"Brilliant!" But I Knew That

Sometimes, well all the time, authors have to toot their own horns. Publicity and marketing, the bane of most of us, is a continual thorn. There are moments, though, when we are THRILLED to shine the spotlight on ourselves.

My middle grade trilogy, Simple Machines, Simple Plans, and Simple Lessons in the Evolution Revolution series, was shopped around by myself and my former agent. Unfortunately, there were no takers. While I knew an interested editor might want to make a few changes, I had faith in the whole concept. When it failed to get picked up by publishers, I believed in the story enough to Indie publish. I hired a wonderful artist, Cathleen Daniels (former NJSCBWI regional advisor), who brought my vision to life through her fabulous artwork and layout expertise. Since it was pubbed in 2016, I have entered it in contests, gotten a favorable review in Publishers Weekly, and even won 2 awards (Feathered Quill). Unfortunately, Indie books are still looked down upon by libraries, schools, and the publishing world. Undaunted, I subbed the first book Simple Machines, to the Writer's Digest Self Published Book Awards.

I could NOT have been more surprised and thrilled. While I didn't win, the comments of the judge has not only confirmed my belief in the series, but maybe will help get the books the recognition others (not just myself) think it should have:  

Judge, 27th Annual Writer's Digest Self-Published Book Awards:

Evolution Revolution by Charlotte Bennardo features Jack, the gray squirrel, and his mission to save his forest and fellow animals from losing their habitat to disastrous human machinery. The book is designed to allow STEM lesson plans to be taught alongside a class reading, and an example syllabus is made available online. This is unbelievably brilliant, and I cannot say I've seen anything like this before. What a perfect example of carving out one's own market for the book! On a production level, the illustrations that accompanied the story were magnificent, especially on page 28, and I liked how the writing carved out space for these illustrations to thread into the prose.

There are some editorial notes about what this particular judge wanted and I can see the sense of them, but having had so many agents and editors look at this novel, what pleases one probably wouldn't please them all, so I've skipped over the notes.

Overall, Bennardo has created a solid book here, and I hope many STEM classrooms will take advantage of it!

If I could get into schools and libraries I think my series would have done better, but the label 'Indie - self- published' seems to be a flag to walk on by. The covers alone should have snagged readers and educators to at least take a peek and read the back flap or a chapter. The educational guides attached to each book would help teachers easily adapt to lesson plans in a number of STEM/STEAM and language arts areas.

So please show a little love for a smart gray squirrel who may be leading a revolution...

Char

An Author's Life, Part Two

Last week I did #AuthorLife where every day in February, an author posts about a given topic. This week I'm wrapping it up with Days 15-29:

Day 15 - Prized Bookish Possession:

My Lord of the Rings Collector's Edition. Best. Book. Ever.

Day 16 - Research:

Blonde OPS, for those of you who haven't gotten around to reading it (please do, ASAP, it makes this even funnier), is a novel about a 16-year-old named Bec who gets expelled for hacking her grades. Busy mom sends her to stay with a family friend, a magazine editor, who is on location in Rome. The First Lady is coming for a photo shoot, and 'accidents' start happening, so Bec uses her hacker skills to solve the mystery. The research for this book included First Lady, Secret Service, guns, hacking locks, hacking cars, etc. (You see where I'm going with this?). So the FBI sent me a little note...

A screen shot of the "hi there!" from the FBI- after they shut down my browser... numerous times

Day 17 - Dream Event/Retreat:

What could be greater than chatting up my books with Jimmy Fallon?

Day 18 - Teaser Tuesday:

I've already given you the first paragraph of my current work in progress, so what about a snippet from Sirenz 3- A New Trend? (I hope to set this up as an ebook- it's on the List of Things To Do)

            This is how I DIE?? Hit by a dirty black Scion Cube, in the red-light district?
            WHAT will my mother think?
           How much is this going to hurt?

            As time slowed, the driver’s eye glanced up, probably from his cellphone. Just before he killed me, he’d know it. There wasn’t time for shock or regret or surprise to set in.

            I closed my eyes.
            If only I still had Hades’ picture, I could call out for help. But no, I had to spite him. I resigned myself to my pathetic fate.
            Annnnnd.... nothing. Was death instantaneous, and I was already a corpse? Well, that answered one question- we kept our consciousness. Fabuloso; I can spend eternity regretting my hubris. The Fates are probably smiling at that. Just think how cheerful my death will make Persephone. The bitch.

