A Few of My Favorite Blogs Part 8 of The Blog Party

Welcome to day EIGHT of my Blog Party!

Lots of really super great stuff going on this week! Come back every day to see what I'm going to give away next! Tomorrow, I am giving away Kindlegraphed copies of Linda Leander's book INZARED Queen of the Elephant Riders. Come back to see how many we have available and how you can win one!

Make sure to enter this contest for two printed, signed books, this contest for a book on how to make money with your blog, and to get your free gift here.

Today, my contest goes like this: If you will comment on ANY post on my blogger blog with your twitter handle and go add Ms. Ashley Howland's book Obi the Super Puppy and the Mystery of the Red Mist to your Wish List on Amazon, I will enter you in a drawing to win a copy of the book. When the winner is chosen, I will order you a copy via your wishlist. Like always, I will use random.org and a numbering system (based on your order of comments) to choose the winner. You can enter more than once in this way. You have until 11:59pm ET on 7/25/2012 to enter. GOOD LUCK!

If you would like to purchase a copy on your own, please go here. Check out YouTube videos of Ms. Howland's books! Ghostnapped! and Obi the Super Puppy and the Mystery of the Red Mist. Very cool! Connect with Ashley on LinkedIN as well or like her FaceBook page.

Now, some information about Ms. Ashley Howland and Obi the Super Puppy!

Bio:
Ashley Howland lives in Adelaide, South Australia. She and her dogs, Obi and Stitch, work for Labs ‘n Life, a nonprofit organization that works with youth at risk to train Labradors as autism assistance dogs (www.labsnlife.com). She is inspired to write by her husband Ross, her daughters, Maddy and Aijay, and of course, Obi and Stitch. They are a constant, endless source of material and happiness. She is also the author of Ghostnapped! Her next two books are The Homework Goblin, for young children, and a novel for teenagers titled It’s What You Do Next That Counts.

Synopsis:
Obi is a yellow Labrador who loves adventure, helping people and solving mysteries. He also loves his kids, Maddy and Aijay. This is the story of his first adventure, his new family and how a mysterious red mist entered into his life. The evil red mist has many scary abilities, it can possess animals and toys, but who is behind it? Obi and some new friends must save the day before it is too late. Maddy and Aijay listen patiently as Obi relives this amazing tale and they learn how their faithful friend became a real super puppy.





On to our regularly scheduled list of AWESOME blogs. As always, I will begin with Ms. Howland, my promo for today:

Her blog is filled with great author interviews and great information about being published as well as how she came up with her ideas for her various books:

Ghostnapped blog  On Twitter: @AshleyHowland

Another couple of author blogs:

Bonnie R Paulson  On Twitter: @bonnierpaulson
Diapers, Bookmarks, and Pipe Dreams  On Twitter: @KirkusMacGowan
JD Stockholm  On Twitter: @JD_Stockholm
Beauty and Books  On Twitter: @LazenBeauty

And a blog about books. I love reading this blog because it's full of useful reader information for writers. Go check out their smuggling ways:

The Book Smugglers  On Twitter: @booksmugglers

That's all for today, folks! Come on back tomorrow for more great giveaways and blogs! Until then, WRITE ON!

Jo

A Few of My Favorite Blogs Part 7 of The Blog Party

Welcome to day SEVEN! I do hope you go check out yesterday's post and enter the rafflecopter drawing to win a Kindlegraphed copy of Dee Ankary's book How to: Build a Profitable Niche Blog. Contest ends soon! There's still time to get a gift from Ms. Randi G Fine as well. Go check out Day 4 to see how. On to the excitement for today! Don't forget to come back tomorrow to see what else I'm giving away this week!

I'm going to give, to TWO lucky winners, a printed, signed copy of each of my books: The Abigale Chronicles - Book Two AND The Indie Author's Guide to: Building a Great Book. Enter the rafflecopter drawing below for your chance and GOOD LUCK!! I'm running the contest through Sunday and you can enter EVERY day in one way or another.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Share this link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/ZTVkMTU4NjQ4Yzg3MWYwZDU0MWRjMTAwM2NlZWFjOjQ=/   To invite your friends to enter.

Today, I bring you inspiration from a great lady, Ms. Kebba Buckly Button before I get to our hot blogs to follow. Enjoy!!

Bio:
Kebba Buckley Button is a corporate stress management trainer, holistic health educator, and pain-solutions therapist, who teaches people how to "trade in" their fatigue, stress, and pain for vitality. She sees stress as a sure route to illness, now or later, and energy- and stress management through personal balance as the primary key to wellness. Kebba is known as The LifeTools Ladysm. She gives people tools for feeling energized and wonderful instead of tired, tight, or in direct physical pain.   Kebba’s award-winning book, Discover The Secret Energized You, offers many ways for people to trade in their stress for energy.

