Good Morning, my lovely readers,

I hope your weekend is going great for you.
Just a few quick updates this AM.

Book 5 is coming along nicely. I thought I might be at the halfway point before, but there was too many strange things happening. Max, his family and friends are on a rollercoaster of trouble and danger. I might be at the halfway point now, but you never know. ;) Either way, book 5 will be for you in the next couple of months.

On the front page of the website, chapter 1 of books 1 - 4 are free to read right now. Go read them! :) If you like what you've read, the books are available on Amazon (& other online retailers) in ebook and paperback. A review, a share, a link or anything similar is always appreciated.

I think that's it for the moment. I'll be switching up the site here and there, adding things, etc. Stop by any time or you can visit any one of my social media sites and say hello.

Have a great day, my friends! May it be good to you and yours.

K. :)

Good Morning, lovely readers,

In browsing through The Writer magazine, I came across this lovely profile & article on Jacqueline Woodson. Have you read her books, Brown Girl Dreaming or Miracle Boys?
Check out the profile and article below. And for you writers out there, she gives some wonderful advice for MG & YA.

Jacqueline Woodson compares the writing process to pregnancy: A story seeds, gestates and takes form in the author’s psyche before being delivered onto the page. And if you stick with the well-known “birth a book” metaphor, you could say Woodson has a rather large family: In the last 25 years, she has become the proud parent of more than 30 works of fiction, poetry and nonfiction for children and young adults. The prolific author, who usually works on two or three books at a time, crafts vivid prose and poetry that have won many awards, including the Margaret A. Edwards Award for Lifetime Achievement. After publishing the memoir Brown Girl Dreaming last fall, Woodson decided to take a rare break from the work.“While writing the book, I became conscious of all these connections to many of the other books I’ve written,” she says. “I realized Coming On Home Soon came from the time my mom went to New York and left us with our grandparents so she could find a place to live, and that Locomotion was connected to the moment in fifth grade when I realized my dream of becoming a writer would become a reality. I decided to stop writing until I could start again from a place where I wasn’t too aware of where the story was coming from.”

Brown Girl Dreaming is made up of short poems that tell of Woodson’s growing up in the American North and South during the ’60s and ’70s when the legacy of Jim Crow gave rise to the civil rights movement. The memoir, which Woodson describes as “a book of memories of my childhood,” explores the separations and losses in her family, along with the triumphs and moments of tenderness.
“There isn’t much precedence for the kind of writing Jackie does,” says author Veronica Chambers, who reviewed Brown Girl Dreaming for The New York Times. “There are the mega books – the Harry Potter series, the Roald Dahls, books that become movies – but in terms of literary fiction that is also accessible and offers thoughtful writing for children, there isn’t a huge group of people doing this, especially in terms of sharing the same gender and skin color.  When Virginia Hamilton won the first MacArthur Fellowship for writing children’s fiction, my first thought was, ‘Great, that means one day Jacqueline Woodson is going to get one.’”


Early years


Brown Girl Dreaming also recounts Woodson’s journey of self-discovery through storytelling. In the segment “Composition Notebook,” she writes:

I don’t know how my first composition notebook ended up in my hands, long before I could really write someone must have known that this was all I needed.
Woodson used her first notebook to learn to write letters, her name and, eventually, stories.

“Writing was the outlet,” she says. “I always had story inside me but didn’t know what it was. I got into trouble for telling stories because people said I was lying, which was confusing. I didn’t know I could take what was happening in my head and shape it into this thing called writing. I didn’t know I could put it down on paper and be calmer. I write because I need to get it out of me.”
As a girl, Woodson read Judy Blume, Hans Christian Andersen and other popular children’s authors but missed seeing characters that looked like her in the books’ pages. When she began writing, one of her primary goals was to populate her stories with diverse casts of characters. Woodson cites inspiration from children’s literature scholar and professor emerita of education at Ohio State University Rudine Sims Bishop, who suggested that reading provides windows into other worlds and mirrors as reflections of the self.

“Kids of color have not had the mirrors to see reflections of themselves in literature,” Woodson says. “They have looked through windows into white worlds but the reverse has not been true.”