Day 19 - Background Noise:




That's right- NOTHING. I need silence when I write because otherwise I will sing along, or think about what the song means, or recall memories. Silence is golden...

Day 20 - Reader Love:

This was made by Melissa, when Sirenz debuted. So clever!

Day 21 - My Team:

Well, this changes as people move in and out of my life. Currently, it's my agent Sue, my friend Patti Petrone-Miller, my family, my critique group, the fabulous Kidlit Authors Club, and some SCBWI colleagues I always reconnect with. (I'd like to add Steven Spielberg, so call me Steven, 'k?)

Day 22 - Greatest Strength:

I'm rarely at a loss for words, which is good because I don't get writer's block, but has its drawbacks because sometimes I should just keep quiet...

Day 23 - Biggest Distraction:

Social media. It's a necessary evil for authors because we basically have to do all our own marketing (unless you're a celeb which, sadly, I'm not.) It's too easy to get pulled in too many directions with all the content out there.

Day 24 - Non-bookish Hobby:

Gardening.

My meditation garden; it helps me solve plot twists & gives me space from people.

Day 25 - Motivation:

Soooo many things give me motivation; simply going through life creates so many story ideas. I won't live long enough to write all the books I want. Too bad.

Day 26 - Prized Non-bookish Possession:

Without going into all the family drama, I love these pearls. Not very trendy now, but they were a gift from my mother-in-law, a wonderful woman whom I cherished. Now that she's gone, just wearing them makes me feel like she's nearby, listening to me.

Day 27 - Bookstore/Library Love:

This is a hard one; I have found that unless you're an instant bestseller or someone famous, bookstores and libraries don't really support author visits. I've had a few, but even my hometown library wouldn't host me, so... yeah. Book festivals (and some libraries host festivals) which aren't exclusionary are where it's at for most authors.

Day 28 - Acknowledgments:

This, too, changes with time. People come and go, not always under ideal circumstances. I have a different acknowledgment in each book for those people who at the time deserved a shout-out. The one constant has been my family, a perpetual source of not only material for my books, but 'motivation' for me to make us 'rich'. They have their Lamborghinis all picked out.

Day 29 - Weirdest Thing to Happen to Me:

I added this because this year is a Leap Year and I didn't want Day 29 to be left out. When my oldest sons were about 4 and 5, I took them to the Game Farm in Riverhead, NY. My mom had one stroller and I had the other. We toured the place, and stopped by the monkey cage where a worker was feeding the monkey orange soda. After chatting with him, not only did I learn that they fed junk food to the monkey (who was in too small a cage, it made me sad), but that the owner gave the animal cigarettes, and regularly beat and tormented the poor thing. Disgusted, I walked away. Not more than a few minutes later, we heard screaming; the worker had forgotten to close the cage and the two monkeys escaped, going on a rampage. People panicked and ran. My mother and I ran as fast as we could, heading for the nearest exit, rather than the cafeteria the park urged us to go to over the loudspeaker. A man with a rifle ran by, followed by others with those rope nooses they use to restrain animals. A woman started screaming because the monkey was attacking her son, then her. Then the shots rang out. My mother and I made it to the exit, shaking uncontrollably. I couldn't speed away fast enough. To my knowledge, the owner was never fined, although the game farm is gone.

So, that's an author's life for you. Sorry it's not more exciting, but there's always hope!

Char

What Are You Trying to Write?

I not only host a critique group, but I do short critiques at SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) conferences and one day critique events. I give and get critiques. No matter how successful the writer, a critique by an objective person is essential.

There were a lot of good stories, and I was glad to offer a few helpful comments. One thing I noticed some writers struggled with: English was not their native language- and it showed. Now English is a challenge even for those of us born speaking it. It has so many ridiculous rules:

Hoof (singular) but hooves (plural).

Okay, loaf to loaves. Got the hang of it?

WAIT.

Roof to roofs.

I mean, like, what the heck?

Don't get me started on the 'i before e, except after c' rule because that works only half the time:

weird
forfeit
albeit
glacier
seize

Photo courtesy of Burst, Pexels. 

