#BookBlast, The Mystic Princesses and the Whirlpool by PJ LaRue, #middlegrade #newrelease #amazon #giveaway

Title: The Mystic Princesses and the Whirlpool | Author: PJ LaRue | Illustrator: Aristides Rodriguez | Publication Date: June 28, 2014 | Publisher: Independent | Pages: 63 | Recommended Ages: 5 to 10


Book Description: Join Exciting Princess Adventures and Learn Life Lessons Along the Way

Have you ever wanted to ride a dolphin or dreamed of playing on a rainbow as if it were a waterslide? How would you feel if someone tried to kidnap you, and you were forced to move to Hawai'i to hide and live with people you don't know? That happened to Harmonie. Come meet Harmonie, her new Mystic Princess friends, and find out what happens when her enemies, the Children of Ares, find her again.

Purchase * Goodreads

The Buzz About the Book

"The Mystic Princesses and the Whirlpool has a delightful plot. P. J. LaRue uses mythological characters to tell a lively story of bravery and friendship. The book teaches important lessons on strengths and weaknesses, conservation and safety. This is the first book in the Mystic Princesses series, and I cannot wait for the next princesses' adventure to come. Young girls will love The Mystic Princesses adventure on their bedside table." ~ Kelly Santana, Readers' Favorite Book Reviews

"A lovely book for children with colourful pictures and any child who reads it will be looking for a sequel." ~ 5 Star Review, Diane, Amazon

"'The Mystic Princesses and the Whirlpool' is a confidence boosting book for children, giving them important information. It is the first in a series and I look forward to reading more about Harmonie and her friends." ~ 5 Star Review, Mary C., Goodreads

"This early chapter book is perfect for children ages six through ten. It does not portray wimpy princesses, but strong, respectful and independent female role models involved in many adventures in which they learn to overcome their weaknesses, act against bullying, and cooperate with friends and family to promote human welfare and peace. Short chapters interspersed with illustrations will maintain interest if the book is read aloud for younger children. Introduce your little princess to this one." ~ 5 Star Review, Barbara M., Amazon

"The short chapters would make this ideal for younger girls who are newer to reading Chapter Books. The colourful illustrations are excellent, and compliment this warm story nicely. A new series for girls, offering a fun way to learn valuable life lessons." ~ 5 Star Review, M.J. Kinsmen, Amazon

About the Author: PJ LaRue

PJ LaRue wrote poetry in high school, but she discovered writing children’s books and short stories later in life. Her writing inspirations are hiking, photography and environmental consciousness, but she links these interests to much larger social issues. A person very close to PJ was molested as a child, making PJ passionate about providing child safety tips. And, PJ was bullied in the third grade by girls much larger than she, who demanded that PJ give them her lunch money. As a result, PJ is committed to spreading the word that bullying must be stopped.

One of PJ’s goals is to help educate children, parents and caregivers, in a fun way, using her children’s book series, The Mystic Princesses. Because PJ loves to travel, the princesses will visit many locales, learning about environmental concerns along the way.

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About the Illustrator: Aristides Rodriguez

Aristides Rodriguez has worked with clients to create websites, social media graphics, print graphics, and logos. His print media projects include cards, posters and magazine ads. He is comfortable working with a team, but has also designed client projects independently. While in school, Aristides participated in job shadows to Central Florida design community members including Disney Event Group, Orlando, SeaWorld, Orlando, and large offset and digital printing companies. Currently, Aristides is a Winter Park Tech Advisory Board member.

Website

* $25 Book Blast Giveaway *

Prize: $25 Amazon Gift Card or PayPal cash (winner’s choice)

Contest ends: December 17, 11:59 pm, 2014

Open: Internationally

How to enter: Please enter using the Rafflecopter widget below.

Terms and Conditions: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. A winner will be randomly drawn through the Rafflecopter widget and will be contacted by email within 48 hours after the giveaway ends. The winner will then have 72 hours to respond. If the winner does not respond within 72 hours, a new draw will take place for a new winner. Odds of winning will vary depending on the number of eligible entries received. This contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. This giveaway is sponsored by the author PJ LaRue and is hosted and managed by Renee from Mother Daughter Book Reviews. If you have any additional questions – feel free to send an email to Renee(at)MotherDaughterBookReviews(dot)com.

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Coming Soon, Releasing Sept 2, 2014, Princess Nevaeh by Paulette Harper, #CHILDREN #BOOKS #PICTUREBOOKS

The author is giving away a $10.00 Amazon Gift Card and an Autograph copy of the book. This giveaway is only open to US citizens.

