 Hello everyone. This will be my last post of the year. I want to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I hope you find joy, peace, and love this season and always.
I will be back in the new year with some exciting changes. But...until then...take care and God bless.
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 Hello everyone! Today, I am welcoming author Gloria Repp. Please help her feel comfortable. Now, let's learn a little about this author. Gloria, please, tell us a little about yourself. As I think about my books, I realize that they all have elements of adventure or mystery, and they often include wild creatures. I grew up in the Hawaiian Islands and the Pacific Northwest, and it was there I learned a love for wilderness and the ocean. Over the years, my experiences gained from raising three children, teaching school, and editing have made useful contributions to my work. After writing twelve children’s books, I transitioned from traditional publishing to Indie publishing, and I have found it a happy but challenging experience. I take frequent research trips to explore New Jersey’s beautiful Pine Barrens—my latest setting inspiration—and have found it a wonderful location for my series about a brave little treefrog: Tales of Friendship Bog. What is the title of your book? What is it about? My most recent book is Catch a Robber, Book 4 in the Tales of Friendship Bog series. In this story, Pibbin, a tiny but courageous treefrog, takes two friends with him to track down the sneaky lizard-robber who has disappeared into Shadow Swamp. http://www.amazon.com/Catch-Robber-Tale-Friendship-Tales-ebook/dp/B00FIBM1CQ/ What inspired you to write this book? One spring, I heard the Pine Barrens Treefrogs singing, wonk-wonk-wonk, and I held one of the little creatures in my hand. I asked myself, “Could anything so tiny also be brave? What adventures might he have?” The idea grew. I would write about the adventures of Pibbin, a Pine Barrens Treefrog, beautifully colored in green, lavender, orange, and white. He would live in a bog I’d visited, near the near the ruins of a town named Friendship. Although no bigger than my thumb, he would be brave, a frog who dared anything on behalf of his friends. Drawing on my experience as a teacher, I wrote about Pibbin’s adventures with simple words and sentences so that children who were beginning to read could enjoy them. I called the series Tales of Friendship Bog. You write for children. Is it easy? Writing for children is often considered a good place for the novice writer to start, but in reality, the genre is both difficult and demanding. It is difficult because of limitations on vocabulary, sentence structure, and concept, and the need for good presentation (sufficient white space and illustrations). Entire books have been written on each of these subjects. It is demanding because of the dual audiences involved. Children want a story that is exciting or compelling or fun, as well as easy to read. Parents and educators want the story to have intrinsic value. Many adults will use the story as a springboard for discussion and teaching about traits such as generosity, friendship, or compassion. Stories for children abound that are shallow or silly or muddled, but the best children’s book writers will have a vision for excellence—and follow it. (As a children's author myself, I can totally relate to this!) How long have you been writing? I’ve been writing for about thirty-five years. I wrote my first story for my youngest son, and my eldest son illustrated it. The result was less than professional, but it was a start. Where do you market your books? I market my Indie-published books exclusively on Amazon, for the time being. Amazon does an excellent job of printing and digitizing my books, and I have so many more books to write that I don’t want to spend precious minutes on other marketing venues. Do you have other books? I have several other books for children, from ages 5 to 12 and up; the best place to see them is on my website: http://gloriarepp.com/ What is your hope for your book? My hope for the Tales series is twofold. First, I would like children, especially reluctant readers, to simply enjoy a good story. Second, I would like the children to absorb a little about the concept of how a good friend might act. What is a little known fact about you that you can share? My family knows this, but not many others: I am a morning person. I like to get up early to write or to read, and I even sing before breakfast. In fact, breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. (Ugh! A morning person! I cannot relate with you on that!) Besides writing, what are some of your other hobbies or interests? I like to read—endlessly, omnivorously, every chance I get—it’s almost a character flaw. I have to be stern with myself or we’d have dry cereal every night for supper, except that I like to cook too, and my family enjoys that. I also like the outdoors and such activities as hiking, canoeing, and kayaking. (I enjoy reading, kayaking, and canoeing as well.) Do you illustrate your own books? I do not. If I could, I would—believe me—because I usually have a vision for what each scene should look like, and my artist, who is superb, may look at it a different way. Then I usually take a deep breath and rewrite the story to fit his art. Do you make your own covers? For the Tales series, I use an illustration that the artist gives me and design my own covers. For my novels, I hire a professional to design the covers. What are you working on now? I have the illustrations for Tale #5 waiting for me to incorporate into the story. I need to do that as soon as I get past the holidays. My hope is to write the rough drafts for Tales #6 and #7 (the last one) this spring. Do you write in any other genres? I write Christian novels as well. The Forever Stone is first in The Dumont Chronicles. It is the story of a young widow who, desperate to escape the memories of her abusive husband, joins her aunt’s house-restoration project in the Pine Barrens. She is determined to take a stand for independence, but two men have different plans for her—and so does God. http://www.amazon.com/The-Forever-Stone-Gloria-Repp-ebook/dp/B00AKZO1HI/ I have just released the next in the series: Deep Focus, which centers on an adventurous photographer, another of the Dumont women. http://www.amazon.com/Deep-Focus-The-Dumont-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B00H8CKKYE/ What other genre(s) would you like to write some day? I’d like to write historical fiction, beginning with stories of the Dumont women in Colonial days.  Gloria, thank you for sharing with us today. I hope everyone enjoyed the interview and will check out Gloria's work. Announcements Please remember the "Clarinda Cloud" contest...the last one of the year! You can have a chance to win a free copy by just answering two questions...you can pick from the questions on this site and my other blogs: *Clarinda Cloud's Feelings Blog *DUO Education Learning Blog Here are your questions: 1. Please explore the site. What would you like to see offered for readers or authors on this site? 2. What kinds of books and on what topics would you like to see more of for children? Why? A winner will be chosen from the people who answered at least two questions at the end of the month or beginning of next year. If nobody answers at least two questions, I will donate a book to someone or some place. If you win but would prefer a book to be given elsewhere, please let me know. (U.S. addresses only at this time, please.) Thank you. Good luck! *Also.... My ebooks are free today (12/18/13) on Kindle. You can click on the titles to take you directly to their listings on Amazon.com. It is a great time to get your copy of "Johnny's Adventure Makes Reading Fun" and "Clarinda Cloud." And... maybe you could even write a review. I would love to hear what you think of the books. Thank you!  Next Wednesday is Christmas, so I won't be blogging on Wednesday. I will do a simple blog on Tuesday to wish everyone a Merry Christmas.
“This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man.” ~William Shakespeare  Hi everyone! I have been doing some reflecting and pondering lately. Maybe it is because I have been answering interview questions for a few people who will be interviewing me on their blogs. More than likely, it is just the way I am. I like to reflect and ponder. I have thought about how I have grown as a writer, illustrator, formatter, marketer, and person from when I first started a little over a year ago. (Well, I started as a person a little longer ago than that.) I have met quite a few kind people along the way who have been willing to help me, encourage me, advise me, promote me, etc. We have shared, chatted, brainstormed, and helped each other. I have truly built friendships along the way. In the beginning I was a beginner in all of it. Today, I still consider myself a beginner as I am still fairly new to the field. Yet, I am feeling more confident in the field and more experienced. Maybe, I could even consider myself in the intermediate level! I have made quite a few changes along the way. Recently, I changed the cover to one of my books, "Clarinda Cloud," to make it more eye catching. I didn't think of that as much in the beginning. Yet, the importance of cover designs means more to me now and my illustrating skills have improved. In the beginning, I also "liked" pages and shared things by other authors without considering my target audience, the family friendliness of my sites, or the quality of the things I was liking and sharing in hopes that other authors would return the favor. Yet, I have decided to be more discriminate in what I share or like. I want to "know" more about the things I like or share, so I can really stand behind them. I try not to say anything I don't mean or know about a book or author any more. I still hope to be able to share, like, and promote books and authors. There are many wonderful books and authors out there. I just want to make sure that I am being honest with my shares, likes, and promotions. And, just because I don't recommend a book, it may not be that it is a great story. It may be that it has some errors in it. Sometimes if there errors were fixed, I would happily give a glowing review! I am currently thinking of ways I could help encourage quality work in 2014 and beyond. I have thought about possibly offering a proofreading service for children's/MG/YA authors. If I don't do it myself, I have thought about creating a network and offering referrals to other wonderful people who do author friendly services such as editing, proofreading, formatting, PR work, illustrating, cover creations, etc. I have also thought about creating a "write and publish your own children's book" class or mentoring program. (Yes, I am only at the intermediate level with this, however I am an experienced educator. And, often times people will choose people just a little ahead of them in the progress to support them, so that they feel the supporter "knows how they feel and what they are going through" because he or she was there not long ago.) Research and considerations are in progress for these things now. I would like to get your feedback and ideas. Also, if you would be interested in joining the network, please feel free to contact me. Notes and Announcements*Please check out the latest interview of me. It is by Fiona McVie and she did a wonderful job! Thank you, Fiona!
