Thanksgiving is almost here and Dillon can’t wait to see his lovable Uncle Pete once again. Uncle Pete’s visits with his peculiar penchant for pickled pumpkin pie always bring an extra helping of laughter to the dining table.
Join Dad, Mom, Uncle Pete, Dillon, and their dog, Baxter, for togetherness, laughter, and a dill-icious meal.
"Pickled Pumpkin Pie is well written, engaging, and highly entertaining. The book also contains several activities and of course gives readers a chance to create their own pickled pumpkin pie. This is certain to become a fast holiday favorite among children and adults. I recommend picking up a copy." ~ Stacie,BeachBoundBooks
"The illustrations went along nicely with the story! I really liked the adorable dog watching uncle Pete so closely throughout the story. After the story, there are some fun and creative lesson plans." ~ Dana Lehman
"Great book to read in class and at home. Great illustrations. I will gift one to my son's classroom for the Thanksgiving season." ~ Amazon Customer
About the Author
Deb Troehler has worn many hats over the years - teacher, fabric artist, author, illustrator, gardener, mother, and grandmother. Although each hat is unique, they are all stitched with a common thread - Deb’s connections to her loved ones and the world around her.
Mrs. Troehler was a special education teacher for 15 years. After leaving the classroom due to a recurrence of cancer, her family moved to West Michigan to spend time with her husband’s family. To help make ends meet, Deb wrote instructional material and stories for several trade magazines such as Doll Crafter, Doll Reader, and Soft Dolls and Animals. Eventually, the magic of West Michigan motivated Deb to put pen to paper and record the stories inspired by her treks up and down the shores of Lake Michigan. Pickled Pumpkin Pie is Deb’s fourth book for children.
Jaime D. Buckley is an author, illustrator, father of 12 and the creator of wantedhero.com, which has been entertaining youth and the young at heart for over a decade.
Selfies in the Wild is currently on tour and stops here today for my review, a sneak peek, and a giveaway. Please be sure to visit the other tour stops as well.
Description
Lobo and his sidekick raven find a trail camera in their neck of the woods, and it attracts the attention of forest friends. Images captured have never been sillier or more candid. Just as their wild dispositions are exposed, the photo shoot comes to an unexpected end and they're all left wondering why. The reason may be obvious.
Book Video
Excerpts
Praise for the Book
"Young children will easily relate to the meaning of 'selfies' and will connect with this whimsical picture book. In addition to the colorful illustrations, Ms. Murphy weaves an adorable 'tale' of what happens when nature meets technology. I loved her spattering of advanced vocabulary words, which were later explained in the Glossary at the end of the book. Challenge words always earn extra points with me!" ~ HopefulSerenity
"Our grandchildren have fun taking selfies, so the idea of Lovable and his gang of wild friends trying to figure out what a trail camera is, and how to use it, is a hoot! The animals' conversation in the dark is silly and fun! The colorful illustrations are adorable. Ms. Murphy scattered a few challenging vocabulary words throughout the story, but at the end of the book, she includes a short vocabulary list with definitions that help extend the reader's learning." ~ RL Thom
"Selfies in the Wild had me giggling to myself like a preschooler, and it is definitely a picture book that will put a smile on any child or adult reader's face!" ~ Bookworm Gang
"Selfies in the Wild is an adorable story which had me laughing out loud as I read the silly conversations between a fun group of forest friends who are intrigued by a trail camera they've found. In addition, the bright and colorful illustrations of the close-up shots of the characters looking into the trail cam also made me smile ear-to-ear." ~ Jill Cofsky
"What an adorable book! This one is my favorite so far. It’s simple and cute and although it is targeted for young readers, parents will enjoy reading it as well." ~ Dawn
Lovable Lobo and his friends find a trail camera, have a bit of fun with it, and teach us a few things along the way.
You and your little one will find out about colors (red and green), left and right, learn some new vocabulary (e.g., different meanings for the word "capture"), discover the camera and battery icons, and even be able to start up conversations on temperature, time, and date. Real-life nature photographs serve as a backdrop to computer-animated images, providing you with an opportunity to point out the different animals. The text itself is full of puns and humor, and there's even a glossary of difficult words at the end of the book. The author also shares some photos of wild animals taken using her own trail camera. And once you've finished with all of that, you'll have to go back through the book to find the fox (he only appears once)!
As you can see, there's a whole lot in this little book. You can even download the free activity kit to continue the fun.
