Archive for the ‘Children’s books’ Category

I know. I’ve done a lot of posts today. But I just could not resist The Summer Sacrifice.

Just look!

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Today we are excited to share the cover process via images and the final cover for the middle grade fantasy The Summer Sacrifice by Holly Hinton. The book is scheduled for release on June 21st, 2014.

The cover artist has provided us with the images to show the process of creating the cover.

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These three concept images were the first pictures David created for The Summer Sacrifice. Thumbnail A evoked the atmosphere of a mysterious fantasy, B gave the impression of a teenage classic, and C was more poetic in tone. Holly settled on a mixture of A and B as the basis for David to start constructing the final cover.

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These drawings were ‘speed-painted’ by David. They are rough in nature as their purpose was to help decide the cover’s general colour scheme.

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David drew a detailed sketch of the friendship group. He used this as a guide for the final painting of the group on the cover. He kept the ‘camera’ low, almost on the floor, to make the characters look more heroic and the serpent bonfire bigger. He worked to get a sense of wind into the image to give it an outdoor feeling and to add dynamism, and also to break up the composition’s symmetry.

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David paid great attention to working out the many light sources in the painting, and particularly how they would interact with the faces and bodies of the five central characters. There is a strong backlight from the fire, a mix of bounced lights from the environment, and diffuse bluish light from the sky.

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This version of the cover is close to the final one. The serpent and the title still required small changes, and David also did some other general polishing, including painting the moon’s glow onto the vines and leaves framing the picture, and adding the stars.
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This screenshot shows the front, back and spine of the cover from inside Krita, the open-source software David uses to create his work.
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The final cover for the paperback.
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The final cover for the ebook.

Book Description:

Three hundred years ago, the Great Goddess sent a storm to destroy mankind. She nearly succeeded.

One island survived.

These days, the Goddess stops the spread of evil by sacrificing the Island’s rotten teenage souls. Or so the story goes…
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When Jamie Tuff survives her Taking, she thinks her worst nightmares are behind her. But then her soul starts wandering into other people’s bodies, and she
discovers that the Island harbours a deadly secret.

Now, she must save her little world from a fate worse than—well, worse than what the Goddess has already done to it.

Join Jamie Tuff and friends on their adventures through land, sea and sky, in a world where stars walk and Halfhawks fly.

Add to your Goodreads Shelf!

 

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About the Cover Designer:

David Revoy (nickname Deevad), is a french artist living in the south of France. He has more than 10 years of experience working remotely as a freelancer. His skills and expertise includes illustration, art-direction, concept-art and teaching. In short: he’s a 2D artist (he uses drawing, painting, digital painting techniques) and paints custom artworks for books, posters, board-games, video-games and movies. His clients are located all around the world.

Since 2009 he has painted using only free and open-source software. He uses Krita, Mypaint, and Gimp on Linux. This technical choice doesn’t affect compatibility with his clients: he still provides industry standards and can work or open any regular files.

He can be followed on Google+, Twitter, Tumblr or deviantArt.

Visit him at: http://www.davidrevoy.com/

About the Author:

Holly grew up in a small, sleepy village in Suffolk. The acting bug hit her at age nine, when she was asked to play Baboushka in the school nativity. hollyThat same year she played the lead role of a naughty black poodle in a pet parlour themed ballet, and she thought she had made it. Years passed, but the acting bug didn’t. She went to Goldsmiths, University of London to study Drama, after which she completed her actor training at Arts Ed.

Writing a book was never part of the plan. But life’s full of swerves and surprises and ideas dropping into people’s heads. Holly had an idea drop into hers, and that idea became The Summer Sacrifice, and The Summer Sacrifice became the first book of the Master Game Series.

For more information please visit: http://www.hollyhinton.com/
Goodreads | Facebook | Tumblr | Twitter | Pinterest

This event was organized by CBB Book Promotions.

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Every now and then I like to go back in time. Time to when I was a little girl and I’d go to the library. I’d spend every precious second looking for those books that spoke to me, that jumped into my hands. I couldn’t wait to get home. I’d rush to my bedroom, jump on my bed, and spread out my bounty. Then I’d close my eyes, select a book and get lost in an amazing adventure. It was books like these, like The Trees Have hearts and The City Kittens and the Old House Cat that would whisk me away to another life. And now I’m sharing these sweet books with you. There’s also a giveaway, so don’t forget to enter!

