Manelle Oliphant Illustration - Illustrator and Writer

A fairy Tale Maiden’s Guide

Hans My Hedgehog is a fairy tale about a girl who finds her true love because she keeps a promise to marry a beast. While working on this story I got to wondering how common that is for your average fairy tale maiden. So I called in an expert.

Let me introduce you to our guest blogger Mrs. Alabaster Daisy.

Mrs. Daisy has been studying the residents of the enchanted forest some years now. She has a FTD in the Habits of the Fairy Tale World, and has been featured in Forest Fairy Daily sharing her expert tips on life in a magical land. She’s here today to share with the ladies her tips for romance. Take it away Alabaster!

 

True Love

True Love’s kiss is the best way to find your love however, not every maiden wants to wander about kissing frogs hoping for the best. (Or should I say hopping for the best? Sometimes I crack myself up!) There are other useful ways for a lady to know she’s found it. Why I myself met my true love after falling to my doom from the top of a mountain of doom right into his arms. Don’t miss your chance at “hoppiness” by not knowing what they are.

 

 

Good luck on your journey to love ladies.

 

Thanks Alabaster! I know our readers will find that advice very helpful, and I hope we can host you as a guest in the future.

To read about one Maiden’s journey to true love you can read Hans My Hedgehog online free by clicking here. 

The post 5 Tips for Finding True Love appeared first on Manelle Oliphant Illustration.

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Manelle Oliphant Illustration - Illustrator and Writer

Start With the Text

When I set out to create and illustration for written text I always start with the text. This seems obvious but it’s amazing how many times I’ve been asked to come up with ideas before I’ve seen the text or when the story is not finished. Even when I write my own stories I make sure the text is finished before I start sketching.

Once you get your text, read it. Seriously. If don’t know what’s in the story how can you create the images. If your a visual person like I am, (You don’t have to be an artist to fit into this category) you probably see the images in your head as you are reading. When I read a word, I don’t see the word, I see the image. I’m pretty sure this is why I failed miserably at spelling when I was in grade school. If only spelling bees could have been drawing bees I would have had at least two less traumatic experiences in grade school.

But I digress. Back to illustration.

As I read the text I see images in my mind. I can see what the characters are doing and how they are acting and parts of the setting.  This is my starting point. There are usually scenes that feel like they would be more fun to draw than others. I make note about those scenes and then I start to thumbnail my images. Learn more about thumbnails in this post I wrote a few years ago. The thumbnail stage is where I really nail down what part of the image I’m going to create.

Here are the thumbnails I created for my Hans My Hedgehog story. They are just scribbly but you can see my thought process. The story is short and as I wrote it I had two images in mind. The first was Hans the hedgehog entering town and the other was his wedding to the princess who is telling the story. While I wrote, I ended up taking out the wedding scene so I started thumbnailing the first scene.

You can see my thought process in the thumbnails as I experimented with different points of view until I found one I liked. Then I carried that one idea forward until I thought I had a composition that worked well. The last thumbnail is the one I used for my first sketch.

As artists or illustrators how do you decide what part of the story you illustrate? Is your process similar to mine?

 

Become my patron and see more of the behind the scenes art in a free sketchbook download. 

The post How Text can Inspire Your Illustration appeared first on Manelle Oliphant Illustration.

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The prevalence of violence, especially domestic violence with Caribbean families, has been one of the themes in my two short story collections, Uncle Obadiah and the Alien and Who's Your Daddy? 

In the short story, "Cry to Me," from Who's Your Daddy, which I've republished as an eBook, I've combined domestic violence with fatherhood in the story of David Hamilton, a respected professor, whose life is disrupted when his daughter become a victim of domestic violence.




I think "Cry to Me" is a precursor to a darker story that I am currently working on in which fatherhood turns ugly. Stay tuned.

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Roald Dahl Day was 9/13…but we are still partying over here at JIAB!

In honor of Mr. Dahl and the Giveaway I am offering (ends today! See details below) I thought I’d give your family some ideas for chocolate-y fun pulled right from the pages of my The Ultimate Guide to Charlie and The Chocolate Factory  interactive ebook for kids with our Chocolate River Covered Pretzels. Enjoy

Ingredients

• 24 pretzel rods
• 12 oz. of semi-sweet chocolate chips
• An assortment of your favorite sprinkles
• 1 tbsp. shortening

Cooking Utensils

• waxed paper
• Non-metal spatula or spoon
• Double boiler, or a pot and a non-reactive heat-proof bowl.

Step 1: Tempering Chocolate

Set a long piece of waxed paper on your work surface. (if it slides too much, place a damp paper towel or dish towel beneath it.)

Place the chocolate chips and the shortening in a double boiler or in a non-reactive bowl set on top of a pot containing an inch or so of simmering water. It’s very important to make sure the double boiler insert or bowl does not touch the water. Stir the chips and shortening until completely melted and well blended.

Step 2: Dipping the Pretzels

1. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper. If you don’t have a cookie sheet, just place a sheet of waxed paper on your work surface.
2. Take a pretzel rod and hold it by one end.
3. Starting at the top of the chocolate River, roll the pretzel down toward the bottom. Repeat until the pretzel rod is well-coated.
4. Place the coated pretzel on the waxed paper to cool.
5. Continue with the remaining pretzel rods.
6. shake your favorite sprinkles all over them quickly before they dry or they won’t stick.

I am also offering a super-duper deal on the PDFversion of The Ultimate Guide to Charlie and that deal ends TODAY. Get the fun and activity packed PDF version of this book for only $7.95

 

BUY NOW

**This book is not affiliated or associated with the author, publisher, or distributors of Roald Dahl’s book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

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The post Chocolate River Covered Pretzels Tutorial {And a Deal You Can’t Pass Up} appeared first on Jump Into A Book.

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Happy Roald Dahl day!

Roald Dahl Day takes place every September 13th, the celebrated birthday of one of the world’s favorite storytellers. There are celebrations happening all over the world and Jump into a Book is no different. To get started go have a look at some of these fun activities to not only prepare for your party but have fun jumping into some of the most well known books of all time.

As you may already know, Mr. Roald Dahl holds a special place in my heart. You also know that my award-winning enhanced digital e-book The Ultimate Guide to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory got it’s started as a thought….an idea, from a note by Willy Wonka inside an old book at the yard sale.

From there the adventure began into one of our all time favorite books, “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” Chapter by chapter we explored the world of Willy Wonka.

What We Encountered Along The Way

• We won our own golden tickets by sheer wit.
• We entered into the jungle to learn how chocolate and gum were made and even got to make some of our very own.
• We met Oompa Loompas and even had a wardrobe exchange. We’ve never truly been right since then as they have very short legs.
• We learned the true secrets of gobstoppers. We’d tell you but our mouths are full.
• Willy Wonka’s factory is a masterwork of mazes. We had to utilize our skill at them to work our way through this enchanting chocolate factory, including but not limited to the ever famous scissor maze where we walked clean through a piece of paper. Of course we haven’t kept that info to ourselves but have happily shared it with all of you.
• 

 

All of these adventures we’ve taken together and now you can too. Although The Ultimate Guide to Charlie is a beautifully illustrated interactive e-book, the entertainment comes from doing the crafts, recipes, and games once the book is shut. It’s good old fun ,21st century style. We loved creating a balance between the virtual world and the actual world. Magic comes from our inspirations and imagination. The Ultimate Guide to Charlie will lend itself to hours of fun again and again. Check out the Ultimate Charlie website for extended details of crafts and activities.

It’s been over a year since our “Charlie” hit the virtual shelves of the iTunes iBookstore and what fun adventure it’s been! We have much to celebrate:

• We’ve seen “Charlie” top the charts to #1 on the iTunes iBookstore no less than 7 times in the months of November/December.
• We won the coveted QED award for innovative design.
• We won a Bronze medal in the E-Lit Book Awards.

AND now…announcing a very crazy, exciting, “Wonkalicious” deal!

 

AND…For non-iPad/iPhone/iPod users, get the PDF version for $7.95 HERE.

WIN ONE!

Here’s your chance to WIN a PDF copy of The Ultimate Guide to Charlie and The Chocolate Factory!! We will be giving away one copy to one lucky winner. Contest runs from September 13 until Midnight on September 15th. Must be 18 years old or older to enter.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

We’ve honored Roald Dahl by jumping into some of his many books too. Here’s a few:

Witches:

“This is not a fairy tale. This is about real witches.” -The Witches by Roald Dahl

Big Friendly Giant

“We is in Dream Country.” the BFG said. “This is where all dreams is beginning.”

 

The Fantastic Mr. Fox

 

Roald Dahl had amazing wit and wisdom and some of his quotes are among the most frequently shared on the Internet. Here are a few of my personal favorites {Please feel free to Pin to Pinterest!}

 

 

**The Ultimate Guide to Charlie and The Chocolate Factory book is not affiliated or associated with the author, publisher, or distributors of Roald Dahl’s book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

 

The post Happy Roald Dahl Day! Let’s Celebrate with Some Pinnables & a GIVEAWAY! appeared first on Jump Into A Book.

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eBook Sale: August 26-31 only $0.99/regular $5.99

Available at these eBook stores Mims House eBookStore Nook Kindle Kobo iBookstore

AUDIO BOOK (Unabridged): Now Available!

Available at these Audio Book stores iTunes Store Amazon Audible

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Amazon’s Kindle publishing program has just announced some new features that will affect children’s books and publishing.

Kindle Kids Book Creator

KDP has a new program designed to handle fixed layout ebooks with large full-page illustrations. In other words, children’s picture books.

I downloaded the program and had a look around. It appears to be an adaptation or repurposing of another Kindle program, the Comic Book Creator. Both deal with large images and a fixed layout. Aaron Shepard first used the Comic Book Creator in April, 2013, with some success.

One addition to the Kids Book Creator is the capability of adding pop-up text. The KBC has a base text, either embedded in the image or added within the creator. On top of the base text, though, you can add a pop-up text. This will add some interesting variations and possibilities to children’s ebooks.

The program is simple to use. You start with a pdf file or images. Since the standard file for print production is a pdf file, that makes it easy. Just do your pdf in InDesign, or if you want the poor-man’s layout, do it with MSWord (at your own risk!). From InDesign, you save the file as a high-resolution pdf; from MSWord, you print to an AdobePDF. Using either program, you can add the needed text and control the layout easily.

Upload the pdf and it converts to the correct formatting for a Kindle ebook. You have the option to add/subtract pages, edit text and more.Then, Save for Publication and the program outputs a .mobi file, which is the standard Kindle file.

Advantages
The Kid’s Book Creator has a couple advantages. First, it’s easy. Upload a pdf and you get a .mobi.

Second, you have access to the original html and CSS files, if you have the skills to do that. That means you have some nice control over the layout.

Disadvantages
However, there are a couple major disadvantages. First, you only get a .mobi file. This is, after all, a Kindle program. It means that you can only upload the file to KDP. You must have an epub file for Apple iBook, Kobo, Nook, Smashwords or other platforms. You’ll put lots of effort into a file that is only useful on one platform.

Second, you must be very careful about the file that is output. On the KDP platform, you must choose either a 35% or 70% royalty schedule. If you choose 35%, there are no associated delivery charges. However, if you select the 70% royalty schedule, delivery charges in the U.S. are $0.15/MB. See the KDP chart here for charges in other countries. When I tested the Kids Book Creator, it gave me similar results as the Comic Book Creator program, files that were quite large.

I started with a usual 32-page picture book, formatted for print at 300 dpi. I uploaded the pdf to the Kid’s Book Creator and converted–without adding any pop-up text to add extra size. The resulting .mobi file was 8.2MB; that file would incur a delivery fee of $1.23. This severely limits the ability to price the book at the lower end of the spectrum, unless you opt for the 35% royalty. If an ebook is priced at $1.99, here’s the math:

$1.99 – $1.23 delivery charge = $0.76 x 70% royalty = $0.532 profit/book.
$1.99 x 35% royalty = $0.72 profit/book.

The key, of course, is to begin with a smaller pdf at the outset. To do it right, you should go back to the original images, reduce those and go on from there. Which almost defeats the ease of use for the program.

My preference will probably be to stick with InDesign to create the print files and save as pdf. I’ll probably do a high-resolution version and a low-resolution version. InDesign exports as an epub for all platforms except Kindle. Using the low-resolution pdf, I’ll try this new program for the needed .mobi files.

Updated Metadata

KDP has finally joined the other ebook platforms by adding metadata to indicate the age range and grade range for the book. It’s a welcome addition, if a bit late. The support for this is underwhelming, too. KDP calls it an “Age and Grade” Tools, but it’s a simple table with five age levels from babies to young adult. And of course, these are only suggested levels, you are still free to list your book as you wish.

Compared with iBook Creator

Enhancing ebooks with pop-ups, music, video or other multi-media isn’t new. And in some ways, the Kids Book Creator doesn’t add much to the range of ebooks. Apple’s iBook Creator has allowed introduction of video and much more for several years. Kindle’s new program adds only pop-ups. I’m intrigued with the possibilities here, but I doubt that the interactivity will make much difference for most books.

Education v. Trade Books

In a wider context, it’s interesting that KDP is jumping on the bandwagon for children’s ebooks at this point. As the School Library Journal reported in September, 2013, schools–or the education market for ebooks–have many options. Most of the ebooks available to school libraries are device-neutral by displaying books through a browser. According to an SLJ survey, 67% of school librarians buy ebooks from Follett, which uses a browser-neutral platform. For schools, the battle has been lost by Nook, Kindle, and Apple because few schools wants to put all their budget into a device that must be updated often and requires too much consensus across the district. All tablets and many ebook devices have browsers; a browser-based ebook makes sense.

Now KDP has turned its attention to children’s ebooks. Is it too little, too late? Or, will this merely deepen the divide between trade children’s ebooks and education-market children’s ebooks?

If you want to play around with the new Kids Book Creator, you can download it here.

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Five years. That's right, I'm celebrating five years of my blog. Looking back at this year's posts, I see there aren't too many, but there's good reason for that. I'll get to that in a moment. There are lots of things to cover.

First, I want to say that Robin Williams made my day. Please don't take this the wrong way. I am not trying to make light of a tragic situation. I know both depression and addiction are powerful diseases. My point in saying he made my day is that it emphasizes no matter how successful or financially well off you are, you are still not immune. It reminds me that chasing every last dollar and stressing over bills is not the answer. We live in a beautiful world and need to focus on the truly important things.

Now, as soon as I can put my soap box away, let's get on with the party...

A little bit further down this post, you can find details on the blogiversary prizes. Some of you may have noticed that I have been a bit absent from the "writing world" coming close to a year now. At least, I hope you noticed. Well, there's good reason for that. I've actually been living a childhood dream.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

In closing, I want to express my gratitude. That is one thing of which I have an abundance and can afford. I am full of thanks for all of my experiences over the past five years. I am thankful for the people, both real and virtual, that I have met. I am thankful for the opportunities I've had. In this time, I have also watched my family grow and change and I thank God for that gift. Please feel free to share this post and all of the prize links. And, as always, I appreciate any comments on my blog.

and I look forward to the next five!

Mark

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In the immortal words of Navin R. Johnson:

Things are going to start happening to me now!

♦

Yes, due to life, it took a long time to arrive, but that lovable scamp Virgil Creech is back in Virgil Creech Sings for His Supper.

 

 

 

Even the idyllic little town of Portsong isn’t immune to the coming depression. What will our favorite family of eleven do when their chief bread-winner is left without a job? Enter the youngest son, Virgil Creech, who discovers an unlikely talent that may just keep the family afloat.

Meanwhile, half the world away, town grocer Harland Gentry discovers the truth of the ancient proverb, Pride goes before a fall. On the vacation of a lifetime, Harland decides to reinvent himself as a man of means, hoping to leave the small town behind. But he is not prepared for what he discovers on his unpredictable African adventure.

Of course, Virgil Creech Sings for His Supper contains a healthy dose of the lovable Colonel Clarence Birdwhistle, as he and Henry begin to rebuild the Lee family farm. All of these stories come together for another delightful romp through Portsong, the southern town halfway between Savannah and heaven.

 

From the back of the book, here is our new friend, Harland Gentry as drawn by Aprilily.

It is always rewarding to have someone read one of my books. But I was particularly excited to get a Five Bookworm Review on the first book in the series because it came from a kid, which is my target audience.  He is also not a family member!

You can read his take here.

 

If you haven’t had a chance to read Virgil Creech Takes a Swipe at Redemption, the ebook version is going to go free for a week sometime soon as publicity for the sequel. Of course, I’ll announce it here.

I wrote the final piece of the Portsong Series last year hope to release it fairly soon. I am now working on my first piece of adult humor and would love to put it out in 2015. We shall see if life gets in the way of that one as well.

Filed under: From the Writer

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Are online reviews important? YES!

"I had no idea how important online reviews are, or I would have done it months ago." Hugh Howey (author of WOOL series) fan

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Have your books been updated and made for sale as ebooks? Are you on the Kindle store, the Nook store, or the Kobo store? Great.
But if you’re not on the iBook store, you’re missing sales. Here’s why.

In a recent 2014 survey by Education Market Research, they surveyed schools about what tablets they currently own. Apple’s iPad overwhelmingly wins the tablet wars with 79.7% of the market. Distant competitors include Microsoft Surface at 10.2% and Samsung Galaxy Note at 6.2%. Wow! iPads rule! In schools, at least, Kindles only have 1% of the market.

Further, respondents said there are 2.3 million tablets in U.S. schools. That means about 1.6 million iPads are floating around the school buildings. That’s a huge market that you can’t afford to ignore! Especially when the respondents were asked about future purchases. Again, iPad tops the market share with 65.7% planning to buy iPads.

See my books on the iBook store!
To see if your ebooks are on the iBookstore, use the iTunes Link Maker tool. Search for your name under the books category. In the comments below, report what you find!

Other eBook Options

Just because a school owns a dozen iPads, though, it doesn’t mean the school library will order from the iBookstore. Schools buying patterns are way more complicated because of factors such funding sources, issues related to inventory and checking out books, etc. In a September, 2013 article for Digital Shift, “SLJ’s School Ebook Market Directory,” Matt Enis and Sarah Bayliss run down 22 options that school have for purchasing ebooks for their libraries. Many options are simply a publishing company offering their backlist. Other options include ebooks from multiple publishers. The King among these options is Follett eBooks:

“Sixty-seven percent of PreS–12 schools using ebooks purchase from Follett, according to a recent Library Journal survey. Special features from Follett include note-taking capabilities in all titles and highlighting options in most, along with a tool allowing teachers and students to write and share notes. Additional Follett tools aim to support close reading and Common Core State Standards goals and offer scaffolding structures for struggling readers. Printing, copying and pasting, and text-to-speech features depend on publishers’ DRM specifications.”

One of the main reasons schools go to these ebook distributors is their desire to be “device independent” or “device agnostic.” They understand the limitations of being tied to a certain ebook reader. When a company provides “device independent” books, it usually means the ebooks are browser dependent. Any device which has a browser–such as Kindle Fire or iPads–can read that type of ebook. The versatility and universality of the browser dependent ebooks makes them an attractive option for schools. They aren’t tied to costly upgrades of tablets that tend to break. Instead, ebooks are read on whatever device is working.

Are your books available on these services? You’ll have to look up each one. Follett’s titles can be checked in their titlewave.com website, which is only available to customers. That means you’ll have to find a friendly children’s librarian to look it up for you. Yes, all my books are available on Follett’s ebook platform!

Finally, some publishers are making their eBooks available for purchase on their own websites. My indie books are available in epub or Kindle formats at MimsHouse.com. If you own the ebook rights to your books, you can sell them from your own website, too.

Book Reviews: A Difficult Ask

Of course, this means more work for authors as they work to get the oh-so-necessary-reviews. Already, we ask friends and family to review our books on Amazon/Kindle and maybe on GoodReads. KoboBooks used to pick up reviews from GoodReads, but since it’s been bought by Amazon, that’s not smart business; now, Kobo asks its customers to review on its site. And now, you should really ask for reviews on the iBookstore. Is it too much to expect from a friend?

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In the distance I hear the band warming up – not a single note piercing the air sounds right. Each is singular, isolated, and the sound of them issuing from so many instruments almost hurts the ear. It is not melodious or rich. It sounds a mess.

People young and old run and walk around me, depending on their ability. The youngest citizens are aided by the hands of parents who steady their wobbly steps. The elderly are aided by their children, their children’s children, or a kind neighbor. No one is alone.

Excitement is high. I can see the shopkeepers giving out red, white, and blue buttons, pinwheels, and balloons on sticks to anyone who wants them. Somehow, today isn’t about profit or loss. Those cares will wait until tomorrow. Competition forgotten, today they smile together and serve.

The entire of Main Street is lined with flags – 48 white stars, seven red stripes, and six white. My own native flag boasts the same colors but in a much different configuration. I never saw it displayed so much when my home was there. Of course, as countries go, mine is old and gray while this one is but a newborn. In the latter years, one doesn’t celebrate birthdays with quite as much vigor as a youngster. One hundred and fifty years old today, I’m reminded.

This little town of Portsong is like any other in the country. It boasts nothing outside its borders that make it unique. It is known for nothing, remembered by few, and can’t seem to grow despite the mayor’s efforts. Yet there is something special here. While I cannot put my finger on it or label it properly, there is something that made this old Brit stay and set up shop.

I believe the allure is in the small details.  For instance, I have been asked to join the festivities no less than seventeen times since I came and sat on this bench. Five of those offers came from people I do not know and four more came from people who saw me at a distance and went far out of their way to make their inquiry. I have been here since just after sunrise and it is now nearly eleven o’clock. In that time, I have counted forty-three people of various ages who have passed me. Forty-two of them shared a smile and kind word with me. The only one who did not was little Esther Parsons and being two, she was in the middle of a fit about her bonnet, I believe.

In most places I have been, an old man on a bench can blend in… be anonymous… simply fade away into background. Not here. In this place this old man has been knitted into the fabric of the community so tightly that I believe I would be missed if I left. Yes, I believe there would be a hole in the quilt if I or anyone else took flight. And that is the loveliness of Portsong. Does it exist in other small towns? I am certain to some degree. It is certainly here to stay. As am I.

The parade is about to start. As I leave my seat aided by the hand of a beautiful child with golden ringlets, I hear the marching band leading the way. No longer are they clanging individuals striking off on their own notes. Now they play as one group. Their sound gets closer. It is beautiful, melodious, and wonderful. Like this place, it is a collection of people working together in harmony.

I truly love it here.

 

-Colonel Clarence Birdwhistle

July 4, 1926

Filed under: Character Voices

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Click puzzle to enlarge and print. Find more information about the book HERE. Buy the NOOKbook: OUCH! Sunburn

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Author Jerry Weinberg recently posted this on a listserv and gave permission for folks to use it. He asks a provocative question about how we refer to books.

A pet peeve of mine:
Because books (usually) made of paper have been around for hundreds of years, they have captured the name “book” as their exclusive property.

Because electronic books have been around for about one generation, they have a different designation, “e-books,” which makes them sound like they’re not real “books.”

I’ve started distinguishing between the two types by calling the old type “p-books.” P could stand for paper, or print, or perishable, or whatever you choose.

The e in e-books could stand for electronic, easy-to-use, enduring, elastic (for their ability to change dynamically), or whatever you choose.

Both p-books and e-books are equally “books,” not “real books” and some “johnny-come-lately pretend books.”

And who knows, maybe there will be other types of book – x-books, for any number of x’s. (like a-books for books delivered in audio format)

I’m encouraging my friends and colleagues to use this nomenclature, rather than “e-books” and “dead-tree-books” or some other clumsy attempts to bring e-books to the same stature as p-books.

From now on, I’m using the term “book” to refer only to the contents, not the form. If I’m talking about a paper book only, I’m using p-book.

If you’d like, feel free to join the campaign. Thanks for listening.
Jerry

Please leave a comment–do you think pBook is a good term for print/paper books? Does aBook for for audio books?

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Howdy, folks, The official launch date is June 10, 2014, but, happy news, my ebook PLUMB CRAZY has found its way onto the virtual shelves of booksellers worldwide.  I hope you consider giving it a look. Try here for a copy from Amazon US. Here is Amazon UK. Here is Amazon Australia  Try here for a copy for you B&N Nook .

The world has changed, so this week I'm going to offer a list of useful ways to support the release of an author's ebook. Traditional ways don't always work ebooks. Here are a dozen reasonably easy things to do!

1. Buy the ebook.  Pretty, simple, huh.
2. Give the book to a friend!  You can totally give ebooks. Here is a link on how to on the Nook. 
3, Lend the book to a friend. You can totally lend an ebook. Here's a how to do it  link on Kindle. 
4. Post a review of the ebook on the site of your choice:  your blog, B&N, Goodreads, Amazon....
5. Let the author know you posted a review, so they can share the news on their social network.
6. Like the Author's Facebook page.
7. Post news about the ebook on your social media channels -- Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Linkedin, Pinterest, wherever you hang out.
8. Do you have a blog?  Interview an author. Authors love interviews.
9. Join an author's blog campaign. This is a matter of signing up and sharing the good news on your blog.
10. Too busy to blog?  Ask an author to guest blog on your blog.
11. YouTube for you? Vlog about the ebook.
12. Over the top fan? Write an article about the ebook for a site like Gawker, Jezebel or other newsy site -- even the local newspaper. This is a nine-yard move and you get a credit. Neat.

I hope this helps you on your journey.

Want to do more to support PLUMB CRAZY?  Join my upcoming social media campaign. You can sign up for a "Release Day Book Blitz" for PLUMB CRAZY here! Another thing? Like my Facebook page. 
I will be back next week with more Book Birthday blogging!

Many dropped by the Swoon booth at BEA. I handed out doodles. Here's one that went to a lucky visitor.

I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. Maya Angelou

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“Miracles of Kindness” is nearing completion but we are looking for a last few stories to fill out the full scope of our book. Have you ever been in a predicament, clueless how to proceed, only to be saved by a person you never knew before? Has your life been changed significantly by a simple act of kindness from someone you did know, someone who, aware of your need, decided to step in and help. These are the kind of stories we are looking for, although two kinds of stories top our priority list:

• if you’ve been helped, guided or assisted by a teacher or a mentor in some significant way, if a person you knew through school or through some other connection stepped up and helped you achieve your potential or reach a specific dream, let us know.

• if you have reached sobriety with someone else’s help … a sponsor or a therapist or just a friend, if you’re life was brought back to order and normalcy after an addiction to either drugs or alcohol by some one other person who cared enough to get involved, let us know.

“Miracles of Kindness” is intended to be a collection of stories, told by people around the world, that chronicle acts of help, courage, influence and perseverance. They are, as well, “two-pagers”, tales that tell, in two pages or so of ebook space, an act of kindness that resulted in something positive happening, some small miracle, always from the viewpoint of the recipient of the act. These will be stories about how both friends & family and total strangers came to the aid of a person in need, when no other help was available. They will be stories that show how the human race reacts to tragedy, misfortune, even catastrophe. These will be stories about all of us at our finest hour.

Email back to this address with your story. For help and inspiration, you can visit our Website, http://www.themiraclespage.com, and see sample of stories that are already part of the book. Write no more than three paragraphs. ∆ If we find that your story fits our vision of the book, we will email back and setup a more in-depth phone, Skype or email interview. If your story makes it into the book, you will be paid $150, not bad for three paragraphs and a little one-to-one time.

Sometimes it seems we are forever shackled by senseless violence and acts of hate and lunacy. Sometimes it seems the rush to embrace the future makes the achievement of real human contact impossible, when our connecting events are no more than an exchange of pictures and a quick text. No matter what the nature of the dark cloud in our lives, the urgency to remain strong, empathetic and willing to reach out and help has never been greater.

It’s time to inspire.

Ann & Mark Wright

∆ Remember that your story will be rewritten, for a consistency in storytelling, so please don’t waste a lot of time on style. Give us the facts and how it made you feel, perhaps with a beginning, middle and end. Historical context is appreciated as well.

Contact Link: http://www.themiraclespage.com/contact-us.htm

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

 

http://www.themiraclespage.com/contact-us.html

Filed under: inspiration, Interview, opportunity, Places to sumit, writing Tagged: Ann & Mark Wright, ebook, Miracles of Kindness

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Happy Easter, Little Critter by Mercer Mayer

Happy Easter from all of us at Jump Into a Book!

It’s Easter and Little Critter is ready to celebrate! Join Little Critter and his family as they enjoy traditional Easter activities. Plus, go on your very own Easter egg hunt to find 100 eggs hidden throughout this charming story. Can you find all 100? Mercer Mayer’s Little Critter stories, which address all the major issues of growing up, are perennial favorites of parents and children.

OceanHouse Media has this wonderful and festive ebook for kids available for only .99. Perfect for a quiet read in the car on the way to Grandma’s house :)  New features only available in this interactive omBook include professional narration, background audio and enlarged artwork for each scene.

To promote reading in young children, individual words are highlighted as the story is read and words zoom up when pictures are touched. By combining the original text and artwork of author Mercer Mayer with features that entertain and promote reading, this omBook appeals to readers of all ages.

Recommended Ages: 2 – 5

Something To Do

We love these free Little Critter coloring pages!

Looking for more Little Critters Activities? To enjoy more Little Critter stories, go here.

 

 Source

The post Appy Hour Book Apps for Kids: Happy Easter, Little Critter appeared first on Jump Into A Book.

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This year marks the 50th anniversary of the beloved Roald Dahl book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Like most families reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl, we were mesmerized and enchanted by the adventure into Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory.

As my family closed the book for the third time on Charlie and Willy, as they’ve become known here, a litany of questions followed.

“Mom, can we please jump into Charlie and the Chocolate Factory?” This brought about a bit of a problem for me as “Charlie” was one of those “untouchable” books. A book so captivating that it’s better to let it rest in the mind and imagination instead of disappointing by not meeting up to the “enchantment” standards.

“Mom do you think a place like Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory could really exist ? Is it possible or is it just too made up to even be realistic?”

It was the answer to that question which sent me down a path, not unlike the yellow brick road, with Willy Wonka in hand to create an enhanced e-book adventure of Wonka size proportions.

Little did I know that on the journey into opening up the magical world of Willy Wonka that we would need to find our own golden tickets, no admittance allowed without one is what the sign said. That we would venture into South American jungles to discover where chocolate comes from and how gum is made. Soon we would taste the banks of the chocolate river and learn the secrets to making delectable Swudge, the minty grass which grows on the banks of the Chocolate River.

As we raced a pack of clothes changing Oompah Loompah’s down the croquet lawn, we can absolutely verify that they exist. I can also attest that hot chocolate definitely tastes better churned by waterfall.

Oompah Loompah’s are great game players. While the rest of the world is trying to let their gobstopper’s last forever, Oompah Loompah’s never put their gobstoppers in their mouths. Instead they play a series of games which occupy their “off” hours. My family and friends play these games often and prefer to save their gobstoppers forever so that we can eternally play our favorite games.

One cannot explore Willy Wonka’s incredible factory without knowing a thing or two about mazes to keep ones bearings. Again gobstoppers came to our rescue with a clever shoe box maze game, as well as learning how to walk through a piece of paper by cutting a scissor maze. Like Charlie we found ourselves stopping in the Fizzy Lifting drink room and gave our hand at making a few of our own fizzy concoctions and of course burping incredibly loud. We wouldn’t want finger prints on the ceilings would we?

We are the creators of magical moments, magnificent candy, fun and nonsense, fizzy drinks, makers of Swudge, maneuverers of mazes, tower builders, but mostly adventurers at heart. To grab your copy of The Ultimate Guide to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory enhanced digital e-book for kids, go to iTunes or to our Ultimate Charlie site to learn more about the making of this memorable adventure!

 

Tweet: Watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places- Roald Dahl

The post 50 Years of Charlie: A Celebration of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory appeared first on Jump Into A Book.

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My two oldest are in the show, Bye-Bye Birdie and a rather uncomfortable situation presented itself on opening night. I took my dancer daughter and sat in the patron’s section, making sure to look down upon the common folk in general admission. I don’t get to be a snob in my town very often as most of the houses around here are twice the size of mine. But with two in the high school drama program, the dues required made it about the same as paying to be a patron, so we joined the club and now enjoy reserved seating.

Last night I learned it is not advisable to eat risky foods prior to a two hour show. I love spicy foods and had been able to savor two distinct ethnic cuisines on this particular day. I don’t know exactly which one was the aggressor, but one of them crossed the line, instigating a border war deep inside. It started midway through act 1 and I did everything possible to keep the war contained to one front. At some point during the second act, one of the combatants wanted more territory like Hitler invading Russia and tried to open an eastern theater. I shifted in my chair so many times the poor guy behind me probably thought I was dancing with the actors, even when there was no music. Somehow, I managed to keep the entire battle to myself.

After the final bows, Dancer and I congratulated her sisters and friends on a wonderful show, took pictures, and left. I explained the raging war of the past two hours to my thirteen year-old, who rolled her eyes and said, “Dad, you need to go to Cotillion.”

I have only approximate knowledge of Cotillion. I looked it up and found out that it is classes designed to educate children on social skills, proper etiquette, manners and dance. As an adult, I am all for manners, especially for the boys who someday might want to date my daughters. The boy inside of me can think of nothing I would hate worse, though. I wonder what happens if you have to pass gas there. Do they have Cotillion police to escort you out immediately?

On a note related to boyhood, I got a fantastic review from a children’s lit blogger this week. Since I had sent the book in December, it came by surprise, precisely at a time when my spirits needed it. LINK.  In her review, she ponders this question:

This book captures the essence of boyhood very well. I had to laugh numerous times at how well the author knows what it means to be a young boy. He either has a very good memory, or he never grew up, I’m not sure which one.

I would like to thank Mrs. McMahon for taking the time to read Virge and write such a glowing review. I can put her question to rest in two ways. First, my memory is terrible except for completely irrelevant movie and song trivia. Second, take a look at the title of this post.

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The official Read an E-Book Week may be almost over, but we are taking advantage of the month-long version to celebrate the beauty and benefits of today’s children’s e-books. First, a bit about this unique event:

First conceived by author Rita Toews more than nine years ago as a response to the stagnant acceptance of electronic reading, Read An E-Book Week has slowly built a strong international following among digitally published authors and readers alike. This year’s event, which began March 3^th and carried through to March 8^th, brought authors from eleven countries together for a week of e-reading. Many organizations continue to celebrate this event all month long with e-book reading events and activities.

Read an E-Book Week works to educate and inform the public about the pleasures and advantages of reading electronically. Authors, publishers, vendors, the media and readers world-wide join in the effort to spread the love of e-books with families everywhere. Read more about the history of this event and the history of e-books HERE.

FREE eBOOK: Everyone loves a freebie and our friends at OceanHouse Media are offering a bunch of children’s e-books for free during this March event. Our top pick is The Berenstain Bears and The Golden Rule. Grab your copy HERE.

Then of course we have to mention our own top picks from the Audrey Press line-up! Our best-selling e-books for kids include:

The Ultimate Guide to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: Ever wanted to explore a chocolate river or create gobstopper gum? The Ultimate Guide to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a front row seat to a delightfully illustrated and fabulously written children’s digital e-book.

This year will mark the 5^th “fox spring” at the Budayr home. Read how it all began with this sweet family of foxes. The Fox Diaries: The Year The Foxes Came to Our Garden is available in e-book form for the Nook.

How are you celebrating Read an eBook Month?

The post Let’s Celebrate Read an eBook Week! appeared first on Jump Into A Book.

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Here are some inexpensive reads for your Saturday night.  If the weather in your area is like mine, you are probably going to want to stay in this evening.  We are expecting thunderstorms to roll through, and it has been cloudy and overcast all day long.

The Rise of Renegade X rocks, and I highly recommend it, even though at $3.99 it’s the priciest book listed below.  The rest are $1.99.

The Rise of Renegade X (Renegade X, Book 1)

Sixteen-year-old Damien Locke has a plan: major in messing with people at the local supervillain university and become a professional evil genius, just like his supervillain mom. But when he discovers the shameful secret she’s been hiding all these years, that the one-night stand that spawned him was actually with a superhero, everything gets messed up. His father’s too moral for his own good, so when he finds out Damien exists, he actually wants him to come live with him and his goody-goody superhero family. Damien gets shipped off to stay with them in their suburban hellhole, and he has only six weeks to prove he’s not a hero in any way, or else he’s stuck living with them for the rest of his life, or until he turns eighteen, whichever comes first.
To get out of this mess, Damien has to survive his dad’s "flying lessons" that involve throwing him off the tallest building in the city–despite his nearly debilitating fear of heights–thwarting the eccentric teen scientist who insists she’s his sidekick, and keeping his supervillain girlfriend from finding out the truth. But when Damien uncovers a dastardly plot to turn all the superheroes into mindless zombie slaves, a plan hatched by his own mom, he discovers he cares about his new family more than he thought. Now he has to choose: go back to his life of villainy and let his family become zombies, or stand up to his mom and become a real hero.

I just saw a listing for the sequel  The Trials of Renegade X (Renegade X, Book 2), which released last month. I will be grabbing it as soon as I have some room in my reading schedule.

Under the Empyrean Sky (The Heartland Trilogy)

Fear the Corn.

Corn is king in the Heartland, and Cael McAvoy has had enough of it. It’s the only crop the Empyrean government allows the people of the Heartland to grow—and the genetically modified strain is so aggressive that it takes everything the Heartlanders have just to control it. As captain of the Big Sky Scavengers, Cael and his crew sail their rickety ship over the corn day after day, scavenging for valuables. But Cael’s tired of surviving life on the ground while the Empyrean elite drift by above in their extravagant sky flotillas. He’s sick of the mayor’s son besting Cael’s crew in the scavenging game. And he’s worried about losing Gwennie—his first mate and the love of his life—forever when their government-chosen spouses are revealed. But most of all, Cael is angry—angry that their lot in life will never get better and that his father doesn’t seem upset about any of it. When Cael and his crew discover a secret, illegal garden, he knows it’s time to make his own luck…even if it means bringing down the wrath of the Empyrean elite and changing life in the Heartland forever.

 

Variant

Benson Fisher thought that a scholarship to Maxfield Academy would be the ticket out of his dead-end life.

He was wrong.

Now he’s trapped in a school that’s surrounded by a razor-wire fence. A school where video cameras monitor his every move. Where there are no adults. Where the kids have split into groups in order to survive.

Where breaking the rules equals death.

But when Benson stumbles upon the school’s real secret, he realizes that playing by the rules could spell a fate worse than death, and that escape—his only real hope for survival—may be impossible.

Die for Me (Revenants)

My life had always been blissfully, wonderfully normal. But it only took one moment to change everything.

Suddenly, my sister, Georgia, and I were orphans. We put our lives into storage and moved to Paris to live with my grandparents. And I knew my shattered heart, my shattered life, would never feel normal again. Then I met Vincent.

Mysterious, sexy, and unnervingly charming, Vincent Delacroix appeared out of nowhere and swept me off my feet. Just like that, I was in danger of losing my heart all over again. But I was ready to let it happen.

Of course, nothing is ever that easy. Because Vincent is no normal human. He has a terrifying destiny, one that puts his life at risk every day. He also has enemies . . . immortal, murderous enemies who are determined to destroy him and all of his kind.

While I’m fighting to piece together the remnants of my life, can I risk putting my heart—as well as my life and my family’s—in jeopardy for a chance at love?

The Cloak Society

The first in a thrilling, action-packed middle grade trilogy, which School Library Journal declared "will likely find the same wide appeal as Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson books.

The Cloak Society: An elite organization of supervillains graced with extraordinary powers. Ten years ago the Cloak Society was defeated by Sterling City’s superheroes, the Rangers of Justice, and vanished without a trace. But the villains have been waiting for the perfect moment to resurface. . . .

Twelve-year-old Alex Knight is a dedicated junior member of Cloak who has spent years mastering his telekinetic superpowers and preparing for the day when Cloak will rise to power again. Cloak is everything he believes in.

But during his debut mission, Alex does the unthinkable: He saves the life of a Junior Ranger of Justice. Even worse . . . she becomes his friend. And the more time he spends with her, the more Alex wonders what, exactly, he’s been fighting for.

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If there are any Covet titles you have your eye on, today is the day to stock up!  All Covet titles are 99 cents, today only!  Here are the deets -

 

Announcing the Covet One Day Sale!!

All of our Covet books are on sale TODAY ONLY for just $0.99 each. That means you can grab all of these great stories for less than $15!!

To celebrate, our fabulous Covet Authors have put together a scavenger hunt with a Kindle Fire as the prize. Hop on over to the event page to join in the fun!!

Covets have all the sexiness, emotion, and happily ever after that readers have come to expect and love from Entangled. They are firmly grounded in the contemporary world, but each novel brings in supernatural twists, breaking the contemporary and paranormal rules, alike. To find out more about our titles, chat with authors, participate in special events, and to find out what books you’ll be coveting next, visit the Entangled website, follow us on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and join our Book Club!!

 

Check out the books here -  Covet books at Amazon

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For the last few years, the best options for Indie publishers to publish an eBook have been Kindle, Nook and Apple iBooks. Now, there’s another big competitor on the scene, Kobo Books.
Kobo’s Writing Life opens the market to authors and provides exciting new opportunities. Especially exciting is the collaboration with independent bookstores and the American Bookseller’s Association. Today, Mark Lefebvre, Director of Self-Publishing and Author Relations for Kobo stops by to discuss their new interface for Indies. I met him at a conference in Oregon in July and immediately went home to upload my ebooks to KWL. It was a simple process and I wanted to share this with you.

Question: At the Oregon conference, I had my first chance to see a Kobo reader and thought it was fantastic. I loved the Kobo Mini’s small size, how it felt in the hand and the clean reading interface. How does the Kobo ebook reader compare to Kindle, Nook and iPads? Is there a color Kobo and do pages rotate from portrait to landscape?

Answer: Well, first of all I should explain that there isn’t a single Kobo reader, but rather a whole family of devices and apps – there’s pretty much a device or app for virtually any type of person, matching their own style and preference in an eReading experience. Yes, this might sound like a sales pitch, but there really is an amazing variety of options available in our devices.

We have e-ink devices such as the Kobo Touch , a 6” Pearl E Ink touchscreen device that the #1 rated device by WIRED magazine, to the Kobo Glo, which, like Touch, can stored up to 1000 eBooks, but has a built-in light that has been proven to be the most even 6” front-lit eReader, allowing comfortable reading day or night.

Our Kobo mini is the world’s smallest and lightest full-featured eReader with a 5” display, great for reading on the go, as it fits more easily into purses and jacket breast pockets. For die-hard readers who have to have the best of the best in eink reading experiences, Kobo Aura HD provides a premium reading experience for the discerning reader. With a 1440 X 1080 resolution and 265 dpi, along with a unique ergonomic design Aura HD delivers the ultimate crisp and natural feeling reading experience, and the built-in light allows for reading in all levels of light.

Our tablet, the Kobo ARC is a fully certified Android tablet with all of the tablet features that you would expect, such as a 1.5 GHz process and 1 GB of low-power RAM, but designed with the book lover in mind. Apart from the unique Tapestries discovery experience and Kobo’s wonderful Android reading experience (which does auto-rotate from portrait to landscape, unless you set a user preference to lock the screen in place), this is a fully functioning Android environment, meaning you have access to all of the apps available through Android (yes, including apps for competitor eRetailers, so you can read your Kindle and Nook library titles on your Kobo ARC)

Apart from the readers, Kobo does have free apps for every single smart-phone operating system, MAC and PC desktops.

Question: Tell us about Kobo Writing Life. Why did Kobo establish this new option for Indie publishers and authors?

Answer: Kobo Writing Life was created as a way of removing barriers and allowing authors who wanted to work directly with Kobo to get their indie-published works into our catalog as easily as possible.

Kobo, a very collaborative company, accepts daily feeds from places like Smashwords and BookBaby along with hundreds of other distributors/aggregators, but many authors wanted to be able to connect directly with us and have tighter control over their prices, metadata, etc. So, after spending several months listening to authors (and using the existing platforms available – remember, many of the folks on the Kobo Writing Life [KWL] team are authors and are using the various different DIY platforms available), we designed a portal that would not only meet those needs, but also hopefully give them more insights and access to their data in an intuitive and beautifully designed manner.

We are delighted to hear back not only from authors but smaller publishers, that KWL makes it easy for them to get their eBooks into Kobo’s catalog as well as track their global sales live, so they can focus on what authors and publishers really want to do – create great books.

Question: What is the biggest tip you can tell us about using Kobo Writing Life? Is there a best-practices list somewhere?

Answer: Kobo Writing Life is a tool for authors and publishers to use. In many ways it is not all that different than any other online portal allowing indie publishers to get their books into as many global catalogs as possible.

We created the Kobo Writing Life blog at www.kobowritinglife.com in order to outline spotlights on authors, highlighting various things that they are doing, as well as to share information and insights about KWL, as well as the craft and business of writing (See Darcy’s post about starting your novel on Kobo Writing Life blog here), so that’s a great place to keep your eye out for updated tidbits and info.

But two key bits of advice I would offer (and which apply well beyond Kobo) would be this:

1. Be consistent and careful and methodical with your metadata. Metadata is the term used to describe the data that describes your book. This would be the title, subtitle, author name, price, description, series title, subject category, etc. Metadata is critical because it is the data that is used to help customers FIND your work – so it needs to be accurate and clean and speak to your target audience
2. Take advantage of EVERY opportunity to make your work available on ALL publishing platforms. This means, ensure your work is available on Kobo, but also Kindle, Nook, iBooks (Apple) as well as other places such as Sony, Smashwords, Diesel and a myriad of other platforms. Maximizing your global customer base and reach is a good long-term strategy that offers an author the broadest possible customer base. You never know, for sure, which platform your next biggest fan might already be reading on, so making your work available as broadly as possible makes it easier for readers to find you. (Darcy’s Note: My first three sales on Kobo went to Australia, Canada and South Africa! Wow. That is a global readership!)

For other tips, see KWL’s Technical Help blog.

Question: Kobo reaches a different market from the other ebook options. Where do you traditionally sell well?

Answer: Kobo’s catalog reaches about 200 countries around the world, and one of the unique ways we reach customers isn’t just through www.kobo.com but also through our regional partner websites. In Canada, for example, our books are not only available via Kobo’s website, but also through www.chapters.indigo.ca and in the UK through WHSmith and indie bookseller websites. The same goes for FNAC in France and Mondadori in Italy and hundreds of other retail partner websites around the world – this helps maximize an author’s exposure to more customers in more countries via multiple channels.

Kobo was born in and calls Canada home, so there’s no denying the fact that we have an incredibly huge reach within Canada. But we are also popular in the UK, Australia and New Zealand and are continuing to grow in the United States. Our partnership with the indie booksellers in the US, for example, means great opportunities for authors, for Kobo and for bookstores.

Question: Explain the new collaboration with the ABA and independent booksellers through Indie Bound. How will this expand markets for Indie publishers?

Answer: Kobo’s partnership with the American Booksellers Association means that independent bookstores across the U.S. can not only sell the line of fantastic Kobo reader devices in their stores, but also have a way of selling content to their customers. Customers interested in purchasing eBooks need not abandon their favorite local bookstore, but, instead, can purchase eBooks via that bookstore’s presence (check out www.indiebound.org) and support their local bookstore while buying eBooks.