Kebba works with groups and with individuals, teaching practical, memorable techniques for satisfied living: physical movements, breath techniques, emotional methods, mental processes, and spiritual approaches. She sees personal responsibility and choice of state as vital components of personal energy management.

Kebba has both Bachelors’ and Masters’ degrees in sciences. She spent sixteen years in both government and consulting engineering. A workaholic manager during those years, she discovered a number of health issues that medical doctors had no answers for. She thus became an energetic researcher of methods for managing the stress/energy balance and its impact on health. A certified instructor of Jin Shin Jyutsu for self-help, Kebba has had a Jin Shin Jyutsu practice and has offered personal-growth seminars since 1985. She was ordained in 2000 and now teaches meditation and spiritual direction seminars.  Her latest book is Peace Within: Your Peaceful Inner Core.

Kebba's columns, UpBeat Living and StressTips!, have appeared in One Planet magazine, ec Magazine, and Much Ado About Mensa. She is the creator of the Half-Minute Stress Management Methodsm, the UpBeat Living Energy Equationsm, and the RELF YourSelfsm technique. She has given seminars for such diverse groups as the American Association of Public Welfare Attorneys, American Mensa Ltd., American Business Women’s’ Association (ABWA), Business Networks International (BNI), Desert Christian Fellowship (Phoenix, AZ), IMPACT for Enterprising Women (Phoenix, AZ), Palo Cristi Presbyterian Church (Paradise Valley, AZ), Unity Business Network (Phoenix, AZ), Unity of Phoenix, and the law firm of Brobeck, Pfleger, and Harrison (San Francisco, CA). Connect with Ms. Button on LinkedIN here or on FaceBook here.

Her book Peace Within can be purchased here.

Synopsis:

This is the little carry-with-you book for people who want to grow their inner peace. If you have stress, it’s crucial to develop for yourself a solid core of Peace Within to go “home” to whenever you are stressed. Even if you have never found your peaceful inner core—yet—this book will help.  It’s full of inspirations, quotes, poems, song lyrics, and photographs that take you directly to Peace Within.  A deer nibbles snacks in Colorado.  A Presence floats across a frozen pond.  Waves play in Bermuda. Ripples of the Divine are everywhere, and so can be your Peace Within.

Peace Within, when you cultivate it inside yourself, has a dimension of connection to the Universal Divine, by whatever name you call it.  When you go to this level, not only will you feel relaxed, clear, and peaceful, you will also draw to yourself more of what you want in your life experience.  Your mind will be more and more clear, your blood pressure will balance, and those other nagging stress symptoms will fade.  Yes, you can feel true serenity!  Why not start the exploration NOW?

Like most of the authors I have spoken about on my blog, this one is also a blogger. On to today's AWESOME blogs to follow:

If you need daily inspiration and uplifting, visit Ms. Button's blog:

UpBeat Spiritual Living   Twitter: @kebbabutton
UpBeat Living

Ever been curious how a mom manages to write and write and still take care of her kids? Ever wonder what goes through our heads? Visit this blog for information:

Darci Cole Wife. Mommy. Writer.   Twitter: @darci_cole

Are you a Christian? Do you like following like-minded people? Give this blog a read:

Christian Writers Downunder   Twitter: @CWDownunder

This lady intrigued me so much, I couldn't help but follow her blog on musings, publishing, and writing:

Denise DeSio    Twitter: @TopBee

You'll get some great writing tips from this guy's blog. I love Grammar Friday posts and you will too!

Peter Faur    Twitter: @PeterFaur

Well, that's all for today, folks!! Until next time, WRITE ON!!

Jo

Reader Interview

On to the next prompt in the Author Blog Challenge... 

Find someone you know, either online or in the real world, who is a true bibliophile and interview them about their reading habits. Ask questions such as: 

How many books do you buy per month?

Five 

How many do you actually read?

Five 

What do you read?

Mysteries, Romance, Sci-Fi, Historical Fiction, Thrillers, Medical Myseries, Crime Novels, Young Adult 

Where do you buy your books?

Amazon now, I used to be a book club member. 

Who is your favorite author?

Mary Higgins-Clark 

What do you like about the author?

Her storytelling style is less descriptive. She doesn’t go into what color the floors are, grass is, décor style (unless setting an era). 

How often do you attend signings/readings? What do you enjoy about them?

Never. I’m  a reclusive. 

If you could ask their favorite author any question, what would it be?