*Along with all of this reflecting and pondering, I have been thinking about how I could make my sites better. I would like your help there as well. For mainly that reason, I am offering a giveaway contest on my blogs. For more information and a chance to enter, please follow the links the posts on the following sites. I am hoping this chance for you to win a copy of "Clarinda Cloud" will be a win/win for both of us. ~DUO Education Learning Blog ~Clarinda Cloud's Feeling Blog ~What is New with Jodi Desautels? Good luck! *I am having a giveaway for my ebooks on Kindle on December 17th and 18th. That means you will be able to get the Kindle edition of "Clarinda Cloud" and "Johnny's Adventure Makes Reading Fun" will be free on those days. Taking advantage of free giveaways on Kindle is a great way to decide if you want to buy the softcover, give the author a review on the book, or have it for trips and in the car. (I don't particularly like the idea of ebooks for children, but they do have their uses.) *Also, I am going to be co-hosting (with Virginia Wright) the "2nd Annual Author Christmas Giveaway" event on Facebook on December 17th. You are all invited! It is a great way to "mingle" with authors online, ask questions, get answers, play games, win books, etc. Many authors are expected to show up.  Hello everyone! Today I am interviewing a fellow Vermonter! Yay for us Vermonters! LOL! Okay... please welcome fellow Vermonter and fellow author/illustrator, Angie Harris. Angie, please tell us about yourself. a. I wear many hats on any given day…I am a wife, mother, grandmother, aunt, sister, daughter, friend, confidant, and a counselor. During the day, I am an IT tech and facilitator at a high school, along with many other titles and descriptions… And by night, I am a friend to all who need me. Somewhere in the middle of all of this, I find time to write and indulge my inner child—who can be a bit bratty at times. Wink… wink. ;) What is the title of your book? a. Momma’s Little Helpers Please tell us a little about your book. a. Momma’s Little Helpers is a wonderful little story about five young girls who embark upon some great adventures to rally support for their sick mother. What inspired you to write this book? a. Honestly, this book was never meant to be written as a story which I intended to share…It was meant to inspire my mother as she was struggling to overcome lung cancer. Which of your characters is your favorite and why? a. That would have to be Misty…her character has some great scenes. And because these characters are all representative of my sisters and me, I was able to easily imagine Misty and how she would react within the story. For her small size, she was brave and courageous and fought a great battle with a leprechaun. But truthfully, Misty (my sister) remains a child at heart and always will. I made her parts within the story so colorful because I knew how hard she would laugh when I read it to her—and boy did she! What is your hope for your book? a. Only that it keeps doing as well as it has up to this point. It has been received very well and has surpassed any expectations that I had for it. Just a few short weeks ago, Momma’s Little Helpers was bestowed the honor of receiving a B.R.A.G. (Book Reader Appreciation Group) Medallion! What a wonderful honor and completely unexpected. A friend had submitted the book for review and it passed all their judging panels and was awarded the Medallion. What genre do you write? a. I like to challenge myself and try to write in as many different genres as possible. Currently, I have written children’s books and YA books within the fantasy category, but have mixed some of them with science fiction and love writing poetry. How long have you been writing? a. Since I could hold a pencil…I know…cliché…but also true. I have always been a bit of a story teller and always will be. It is part of my nature, part of who I am and how I express myself. Sometimes I share what I write, and sometimes I don’t. I write for pleasure and sometimes as a means of therapy. What is your favorite way to promote yourself and your book? a. I would have to say that would be doing book readings. While it can seem a bit intimidating at first, I have always had my most rewarding experiences reading and discussing the books I have written. What is your favorite place to market your book? a. Twitter Do you have other