These are just two of the many exceptions. There seems to always be an exception to every English grammar/spelling/writing rule. Then, there are the issues of slang, metaphors, and multiple word meanings. I do not envy anyone having to learn English.

And this brings us to writing in English, which is even harder than speaking it. There are a number of native English speakers who can't write well, but for the English-learning group, it must be a nightmare.

Here are a few tips for those who struggle:

1-  Read your work carefully. Sometimes reading aloud helps, and unbelievably, changing the font. I know that I read aloud passages in my manuscripts when something feels just a little bit 'off.' Your brain tends to interpret your writing, skipping over mistakes, because it knows what you meant to say. Many times I've read some text, only to find I've left out words like 'to, and, for' and others. My brain unconsciously supplied the missing word in my head, but when you read aloud, the tongue only says what's actually on the paper.

2- You need a native English speaker to read the story. Whether you have a critique partner or friend who can read your manuscript (before you start getting outside critiques or submitting) this is practically non-negotiable. My husband spoke only Italian until grade school and even by the time he was doing post grad work, his writing skills were affected by being a non-native English speaker. I would read over his papers and help him with spelling, grammar, and flow.

3- Use Word features, like global search to see if you overuse certain words. I'm guilty of overusing 'just'. (It's frightening how often it appears in rough drafts.) Do you see those colored squiggly lines appear in a sentence when you write? That's Word telling you something may be amiss. The program isn't always correct, especially for the use of commas and other punctuation, but let it draw your attention. Read the line aloud; does it still seem correct? There are other programs, like  grammarly.com. which check grammar usage, the most difficult part of writing, but also spelling and punctuation. There are other programs, some of which are free, so do your homework and see which one fits your needs. Even if you have to pay for a subscription, it's worth it and will in the end save you time, money, and frustration, not to mention that you don't want to build a rep among editors and agents for being a poor writer. (Word does get around.)

4- Consider a professional editor. This can be expensive, especially if your manuscripts need a heavy editing hand. I would recommend you go through the above steps first, to reduce as many issues as possible. Then, check around with other writer friends if they use editors, what's being said about them in reviews, and what comes up when you Google them.

5- Take writing courses. Check grammar and author websites for helpful writing links. Shop around. This is time-consuming research, but vital. I have a degrees in English and journalism but I took writing classes which specialized in writing for children. Writing a chapter, middle grade, or young adult book is very different from writing for adults or a job. You have to be conscious not only of writing well, but of language usage; for example, not using college level words that your intended younger audience won't understand.

If I wanted to write a book in Spanish, it would be an onerous task because it's not my native tongue and what I learned in high school is not enough to produce a professional, polished manuscript. I admire anyone who attempts to take on the challenge of writing in a learned tongue. You have to work harder, but if you want your manuscript to get serious consideration, you must take the extra steps because editors and agents will simply reject any work that will require extensive editing. They simply don't have the time, and with so many hopeful authors out there practically tossing novel drafts at them, there's no need. There is always a slush pile, open submissions periods, and agented writers to supply them.

Good luck!

Char 

Love Lift Us Up...

I'm not going to get mushy on you, talking about love thy neighbor (though we need it), or love yourself (have you, lately?).

I'm sharing my 'love' of the children's book writing community. I'm an author, so I try to support writers- published and waiting to be. But today, I want to focus on the other half- the illustrators.

You all know I LOVE my illustrator, Cathy Daniels.

You've seen the Evolution Revolution series covers (I hope)- book 1, Simple Machines, book 2, Simple Plans,  and book 3, Simple Lessons. Here's a sneak peek at an interior illustration for Simple Lessons:

The picture tells a piece of the story (but read the whole book to see the other great pictures and get the whole story). Many people have been attracted to the book (kids and adults) because of the illustrations. When they're done this well, you know the illustrator put the best effort (and then some) into their work. If you're going Indie, don't be cheap and have your child scribble something. Hire a professional artist. You get what you pay for, and if your book is that important, doesn't it deserve wonderful illustrations? Check out Cathy's other works here.

