I Won Diary of a Penguin-Napper by Sally Harris

http://www.amazon.com/The-Ninja-Librarian-ebook/dp/B0079NQFAA/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1360954145&sr=1-1&keywords=the+ninja+librarian

 I had read this wonderful novel about a mysterious and unusual librarian in a town with a grudge against Librarians and loved it, and likened it to a wild west Mary Poppins or Nanny McPhee.  So when I heard that the author, Rebecca M. Douglass had been included in an anthology of middle grade novels, I uploaded the kindle ebook and entered the drawing to win a kindle fire or a copy of one of the 14 books included in excerpt in the anthology.  I didn't win the kindle fire, which is fine, but I did get introduced to many interesting titles which I think my students might enjoy.

http://www.amazon.com/Love-Middle-Grade-Actually-ebook/dp/B00B2KEI32/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1360954195&sr=1-1-spell&keywords=love+middle+grade+actully

And I was lucky enough to win the ebook copy of the first story in the anthology, one excerpt which had me laughing as soon as I started reading.  

http://www.amazon.com/Diary-of-a-Penguin-napper-ebook/dp/B00A25GNEA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1360954103&sr=8-2&keywords=diary+of+a+penguin+napper

The following is the blurb about the book from Goodreads

3 weeks ...
2 boys ...
1 little penguin ...

What could possibly go wrong?

When 11 (and a half) year old Marty is partnered up with Jessica on the overnight science trip, he thinks all of this dreams are about to come true. It's his big chance to impress the most beautiful girl in Year 7 (and probably the world) and he wouldn't miss it for anything.

Only problem is: Marty can't afford to go on the overnight trip. 

Yet.

Inspired by the urban myth that it is possible to steal a penguin from the zoo on a school visit, Diary of a Penguin-napper is a hilarious tale of growing up, bending the rules and how one big fuss can be caused by stealing just one little penguin.

So thank you to Sally Harris, and the other authors, and best of luck getting your wonderful books out into the hands, and ebooks of people who will love them.

And because every chance to remind you about my books is a chance I am not going to pass up, here are the links to a couple of my own Novels for middle school on up.

http://www.amazon.com/Double-Time-Oregon-Trail-ebook/dp/B008G3JZB8/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1360954231&sr=1-1&keywords=dixie+dawn+miller+goode

http://www.amazon.com/Duffy-Barkley-Tales-Uhrlin-ebook/dp/B004478F5M/ref=la_B004458ES2_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1360954270&sr=1-4

Love Middle Grade Actually

Because my passion is books for middle grade and young adults, and because I am completely in love with a book called, The Ninja Librarian by Rebecca M. Douglass

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_14?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=the+ninja+librarian&sprefix=the+ninja+libr%2Caps%2C210

I reviewed her book awhile back and am looking forward to the sequel which she promises me she is making progress on, :)

My review here:

http://www.amazon.com/review/RDSRQHQOGG3KB/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=1468198491&linkCode=&nodeID=&tag=

and she is involved in this project, 

I am delighted to be able to tell you about a middle grade sampler

http://www.amazon.com/Love-Middle-Grade-Actually-ebook/dp/B00B2KEI32/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_2

ABOUT THE BOOK

WIN A KINDLE FIRE (Value of $159!) WIN A $10 AMAZON GIFTCARD! WIN GREAT MIDDLE GRADE BOOKS!

Download this e-book, find the secret phrase, and enter it into the contest link embedded in the e-book to be entered into the draw to win a Kindle Fire, a $10 Amazon Gift Card or a great middle grade e-book from one of 14 fantastic authors!

Treat yourself and your kids with a special gift this Valentine's Day! This is a sample of 14 exciting middle grade stories that you will love and with the chance to win an e-reader.

Competition opens 7 February 2013 and the winner will be announced on 14 February 2013. This e-book will be available to download for free for 5 days from the 7^-11^th of February and at 99c for the remaining days of the promotion. The winners will be drawn on 14 February 2013 and announced shortly thereafter.

Whether you like fantasy, adventure, mystery or humor, "Love Middle Grade Actually" gives you a taste of it all!

This sampler includes:

Sally Harris - Diary of a Penguin-napper (3 weeks, 2 boys, 1 little penguin - what could possibly go wrong? Inspired by the urban myth that it is possible to steal a penguin from the zoo on a school visit using just a backpack!)