About the Author
Cathy (C. L.) Murphy has been creating with and for kids for many years, and because of it she's ever armed with crayons and not afraid to use or share them. She’s faster than a speeding turtle, more powerful than a newborn bunny, and nearly able to leap tall tales in a single bound. She's in a position to use her unassuming powers in a never-ending battle for good and silliness while traveling to the deepest (sometimes dark) part of her imagination. She’s been a member of SCBWI since 2012. She lives in a wonder-filled forest, amongst the wildlife with her husband and other untamed animals. They have two wildly perfect sons and a scrumptious new granddaughter.
Giveaway
Enter the tour-wide giveaway for a chance to win a $200 Amazon gift card or PayPal cash.
Talented and Beautiful Belly Dancers (Belly Dancers Coloring Book 1)
by Richard G. Lowe Jr
Talented and Beautiful Belly Dancers is the first in a new series of adult coloring books by Richard G. Lowe Jr. The author stops by today for an interview and to share an excerpt from the book. You can also read my review and enter our exclusive giveaway for a chance to win a paperback copy of the book.
An adult coloring book that is both exotic and beautiful!
Stressed with life and the constant drag of staring at screens all day? Do you feel the pressures of the world eating at your soul?
While we enjoy many modern conveniences, many people today are suffering mental and physical conditions brought on by our current lifestyles. Wouldn’t it be nice to get away?
Take a step back and immerse yourself in a coloring book that will both relieve stress and tantalize! This adult coloring book was actually built from a real group of gorgeous ladies who have performed all over the world and now their images are presented here for your coloring pleasure!
The images are high quality, the lines tight, and the time spent will relieve your tension and put your mind at ease. Imagine spending a few hours away from the texts, the emails, the long commutes and the gain some peace and quiet.
Over 100 pages of coloring book images ensure you have plenty to color.
All pages are printed on one-side sheets to make it easy to color. If you prefer pens or markers, place a sheet of plain paper between the pages to prevent the ink from bleeding.
If you are ready to take a step back to your childhood, ready to relax and enjoy these beautiful ladies and the art of coloring, buy now!
"Richard has been submersed in Belly Dance culture and taking pics of dancers for years. I know because I am a belly dancer from birth! It's so cool to see him combine passions to come out with this book! I also love coloring and just got started on my first page. I look forward to sharing the pages with my students and introducing them to new dancers through the book:)" ~ Adelaide Marcus
"Lots of beautiful & amazing dancers, to color as you like :)))" ~ vanina
"I have three coloring books at home that I started coloring and then I lost interest. I just got this one and I can't stop looking at the pictures! The detailing of the costuming is fun to color while creating my own look for the costumes! I am definitely going to purchase another so that I have one for the pictures and another to color!" ~ Mishaah
"I just received my beautiful belly dancers coloring book. I enjoy belly dancing and I also enjoy coloring, what a great combo. I want to order more and give them out to friends who also enjoy dancing as a gift. What a great idea. There are so many interesting pictures in this coloring book. I hope there will be a volume 2 coming soon. love it love it love it." ~ jan r.
"Such a fun and wonderful idea! Page after page of beautiful dancers : )" ~ Nicole Richards
This is a gorgeous coloring book featuring 48 illustrations of beautiful belly dancers for you to color in. The images are full of intricate detail, both in the costumes and the backgrounds, and they will provide you with hours of coloring pleasure. But you better arm yourself with a good skin-color marker or pencil! My favorite image is of Onyx on page 73.
Be sure to check out the author's website for a glimpse of some of the amazing photographs from which the illustrations were made. There's even a list of 26 Featured Dancers at the beginning of the book, providing links to the dancers' websites so you can hire them for a function or even sign up for belly dancing lessons!
I’ve been a belly dancer photographer for over a decade, beginning in 2005. During that time, I photographed over 1,200 belly dance performance events plus did over a hundred private photoshoots. This resulted in over 400,000 photographs, all of which are available on my website.
Recently, I saw several people were creating "adult coloring books" and it just made sense to turn some of the best of those photos into drawings suitable for coloring.
My concept is to honor my dancer friends by including their images in this coloring book.
Once I decided to create the book, I had to figure out how to change my photos into drawings. I tried a lot of software, and none of it produced the results that I desired. I tried several different artists and finally settled on one who was able to capture the look I wanted.
How do you hope this book affects people?
First, I hope they have fun coloring the pages. Second, I hope this shows people the beauty of this dance form and its aesthetic nature.
How long did it take you to complete this book?
This took about a month to complete.
What is your writing routine?
