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Jodi Desautels Tells about "Share and Win Party" and Other New Things

7/9/2014

Hello everyone. I have been busy lately. That is true. Let's see, what is going on? I created a "Share and Win Party" event on Facebook to promote DUO Education. However, you don't have to be on Facebook in order to participate. You can also go to this blogpost on DUO Education to find out more information and to join in. Don't forget to tell me that you are sharing, so you will be entered to win the $10 Amazon gift card. (Offer for chance to win $10 Amazon gift card is only good while event lasts. However, if you enjoy DUO Education, please feel free to share the site any time.)
I have also created a new board on Pinterest. I hope you take a moment to check it out. The board is of special interest to children's book authors and readers. So, if you fit into one of those categories, please check it out and share it with friends. Children's book authors, if you are interested in being featured on the board, I need you to message me your author pic and Amazon link to my email or my Facebook page. Please feel free to friend request me. Also, please like my Facebook fan page.
I have been working on my author site (this site) and my education site (DUO Education) quite a bit lately. I hope you take a moment to explore both sites.

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Jodi Desautels Tells "What is New with Jodi Desautels?"

5/28/2014

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Hello everyone. The title of this blog is "What is New with Jodi Desautels?" so I thought I would let you in on some things that I am doing.
Actually, I have quite a few pots in the fire right now. First, I am looking to broaden my exposure for my books and sites. I am currently working to get my books approved to go into a local chain. I am so excited about that! Also, I am looking for author interviews, book reviews, and places to post my books.
I have started researching ways to develop and sell character products as well. I would love to brand Clarinda Cloud! She would make a wonderful character for various products. I have an email into a company that makes stuffed book characters now. If any of you know anything about product development, I would love to hear from you.
Oh, and did you know that she is a spokescloud on bullying prevention and anti-bullying causes? I will continue to promote her as such. Bullying is an issue that has touched my heart. I want to do what I can to help prevent it.
After a long hiatus, I have started illustrating again. I am currently working on an illustration for a book that I first published, but had to buy back the publishing rights. I am looking forward to re-illustrating and re-publishing this book.
I have also been adding to and tweaking my websites. I have added an "events" tab to my website. If you would like to have me speak at your school, library, bookstore, or event, please feel free to contact me.
I am also running a sale on my online tutoring services. The discounted price ends June 15th, so sign up now! This is great for summertime learning, renewing skills, learning new skills, or just having help with homework. I help people of all ages and abilities. Also, it would be great for aspiring children's authors who may want some individualized help and encouragement.
And, did I tell you that I lost the last game of backgammon between my husband and I? Ugh, and I lost the last game of pinochle too! I guess my game playing hasn't been what it has been. Maybe it is because my creative mind has been overpowering my game playing mind. LOL!

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Jodi Desautels Asks for Your Help with Corny… Um Cute Image and Everything

5/21/2014

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Hello everyone! This may sound strange to you, but authors, bloggers, and educators do not have all the answers. Yes, I thought it was strange the first time I heard it too. But, I know that it is true. How do I know? Well, I am an author, blogger, and educator… and I don’t have all the answers. So, what do you do when you don’t have all the answers? You start asking questions! By the way, do you like my corny… um, cute image?

Anyway, I have many questions. I need YOUR help! (That is the reason for the corny… um, cute image.) Here are some of my questions. Can you help me? (Please, leave a comment.)

1. What motivates you to share or comment on a post? Controversy? Being asked for your opinion? Promises of “likes,” “comments,” or “shares” in return? Free gifts? The topic, product, or service being something that you can truly endorse? What is your answer?

2. If free gifts were offered for shares and comments, what would you suggest? Among what I have to offer are a free hour of online tutoring, a free book (one of mine), or… anything that I can create or buy on a very limited budget. What are your thoughts? And, for those of you who may be new to me and my work, “shares” and “comments” usually have to do with my writing of children’s books, my selling of children’s books, my desire to possibly make or have made merchandise related to my children’s books, my websites, my illustrating, and my education pursuits.

