Authors, Kai Strand & LA Dragoni

Hey Folks, I know I've been really quiet on the blog lately and it isn't because I've completely abandoned the blogosphere. Quite the contrary. I've been super, super busy on OTHER people's blogs. With two new books out, I have a heck of a lot of promoting to do and I've been very blessed to find some wonderful people to host me on their sites. Guest posts, interviews, features - you name it, I've been doing it. I hope you've been keeping up with my wanderings through my Facebook author page . Also, I've been keeping a list of most recent interviews in the right margin of my blog. Over there --> and down a bit...titled "Interviews". Find it? But because I've had so many generous hosts, recent interviews can drop off the list pretty quickly, so really, you should subscribe to my newsletter. The newsletter is a weekly recap of the things that happened in my writing life. If you've kept up, you can skim and then delete the new...

Three Times a Charm is a weekly feature that spotlights authors, illustrators, bloggers, agents, editors or promoters from the publishing industry. This week author, Hélène Boudreau, is visiting with us and offering a book giveaway. See, you already know how awesome she is. Hélène, can you please tell us a little about you?   I write fiction and non-fiction for children and young adults. I am also a compulsive walker, a bacon lover, and have a bit of a smilie addiction. J Bacon!   Sorry, dozed off. *slurp* Tell us about your work. My books include the REAL MERMAIDS tween series (Sourcebooks) about an aquaphobic teenage mergirl, the RED DUNE ADVENTURES chapter book series (Nimbus Publishing) about amateur sleuths solving eco-mysteries and my upcoming anti-bedtime story called I DARE YOU NOT TO YAWN (Candlewick 2013). I yawned already! I’m hopeless.  How fun. You really write it all, don’t you? Now, for the Threes. Share with us your top 3’...

Today it is my pleasure to welcome a lady that I’ve looked up to for a number of years. She doesn’t know this, but while I slogged through the trenches on my way to publication it was her fabulous attitude and wealth of information that often guided me. As a matter of fact it was a post on her blog that led me to discover several authors and illustrators from Guardian Angel Publishing were going to be in my area – and the rest as they say is history. I adore Margot Finke and it is a thrill for me to interview her on my blog today (blog + interview = blogview). Let’s learn more about Margot, shall we? Margot Finke is an Aussie transplant who writes mid-grade adventure fiction and rhyming picture books. For many years she has lived happily in Oregon.  Gardening, travel, and reading fill in the cracks between writing. Her husband is very supportive, and their three children are now grown and doing very well.  Seven wonderful grandchildren round out her life. Margot has ...

It's Feature Friday! I like to do book features on Friday because with the weekend looming, it is often the day of the week when people know they'll have some free time to read and they're looking for recommendations. Feel free to share the post with anyone who you think might enjoy today's featured book. This week I'm happy to present C. Lee McKenzie. She's a fabulous author and a generous person. She's taking a step into the middle grade world with her newly released book Alligators Overhead . About the book: Alligators Overhead Alligators, witches and a spooky mansion aren't your average neighbors unless you live at the edge of the Ornofree swamp in the backwater town of Hadleyville. The town's bad boy, Pete Riley, may only be twelve, but he's up to his eyeballs in big trouble, and this time he isn't the cause. This time the trouble arrives when a legendary hundred-year-old mansion materializes next door and the Ornofre...

Three Times a Charm is a weekly feature that spotlights authors, illustrators, bloggers, agents, editors or promoters from the publishing industry. This week author, Mary Jean Kelso, joins us. Mary Jean, tell us about you. Three things are evident to me now that I didn’t think about as a child: 1) From the time I was able to scribble I was a writer.  I always loved putting things on paper whether it was designing paperdoll clothes with pencil and crayon or putting words on forms. 2) From an early age, I was, and still am, a reader. 3)  I was (and am) a salesperson. Now, it is marketing books. As a kid I sold things I could order from the pages of comic books: salves, seeds, and anything else that would be sent and the money returned (less my commission) to the company. Always independent, I don’t remember ever asking my parents’ permission to order or sell the commodities. I simply went about my “business” as naturally as breathing air. In later years I sol...