 

About Book 1

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The Trees Have HeartsTitle: The Trees Have Hearts | Author: Mrs. D | Publication Date: March 31, 2014 | Publisher: Mrs.D. Books Publisher | Number of pages: 41 | Recommended age: 6 to 10

Summary: A Mom’s Choice Award Winner

The story of a young girl, left friendless because she could not speak a new language, will touch your heart. It will take your child into the imaginary world of a little girl who moved to America from a different country. Unable to speak English, the lonely girl could not find friends. She lived in an old house with a small garden, where three blooming trees and the mysterious wind became her first imaginary friends. The garden friends developed a wonderful friendship with the lonely girl, and helped her overcome her fears and worries. Through the story, they taught her how to make real friends and helped her cope with difficult moments while adapting to new surroundings. Unforgettable characters will open a beautiful imaginary world to young readers, inviting them to share the fears, tears and joys of a little girl. The story will teach the true meaning of friendship while showing readers the beauty of nature. This book will open an unknown imaginary world through the eyes of a child…

Book Trailer

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOfbjaYDF1Q]

Purchase

Amazon | Barnes and Noble

 

About Book 2

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The City Kittens and the Old House CatTitle: The City Kittens and the Old House Cat | Author: Mrs. D | Publication Date: July 11, 2013 | Publisher: Dog Ear Publishing | Number of pages: 37 | Recommended age: 6 to 10

Summary: This story revolves around Christmastime and a family who once adopted a lost kitten, naming it Nyda. Nyda has now grown old and has settled into a calm, uneventful life with her new family-until the day before Christmas, when the family’s older daughter brings two playful kittens, Mickey and Jack, home for the holidays. The two kittens from the big city are a change for the family, and for Nyda. The old cat likes her settled life and is not happy about the new arrivals. She’s also very protective of her belongings. The city kittens annoy her, and the old cat grumbles about the new additions to the family- until she hears a story one night that makes her feel bad. The kittens aren’t the soft or spoiled brats she had thought they were . .

Book Trailer

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZqFyBt-spg]

Purchase

Amazon | Barnes and Noble

 

The Buzz

The Trees Have Hearts: “This is a lovely book for young girls, and especially young girls who face loneliness because of being in a new place. They are sure to find peace and encouragement in the special values taught in The Trees Have Hearts. Mrs. D does a wonderful job of reaching out to kids in a unique way in this book. The beautiful trees give warmth and peace as they spread their blooms throughout the garden and into the hearts of those who read this book.” ~ Joy Hannabass, Readers’ Favorite

The Trees Have Hearts: “In The Trees Have Hearts, Mrs. D. demonstrates love, compassion and a touch of mystical ability as she manifests what the trees might say, if they spoke to a lonely little girl. Then again, maybe she writes to alert us all to listen with our hearts. I highly recommend this book.” ~ 5 Star Review, sunnyrock, Amazon

The Trees Have Hearts: “The author writes a lovely story about a lonely little girl with a great big imagination. She turns her beautiful garden into her sanctuary of imaginary friends that remain in her heart and follow her into adulthood. The lessons to be learned in this story is love of nature, respect for nature and changes of nature from one season to the next. Just as children go through many changes from season to season. This would be a good bedtime story. reading a few pages each night nurturing your child’s imagination and leaving them with sweet dreams.” ~ 5 Star Review, It’s Time to Read Mamaw, Amazon

The City Kittens and the Old House Cat: “The City Kittens and the Old House Cat is an inspiring story written from a cat’s point of view. The story can be understood by all pet lovers. The book has some beautiful and colorful illustrations. That makes the book very attractive and visually appealing, something which all the kids love. Children’s books should be colorful and bright. The message of tolerance is very important in the current living situation. The book has a nice moral which can be explained to children and they can be asked to practice it too.” ~ 5 Star Review, Mamta Madhavan, Readers’ Favorite

The City Kittens and the Old House Cat: “Snuggle up in front of the fire and share this sweet kitty tale with your little ones. Bright, richly detailed illustrations bring the story to life as the old cat learns to accept two little intrusions. Fun book to put on your wish list, especially around the holiday season. A delight for any cat or animal lover!” ~ 5 Star Review, CLMurphy, Amazon

The City Kittens and the Old House Cat: “Mrs. D. weaves wonderful lessons of acceptance, adoption and not judging other people without getting to know them into this sweet children’s picture book. I highly recommend it for young children.” ~ 5 Star Review, P.J. LaRue, Amazon

 

About the Author: Mrs. D

Mrs D ~ Olga D'AgostinoMrs. D. (Olga D’Agostino), an award-winning children’s author, was born in western Ukraine. She lived in the historical city of Lviv, where she studied business in Lviv Business College and worked in the food industry. In 1992, she immigrated to the USA with her two small daughters and for years worked in her own business. In 2011, she began her career as a writer, focusing on writing children’s books that have meaning and provide valuable lessons. Two of her children’s books, The Trees Have Hearts and Good Morning, World!, won Mom’s Choice Awards in 2013. She is a member of SCBWI and speaks a few languages fluently. She lives in the famous town of Smithville, NJ, with her husband Patrick and a meticulous old cat named Nyda.

