Ten Thankful Indians $50 Book Blast Giveaway

About the Book

Title: Ten Thankful Turkeys | Author: Angela Muse | Illustrator: Ewa Powdles | Publication Date: October 4, 2014 | Publisher: 4EYESBOOKS | Pages: 32 | Recommended Ages: 2 to 8 Summary: This colorful autumn tale follows ten turkeys as they get ready for an important celebration. This story teaches about gratitude. There are also fun turkey facts in the back of the book.

Kindle version available for only 99 cents from Amazon on October 24 & 25, 2014. Grab your copy now!!

Amazon (Kindle) * Amazon (Paperback) 

About the Author: Angela Muse

Angela Muse was born in California to a military family. This meant that she got used to being the "new kid" in school every couple of years. It was hard trying to make new friends, but Angela discovered she had a knack for writing. In high school Angela began writing poetry and song lyrics. Expressing herself through writing seemed very natural. After becoming a Mom in 2003, Angela continued her storytelling to her own children. In 2009 she wrote and published her first rhyming children's book aimed at toddlers. Since then she has released several more children's picture books and released books in her first young adult romance series, The Alpha Girls, in 2013/2014. Her husband, Ben Muse writes suspense/thriller books that can also be found on Amazon.

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter

* $50 Book Blast Giveaway *

Prize: One winner will receive a $50 Amazon gift card or PayPal cash (winner's choice) Contest closes: November 23, 11:59 pm, 2014 Open to: Internationally How to enter: Please enter using the Rafflecopter widget below. 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 Angela Muse 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.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

$25 Giveaway and Book Blast: Noah Zarc Children's Book by D. Robert Pease

 

About the Noah Zarc Books

I personally read the first book in the Noah Zarc trilogy and found it an adventurous read! Time travel, robots, spaceships and more! I became a huge fan of the main character, an amazingly courageous twelve year old 'paraplegic' boy named Noah whose disability never stopped him from doing anything he set his mind too. The author's ability to connect multiple time periods and his amazing ability in making you feel like you actually are part of the story will make this a fun read for any kid.

Book 1

Title: Noah Zarc: Mammoth Trouble (Book #1) Author: D. Robert Pease Publication Date: July 22, 2013 Publisher: Evolved Publishing (2nd Edition) Number of pages: 214 Recommended age: 9+ Summary: Noah lives for piloting spaceships through time, dodging killer robots and saving Earth’s animals from extinction. Life couldn’t be better. But the twelve-year-old time traveler learns it could be a whole lot worse. His mom is kidnapped and taken to Mars; his dad is stranded in the Ice Age; and Noah is attacked at every turn by a foe bent on destroying Earth… for the second time.

Amazon | iTunes | Barnes and Noble | Kobo

Amazon (Audiobook) | iTunes (AudioBook) | Audible

 

Book 2

Title: Noah Zarc: Cataclysm (Book #2) Author: D. Robert Pease Publication Date: July 22, 2013 Publisher: Evolved Publishing (2nd Edition) Number of pages: 234 Recommended age: 9+ Summary: Noah becomes embroiled in a mission that could cause the greatest cataclysm in the history of the solar system. Will his name, Noah Zarc, be forever linked to the most devastating crime in humanity’s existence, all because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time?

Amazon | iTunes | Barnes and Noble | Kobo

Amazon (Audiobook) | iTunes (AudioBook) | Audible

   

Book 3

Title: Noah Zarc: Declaration (Book #3) Author: D. Robert Pease Publication Date: November 1, 2013 Publisher: Evolved Publishing Number of pages: 226 Recommended age: 9+ Summary: As battles rage across the solar system, Noah must work to join together a rag-tag bunch of miners, farmers, and scientists who would rather just live in peace. With only a time-traveling ship full of animals and a general from the history books, the Zarc family has to stand against the full might of the Poligarchy. Will the truth about what really happened a thousand years in the past be enough to stop total war, or will Noah and his friends need to find another way to bring down a dictator?

Amazon | iTunes | Barnes and Noble | Kobo

   

Special Omnibus Edition

Title: Noah Zarc: Omnibus (Special Edition) Author: D. Robert Pease Publication Date: November 2, 2013 Publisher: Evolved Publishing Number of pages: 630 Recommended age: 9+ Summary: FEATURES ALL 3 BOOKS IN 1 SPECIAL EDITION & INCLUDES 22 PENCIL ILLUSTRATIONS BY THE AUTHOR In a future where Earth has been wiped clean of all life, and humanity has moved on to other worlds, twelve-year-old Noah Zarc and his family have embarked on a quest, in a time-traveling spaceship called the ARC, to retrieve two of every animal and repopulate a dead world.