Maggie Hanelt, assistant director and youth services librarian at the Truro Library on Cape Cod in Massachusetts, invited Woodson to read at the library last summer because she wanted to present an author who could speak to issues of diversity. Each year, Hanelt offers books as gifts to graduating sixth graders from the Truro Central School and, in 2014, those books were Woodson’s Feathers and Miracle’s Boys.
“On the Cape, there isn’t as much diversity as in the city,” Hanelt says. “I wanted to show the sixth graders there are different writers and experiences. Jacqueline was so well-received that one mother said she planned on reading Brown Girl Dreaming to all three of her children.”

Click here for the full article.

Good Morning, lovely readers,

Came across Book Riot's giveaway and thought you might be interested. Check it out.

This giveaway is sponsored by I’m Your Biggest Fan by Kate Coyne.

The Executive Editor of People Magazine provides an unfiltered and hilarious look at her life alongside the rich and famous, as she reveals how being a fan-girl lead to celebrity close encounters she could only dream of growing up.

“Kate Coyne tells all in I’M YOUR BIGGEST FAN, her honest, funny, insider-y new memoir of her years chasing stars.” – Good Housekeeping

I spilled white wine on Lauren Groff on a boat once. I talked to Jeffrey Eugenides about roast beef sandwiches for an awkward amount of time. When I met Megan Abbott, the first thing I did was apologize for all the cursing I do on Twitter. I’m pretty awkward with authors.

Plus, you can win a copy of I‘m Your Biggest Fan by Kate Coyne, and a $100 gift card to any book retailer. Cool, right?
Read more here.

New promo graphic that includes book 5 (coming Fall 2016). :)

Good Morning, lovely people!

It's super early for most of you (5am), but it is my favorite time of day.
The sun is just coming over the horizon, most of the world is still asleep, the birds are singing and the humidity has not set in just yet.
Pair all that with a large mug (52 oz Bubba Cup. lol.) of coffee and it makes for the perfect writing time.

Yes, you read that right. 52 oz. My coffee cup looks like a mini barrel and can fit about 10 cups or more in it. Crazy, right? It's all good, because that's (most of) the coffee I have for the day, with the exception of a small cup in the afternoon. The rest of the time it's water. You'd think I'd be bouncing off the walls with so much caffeine, but I'm quite used to it.

I woke up this morning to a few more readers and lovely comments about the Max Hamby series. What a great way to start the day. Thank you past, current and new readers. The day has just begun and you already made it a great one. I do believe the Max Hamby series is slowly gaining momentum. That is fantastic. I do hope you all enjoy reading it, as much as I enjoy writing it.

Speaking of writing, it's time to get to work. Have yourself a wonderful day. May it be very good to you and yours and make sure you do something today that makes you happy. It doesn't matter how big or small.

Sending positive vibes and good thoughts your way.

K. :)

Good Morning, lovely readers,

It is a beautiful Saturday morning. I've got coffee in hand and book 5 in front of me. Today will be all about chapter 5.

Book 3, Max Hamby and the Onyx Eyes has been reviewed by the wonderful Barbara over at A Different Kind of Read. Thank you, Barbara! :)

Here's a little snippet...

SUMMARY

This is the third book in the children’s fantasy series featuring  Max Hamby. The battle at Dunmere is over, the first two stones have been found, and Milo is safe. But, Milo’s mom and grandma are now trapped with Max’s parents in the Shadowlands. They will fade away and cease to exist unless the other stones can be found. Max, along with friends and family, prepare to journey to find the next stone, but his plans are thwarted. In a bold move, Isolde sends the Trith to Merrihaven with a message and two strange children are chased from the Downs by an enormous ogre. Birdie and Basil Salisbury have awakened from a two-hundred-year sleep with a dark secret. One is good and the other is evil. Both are set to become pawns to gain the stones. It is up to Max to find out who Birdie and Basil are and what they want.

A DIFFERENT KIND OF READ REVIEW

Busby Stoop—that’s where the closest Elemental Stone lies, and Max Hamby has to find seven of them to save his parents from the Shadowlands; but as he makes plans to go there, the dangerous Trith, which turn out to be two innocent people under Isolde’s command, enter Merrihaven with harmful intentions. With magic, he removes the threat and returns to his plans to find the next stone.

You can read the rest here.

Have a wonderful day, my friends. I hope the weekend is a good one for you and yours.

Happy first day of summer and happy Monday!

4 chapters down and countless others to go. Book 5 is coming along.
Let's talk summer reads. What is on your to be read list?