Published books by Mrs. D. include Carlo the Mouse on Vacation, The Trees Have Hearts, The City Kittens and the Old House Cat, Good Morning, World!, and Carlo the Mouse, Book 1: Too Many Rules for One Little Mouse and The Little Girl Praying on the Hill(a short story for an older audience).

Coming in 2014: The Royal Palmand Carlo the Mouse, Book 2: Now We’re Talking!

The full series of Carlo the Mouse and her new books, The Mysterious Life Inside a Closet, That Is How Things Are (two connected stories): The Autumn Wind, and The Kitten and the Sparrow, and three rhyming stories in Who Is Most Important in the Fridge? will be published in the near future. Her books are available in print on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and as e-books for most popular electronic devices. For updates on Mrs. D.’s books, please visit her website: www.mrsdbooks.net.

Website | Author Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon Author Page

 

* $50 Book Blast Giveaway *

Amazon $50 Gift Card

Prize: $50 Amazon Gift Card or PayPal cash (winner’s choice)

Contest ends: June 10, 11:59 pm, 2014

Open: Internationally

How to enter: Please enter using the Rafflecopter widget below.

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Terms and Conditions: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. A winner will be randomly drawn through the Rafflecopter widget and will be contacted by email within 48 hours after the giveaway ends. The winner will then have 72 hours to respond. If the winner does not respond within 72 hours, a new draw will take place for a new winner. Odds of winning will vary depending on the number of eligible entries received. This contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. This giveaway is sponsored by the author, Mrs. D and is hosted and managed by Renee from Mother Daughter Book Reviews. If you have any additional questions – feel free to send and email to Renee(at)MotherDaughterBookReviews(dot)com.

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MDBR Book Promotion Services

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

To see all of my giveaways click on the lucky horseshoe below!

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Welcome to the Cover Reveal for

Curse of the Granville Fortune by Kelly Hashway

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presented by Month9Books!

Be sure to enter the giveaway found at the end of the post!

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Granville fortune

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Find the fortune, break the curse!

The hunt is on for an ancient treasure tied to nine-year-old J.B.’s family history. He’s been having visions that make him sweaty, lightheaded, and certain he’s turning into some kind of freak—or worse, going insane. But things are worse than he imagined. The visions stem from a family curse. An ancient ancestor was accused of stealing the massive Granville fortune, and now J.B.’s entire family will suffer.

To break the curse, J.B. must find and return the Granville’s stolen property. But he’s not the only one searching for the treasure. As he sets out on his journey through a dark and foreboding forest, he’ll battle his worst fears and fight terrifying creatures along the way. And when he meets two others who share the missing pieces of his visions and suffer from the same curse, the three soon realize they need to work together to break the curse before it’s too late.

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Chapter-by-Chapter-header---About-the-Author

Kelly Hashway

Reading is a thing of magic. It has allowed me to enter into worlds I never would have known. I’ve cried, laughed, and been scared right alongside my favorite characters. And my hope is that one day kids will do the same for my characters. I want kids to see that reading is one of the greatest gifts. Luckily, my daughter already agrees with me!

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Connect with the Author: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

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Chapter-by-Chapter-header---Giveaway

$10 Amazon Gift Card and an eBook copy of Curse of the Granville Fortune.

Click on the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win!

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(Winners will receive their book on release day)

 

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

To see all of my giveaways click on the lucky horseshoe below!

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WWW Wednesday

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Hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?

• What did you recently finish reading?

• What do you think you’ll read next?

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What are you currently reading?

Red Riding Hood Gets Lost

Grimmtastic Girls #2

by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams  

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Synopsis

Red Riding Hood might have a terrible sense of direction, but her grimmtastic friends are always there to help!

Once upon a time, in faraway Grimmlandia…

Red Riding Hood is thrilled to try out for the school play. Acting is her dream, and she’s great at it–too bad she has stage fright! After a grimmiserable audition, Red decides to focus on helping her friends Cinda, Snow, and Rapunzel save Grimm Academy from the E.V.I.L. Society. But when Red gets lost in Neverwood forest and runs into Wolfgang, who might be part of E.V.I.L., she needs her magic basket and a grimmazingly dramatic performance to figure out what’s going on!

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What did you recently finishing reading?

