Monday, December 30, 2013

Beverly Stowe McClure reveals the cover of her new book on Penny's Tales!




 A girl.
A dream.
An accident.
A dream shattered.

Ten-year-old Kate Taylor wants to be the star of her basketball team, Angels, but when her tooth is knocked out at one of the games, her goal is in jeopardy. Even though the dentist replants the tooth, her mother, who is also her coach, refuses to let Kate play unless she can come up with a way to protect the tooth.
 With the encouragement of her friends and teammates, Kate tries everything. She asks her sister, Zoe, how her boyfriend, Ray, protects his teeth when playing football. Zoe is clueless. Kate wears her friend Simon’s catcher’s mask to practice, but it’s too big and blocks her view of the goal. Kate stuffs cotton balls in her mouth and thinks she’s swallowed one. Nothing works.
 To add to Kate’s problems, Emily, the new girl at River Bend Elementary, is great at basketball. Kate worries Emily will be the star of the team. On top of that, Simon, the school brain, as well as klutz, says he plans to join the Angels, even though boys are not allowed.
 In the final game of the season, Kate faces a decision that will not only decide who wins the game, but whether she’s star of the team or not.
                                                              ###
                                                   Coming in January.
                                      The publisher is 4RV Publishing.

Author Bio:
Beverly Stowe McClure is the author of picture books, early readers, middle grade and teen novels. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, both national and North Texas. A fourth generation Texan, she lives in the country with two cats, and a variety of wild critters. 

Monday, December 23, 2013

Sarah Ashley stops by Penny's Tales





Forbidden to use her 'real' name by her children Sarah has been saying for years that she has a book "in her". Finally finding the time, she quite literally let the words flow as her first novel, Freeing Alex, was created, the characters coming to life on her laptop. She describes herself as a true Piscean with an over-active imagination and says that it took a great deal of courage to release 'Freeing Alex' however, motivated by her husband and family she finally took the plunge in August 2013.

'Freeing Alex' is the first book in the three part Alexandra Drake series, the second part, Loving Alex is complete, official launch date being 8th November 2013. Sarah is already working on Book 3, title to be announced on 8th November with anticipated publication during early 2014.

The series tells the story of the once abused and down-trodden Alex Drake, how her life is transformed following the legacy left to her by the woman she always regarded as "aunt".

The UK links to my books are below, both are available on .com as well.







My FB Pages, which has lots of extracts from the books, some full on inuendo, some not, is:


Twitter is :  @SarahEAshley1

Saturday, December 21, 2013

This Christmas buy a book for the kids in your life!


Ten-year old Andy Thompson disobeys his mother and sneaks into the basement of an old abandoned house that’s due for demolition. He stumbles upon a mysterious box under an old cabinet. And his troubles begin when he looks inside.

The Crew brothers, twelve-year old Jason, and ten-year old Danny, also find their way to the basement. New to town, Jason has established himself as the school bully. A struggle ensues between Andy and Jason, and the bully ends up as a toad.

Somehow, the boys must reverse the magical spell. And that means hiking up the dreaded Devil’s Mountain to find the only person that can help them.  Hike up Devil’s Mountain is fast paced, lots of action and has some scary, hair-raising turns on the way! There is a surprise at the end, you just don’t see coming.  The lives of all three boys seem destined to change forever, if they survive…




Twelve-year old Pam Simpson gets dumped on when her mother is called into work. She must cancel her plans for the mall to babysit her younger brother and his friend and take them to the public pool.  To make matters worse her cousin, Candy, is also coming over for the day.  She doesn’t even like Candy!

Much to Candy’s dismay, transportation to the pool is on inner tubes, floating down the canal.  One thing leads to another and it is Pam who, once again, must save the day.

When things couldn’t seem worse, the day takes a drastic turn for the better and it is Candy, and the float down the canal, that makes this the best day of Pam’s life!


The Wickware Sagas





Billy Cooper’s seventh grade class has been given a last minute, weekend assignment.  An oral book report, due Monday, on some stupid historical figure, he draws from a box.
Who the heck is William Tell?

Billy’s weekend is way too full to worry about some legend – that is, until he meets his subject face to face!



