Tell me a little bit about Shadow of the Shapeshifter!The book is a YA comic fantasy novel set in a fictional medieval world called Illmoor. It’s an ideal introduction to readers who would then go on to read the likes of Terry Pratchett or Piers Anthony. It’s a mix of dark humour and epic adventure with quite a lot of action thrown in for good measure! In this first novel, the viscount of the city is kidnapped and a terrible curse is unleashed on Illmoor. This sounds so exciting! What inspired you to write this story?I was inspired to write at 13 by Terry Pratchett, who then encouraged me to continue whenever I got a rejection! This particular book was inspired by many different things, including Monty Python and even The Man in the Iron Mask. I'm so glad to hear that rejection didn't keep you from publishing. Was there a point when you wanted to give up on writing your book?I did decide to give up, when I was 19. Terry Pratchett told me that there were no excuses for quitting and that when it came to authors: ‘the ones with the Duracell batteries run longer!' Terry Pratchett is wise! I'm glad his words have stuck with you and encouraged you to continue on. When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?When I was 13. I now know that I was autistic but at the time I just didn’t feel like I fitted in anywhere, so I hid inside books….reading them and eventually writing them. It's amazing that you found comfort within reading and writing at such a young age and have turned that into a career. Is this book a part of a series?This is the first of the Illmoor Chronicles, which will run to ten books. Ten books! Wow! This gives readers so much to look forward to. Do you have a favorite character from the story?I have a thief called Jimmy Quickstint who is definitely a favourite! I cannot wait to hear more about Illmoor. Congrats on the release of your new book!
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Tell me a little bit about your book, Abracadabra I Know What to Do!The words we use are important. They affect how we view the world around us. In this book, Olive learns all about the power of her words and how saying something differently can make a big change. This story holds lessons for children of all ages from young to old. It sounds amazing! What inspired you to write this story?I was inspired to write this story while I was teaching Jr. Kindergarten. I had moments where I would get frustrated with myself and my students. As I began to realize the impact of the words I was choosing to use affected how I felt, I began teaching my students as well. We took situations that felt overwhelming and turned them around into empowering moments by taking breaths and changing our words. As a teacher, I wanted a book I could read to my class to help reinforce what we were learning, so I decided to write a book. Wow! I love that you and your students worked together. What do you hope to achieve with your story?What I hope to achieve with this story is to get adults and kids to be aware of how the words we choose to use can affect how we feel and what we believe about ourselves. By changing a few words, we can build ourselves up and gain confidence to try new things. And with this gained confidence, people will be ready to create big changes in the world. Absolutely! Is this book a part of a series?This book is the first in a series about the power of our words. Rachel Bedel and I are already working on the second book in the series with ideas lined up for the third as well. Abracadabra I Know What to Do! is the first book that begins to introduce our readers to the Language Ninjas. By the end of the third book in the Abracadabra Series, kids will have been fully introduced to the Language Ninjas. I am so excited to hear that you have so much more planned! What do you like to do when you're not writing?When I'm not writing, I like to have all kinds of fun. Currently, my husband and I have been enjoying rock climbing. I love going hiking in nature and paddle boarding in the summer. I have also been known to host festivals with my friends.
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Share your love for Fill A Bag and all of the hard work of volunteers for keeping our beaches clean! Kaleisha, Agwe, and all the Save the Earth friends are proud to be a part of Fill A Bag's day! *The above book links are Amazon Affiliate links
Can you tell me a little bit about your activity book and the series it is apart of?The book is part of a series of Habit Trackers for little boys. It is designed to help them form very simple habits. The parent decides and fills in details of which habit their child can work on acquiring first. There are cut and paste characters and interchangeable backgrounds for the child as rewards for cooperation. Interesting! What inspired you to create this activity series?I was inspired to create this series because I am a mother of 8 children, including 3 boys, and I know from past experience that the most simple, incremental approach to learning works best with small children. I love that this has come from your experience with your own children. What do you hope to achieve with your activity book?What I hope to achieve is to empower parents to work with their children in a positive way helping both parent and child to feel productive and proud of themselves. You mentioned that this activity book is apart of a larger series. Can you tell me more about it?This book is part of a series that includes Ants, Zoo Animals, Construction Vehicles, Seahorses, Frogs, Ninjas, and many others, suited to varied interests of little boys.