My next gush is Mike Ciccotello. He's sort of newcomer to the New Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). I 'discovered' him last year, walking through the juried art show at our annual conference. This was his piece:

When I told him how much it 'spoke' to me, he gave me the print! It hangs in my office so I can always remember the joy and spark of imagination of being a child. This year, Mike won the People's Choice Award! Here's the pic:

And it's sitting in my office! I'm having huge fangirl moments here! After his family, I think I'm his biggest groupie! So I have the Mike wall. Check out Mike's work here. (I think he should make his own coffee cups- these are fab, but make sure to stroll around his site and see all his work.) And notice that he'd make a good book illustrator too....

But there is so much love to go around. My friend, Colleen Rowan Kosinski, gave me her signed print! Check it out:

 Notice the character in the background to the left... Her picture book, Lila's Sunflowers, debuted a few months ago, and is a wonderful story about- well, I won't ruin the surprise. It's touching and moving (tissue alert for sentimental slobs like me.) Check out her book and her work here.  More books are forthcoming, so I don't have to tell you what a talented illustrator she is.

There are soooo many wonderful artists at the conference, and I wish I could showcase them all. My friend, Kathy Temean, is working on displaying as many of the artwork as she can, so check out her blog over the next week or so and see the other outstanding, incredible, I'm-so-damn-jealous-of-their-talent artists. Visit their websites/blogs, praise them for their work. Spread the love. In a frightening world, art soothes the soul, calms the nerves, and lightens the heart.

Now I'm going to doodle some stick figures....

Char

Let's talk about it over coffee...

You want to write/illustrate for children. Maybe picture book, maybe middle grade, maybe young adult (who technically aren't children, but we authors have no say in this classification so don't yell at the messenger).

You've drafted/typed some things down or maybe even completed a manuscript. But you're unsure what to do next, possibly even afraid to send it out, and to whom?

Chill. This is not that big a deal in the grand scheme of writing and publishing. Let's talk about it over coffee and see what we can help you with.

On May 21, Saturday, get your kisters out of bed and come to the Somerville Barnes and Noble (319 US Rt 202/206, off the circle near TGIF's). From 9-11 I'll be hosting an informal get together of SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) members and wannabes. We can talk about the journey, offer suggestions, give you a clue about the conference that hopefully you signed up for (but it's too late now), and nudge you to completing a dream. What better way to spend two hours on a Saturday? And surrounded by books! (You can imagine your book there...)

So no excuses. Be there. Bring questions. Think positive.

Char

The 'List'

Like many authors, I aspire to be on The List. You know, the New York Times Bestselling list. The A list. The short list for an award.

I made two: the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators short list for the Crystal Kite Award. Members chose books from their traditionally published ranks in 11 different regions. Sirenz didn't win but really, it was a thrill to be nominated for that first book.

On the second list I have have a lot of authors keeping me company: the midlist. It's kind of like no-man's land between unpublished and superstardom. It's where most authors end up. Most of us get overlooked in favor of the big names.

But how does a book make it to the 'superstar' list? Sales have a lot to do with it (hence, 'bestselling'). And how does one get to be bestselling? It's not by talent alone. There have been some stinky books, in my opinion, that have sold millions, won awards, or had movies made of them. And there is a gold mine of superb books that don't make it off the midlist. (And no, I'm not talking about Sirenz, Sirenz Back in Fashion, or Blonde OPS. I'm talking about other people's books, this is not a plug for Sirenz, Sirenz Back in Fashion or Blonde OPS.)  Certain books just pick up a following and momentum builds. It also helps if you spend a lot of money on PR (either publisher or author), have people who are rabid about helping promote your books, and the critic gods smile on you. But even with that, some books languish, with the rest of us, on the midlist.

Beloved author Jane Yolen, seeing many authors pushed aside when celebrity books debut (as celebrities, they already have promo and money) has established a grant to help midlist authors. It's hard to compete with all the actors, singers, talk show hosts, rockers, sports players, and some-who-are-famous-but-I-don't-know-why people pushing their books and sucking up PR dollars. It's not easy being a green writer.

It's one reason I don't gush over celeb books. I use my effort for my midlist colleagues because they need it more, they're more appreciative (has anyone gotten a thank you from a celeb for mentioning or praising their book?), and frankly, I think they deserve it. We spend years perfecting our craft, revising, re-imagining, resubmitting our work. No ghost writers or on-call editors for us! Plus, we do most of the marketing for our books; publishers can only do so much when you're not a guarantee of million dollar plus sales.

So, pick a not-so-well-known author to read from the library, from the bookstore. Share it with your friends. Talk about it on your blog, your Facebook page, Twitter, Yik Yak, etc. You might be the difference between a truly good author continuing to write or being forever lost in the midlist.

Char

GO Team!

Most of you probably know I'm a New England Patriots fan. (Stop groaning, okay, you're not a fan--that's not the point).  I've discovered that writing is very similar to football.

1. There's a game plan. In football, it's the how the offense and defense will run plays and blocks. In writing, it's plotting out your article or novel.

2. There's a goal in mind. For players, it's winning the game. For writers, it's finishing the manuscript and getting a contract.

3. The coach is your best friend. Bill Belichick guides and advises the Patriots. Your editor coaches you, advises you how to polish your writing.

4. There are awards. In football, there's Most Valuable Player, nomination to the Pro Bowl, and the biggie, the Superbowl Championship. For writers there is the Crystal Kite from the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, the Pushcart and Faulkner awards, and our biggie, the Pulitzer.

5. There are fans. In football, we wear the jerseys and cheer on our teams. In writing, we buy the books and talk about our fave authors. There are crazies on both sides.

6. There is a rule book. In football, it's the NFL that decides what a team can/can't do. In writing there are hundreds of  'rules of writing' books, plus so many unspoken rules (i.e. don't diss editors and other writers.) Some play by the rules, some don't.

7. There are sore losers. The Brady-pass-to-Edelman-for-the-winning-touchdown was perfectly legal. Some fans (and members of the losing team) are complaining it wasn't fair. It was; accept it and learn from it. In writing, some authors get big awards or contracts or make the bestselling list, and mid- and lower list authors cry "No fair!" It's one thing to say 'oh man, I wish my book was a bestseller-made-into-a-move', and another thing to waste so much time trashing another author. Sometimes a complaint is justified, i.e. penalties on the field, or, bringing attention to inaccuracies/plagiarism to correct the situation. It's not always successful, but you have to move on. Stop getting nasty, you're the one it reflects more poorly on.

8. Be kind to the fans; they love their team/author. They are the biggest supporters. My brother is a Dallas Cowboys fan, my middle son a Philadelphia Eagles fan, my youngest an Atlanta Falcons fan, and the hubs a NY Giants fan. We joke and tease and brag about our teams, but after the game, we peacefully eat dinner together. In books, my oldest son loves hardcore sci fi, the hubs loves non-fic, especially bios, the middle guy military science. (I love almost everything.) I buy them what they want/need, not what I like.

9. There are off-seasons. It's spring/early summer for football; no games, but players still practice, coaches refine plans and owners sign new players. In writing, we continue to write and revise during the doldrums of summer and in December when editors and agents are on vacation,

10. There are stars who seem to come out of nowhere- like quarterback Tom Brady. He was 6th round draft choice. That means ALL the teams chose who they wanted most six times before the Patriots picked him up. He wasn't a star, wasn't top choice. But that didn't stop him from breaking records and 3 Superbowl rings. Some writers are like that- like Stephanie Meyer and Twilight. You may not like her, but she's a star. There may be quarterbacks that are more talented than Brady yet don't achieve as much. There are definitely better writers than Meyer, and you may never hear of them. It's part fate, talent, opportunity, bad luck, and hard work.

Now I must go to my 'practice' and revise yet another manuscript.

And Go, Patriots!
Go, writers!

Char

Snippets of Suggestions

Been working on (hopefully) the final edits of my sci fi before it goes out on submission, and PR for Blonde OPS, so I've neglected the post for this week. To atone, here are two things I'm sharing for all you writers, artists, people who need to market something.

1- Google your name, your book, your product, etc. Go past the first page, or the second ( I don't think you need to do ALL the results because there are what, thousands??). By doing this, I've found reviews and mentions of our book that I had no idea were out there. I bring up the page and then can post the link on FB and Twitter, getting more PR (free!) for our book. Natalie and other writers, friends, editors, etc. then retweet, favorite, or share- and it's spreading the word. Takes max a half hour- do it on commercials of your favorite show.