Jim Abernathy is the new kid at Langdon Middle School - and a bully. With the death of his mother, and his father having to work two jobs, Jim has been on his own for the last year. In that year, Jim has become a bitter and brooding young man. A new job in Phoenix is just what Jim and his dad need for a new start.

Miss Wickware, and all the students in her history class, get a dose of Jim’s surly attitude the second he walks through the door. Everyone holds their breaths when their teacher and Jim go nose to nose. Miss Wickware wins the first round.

The class must draw historical subjects out of a box and present oral reports on whom or what they have drawn. Jim draws Sybil Ludington. “Great, another seamstress!”

Jim’s ideas about women in history take a whole new turn when he walks out of class and into the Eighteenth Century and the life of Sybil Ludington.

Can snooty, seventh grader Kristy Sawyer’s day get any worse?  It’s a Monday at Langdon Middle School and first thing in the morning Kristy is sent to see Principal DeWitt. His long, drawn out lecture makes her late for Miss Wickware’s history class. But the worst is when she finds out she is being partnered with nerdy Larry Peables to do an oral report on some historical Molly Picture, or Pincher, or Pitcher.  And the report is due tomorrow!

Her plan to bat her eyes and flirt with the little nerd, sure that he will jump at the chance to do whatever she wants, blows up in her face when he flat refuses to do the research.  Her day takes a drastic turn for the worse when she and Larry find themselves in 1778, Trenton, New Jersey.  During their trip back in time, Kristy and Larry come face to face with the British, George Washington, become involved in the Battle of Manmouth, and of course, meet their oral report subject, the famous Molly Pitcher.

She has only Larry to help her figure out why they are there and how are they going to get home.


Sammy Brown, winner of the first junior sailing regatta for kids, ages twelve to fourteen, is walking on air Tuesday, after being absent the previous day, due to the race.  Miss Wickware, her history teacher, asks Sammy to stay after class because she needs to draw a subject out of a box and give an oral report on the drawn subject.

“UHG”  History and Sammy are not friends, but her good mood won’t be dampened until a fall and a bump on the head sends her back to 1814.  It’s her expertise in sailing that helps Francis Scott Key rescue an imprisoned friend from a British ship that leads to a historic battle and a famous poem!


Dylan Jones, seventh grader at Langdon Middle School lives the good life. His family has money. He gets most everything he wants.

Even so, everybody likes Dylan ’cause he is a happy go lucky kid.  Miss Wickware, his seventh grade history teacher, tells the class they will be studying the United States in the late 1800s for the next few weeks. Everybody will be expected to present an oral report on a subject that is drawn from a box. Dylan draws The Orphan Train.

A penniless Dylan finds himself at the train station in New York in 1875 and he is as scared and unsure as the children getting ready to ride the Orphan Train.

How will Dylan make it when money is nowhere to be found?

* * * *

Merry Christmas everybody and thanks for stopping by.  All my stories are in eBook form and they range from 99 cents to $2.50. Hike Up Devil's Mountain is also in print and audio form.  You can find them all at:



The Wickware Sagas can also be found at:



 

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

A Writer's Blog That's Not Just About Writing - Patrick J. Worden



A Writer’s Blog That’s Not Just About Writing
                                                              By Patrick J. Worden

Like many of us, I eased into the writing lifestyle. Kept my day job, wrote when I could, submitted sporadically, worked hard on improving my craft. It was years before I granted myself the tepid appellation “semi-pro.” Becoming a reasonably well-published author, novelist, and freelancer? That took decades.

Every career is different, no doubt about it. There are a few constants, though, or at least commonalities, that help define the expectations our readers and potential readers set for us. Head-strong individualistic creatures that we are, we might be tempted to defy expectations, and there’s surely nothing wrong with that. But do so cautiously, I’d suggest, lest it hobble your chances for success.

I learned that lesson the hard way, because for years I defied the expectation that every working writer should have a blog. Oh, I tried, to be sure. Enrolled in just about every blogging platform available in the Late Nineties and Early Aughts. I had no clear idea what to do with them, though, and inevitably turned each into an open, electronic journal, along the lines of “and HERE’S what I did today.” Within weeks, with every such attempt, I grew bored and disillusioned, and gave up. Soon I gave up on blogging altogether.