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Tell me a little bit about I Chose You! When five-year-old Sammy puts a cowering, crying puppy from the adoption tent into his reluctant Mom's arms, she loves it's sweetness. The experience leads Sammy and his Mom to have a conversation that links his adoption and the adoption of the puppy. Mom allows Sammy to adopt the puppy, but trouble erupts between the puppy, Bailey, and the family's pet bunny, Thumpster. Will Bailey and Thumpster ever get along? Sammy must learn how to help Bailey feel safe and accept love and comfort in his new home, as they love past their differences. It sounds interesting! Having worked for an animal shelter for many years, I always love hearing stories of animals finding their forever homes. What inspired you to write this story? I was taking a writing class at the time I started this story. The focus for that week's lesson was to write an attention-getting opening paragraph. Inspiration came as I wrote the first sentence about a family heading into a pet store for bunny food. The attention grabber was the pet adoption tent in the parking lot and a sad-looking puppy off by itself. That immediately led me to create a main character who was also adopted. It probably has something to do with seeing so many joyful adoption stories on Facebook. Are you already thinking of your next story idea? Yes, I'm already working on the next manuscript. I write and illustrate so my mind sees both parts. Even though I have over 40 stories written and waiting for me to illustrate, a new one popped in my head and is taking over. I always think it is so special when an author is also the illustrator and love hearing about that process! What do you hope to achieve with I Chose You? I hope to convey to my audience the importance of caring about others, even when they don't look or do things the same, but instead, loving past our differences. That is a beautiful message. What do you like to do when you're not writing? When I'm not working on books, I love painting Classical Realism oil portraits and seeing the joy a finished painting brings to my customers. How wonderful! What has been your reader's reaction to the book? My readers are touched by the love seen not only in the words but also the emotion from the illustrations. It seems to transport them to a happy, peaceful place.
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Can you tell me a little bit about Nikki Adopts Abbey Dog?
Nikki is helping at her uncle’s weekly auction when a man drops off three puppies to be adopted. Nikki desperately wants to adopt the smallest of the basset hound puppies. After much anxiety, Nikki’s Uncle ensures she is able to adopt her puppy for a “sticky” quarter. Nikki names her puppy Abbey Dog and the two head home to start their many exciting adventures.
I love stories about animal companions! What inspired you to write this story?
I grew up with three brothers in a small town in Iowa. There was not much to do, so we would come up with fun adventures to fill our days. All the ideas for my stories come from things that happened during my childhood or during my children’s.
That's so wonderful that a part of you is in your book! Publishing isn't easy, was there a point when you wanted to give up on writing your book?
Initially, I thought the only way to publish a children’s book was to work with a publishing company. Therefore, I sent a submission to a publisher but was discouraged when I never heard back. I was not aware of the self-publishing option until I came across Bethany’s videos. This discovery opened my eyes to new possibilities, and I immediately signed up and got started. I studied the videos and used the In-Design practice lessons to prepare myself for my first attempt at self-publishing. After a few times back and forth with KDP, my first book was published.
I am so elated to hear that you were able to carve your path and continued to follow your dreams even after the initial setback. Is this book a part of a series? If so, tell me about your plans and any others that have come out!
My book series is “The Adventures of Nikki and Abbey Dog.”
The second book of the series has also been published, “Nikki Rescues Abbey Dog from the Dark Shadows.“ I have two more books written, edited, and awaiting illustrations. The third book is “Nikki and Abbey Dog Rescue a Bunny,” and the fourth is “Nikki, Abbey Dog and the Weird Blue Alien.” Wow! You have your hands full! I am so excited to see your books continue to come out and narrate the story of Nikki and Abbey Dog!
A Few Tips:As authors, we are always looking for new ways to get our books in front of a new audience! I have compiled a list of resources that will promote your free e-book for free! Some of them do offer paid promotions, but that is up to you and your relationship with the resources. I haven't tried any paid options yet, and still, see considerable numbers in downloads.
For each resource, there may be a few different rules, so before you submit your book, make sure it meets the requirements (ex. reviews, pages, subject, etc.) I've listed the requirements I've found but they may change! I will add more as I find more over time! Murrysville Community Library is celebrating Save the Ocean!
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