but myself.

Speaker 1: 30:00

So part of the reason I call it the writer's parachute because I am so willing to just go jump off the cliff and build a parachute on the way down, because that's how you learn things. We don't learn from being perfect, we learn from messing up. So, as far as tech is concerned, it's like yeah, it's a little scary and there are a few little things that could make a huge difference, but I don't worry too much about it. I enjoy the learning aspect from it. So I'm not concerned about whether I win or fail, it's just the process and learning it. And it's like I love teaching that and I love telling people. It's like it's a roadblock that you're putting up there in front of yourself. My mother used to tell me she goes the only thing stopping you from your dreams is the wall that you build between you and them. So knock it down and get going.

Speaker 2: 30:53

Nice, that's what I'm saying. And I have the logic for doing that I really do For me. I know that I have a lot of other things that I can be doing.

Speaker 1: 31:06

Sure, and I'm not saying that that's bad, and I mean you found a solution to it. But I also want people to not be afraid to try new things. It's like I'm on TikTok. It's like do I know what I'm doing on TikTok? No, I have no clue what I'm doing on TikTok, but I do my own thing and people will respond. And it's like I've learned on social media if you do it wrong, some helpful person will come along and tell you you're doing it wrong. So I don't worry too much about being perfect. It's like and I have my grandchildren, they'll teach me. If I'm doing it terribly wrong, so I but that's just a different mindset for me. But again, just find a solution. That's all you can do and keep moving forward. As you said, I want to know what keeps you motivated. You seem like you are all over the map and going everywhere. It's like trying to nail you down for a date and time for this podcast seemed like I was parachuting without parachuting.

Speaker 2: 32:10

Well, I'm naturally full of energy. I don't drink coffee, it's all natural, but I'm so passionate about what I do and I believe in it with every fiber of my being, and so I truly want to go, change the world, one child at a time, and I truly want to make the world a better place, and so that's what I've devoted my life to. I have a preschool we're at almost 26 years next month, and so I'm the director of the school. I do the shopping and do the payroll and I teach, which is crazy because you know I'm working 12, 13 hours a day, but I can't get out of the classroom, because that's what connects me with the kids. When I get that one minute to three minutes to get on my knees and look them in the eyes and let them know that I see them. That's what changes their world and my world.

Speaker 2: 33:17

One of my parents told me a few weeks ago. She said my daughter was crying for you the other night and I said she was why? And she said it was 1130 at night, four years old, she could have been sleeping, but she was very upset and she was crying and her mom was saying what's the matter? What's the matter? And she goes. I want Ms.

Speaker 1: 33:39

Jenette.

Speaker 2: 33:40

And she's like but I'm here, you know, like what, what do you need? And she goes. She's the only one that sees me and understands me. And you know, it's like in those moments that you see that you really are making the difference. And so when the parents we just had our graduation and the parents come and they, they say, well, you know, will you sign this book? Or I'll sign one of my books for some of them and I choose the words carefully because our words matter and we know whether they're reading it now, or they go back in five years or 10 years or as a teenager, and they just happen to open the book and they see that I believed in them, that their parents believed in them, that they are valuable and they're loved. We're making a difference, we're winning, we're, we're making a difference in their lives. That's forever. That's forever and it's worth it.

Speaker 1: 34:36

Yeah, and you never know what a kind word or a gentle hand or just a smile will do for somebody who's struggling. And it sounds like you've. You've clearly exceeded that bar and I would just say you know, maybe remind that parent next time that they can play the video for them. Hear your voice, and that's all it takes.

Speaker 2: 35:05

It goes the other way too, like if the kids are misbehaving, the parents will say I'm going to call Ms Jeanette.

Speaker 1: 35:12

And they're like no, no, no, no, no, no, no, yes, yes, I get that occasionally with my grandkids. My daughters will go yeah, you don't want it to call Grammy, do you? No, no, no, no, no, no, grammy will go to us.

Speaker 2: 35:26

It's, it's you're. You know you love them, but at the same time, there's this healthy respect that they have that they don't want to disappoint you and it's because they know that you see them and that you love them.

Speaker 1: 35:39

Well, and also you're guiding them towards a future of possibilities.

Speaker 2: 35:47

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 35:48

So that's always helpful. So you wrote this book the First To All Days of Preschool, and we've been talking about reviews here on season two of the Writers Parachute, so we would love for you to write a review for your book the First To All Days of Preschool.