I have too many to name. lol. I like to keep a stash off to the side.
I'm really excited about reading the next Unwanteds by Lisa McMann & The Royal Institute of Magic by Victor Kloss. I hope, one of these days, there's another book in the Adventurers Wanted series, but I know the author has been feeling poorly. I do hope he recovers and feels better soon.

What are your plans for the summer? Something fun? Travel? Creative?
I'm not sure what this summer holds for me, besides really getting into books 5, 6 and 7 of the Max Hamby series.

Happy Monday everyone! I hope the week is good to you and yours. :)

Good Morning, lovely people!

It is a breezy, but beautiful morning and I am settling in to work on book 5 of the Max Hamby series. It's moving a bit slower than I'd like. Chapter 3 has got me a bit stumped, but I am sure it will work out. ;)

I hope you all are doing well and feeling fine. The weekend is here. Hopefully, wherever you are, it will be a great one for you. And of course, you know I have to do a shameless plug for the book series. ;)
If you're looking for a new read, please check out the link below.

http://www.amazon.com/Kathy-Cyr/e/B00NR8SP90

Welcome to all the new readers. Thank you for your kind words and I am so glad you're enjoying the series.

Have an absolutely wonderful day! Sending positive vibes, love, laughter and light your way. :)

K.

Good Morning,

How are you? Everyone well and doing fine?
I hope so.

Book 4, Max Hamby and the Faeryn Cross had a quiet release due to daily life taking over. It did have a wonderful turn out over on Leighgendarium, though. The interview went great and the giveaway for book 1 was even better than I expected. I do hope the winners enjoy, Max Hamby and the Blood Diamond. Many thanks to Preston for the interview. :)

I am in the midst of writing book 5 and will, hopefully, have it ready for all of you in a month or two.

Summer is almost upon us and I hope yours is a fantastic one.
The weather has been a bit odd. Mother Nature has forced me to pull out my jacket in the early A.M. to be able to write outside. I don't think I've ever experienced 50 degrees in June before.

If you've just discovered this site and my books, thanks for dropping by. It's always appreciated. If you haven't read the series yet, feel free to check it out on Amazon, B&N or any other book retailer. It's a seven book fantasy series for all ages.

Once the series is finished, I have lots more in store for you lovely readers. You'll have to keep checking back, though. ;)

Have a wonderful Monday and an even better week. Sending lots of good vibes, well wishes and positive thoughts your way.

K. :)




#Books #Ebooks #SelfPub #Publishing #Novel #AmWriting #Writers #Readers #kidlit #middlegrade #bookseries #maxhamby #childrensauthor #MGlit #kindle

Good Morning, my friends,

Just popping in to let you know, it's almost time for the release of book 4, Max Hamby and the Faeryn Cross.

May 31st is Happy Pub Day for Max Hamby with another exciting edition to the series! Come celebrate!

Good Morning, lovely readers,

I hope you're all doing well and feeling fine.
Mother nature has finally bestowed a bit of warmer weather on us and it is wonderful. It may change later on, but for now, it's appreciated.

Guess what? We are only 10 days away from book 4's release date.
MAY 31st, my friends. Can you believe it? It's almost here.
Book 5 is under way and I am hoping to have that one out before fall.

For now, let us celebrate. If you've been enjoying the Max Hamby series and I know many of you have, the story continues with the addition of Celadine. She is the only girl in the group, but she is strong, intelligent and special to this series. Celadine is a Faeryn and adopted by the dwarfs. You'll find out why in book 4. You'll also find out what a Faeryn is.

I also want to thank you for all your kind words about the series. I'm so glad you've been enjoying it and I hope to keep that going with 5, 6 and 7.

If you haven't signed up for the mailing list yet, you might want to check it out. I've added some curious sections to it that might be of interest.
There's the usual with Announcements, Blog Updates, Books & Availibility, etc. But, there is also Hodgenock's latest entry, Creature Feature, Character Quotes, Places of Interest, Warnings & Advice, Food and Weapons. All the sections are related to the book series.

I just sent out the mailing list yesterday, but there will be a new one on the 31st to announce the release. The mailing list is normally sent out once a month or less. This month just happens to be twice, so jump to the front page of the site and sign up.

Alright, my friends...it's back to work for me. Have an absolutely wonderful weekend. May it be filled with love, laughter and light.

