HOOK KIDS on READING
NOW FOLLOWS a Revamped PATH.
BOOK. . . News
WRITING. . .Ideas
MARGOT'S. . . Thoughts
W-H-A-T-E-V-E-R Grabs My Interest.
Hold onto your hair, mates,
not even The SHADOW knows!
**********
The Stolen Generation:
Australia’s Dark and Tragic Past.
Imagine your child playing in your front yard. As you watch through the window, a van of policemen pulls up. They take your screaming child away. You never see your child again.
Children who were very dark skinned were allowed to stay with their parents, causing many indigenous people to dye their children’s skin dark using the sap of the milkwood tree. However, if a child looked as if he had any white ancestry, he was taken away. Some, if they looked white enough, were adopted by white families. READ MORE:
As an Aussie myself (now living in the US), I was shocked and disgusted by the actions by my then government. I always knew that Aboriginals, like the American Indians, got a raw deal when the white settlers arrived and took over their land.
This is one reason I wrote Dreamtime Man. I wanted to show how the native Australian people struggled to survive, and how far they have eventually come in claiming their place, their cultural dignity, and their rights.
Final illo and verses from
'Dreamtime Man.'
Much time has slid past–many moons full and new,
Since the people of Dreamtime claimed old Uluru.
Tribes now are proud of their history and lore,
Some, willing and eager to claim even MORE.
Men dance old Legends while the Spirits inspire.
"Dreamtime" still leads them where white men can't follow,
Where the spirits of old offer hopes for tomorrow.
The stars here are the Southern Cross--seen only
south of the equator
****************
Margot Finke
14x Books for Kids--Skype Author Visits
'Content' Manuscript Critiques
My wonderful Grand-daughter Brittany
has just reminded me of what I once told her:
NEVER GIVE UP!
So what if Sunday, the first day of my Halloween giveaway, was a BUST--
I guess Facebook was not the right venue.
So today I am forging ahead with my Halloween HOT SPOT Giveaway.One FREE Kindle download to each day's WINNER
Oct27th through Oct 30th
EACH DAY I will give away
One Kindle download of
THE REVENGE of THELMA HILL
A young teen ghost mystery - chills and thrills galore!
to
The FIRST PERSON to give the correct answer to
MONDAY'S QUESTION
Oct 27th
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**To WIN Monday's KINDLE download of “The Revenge of Thelma Hill,”
answer this question correctly:
WHO DID I CHANNEL
WHEN I WROTE THE PART OF THE GHOST?
Answers go in the COMMENTS below.
Come Back Here
for A NEW QUESTION
every day.
****************************
Come explore the wonders of down under in this month's issue of Guardian Angel Kids Online Magazine - www.guardian-angel-kids.com.
Theme:
Aussie Animals
Featured Story:
Kangaroo Clues by Margot Finke
Poems:
A Spiny Guy by Ann Ingalls
Platyplay by Ann Ingalls
Nonfiction articles:
What is a Quokka? by Shari L Klase
Australia’s Endangered Animals by Sherry Alexander
Jellybean Joey by Laura Thomas
Activity:
Koalas Are Not Bears! by Barbara Cairns
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Best wishes,
Donna M. McDineMulti Award-winning Children's Author
Ignite curiosity in your child through reading!Connect with
Donna McDine on Google+A Sandy Grave ~ January 2014 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. ~ 2014 Purple Dragonfly 1st Place Picture Books 6+, Story Monster Approved, Beach Book Festival Honorable Mention 2014, Reader's Favorite Five Star Review
Powder Monkey ~ May 2013 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. ~ Story Monster Approved and Reader's Favorite Five Star Review
Hockey Agony ~ January 2013 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. ~ Story Monster Approved and Reader's Farvorite Five Star Review
The Golden Pathway ~ August 2010 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc.
~ Literary Classics Silver Award and Seal of Approval, Readers Favorite 2012 International Book Awards Honorable Mention and Dan Poynter's Global e-Book Awards Finalist
TRYING
TO PROMOTE YOUR BOOK?
ANY LUCK?
NO!
Then, allow me lend you my
Magic Wand.
PS:
You'll need to supply the imagination yourself.
I see so many of the same writers flashing the same book covers on Facebook,
Google+ and elsewhere. My DELETE button works overtime - I'll bet yours does too.
Then there are those that think reams of words are better.
Their covers are followed by mountains of text.
DELETE!
Wanna learn some MAGIC?
Wanna get attention for that book and cover?
Wanna halt that reflex delete?
The MAGIC WORD
"Snipping Tool"from Microsoft
Now you are ready to
LINE UP, COPY, PASTE, RESIZE, JUGGLE AROUND, ADD
BACKGROUND, TEXT BOX, PAGE COLOR AND BORDERS.
All this magic gives you a JPEG that is awesome.
You can SNIP anything from anywhere on the web - the whole page,
a picture, or only the exact part you want to use.