books? (Feel free to list them.) a. Yes. I have written two novels in my YA fantasy series The Gates of the Realm, The Realm and Vanya’s Quest. I have also written two other children’s books for another series called Monster Feet. Monster Feet was actually self-published and gained some decent attention in a very short time. About three months after its publication, it was contracted by a publishing house. Sue’s Deep Sea Adventure is the second book in that series and has not yet been released. Is there a message, a lesson, or a moral to your story? If so, would you like to share it? a. There are many messages hidden within the pages of Momma’s Little Helpers. The girls exhibit teamwork, compassion, support of a loved one during times of need, selflessness and even courage. As the pages turn these five girls deliver many different messages to their audience. Do you make your own covers? a. So far, I have for all of them except for The Realm. Do you have a blog or website? a. Yes. http://www.angieharris.weebly.com Are you a morning person or a night person? a. Morning. Ugh... a morning person. Not me. I am more of a night owl. But... it must work for Angie, because I know her and her writing. I like her books! And, I am so happy for her! Thank you for sharing, Angie! Having a BRAG medallion is a wonderful honor for an indie author. If you are an indie author and want to know more about the BRAG medallion, you can go to their website at www.bragmedallion.com. You can connect with Angie Harris on: You can also find "Momma's Little Helpers" on Amazon.com. A New Cover and a New Contest Wonderful news! "Clarinda Cloud" is getting a new cover! What do you think? I got to thinking that my original cover may not be eye catching enough. I hope to get it changed this week. It will be down for a day or two during the transition. But... after...it will be the same great book.... just with an even better cover! There is also a new "Clarinda Cloud" contest...the last one of the year! You can have a chance to win a free copy by just answering two questions...you can pick from the questions on this site and my other blogs: Clarinda Cloud's Feelings Blog DUO Education Learning Blog Here are your questions: 1. Please explore the site. What would you like to see offered for readers or authors on this site? 2. What kinds of books and on what topics would you like to see more of for children? Why? A winner will be chosen from the people who answered at least two questions at the end of the month or beginning of next year. If nobody answers at least two questions, I will donate a book to someone or some place. If you win but would prefer a book to be given elsewhere, please let me know. (U.S. addresses only at this time, please.) Thank you. Good luck! Announcements and Shout Outs*I am now giving shout outs and promoting other authors more than I have in the past. I try not to give the impression that I know more about a book or author that I really do. If I know about an author or book, I try to say so and give a more specific shout out. If I don't... I try to make it fairly noncommittal! But... I am happy to help other authors. As all my sites are family friendly, I do not promote R-rated or X-rated. If you are an author, please feel free to contact me. There will be more information on this to come, so please stay tuned!
Here are the shout outs for today: *Author Staci Stallings gave me this shout out to post... "Wonderful story of love, faith & forgiveness" DEEP IN THE HEART by Staci Stallingshttp://www.amazon.com/Deep-Heart-Staci.../dp/B005LVVIIG *Children's author/illustrator Karen Deming also wanted a shout out. I have seen some of her illustrations. Nice work! You are see her site here. *I would also like to give a shout out for author Bill Hillman. (Bill's work history includes much more than being an author.) He is turning his book into a movie. "Quigley's Christmas Adventure" is now in the funding stage.... you can find out more here. (I am so excited about this, because Clarinda Cloud will be making an appearance in this movie.) |
Jodi DesautelsJodi Desautels is a wife and mother. She is a life-long learner who has two rules to live by: "The Golden Rule" and "Live. Laugh. Love." She loves family, friends, and nature. Passions include caring for people, education, writing, illustrating, and photography. 
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