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Title: Princess Nevaeh: Lesson on Self Discovery

Genre: Children 4-7
ISBN: 978-0-9899691-4-7
Format: Paperback

Release Date: September 2, 2014

Publisher: Thy Word Publishing

About The Book

Six year old Nevaeh wants to be something she already is. She will soon learn that her wish to be a princess takes a little more than just asking. Lessons on self-discovery are taught by her Mimi who makes her understand that being a princess takes work.

About The Author

Paulette Harper is an award-winning and best-selling author. She is the owner of Write Now Literary Virtual Book Tours and is passionate about helping authors succeed in publishing and marketing their books. Paulette has been writing and publishing books since 2008. Paulette is the author of That Was Then, This is Now, Completely Whole, Living Separate Lives and The Sanctuary. She resides in Northern, CA.

Social Links

Tour Hosted by: WNL Book Tours

Follow The Author Tour 

#John316 Marketing Network # ChristmasBook Launch Featuring #LoirlynRoberts #Amazon #Giveaway

John 3:16 Marketing Network Excerpt Tour of

“The Donkey and the King”

Excerpt Eight

A donkey longs for an easier life with no heavy burdens and no one to tell him what to do. He runs away and becomes lost, but “good” finds him in the most unlikely of places.

Travel to the Bible lands and meet Baruch, a stubborn donkey, and other lovable animals: Lowly, the pig; Much-Afraid, a small, lame dog; Worldly Crow, who isn’t as bright as he thinks he is; and a sheep, Little, sent on a special mission by the King. The ending of the story will delight young readers as they discover “good” exists in the world if they look and listen for it.


When I was young, I hated doing chores. I suppose I was this donkey, rebellious and self-determined, but desperate for a friend—the one friend who would never leave me (or you).


Here is a short excerpt from “The Donkey and the King.” This is the eighth stop on the tour. I hope you will visit all the blogs and participate in the John 3:16 Marketing Network Book Launch and win the grand prize. See details below.

“Oh, no,” cried Baruch. “The King must know I ran away. He’ll punish me and send me back, or worse, beat me!”
The donkey became very afraid. He didn’t know what to do.

“You say that because you don’t know the King. Come with me, and I’ll take you to him. You can’t stay here.
It’s too cold and dangerous.”
Baruch knew she was right. “All right,” he said.
“But I’m very scared.”

*~*~*~*~*~*


On every page is the hidden word “good.” Can you find it in the drawings above? If not, you can look below and see where the word is hidden.

The unique quality about Kindle-enhanced books is that the drawings and font size can be enlarged for young readers. And for parents who can’t find the word, a QR code (a free AP is available for smart phones) and link is provided to facilitate the search. Some pages are more challenging than others (for older readers).

If you enjoyed looking for the mouse in “Goodnight Moon” when you were young, your child will delight in looking for “good” in “The Donkey and the King.” The moral: There is good in the world if you look and listen for the King’s voice.

“The Donkey and the King” (A Story of Redemption)
99 cents December 1 through December 16
24 reviews, 4.8 stars
Ages 2-6

Book Trailer: http://bit.ly/Donkey_Video

From December 1 through December 16, the John 3:16 Marketing Network is hosting a Christmas Book Launch and “The Donkey and the King” is a featured book.


As part of the event, the Network is offering a $200 Amazon gift e-card to one lucky winner. For a chance to win, go to http://bit.ly/Christian_Books and enter the Rafflecopter (toward the bottom of the page). And be sure and pick up your Kindle version of “The Donkey and the King” for 99 cents at http://bit.ly/Donkey_Kindle

Next stop (and final) on the tour: My blog at http://LoirlynRoberts.blogspot.com


“The Donkey and the King” (A Story of Redemption)
99 cents December 1 through December 16
24 reviews, 4.8 stars
Ages 2-6

Book Trailer: http://bit.ly/Donkey_Video

From December 1 through December 16, the John 3:16 Marketing Network is hosting a Christmas Book Launch and “The Donkey and the King” is a featured book.


As part of the event, the Network is offering a $200 Amazon gift e-card to one lucky winner. For a chance to win, go to http://bit.ly/Christian_Books and enter the Rafflecopter (toward the bottom of the page). And be sure and pick up your Kindle version of “The Donkey and the King” for 99 cents at http://bit.ly/Donkey_Kindle


Next stop (and final) on the tour: My blog at http://LoirlynRoberts.blogspot.com

John 3:16 #Marketing Network #Christmas #Raffle #Book Launch #Amazon Gift Card

Green Leaf, The Potawatomi Boy

Lisa J Lickel, illustrated by Brenda Hendricks

About the Book:

Green Leaf’s cousins are all older than he and don’t like to play fair. He longs for a friend his own age he can play with, explore and fish with. When he meets a Luxembourger boy, Henri, Green Leaf is sure they could become friends, but Henri’s words are strange to Green Leaf. How can they play and explore together?

