Archive | October 2015

Trick-or-treat?

What a clever Halloween poem!

Butterfly Sand

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There are goblins and dragons

and werewolves galore

they are walking the streets

and nearing my door

the witches are pounding

they want to get in

the dragons are puffing

and huffing to win

the sound is a terror

the zombies are moaning

so scary to see

the Devils are groaning

there’s evil afoot

every year it’s the same

the crazies come out

for one night of fame

I huddle and cower

my heart in my mouth

they’ll bite me I fear

unless I go south

Perhaps there’s a way

to get what I want

I’ll scare them myself

I’ll do the haunt

So scary I’ll be

just watch me evoke

I’ll teach them a lesson

the bitch, don’t provoke

cat

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Picture Books Extraordinaire

You know how much I love children’s books! Picture books with a rhyme and a cadence are my personal favorites. And since I read to five different preschool classes every week, I’m always looking for great new books.

I just received two such books and can hardly wait to read them to the kiddos. Blossom the Book Butterfly heartily endorses both books!

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The Legend of Dust Bunnies, a fairy tale was the first book I received this week. The pictures are charming and delightful. But the story is what truly makes this book great. Did you ever wonder where the Dust Bunnies come from? Well, read this wonderful story and you will soon see. The cadence of this book makes it quite easy to read aloud. And the illustrations make it a complete picture book. I highly recommend this one for all your young ones. Five out of five stars

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The second book was Dust Fairy Tales Absolutely Aggie also by Michelle Eastman. The description of Aggie made me relate to her so much (she definitely marches to her own beat). Again, the rhyming and cadence made this easy to read aloud. It will definitely entertain young children (it sure entertained me!). Another five star book!

I would also recommend you follow Michelle’s blog at MichelleEastmanBooks and her Amazon author page

Books on Book Marketing for Indie Authors

Great resources for indie writers!

Nicholas C. Rossis

From the blog of Nicholas C. Rossis, author of science fiction, the Pearseus epic fantasy series and children's booksThe information here comes mainly from a great post by Chris The Story-Reading ApeSusan Toy’s posts on book marketing, as well as a few more sources. I added the links to make it easier for you to check out or buy the books.

* Books with an asterisk are only available in paperback.

Freebies

First of all, a free resource, courtesy of our very own P.H. Solomon: recommended Reading for Writers.

Books on Publicity, Promotion and Marketing

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Celebrate Autumn with a Monarch Butterfly Adventure! AMAZING MATILDA by Bette A. Stevens Only 99¢ October 21-25

This is a great book for children. Check it out!

Bette A. Stevens, Maine Author

AM Celebrate Autumn DROP SHADOW 2015 bas

To celebrate the season’s great Monarch Butterfly Migration, AMAZING MATILDA by Maine author/illustrator Bette A. Stevens is on sale for only 99¢ from October 21—25. Find out more about our amazing monarch pollinators and download your copy of Bette’s award-winning picture book today!

Monarch butterflies are a near-threatened species. The Center for Biological Diversity and the Center for Food Safety filed a legal petition requesting Endangered Species Act protection for the monarch and its habitat.

Eighth-generation (2015) monarch butterflies in the US and Canada are migrating south right now—destination: Mexico and California’s coast where they will over-winter before mating to create the first generation of monarchs for the northern migration that begins during the spring of 2016.

 Celebrate the Great Migration with AMAZING MATILDA

Kindle version only 99¢
October 21—25, 2015
at Your Amazon

About the book

AMAZING MATILDA by Bette A. Stevens (Ages 4-11 + grownups love it…

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A couple of quick reviews

A couple of really quick reviews:

The Secret Sense of Wildflower by Susan Gabriel was an easy read. It tells the story of Wildflower (Louisa May) and her sisters adjusting to life without their father. It begs for a sequel, which was indicated will be forthcoming. A light book, yet engaging. Four out of five stars

Thursday the Twelfth by Ionia Martin is a short story. It is a spoof for all of those “Friday the 13th” type movies and books. This book had me laughing out loud in several places. It was ridiculous, as are the movies it was spoofing. But I think one of the lines I laughed the hardest (no pun intended) was Master Bates. Really, this is the kind of humor you can expect from this story. I literally laughed out loud. Best 99 cents I have spent in weeks. Hilarious. Five out of five stars.

A Book Bonanza

A book review bonanza. I just haven’t taken the time to properly review these books – but I did want to at least document my star ratings. If you have specific questions about specific books, I’m happy to talk about them. Sorry, though, lately I would rather read than write reviews. But here, in no particular order, are some of the books I have read lately and my star ratings. Maybe I will get back into the habit of taking time to write a real review instead of jumping into the next book.

 

The Forgotten Seamstress by Liz Trenow – 4 stars

 

The English Spy by Daniel Silva – 5 stars

 

The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George – 5 stars

 

My Grandmother Asked me to Tell you She’s Sorry by Fredrik Backman – 2 stars

 

The Dressmaker by Kate Alcott – 5 stars

 

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte – 4 stars

 

Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain – 2 stars

 

Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery – 5 stars (I would give it 7 if I could!)

 

Anne of Avonlea, (Anne of Green Gables series) – 5 stars

 

The Bone Tree by Greg Iles – 4 stars

 

Twelfth Night at Eyre Hall by Luccia Gray – 4 stars

 

Anne’s House of Dreams (Anne of Green Gables series) – 5 stars

 

Anne of Windy Poplars – 5 stars

 

Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee – 3 stars

 

Anne of the Island (Anne of Green Gables series) – 5 stars

 

The Menagerie by Sarah Cradit – 5 stars

 

Pandora’s Box by Sarah Cradit – 4 stars

 

The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton – 3 stars

 

Thirty Million Words by Dana Susskind – 4 stars

 

Benefit of the Doubt by Neal Griffin – 5 stars

 

Myths of Midwinter – 5 stars

 

A Greater World by Clare Flynn – 4 stars