Do you do any charity work for neglected or abused children? 

Which book has most recently surprised or delighted you?

Yassa. Because it’s historical fiction and I don’t usually read them. It was thrilling and unexpected. Out of the last ten to fifteen books I’ve read, it’s my favorite. I just couldn’t put it down. 

Of everything you’ve read so far this year, what would you most recommend?

I tend to recommend things that are freshest in my mind. So, I would recommend: Yassa by Jo Michaels, Intensity and 77 Shadow Street by Dean Koontz, and Exclusive by Fern Michaels.

What I learned from this interview is that people who buy tangible books, read them.

While you're on my blog, go check out the review I wrote for Ashley Howland's Ghostnapped!


That's all for today, folks! I hope you enjoyed reading this one!! Until next time, WRITE ON!


Jo

Book Review - Ghostnapped!

Book Review: Ghostnapped! By Ashley Howland

Get ready for a ghastly, ghost-hunting mystery that will chill the very marrow in your bones! Ashley Howland makes her debut with a sensational spectral adventure that will ‘fright and delight’ kids and teens everywhere. 

My Rating: three out of five stars

Ghostnapped! has a wonderful, weaving plot that caught me after just the first few pages and held me until the end. Trying to figure out what the monster was had me scratching my head and turning the page. This book will resonate with young readers everywhere. Alex’s adventure leads her to understand what it means to love your sibling and the book ends on a happy note. A good lesson for children.

However, there are a few errors in the writing that took me off guard. A few small things could be changed to give the story a smoother flow.

Overall, an enchanting read. I recommend it.

Synopsis:

Ten-year-old Alex loves to explore, but when her younger brother is mysteriously ghostnapped on their camping trip at the beach, it is up to Alex and her trusty Labrador, Thuds, to investigate her brother’s sudden disappearance. 

As she surveys the grassy hills and dangerous rocky cliffs near their camp, Alex uncovers a hidden secret to other disappearances that occurred at the very same campsite – over 50 years ago! 

A chilling mystery that can only be solved by Alex, Thuds, and a ghost girl named Susan, Ghostnapped! explores mysteries of the past, present and beyond the grave.

Ashley Howland grew up in Adelaide, South Australia, where she now lives with her husband, Ross, their daughters, Maddy and Aijay, and her faithful Labrador, Obi. When not writing or spending time with her family, Ashley is busy working for Labs ‘n Life, a non-profit organization that trains Labradors as assistance dogs.

If you'd like to purchase Ghostnapped! here are some links:

Ghostnapped! on SBPRA

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

For other books by Ashley Howland (@AshleyHowland) visit her author page here. To read an interview with Ashley done by me, go here.

That's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Surprise!

There's still time to join the Author Blog Challenge! If you haven't, just do it. Moving right along to today's prompt... 

What has been the biggest surprise about writing/publishing your book? What has been the most enjoyable or most memorable aspect?

My biggest surprise was all the different formats that were wanted by all the different e-book publishers. Why can there not be consistency? Geeze Louise!

I love that Amazon has started to crack down on allowing public works publishing. It clears the market for real books. When I heard that, I did an Emeril Lagassi style, "BAM!" in my head.

Take that, you profiteers of other people's work!

I have enjoyed the people I have gotten to know through my networking efforts. There are some great folks in the publishing world. Many of them can be found here. Yes, that's The Author Blog Challenge participant link. So what if I invited my friends to join as well?

I never realized what a wonderful community writers have formed around the globe. How great is it that I can talk to Ashley Howland in Australia, Lisa Cherry in the UK, and meet people from the US as well? I adore intelligent discussion and giving people a new way to look at things that they may not have considered. A number of them have returned and given back as good as they have gotten.

I enjoy talking with writers because they are almost always open to new ideas and constructive feedback.

I enjoy talking with artists because they have a different view of the world we live in and take the time to paint or draw it.

I enjoy talking with most people on most topics as long as their thoughts are original and not pulled from the main-stream way of thinking.

Many of the people I now know, I would not have met without networking or voicing of my own, rather skewed opinion of the world. I wouldn't trade it.

Since this post is short, I am going to take today to share with you all some of my photography and illustrations. I hope you enjoy the eye candy.

Illustrations shown large, original photograph in icon. First is colored pencil on black canson drawing paper. Second is india ink on hot press illustration board.

In tandem with today's post comes an interview with Ashley Howland, author of Ghostnapped! Tomorrow will be my review of the book.

That's all for today, folks, Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Author Interview with Ashley Howland

 Today, a little something extra for my readers.

