Author shows reading can be turned into a family affair

Friday, November 09, 2007

By JACQUELINE LINDSAY

Staff Writer

COLUMBIA -- Author Helen Coronato share= s her love of reading and writing with others in her new book, "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Reading with Your Child," which was recently released by Alpha/Penguin books. =

"Reading was always a part of my life," Coronato admits. "I had always wan= ted to be a teacher and a writer."

Although Coronato's family encouraged her to read and pursue an education from the cradle, the road to becoming a professional writer has been an adventure in self-discovery. After graduating from Qu= eens College, N.Y., with a bachel= or's degree in English, she taught preschool in New York<= /st1:State> for one year, language arts at Mount Olive Middle School for two years, was a children's librar= ian at Mount Olive Public Library and then handled public relations for Wyndeme= re Real Estate in Hope and later ReMax Ridge in Bl= airstown. Writing press releases for the real estate industry and seeing them appear = in different publications was a turning point for the author.

"Once I saw what I had written in print, I was sold," Coronato said. "It was a very humble beginning that gave me the courage and motivation to see if I could write an article."

Like many writers, Coronato at first received rejection after rejection = to queries she sent to various magazines. However, her persistence paid off in spring 2006, when her article about new motherhood was picked up by a promi= nent family magazine. Another parenting article soon followed with the same magazine.

"When Parent Guide called and said we'd like to print your article,= we celebrated with ice cream," Coronato recalled. "It was great!&quo= t;

She continued building her confidence by networking, attending writer's conferences, looking at writing jobs on-line, subscribing to writing magazi= nes, checking out area book stores, reading and studying the layout and content = of articles and books, and having business cards printed.

"I started to look at books from a writer's and marketing point of = view and really treat writing as a profession and not a hobby," Coronato sa= id. "No longer was I just infatuated with books= . I started to realize books were a business."

She jumped at the chance to submit a proposal to write for the Idiots Gu= ide group, which included a 20-chapter table of contents and sample chapter. Coronato drew from her expertise as a teacher and avid reader and wrote the "Reading with Your Child" book in three months.

"I wanted to write the book for families. I wanted to make it extre= mely user-friendly, with activities that are high interest and low maintenance," Coronato said. "It's not about learning how to read. It's about teaching our children to want to read. That's much more important."

The book includes fun and creative ways to make books a part of the fami= ly routine, including such ideas as "real-time reading with younger kids," which means saying out loud the reading kids would normally do = in their heads -- like street signs and grocery lists -- and "finding the magic bullet book" -- the book that changes children's perspectives fr= om "I have to read" to "I want to read."

"All reading roads should lead to the pleasure principal When we like what we do, we do more of it," Coron= ato said. "It's a principal that is so simple, = we miss it most of the time. If children like reading, they will read more.&qu= ot;

Coronato said these days she spends her days writing between her Columbia and Hulett, Wyo., homes.

"The Complete Idiot's Guide to Reading with Your Child" is her first book to be published. Her second book, "The Only Real Estate Investing Book You'll Ever Need" -- by Adams Media -- co-written with her husband, Tom Coronato, will be released in February 2008 and her following book, "Eco-Friendly Families," wi= ll be released by Penguin Books in summer 2008.

To learn more about Helen Coronato, v= isit at www.helencoronato.com.= &= nbsp;

Staff Writer Jacqueline Lindsay can be reached at (908) 852-5103 or jlindsay@njnpublishing.com.