3. I am looking for ways to create products the compliment my writing and my educational site on a limited budget. I want to start looking into branding my work. Do you have any ideas? Do you have any helpful resources? Do you have any helpful links?

4. Do you have an educational topic/skill/subject that you or a loved one finds difficult? If so, what? Fractions? Percents? Pre-Algebra? Spelling? Writing? Reading? Grammar? History? Keeping historical dates straight in your head?

4a. What do you need to help you learn these difficult skills? Tutoring? Worksheets? Activity Ideas? Workbooks? Learning tips? Learning aids? What are your thoughts?

5. Is there a children’s book or workbook/activity book for any age that you think someone should write? If so, what is it about? Do you want a book on bullying? Do you want one on animals? Do you want one that helps you keep your life organized? Do you want a spelling activity book? Do you want a word search book? What are your thoughts? I would love to hear your ideas and topics!

6. I need help brainstorming a list of specific woes/problems that a young child might have. I mean ages 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8. It can be something as simple as a stubbed toe that hurts or as drastic as abuse and neglect, etc. What are your thoughts? I need specifics, please.

7. I am always looking for new ways to publish my books and ideas… mainly paper/card stock printing. I want to ensure the lowest cost and greatest value for my customers/readers/learners. If you have any ideas, I would love to hear them. What are your thoughts?

8. I am always looking for new ways to market my books, my websites, my services, etc. If you have sites, links, resources, ideas, tips, etc., I would love to hear them. This is your time to shine and share your work or the work of someone else. What are your thoughts?

9. I am always looking for ideas, suggestions, questions, and comments that will help me in improving my work, my services, my websites, etc. to make them more appealing, more effective, and more marketable. I need new ways to get noticed and new ways to get my products bought and services used. Do you have an ideas, resources, tips, links, etc. that would help? (You can find my sites at www.AuthorJodiDesautels.com, www.ClarindaCloud.com, and www.DUOEducation.com. Thank you.)

One last question, lol: Did you know that I am running a contest for a chance to win a copy of one of my children's books or one of online tutoring free? Yes. I am! It is on my educational sites, DUO Education. You can find details here.

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Jodi Desautels Ponders New Paths after Life Changes in 2014

4/23/2014

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You may notice that I haven’t posted in the past couple of weeks. My mother-in-law passed away not long ago and I have been focused on other things. I am back now. However, things have changed and I may need to change as well.
     Now that my job description does not include caring for my mother-in-law, I need to look for other work. That means, I won’t be able to do everything that I did before. So, I may have to downsize or condense things a little.
     I am not sure how I will do it or if I will do it, but that is one of the many things that I am pondering. It is funny how life works. One minute you have a game plan and the next you are spiraling into a new direction. The problem is that you don’t even know which direction it might be.
    That is where I am now. So much has changed for me in the past few weeks. Have you ever found yourself in that situation? I think most of us have at one time or another to a certain degree.
     This poster of “Follow Your Heart in 2014” seems kind of appropriate to me right now. It is one thing that I am keeping in mind as I think about the possibilities and paths I may want to take. I have also found a Bible verse that goes with it and also touches my heart at the moment: “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.” (Proverbs 16:9)
     So, I guess that is my plan. I will follow my heart and trust God to establish my footsteps. I shouldn’t get myself into too much trouble with that plan. LOL!

Did you know that I am giving people a chance to win one free hour of online tutoring? Yes, I am! For more information, see this post on DUO Education! Good luck!

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Do I Have a Font Fetish?

2/26/2014

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Hello everyone! As some of you know, I haven't really been feeling well. So, I haven't got too much accomplished lately. However, I have been flub dubbing around, as my husband would put it. (I hope to feel better soon and get back to work on my books!)
I have a new excitement for fonts. So, I have been playing around with different fonts. This one is a new promotion poster for my books. I thought the balloons made a very cute font!
Here are some promotional posters I made for my education site, DUO Education. They were fun to make! I like the exercising people font. So, naturally, I put the word exercise in the poster. And… I was just playing with the "stop sign" poster. That font is a little fancy for a stop sign, but I think it is cute.