Ashley Howland is the author of Ghostnapped! and Obi the Super Puppy and the Mysteryof the Red Mist. Welcome, Ashley! Thank you for stopping by to visit with us today!

You write children’s novels. What attracts you most to that genre?

I write for children because that’s where the pure enjoyment of reading begins. Reading was also so much a part of my childhood, I always loved getting a new book. This is something I have been able to share with my daughters and love every step on this journey.

  

Ghostnapped! is set in South Australia at Rapid Bay. Why did you choose that setting?

I started writing Ghostnapped! on a camping trip at Rapid Bay. A friend and I both wrote stories that weekend, it was great fun to go and explore the local area. When I got home and did some research into the old mine and the local habitat the story just kept evolving.

Where did the idea for your protagonist, Alex, come from?

Alex is a strong girl, she loves to explore and gets annoyed by her younger brother, who like lots of kids wants to be just like their older sibling. She developed along with the story, but there are certainly aspects of her personality that I can relate to.

Obi in Obi the Super Puppy and the Mystery of the Red Mist is patterned after your own dog. What is your favorite characteristic?

Obi is an amazing dog, he has always been a little bit different from other Labradors. He likes to sit and observe, or supervise as we now believe. It is so hard to put into words exactly what he does for the children he works with, but the best think about Obi is that no one gets missed.

You participate in Labs ‘n Life – a non-profit organization that works with autistic children (BRAVO!). How has that interaction shaped your writing?

Labs ‘n Life does so much, we train Labradors as companion dogs for children on the autism spectrum. However we also work with at risk youth to do this training, they are the ones who train the dogs for other families. This way so many people benefit from the training of a single dog. We also have a curriculum that centers on training the dogs, which can provide our students with credit into further study. This curriculum is rich in literacy development and in some ways this has helped shape my writing. I certainly get lots of material from the amazing dogs and students I work with.

Have you ever considered featuring an autistic child in any of your books?

I probably will at some stage, as I am currently writing a sequel to Obi, so it may happen. When I am writing I tend to just see where the book will take me, so you never know.

I see that you published Ghostnapped! with SBPRA. Can you tell us about your experience with them?

To get a book published is an amazing thing, I was very happy when Strategic took on both of my books. I have to thank them for giving me a go, there are some aspects I know other authors find difficult, but I tend to think along the lines of proving myself as an author. That is generally what Strategic are interested in. I have met the basic requirements of both books, in terms of numbers sold, so now I need to prove I can sell more books in order to have my next one published. For some authors this approach may seem difficult, and while it’s not easy I am happy to give it a go. 

 

What methods have you used for advertising your book, Ghostnapped!?

I have an author web page, Facebook page, twitter (@AshleyHowland), blog and a YouTube channel. I also have press releases and a YouTube video that were made by the publishing company. This advertising process is the most difficult, hopefully it is something I will get better at as I work on my writing. The publishing company has provided me with many ideas, it’s just trying to find the time to get things done, and after all writing is a hobby.

Have you considered a giveaway on Goodreads for Ghostnapped!? Why/Why not?

I have only just joined Goodreads, so I guess anything is possible. It is something I will be looking into.

Do you have any events (book signings, meet the author events, sales, etc…) planned?

I am hoping to be available to present some reading challenge medals at a few schools later in the year, this is something I really enjoy. I would also be more than happy to do book signings and meet the author events, it would certainly be an experience.

What types of things do you discuss on your blog?

At the moment I am doing an author blog challenge, so I have used a few of their prompts. This has given me a chance to blog about my writing process, and learn about the processes of others. I will  never claim to be a complete author, just someone who wants to share a story. Most of my blogs outside of the challenge tend to be about the dogs, and the crazy things they do.

Is there a specific message you’re trying to send with Ghostnapped!? What is that message?

I wouldn’t say there were any specific messages, but there were two themes that developed. I enjoyed touching on the natural rivalry between siblings. Now that I have two daughters I will get a lot more material in this area. It’s fun to explore that love/hate relationship brothers and sisters have. The other was an environmental theme that fit into the local area of the beach. 

What are some of the books you’re planning for the future? Where will we be able to find them?

At the moment I am editing two more children’s books. One if for younger readers and I am having a friend do some illustrations. I hope to begin the publishing process with this one towards the end of the year. The other will take longer, as it is more of a teenage novel, but one I am really enjoying. I am also writing that sequel to Obi, so I have lots of writing to keep me busy.

Thank you, Ashley, for taking the time to answer my questions. I wish you the best of luck with your books and look forward to having you back for a visit soon!

A review for Ghostnapped! will be appearing on my blog tomorrow with a synopsis so come on back for that.

That's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo