Bring some magic into your child’s life!

We could all use a little magic in our lives now, right? And these times have been really tough on kids who have been missing their friends and fun during the pandemic. So this is the perfect time for author Monique Roy’s fantasy book for children to be released & available to bring into your child’s life! I’ve invited Monique to be my latest guest blogger to tell us about her book…

Laurel’s Marvelous Kingdom by Monique Roy showcases all the great elements of a fairy tale story – princesses, a beautiful castle and an enchanting forest setting, a handsome prince, a feisty witch, and what’s even more cool, is it includes a fun-loving pink bunny. There is drama, comedy, darkness, friendships, love, and more.

The idea for Laurel’s Marvelous Kingdom came from the desire to write an enticing, emotional, and comedic kid’s story using old-style fairy tale principles – princesses, a handsome prince, a beautiful castle setting, and some witchy craziness. I also wanted to teach the children who read my book an important lesson. In this case, the lesson being that everyone is unique and to respect the uniqueness of others.

Reading is an amazing and inspiring pastime. I hope this book enlightens you, let’s you dream, and your mind wonder. If you love it and hopefully, you will, please tell your friends about it. Share this story with others. You can learn more about me and my stories at www.monique-roy.com

You can buy the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Laurels-Marvelous-Kingdom-Monique-Roy/dp/1637282672/

About the author…

Monique holds a degree in journalism from Southern Methodist University in Dallas. She is also the author of a middle-grade book Once Upon a Time in Venice, historical fiction novel Across Great Divides, and historical fiction novel A Savage Kultur. 
Monique was born in Cape Town, South Africa, and her grandparents were European Jews who fled their home as Hitler rose to power. It’s their story that inspired her to write Across Great Divides, her first historical novel.
She resides in Dallas, Texas, with her husband and son. She also works as a freelance writer.

A Kid’s Book That Encourages Individuality!

A new author’s dreams come true!

Bringing a new author’s stories to life is very exciting to me, as a freelance artist, and when you work with someone who you click with it’s even more enjoyable!  That’s why I’ve asked author Hayde Romero to be a guest blogger and share with you how she came to write children’s books.  I’m so happy to have been hired as her artist and I think her stories will be fun & inspiring for young readers!  Here’s what she has to say about her newly published books….

The idea of The Adventures of Mimi and Lulu came to me early one morning as I snuggled with my daughter in bed.  I knew she enjoyed story time and so I thought, wouldn’t it be nice to have a story featuring her? Slowly, I started developing on that idea and pulled in another character, Lulu which is inspired by one of my closest friend’s daughter. And of course, they had to have a dog (Magellan)!

I decided these three characters would embark on adventures that took place anywhere in this and out of this world. But how would this ever possible? It was only possible in their dreams. So, when they fell asleep during sleepovers, they met in their dreams and the adventures began.  I also wanted these stories to have some sort of meaning behind them – to deliver a message of kindness.

I try to portray this in The Fallen Star and The River Mystery.  In The Fallen Star, Mimi, Lulu and Magellan help a fallen star get back home to her mom. And in The River Mystery, the girls and Magellan help with a dilemma their friend (the river) is having.  

ABOUT THE AUTHOR….

My English college professor once told me I was a good writer. And I believed her. From then, I started writing short stories and even wrote an entire novel. Writing is something I enjoy doing. Sometimes the stories flow with ease as I write them. Many other times, they simply don’t.

What I love the most is that I get to control the story and most importantly, the ending.

To order your copy of her new children’s book, click this link to purchase on Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Mimi-Lulu-Fallen-Mistery/dp/1726657833/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1543947568&sr=8-1&keywords=the+adventures+of+mimi+and+lulu

 

Anti-bully Bunny helps kids!

Art & stories are a great way to teach kids about compassion & life-skills.  This is one reason I love creating illustrations for children’s books, so when author Joan Decker

approached me to commission me to illustrate her anti-bullying story for kids, I immediately said YES!  The book is now complete and available on Amazon & Kindle so I invited Joan to be my next guest blogger so she can share her inspiration for her book with you…..