But here’s the thing about expectations: they don’t just go away. Every time I’d tell someone I was a writer, they’d say something like, “Great! Send me the URL of your blog!”

So round about early 2011, I decided to give it another go. This time, I vowed, I’d do things differently.
I began by thinking critically about blogging, and what I wanted from the process. The answer, simply and mercenarily enough, was that I wanted it to help further my writing career. So, I asked myself, what sort of blog might do that? At once I could see that the “daily diary” I’d tried creating so many times before was an absolute dud. If I found it boring, what might my readers think? 

My next idea was to tweak the diary format ever so slightly, and use my blog to report on my writing endeavors. I discarded that idea almost immediately. I was writing one book per year, roughly, and publishing shorter pieces just a bit more frequently. I couldn’t see myself generating enough bloggable content to keep an audience engaged.

What I needed, I decided, was a blogging subject, or at least unifying theme, that I could write about on a regular basis, that an audience might find interesting, and that I could spin occasionally into a bit of gentle self-promotion.

I’ll pause here to point out what’s probably already obvious: the ideas and solutions I’ve had (and continue to have) about blogging work for me. Are they right for you? I cannot say.
But again, there are constants and commonalities. For instance, every blog should keep readers coming back. That means frequent updates. How frequent? I recommend weekly, at a minimum. The blog should be easy to read, and visually appealing. Don’t go crazy with typefaces and backgrounds, lest reading it becomes a chore. Remember, you’ve got a lot of competition out there in the blogosphere. Clicking away from your page, and onto someone else’s, is one of the easiest things your audience can do. You’ve got to give them reasons to stay.

What I finally decided on was to occupy a niche—not necessarily writing-centric, but one with which I could occasionally discuss writing, when events warranted. And when I wasn’t writing about writing, I wanted to make sure I still had plenty of interesting content.

Thus was born Worden’s Cultural Deconstruction (pworden.com), which I subheaded “Culture critique, current events, and commentary.” With an e-colophon like that, I reasoned, I could concentrate on arts, literature, and the universe of pop culture (all things that I and millions of others find fascinating), but also stray into almost any other subjects that might tickle my fancy…up to and including relevant events in my own writing career.

It was a decent idea, I think, but even the best ideas don’t pull their weight unless they attract some attention. That’s what my blog needed: attention. It needed readers.

Here’s where the blog-slog begins. Because there’s no quick solution for building readership. It takes time, commitment, and constant effort. First and foremost, blog and blog often. Post quality content that’s well written and fun to read. Keep doing that, even if your hit counter is telling you that just you and your mom are the entirety of the audience.

Leverage social media. Build up a platform of friends and followers, and let them know every time you post. Be topical—find current events and trending memes that impact your niche, and opine upon them. And engage the blogging community. Find similar blogs, or even not-exactly-similar ones that you like, and read them, comment on them, and help promote them. Those bloggers are sure to return the favor.
As for platforms and tools available to today’s blogger, there are so many, of such varying utility, that I won’t make many recommendations, other than to say that if any of them seem interesting or valuable to you then give them a try. I will heartily recommend the Google Adwords Keyword Planner (https://adwords.google.com/keywordtool). You’ll need an Adwords account, but that doesn’t mean you need to create any costly advertising campaigns. The keyword look-up tool simply helps you find frequent Google searches, based on keywords you enter, that might help direct browsers to your blog. For instance, searching on the keyword “Culture,” I found that millions upon millions of people were Googling the phrase “What is culture?” every day. So I began tagging that very phrase in almost every post I wrote.

So where did this all take me? I won’t say my blog is setting the world on fire, but my readership has steadily improved. I’m getting about 400-500 hits per month, with noticeable spikes every time I post something new. Archived posts are pretty popular too, which validated my commitment to create good stuff even when no one was reading it. And at last count, I had about 1,500 subscribers. Not too shabby.
These days my blog has morphed from a self-promotion platform, to a central part of my writing life. I spend a lot of time planning content, I truly enjoy writing it, and I love the reception it gets. For someone who once foreswore blogging completely, I’m happy to now self-identify as a blogger. In fact, I’m as a happy to think of myself as a blogger as I am a working writer.