Green Leaf’s mother says, “Friends learn to speak one another’s words.” But will Green Leaf learn to say his friend’s words well enough to save Henri when he falls into danger?

Kindle - on special sale during December 1- 16, $.99
Also available in print from online retailers or from your favorite bookseller. $5.95
Ten years in the making, The First Children of Farmington series of early reader books has finally reached book sellers. I spent two years researching and writing this series. Several years after I worked with other community historians to collect and record our early pioneer history, I realized that we had quite a diverse ethnicity to Farmington, Wisconsin. Although these stories are based on real people and real events, they are representative of issues and struggles and joys families face every day everywhere.


The Potawatomi Boy is a character with a running thread through all the books. When I first started out with the project I was taking classes from the Christian Writers Guild. I set out to put together a series of picture books and connected with a couple of different artists. I wrote the text, but learned over several years that it’s harder to get the attention of a publisher for children’s books than it is for adult books. I’d never considered self-publishing, but through connections with my current illustrator and publishing partner, Brenda Hendricks, and others at the John 316 Marketing Network, learned a lot about not only self-publishing options, but how to publish well. The second book in the series, The German Girl, is now available, as well, about a curious young girl who becomes lost while searching for the family cow, and the third book, The Saxon Boy, about a young boy who must learn to accept a stepfather, may be out by Christmas. I was quite surprised and pleased to have won a prestigious Jade Ring award for the Saxon Boy from the Wisconsin Writers Association. The other three stories, The Yankee Boy, The Irish Girl and The French Girl, are planned for release in 2014.

The books include references, glossaries, and special illustrations and a picture search. They are suitable for early to middle grades, ages 7-9 or so.

Also at Barnes and Noble
Booksamillion

From December 1 through December 16, the John 3:16 Marketing Network is hosting a Christmas Book Launch and The Potawatomi Boy is a featured book. As part of the event, the Network is offering a $200 Amazon gift certificate to one lucky winner. For a chance to win, go to http://bit.ly/Christian_Books and enter the Rafflecopter toward the bottom of the page.

About the Author:

Lisa Lickel is a Wisconsin writer who lives with her husband in a hundred and sixty-year-old house built by a Great Lakes ship captain. Surrounded by books and dragons, she writes inspiring fiction. Her published novels include mystery and romance, all with a twist of grace. She has penned dozens of feature newspaper stories, short stories, magazine articles and radio theater. She is the editor in chief of Creative Wisconsin magazine. Lisa also is an avid book reviewer, a freelance editor, a writing mentor, a hostess at Clash of the Titles.com, and enjoys blogging at theBarnDoor.net and AuthorCulture.blogspot.com. She loves to encourage new authors. Find more at LisaLickel.com.


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I'm Feature Hazel Nutt Childrens Author

“WHAT SQUIRRELS DO” TRILOGY

Written and Illustrated by Hazel Nutt

Published 3^rd February 2013

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing

In Hazel Nutt's début trilogy of fun rhyming picture books, children are emerged into the imaginative secret life of squirrels.

The books:  What Squirrels Do When You Are Not Looking, What Squirrels Do: The Squirrel Olympics and What Squirrels Do: Just For Fun are full of beautiful illustrations and ideas that could just be true.  Who really know what squirrels get up to while people are looking the other way?

Ideal for an adult and child to read together the "What Squirrels Do" series combines imaginative rhyme with delightful illustrations. The books inspire little imaginations and instil the seeds of a lifelong love for reading and nature.

Purchase Links

What Squirrels Do When You Are Not Looking

Amazon.com:http://www.amazon.com/What-Squirrels-When-Youre-Looking/dp/1478363800/

What Squirrels Do:  The Squirrel Olympics

Amazon.com:http://www.amazon.com/What-Squirrels-Do-Squirrel-Childrens/dp/1482354195/

What Squirrels Do: Just for Fun

Amazon.com:http://www.amazon.com/What-Squirrels-Do-Rhyming-Childrens/dp/1482354349/

About the Author

Hazel Nutt is a baby who is nutty about nature, especially squirrels, whom she often has a good natter with. They tell her their secrets and her parents help her write them down to share with the world, as picture books.

Loving nature is really important to her and Hazel Nutt hopes to make sure that lots of other kids get nutty about nature as well.

She also likes to blog about her observations on life and teach other toddlers how to train their parents.

Author Website: http://www.HazelNutt.com

Book Website: http://www.WhatSquirrelsDo.com

Contact Details:

Email: HazelNutt@Hazelnutt.com

Social Media Links:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/1HazelNutt

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/BabyBloggerHazelNutt

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/105971791020252696308/

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Hazel-Nutt/e/B008JI05GO/

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/HazelNutt

SAMPLE INTERVIEW WITH LORD AND LADY DOHERTY -  The Parents Behind the Pen-name “Hazel Nutt”

What makes your What Squirrels Do picture book series special?