My name is Joan Decker, I’m a single mother of two son’s age’s 34 & 18 yrs. I am also a retired Special Ed teaching Assistant of 11 yrs. I began writing Poetry at the age of 16 yrs. old, it come’s so naturally to me. I have a compilation of Poems and will make it into a book soon. I’ve been an Advocate against Bullying since 2004, & I mentor children through Social Media. I was bullied as a young child after I had to start wearing glasses at age 7 yrs. old and hated them. We were poor, & my Mom had to use Medicaid for all doctor appointment’s, so my choice of glasses were limited to these ugly blue one’s with pointy corner’s. The very first day I wore them to school, children laughed at me , calling me name’s like ” Cat Eye’s” and “Four Eyes”, It made me sad. I can recall crying all the time and feeling like an outcast. So I mirrored Rosalina’s character (the bunny), after myself in my first book, BE A FRIEND NOT A BULLY: NAMES HURT. My youngest son Antonio was severely bullied since Kindergarten thru 6th grade, due to his Speech delay and quiet demeanor. He was physically and emotionally bullied everyday until I removed him in 6th Grade after being beaten by three boy’s. I then proceeded to Home School him, until he graduated in 2017. Antonio suffers from PTSD; no child should ever be traumatized in a school environment where he should be safe. I created animals in my stories to make each book kid friendly, keeping the bullying at only name calling, no violence. My focus being to inspire children to take pride in their appearance, to be strong in who they are. That bullies only have Power over you, if you let them. We live in a World where suicide is too common, and we as parents and as a society must bring Bullying of any kind to an abrupt end. This book is the first of a three part series, with the hope of giving emotional support to bullied children all over the world. I poured my heart and soul into each story and hope that I can make a difference in your child’s Life.

All Artwork (c)2017-2018 Lauren Curtis

 To purchase a copy:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07F7CGT4Q/ref=nav_timeline_asin?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

BE A FRIEND NOT A BULLY: NAMES HURT

This book is the first of a 3 part Series, to help children deal with bullying and diversity. As a Elementary teacher, I have seen first hand the negative effect it has on a child’s self-esteem. My message in each book is the same, be yourself and Stand True. We all have Special & Unique qualities that make us who we are inside. Rosalina Rabbit’s journey is about her appearance changing and while difficult in the beginning, she overcomes all the Name Calling and becomes Proud of how she looks.

THE NEED FOR EDITORS

As an illustrator, I’ve had the pleasure of working with many authors and publishers, so I know about the importance of editing. One of my most recent clients (and now friend) is the talented Kathryn Nevin (we’re doing a children’s book about her adorable dog Emmie Lou!), who is both an author and professional editor.  But being I’m the artist and not the writer, I’ve asked Kathryn to share her views on the need for good editing.  Here’s her words about your words….

Author/editor Kathryn Nevin & her adorable dog Emmie Lou

THE NEED FOR EDITORS

by KATHRYN NEVIN

Lately I’ve been interested in polling internet literature regarding the art of editing. Despite the outright dearth of related articles, what does exist seems to suggest that editorial review is not always necessary, complete with a whole range of tips on “do it yourself” editing. If you’re a good enough writer, most articles suggest, then you just don’t need an editor. Multiple programs to catch spelling and even grammatical errors litter the market. Although the reasons for hiring a professional editor vary, here are three good reasons to seek out editorial review: missing words, extra words, and repeated sentences. No matter how polished the writer, these blunders happen, and that’s where the human touch of editorial services comes in. You simply can’t turn in any document without having it professionally checked by a real-life person. Imagine your chagrin at missing something as simple as a cut and paste error! Imagine losing that job interview or scholarship over simple mistakes.

In addition, only a human reader is qualified to assess meaning. The author knows what she means to say, but does the reader? It’s easy to think we are communicating what we mean to say when we’ve been mulling it over and writing about it for hours or days. But is what you mean to say really coming across? Whether I’m a student or a business magnate, I aim to be understood. It’s crucial to my academic success. It’s paramount to my marketing campaign. I want people to get my message and I want to be sure the message is clear. If my reader grapples with any confusion as to why my notion or product can help them, it’s just not going to sell. I can run my message through spell check and a number of other programs, but the bottom line is: meaning requires human response. There’s just no getting around it. Editors are vital to the writing process and finished product. Without us, you may never know the power and the glory of an author’s intentions.

My online editing business, Eagle-Eye Editing, ensures that these mistakes and blunders will be caught. In addition to correcting spelling and grammatical errors, I have a particular ability to: – clean up clumsy sentence structure – simplify lengthy passages into clear, concise text – transform passive or stilted language into lively, active prose – ensure textual consistency, providing an even flow and tone of language.

Editing, then, is not just about catching mistakes. It’s also about refining and finessing language so that your particular voice as a writer can sail through clearly. My precision-driven style does all of the above, providing exceptional results. I work fast, but with great attention to detail, and always with an eye to achieving your goals.

I’m always happy to provide you with a resume, reviews, and a sample edit of your work to make sure you feel confident about using my service. To reach me, simply send an email to: klnproofer@gmail.com or if you prefer to call, my number is 302-384-3424. And be sure to catch me online at: http://www.facebook.com/eagle.editing. I look forward to working with you!

Best Regards,

Kathryn Nevin, MSW

Sneak peak to the up-coming children’s book Kathryn & I are doing…

My Name Is Emmie Lou (c)2015

New Sc-fi book “FOUR” kids

As a long-time  fan of sci-fi, and as an artist, I was thrilled when author Elmo Adams contacted me to illustrate his new book for kids (tweens – teens)!  I was equally as happy that he wanted hand-drawn artwork…too many people request computer generated art, which is awesome, but it’s nice to go “old school” and draw by hand.  My illustrations for this book were done in pen & ink with watercolor.

Thus started our partnership on FOUR, which is now available for purchase!  Here’s more information that Elmo provided along with links to the book & sneak previews:

FOUR – the BOOK

Have aliens visited Earth? Do they continue to do so?
I am sorry to say I donʼt know. Many people say they have and continue to do so.
Four is a story about two middle school students and two of their teachers. These four are rather “normal” citizens of Central Florida. They do not live far from the premier Fantasy Vacation World on Earth, but their lives are not screen plays. They are normal.
Until that all changes. A violent Florida afternoon thunderstorm causes the change when it cripples the vehicle of a spaceman.
The FOUR meet the man from space, and there is no going back to the world of normal.

Here’s the link for the book:  http://tinyurl.com/cfzc4r9

Click on “GOOGLE PREVIEW” for a sneak peak into these exciting adventures!

About the Author: (in his own eloquent words)

ELMO ADAMS, Born Kansas City, Missouri 1945.
A liberal arts Grad from Stetson University, Elmo is well qualified to listen to Public Radio and can often be found doing so. Put under pressure, he can also craft an English sentence and does that most weeks. This is often done at www.steampunklanding.com where he is the Viscount and Elmo would welcome a visit from you there.  (note: your blog host is the artist for Steampunk Landing!)
In addition to NPR, Elmo likes the great outdoors. He likes the Great OD best when it is of a civil nature as opposed to when it is manifesting its majesty by being a tornado, hail storm, or some such.

Likewise, the Viscount likes the Great Indoors. Again he is most charmed by the Great ID when it is managed by some efficient climate control.
Thanks for getting to know Elmo Adams a bit. Drop him a line and he will likely write you back as he does not have that many friends. Also his name is not very common so he is easy to find. For example there are only 12 people named Elmo Adams on Facebook. Two of them are black women. Elmo is not a black woman but thinks it is fine thing to be.
Ciao