Cinderella Stays Late

Grimmtastic Girls #1 

by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams 

18371589

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Synopsis

The authors of the hit Goddess Girls series put a fun and girly twist on another super-popular theme: fairy tales!

Once upon a time, in faraway Grimmlandia…

A Grimmtastic girl named Cinderella is starting her first week at Grimm Academy on the wrong foot. Cinda’s totally evil stepsisters are out to make her life miserable. The Steps tease Cinda, give her terrible advice about life at the academy, and even make her look bad in front of her new friends, Red, Snow, and Rapunzel! But when Cinda overhears the Steps plotting a villainous deed that could ruin Prince Awesome’s ball, Cinda, her new friends, and a pair of magical glass slippers have to stop them–before the last stroke of midnight!

 

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What do you think you’ll read next?

Screamscapes

by Evans Light 

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I’ve read many of these stories as individual publications but there are a few new ones I’m dying to read.
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 Screamscapes: Tales of Terror – A new collection showcasing the dark fiction of  Evans Light.The SPECIAL LIMITED EDITION is signed and numbered, limited to 250 copies. available exclusively from THE LIGHT BROTHERS Book Store at: www.evans-light.com/book-store“If you love writers like Joe Hill, Stephen King, Ray Bradbury, Richard Matheson or Joe R. Lansdale, you owe it to yourself to give Evans Light a try…this new voice on the scene packs enough inventive storytelling twists to delight even the most jaded fans of horror and suspense.”

Screamscapes: Tales of Terror is a modern collection of uniquely twisted tales for even the most jaded horror fan!

Packed with short stories and novellas that encompass everything from TALES FROM THE CRYPT-style mayhem and razor-sharp scares to the poetically eerie supernatural, with a healthy dose of pitch black humor, Screamscapes: Tales of Terror is sure to become a new favorite.

THIS COLLECTION INCLUDES:

Crawlspace

Fooling around on your wife can be hazardous to your health.
Jusk ask Tom. He’s a man with a lot to juggle: a frustrated wife, a secret new girlfriend, and the unpleasant task of trying to keep his deteriorating vintage farmhouse from falling down around him.
Now with his wife out of town for the week, Tom is eager to get busy under the covers with his beautiful new lover – but first there’s something he has to finish up in…the Crawlspace.

Whatever Possessed You?

A strange encounter and a cryptic message leaves Gerard Faust a changed man. Now a novel he can’t remember writing is burning up the sales charts, but is something other than his own talent lurking within?

ArborEATum

When a band of westward pioneers – lost, starving, and desperate -stumbles upon an unlikely oasis in the middle of a barren prairie, Micah wonders if his family has finally caught a lucky break…or does this new Garden of Eden hide a forgotten terror behind a veil of earthly delights?

Curtains for Love

When Claire and James move into a beautiful Victorian home together, she soon discovers that he is being seduced by a secret from his past, one thought buried long ago.

Gertrude

“Tell me something interesting about yourself.”
“Well, I have a symbiotic twin named Gertrude. She lives in a small cavity under my ribcage, next to my spleen. If I lie still in bed at night, I can hear her. I think she might be crying.”
So begins this short twisted tale where an obvious lie faces off with the truth.

Black Door

William and his brothers are on their way to summer camp. But when a wrong turn leads them to an abandoned campground, things start to get weird in this nail-biting and suspenseful short story.

The Mole People Beneath the City

Late at night in the subway, a little girl and her father wait for a train that runs deep beneath New York City. It will be a ride they never forget.

Pay Back

Stephen Hill has been heaping abuse on poor Joe King since second grade.
Now they’re grown men with nothing in common, and Joe still patiently endures Stephen’s unrelenting ridicule. But when friendship is only a matter of perspective, PAY BACK might be just around the corner in this irreverent and darkly humorous tale of revenge.

Nose Hears

A man thinks he might be losing his mind when he starts to hear voices inside of his nose.

The Package

When a world-famous personality discovers there’s a way to enlarge his “package” to become the world’s biggest, he finds it an opportunity too enormous to resist.

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So, whatcha readin?

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tale spins tour

For more fun stops on the tour click on the banner above!

I’m delighted to be a part of this tour and to have read Tail Spins!

I was taken back to my younger years and let myself go.

Enjoy my review. And don’t forget to enter the giveaways. Yes, there are two!

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Tail Spins

by Michael Mullin

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Synopsis

A trilogy of alternative fairytales and retellings. Discover the real Snow White story through the eyes of Creepy, the unknown 8th dwarf! Meet a teen princess who hires “The Frog Prince” witch to get revenge on a Mean Girl at school! And learn how the giant, boy thief and magic beans tale truly went down!