So for any other working writers out there who might be looking for a leg up, I heartily recommend the blogging life. I won’t say you should follow my program to the letter—in fact, I’d urge you to chart your own course. But hopefully my lessons learned might guide you a bit. The only advice I’m sure applies to us all, and it applies to all our writing, is this: Go for it. Happy blogging, and happy writing.

-Pat Worden (http://www.amazon.com/Patrick-J.-Worden/e/B002JB732Q/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1) is the auther of several novels, collections, and non-fiction books. He blogs frequently on culture and current events at Worden’s Cultural Deconstruction (http://pworden.com). He lives with his wife and daughter in Northeast Ohio.

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Alex Smith presents Planet Rush, Beginnings on Penny's Tales





Blurb:  In a universe far away their is a group of intergalactic protectors, the Intergalactic Order. The Intergalactic Order protects not one nor two but three galaxies so to do so they must train soliders. These soldiers are pulled from their planets as teenagers and trained four the next four years to protect and serve. Like any type of military, the Intergalactic Order has a set of soldiers that are trained to handle the more delicate situations that a rise between planets. These soldiers are known as Squadron students and are seen as the best of the best. These Squadron students are look up to but all pale in comparision to the highest of the high Squadron Alpha.

Excerpt: Olympus Academy play’s host to 3 different galaxies and when the Squadron Program is restarted, only the Squadrons will study on the planet their first year.  The next year the standard Intergalactic Order students return to the planet to train with the Squadron members. The Squadrons are the best of the best, the people who create legends and are valued above all for a very good reason. Why? We may never know but the Intergalactic Squadron Program is a cherished tradition and only the beginning of certain students lives.


Monday, December 16, 2013

Shane Almond, of Nocturnal Press Publications, stops by Penny's Tales


I am very excited to have Shane Almond on Penny's Tales today.  Not only is he a talented author, he also is the CEO, Owner, Big Kahuna of Nocturnal Press Publications!






  1. Tell us all about yourselves and what makes you tick and what do you like doing when you aren’t writing!

“When I’m not writing, I like to watch tv, movies as well as wresting and football. I also enjoy going to nice restaurants with my fiancée.”

2.  Tell us about your family – married?   Kids?   Where you live!

     “At the moment, there’s just me, my fiancée Jaynie and our two cats Rebel and   Precious. But by My next year we will have a new addition to the Almond clan, our first child.”

3.     If you could travel anywhere in or out of this world, where would it be?

“In England, I would love to go to Devon. Always loved how beautiful the scenery is over there. I went to one of the places abroad two years ago, when we went to Greece for a week. My other tow would be Florida and Rome.”

4.     What is your favorite all time movie?

“That’s a toughie, but for all time I would have to say the original Clash Of The Titans or The Never Ending Story.”

5.     What about weekly TV show?  Why?

“I don’t have one, as I love so many it would be a long list haha! If I was to choose a few right now though, I would say Supernatural, 2 Broke Girls, The Big Bang Theory, TNA Wresting and WWE wrestling.”

6.     What is the most scared you have ever been?

When I was seven, I was stung by a queen wasp. She was huge! Ever since then I have been petrified of wasps to the point when I will leave a room one is in.”

7.     If you could have any fantasy, what would it be?

Again, I have a few, but my ultimate would be to meet Stan Lee. I grew up reading Marvel and I think the guy is such a genius.”

8.     Now, Tell us about your book?

Well first off, my book isn’t repeating old legends and myths; it is continuing Greek and Norse mythology. I have added new gods, heroes and creatures in The Last Child of Asgard trilogy. I was also told by a reviewer that my book is Harry Potter meets Percy Jackson!”

9.     Where did you come up with the idea for your story?

“When I was a kid, my dad would record classic movies like Jason And The Argonaughts, (can never spell it lol please edit the title to be spelled correctly Penny J) Clash Of The Titans and Hercules for me and after school each night I would watch them before bed. I then started studying Greek mythology at school at fell instantly in love with the genre. I have always loved mythology but it was when writing The Last Child of Asgard, that I decided to continue mythology with new legends.”

