JD'S Writers Blog

Review of UGLY TO START WITH by John Michael Cummings, In A NUT SHELL!

2012-02-10T10:18:00.000-08:00

UGLY TO START WITH tells the story of a teenage boy, Jason Stevens whose life is anything but comfortable. His family is not well-off, not unlike many of the people around them in Harbors Ferry. Jason is sometimes treated unfairly by those around him. His mother is kind and guiding, but his father is eccentric and callous towards Jason.
The author has made Jason a vivid character. You see his curiosity lead him into new and even foreign experiences where he stays for the excitement. He learns the hard truths from the imperfections of others about life itself. He is smart enough to realize he is not much better than his abusers when he does to them or others what was done to him. I enjoyed this book immensely, yet cringed at Jason’s sometimes harsh reality. At other times it was like being there with him through my own upbringing. By the end I felt sure that Jason would find his way in life.
I love short stories and writing them myself. I enjoy the challenge of compacting all that is needed to tell one. Through this collection of short stories, John Michael Cummings has a well written and memorable novel.
This book is not for everyone because of some risky subjects. A good read for adults.

John Michael Cummings is an American short story writer and novelist. Read more at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Michael_Cummings
Buy the book at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Ugly-Start-John-Michael-Cummings/dp/193597808X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1328897614&sr=1-1

THAT's UGLY TO START WITH IN A Nut Shell!

~JD Holiday

Review of WISE Bear William: A New Beginning! written by Arthur Wooten, In A NUT SHELL!

2012-01-21T09:52:00.000-08:00

Wise Bear William is the captain of the attic where worn out toys wait for children to come for them. The Campbell’s have an old family tradition. For generations, their children come to the attic to choose one toy to love. When the children grow up the toys are sent back to the attic.

When the toys hear the children coming, Rag Doll Rose, Bean Bag Bunny and Calico Kitty depend on Wise Bear William to get them ready. The captain would use everything in the attic to mend them and tell them all he knows about what makes a child love a toy. They have one chance to be a child’s best friend. But there is one thing that they can’t do anything about: not everyone will be picked. The toys begin to get ready replacing missing eyes, propping up droopy ears and mending all rips and tears.

Wise Bear William’s words of wisdom that it’s what is on the inside that counts, and everyone is special ring true for not only the toys but for the book’s readers as well. This is a sweet, charming and humorous story!

WISE Bear William: A New Beginning! is well written and the illustrations are vivid and beautiful. It’s an entertaining story for its readers of all ages that includes a lesson about compassion, remembering promises and helping others and it’s what is on the inside the matters the most. You will laugh and cry with these lovable characters. I read it with my six year-old, grandson and I had tears in my eyes too!

Arthur Wooten is no novice at storytelling being a critically acclaimed novelist and playwright. His novels include Birthday Pie, and On Picking Fruit, and Fruit Cocktail. The wonderful pictures are by award-winning designer and illustrator, Bud Santora.
WISE Bear William: A New Beginning! can be Bought at:
http://www.amazon.com/Wise-Bear-William-New-Beginning/dp/0983563160

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/wise-bear-william-a-new-beginning?keyword=wise+bear+william+a+new+beginning&store=allproducts

https://www.createspace.com/3656975

For more on Arthur Wooten: http://www.arthurwooten.com/
And at:
http://bostonbookbums.com/2011/06/08/arthur-qa-arthur-wooten/

For More on Bud Santora:

http://budsantora.carbonmade.com/
And at:
http://www.coroflot.com/bud/Illustrations

That's WISE BEAR WILLIAM: A NEW BEGINNING! In A Net Shell!