SW Lothian - The Golden Scarab (When JJ discovers the secret of time travel at his dad’s museum, he finds himself catapulted back to ancient Egypt with his best friend, smack-bang at the centre of an action-packed race against time and living statues to find the sacred Golden Scarab.)

Nikki Bennett - Four Fiends (Join Jinjing, Pietro, Saburo and Kate as they explore exotic lands, defeat evil demons, and discover the true meaning of friendship.)

Scott Clements - Gasparilla's Treasure (A fast paced adventure novel following Trip Montgomery on his quest through historic St Augustine, Florida to find the treasure of famed pirate Jose Gaspar.)

Paul R. Hewlett – Lionel’s Grand Adventure: Lionel and the Golden Rule (Meet Lionel, a lovable bully-magnet, as he arrives in Larrystown and discovers a magical Three-Toed-Potbellied Walbaun foot.)

Julie Anne Grasso - Escape from the Forbidden Planet (Caramel Cinnamon thought the worst day of her life was the day her grandparents, the King and Queen of the Elves of Cardamom went missing. She was wrong!)

Natalie Bahm - The Secret Underground (Anxious to forget the bank robbery she witnessed, twelve-year-old Ally joins her brother and the rest of the neighborhood boys (including the cutest boy in her class) in digging a secret tunnel to an abandoned steel mill.)

Jeff Bilman – Super Ninja Alien Robot Monsters (Ninja fighting, half-robot, half-monster aliens from Alpha Centauri have come to destroy the Earth. Are two bickering brothers the world's only hope?)

Jemima Pett - The Princelings and the Pirates (A simple mission to solve a problem with the winery turns into a nightmare as our guinea pig heroes, Princelings Fred and George, are captured by pirates, rescue a damsel in distress, and get more than they bargained for in the battle of Dimerie)

Rebecca M Douglass – The Ninja Librarian (Skunk Corners is a dusty, tough, unfriendly town until the Ninja Librarian—a mild-mannered librarian who offers his wisdom with a little extra when folks don’t listen—gets off the train and moves into the library).

Adam C. Veile - The Dreamcatcher Adventures: Greedy Jack Wallace (When the ghost of his rowdy Wild West ancestor appears, seventh-grader Blake Monroe joins him in the search for a hidden treasure, but they soon discover a deadly outlaw is in pursuit and they’ll be lucky to escape with their lives!)

Krista Michelle Breen - Knockout: The Hermit's Escape (When Phillip Brooks’ new horse leaves him face down in the mud, he soon discovers something very strange is going on inside the old hermit Bert Massey’s house.)

Stanley & Katrina - The Perpetual Papers of the Pack of Pets (Cat and Dog. It is a love/hate relationship. Enter the inner psyche of these creatures as they try to peacefully coexist within the same house. Cleverly written. Hilarious antics.)

Anna Olswanger - Greenhorn (Greenhorn is a powerful story that gives human dimension to the Holocaust. It poignantly underscores our flawed humanity and speaks to the healing value of friendship. )

DOWNLOAD YOUR COPY AND ENTER TO WIN!

IMPORTANT LINKS AND HASHTAGS

Love Middle Grade Actually on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Love-Middle-Grade-Actually-ebook/dp/B00B2KEI32 or permalink http://amzn.com/B00B2KEI32

Entry page for the promotion: http://lovemgactually.blogspot.com.au/ but don't go here first as There is a restriction on the Rafflecopter page that means that readers must know the secret phrase to be able to enter. They may then add additional entries by liking any of us on Facebook or following on Twitter.  They will also get extra entries by tweeting about the competition and hopefully spreading the word further.

Twitter hashtag to use for this promotion: #lovemg 

Other hashtags to spread the word further: #kidlit #mglit #amreading #mmgm (And any others that you have at your disposal!)