Snipping Tool Magic
lets you present your books in different ways on different days.
TOGETHER - SEPARATELY - WITH TEXT or WITHOUT.
REMEMBER
One memorable LOGO is worth 10,000 chunks of text!
TRY "SNIPIT"
IT'S AWESOME!
******************Books for Kids - Skype Author VisitsManuscript Critiqueshttp://www.margotfinke.com *******************
Prairie Dog Play Days - Includes Little Stinker & Bald Eagle Rules
Author: Margot E. Finke
Artist: Kathy Iler
Print ISBN: 9781616335182; 1616335181eBook ISBN: 9781616335199; 161633519X
The world is an oasis of discovery at your fingertips through reading and exploration. Margot Finke’s latest children’s book, Prairie Dog Play Days - Includes Little Stinker & Bald Eagle Rules, brings to life three American animals through their unique habitats and survival tactics with expert rhyme.
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The true to life illustrations by Kathy Iler provides a delightful glimpse into a world a human does not experience. Prairie Dog Play Days - Includes Little Stinker & Bald Eagle Rules is a terrific read to learn about the prairie dog, skunk and bald eagle with additional resources of enhanced vocabulary words and species class information. The humor and storytelling technique of Margot Finke is a sure win for reader, parent and educator.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Best wishes,Donna M. McDineMulti Award-winning Children's Author
Connect with Donna McDine on Google+
A Sandy Grave ~ January 2014 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. ~ 2014 Purple Dragonfly 1st Place Picture Books 6+, Story Monster Approved, Beach Book Festival Honorable Mention 2014, Reader's Favorite Five Star ReviewPowder Monkey ~ May 2013 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. ~ Reader's Favorite Five Star ReviewHockey Agony ~ January 2013 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. ~ Reader's Farvorite Five Star ReviewThe Golden Pathway ~ August 2010 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc.~ Literary Classics Silver Award and Seal of Approval, Readers Favorite 2012 International Book Awards Honorable Mention and Dan Poynter's Global e-Book Awards Finalist 
- Paperback: 118 pages
- Publisher: Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc (January 6, 2014)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1616334509
- ISBN-13: 978-1616334505
The adventure of a walkabout through the Australian outback told through the first hand experience of young Josh Howard will have the reader fully vested in the characters from the onset and turning the pages as quick as a kangaroo protecting its young.
Margot Finke weaves her masterful storytelling skills with sibling conflict, lies, a rekindled then broken friendship, and the treachery of surviving the Australian outback into an adventure like no other. The use of the five senses will surely make you feel as if you are traveling along with Josh and his aboriginal friend, Bindi.
Between the disconnect Josh feels toward is older brother, Tom, and the nagging feeling he may not be able to fully trust Bindi, his inner voice whispers to him throughout his walkabout with Bindi. Will Josh realize in time that not everything is as it seems and that he must be open to others cultural beliefs and viewpoints? Find out in Finke’s latest masterpiece, Trial by Walkabout.
Learn more about Margot Finke's writing career and critique services at http://www.margotfinke.com.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Best wishes,Donna M. McDineAward-winning Children's Author
Connect with Donna McDine on Google+
A Sandy Grave ~ January 2014 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc.Powder Monkey ~ May 2013 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc.Hockey Agony ~ January 2013 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc.The Golden Pathway ~ August 2010 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc.~ Literary Classics Silver Award and Seal of Approval, Readers Favorite 2012 International Book Awards Honorable Mention and Dan Poynter's Global e-Book Awards Finalist
When a reluctant grandson in Oregon is pressured into writing to his grandma in Australia, wonderful things happen. Both have a need for love and reassurance, and between letters their daily lives go on. Back and forth the letters go: Josh shares his problems, while Grandma Rose shares stories, and past memories that astonish her grandson and his friend Kelly. His Xbox gathers dust, while he and Kelly ride bikes and bird watch. Googling the weird and wonderful Aussie critters that visit Rose’s garden becomes a hobby for them. Soon, Andy and Grandma shrink the Pacific Ocean into a puddle they can easily ford.
There is a glossary of Aussie words and animals at the back of the book.
A SAMPLE from the Beginning:
CHAPTER ONE
Grandma Rose
On the other side of the Pacific Ocean, where water lapped the sandy eastern shores of Australia, Rose Larkin slept. She lived on the edge of the Queensland bush in a small town called Morningside. At sixty plus Rose was a light sleeper, so the sound of the rifle crack snapped her awake.
Silence. This was followed by the mutter of distant voices. Rose’s cat, Lady, sleeping at the foot of the bed, had not twitched a whisker.
“The same hooligans again I’ll bet,” Rose muttered, “Shooting at whatever moves.”
Stiff from sleeping, Rose threw on a dressing gown and headed for the back door. Outside the door she grabbed a long handled garden fork that leaned against the wall. She hefted it. Not a bad weapon – just in case.