Amazon | iTunes | Barnes and Noble | Kobo

 

The Buzz About the Noah Zarc Books

Book 1: "Pease's strength as a storyteller lies in his ability to connect multiple time periods imaginatively, as well as Noah's excited, fast-paced narration." ~ Publishers Weekly

Book 1: "If I had read this book at age 10, I think it would have made me love SF just as much as reading Asimov did. If you like the non-stop action and humor of Rick Riordan's Olympians books, I think you'll also like Noah Zarc." ~ Sher A. Hart, book blogger and author

Book 2: "This is another great mind-bender. The wild time jump details are fabulously thought out and cause some unexpected results." ~ Michelle Isenhoff, Children's Author

Book 2: "A well-written, adventurous read for young readers and even adults, Noah Zarc blasts through space and into your imagination." ~ TKristufek, Amazon Reviewer

Book 3: "I was completely captured by the characters, the action and the issues and questions: set in fantasy but integrating concepts and engaging readers with a fun tale that teaches as it entertains." ~ Gaele, Amazon Reviewer

 

About the Author: D. Robert Pease

D. Robert Pease has been interested in creating worlds since childhood. From building in the sandbox behind his house, to drawing fantastical worlds with paper and pencil, there has hardly been a time he hasn't been off on some adventure in his mind, to the dismay of parents and teachers alike. Also, since the moment he could read, books have consumed vast swaths of his life. From The Mouse and the Motorcycle, to The Lord of the Rings, worlds just beyond reality have called to him like Homer's Sirens. It's not surprising then he chose to write stories of his own. Each filled with worlds just beyond reach, but close enough we can all catch a glimpse of ourselves in the characters he brings to life.

Website | Newsletter | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Google+

 

* $25 Book Blast Giveaway *

Prize: One winner will receive a $25 Amazon Gift Card or PayPal cash (winner’s choice) Contest ends: May 20, 11:59 pm, 2014 Open: Internationally How to enter: Please enter using the Rafflecopter widget below. 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, D. Robert Pease 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. a Rafflecopter giveaway 

Five Tips When Illustrating a Children's Chapter Book

Since I was a child, I've loved reading children's chapter books with illustrations. Illustrations add so much more to a story. And for a child who is a visual learner, like me, it really helps to have drawings that can take what the author has written and show it an understandable and expressive way.

As a writer and illustrator, I spend a lot of time reviewing my manuscript, finding scenes to illustrate that will help the reader enter the world of the story. The following is how I go about identifying and selecting what I will illustrate in my children's chapter books.

1. Make sure there is an illustration in each chapter, even a chapter with just a few pages. This keeps uniformity. And trust me, kids will notice if a chapter is missing an illustration or if one has a lot more than another. My kids notice every little detail in the illustrations of the books they read from change of clothes to a weird look that didn't fit in the part of the story they were reading. 

   

   My kids vetoed the above drawing from my first Wunderkind Family book. They didn't like Jake laying down and was confused with the expression on his face for the scene. Instead we went with the below drawing.
   

   

2. Try to have your illustrations appearing approximately the same number of pages apart. That's not easy, of course. But it is a rule that I strive for. I've found that it bothers my kids if there are a lot of illustrations clumped together and then there is a big gap until the next illustration. It's that routine that kids like. When creating a book with illustrations, the publisher (self-publisher) needs to think routine. 
   
Josh and Jake from The Secret of the Shark Tooth Crab Claw
 
3. When identifying what to illustrate in the manuscript, look for scenes where the main character(s) are expressive, portraying strong emotion, and doing a funny action. Kids love seeing illustrations like a kid tripping and falling, a cat leaping through the air almost about to land on someones head, and a mom hugging their child.
   
GA (pronounced Gee-Aye) from the second Wunderkind Family series
 
4. Have someone review what you have selected in the manuscript to illustrate. My kids have been the best sounding board for what I should illustrate, as have their friends. I've been amazed at how each one seems to suggest a similar illustration for me to draw. The sillier the better for my boys. And with my daughter, she wants to see what everyone is wearing.
   
   GA's dad is taking one of her feather's away. (The Tale of the Slimy Spitball)
 
5. Finally, create rough drafts and before you even start the finals, have kids, the author, an editor, the publisher, and the list goes on review them. I still find that my kids and their friends have been the best focus group for my illustrations. My illustrations are simple, but do express emotions.

Writing and illustrating is truly an art. And with art, there isn't a right or a wrong. But as a children's author and illustrator, it's important to create a piece of work for your target audience. Knowing what they like, is key. And getting their input can make a huge difference.


Up to 75% off of Craftsy's Sweet Summer Online Classes Now!

Snowflakes & Stationery Sale - 20% Off Holiday Card or Invitation Orders!

Hope You'll ENTER My First KidLit Book Giveaway May 13 - 19th!

I'm so excited to share that I am offering a FREE copy of The Tale of the Slimy Spitball (the first book in My Guardian Angel series)  in my first KidLit Book Giveway!

ENTER HERE

The Tale of the Slimy Spitball is the first book in the Madison and GA (My Guardian Angel) children's chapter book series. It's a funny, modern-fantasy children's chapter book that teaches children that they don't have to be perfect. Even Madison's guardian angel isn't. Every story will share at least one learning lesson such as bullying, friendship, and responsibility.