Double Time is a Free Ebook on Kindle this Week

My third book is a departure from the fantasy world of Uhrlin and the young boy named Duffy Barkley. This is the start of what I hope to see evolve as a series of historical fiction for middle grade student. Double Time on the Oregon Trail is being featured in a Goodreads Paperback giveaway from August 27th to September 4th.  Those are my brother's and my Dad's birthdays, but they could be significant to you in that you could enter to win one of five free copies of this book in which two 15 year old girls, traveling across North America, 152 year apart, sometimes read each other's journals thanks to the lap desk they both own.

to sign up to win one of the 5 copies in paperback you should be able to find the link at this address

http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/29525-double-time-on-the-oregon-trail

Then if you want a for sure copy in kindle format, there will be five days when you can upload it for free as a kindle ebook from August 31 to September 4 at

http://www.amazon.com/Double-Time-Oregon-Trail-ebook/dp/B008G3JZB8

and of course, if you have kindle prime you can always get the ebook for free, otherwise it is normally $3.99

Why would an author who has been working on one project for 13 years, be willing to give away that work? Partly because after keeping anything to yourself for 13 years, it is time to share; partly in the hope that if anyone reads it for free, they will talk about it, tweet about it, buy a copy for a young friend or family member, or post a review on Amazon or Goodreads. I know that the $3.99 kindle price is what people pay willingly for a cup of coffee but it is not easy to choose which of the many kindle books to put your money on,

 and those reviews help tip the balance in one books favor over the many others it is competing against.

Does it work?  I'm still not sure.  I've sold a few hundred paperback copies and a handful of the kindle versions of the Duffy Barkley books, and in their free days, people uploaded several hundred copies in Germany, Great Britain and the USA, I got about 9 positive reviews, mostly on Amazon and Goodreads, and I got a few nice write ups on book review blogs, but the very best reaction I have gotten was the day I went to substitute teach at Pine Grove Elementary School and the 5th grade girls ran up to me.  They quickly demanded, not that I tell them who I was subbing for, or what we were doing, but when I was publishing my next book.

Some of my friends who are authors feel that the giveaways are cheapening the market so much that no one will want to pay for the work of an author, and some feel that people who get a lot of free kindle books probably get more the next day and rarely ever read them.  They could be right.  

I love writing, I love having someone tell me that they enjoyed the story I had to tell. I rarely make enough in any given month from my books to buy more than a cup of coffee and another book for me, but i will never stop writing until I can't do anything, because who I am at heart, is a storyteller, a recorder and sharer of the beauty and wonder there is in being human on this beautiful blue planet.

Goodreads Paperback Giveaway and Amazon Free Kindle ebook

The past and present meet on the Oregon Trail when two girls travel the same trail with the same lap desk 152 years apart. Kenyon is traveling in 2002 from Pittsburgh to Salem, OR. Her mother is pregnant and staying behind to close escrow on the house and then flying west to join the family. Kenyon; her 5 year old sister, Melissa and her father are in a Dodge Caravan, with a trailer hitch. Her Grandfather has given her a plain, black polished ebony wooden lap desk lined with a scented wood that still smells faintly of cedar. The box is filled with thick, creamy paper, envelopes, a calling card, a hand mirror, pens and pencils and a small Swiss army knife, postage and an electronic address book. Her Grandfather is not moving with them but plans have been made for him to fly out in December for a visit. Kenyon strongly resents being expected to entertain Melissa at the motels in the evenings. Her father has decided to take the long way and show his girls some of the wonders of this country and Melissa is excited but Kenyon is determined to not have any fun. Traveling in 1850, Della, age 15, has already traveled from Northern Illinois to St. Louis, then a week by steamboat on the Missouri river. She stopped in Independence, MO to prepare for the journey and meet with the wagon train. She left behind her 60 year old grandmother who feels too old to attempt the trip, but who gave her a gift of a wooden lap desk. The desk is filled with paper, a small mirror, wooden handled pens with steel nibs, a metal letter opener, hair pins and a small sewing kit. Her younger brother, Orville, her father, and her pregnant mother are traveling with her. She has been asked to teach the younger children around the campfire in the evenings. What happens when they open the desk to see the other girls journal?

My book is being featured in a Goodreads Paperback giveaway from August 27th to September 4th.  Those are my brother's and my Dad's birthdays, but they could be significant to you in that you could enter to win one of five free copies of "Double Time On The Oregon Trail"

to sign up as soon as it hits August 27th you should be able to find the link at this address

http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/29525-double-time-on-the-oregon-trail

Then if you want a for sure copy in kindle format, there will be five days when you can upload it for free as a kindle ebook from August 31 to September 4 at

http://www.amazon.com/Double-Time-Oregon-Trail-ebook/dp/B008G3JZB8

and of course, if you have kindle prime you can always get the ebook for free, otherwise it is normally $3.99

4th of July Freedom from the Mind Bog

 On October 19, 2011 I wrote about why I was bogging down in writing my Oregon Trail Novel, before that, on August 3 I gave you the prologue to my Oregon Trail, work in progress, and on Sept. 12 I shared the first chapter. 