Amazon * Barnes & Noble

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Praise for Tale Spins

Not usually enamoured of either re-tellings or poetry I was totally taken aback by just how much I relished this trilogy of alternative fairytales and re-tellings aimed at the Young Adult market. ~Tracy (Goodreads)

TaleSpins was like walking into a vintage store and finding a true treasure. This book takes the fairytales we all grew up on and gives them an interesting and modernized version that I enjoyed. ~Rose (Goodreads)

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My Review

Tail Spins was a pure delight to read. Written in poetic form, it was fairly quick reading and the stories flowed smoothly. The author choosing to write these alternate tellings in such a way worked beautifully, making it fun and addictive.

I smiled from beginning to end and loved the different ‘spin’ put on each retelling. Who knew there was an 8th dwarf, what foolish girl would actually steal from a witch, and I do believe money grows on trees.

I wish I had a young child to read these tales to. I did read them to my 19 year old son and we had fun discussing the authors creativity.

Anyone will enjoy Tail Spins and you adult readers will be taken back to younger days when wonder was all around and all things were possible.

5 Stars

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Author Michael Mullin

mike mullin

Michael Mullin is a native New Englander living in Pasadena. He is the author of TaleSpins, a trilogy of alternative fairy tales and retellings for YA readers. TaleSpins stories (in the 1-book collection) are “8: The Previously Untold Story of the Previously Unknown 8th Dwarf”; “The Plight and Plot of Princess Penny”; and “Jack’d”. Michael is also the co-author of the successful “Larry Gets Lost” children’s book series. His screenplay “Zooing Time” was recognized by the WGA’s Written By magazine. Before all this writing, he taught preschool and college, two positions he found disconcertingly similar.

Website * Facebook * Twitter

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Tour Giveaways

Giveaway #1 – Open to US only

Mike Mullin Giveaway

Click on the rafflecopter below to enter.

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Giveaway #2

$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 1/21/14

Click on the rafflecopter below to enter.

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Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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I Am A Reader, Not A Writer

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

To see all of my giveaways click on the lucky horseshoe below!

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Kirby Tour

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I’ve been looking for some children’s books to read and review.

I found an awesome one!

It’s going to be so fun to meet and get to know Kirby and see what his Christmas Surprise is!

There’s some really fun things to take in on this post.

Enjoy, and remember to enter the giveaways!

Yep, there’s two!

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Click on the schedule below to enjoy more fun posts!

Remember to comment. The more you comment, the more chances to win these awesome giveaways!

Tour Schedule

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kirby puckernutKirby Puckernut and the Christmas Surprise

Kirby Puckernut is Santa’s cleverest little elf. While dreaming up marvelous toys for good girls and boys, Kirby has his best idea yet – a real elf in every home, all through the holidays, spreading Christmas Magic Santa finds the perfect family and allows Kirby to serve as the test elf for the first momentous visit. Fun and adventure are at every turn, but not everything goes as planned…

Will Kirby’s idea be a success.

Amazon * Barnes & Noble

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A Peek Inside

Kirby Book

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Book Trailer

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLyi1WmGVxI&w=420&h=236]

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AliciaAbout the Author

Author Alicia Richardson has created a new Christmas classic with her children’s book, Kirby Puckernut and the Christmas Surprise.

Alicia Richardson resides in Salt Lake City, Utah, with her husband and four children. She has always had a flair for storytelling, and has given life to a special little elf named Kirby Puckernut.

Website * Twitter * Facebook

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Tour Giveaways

Giveaway#1

Kirby Elf

5 winners will each recieve a copy of Kirby Puckernut and the Christmas Surprise + Kirby Elf

Open to US Only

Ends 12/31/13

Click on the rafflecopter below to enter.

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Giveaway #2

$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 12/31/13

Click on the rafflecopter below to enter.

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  Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

To see all of my giveaways click on the present below.

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The Goddess Girls Series makes me want to go back in time. Back to when I spent every free moment in the school library, browsing and reading everything I could get my hands on.

Check out Persephone the Daring.

Isn’t the cover art fun and enchanting?

Don’t forget to enter the giveaway for a chance to win $100 Amazon Gift Card or PayPal Cash!

persephone

Persephone the Daring (Goddess Girls #11)

Mortal rock star Orpheus steals the spotlight in this Goddess Girls tale of love and lyres!Orpheus is a mortal rock god, and the girls at Mount Olympus Academy are wild about him! With his lyre and singing voice, Orpheus can charm pretty much anything—even things like stones and trees. But Hades and the other MOA boys aren’t charmed. In fact, they are less than thrilled that the girls are so gaga over this guy.