10.  What is your favorite thing about writing?

“I love the feeling I get when somebody has read my book and I can tell that they enjoyed it. There is no feeling like it.”

11.  What is your biggest pet peeve about writing?

“I like many authors absolutely hate writer’s block! I also do not like the way a self published author because they aren’t that well known, can struggle to sell their awesome books.”

12.  Do you have a favorite author?

“Yes, my all time favourite would be Tolkien without a shadow of a doubt. I also like JK Rowling and Rick Riordan.” 

13.  Where can people find you? (give all your links)

You can find me and Nocturnal Press at:
and twitter @nocturnalpress


14.  Most important – where can we buy your story?






Synopsis:

When a dairy factory heist goes horribly wrong, fifteen year old Maximus Turner’s life is changed forever. He discovers that he is the two-tone godly son of the Norse goddess of serenity; Fridr and the Olympian god of the sun; Apollo.

No sooner than he is told, his father is taken from him and he ends up an orphan. He is enlisted into Moonrise Academy for Heroes and demigods and vows to make his father’s killer die at his hand, the only problem is that the killer is a god.

Add to that a mysterious prophecy that foretells of a final battle on Mount Olympus, it is plain to see that Maximus Turner’s journey is only just beginning and in Delta, he discovers something else; he isn’t only a warrior, he’s a Leader!

Saturday, December 14, 2013

Merry Christmas from Penny



We have been retired and living at Estelleville for some time now.   
This will be our fifth Christmas up here.   
Time flies when you’re having fun.  
 I have been reflecting on what we had then and 
what we have gained in these five years     
  
 
Let's see............

Then

Now




Then (electricity)


 Now - wood  (no electricity)




Then - Fifi  (Pedigree)

Now - Blacky




Then - a whole lotta "yes"


And Now............(just kidding honey, I love you)


Reflection may not be the way to go at Christmas time.  Depression could set in!

This is Jim and I wishing all of you a very

  Merry Christmas
and a 
Wonderful New Year!



Mel Massey stops by Penny's Tales


EARTH'S MAGICK 
Book 1 ~EARTH~ 
Release date is December 3, 2013.
 Available on Amazon and Solstice publishing


Life in Trinity Hills, Texas goes from normal to deadly for Mela Malone. Whenever Mela falls asleep, a mysterious Hag creature tries to kill her. What begins as dabbling in protective spells from an ancient Grimoire, leads to her initiation into an ancient order of warrior witches known as the Elementai.
Mela learns war is coming with The Darkness and the Hag is only one of the evil creatures in its service. As an Elementai, Mela learns it’s her duty to find four part-human sisters who can help defeat the evil that threatens to return to the world.  With every new discovery, Mela uncovers ancient secrets that complicate her quest further. 
As war approaches, everyone must make a choice - fight with the Elementai for all life on Earth, or fight for The Darkness…
EARTH'S MAGICK Book Trailer:

Mel Massey studied Cultural Anthropology and History of Religion.  Her husband serves in the United States Army and she is the mother of two adorable monsters.  Mel spends most of her time talking to her imaginary friends.
Mel Massey on Twitter: @melmmassey

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Sal Barbera's tour stops at Penny's Tales





About the book:
The story of "Mary Elizabeth The Spotless Cow" takes us on the journey she travels to figure out how to get the cows at a new farm to like and accept her.
While she hopes to find friendship at her new home, instead she learns what it means to be different from everyone else. (Spotless!) Mary Elizabeth uses clever ideas and a sense of humor to help her on her quest for friends at the new farm.
This inspiring tale shows how perseverance in spite of obstacles, using a sound thought process to arrive at solutions and the importance of having fun, using humor and enjoying playtime can build friendships.
When you buy this book, 50% of net proceeds go to Phoenix Children’s Hospital Child Life Program to make a difference in the lives of children with critical and life threatening illnesses.