~J.D. Holiday

Review of Klutzin’ Around the Christmas Tree: A Holiday Anthology: In A NUTSHELL

2011-12-24T13:21:00.000-08:00

‘Klutzin’ Around the Christmas Tree’ is a wonderful collection of Christmas stories from places far away and earlier times to the present full of hope and wonder edited by Marie McGaha.
I couldn’t put this book down. I laugh aloud and mused over these stories remembering my own Christmas’ past.
I enjoyed the family antics of getting the tree decorated, Christmas on the farm including birthing a calf, a group of children coming together to save Christmas, the heartwarming story of a boy’s best friend lost, a miraculous war-torn Christmas, the adorable mishaps of a Christmas pageant, and one on how many of us feel about the obligations of visiting our families at Christmas and with an idea that, I think, just might work on how to dealing with them.
The book is a gem written by a group of talented authors and published by Dancing With Bear Publishing.
I plan to read the other two Anthologies in Dancing With Bear Publishing’s collection.

That's Klutzin’ Around the Christmas Tree: In A NUTSHELL
~ J.D. Holiday

About The Spy Game by JD Holiday

2011-11-29T11:23:00.000-08:00

This is Page 9 from THE SPY GAME, my next book to be publishing by DANCING WITH BEAR Publishng.

This story is based on a puppy my brother, Ike's dog Sheeba had. He ask me to take this puppy he named, Sidney Reilly after a spy series he and I watched together and loved. At the time I had a dog and didn't think my older dog, Snoopy would be happy with a new addition.
My bother said okay, but he felt sure this dog was for me and he kept it with that in mind.
When the puppy was 11 months old, my brother, Ike died of a heart attack. AND Sidney came to me!
I was wrong. Snoopy and Sidney got along, in their own way.
In this Picture I have Ike bringing Sidney to my house to live.
~ JD Holiday

Review of the children's picture book; Pep, Polish And Paint by Helena Harper: In A NutShell!

2011-11-08T15:19:00.000-08:00

Pep, Polish And Paint by Helena Harper: In A NutShell!

Sammy the Sun was miserable because he lost his shine. He didn’t know what to do to get it back. Jimmy the spaceship told him about a pep-me-up drink and promise to bring some to Sammy.

Jenny the spaceship came by next and she said Sammy needed polish and she would bring some back to him. Then Jenny flew off too. Lastly, Johnny the spaceship came along and said Sammy needed new paint and he would bring some along the next time he came by.

Sammy wasn’t sure any of these things would help get back his shine. It all sounds so confusing to him. Sammy waited and waited a long time for them all to return. He began to think they forgot all about him. But all three did returned and they did help Sammy, but in an very unexpected way!

Pep, Polish and Paint is a delightfully clever story with an important message for children on how some things come from within us! Helena Harper uses her skill as a teacher to develop this charming fantasy all children will love. Malachy McKinney’s illustrations are engaging and imaginative.

THAT'S Pep, Polish And Paint by Helena Harper: In A NutShell!

Children’s worksheets and coloring sheets are available at http://www.helenaharper.com/
You can learn more about Helena Harper at: http://www.helenaharper.com/
Helena Harper's Blog: http://helenaharpersblog.blogspot.com/

~ Author and Illustrator, J.D. Holiday

Linda Weaver Clarke: Interview with Children’s Author JD Holiday

2011-10-17T09:29:00.000-07:00

Linda Weaver Clarke: Interview with Children’s Author JD Holiday: Book Give-Away October 17 - 24 : To win Janoose the Goose , leave a comment about this interview with your e-mail, U.S. only!

Latest Painting for The Spy Game!

2011-10-13T10:21:00.001-07:00

A Review of Cosi Fan Tutti by Michael Dibdin: In A NUTSHELL

2011-10-01T11:00:00.000-07:00

I admit I had expectations about Michael Dibdin’s books with Aurelio Zen as the main character. I had been introduced to Aurelio Zen in the PBS Masterpiece Mystery series and loved all the characters which led me to buy other books in the series. In Cosi Fan Tutti, I was disappointed.

In general this story was a good one. Zen is a police inspector who tries to enforce the law in Naples, Italy where crime is part of every level of the police department.

I love the Aurelio Zen character who basically solves crime by stumbling into its resolution.

In this story I feel there was too much use of ‘tell’ not’ show.’ Much of what the reader learns is from a narrative by the author in many areas where a scene would have been so much more enjoyable.

