Category: Book Reviews

Musiville

Published on by macjam4727 Comments

Written by Nicolas C. Rossis

Illustrated by Dimitris Fousekis

Musiville My Review

Nicholas Rossis has done it again with his new children’s book Musiville.  The characters in this wonderful story are part animal and part musical instrument with descriptive names like Drumopotamus (drum + hippopotamus) and Pandiano (panda + piano). They all live in a little village called Musiville where they can play whatever they want. However, they soon learn that everyone playing a different tune at the same time results in nothing more than a loud unharmonious ruckus.  This ruckus brings the rats out from underground and the village starts to crumble. Maracerus (maraca + rhinoceros) cannot take the noise any longer and a meeting is called where it is decided they need a conductor.  When the conductor is chosen, it is up to him to choose what music is played, and with everyone playing the same tune, harmony returns to Musiville.

The clever illustrations by Dimitris Fousekis will delight children, as will the names of the animals.  There is an appendix in the back of the book to help with the identification of the animals.

What I really liked about Musiville is the lesson learned when everyone comes together and is considerate of one another.  It is perfect for reading to younger children, as well as for older children.  I give Musiville five stars.

About the AuthorNicholas Rossis

Nicholas Rossis lives to write and does so from his cottage on the edge of a magical forest in Athens, Greece. When not composing epic fantasies or short sci-fi stories, he chats with fans and colleagues, writes blog posts, walks his dog, and enjoys the antics of two silly cats, one of whom claims his lap as home. His first children’s book, Runaway Smile, won the Gelett Burgess Children’s Book Award, among other distinctions. You can check it out for free on his blog.

You can check out his second children’s book, Musiville, on his blog.

He has also written the epic fantasy series, Pearseus. The final book in the series is currently penned.

Many of his short stories have appeared on various collections and anthologies. He has published two collections; The Power of Six and Infinite Waters, which was voted as one of the best 50 Indie books of 2015.

Nicholas is all around the Internet, but the best place to connect with him would be on his blog, http://nicholasrossis.me/

Anyone interested in his books can check them out on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Nicholas-C.-Rossis/e/B00FXXIBZA/

People can read Runaway Smile for free on http://nicholasrossis.me/childrens-books/

or buy it from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Runaway-Smile-fairy-unshared-wasted-ebook/dp/B00QQC2YLY/

Other places to connect with him include

 

Request an authorgraphed copy of Nicholas’ books

MEET THE AUTHOR: Ann Morris (author of bilingual children’s books)

Published on by macjam473 Comments

Children’s author Ann Morris on Bette Stevens Meet the Author

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

Ann Morris (bilingual children's books author) Ann Morris (bilingual children’s books author)

I met author Ann Morris on Facebook; and being a former ESL (English/Second Language) teacher in middle-school as well as a teacher to students from diverse cultures throughout the globe myself, I’ve had an active interest in following Ann. Today, I’m delighted to have Ann Morris join. She’ll  fill us in on a bit of her personal history and tell us about her latest book, Everything is Different. So let’s meet the author!

It’s wonderful to have you with us to day, Ann. To start off, tell us a little about yourself.

I am a small town Iowa girl (USA) and always have the mentality that I like to know people and try to make a difference in whatever I do. I was encouraged to write by my mom, who had always loved to write. She guided me with ideas, resources, and encouragement…

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Dancing to an Irish Reel

Published on by macjam4730 Comments

By Claire Fullerton

 

Dancing to an Irish ReelBook Blurb

On sabbatical from her job in the LA record business, Hailey Crossan takes a trip to Ireland for the vacation of a lifetime. What she finds is a job offer too good to turn down.

But her life in Ireland comes with one complication—Liam Hennessey. He’s a famous Irish musician whose entire life revolves around performing, so when he meets Hailey, he is so unbalanced at the prospect of love that he can’t decide whether to come closer or run away.

And so begins the push and pull of Hailey and Liam’s attraction. It is a dance enriched by colorful Irish friends who help Hailey navigate her budding romance with Liam in a landscape with more charm and character than any place Hailey ever imagined.

Publisher: Vinspire Publishing

Publication date, March 6, 2015

Page count; 236

Genre: Fiction

ISBN-10: 0990304256

ISBN-13: 978-0990304258

My Review

Dancing to an Irish Reel is written in the first person of Hailey Crossan, the main character.  Hailey arrives in Connemara, Ireland on vacation, but when offered the job of a lifetime at a music company, she extends her vacation. Through Hailey, we learn about the people of Connemara, their language, their country, and their music.

Hailey is a strong person who tends to tell it as she sees it. She is not afraid to explore on her own, or travel by herself.  When she meets Liam Hennesey, an accordion player, she immediately feels an attraction.  Liam has a slow way of pursuing Hailey, but he is definitely interested. However, he seems uncertain of their relationship.  There is a lot of hesitancy and on again, off again in their relationship, and even at the end, we aren’t sure where the relationship will go.

The author is a master at rich description allowing us to immediately feel at home in Connemara.  Her vivid descriptions are what drew me in from the first.  The plot evolves with slowly, leaving us to savor our visit with the land and people of Ireland.

This book was given to me by the author in exchange for an honest review.