I think I have a font fetish now. LOL! Not really. But… I am enjoying my new found font families. I have downloaded probably 100 different new public domain fonts. I think they add an artistic touch to various visual arts projects. I am even thinking about trying to create my own fonts some day.

Here is another poster I created for DUO Education. This one was created to celebrate and announce 1,000 page views in one day for the first time ever. Yay! This was an exciting milestone for DUO Education!

Okay. Here is one more poster. I was just playing with this one. I wanted something to post on socially media sites, just to play around. This is a different font. Yet, it seems to fit the poster style.

I have a few notes and announcements I would like to mention this week:

*For all of you who don't know, I have a "Story Starters & Writing Prompts" page on DUO Education.
*Also, I am thinking about having a directory of illustrators on my website. I thought it would be a great addition to the site, since most of my audience is geared towards children's book readers. I was thinking about letting authors create a poster ad and I will display it for $25 a year. If you are interested, please contact me. (LOL! That is something else I created with one of the new fonts I downloaded.)

*I got a wonderful review on "Johnny's Adventure Makes Reading Fun" by Barbara Ann Mojica. Please check it out at "barbara ann mojica's blog" or at Amazon.com. Thank you, Barbara!

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Introducing "Jam with Jodi" Monthly Newsletter

1/29/2014

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Hello everyone! Today's post will be brief. I am introducing my new "Jam with Jodi" Monthly Newsletter. It has my work at a glance. It highlights certain things for my books, my author site, my DUO Education site, and my character site. It also provides some links to make it easier to keep in touch. This is just my author page.
Again, please explore all the sites as this is just a highlight. It would also be too time consuming to add every link for every post. And, to make it easier for you to enjoy all editions of the newsletter, I created the "Jam with Jodi" Monthly Newsletter Gallery page.
I hope you enjoy it. Please feel free to connect with me in as many places as you would like.

Also, note that I have a new "celebrity" page or "fan" page on Facebook. The link is in the "Jam with Jodi" Monthly Newsletter. Although, I thought I would give it to you here as well. You can find it at www.Facebook.com/author.illustrator.educator.Jodi.Desautels. It is also another great way to stay connected with me and my work. Thank you!

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It is a New Year with a New Beginning: 2014

1/8/2014

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Hello everyone! It is a new year with new beginnings. I embrace my goals, adventures, and blessings for this year.
I have many new things planned for this year. What about you? Please feel free to mention them in the comments.
One thing that I am doing for this year is making some changes on all of my websites. My author site (this one), my character's site (www.ClarindaCloud.com), and my education site (www.DUOEducation.com) all have some changes for the new year. I hope you will take a moment to check them out.
With this blog, true to it's name, I plan to use more of my own thoughts, whims, aspirations, works in progress, happenings, creations, etc. I will still do author and illustrator interviews. However, I have a new page just for that called "Author/Illustrator Interviews & Book Promotions." I hope you check it out. I already have an interview with Rhonda Patton posted.
Also, some of you may be interested in a new feature on my education site, DUO Education. On Mondays, I will be posting "Story Starters & Writing Prompts." Well, it will be one or the other each Monday. The first writing prompt was posted this Monday.

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Happy New Year! Follow Your Heart in 2014!