Speaker 2: 36:06

This book is fantastic. It made me get very excited about preschool, not only for my kids, but it makes me want to go back to preschool. The music video is an incredible way to open up all of your body, all of your senses, to participate in the whimsical, wonderful world that preschool is. This is a must read, a must sing and a must dance. Get it now.

Speaker 1: 36:39

Absolutely five stars Love it. So the reason that we're having our guest and we're putting it on the spot to write a review on their book is because it's not easy. It's like reviewing your own personal style. It's a little difficult to do that, but we're doing that because we want to show the audience that it is just that simple to write a review. It is only your opinion. Your opinion is valued and the author does want to hear what you have to say about the book, whether you liked it, whether you didn't like it, whether you felt certain parts were great, or whether it was overall, or who you would recommend it to, or even if you would recommend it.

Speaker 1: 37:19

So the next time you read a book and I would strongly suggest you go out and grab a copy of Jeanette Crystal Bradley's the First 12 Days of Preschool leave a review. You can go back to wherever you purchase the book, even an e-book, and leave a review. If you cannot remember where you purchased the book, then you can always go to Goodreads and we will link you to Jeanette's Goodreads page for her book and the show notes for you. But do leave a review. They are critical, they are king. They are what keep the authors motivated and also get their books into the hands of the correct readers. So let's do that, and I want to know what's coming next for you.

Speaker 2: 38:10

Well, we are going to be choosing the next language for the next book, but I also have some other things that are in the works, not only for kids to just know that they're loved and amazing, but for parents too. So you'll have to wait to hear more about that A little teaser.

Speaker 1: 38:36

She'll have to come back on when we have whatever this is so we can talk about it. Can you tell us? Is this going to be a new book, a new program or something of that nature? Yes, it's going to be a new book, okay, awesome. Well, we'll definitely have to have you come back on when that new book is close to being done so we can tease it out for you. So I know you have your books available for sale. Can you let us know where they can purchase your books Different retailers, if they're available on your website? That sort of thing.

Speaker 2: 39:09

Yes, so you can get them at Barnes, noble or Amazon. We have the Spanish book as well as the English book, and you can also go to our website, where you can also find the music video. It's JeanetteCrystalBrightlycom or First12Dayscom.

Speaker 1: 39:28

All right, awesome. And, of course, just a reminder, don't worry about wrapping up pencil and paper. We will have all of those links for you in the show notes. And you also are active on social media, so where can fans and listeners follow you?

Speaker 2: 39:43

You can follow us on Instagram or on Facebook, and those links will be up as well, and the website is a really great place to get all of that information as well.

Speaker 1: 39:57

All right, awesome. So do you have any upcoming events or giveaways or anything like that you'd like to share with the audience? I think I checked out your website and you had some downloads available. Is that not correct?

Speaker 2: 40:11

Yeah, so one of the things that we're also getting ready to release is our coloring book. So, even though the illustrator, anna Fox, did such a great job on this book, we want to give people the opportunity to be creative and come up with their own colors. So that will be fun, as all I see that's very cool. So then you can just make it look. You know the way that you want to. Another thing that we did was we partnered with the Olivia Hudson Foundation, and so what they do is they help fund research for pediatric brain cancer and through that organization, we are donating books to children's hospitals or any organization that would benefit kids. Like we just want to get the book out there. We want, even if it's two minutes of joy, four minutes of joy like we want to get it out there. So if you are connected to an organization like a children's center or, you know, like any housing, any place like that, well, we can get the word out to children. We would love to donate the books there.

Speaker 1: 41:25

Awesome, and so you're also doing school visits, is that correct?

Speaker 2: 41:31

Yes, we go in and we teach the kids the moves and then we do the whole song and read the book. It's fun.

Speaker 1: 41:40

Okay. So where would they reach out to you for that, if they would like to book you for an author visit or what or school or organization yeah, through the website.

Speaker 2: 41:51

You can go ahead and you just click on the link to send me an email and then I'll get back to you on that. So jenettecrystalbradleycom or first12dayscom will take you there.

Speaker 1: 42:02

All right, again, we will include all of that information for you. Was there anything else that you wanted to include before we go do our tip of the week?

Speaker 2: 42:12

I just really want to encourage you. Just don't give up. It's hard and there are some days that you know you just feel like, oh, I'll never be able to do this. But you know, each one of us were in that place before where we didn't have a book, I didn't have a preschool. One day you know this is something that as we grow and life goes on, that we do different things. So just don't give up because you don't want to look back in five years and say, well, if I had done that, I'd be five years ahead. You know they're looking to resources Again. Donna is a great source, great wealth of information, and she can help you get to that place. You don't have to go it alone. Don't give up Like believe in yourself, because I guarantee you what it is. You have to say one of us, if not millions of us, need to hear it. Don't give up, you can do it. Believe in yourself. I've never met you. I believe in you and I know you can do it, so go do it.