About the AuthorClaire Fullerton in front yard with dogs Dec 28 2011

Claire Fullerton is the author of “Dancing to an Irish Reel” (Literary Fiction) and “A Portal in Time,” (Paranormal Mystery), both from Vinspire Publishing.  She is a 4 time, award-winning essayist, a contributor to magazines (including “Celtic Life International” and “Southern Writers Magazine”) a former newspaper columnist, and a 5-time contributor to the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” book series. Claire hails from Memphis, Tennessee and now lives in Malibu, California, with her husband and two German shepherds. She has recently completed her third novel, which is a Southern family saga set in Memphis.

Website

 http://www.clairefullerton.com

Social Media Links

Author Facebook page:  Link​

Dancing to an Irish Reel – Facebook page:    Link​

​Dancing to an Irish Reel – Google+ page:  Link

Claire’s blog: Link​​

Follow Claire on Twitter: @cfullerton3

Claire on Pinterest:  Link

Excerpt link http://www.clairefullerton.com/dancing-to-an-irish-reel

Available on: Amazon.com     Amazon.co.uk     Barnes & Noble

 

Calling All Children’s Books Authors – Special Needs Children Need Your Books!

Published on by macjam476 Comments

A worthy cause.

jjspina's avatarJEMSBOOKS

Bird from Twin Lakes Civitan

Hi fellow authors!

I recently received a message from a lady, Angie Smith, who is looking for books up to grade six level for special needs children. She is the secretary of Twin Lakes Civitan, a non-profit organization that helps people of all ages who are in need of assistance. Above is their adorable snake reading a book and below their logo!

Twin Lakes Civitan

Angie asked me if I could spread the word about this organization and help in some way to obtain the much needed books for their special needs children to get them up to their reading levels. I told her I would be happy to send some of my books to her. All most authors want in return is a review. This she said she would make sure is done for anyone who donates a book or books.

Please visit their website and you will see the good things that they do to help…

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6 Tips to Encourage Your Child to Read

Published on by macjam472 Comments

Give your children a gift that will last a lifetime. Give them a love for reading.

Dayne Sislen, Children's Book Illustrator's avatarDayne Sislen Children's Book Illustration

These six steps will start your children on the road to a lifetime of learning and reading.

  1. Read to children as often as possible. If you expose them to reading early and often, it will become a pleasurable experience they will want to repeat when they read on their own.
  2. Picture books can help struggling readers to comprehend a story before they can read all the words. Let them enjoy the process, without getting bogged down with the exact words. Let children ‘pretend to read’ using the pictures for guidance.SCBWI_Postcard_sm_sq_WP
  3. Encourage young children to write and illustrate their own stories. Children have great ideas, make sure they are able to express these ideas freely.
  4. Set aside family reading or story time. This can be a read-aloud by the parent or by an older child. As children get older, this time can set aside just for independent reading, for adults (yes, you too)…

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Book Club Resources

Published on by macjam471 Comment

If you belong to a book club or not, you should read this post by Amy M. Reade on her lovely blog Reade and Write. She lists sources for questions to help you explore your reading more deeply.

amreade's avatarReade and Write

lypad

I’ve got book clubs on my mind this week. My first novel, Secrets of Hallstead House, is being discussed at the inaugural meeting of a local book club during March and they’ve invited me to attend (woo hoo!). Once the meeting is over I think I’ll join the book club (because I already know I love their taste in books).

Recently I tried to join a pop-up book club which meets at a hotel about a half hour from my house. They meet for three months a year and this year the topic is Ernest Hemingway. They’re reading The Sun Also Rises by the man himself, The Paris Wife by Paula McLain, and Hemingway’s Girl by Erika Robuck. Alas, the book club was full by the time I heard about it, so I’m on the wait list and it doesn’t look like they’re going to have any open slots…

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How Many Users on Social Media?

Published on by macjam474 Comments

Interesting numbers for social media followers.

Nicholas C. Rossis's avatarNicholas C. Rossis

From the blog of Nicholas C. Rossis, author of science fiction, the Pearseus epic fantasy series and children's books illustration found on mrgmi.com

The Social Media Hat recently published the latest numbers for social media users.

So, how many active monthly users does each social medium have?

Facebook: 1.55 billion

As expected, Facebook is the largest and most active of all social networks.

YouTube: 1 billion

As YouTube hasn’t published any statistics since 2013, this number may actually be an underestimate. Still, 1 billion. Not bad for a social medium first launched in 2005.

Google+: 540 million

This came as a surprise. People keep saying that Google+ is a ghost town. And yet, in less that three years, it has surpassed Twitter and LinkedIn to become the third largest social network in the world.

Instagram: 400 million

The most impressive thing about this is how fast Instagram has risen.  Launched in 2010, it reported 200 million active monthly users in March of 2014. By December, they were reporting 300 million. After another…

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Emails Getting Out of Control!

Published on by macjam471 Comment

Janice Spina has some tips for solving the issue of too much email.

jjspina's avatarJEMSBOOKS

image

I find that I am drowning under thousands of emails a week! My emails have multiplied over three years from a manageable hundred to thousands a week in the time I have been involved with social media. I spend so much time doing emails each day that I find there is no time to do what I love to do – write!

What Am I doing about it?

First, I have started by erasing all emails from stores I have shopped where I was asked to give my email and went to their sites and stopped notifications. They always ask for my email. I will no longer share my email. Lol! Just go to unsubscribe at bottom of each store email page and click.

image

Second, I am going to social media and opting out of as many extra curricular sites on Twitter, FB and other social media. In the beginning…

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