Well apart from creating the persona of a toddler as the author, our books are beautifully illustrated, funny and well written, which I'm sure that many authors will say about their own books, but our books have passed the Toddler Test!

What's the Toddler Test?

Our toddler and other toddlers at the toddler groups we attend have wanted the “What Squirrels Do” series read AND REREAD to them, once they've heard it the first time.

In addition to this, we hope to instil a lifelong love of nature and reading in other toddlers, help in developing little imaginations and encourage parents and little ones to bond over a good picture book.

Why did you choose Hazel Nutt as a pen-name?

We thought that a toddler take on the world would be infinitely more interesting than yet another parent writing s picture book. 

At the moment our toddler is two (and called Hazel, but not Nutt), so finding the inspiration is very easy.  She helps our creativity and is our muse.

Why have you chosen to write rhyming picture books?

Well Lady Doherty has always loved writing poetry and has a natural talent for it, but she did not think about writing childrens picture books until her daughter came along, when the ideas and creativity just flowed.  Lord Doherty's forte is the picture creation, so all in all we are the perfect mum, dad and toddler writing team.

How do you go about the writing process?

Out daughter provides the inspiration, Mum writes the words and Dad illustrates and edits!  This all takes place from the comfort of our own home.  Very little can be completed during the day time, apart from a few notes and sketches, due to a dog demanding to go out and a toddler demanding to be entertained.  So a lot of our work is done at night times.  It is lucky that Lord and Lady Doherty are night owls!

Why did you choose the self publishing route?

Well we wanted to do something special for our daughter's second birthday, so we decided to have the publish date of the “What Squirrels Do” trilogy as the 3rd February 2013.

Although the name Hazel Nutt is a pen-name, for all intents and purposes these books have been created for our daughter, as a sort of legacy for her and her future family.

Virtual Book Tour with Lorita Kelsey Childress

Grandma, How Do You Know God Is Real? 

About The Book

Grandma, how do you know God is real? is about a six-and-a-half-year-old girl named Kendra, who spends a few weeks of her summer vacation with her Grandma.

She awakens one bright and sunny morning and asks her Grandma how does she know God is real? Grandma, takes Kendra on an adventure to show her all the reasons as to why she knows God is real.

About The Author

 

Lorita Kelsey Childress lives with her husband David, in Northern CA.  She has three daughters and a granddaughter. Lorita’s first novel The Turning Point of Lila Louise was published in May 2010. December 2012, she published her first children’s book titled, Grandma, how do you know God is real? She is a member of Sistahs on the Reading Edge book club. Lorita’s work is featured in Gumbo for the Soul; The Recipe for Literacy in the Black Community and Gumbo for the Soul; Women of Honor Special Pink Edition. Her latest work is featured in Suspect; A Confessional Anthology.  Her poem Our History is Rich was featured in the January/March 2010 edition of Kontagious Magazine.  She is currently working on her second novel.

Excerpt

The sun was shining brightly as Kendra awakened to the delicious aroma of bacon, coming from the kitchen in her Grandma‛s house. She sat up in bed and looked all around.

Everything in her room was pink, from the sheets and pillowcases to the comforter, and rug. Even the paint on the walls was pink and adorned with big beautiful daises. 

Pink was Kendra‛s favorite color and Grandma had out done herself with the decorations.

Kendra loved spending a few weeks of her summer vacation at Grandma‛s house. Grandma always made her feel special, and she especially loved Grandma‛s juicy kisses.

Kendra was sitting on the edge of her bed and playing with her long braided pigtails when she heard a light tap on the door. “Good morning, my angel. Did you sleep well?”

“Yes, Grandma I had a very good night.”

“Good,” Grandma said. “Now go wash your face and brush your teeth. Breakfast is almost ready.”

“Wait,” Kendra said, rubbing her pretty brown eyes.

Yes, dear, what is it?” “Grandma, can I ask you a question?”

“Kendra, you know you can ask me anything you want. Grandma will always try to give you the correct answer. So, what‛s on that pretty little mind of yours?”

“Grandma, how do you know God is real?”

Visit the Author on line at:

Author website:   www.loritawrites4u.com

Email Address: loritachildress@yahoo.com

Connect with Lorita

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/lkchildress?ref=ts&fref=ts

Purchase the book on line at:

Amazon ordering:  http://www.amazon.com/Grandma-how-you-know-real/dp/0615677975/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1357369092&sr=1-4&keywords=lorita+childress