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Children’s picture book Samuel T. Moore of Corte Magore (written in rhyme) tells the adventurous story of Sam, a tenacious land and sea fiddler crab (complete with fiddle and bow) who finds himself on the sandy shores of an idyllic island named Corte Magore. This book teaches children about courage and tenacity; to stand up to bullying; and to fight for that they believe in, while also teaching them about the concept of “home” – all told in one big epic poem. This book is geared towards children ages 3-7.

As promised, here are compelling reasons this book should be in your school’s library:

The book is written in rhyme:
Rhyming verse aids in early-development learning and recall.

By playing with the short texts of rhymes, children explore the mechanics of the English language. They find out how language works and become familiar with the relationship between the 44 sounds of English and the 26 alphabet letters – information which helps them when they begin reading to decode the sounds that make up words. The value of this type of language-play with rhymes in early learning is both underestimated and undervalued.

The book utilizes many different poetic devices that can be difficult to teach like alliteration, point-of-view, stanza, meter, reputation, assonance, personification, and my personal favorite, Onomatopoeia, which utilizes words which imitate sound.. Poetic devices are used to take the reader to a different time or place and helps with imagery.

Poetry can follow a strict structure, or none at all, but many different types of poems use poetic devices. Poetic devices are tools that a poet can use to create rhythm, enhance a poem’s meaning, or intensify a mood or feeling. These devices help piece the poem together, much like a hammer and nails join planks of wood together.

Authors like Seuss and Silverstein paved the way for poetry in children’s literature, yet it’s hard to find new children’s books today written in prose. Carol Hurst at http://www.Booksintheclassroom.com intimates why it’s best to not let this great art die.

…along came Shel Silverstein (Shel Silverstein’s website). He wrote poems about picking your nose and selling your baby sister and adults (some of them) winced and kids guffawed and kids’ poetry was changed forever. Now we’ve got the gamut of emotions and subjects in kids poetry. Poetry, of course, be it for child or adult (and the distinction is not always clear) is very much a matter of perception. Poems speak to the individual, even more than stories do, and some are not speaking to you — at least not right now. The rules of poetry selection are the same as for the selection of any kind of literary material that you’re going to use with your kids. It must speak to you as the living breathing adult you are before you can help it speak to kids. If it’s supposed to be funny, it should make you laugh or at least smile. If it’s supposed to be sad, it should choke you up a bit. If it’s a description of a thing or a feeling, it should help you see it or feel it in a new way.
So, which of all the books of poetry will you choose for your classroom? Every one you can afford.

And, that’s all just a start. Tomorrow, you can expect to see me add to my list. Rather than saving this post as a draft, I think I’ll go ahead and publish it now.

As always, thanks for the ear!

Tonia

I’ve arranged a special hardcover book price for October. You can order an autographed book for $12.99 + shipping.

Stock up for the perfect holiday gift for that little loved one in your life.

Cheers!

Tonia Allen Gould

The Fifth Annual Multicultural World BookFest will be held at the Camarillo Community Center on Saturday, November 1, 2014 from 10am-3pm.
I’ve been selected as one of the children’s book authors to present at the event at 11:00 AM, followed by book signings and readings.

• We will have six storytents representing: Asia; Africa; Latin America, North America, Europe, and Australia & New Zealand.

Location: Camarillo Community Center 1605 E. Burnley Street.
Take the 101fwy exit at Carmen Drive. Going north turn right @ light. Going south make 2 left turns; go over fwy. Continue on Carmen past City Hall to 4 way stop which is Burnley. Turn right then left into parking lot. Event will be inside the gated Community Center Room

Please join us for a day of books, readings, food trucks, fun and culture.

Hope to see you there!

Tonia Allen Gould/Author
Samuel T. Moore of Corte Magore

…and Other 3:00 A.M. Preponderances.

It’s late and I’ve not yet mustered enough energy to wiggle my way beneath the covers where I get to enjoy Night #2 of Belgium linen sheets from Restoration Hardware. I’m restless. Feeling stuck. Inert. That could be thanks to Diesel the Cat; he’s wedged so comfortably and close to me on top of the blankets–I haven’t the heart to remind him that he’s my daughter’s cat and I’m actually a dog person. And my dog, Bogie, would love to occupy Diesel’s prime real estate on the bed next to me. Except the dog’s afraid of you, Cat-with-your-claws-still-in-tact, and maybe I am a little bit too.

And that’s not why I’m really feeling stuck.

I don’t often feel like this, so on top of the covers I sit, while my husband snores (despite the funny snore gizmo his dentist fitted for his mouth, coupled with my swift sock in his arm to get him to roll over). I’m both restless and rejoicing in the fact that I’ve finally found time (that’s a compressed paradox if I’ve ever heard one) to READ, errr…SKIM…mindlessly through newly pressed blog posts hoping to find clarity in my own lackluster writing as of late. My narrative dribble has been a slow, steady, stream of spit.

For months, like all other attention-seeking first-time authors, I have been trying to get you, the parents of my demographic, children aged 4-8 to notice one tiny little meteor of a factoid. H E L L O. Knock knock. I mean, come on! How obvious do I need to be? I wrote and published a WHOLE darn book over here. Doesn’t that account for something?

I’ve waited…and waited patiently in angst for the clouds to part and to hear those glorious angels belting their angelic refrain in my literary honor. But, the sky is quiet and dark. And, while my books are certainly selling, I somehow expected…I don’t know…more.

No one told me, at the very same time I published my book, so did one trillion other authors who dreamt too, their whole lives through, of publishing their FIRST book and that I would be competing for space on your child’s bookshelves, let alone their hearts and minds.

Okay. You got me. Maybe I am feeling just a tad bit sorry for myself. Maybe I have set my expectations way too high. Maybe I am questioning whether or not I’m doing anything right over here. For the consummate optimist, who forges ahead for the sake of sheer will and determination, that’s saying a lot about where my head is tonight. And since wallowing in wee-hour self pity is just plain silliness, and not my thang, I think we all can agree we’re glad that’s over.

I wouldn’t be me without some newfound clarity here. I do realize I have learned a thing or two about publishing a first book along the way. (Find the good, Tonia. Find the good.)

So here it goes:

Being an author, in and of itself, is no longer unique. Everyone’s an author these days, and I still have to figure out how to break out above the noise to get me and my book noticed. That’s a challenge. I like challenges.

My book is what makes me unique as an author. But unless I get you to notice it, and share my terribly good news about it with the world, my career is still in its infancy as an author. I like that. There’s no mad dash to the finish line here. I’ve been in a hurry my whole life. It’s okay to take things slow. And, thank goodness I still have a day job that warrants my attention at the bank on payday.

One trillion people are trying to get your attention in the exact same way I am: So even as an experienced marketer, with 21 years of marketing under my belt, I may still FAIL to get your attention. (Hopefully that doesn’t actually make me suck as a marketer.) When things aren’t working, it’s time to explore new things. I need to continue to try new things to get my demographic to notice me.

As a person with a never say die mentality and a fair amount of book sales already under her belt-given her first time authorship-I need to give myself a pat on the back and thank my supporters. I’ve accomplished more than most. I get to say I’m a published author, because there aren’t really one trillion authors who published a book at the same time as me.

I’m probably not going to sell many books to you on Twitter. Or Facebook. Or LinkedIn. Because everyone in the world is hocking a book through social media. If everyone is doing something the same way, then maybe we’re all doing it wrong. (But, WordPress is fair game. I’m going to politely ask you to go to Amazon and buy my book and DO IT NOW. Wait. Just kidding. That would be presumptuous and rude of me to bark an order like that.) #Imightsuckatmarketing

And sixthly, I need to be as creative in selling my book as I was to write it. I also need to check and see if “sixthly” is even a word. (Clearly it should be, since it chronologically eventually follows firstly, secondly, thirdly, etc.) I think most written thoughts taper off after the third point anyway to avoid checking to see if “fourthly” and so on even exists in the dictionary. But, I digress because I’m punchy and I’m anxious to enjoy these new sheets.

Anyway, thanks for the ear, but that’s all the clarity I can muster-up in the wee hours for now. I’m tired and I’ve got to dislodge a demented cat from my ribcage.

Toodles.

Preponderance’s by Tonia

It’s late and I haven’t yet pressed my tired head into my pillow, because I’ve not yet mustered the energy to wiggle my way beneath the covers where I get to enjoy Night #2 of Belgium linen sheets from Restoration Hardware. Well, there’s that, and admittedly I am feeling inert– thanks to Diesel the Cat, wedged so comfortable and close to me on top of the blankets, I haven’t the heart to remind him that he’s my daughter’s cat and I’m actually a dog person, and my dog would love to occupy the prime real estate on the bed next to me. Except the dog’s afraid of you, Cat.

So, on top of the covers I sit, while my husband snores (despite the snore gadget in his mouth and my swift punch in his arm to get him to roll over), rejoicing in the fact that I’ve finally found
time (that’s a compressed paradox if I’ve ever heard one) to READ, errr…SKIM…mindlessly through newly pressed blog posts hoping to find clarity in my own blog dribble (a slow, steady stream of spit) as of late.

For months, this attention seeking first-time author has been trying to get you to notice one tiny-little-factoid.
H E L L O. Knock knock. I mean, come on. How obvious do I need to be? I wrote and published a WHOLE darn book over here.

I keep waiting for the clouds to part and to hear those glorious angels belting their angelic refrain in my absolute honor. But no one told me, at the very same time I published my book, so did one trillion other authors who dreamt too, their whole lives, of publishing a book.

So, despite feeling a tad bit sorry for myself, here’s what I’ve learned to date and actually it’s quite simple:

The fact is: Being an Author is not unique. That makes me not unique.

My book is Unique: But unless I get you to notice it, and share my terribly good news about it with every child on the planet, who cares? (Ok. I really don’t expect every child on the planet to read Samuel T. Moore or Corte Magore, but a girl can dream, can’t she?

One Trillion Other People are Trying to Get Your Attention in the Exact Same Way I am: So even as an experienced marketer, with 21 years in marketing under my belt, I will FAIL to get your attention. (I think that makes me suck as a marketer.)

The Reality is I’ve learned Absolutely Nothing About Marketing a Book: Because I may very well suck as a marketer. (Wait. We established that already.) #gluttonforpunishment

Good news though. After a pity party of one took place in my sole honor, and I somehow finally made my way under the covers without disturbing my daughter’s aging cat with a bonafide diagnosis of “Dementia”, I have both found both clarity and a greater lust for Belgium linen sheets:

•As a person with a never say die mentality and a fair amount of book sales already under her belt-given her first time authorship-I realize I need to continue to try new things to get you to notice me.

•I’m probably not going to sell many books to you on Twitter. Or Facebook. Or LinkedIn.

•But, WordPress is fair game. I’m going to politely ask you to go to Amazon and buy my book and DO IT NOW. Wait. Just kidding. That would be presumptuous and rude of me to bark an order like that. #Imightsuckatmarketing

•And fourthly, I need to be as creative in selling my book as I was to write it. I also need to check and see if “fourthly” is even a word. Clearly it should be, since it chronologically follows thirdly. I think most thoughts taper off by the third point to avoid looking at the dictionary to see if “fourthly” even exists. Think about it.

Anyhoo, I digress. Thanks for the ear, but that’s all the clarity I can muster-up in the wee hours for now. I’m tired and I’ve got to dislodge a demented cat from my ribcage.

Toodles.

Preponderance’s by Tonia.

Check out our video to learn more about Team Finding Corte Magore’s first visit to the agricultural area of La Dalia, Nicaragua. When we arrived at the schoolhouse on a reputable coffee plantation, we began to understand the educational needs of the children who live there. Many of these children held a crayon in their hands for the very first time.

Our goal is to crowd-fund a “social good” island in Nicaragua to raise awareness to the children who may drop out of school before reaching the sixth grade. In an effort to promote dreaming amongst children at home and abroad–our goal is to rename the island Corte Magore, after a fictional island in the children’s picture book, Samuel T. Moore of Corte Magore. The main character in this story had to overcome a lot of challenges to accomplish his goal of building a life for himself. We believe, with a little help from students and teachers in the US, crowdfunders, and the Finding Corte Magore project, the children in Nicaragua too can dream of a better life for themselves.

See you on Corte Magore!

Tonia Allen Gould

Author and Founder of the Finding Corte Magore Project

Thanks to Connie, the proprietor at Mrs. Figs’ Bookworm for the great book signing today! If you haven’t checked out her delightful bookstore in Camarillo, please do so and don’t forget to ask for your copy of Samuel T. Moore of Corte Magore while you are there.

I’m honored and delighted that award-winning, filmmaker, Robert Bella, will be traveling to Nicaragua with me and Lorna Pierno to shoot this first trip to Finding Corte Magore. “Bella” has film credits in legions of movies such as Colin Fitz Lives! (Director), The Help, I am Number Four, and Real Steel. Gayla Nethercott of the Nethercott Agency paired him to the project.

Just as every leaf on a tree is designed with its own intricate pattern, so were you born in that unique way. When you start doing what you were born to do, everything falls into place, as sure as that leaf eventually falls from its branches.

I know this, because I’m living, breathing proof. Pardon me in advance for feeling philosophical today, but there’s really something to this. Beginning to live your life doing what you were born to do, is the real secret to life, I think. I just know it.

When I started to take my passion for writing seriously, everything along the way has fallen into place. I began to skate easily over obstacles. People I had previously met, and had only been loosely tied to, but were already in my network, were suddenly there to assist me. I began to realize why I had met them in the first place. Because we were destined to meet.

When I needed an illustrator for my story, my friend, Jennifer Dawson, put me in touch with her brother, a storyboard director for SpongeBob SquarePants.

When I needed a publisher for my animated, musical, picture book app for iTunes, a colleague, Nathan Bailey, put me in touch with with a gal, Jacqueline Merrill, at Skies America who published my story. Coincidentally, I also met Robby Armstrong, the musician who eventually wrote and produced the original musical score, on an elevator in Nashville during a business trip. We got to talking because his wife, Chimene Armstrong, looked so much like Cameron Diaz. I later learned his wife IS Cameron Diaz’s sister. Chimene is now one of my closest friends.

When I came up with the idea to use my background and book to Crowd-fund an island for social good in a third-world country, my friend, Baz Patel, said, “Hey, I can help. I can introduce you to some friends.” Baz has helped me build the Finding Corte Magore project from the ground up.

My client, Lorna Pierno, is Nicaraguan. When I told her I was going to Nicaragua and wanted to meet some agricultural workers and their children who drop out of school in the fifth grade, Lorna knew she could help me. “Tonia,” she said, “I’d like to invite you home with me, to our family’s coffee plantation in Nicaragua. There you will meet one-hundred children who drop out of school that early. The plantation owners don’t make the decisions for the kids, the parents do. My family would like to support you in this.” Lorna leaves for Nicaragua with me next week.

When my Literary Manager, Gayla Nethercott, saw what I wanted to do in Nicaragua for the Finding Corte Magore island project–connecting kids here in the US with kids there to keep them from dropping out of school, she quickly jumped into action. Gayla said, “Hey, there may be a documentary or film in this.” She connected me to award-winning filmmaker, Robert Bellap, who is leaving for Nicaragua with me next week.

When Robert started to put together his wish list for camera equipment for the guerrilla-style filmmaking he’ll do in Nicaragua with me, he advised we’ll have to purchase or rent the camera equipment. Just a day earlier, Lydia Hurlbut endorsed me on LinkedIn. Lydia is a friend and is wife to renowned Cinematographer, Shane Hurlbut. Together they own Hurlbut Visuals and Revolution Cinema Rentals and are already working to get us the right camera equipment we need for our trip through their own connections. This trip came together in such a big hurry and I couldn’t reach Lydia, but I knew Star Ladin, another friend, knew how to get into touch with her right away.

Yesterday, by the pool at a promotional products industry event, a new colleague told me one of his best clients just left the corporate world to go teach English to kids in Nicaragua. He and I both knew we were supposed to meet to connect his client to me and my project.

I can go on and on and add names and friends and connections to this blog post and when I have a bit more time, I will. Everything is serendipitous and connected.

When I was younger, I wrote nearly every day. Back then, my teachers and friends applauded my efforts in writing and encouraged me to be a writer. Along the way, I fell off my own path and stopped doing what I was born to do. The phrase, “Finding Corte Magore”, to me–means getting back on my own path and helping people reconnect with or find theirs.

See you on Corte Magore!

Tonia Allen Gould
Author of Samuel T. Moore or Corte Magore, Entrepreneur and Founder of the Finding Corte Magore Project.

Let someone you invite to your network know how you came to find them or be referred to them. It can be as simple as, “I’m long time friends with so and so and I found your contact through her and think our connection here may be mutually beneficial.” Anything less than that is just creepy like the stock messages I’ve been getting on LinkedIn, “Please join my network.” My knee-jerk thinking is, “What do you think this is? Twitter or something? I don’t know you! I only talk to complete strangers on that social network.

http://youtu.be/84EhYTlIGgk

It’s my living legacy. Will it be yours? #joinme

Children’s picture book author, Tonia Allen Gould, wants to crowd-fund an island to bring awareness to the children of Nicaragua who drop out of school, on average, by the sixth grade.

The Finding Corte Magore Project works virtually to connect a global community of students and crowd funders in real time with the plight of educationally and economically repressed Nicaragua. The project incorporates social entrepreneurialism, gamification, and augmented reality and involves showcasing, purchasing and managing, through collective voting processes, one of the country’s own small, yet beautiful islands to create awareness, coupled with sustainable, positive and long-term impact on the country’s people.

Samuel T. Moore of Corte Magore Original Musical Score by Robby Armstrong, Copyright (C) Tonia Allen Gould, All Rights Reserved.

Dalliance
By Whitney Gould
Reprinted with Permission, Copyright Whitney Gould, 2014, All Rights Reserved

I am Soul; I move like a needle and thread.
I pierce the crisp air with elegance and grace.
You breathe me in as I dance.
You breathe me out as I dance.
The gentle breeze is my partner and I follow his lead.
Your soft whisper interrupts my routine.
I move about the room like a paintbrush
dancing across an endless canvas. There is no paint.
You want my warmth so I blanket you with my dewy kiss -
as I escape the walls you have entrapped me in.
I dance.
I dance until I can dance no more.
You breathe me in.
You breathe me out.
My endurance fades; I leave barely a trace -
only the remnants of my dewy kiss.
You thirst for my Body; you can’t wait until I die.
Handle with caution as I can burn.
Blow me away and I will soon return.
I am Soul; I move like a needle and thread.

My daughter, Whitney Gould, is a Sophomore at Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, California. Whitney emailed me this poem to get my take on it. She said she had to write a poem, due tomorrow, from thee perspective of another person or object. Her poem perspective is from the steam of a coffee mug.

I have to get creative when making meals because I’m allergic to both gluten and egg. It’s important to know that I’m not on some vanity diet–rather this kind of cooking has developed into a creative, culinary exploration in science. SO if you are vegan, gluten-free, or egg-free…these pancakes are for you! Even if you’re not, I’m betting you like my latest invention, “Upside Down Day” Gluten-Free Vegan Pancakes.

For Lunch:
In your juicer, juice two large handfuls of chilled fresh, organic kale, two stalks of celery, two green apples, two large basil leaves, and two large bunches of grapes picked off the vine. Serve the juice with a refrigerated celery stalk to keep it cold, or drink it down. Preserve Pulp in refrigerator for your pancakes. Run to Whole Foods and buy the Gluten Free Pancake Mix and the Egg Replacer. 

For Dinner:
“Upside Down Day” entails serving breakfast for dinner. Hubby is never home when we celebrate “Upside Down Day.” While he is a fairly good sport, I’m pretty sure he would suck all the life out of the occasion and offer to make his fabulous homemade tacos instead. (Plus he’s not invited because it’s imperative he never witness my slothfulness firsthand). If you haven’t figured it out already, “Upside Down Day” translates to “Lazy-Mom-Doesn’t-Feel-Like-Really-Cooking-Tonight.” We used to celebrate the event more frequently when my daughter was little and I’d serve up bacon and eggs for dinner. “Upside Down Day” is a rare, special occasion in the Gould house now that I can no longer eat eggs due to my allergy.

Ok. I digress. Back to making “Dinner”:
Mix the gluten free pancake mix following box instructions, except substitute the egg for the egg replacer (following those box instructions as well) and also substitute the milk with VANILLA Almond Milk or VANILLA Soy Milk. Mix in the leftover pulp from your lunchtime smoothie. Add more vanilla soy or almond milk to play with your desired thickness. Pour onto a HOT, lightly greased griddle. I used canola oil because I was out of rice bran oil, my new “go to oil” because it cooks at high temperature points. You know your griddle is hot enough if a drop of water dances off of the surface. Pour your batter onto the griddle. My pancakes poured thick and imperfect, and I quite liked them that way even though they took longer to cook. If you like yours thick too, avoid burning them by turning them frequently once the batter has set. Use a tablespoon to scoop out the batter if you have OCD and prefer a perfectly round pancake.

I served ours the conventional way, with Earth Balance (soy butter) from Trader Joe’s with pure Canadian maple syrup.

Enjoy!

Pancakes. I took them for granted when I was a kid. Now that I am all grown-up with adult onset allergies to both egg and gluten, pancakes could have become a product of my past like so many other foods I previously enjoyed.

I’m telling you all this because I want you to know I’m not on some vanity diet. No, I really do have to get creative making meals due to my allergies. So cooking, for me, has developed into a creative, culinary exploration in both sustenance and science. All that said, if you are vegan, gluten-free, or egg-free…these pancakes are for you! Even if you’re not deploying a similar diet, I’m betting you like my latest creation, “Upside Down Day” Gluten-Free Vegan Pancakes. My pancakes involve two meals: lunch and dinner.

For Lunch:
In your juicer, juice two large handfuls of chilled, fresh organic kale, two stalks of celery, two green apples, two large basil leaves, and two large bunches of grapes picked off their vine. Serve the juice with a refrigerated celery stalk to keep it cold, or drink it down. Preserve your pulp in the refrigerator for your pancakes you’ll make later. Run to Whole Foods and buy the King Arthur Flour Gluten Free Pancake Mix and Egg Replacer. 

For Dinner:
“Upside Down Day” entails serving breakfast for dinner. Hubby is never home when we celebrate “Upside Down Day.” While he is a fairly good sport, I’m pretty sure he would suck all the life out of the occasion and dangle his fabulous homemade tacos in front of our kids’ noses instead. (Plus he’s not invited because it’s imperative he never witness my slothfulness firsthand). If you haven’t figured it out already, “Upside Down Day” translates to “Lazy-Mom-Doesn’t-Really-Feel-Like-Cooking-Tonight-Day.” We used to celebrate the event more frequently when my daughter was little and I’d serve up bacon and eggs for dinner. “Upside Down Day” is a rare, special occasion in the Gould house now that I can no longer eat eggs due to my allergy. I can’t even cook eggs without itching…something about airborne allergens and what not. Who knew?

Anyway, I digress. Back to making “Dinner”:
Mix the gluten free pancake mix following box instructions, except substitute the egg for the egg replacer (following those box instructions as well) and also substitute the cow’s milk with VANILLA Almond Milk or VANILLA Soy Milk. Mix in the leftover pulp (where all the fiber is) from your lunchtime smoothie. Add more vanilla soy or almond milk to play with your desired thickness. Pour your batter onto a HOT, lightly greased griddle. I used canola oil because I was out of rice bran oil, my new “go to oil” because it cooks at high temperature points. You know your griddle is hot enough if a drop of water dances off of the surface. Pour your batter onto the griddle. My pancakes poured thick and imperfect, and I quite liked them that way even though they took longer to cook. If you like yours thick too, avoid burning them by turning them frequently once the batter has set. Use a tablespoon to scoop out the batter if you have OCD and prefer a perfectly round pancake. My husband’s banana pancakes are always perfectly round. Again, it’s your night to be a sloth, because you’ve kicked your husband out so you can make my pancakes.

I served ours the conventional way, with Earth Balance natural spread from Trader Joe’s and a hearty drizzle of Canadian maple syrup. My twelve-year-old son loved them, and he’s fairly hard to please, plus he got servings of both fruits and vegetables. I got to be a sloth and he ate his greens. It was clearly a win/win. If you try them, be sure to check back. Oh, and Happy Upside Down Day!

Enjoy!

Hello,

I am pleased to recommend Tonia Allen Gould as a speaker for child related events -and adults as well.

I am a den leader for a group of Tiger Cub Scouts (first graders). Our meeting plan was how media is used to reach large audiences. I read about Tonia and her book Samuel T. Moore of Corte Magore on our neighborhood Facebook page and decide to contact her about speaking to the boys.

Tonia accepted and her presentation was more than I could hope for. The other dens (2nd and 3rd grade) joined us. She told the boys how she got the idea for her story, and how she turned the idea into an interactive and animated children’s book. She showed them the story that had music, narration and pictures. The story itself is wonderful for kids (and adults) about overcoming adversity to make your dreams come true and Tonia’s personal story is living proof. It was a great experience on many levels. All of the boys were engaged and interested. They were thrilled to meet an author and have signed books to take home.

I highly recommend Tonia and feel honored to know her.

Sincerely,
Victoria Turk

The “proposed” layout for the Samuel T. Moore of Corte Magore soft-cover book jacket came back from my publisher today. I’ll see the hard-cover version soon. I’m sure we’ll make some changes, but this sure is exciting!

“What’s that,” you say?  No, NaNoWriMo is not something out of Mork and Mindy.  And, yes, I did date myself by making a reference to that quirky sitcom piloted wayyyyy wayyyy back in 1982, but ultimately I digress.  #NaNoWriMo is a challenge to pen a 50,000 word novel throughout the entire month of November.  Call it what you will, but I love a good a challenge and a challenge is precisely what I needed to finally hammer out my novel, When it Comes in Threes.  This story has rested dormant on my computer for a long while because a literary manger friend implored me to change the narrative voice from an adult to a child.  If you are a writer, you know changing the whole “voice” of an entire novel is not a simple request.  You also know that ultimately changing the voice means a full rewrite, despite what your friend tells you.  So, rewriting I am and I’m having one heck of time doing it.  Truth is, I prefer this new voice and my new main character, Barley, over the older character I first concocted. 

#NaNoWriMo and everything about it, appeals to my competitive spirit and my ability to thrive on chaos.  Why the chaos you ask?  Well, silly, one chapter takes me somewhere around 4-6 hours to write, hone and edit, and all that equates to writing into the wee hours of the night when daily parenting, business obligations, phone calls and texts don’t nag and pull at my heartstrings.  I’m working from my home office and spending some days an unshowered, make-up-less mess, but I think I can manage to get it all done.  If you are competing in the challenge too, and are someone managing to stay somewhat afloat with everything else that comes up during any given day, drop me a line.  I’d love to hear from you.

Nano-Nano. 

The Kim Pagano Show Radio Interview

What a great pleasure it was to be on The Kim Pagano Show where I was interviewed about my book, Samuel T. Moore of Corte Magore.  If you are interested in hearing the interview, scroll down to the PM Show and listen to the whole show, or if you are pressed for time, move up to the 36 minute mark where my interview begins.  Thanks Kim! It was fun being on again!

Tonia Allen Gould