Excerpt:
Once upon a time........there was a farm in Ohio with lots of Cows. They all had many spots to be proud of. One day a truck pulled into the farm. The back door opened and out came a new Cow. The other Cows were so excited to have a new friend!
But as the new Cow came out of the truck the other Cows looked on in shock!!! "Oh My!’’ ’’What on Earth?!"
It seems the new Cow, whose name was Mary Elizabeth, had no spots!
’’Where are your spots??!!’’ Demanded the Cow called Anna Belle. ’’I don’t have any spots. I was born spotless, you see.’’
Well, Anna Belle and the other Cows were horrified.
(Not mad, you had to be very careful about mad)
Watch the trailer: http://youtu.be/72fOn1tEbDM
Purchasing information: From now through December 31, 2013, you can purchase Mary Elizabeth The Spotless Cow from the Sweetles website for only $12.00 (List price: $17.99).
When you buy this book, 50% of net proceeds go to Phoenix Children’s Hospital Child Life Program. Visit http://www.sweetles.com/product/books/mary-elizabeth-the-spotless-cow-book/ for more information.

About the author:
Sal is the author and illustrator of “A Sweetles Dream”® book series. As the Creative Director for Hartman-Barbera llc, a family media & entertainment company, he is also an animator, sculptor, painter and all around fun guy. Sal lives the phrase: “A day without laughter is a wasted day”. To that end, he uses his writing, illustrating and animation skills to create endearing characters and comedic stories.
Sal's sense of humor and empathy for his characters explore personal and social situations in ways that makes it enjoyable for both adults and children to experience together. Born in New York City, Sal moved to North Bergen, NJ where he grew up on a steep hillside neighborhood with his four older sisters. He currently lives in sunny Arizona with his wife and artistic partner, Sheri, who he defines as his inspiration. On any given day Sal might be painting, sculpting, drawing, animating, writing or enjoying one of his favorite pastimes: cooking, television, movies and golf.
Visit Sal Barbera’s website at http://www.salbarbera.com.


Rafflecopter code for those participating in $25 Amazon gift card giveaway from November 4 – December 10, 2013:
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Mary Elizabeth The Spotless Cow Virtual Book Tour Schedule

October 1st
Interview at Blogcritics
October 2nd
Book spotlight at The Writer’s Life
October 3rd
Book spotlight at As the Pages Turn
October 4th
Book review at Alicia Finn Noack
October 7th
Book spotlight at Literarily Speaking
October 8th
Book spotlight at Between the Covers
October 9th
Book spotlight at The Book Rack
October 10th
October 11th
Guest post at Paperback Writer
Book spotlight at Review from Here
October 12th
Book spotlight at 4 the Love of Books
October 14th
October 15th
Book spotlight at Beyond the Books
October 16th
Book trailer reveal at If Books Could Talk
Book spotlight at Broken Teepee
October 17th
Book review at Lynn’s Corner
October 18th
October 21st
Book review at My Devotional Thoughts
Book review at Deco My Heart
Book spotlight at A Year of Jubilee Book Reviews
October 22nd
Book review at 4 the Love of Books
October 23rd
October 25th
Book review at Mary’s Cup of Tea
October 28th
Book review at Thoughts in Progress
October 30th
Book review at Maureen’s Musings
October 31st
Book review at Blooming with Books
Guest post at Lori’s Reading Corner

*

November 4th
Book spotlight and giveaway at Katie’s Clean Book Collection

November 5th
Book spotlight and giveaway at Book Marketing Buzz

November 7th
Interview at Story of a Writer

November 8th
Book spotlight and giveaway at Plug Your Book

November 13th
Interview at Broowaha

November 18th
Book spotlight and giveaway at Literal Exposure

November 19th
Book spotlight and giveaway at The Busy Mom’s Daily

November 20th
Book spotlight and giveaway at Janet Ann Collins’ On Words

November 22nd
Book spotlight and giveaway at Library of Clean Reads

November 27th
Book spotlight and giveaway at The Children’s and Teens’ Book Connection

*

December 4th
Book spotlight and giveaway at Ramblings of a SAHM

December 5th
Join the book discussion at PUYB Virtual Book Club
December 9th
Book review at Library of Clean Reads

December 10th
Interview at Examiner

December 12th
Book spotlight at Penny’s Tales

December 13th
Book review at This Little Book of Mine

December 17th
Book review at WV Stitcher

December 27th
Book tour highlights at The Book Rack

TBD
Book spotlight at Bluebell Books


Want to host this author? Email Cheryl at ccmal(at)charter(dot)net!