June 7, 2015

One Busy Day by Lola M. Schaefer.

I've been reading (and writing) a lot of picture books lately, so the next few posts are going to be picture book heavy.

A great picture book that discusses the relationship between brothers and sisters is One Busy Day by Lola M. Schaefer.


Synopsis -  All Mia wants is for her big brother, Spencer, to play with her. But he's always too busy! So Mia paints, and dances, and explores, and keep busy all by herself. But with a little imagination and a lot of love, Mia might just be able to show Spencer that it's a lot more fun to be busy together.

The story is cute and really hits home for my girls.  My 5 year old Bid loves playing with her older sister, but sometimes her older sister just wants a break.  She likes to read this book when she is a little sad.   We read the book, then she thinks of something fun to do.  After a little quiet time. her older sister always wants to get in on the action.

As much as she loves  the story, Bid's favorite part of the book is the pictures on the back end pages.  She loves to see all of the fun things the siblings ended up doing together.

To Buy - If your kids need a little help remembering how to play nice together, One Busy Day can definitely help drive the message home.   It retails for $16.99, but you can get it right now on Amazon for $12.75.








June 6, 2015

Author Feature - Yvonne Ventresca

Author - Yvonne Ventresca - www.YvonneVentresca.com

Book - Pandemic

Genre - YA

Publisher -
Sky Pony Press

Road to Publishing -
  I've been writing seriously for about ten years. Although I had some success getting two nonfiction books published, writing a good novel was much harder. Pandemic was actually my fourth attempt at a novel. (I'm currently going back and revising number three.) It's been a long process, but a rewarding one.

Book Synopsis - Pandemic is a contemporary, realistic young adult novel about an emotionally traumatized teenager struggling to survive a bird flu pandemic.

In Pandemic, only a few people know what caused Lilianna Snyder's sudden change from a model student to a withdrawn pessimist who worries about all kinds of disasters. After her parents are called away on business, Lil’s town is hit by what soon becomes a widespread fatal illness. With her worst fears realized, Lil must find a way to survive not only the outbreak and its real-life consequences, but also her own personal demons.


More Info - I have a blog for writers at www.yvonneventresca.com/blog.html. You can also find me on Twitter (www.twitter.com/YvonneVentresca), Facebook (www.facebook.com/yvonne.ventresca.3), Goodreads (www.goodreads.com/author/show/317481.Yvonne_Ventresca) and Pinterest (www.pinterest.com/yvonneventresca).


Disclosure - The questions were answered by the spotlight person in conjunction with my new feature.  I have not read the books.  I received nothing for this post.



June 5, 2015

Author Feature - Roseanne Cheng

Author - Roseanne Cheng - www.teachablelit.com

Book - The Take Back of Lincoln Junior High

Genre - Middle Grade/Young Adult

Publisher - Wise Ink

Road to Publishing - I shopped my book out to many traditional agents, and was met with a lot of interest. After a long process of back and forth, the consistent feedback I got was, "it's great, but we don't know if we can sell it". My book for young people contains no sex or violence, no gratuity of any kind. I am a teacher, connected in education, and knew my book would serve a great purpose in a classroom setting. So when I got the feedback I needed-- that the story was good-- I contacted a local business that helps people like me self-publish. Nowadays, you don't need the backing of a major publisher to be a successful author. You just need a good story and the determination to make it happen.

Book Synopsis - Lincoln Junior High is out of money. For Andrew and Hannah, this means no sports, no music, and no fun. That is, until the principal begins a corporate sponsorship program to “Take-Back” the school. A few advertisements in exchange for cool programs and new technology can’t be that bad. Or can it?


Disclosure - The questions were answered by the spotlight person in conjunction with my new feature.  I have not read the books.  I received nothing for this post.