His fans are especially excited about his latest song about the girl he loved and lost, Eurydice. Orpheus was devastated when he lost Eurydice to the Underworld, so he asks Persephone to help get her back. Though it means breaking some very serious Underworld rules, Persephone pushes Hades to return Eurydice to the living world. But restoring Orpheus’s one true love might jeopardize Persephone’s own chances with her biggest crush…

Praise for The Goddess Girls

“…a clever take on Greek deities…”

~ Booklist

“Readers familiar with Greek myths should get a kick out of this plucky restaging.”

~Publisher’s Weekly

“…an enchanting mythological world with middle-school woes compounded by life as a deity…”

~ School Library Journal

The Goddess Girls Series

The Goddess Girls series, by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams puts a modern spin on classic Greek myths. Follow the ins and outs of divine social life where the most privileged godboys and goddessgirls in the Greek pantheon hone their mythical skills.

  • Athena the Brain Finding out she’s a goddess and being sent to Mount Olympus brings Athena new friends, a weird dad, and the meanest girl in mythology—Medusa!
  • Persephone the Phony Hiding her feelings works fine for Persephone until she meets a guy she can be herself with—Hades, the bad-boy of the Underworld.
  • Aphrodite the Beauty Sure Aphrodite is beautiful, but it’s not always easy being the goddessgirl of love.
  • Artemis the Brave She may be the goddess of the hunt, but that doesn’t mean Artemis always feels brave.
  • Athena the Wise Zeus says Heracles has to do twelve tasks or he’ll get kicked out of MOA! Although she’s not sure it’s wise, Athena agrees to help out.
  • Aphrodite the Diva Isis claims she’s the goddess of love? Ha! But to keep the title all to herself, Aphrodite has to find the perfect match for Pygmalion, the most annoying boy ever.
  • Artemis the Loyal It’s time for the annual Olympic Games, and Artemis and her friends are not happy. It’s boys only. Not fair!
  • Medusa the Mean Medusa wants to be more like her two sisters and the other kids at Mount Olympus Academy — immortal. Is that too much to ask?
  • The Girl Games (Goddess Girls Super Special) Listen in on what all four goddess girls are thinking as Mount Olympus Academy hosts visitors from many lands–including an adorable kitten!The first-ever standalone superspecial in the Goddess Girls series!
  • Pandora the Curious Pandora is one of the few mortals at Mount Olympus Academy—and probably the most curious of all the students in school.
  • Pheme the Gossip As the goddess girl of rumor and gossip, Pheme prides herself on being “in the know” and having the most up-to-date info on anyone and everyone at Mount Olympus Academy.

Author Suzanne Williams

Suzanne Williams is the award-winning author of nearly 40 books for children, from picture books and easy readers to chapter books and middle grade fiction series. A former elementary school librarian, she lives near Seattle. Her picture book Library Lil (illustrated by Steven Kellogg) won the New Mexico children’s choice award in 2000 and was on several other state award lists. She is co-author (with Joan Holub) of the popular Goddess Girls series(for ages 8 – 12) and Heroes in Training (ages 6 – 11). Other series include Fairy Blossoms and Princess Power.

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Author Joan Holub

I graduated from college in Texas with a fine arts degree, and then freelanced as an art director at a graphic design firm for eight years. I dreamed of working in children’s books, so I moved to New York City and became associate art director in Scholastic trade books, where I designed books for children and worked with editors and illustrators. It was a great job.

I illustrated my first published children’s book in 1992 and soon began illustrating full time. I began completing manuscripts and mailing them out to publishers in the early 1990s. In 1996, I sold my first two manuscripts — Boo Who? A Spooky Lift-the-Flap Book (Scholastic) and Pen Pals (Grosset & Dunlap). Yippee!

Now I write full time and have written and/or illustrated over 130 children’s books. Creating books that entertain, inform, and interest children (and me) is a fabulous job that I truly love.

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Book Blast Giveaway

$100 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 8/22/13

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

Click on the rafflecopter link below to enter.

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

Do you ever wish you could be young again? Go back in time, even for a little while? Of course you do!

Every now and then I pull a much-loved book down from my bookshelf. Something all tattered and worn from so many readings. Revisiting these stories I loved as a young reader keeps me young. I relive those youthful thoughts and just have a blast!

I do have to remember I’m not that young anymore though. I wouldn’t want to end up in the hospital after trying to do a cart-wheel, or God forbid, the splits!

Goddess Girls #10 – Pheme the Gossip

Get to know Goddess Girl Pheme…the original “gossip girl”!