K. ;)



#Books #Ebooks #SelfPub #Publishing #Novel #AmWriting #Writers #Readers #kidlit #middlegrade #bookseries #maxhamby #childrensauthor #MGlit #kindle

Good afternoon, lovely people,

I hope your weekend is going great for you. A bit rainy and chilly here.
We're still waiting on the spring weather to arrive.

Book 4 is closer to being complete. One more read through should do it before its publication day. May 31st, my friends!

Book 2 has just been gifted with a wonderful review by A Different Kind of Read! You can check out here.

On a personal note, I have discovered a new genre of books, Cozy Mysteries. Right now, I'm enjoying the Agatha Raisin series. (Not for kids.) and then it will be Aunt Dimity (which I also suspect would not be for kids).

This leads me to the question, are there any good mystery books or series for kids, besides Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, etc.? That is something I intend to find out. ;)

I hope you're all doing well and feeling fine.
Happy Reading!


#Books #Ebooks #SelfPub #Publishing #Novel #AmWriting #Writers #Readers #kidlit #middlegrade #bookseries #maxhamby #childrensauthor #MGlit #kindle

Good Morning, booklovers!

Grab your coffee, tea or juice and check out this great list of bookstores. I LOVE spending time in a bookstore. My favorite is number 5, but honestly, give me just about any bookstore and I'm happy. Take a look at some of the photos below from this wonderful lifehack article.

30 Most Beautiful Bookshops Around The World

With the ease of acquiring e-books in one click, the brick and mortar bookstores seem to be sadly reducing in popularity. However, book lovers argue that a traditional temple of books can be an eclectic atmosphere that propels discovery, fantasy, entertainment, solitude and social networking. These spectacular bookstores encourage readers to put aside technology and enjoy the pleasures of the printed word on page.

1. Libreria El Pendulo, Mexico City, Mexico

Besides browsing through the shelves, you can sip a mojito, munch on food, enjoy live music or stand-up comedy at this cross between a cafe and a bookshop. It even offers valet parking, elevating the cafe/bookstore concept exceptionally well. Be sure to give a nudge to the sand-filled pendulum that sways back and forth making patterns as customers give a gentle push.

2. Polare, Maastricht, Holland

Transformed from a 700 year old Catholic church to an ornate bookstore, the Polare (formerly Selexyz) is indeed a class apart. It houses a massive three storey bookshelf with staircases, elevators and walkways. Strangely enough, before the Amsterdam based architecture firm, Merkx+ Girod, designed the current structure, it used to be a bicycle shed.

3. Librería El Ateneo Grand Splendid, Buenos Aires, Argentina

El Ateneo Grand Splendid is a gorgeous renovated movie theater, that is now home to a variety of books. It retains the 1920s glamor using theater boxes for reading rooms, painted ceilings and crimson stage curtains. It is believed that over a million people visit this majestic bookstore every year.

4. Kid’s Republic, Beijing, China

Opened in 2005, Kid’s Republic is the first bookstore in China to specialize in children’s books. The bold and bright rainbow colored design makes it a fun and comfortable place for kids, encouraging them to enter their realm of imagination. Although it is a haven for kids, I can’t help imagining myself tucked away in one of their reading cubbies, with a book in hand of course.

5. Shakespeare and Company, Paris, France

For those who love books stacked over books in narrow hallways, don’t look further than Paris’s left bank. Hiding behind the shadows of Notre Dame, Shakespeare and Company is an English language literature bookstore opened in 1951 by George Whitman. It was featured in Woody Allen’s film, Midnight in Paris.

There are 25 more on this wonderful list from Rajeshwari Chakravarty in this LifeHack article. Go check them out.

Happy Thursday everyone,

Just popping in to let you know I'm still here.
I know the updates are getting less frequent, but that's only because I'm hard at work on book 4.

I hope you're all doing well and feeling fine. Looks like the spring weather is slowly approaching. I find more inspiration writing outside in the sunshine than I do inside. I look forward to the days when the mornings are a bit warmer.

Have a wonderful day, my friends. May it be good to you and yours. :)

Just started using Instagram. Come join me! :)

https://www.instagram.com/kathycyrauthor/

Good Morning,

I hope you're all doing well and feeling fine.
For those of you celebrating a holiday this weekend, may it be a wonderful for all. I am anxiously waiting for the spring weather to arrive.
It has been quite gray & gloomy, as of late. But, that is much better than having to shovel snow. :)

There are only a few updates today, but they are good ones.