Now I am delighted to report that I suddenly came unbogged.


I restarted the Monday after school got out.  Three days after my youngest son graduated from high school.  Every day I set my alarm and got up like I was still teaching, and started writing again on this story that I think I first began in 1998 or 1999.


Today I finished the second draft of the novel.  I am so pleased with it, and I hope that you will com to love it also.






 Subject:  The past and present meet on the Oregon trail when two girls travel the same trail with the same lap desk 152 years apart.  Sometimes they open the desk and find the other girl's things including a diary.

Rationale or takeaway point:  the fact that while modern conveniences have made daily travels and chores easier, people haven’t changed enough to lose the sense of hope and fear and the dream of a better life at the cost of the old security.  The blindness of prejudice can be overcome with trust and familiarity.

I have decided to share the 4th of July Chapter to celebrate.

CHAPTER 14 – Della

“Dear Journal,

“The wagon train has stopped for a time to rest the animals and allow for the hunting of fresh meat. Fresh meat! My mouth waters simply from writing the words. While we are stopped, there is less of the endless dust to breath, but even so, when I blow my nose – it covers my pocket rag with clay. I guess I should be glad I am not using the embroidered hankies with Mother’s careful tatting on the borders.

“The mention of dirty hankies and the bloody fingerprints on this page should let you know which task the women are employed at during the lull in this endless trail.

“We made camp beside enough clean water to do laundry, and the cold water rinse, the boiling water wash, and the lye soap have removed skin from our hands as they removed dirt and grease from our clothing and bedding. If lugging the water and armloads of cloth doesn’t put a permanent stoop in my back, hunching over the rocks to pound the clothing will. At last the prairie around the camp is white with cloth spread out to dry and bleach in the sun and for a moment I had time to write.

“Now I must find Orville and . . . well, he comes at a run even now – shouting that the men are returning. Here we can see Independence Rock and tomorrow we shall celebrate the birthday of this nation. We shall celebrate even more if they have managed to bring us fresh meat, and there were a lot of buffalo nearby so the hope is strong.

Della”

Della tucked the desk into place in the wagon and hurried to join her brother. When she saw the men were indeed returning, and that eight groups of them were leading horses, dragging large buffalo quarters, she called to the women. They quickly assembled a group to help carve and share out the steaks and roasts and begin cooking a feast.

Along with the buffalo they had sagehen and antelope. There were bottles of pickles to be opened and shared out and the water could be flavored to make a “lemonade” using sugar, citric acid and a few precious drops of essence of lemon.

Today, they would also bake pies in their Dutch ovens with glowing coals both beneath and on the lids of those essential kettles. While the women worked at cooking, the men helped serve out the leftover bacon and cornbread from the morning meal to the hungry children, and in a burst of good spirits, they organized some races and contests of sharpshooting and axe throwing.

Mother insisted on helping, but stopped often to straighten and press a fist to her lower back when she thought no one was looking. Finally, the meal was cooking and the other women encouraged her to go sit in the shade and watch the games.

Nobody slept in the next morning, even though they would not be traveling. The ones who wanted to were planning on going to the giant, turtle shaped hill and climbing up to the top or reading the names of the many who had been there before them. They had waited until today so that when they carved their names in the sandstone, or painted them on in axle grease, they could proudly add the date July 4, 1850.

Being at Independence Rock on Independence Day made them all very much aware of their place in the history of the birth of a great nation. Della had prepared her students for the day by gathering scraps of red, white and blue cloth and helping them sew a flag, complete with 30 stars although when they left back East there was rumor that California would soon add the 31^st star too the flag.

The children walked together and sang the songs that they had been working on; songs like “The Star Spangled Banner” which they sang loudly and badly, and “Yankee Doodle” which had them laughing and joyful, songs of America to stir the pride and blood of all of them as their little parade crossed the grassy flat lands and the enormous rock loomed ever larger. Their song paused and then resumed even louder as they realized it was being joined by other groups as overlanders converged upon the landmark for the holiday.

That evening they dressed in costumes and had a contest to see which children could recite the most from “The declaration of Independence.” They gave three cheers for America and danced until long after dark.