The Five Most Inspirational Places to Write by author Karen Pokras Toz

About Karen Pokras Toz

Karen Pokras Toz is a writer, wife, and mom. Karen grew up in the small town of Orange, Connecticut and graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Finance. She also attended the University of Richmond, where she studied law and business, receiving both a JD and an MBA. Karen has spent the last several years working as a tax accountant, writing in numbers. She recently discovered a passion for writing with words. Nate Rocks the World is her first book.

Karen is a member of the Association of Independent Authors, Independent Author Network, and The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. She is the 2011 Arthritis Foundation Jingle Bell Run Honoree for the Eastern Pennsylvania Chapter. Karen enjoys gardening, cooking, and spending time with her husband and three children.

For more information, please visit www.karentoz.com.

Guest Post

One question I am asked often, is how I came up with all of Nate’s adventures for my book Nate Rocks the World. I’d like to say, I am able to just sit at my keyboard while the words flow perfectly by themselves, but I can’t. While I do write best in the morning hours, I am never quite sure when an idea is going to hit me. Since my memory is fading at a rapid pace as the years creep by, I always make sure I have something available with me to jot down my thoughts. So where am I when these bursts of ideas decide to show up? Here are the five most idea gathering inspirational places for me:

1. The Shower. I cannot explain the reasoning, but as soon as the water starts, so do the ideas. At first this was a real problem, seeing as though I had nowhere to record any of these thoughts. But – I actually stumbled on an amazing product called AquaNotes –a waterproof pad of paper and pencil set that you attach to your shower wall. It is seriously the best invention ever.

2.The Bus Stop. Every weekday at 3:55 I venture to the end of my street to wait for the return of my kindergartener. I frequently will use the notepad app on my phone if something pops into my head while standing there. In fact, I practically wrote this entire post while waiting out there the other day.

3. In The Car. Don’t worry, I wait until I’m stopped before writing anything down – generally on an old coffee stained napkin. Yes, I am aware they make memo pads that attach to one’s dashboard.

4. In line at the Grocery Store. I know what you are thinking – I should be keeping up with my reading of current events while waiting in line at the grocery store. You know – who is having an affair this week, which star might be pregnant, alien sightings, and all that other good stuff. Instead I am writing down ideas on expired coupons.

5. Work. Don’t tell my boss – enough said.

As you can imagine, I have many scraps of papers with notes on them floating around my desk.

About Nate Rocks the World

Nate Rocks: Part Super-Hero, Part All-Star Athlete, Part Rock-Star… Part Fourth-Grader? 

Ten-year-old Nathan Rockledge cannot catch a break. After all, life as a fourth-grader can be hazardous – what with science projects to deal with and recess football games to avoid. Everyone, including his best friend Tommy, seems to have bad luck when hanging around Nathan. Throw in an older sister who is a royal pain, a dad who is stuck in the past, and a mom who keeps trying to poison him with her awful cooking, and poor Nathan’s life as a fourth-grader appears to be completely doomed.

Armed only with his sketchpad, his imagination, and his wits, Nathan Rockledge navigates the perils of the fourth grade in style, to emerge heroic, as Nate Rocks, proving that even a ten-year-old can accomplish great things.

Follow the adventures of ten-year-old Nathan Rockledge as his cartoons and adventures come to life.