As the goddess girl of rumor and gossip, Pheme prides herself on being “in the know” and having the most up-to-date info on anyone and everyone at Mount Olympus Academy. To make sure that people really get her VIP messages, her words tend to linger in cloud letters above her head—just in case people don’t catch what she says!

But not everyone is thrilled with Pheme’s insider knowledge on everything MOA—including the Goddess Girls. Can Pheme ever be trusted? Or will this “gossip girl” find herself on the other end of the rumors?

Purchase
Praise for The Goddess Girls

“…a clever take on Greek deities…”

~ Booklist

“Readers familiar with Greek myths should get a kick out of this plucky restaging.”

~Publisher’s Weekly

“…an enchanting mythological world with middle-school woes compounded by life as a deity…”

~ School Library Journal

The Goddess Girls Series

The Goddess Girls series, by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams puts a modern spin on classic Greek myths. Follow the ins and outs of divine social life where the most privileged godboys and goddessgirls in the Greek pantheon hone their mythical skills.

  • Athena the Brain Finding out she’s a goddess and being sent to Mount Olympus brings Athena new friends, a weird dad, and the meanest girl in mythology—Medusa!
  • Persephone the Phony Hiding her feelings works fine for Persephone until she meets a guy she can be herself with—Hades, the bad-boy of the Underworld.
  • Aphrodite the Beauty Sure Aphrodite is beautiful, but it’s not always easy being the goddessgirl of love.
  • Artemis the Brave She may be the goddess of the hunt, but that doesn’t mean Artemis always feels brave.
  • Athena the Wise Zeus says Heracles has to do twelve tasks or he’ll get kicked out of MOA! Although she’s not sure it’s wise, Athena agrees to help out.
  • Aphrodite the Diva Isis claims she’s the goddess of love? Ha! But to keep the title all to herself, Aphrodite has to find the perfect match for Pygmalion, the most annoying boy ever.
  • Artemis the Loyal It’s time for the annual Olympic Games, and Artemis and her friends are not happy. It’s boys only. Not fair!
  • Medusa the Mean Medusa wants to be more like her two sisters and the other kids at Mount Olympus Academy — immortal. Is that too much to ask?
  • The Girl Games (Goddess Girls Super Special) Listen in on what all four goddess girls are thinking as Mount Olympus Academy hosts visitors from many lands–including an adorable kitten!The first-ever standalone superspecial in the Goddess Girls series!
  • Pandora the Curious Pandora is one of the few mortals at Mount Olympus Academy—and probably the most curious of all the students in school.

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Book Blast Giveaway

$100 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 4/21/13

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

To enter, click on the rafflecopter link below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Author Suzanne Williams

Suzanne Williams is the award-winning author of nearly 40 books for children, from picture books and easy readers to chapter books and middle grade fiction series. A former elementary school librarian, she lives near Seattle. Her picture book Library Lil (illustrated by Steven Kellogg) won the New Mexico children’s choice award in 2000 and was on several other state award lists. She is co-author (with Joan Holub) of the popular Goddess Girls series(for ages 8 – 12) and Heroes in Training (ages 6 – 11). Other series include Fairy Blossoms and Princess Power.

Author Joan Holub

I graduated from college in Texas with a fine arts degree, and then freelanced as an art director at a graphic design firm for eight years. I dreamed of working in children’s books, so I moved to New York City and became associate art director in Scholastic trade books, where I designed books for children and worked with editors and illustrators. It was a great job.

I illustrated my first published children’s book in 1992 and soon began illustrating full time. I began completing manuscripts and mailing them out to publishers in the early 1990s. In 1996, I sold my first two manuscripts — Boo Who? A Spooky Lift-the-Flap Book (Scholastic) and Pen Pals (Grosset & Dunlap). Yippee!

Now I write full time and have written and/or illustrated over 130 children’s books. Creating books that entertain, inform, and interest children (and me) is a fabulous job that I truly love.

GUARDIANS INC.: THE CYPHER

A chance reading of a newspaper ad will send 16 year old Thomas Byrne into the world within our world.

Following the ad he will find Guardians Incorporated. A seven thousand year old organization charged with protecting the balance between Magic and technology.

Through their guidance, technology has kept Magic at bay since the Renaissance, but the balance is shifting and soon all those creatures we’ve driven into myth and legend will come back with a vengeance.

To protect the present, Guardians Incorporated needs to know the future and to unlock the future

they need a Cypher.



