Category: Book Reviews

Introducing: Sunrise Editing Services…

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Chris The Story Reading Ape's avatarChris The Story Reading Ape's Blog

aj-author
My name is Andrew Joyce and I write books for a living. I’ve been lucky enough to have three of my books become best-sellers on Amazon, and two of them have won prestigious awards. I only tell you this because I want you to know that I am serious about my writing and will not publish a book until it is free of errors, and that means not until it has been edited many, many times.

I am also associated with another writer that you may have heard of, the famous (or infamous) Danny the Dog. He is also serious about his writing.

One thing both Danny and I agree on is that a writer cannot edit his or her own work.

Let me repeat that: YOU CANNOT EDIT YOUR OWN WORK!

Excuse me for yelling, but it is important that I get that thought through to you.

The number…

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New Year=New Beginnings (plus a giveaway and free bookplates)

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A wonderful children’s book with illustrations you will love.

Lauri Fortino's avatarLauri Fortino's Frog On A (B)Log

Happy 2017! 

Peddler Jump_Peddlers BedImage from The Peddler’s Bed

The Peddler is jumping for joy because it’s a brand new year, full of possibilities. It’s also a year full of giveaways! I’ll be giving away a prize each month to folks who comment on a post–any post–during the course of the month. Winners will be chosen at random and announced on the blog. Subscribing to Frog on a Blog is recommended (though not required) to keep track of posts and to see if you’ve won.

Those who share a post, will get an extra chance to win that month’s prize. Prizes will consist of picture books, picture book critiques from me, a set of pilot’s pens (Night Writer–for writing in the dark), and other fun picture book or writing related stuff.

To kick things off, for January, I’m giving away a signed copy of my book The Peddler’s Bed. All you…

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Have Fun Writing Haiku & Get the Kids Writing Too!

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Getting children to write a Haiku and illustrating it is a great way to involve children, both at home and at school, in a fun activity while they learn.

Bette A. Stevens's avatarBette A. Stevens, Maine Author

Write a Halloween Haiku & Get the Kids Writing Too!

black-cat-halloween-haiku-bas-2016Midnight—my fabulous furry feline—inspired me to write BLACK CAT, a Halloween haiku (Haiku: a Japanese-inspired three-line: 5-7-5 syllable poetry form) and design a poster to go with the poem. Kids love illustrating their poetry.

What’s inspiring you this Halloween?
Brainstorm your list and get writing.
Have fun—don’t forget to get the kids writing too!

Here are some writer’s tricks (literary devices found in every writer’s toolbox) I used to create BLACK CAT. These tools can set a mood— they make writing and reading memorable and fun.  Check them out and see if you can discover where I used them in my poem.

Read on to find out more about these literary devices.

Black cat waits, watches…
Stalking tricksters in their web.
Spiders are her treats!

Three Writer’s Tricks (Literary devices) used in writing poetry and prose

Assonance
Assonance is the…

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The Thrill of Victory …

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Some thoughts from my husband. Hop over and check out his blog.

George T. James's avatarThinkin' Things Over

victory-boy-silhouette

For almost forty years (1961 – 1998) ABC’s Wide World of Sports held a special place in sports broadcasting.  Who could forget those iconic words “The Thrill of Victory and the Agony of Defeat” coupled with clips of spectacular sports feats and unbelievable calamities.  My favorite was the ski jumper that crashed as he got to the bottom of the 90-meter jump flying off into the crowd; truly the agony of defeat.

As the years have passed by, I am amused by the change in perspective of losing.  Back then, the thought of losing was a great motivator not only in sports but in life in general.  Losing made you feel bad; and it made you want to work harder to win the next time.  I can still remember the time I didn’t make a little league baseball team when all my friends did; I wasn’t good enough.  What a…

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The Teenage Girl – Let’s Break Some Stereotypes

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These teens are truly inspiring. This is a must read.

Christy B's avatarWhen Women Inspire

Today’s guest post is from Kelli Joan Bennett, an amazing writer, actor, and producer of films who I met through Twitter. Her newest project is the documentary film High School 9-1-1. Both producer Kelli and the females in the movie are worthy of being called “inspiring,” in my opinion. Decide for yourself. Take it away, Kelli:

♀♀♀

A documentary that breaks gender stereotypes Slashing Female Stereotypes

What do you think teenage girls are capable of?  Spending exorbitant amounts of time on their hair?  Living for social media?  Texting nonstop?  Being boy crazy?  Do stereotypical teen descriptors such as immature, rebellious, shallow, or gossipy rush into your mind accompanied by images of spoiled brats from MTV’s My Super Sweet 16 or emotional basket cases from Glee?  Thanks to the media’s portrayal of teens, words like responsible, dependable, professional, confident, skilled, and respectful do NOT immediately pop up.  Neither does saving lives.

I am never more inspired by someone…

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A Little Sugar, A Lot of Love by @LinnBHalton #Extract #Giveaway @BrookCottageBks

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I love stories that feature grandmothers. My own grandmothers, though long gone, are still my role models. Oh, yes, this is a must read for me.

Independent motion – can you help?

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Please read this and donate or share.

Sue Vincent's avatarSue Vincent's Daily Echo

What would you give to make a dream come true if you woke to find yourself living a nightmare?

What would you feel if you could never again walk on a beach? Or go out alone in the snow…feel the stillness of a wood or cross a field?

And then, you found a way…

In 2009, my son was a successful young man with a bright future… until he was stabbed through the brain in an unprovoked attack and left for dead in an alley.

He was found almost immediately by passers-by who saved his life. By the time we arrived at the hospital, Nick was being prepared for emergency brain surgery. We were allowed to see him, for a few minutes, to say goodbye. He was not expected to survive…

Over the past couple of years, many in the blogging community have come to know my son and know…

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Please Share This Post!

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Check out Amy Reade’s latest book and pick up the ebook for only 99 cents.

amreade's avatarReade and Write

House of the Hanging Jade cover with USA Today (2)

Friends, my third book, House of the Hanging Jade, is just 99¢!

It’s also a Featured Ebook Recommendation today on BookBub. That’s an honor and a big deal for an author, and I’ve watched my sales numbers climb today as a result of the book’s exposure from BookBub. I hope you’ll consider sharing this with your friends and family and that you’ll reblog this post so we can get as many eyes as possible on the sale price and promotion.

Here’s the BookBub link: https://www.bookbub.com/books/house-of-the-hanging-jade-by-amy-m-reade?ebook 

Here’s the Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/House-Hanging-Jade-Amy-Reade-ebook/dp/B0138NHCMO/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1476655599&sr=8-1

Here’s the Barnes & Noble link: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/house-of-the-hanging-jade-amy-m-reade/1122454903?ean=9781601835581

Here’s the Kobo link: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/house-of-the-hanging-jade

Many thanks!

Amy

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The Emperor’s Second Wife (Rise of the Aztecs #3) by @ZoeSaadia Pre Columbian #Historical Fiction

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Cathy of Between the Lines has a fabulous review of The Emperor’s Second Wife (Rise of the Aztecs #3) by Zoe Saadia, one of my favorite authors.