A skimpy moon left the back yard in complete darkness. But Rose didn’t need a flashlight. Her feet had long ago memorized every pebble, dip, and curve that lead to the back fence. The voices now grew more distinct.
“Cripes mate, I killed somethin’!”
“Dumb git! You offed a ‘roo. The old biddy’s heard us for sure. Let’s scarper.”
The voices faded, lost in the far reaches of the wild bush area that backed onto Rose’s property.
Grim-faced, Rose reached the fence line. Soft scrabbling noises came from the bush side of the fence. Leaning the garden fork against a fence post, she hiked up her nightie and dressing gown. Climbing over the broken section of the fence wasn’t easy. Rose struggled. Then a tearing sound. Blast! My favorite nightie, too!
Finally, she made it over the fence and into the bush, hoping to find whatever was making those distressed rustling sounds. Aha… She peered down at the ground around her – dim and blurry. Stupid woman – forgot my glasses! Her toe hit something furry. Kneeling in the darkness Rose searched the ground with outstretched hands. She felt something warm and soft. Oh Lord, NO!
In front of her lay a still warm but very dead female kangaroo. Snuggled beside his dead mum, yet very much alive, was her joey.
“There, there,” murmured Rose. “Not to worry little mate. You come with me.”
It took a few more rips and tears to her nightie, but she finally got the joey over the fence and safely back to the house. Tucking him into a spare pillowcase, Rose hung the makeshift pouch on the back of a kitchen chair. His small head peeked out, all big ears and long snout, a wistful look on its face. The pillowcase, loosely knotted at the open end, was the best she could do to provide a pouch.
Oh-ho, he’s shivering. Mustn’t let the little bloke go into shock. Rose quickly filled a hot water bottle and slipped it into the pillowcase. A swift look through her winter woolies, and her young guest wore a blue beanie scrunched down over his ears. She had knitted the beanie last winter.
“That’ll have to do for now. First thing in the morning I’ll find out what to feed you. Then I’ll phone the police. I just hope they catch the hooligans that killed your poor mum.”
Rose, chilled to her toes, made herself a steaming cup of tea. The joey, blue beanie askew over one eye, ducked inside his makeshift pouch every time she ventured near.
AVAILABLE FOR KINDLE: http://www.amazon.com/Down-Under-Calling-Margot-Finke-ebook/dp/B00FZXORQK/
=========================
I want to thank Cheryl for allowing me to chat with her wonderful readers and introduce a book that means so much to me. Writing “Down Under” took me back to my long ago Aussie roots. It was a book I had to write, and it came right from my heart. In some ways it is a tribute to my mum. She was the most honest person I have ever known. Also a fantastic story teller, a terrific judge of character, and she always showed her love for me in caring ways.
Some of the stories Grandma Rose tells grandson Andy in her letters are ones told to me by my mum. Mum was shy, and only opened up to close friends or relatives. I know she would be delighted to know that I have connected her stories to a far wider audience. Mum is long gone. . . yet I still miss her a whole bunch.
Website: http://www.margotfinke.com
Young Teen and Picture Books + Manuscript Critiques and Help for Writers.
Download a FREE “Sneak Peek” inside ALL my books:
http://tinyurl.com/9npjy9n
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/margotfinke/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Margot10
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/margot.finke
COVER: I love this hand drawn cover that captures where Grandma Rose lives as well as Andy and his friend Kelly together. Cover artist Agy Wilson chose wonderful colors to attract readers and the drawing has a down-home style that works well for this book.
FIRST CHAPTER: Grandma Rose is awakened by the crack of a rifle. Grabbing a long handled garden fork for protection, she heads out to the fence line. Climbing over the fence, she discovers a mother Kangaroo has been shot and killed, but her joey is very much alive. Rose takes the joey back to her house to care for it. The next day, a letter arrives from Rose’s grandson, Andy, who lives in Portland, Oregon. She wonders if Andy would like to hear about her new animal friend and sits down to draft her reply.
KEEP READING: What I admire about Finke’s work is the way she pulls you in. The opening pages drop you right into the story, as Rose is woken in the middle of the night by the noise of the rifle. You feel her urgency to discover what has happened and the pain of her discovery. That is tempered by the introduction of Andy’s letter and Rose wondering what his mother did to con him into writing. This looks like it will be a great book and I want to know what happens next.
I purchased a copy of this book for my Kindle. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.
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WOW! What a lovely surprise to wake up to – your first chapter review of Down Under Calling!! Thank you SO much. And Awesome Agy Wilson did far more than that wonderful cover. She set up the whole book for Kindle AND CreateSpace. Agy truly is awesome, and thanks to her, the soft cover version will soon be available.
I am still floating around and thrilled to have Down Under finally published. I think my mum would also be proud of me. Right, Mum? Take your time answering. . .
Books for Kids – Skype Author Visits
http://www.margotfinke.com