Book Trailer

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WC8KrQpNcjQ?rel=0]

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Guardians Inc.: The Cypher is FREE on Kindle, Nook & iBooks

Praise

USA Book News 2012 Finalist -Young Adult Fiction

“Rosado-Machain brings a light, humorous touch to themes of teenage love, loss and betrayal wrapped up in a tasty package of magical coming-of-age.”

~Kirkus Reviews

“It’s like Julian Rosado-Machain took everything that I love about middle grade children’s fiction and slammed it into one awesome, well-paced fantasy”

~Emi London Oktopusink.blogspot.com

“The Cypher hooked me from the beginning. And kept my attention right through to the very end.”

– Heidi Roth reviewthebook.com

Get Your Copy for FREE
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Author Julian Rosado-Machain

Julian has enjoyed pizza in three continents, holds a degree in graphic design, built armored vehicles and computers, handcrafted alebrijes and swears has seen at least one ghost.

He is the Co-owner of Hacienda de Vega Restaurant in San Diego, California and enjoys the sun with his wife, three children and cat.

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Book Blast Giveaway

$100 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 3/13/13

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

Click on the rafflecopter link below to enter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks for visiting my stop on the tour.

Good Luck!

A treasure map

A treasure map (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Title: The Emerald Quest

Author: Renee Pawlish

 
Book description borrowed from Goodreads.
A long-lost emerald, a missing treasure map, and a wealthy villain combine for an action-packed adventure!
Thirteen-year-old Noah Winter, the son of sea-exploring treasure hunters, dives the San Isabel shipwreck with his parents in search of a mysterious treasure map lost in the murky depths off the Florida Keys over a century ago. The map reveals the hiding place of the priceless De La Rosa emerald. But before the Winters can find the map, a wealthy treasure-hunting rival kidnaps Noah’s parents. Now Noah must match wits with a dangerous adversary, not only to discover the treasure map first, but to rescue his mom and dad before it is too late.
My Review
It starts simply enough. Noah and his parents go diving on a shipwreck, trying to locate a treasure map.  Somebody else wants the map and kidnaps Noah’s parents in order to exchange them for the map.  It is up to Noah to rescue his parents.  
Of course, I simplified the story line. There is no end to the action in this adventure. Rescuing his parents is just the beginning for Noah. Now they set off to find the treasure with the ever-present bad guys hot on their trail.
Renee takes you on a treasure hunt across the globe. Her characters are fun and realistic and you find yourself holding your breath in the hope that they will succeed. I loved everything about this book, the action, the vivid descriptions and the thrill of the hunt. There is much more to be told in this series.
The Emerald Quest is a good read for all ages and I highly recommend you join the hunt!
 
5STARS
 
About Renee Pawlish
From the time she was ten and tried to write her own detective series in the fashion of the Hardy Boys, Renee Pawlish has been developing her craft. Along with creative writing classes, Renee studied great writers like Dashiell Hammett, Rex Stout, Stephen King, Sue Grafton and many more. Once Renee graduated from college, she began her first novel. Now, all these years later, she has penned numerous books in a variety of genres.
Renee was born in California, but has lived most of her life in Colorado. When she’s not hiking, cycling, or chasing ball players for autographs, she is writing mysteries and thrillers. She has some middle grade novels waiting to be published.
Renee loves to travel and has visited numerous countries around the world. She has also spent many summer days at her parents’ cabin in the hills outside of Boulder, which was the inspiration for the setting of Taylor Crossing in her novel Nephilim: Genesis of Evil.
Other books by Renee Pawlish
The Reed Ferguson Mystery Series
This Doesn’t Happen in the Movies
Real Estate Rip-off
The Nephilim Series
Nephilim: Genesis of Evil
Books 2 and 3 soon to be released
The Noah Winter YA Adventure Series
The Emerald Quest
Take Five
A short story collection that includes a Reed Ferguson tale.
The Sallie House: Exposing the Beast Within
A non-fiction book about one of the most haunted houses in America.
 
To learn more you can follow her on Facebook:
on her blog:
on twitter:
 
A short review
Title: Return to Underland
Author: Alan nayes
 
My review
Spinner and Reglan are best friends. Spinner collects fossils and Regan wants to be a veterinarian when she grows up. Finally, when he turns eleven, Spinner is allowed to venture beyond the meadow, but only if Reglan and his dog Otter goes with him.  They discover the tracks of a weird creature and follow them to a stream where they notice the tracks have changed. They are almost human.
I just love the heck out of this book. The author creates such a believable world, filling it with amazing creatures. Once the action starts, it never slows down.  With Spinner and Reglan, the author perfectly captured the preciousness of young friendship and trust. This is a quick read that leaves you smiling. Recommended for all ages.
 
5 STARS