Though Zen’s double identity comes off well, many other characters also have dual identities that are unknown to the reader and fall short of what the reader already believes about them.

I found, on the other hand, the end was somewhat disjointed and ran on longer than it should have.

This all said, I do enjoy Dibdin’s wit and style of writing. Readers can feel the atmosphere and want to keep turning the pages. I will surely read other books in the Aurelio Zen series.

That's Cosi Fan Tutti by Michael Dibdin: In A NUTSHELL
~ J.D. Holiday :D

2011-09-21T16:21:00.000-07:00

New latest. lol

Finished painting!

2011-09-12T09:06:00.000-07:00

I finished it up with just the color green and used the Impressionist Clone Brush.
Thank you for stopping by everyone!
Best,
JD Holiday

Latest on this painting!

2011-09-02T16:38:00.001-07:00

I finished the plants and fence using the Straight Tool to make the lines of the fence uniformed.
The painted most of the picture using the TaperedCamel and Captured Bristled brushes, both which I like a lot.
On the plants and dirt I also used Square Chalk Soft Sponge for texture and depth lightly blending with Just Add Water brush. For the sidewalk I will probably use the New Simple Water brush for a light color of pastels.

Continuing my Work in Progress of the third picture my picture book, The Spy Game.

2011-08-28T12:24:00.000-07:00

I added some plants to the background up against a fence:

Black-eyed Susans, mixed Caladiums (painted) and a Purple Hydrangea bush.

I used the New Simple Water brush to add color to the sky behind the fence.

The New Simple Water brush as you can see does NOT disrupt the painting in from of it! It is the same brush that can be used to add the green tint to sunglasses on a pair of finished eyes such as in my painting The Swim Party or add a bit of red to sky in my Early Morning Mist.

~ JD Holiday

My Work in Progress! The third picture for my third book, The Spy Game. 8-12-11

2011-08-01T16:51:00.000-07:00

I haven't a clue what the background for this picture with be. I'll come up with it though. :D

Corel Painter has a cool tool called Straight Line Strokes which I used to make the rope in the picture straight in places. For the color I used an orange with high lights in yellow using the scratchboard Tool and then
used a tint blender to mix in the colors.

Using what is called a Scratchboard Tool, much like a fine felt marker, I darken Eddie's hair. For the shirt, I used French
Ultramarine (a blue) :D with a captured bristles brush and used a darken blue with New simple water brush which I shaded the shirt with. I love this brush. You can add shadows to anything with it. You can even add the shaded glass to a pair of sunglasses!

Using Corel Painter Essentials 4, an digital art program, I started with the puppy painting it a mix of yellow ochre, lemon yellow and touches of orange. For Eddie's hair I started with copper. I used a fine camel brush and a tapered camel brush.

This is the original drawing for the third picture.

Second picture is at: http://jdswritersblog.blogspot.com/2011/07/my-second-picture-is-done-for-my-next.html

The first picture is at: http://jdswritersblog.blogspot.com/2011_06_19_archive.html

Manic Network Interviews: An Interview with Aidana WillowRaven

2011-07-29T16:00:00.000-07:00

Manic Network Interviews: An Interview with Aidana WillowRaven: "Hi Aidana, and thank you for giving us this interview. How young were you when you knew you were an artist? Start off with the hard one, lol!"

At Manic Network: http://manicnetworkinterviews.blogspot.com/2011/07/hi-aidana-and-thank-you-for-giving-us.html

Independent Publishing News: Book Business News! 7-26-11

2011-07-26T08:37:00.000-07:00

Independent Publishing News: Book Business News! 7-26-11: "The madness of crowds? Crowd-sourcing publishing.. by Dennis Loy Johnson/MobyLives “These are dark days for the book business,” an article ..."

My Second Picture is done for my next children's picture book, The Spy Game.

2011-07-11T16:18:00.000-07:00

This is my second picture for my next children's picture book, The Spy Game!