Speaker 1: 43:24

Absolutely. I couldn't say it better. And you know, it is amazing to me how the imposter syndrome kind of invades so many people's lives and they laugh at me when I say how I deal with it. It's like I have two critics that are stuck in my brain. I have my internal critic that has a lot to say about my parents and all of those things. I named him George. He's often sent to the closet because I don't want to listen to him. Then I have the internal critic that's very critical of my writing and marketing and things of that nature. I named him Richard and he goes and visits George in the closet quite often.

Speaker 1: 44:05

But you have to find what works for you and turn off that critic, because it's just negativity that is trying to throw up a roadblock in front of you. And oftentimes when they come out I realize that I'm winning, because if I was doing the things that I'm doing in a bad way or if I was not succeeding, those critics wouldn't come out because I was doing what they want me to do. It's only when I'm succeeding that they feel like they need to show up and give me a hard time. So keep that in mind. Oftentimes when those critics come forward and give you a hard time, it's because you are winning.

Speaker 2: 44:51

And also you look at other people and you'll compare us in this way.

Speaker 2: 44:57

But you're not supposed to write what I wrote. You're supposed to write your way. You're supposed to write your message. There's billions of people and they all need a message their way. They need their message their way and it's the message that you need to give. So if everybody did the same thing, if we were all the same, we all wrote the same thing how boring would that be? We need what you have to say in your way. Not everybody's going to want to hear it the way that I did it or the way that Anna did it. They're waiting for you to do it your way. So, come on, get up, let's go.

Speaker 1: 45:36

Well, yeah, and just beyond that, it's like nobody has your particular knowledge or experience. Nobody went through the same journey you did, which is why I always say you can't compare yourself to anybody else. I mean, they may be going faster, just, but we don't know how many years that they struggled to get to that fast pace. We don't know who's helping them to get them moving faster forward. We don't know what they had to go through for that information to come through them so quickly. We don't know everything there is to know, because we don't always share everything with the world, even though it feels like it. So you can't make that comparison, because we talked about this a little bit too. It's like what I find ordinary about myself, other people find extraordinary, and I think that's with every person out there. What you're good at seems just absolutely normal to you. So you don't feel like that's something you need to talk about, but honestly, that's probably what you do need to talk about, and because I guarantee you there's somebody out there struggling with that exact same thing that looks at you in awe, going. I could never do that, but they can. They can. We're going to show them how Awesome. So we want to jump over to the tip of the week. So we talked about a bunch of different things, but I wanted to talk specifically this week about writing in general, and this is mostly for new authors, but again it's a kind of a refresher for authors that have been around and writers for a while.

Speaker 1: 47:13

One of the key stumbling blocks that we find a lot of times with new authors or people starting a new book or a new idea is that finding your voice and finding the story and finding your audience. And again you just have to play with it. I mean, revert back to your childhood and be playful and try things. And it's like you may not hit it on the first try. You might think, well, this is what I want to talk about, but that's fine, talk about it, you know, write it down, flesh it out, take it to absurd links, you know, see if what you have is really what you want to talk about or if it's obscuring something within it that is you're more passionate about.

Speaker 1: 47:59

So finding your voice is and finding the story and finding your audience is about finding your passion. It's about what are you passionate enough to speak about? Over and over and over and over again, it's like, yes, we could all write the easy book about things that you know. But if we're not passionate about it, it's like it becomes a chore and a job. It's like because once you write a book, you talk about it forever, endlessly. You know from every angle, every aspect, every little molecule that's within it. So if you're not passionate about it to begin with, you're really going to have a hard time. So the next time you're struggling with any of those things worrying about voice, worrying about what you're going to say, worrying about the story you're going to tell or the audience set all of that aside and find your passion, because all the other things will arrive once you have that passion figured out.

Speaker 1: 48:58

So that's my tip of the week. We again want to thank Jeanette Crystal Bradley for showing up and being here with us on the writer's parachute. We love having her here. Don't forget to go out and grab your copy of the first 12 days of preschool. As always, I'm so grateful to be the host here on the writer's parachute, guiding author and writer dreams to a perfect landing, and we hope that you find this a creative space that is safe for you and your ideas. Until next time, everybody, have a great day Come back. We'll see you again, bye.