Main Entry:    senicide Part of Speech:    n Definition:    the killing of an old man or men Suicide –noun the intentional taking of one's own life. Penicide –noun the intentional taking of one's own writerly life by slashing one’s fingertips with a quill or other sharp object. I once threatened to commit penicide on a public forum .  Probably not the wisest thing to do. One afternoon last week, friends and family staged an intervention.  I was taken from my laptop forcibly.  As I was being dragged away, I lashed out hoping to grab my spiral notebook but only succeeded in splashing Merlot onto my pajamas. I was thrown into the shower until the drain slowed from the scum.  My husband tried to dress me in clothes but it had been so long since I’ve put on anything besides sweatpants and a t-shirt that seams were popping and zippers weren’t zipping.  He settl...

Three Times a Charm is a weekly feature that spotlights authors, illustrators, bloggers, agents, editors or promoters from the publishing industry. This week author, Melissa Abramovitz, joins us. Melissa, tell us a little about yourself. I grew up in San Diego and received my degree in psychology from the University of California, San Diego in 1976. I have always loved to write; in fact I had my first poetry published while I was in high school, but never imagined that I would be a professional writer. For a long time I wanted to be a doctor or a psychologist. But when my two children were small, I wanted to be a stay-at-home mom while having a part-time career, so I decided to enroll in the Institute of Children’s Literature course to hone my writing skills and learn how to market my work. I sold the very first magazine article I submitted to a publication, and thought WOW, this isn’t going to be so difficult. I was so wrong! Since then, I’ve gotten lots and lots (literall...

I'm thrilled to announce that my book THE WISHING WELL: Another Weaver Tale is here! About the book:  Molly Minstrel is treated worse than Cinderella by her mom and sisters. When Molly meets the magical creature, Unwanted, she wishes her problems away. However, you must first understand what you need before knowing what to ask for. Molly will have to look within for the solution to her troubles. Written for 9 - 12 year olds, THE WISHING WELL is a story of misplaced blame and survival. It is a stand alone story, so it's not required that you have read THE WEAVER first - just the dream of the author. You can order your hardcover, paperback or pdf copy from Guardian Angel Publishing . After you read it, please let me know what you think. Email , Facebook , Review on Amazon . I'd love to hear from you. Happy reading.

I Dare You. Look Over Your Shoulders. Do You See Them? They are behind you... They are always behind you. Abigail Cells had a nightmare the day before she met Gideon, the new guy in school who has every girl drooling just to be near him. In her nightmare, she was murdered by a magical creature. As she gets to know Gideon, she begins to remember pieces of her nightmare, and was shocked when Gideon turned out to be the creature from her nightmare. Who is Gideon really, should Abby allow herself to fall completely for him, or is he the next disaster waiting to happen Excerpt:      I should have called the police the moment I woke up, but what was I going to say: “Hello. 911. Help. I think I’m going to die because I had a dream that I died?” Yeah, even in my head I sounded ridiculous. What happened to me was horrifying. It still is. But you won’t read about it in the newspapers, because it never happened.     “It was only a dream.” That was what eve...

My short story, Kell, was published today on Knowonder . Be sure to stop in and give it a read. Remember you can download the free app and have a new story a day available to read to your child at bedside. Also, my lovely niece, Jennifer Hartsock is hosting a giveaway on her blog . I know how you all love a giveaway, so hop on over to her site to see how you can enter to win a $20 gift card and a sock monkey key chain (the key chain alone is so worth it!) Last but not least, I'm preparing my very first newsletter for distribution tomorrow. Have you signed up yet? What the heck are you waiting for? Clicky, clicky:  Subscribe to our newsletter  (<--I'm even speaking in the royal 'we')

Three Times a Charm is a weekly feature that spotlights authors, illustrators, bloggers, agents, editors or promoters from the publishing industry. This week author, David Turnbull, is visiting with us. David, can you please tell us a little about you?   David Turnbull was born in Edinburgh and grew up in the Scottish borders, an area of Britain quite similar to the Low Counties as depicted in The Tale of Euan Redcap. He now lives in South East London, His short fiction has appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies; including stories featured in Mertales and Fangtales both also available from Wyvern Publications. The Tale of Euan Redcap his first published novel. He is currently working on a follow up where Euan Redcap is drawn into further adventures with Captain Zachariah and a host of new characters. Can we hear more about your book?   The Tale of Euan Redcap The Tale of Euan Redcap is a story of kidnap, airships and dragons, with strong environ...