One of the things we learned right away with respect to our fantastic partnership with the ABA is that the titles that sell well via the indie bookstore websites closely matches the types of books that would sell well IN that same indie bookstore. Meaning that, instead of a generic global list of bestselling titles, the eBooks that sell well through each of the bookstore websites mimic the types of books that local bookstore would be selling. Meaning, that you get the great flavor and style that the indie bookstores bring to the community, the great local recommendations and personal touch that these cultural community hubs offer the towns in cities they operate in.

Question: What is your favorite book that is ONLY available on Kobo? Please give us links to the Kobo desktop, iPad, iPhone, and Android apps so we can read it right away, too!

Answer: It’s never fair to any bookseller for their favorite book or author – there are simply TOO MANY great books and authors to follow.

A great thing that people SHOULD check out is the list of FREE titles available through the Kobo Writing Life community. There is virtually something for everybody on this list and a great way to discover a great new writer.

FREE Kobo titles

These titles aren’t exclusive to Kobo, but since Kobo Writing Life allows authors to make their books free at ANY time for as long as they want (without the same restrictive exclusivity clause that some other eRetailers impose for the same benefit), sometimes they are free at Kobo and not at some other places.

I should also mention one thing I am very proud about is the fact that Kobo Writing Life allows indie published authors the ability to set up their books for pre-order, meaning you might be able to pre-order an indie author’s title from Kobo before it is available at most other eRetailers.

But if you want me to try to call out something that is currently exclusive to Kobo, one that I quite enjoyed is the special “Inferno” tie-in linked short stories that J.F. Penn wrote as part of a major “The Descent” contest that Kobo ran just prior to Dan Brown’s latest big release. Fans of Dan Brown or James Rollins are likely to enjoy the wonderful “Easter Egg” references and enriched links to Dante’s classic work within the pages of J.F. Penn’s A THOUSAND FIENDISH ANGELS – three wonderfully intriguing tales called Sins of the Flesh, Sins of Treachery and Sins of Violence.

This is a great way to check out J.F. Penn’s writing so you can enjoy her riveting ARKANE series featuring Dr. Morgan Sierra who is much more than a female “Indiana Jones.”

Here’s <"a href="http://www.kobo.com/ereaders?___store=canada_english_cad&style=onestore">a link to the various readers and free APPs

(Kobo is available on all devices and computers, so you don’t need to own a Kobo to enjoy them.)

Thanks, Mark. Kobo and Indie Bound are exciting places for writers today. We appreciate you sharing your expertise with us.

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Darcy’a Note: One of the cool things about Kobo is its partnership with the American Booksellers Association and IndieBound. You can find all my Kobo eBooks at the Kobo website here . But I’d rather you shop at That Bookstore in Arkansas by following these links:

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Intrigued and want to learn more? SelfpublishingPodcast.com did a 1 1/2 hour conversation with Mark that is available on YouTube (rated PG13!).

If you can’t see this video, click here.

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Here’s an interesting infographic from Kite Ebook Readers, which specializes in making children’s ebooks and apps.

This infographic is from kitereaders.com.

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I’m in Austin at the Texas Association of Library Administrator’s conference where I enjoy meeting new people and reconnecting with colleagues from all parts of this great state.   We went to dinner tonight with the Mackin group where we heard Chris Wood speak. He is the Library Director for the Genessee Valley Educational Partnership. This is an educational service agency in western New York. Chris is a national leader in the school library community so I was very interested to see him at this dinner and hear what he had to say. Chris announced that tonight was the national launch of Here Be Fiction. He said that Mackin and the Big 6 publishers have reached an agreement and a limited beta release of their new fiction titles is underway.

He said the Big 6 have agreed to provide discount access for multiple users (you may have to buy more than one title), agreed to provide off line access with no Internet needed and can reach our special needs readers. Kitty Heise, co-owner of Mackin, said that School Library Journal is helping to sponsor this new program by having their reviewers review some of the titles they will offer. We librarians are anxious to see if our expectations are met.

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And, on the first day, the Book World was created. The Great American Writers flocked to the new world and endlessly wrote to express themselves. The Prolific Readers soon came in droves to read and decipher what the Great American Writers had to say, and before long, the Guardian Agents arrived too and sold the Great American Writers profound works en masse to the Prodigious Publishers. In due course, everyone in this strange new world flourished.

Then on the second day, the Aspiring Writer honed his craft and sought to be accepted in the new world too, so that his own literary work would be read and relished by many. But, legions of these new Aspiring American Writers were turned away and were left standing rejected at the walls of the Book World, denounced by the Guardian Agents, who also left some of them wounded and discarded in a pile of slush.

By the third day, the Bureau of Labor Statics reported the median income for The Great American Writer in the Book World was $55,420 per year or $26.64 per hour. When the Aspiring Writer read this report, he fell to his knees and cried, because he had dreamt of fame and fortune, and the hopes of staking a claim in this strange, new world where so many early settlers were striking it rich. But still, the Aspiring Writer continued to write because it had become his life’s aspiration to be accepted into the Book World, for after all, writing was all he ever wanted to do–even if it meant he would be scantily paid once he got there.

By the fourth day, the Aspiring Writer rolled up his sleeves and searched high and low for a Guardian Agent to represent his work to The Prodigious Publishers that roamed the Book World. At the entrance gate, the Guardian Agents stopped him from entering and formally denounced and rejected the Aspiring Writer, while others from his literary community were left wounded and discarded in a pile of slush, never to be heard from again. Dejected and denounced, the Aspiring Writer fell to his knees again and cried in hopelessness and desperation. Everything became meaningless outside the Book World where the land was dark and bleak and without form and meaning.

On the fifth day, the Aspiring Writers revolted and decided to publish their own books, while the notable Great American Writers with their Guardian Agents and Prodigious Publishers laughed at them and called the self-published authors “Vain.”

By the sixth day the Prolific Readers began to find what the Aspiring Writers wrote, and the Guardian Agents and the Prodigious Publishers fell to their knees and cried.

And on the seventh day, the God of Books, a great force in all the Earth called, Amazon, spoke to the Aspiring Writers and said, “Take Control with Independent Publishing. With Amazon’s independent publishing services you can reach millions of readers worldwide and keep control of your work. It’s fast and easy to publish your print book with CreateSpace, your digital book with Kindle Direct Publishing and create an audiobook with ACX. “And, a whole new world was created.

Tonia Allen Gould is a soon-to-be published author. Her children’s picture book, Samuel T. Moore of Corte Magore releases on iTunes on 7/1/13. Tonia’s animated book with professional voice and an original musical score is being published by Skies America Publishing Company. While her book is not self-published, and Tonia is grateful she didn’t have to go it alone, the journey to publication wasn’t easy, and you’ll oftentimes find Tonia talking a bit about that.

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Check out my book trailer!

#Ebook #Trailer #Childrens #PictureBook available on #iTunes 7/1/13
Samuel T. Moore of Corte Magore</a

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