In the evening, before going to bed, I create a calendar and to-do list for the next day. In that, I block out at least 4 to 8 hours for writing (I’m a full-time writer) and at least 4 hours for promoting my books and other works. A self-published author MUST promote heavily. Books that are not promoted don’t sell.
The next day, I stick to that schedule as closely as possible.
Another thing that I do is seclude myself into my office when I write. All interruptions are put on hold. This includes silencing the phone (including texts), shutting down Facebook, and getting rid of any other distractions. My writing time is for writing, not playing on Facebook, answering the phone or dealing with others.
It’s important to treat your writing as the most important thing of all during the times you’ve set out to write. Treat it as if your life depended on it.
How did you get your book published?
This is my 32nd self-published book. You can see most of my books at my book page.
What advice do you have for someone who would like to become a published writer?
You have to sit down and just do it. Create a writing schedule, the same time (if possible) every single day, and use that time to write. Write every day.
Second, don’t edit as you write. The first step is to write your thoughts down. The second step is to edit the writing. If you mix the two, editing as you write, you slow yourself to a crawl.
I also advise self-publishing because you have complete control over the process. The downside is you have to do everything yourself, including marketing and promotion, but once you figure it all out you’ll do fine.
One of the most important things a writer can do is get a good grammar book as well as a copy of the Chicago Manual of Style. Use these constantly. Don’t ask questions about grammar and style on the internet – look them up in these two books. That way you know what is right.
What do you like to do when you're not writing?
I am a photographer and spend a lot of time taking photos of nature, events, and shows.
What does your family think of your writing?
My sister is extremely supportive. She believes in the power of the written word. After all, she runs a school called the Schmahl Science Center.
Please tell us a bit about your childhood.
When I was a child, I was interested in becoming a geologist. I collected every type of rock and mineral that I could find and had a beautiful collection. I also built military models and had a model railroad in the garage. I was always creating something.
Did you like reading when you were a child?
Books were my main friends when I was growing up. I had a library of a thousand magazines and a couple of thousand books. More importantly, I read them all from cover to cover.
When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
I’ve wanted to be a writer from as early as I could remember. I wrote a lot, mostly for work, until I was 53 years old, then decided it was time to take an early retirement and become a professional writer.
In the two years since, I’ve written and published 32 books and also ghostwrote 12 additional books.
Did your childhood experiences influence your writing?
I was extraordinarily introverted when I was a child, and I found that books were my best friends. They were always there, always ready to share their experiences with me.
Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?
My readers send me messages all the time, mostly congratulations on a job well done.
Fantastic. What can we look forward to from you in the future?
There will be at least three more volumes in the Belly Dancers Coloring Book series, probably one per month.
I’m working on a science fiction novel called Peacekeeper, which is set one million years in the future.
Plus I’ve got at least a dozen more books to publish this year.
Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to stop by today, Richard. Best of luck with your future projects.
About the Author
After spending over 33 years in the computer and information technology industry, Richard decided to take an early retirement to pursue his dreams of becoming a professional writer and published author. Richard is a leader in the computer industry, serving as Vice President of Consulting at Software Techniques and Beck Computer Systems before settling down as Director of Computer Operations at Trader Joe's. During his twenty-year tenure at that esteemed company, he focused on computer security and preparing for the possibility of disaster.
In addition to creating hundreds of articles for the web and blogs, Richard actively works as a professional ghostwriter. In that role, he has completed books on a wide variety of subjects including memoirs, business volumes, and novels. Because of his in-depth background in software management and computer security, Richard has ghostwritten a number of major books in those areas.
An avid adventurer, Richard has been a photographer for much of his life, with a focus on nature, scenic, performance and event photography. He has done everything from hiking in dozens of national parks throughout the country, to photographing various unique festivals and events, such as the Labyrinth of Jareth Masquerade Ball and the World Mermaid Awards Convention. He is well known in the Renaissance Festival and Belly Dance communities, having photographed over 1,200 dance events and 400 festivals. For several years, he photographed the Tournament of Roses parade in Pasadena, California.
Richard is currently working on a large number of short Kindle ebooks on a wide variety of subjects. Beginning in 2016, the first of a ten volume series of Science Fiction novels will be published.
One of Richard's passions is to use the power of words to educate people on human rights. He believes the world will be a better place when human beings are treated with the full respect and dignity they are due.
Giveaway
Enter our exclusive giveaway for a chance to win a signed paperback copy of Talented and Beautiful Belly Dancers by Richard G. Lowe Jr (US only).