Fixed up my FB Author page. Added some new info for the about section, links, apps, etc.

I've added a few snippets to Book 1's Amazon page. A bit of an author Q & A, as well as, character and item description. I'm thinking of doing that with the other books, too. Check it out here.

The Book Designer website has included my book in their new post and I received a good comment for the Max Hamby and the Blood Diamond cover. I'm very happy with it and grateful for being included. You'll have to scroll down. I am about halfway down the page. You can check it out here: The Book Designer

There is also a new Max Hamby Wikia. I've never used Wikia before and found it to be interesting and a challenge. Max Hamby Wikia

And book 4 is officially in the final stages of editing. We're probably
looking at an end of May release. The release will coincide with an author interview from The Leighgendarium. Very exciting.

Speaking of which (& I might've said this before), if you haven't visited The Leighgendarium before, you should. Preston is a great guy and all about indie authors.

That's it for the moment. Back to editing. ;)
Have a wonderful weekend. May it be good to you and yours.


#Books #Ebooks #SelfPub #Publishing #Novel #AmWriting #Writers #Readers #kidlit #middlegrade #bookseries #maxhamby #childrensauthor #MGlit #kindle


Good Morning,

Writers, readers and everyone else....

Yesterday was really crazy. For those of you visiting this site, you might have received an email/s from me that looked very strange.
I apologize. I am embarrassed to say that I made the mistake of going onto a website that is known for mining email addresses, phishing and hacking accounts.
I didn't think I did, but when I doubled checked my list of promo sites, sure enough, it was there.
I'm usually very careful, but unfortunately I skimmed a thread on KBoards and completely missed the important parts.

Forgive me. I did the best I could to stop it before it got out of hand, but it happened so fast that it appears to have gone farther than I first believed.
I couldn't be more embarrassed.

A word of warning...if you happen to see strange emails from kathycyrwriter AT gmail.com or literarysolace AT gmail.com, please delete them. And stay away from ebookjuice.

#writers #readers #amwriting #writersbeware

Good Morning, lovely people,

Last day of the free book promo!

Hopefully it's sunny where you are, but it's a bit gloomy and wet here. And it's mid-week. What better way to better way to spend it than grabbing a copy of book 1, Max Hamby and the Blood Diamond?
It's a fun read for all ages.

http://www.amazon.com/Max-Hamby-Blood-Diamond-Kathy-ebook/dp/B00NQFKZW4

May it be a wonderful day for you and bring only good things.

#freebook #free #Books #Ebooks #Readers #kidlit #middlegrade #bookseries #maxhamby #kindle #freebies #bookboost #IARTG

Good Morning, lovely people,

Last day of the free book promo!

Hopefully it's sunny where you are, but it's a bit gloomy and wet here. And it's mid-week. What better way to better way to spend it than grabbing a copy of book 1, Max Hamby and the Blood Diamond?
It's a fun read for all ages.

http://www.amazon.com/Max-Hamby-Blood-Diamond-Kathy-ebook/dp/B00NQFKZW4

May it be a wonderful day for you and bring only good things.

#freebook #free #Books #Ebooks #Readers #kidlit #middlegrade #bookseries #maxhamby #kindle #freebies #bookboost #IARTG

Sweet Dreams, lovely #readers & #writers,

I hope the day was good to you and may tomorrow be even better.
The first day of the Max Hamby #free book promo is almost over.
Did you get your copy? If you did,that's wonderful. I hope you enjoy book 1.
If you didn't, no worries. You can grab a copy here or there's always tomorrow. ;)

#freebook #free #Books #Ebooks #SelfPub #Publishing #Novel #Readers #kidlit #middlegrade #bookseries #maxhamby #childrensauthor #MGlit #kindle #freebies

Sweet Dreams, lovely #readers & #writers,

I hope the day was good to you and may tomorrow be even better.
The first day of the Max Hamby #free book promo is almost over.
Did you get your copy? If you did,that's wonderful. I hope you enjoy book 1.
If you didn't, no worries. You can grab a copy here or there's always tomorrow. ;)

#freebook #free #Books #Ebooks #SelfPub #Publishing #Novel #Readers #kidlit #middlegrade #bookseries #maxhamby #childrensauthor #MGlit #kindle #freebies