2-If you belong to a group (I belong to the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators- SCBWI) and updated my info with current pics, buying links, new books, etc. I'm no tech whiz (as Natalie will attest), but even I can do this (given enough time). Stay current on your FB, Twitter, organization, and professional pages.

That's it until next week when I may attempt the A-Z blog challenge. I signed up, but screwed up the application so I don't know if I'm in or out. (see what I mean about being tech challenged?) Natalie and my friend Yvonne Ventresca and some others will be doing it. Maybe they'll mention me and I'll see it on Google...

Char

To Inifinity- If You Can Get Beyond...

Infinity: Without end. Endless. Never ending. Get the pic?

Right now I'm stuck in an infinity loop (actually two, but we'll get to that in a bit).

I'm queasy. I think it's from the headache; not quite a migraine (yet) but I had it when I went to bed and I think I had it all through sleep. I can't take any medication because I feel queasy. Where do I break into/out of the loop? I could take the chance and swallow a pain reliever, hoping it won't upset my stomach further, or I could try to wait out the headache.

It's like that with writing (my second loop), but it could be anything that poses a conundrum. You have a tough situation, but the cure/solution seems just as bad.

Sometimes we have to make tough decisions, take a chance. In my writing, I faced a block. I could start the project/chapter over which seemed so drastic, even painful.

I decided to wait it out. I raked my yard, cleaned out gardens, cleaned up the pool area, did laundry, etc; everything but face the problem. Somewhere between hauling a garbage can full of leaves to the compost pile and fixing the rosebush trellis which had broken and fallen over, the answer to my plot problem came to me. Now I knew how to make a good guy into a villain without being obvious. (I hate the obvious.) So after I post this, I need to revise that scene. Waiting brought the answer to my puzzle.

Waiting will not bring the cure to my headache/nausea. I fear my headache will only get worse, becoming a full blown migraine leaving me incapacitated. and then I really may puke my guts out. For this, it's better to put something in my stomach, swallow some medication, and take my chances.

If we all knew when to wait and when to jump in a tough situation, we could always make the right decisions and take the right actions. Most of the times, we just have to go with our gut.

Char

It's That Time...

So the youngest offspring (although he denies it) made the toilet overflow. Yes, it was FULL of all the nasties you could think of- I won't go into detail. And right before church so I was in heels and a skirt. The hubby offered to clean up the mess.

But you know men and bathrooms. So I spent hours, on hands and knees mostly, scrubbing with bleach and other cleaners: floor, walls (yes, it splattered), tub, sinks, woodwork, foot rug, towels, shower curtain. Spring cleaning a little early. Actually way early since there are still pockets of snow on the ground and I have lots of writing, editing, posting and other writerly things to do in between the mommy/wifey/volunteer stuff.

But I was rewarded.

Daffodils! If you've been following my blog for at least a year, you know I get ridiculously excited for these babies to arrive. Seeing them makes me want to clean out all my garden beds, rake the lawn, plants pots of bright hued flowers, and set up my pool. I am a summer/spring gal.

And with these pop ups come loads of energy; I'm going to tackle a number of projects starting today. I will finish editing my NaNoWriMo manuscript Lethal Dose and then finish a review/book blurb I was asked to do. While I wait for editorial revisions on Blonde Ops, I'm putting together a presentation for the New Jersey annual Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators happening in June (when the second son graduates high school!). I have ideas for 2 other manuscripts, but I'm going to work on the two paranormals-Crash and Burn and Splice-I started months ago (even if my agent isn't that crazy about them YET).

To further motivate me, I found these:

Doesn't look like much, but it's my son's daisies. When he was little he loved them, so every year we had daisies. I see them and think of him, and it makes me want to just get things done so I can sit back and appreciate life, gardens, sunshine--and things accomplished.

So go poke around, see what inspires you.

Char

Head Banging Music

Only this is the music I'm hearing....

My head actually banging the desk. Because I'm arranging a blog tour for Sirenz Back In Fashion (it releases June 8, but you may get it sooner, depending on if you pre-order or show up at the right event), working on numerous presentations for the Society of Children's Book Writer and Illustrators conferences, trying to see which book launches for my fellow authors I can make, doing signings, trying to work on not one, or two, but THREE books (I cut out the fourth), and do all the mommy-wifey-community stuff I've got going on. That's why my blog is two days late.

Someone send in the Marines. Please.

Char