1/1/2014

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Hello everyone! It is a brand new year with many brand new beginnings. I wish you and yours a happy and healthy year.
I am looking forward to 2014 as I like new beginnings and think this one will be a great one! I do plan on following my heart this year! I hope you do as well.
I have so many new plans for 2014! I hope to have more posts on all of my sites. DUO Education, my education site, is going to have a blog on Mondays that contains story starters and writing prompts. All of my writing friends might enjoy that feature! Clarinda Cloud will be asking for children to draw pictures depicting feelings and sending them in. On this site, I hope to be offering children's book proofreading services. And...that is just a glimpse.
Oh...and...this blog will be more geared towards my thoughts and whims...not just author and illustrating topics. I hope to have another blog on this site where I provide author and illustrator interviews and the like.
See? There are many, many changes in store for 2014! I plan on following my heart! What about you? I would love to hear about some of your plans, ideas, etc. Have a great year!

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Where in the World is Clarinda Cloud?... And Clarinda Cloud as a Spokescloud

11/6/2013

5 Comments

Hi everyone! Last month I started a monthly giveaway from now until the end of the year. Nobody guessed where Clarinda Cloud was, so I will be donating a copy of "Clarinda Cloud" to a library. By the way, she was at Hartman's Farm Stand in Sheldon, Vermont. (Please stop in, if you are in the area. They have great produce. And, no, I am not related nor do I get paid in anyway for saying that.)
Time for another book giveaway contest! As you can see the "Clarinda Cloud Activity Book" is Photoshopped into a picture of a waterfall. Which waterfall is it? Do you know? Where in the world is Clarinda Cloud? Please comment your answer for a chance to get a free copy and if you don't know, please just comment the name of the elementary school, daycare, library, or children's counselor in the U.S. where you would want me to donate it if nobody guesses. (U.S. addresses only at this time, please.) Good luck!

What Else Have I Been Doing?

What else have I ben doing? I am glad you asked. LOL! I have been promoting Clarinda Cloud as spokescloud for Anti-bullying and Bullying Prevention issues.
There is so much bullying these days. Clarinda Cloud wants to help... and so do I! We are trying to raise awareness and give ways to prevent bullying.
October was "Anti-bullying and bullying awareness month." During the month, I created some posters like the one shown here featuring Clarinda Cloud. Please go to www.ClarindaCloud.com or www.DUOEducation.com to search for them. And, if you know away that Clarinda Cloud and I can help, please comment below or contact me. Thank you!

5 Comments

Where in the World is Clarinda Cloud?

10/9/2013

6 Comments

Hi everyone! I would like to introduce a new contest to you. It is called... "Where in the World is Clarinda Cloud?"
I thought this would be a fun way to get some interaction and to get some awareness about this great character and the books in which she is featured. So, each month I will put a picture of one of the books that features Clarinda Cloud on this site and ask where she is. I will send a copy of that book to the first person who can tell me the specific location of this picture.
Don't have a use for a children's book? That is okay. I am doing the same contest on DUO Education, my educational site, on the DUO Education Learning Blog as well. Who ever comments correctly on the DUO Education Learning Blog... can have the book sent to the elementary school, library, daycare, or child counselor of his or her choice.
Yes, this site will be competing against DUO Education as well! There will be one book sent out per month.
Don't know the location????? Comment anyway! Tell me the elementary school, library, or child counselor to which I should send the book. I will the ideas from this site and the ideas from the blog on DUO Education in a hat and choose one!
Please know that this is a trial contest. I will do it for the rest of this year and re-evaluate. Thank you!
Open to only U.S. addresses only at this time, thank you! Good luck!

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<<Previous

Jodi Desautels Tells about "Share and Win Party" and Other New Things

Jodi Desautels Tells "What is New with Jodi Desautels?"

Jodi Desautels Asks for Your Help with Corny… Um Cute Image and Everything

Jodi Desautels Ponders New Paths after Life Changes in 2014

Do I Have a Font Fetish?

Introducing "Jam with Jodi" Monthly Newsletter

It is a New Year with a New Beginning: 2014

Happy New Year! Follow Your Heart in 2014!

Where in the World is Clarinda Cloud?... And Clarinda Cloud as a Spokescloud

What Else Have I Been Doing?

Where in the World is Clarinda Cloud?

Jodi Desautels

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