View the first picture for The Spy Game at:
http://jdswritersblog.blogspot.com/2011_06_19_archive.html

JD Holiday

Manic Network Interviews: An Interview with J.D. Holiday

2011-07-07T12:46:00.000-07:00

Manic Network Interviews ME, J.D. Holiday: J.D. Holiday is the author and illustrator of two children’s books: Janoose the Goose, picture book and a chapter book for six to eight year olds, THE GREAT SNOWBALL ESCAPADE. A chapbook of her short stories called, Trespasses was published in 1994 and she has had short stories printed in literary magazines and numerous articles about writing and publishing published. She is a member of both The Society of Children’s Writers and Illustrators, (SCBWI) Small Publishers of North America, (SPAN) and a c-host on The Writing Mama Show on BLOG TALK RADIO’S World Of Ink Network.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/WorldOfInkNetworkhttp://manicnetworkinterviews.blogspot.com/

Manic Network: Michelle Munger

2011-07-06T07:27:00.000-07:00

VIEW Manic Network: Michelle Munger's: "'Creating the Galaxy' 2011 Digital"

Celebrating Freedom and the Book Launch of: Montezuma Intrigue by Linda Weaver Clarke

2011-06-27T08:36:00.000-07:00

Adventure...Suspense...Romance...
Intrigue...Humor!
The search for Montezuma's treasure, mysterious events, family secrets, and a good-looking rogue in Montezuma Intrigue written by Linda Weaver Clarke

In celebration of our country’s “Freedom” and Linda Weaver Clarke's Official Book Launch for Montezuma Intrigue, Linda Weaver Clarke is having a

~When a leather parchment of Montezuma’s map is found in great-grandfather Evans’ old chest, April and the twins know this summer is going to be a memorable one. The girls want to search for it but their father is against it for some mysterious reason. With Julia’s help, she and the girls convince John to go on a treasure hunt. Is Montezuma’s treasure a legend or reality? Whatever the case, John insists on keeping their little treasure hunt a secret. If certain people find out about it, the family could be in danger.

Book Give-Away from June 27 – July 7:

Win a mystery/adventure novel with a touch of romance at: http://lindaweaverclarke.blogspot.com/

But that’s not all! MS. Clarke has more gifts for you! There will be a drawing for 2 children’s books: The Magic Word by Sherrill S. Cannon and The Donkey and the King by Lorilyn Roberts. If you have already bought Montezuma Intrigue, you can get 4 free e-books (pdf):

1. The Treasure of Isian by Serena Clarke. This is a fantasy/adventure novel with a touch of romance. This story is full of intrigue as you watch Garin and Elani search for the treasure of Isian.

2. Reflections of the Heart, which has 13 chapters of inspirational writings such as: The secret of Happiness, Laughter is the Best Medicine, Parenthood – A Great Responsibility, Equal Partners in Marriage, and Music Soothes the Soul.

3. Writing Your Family Legacy, in which Linda Weaver Clarke will teach you how to write your family history or autobiography. Ms. Clarke travels all over the U.S., teaching this class.

4. The Donkey and the King by Lorilyn Roberts, a beautifully illustrated children’s book about a donkey named Baruch who longs for an easier life beyond the stable.

Linda Weaver Clarke's site: http://www.lindaweaverclarke.com/

Her blog is: http://lindaweaverclarke.blogspot.com/

Independent Publishing News: Book Publishing News! Part I

2011-06-26T16:30:00.000-07:00

Independent Publishing News: Book Publishing News! Part I:
IPUBNews~Parts1&2:GoogleFacesAntitrust,IndieAuthorSells1MillInEbooks,LitAgents&NewRole,SpamClogsKindle, TradFiction&ChristianBooks http://ipubnews.blogspot.com/

The First Picture from my next Children's Picture book

2011-06-21T16:30:00.000-07:00

This is the first finished picture for my children's picture book, The Spy Game.

World of Ink Network Online Radio by WorldOfInkNetwork | Blog Talk Radio

2011-06-17T14:10:00.000-07:00

Author of LIFE Is Not a Candy Store: It's the Way to the Candy Store, Tal Yanai On The Writing Mama Show tonight~6PM EST http://tinyurl.com/4xz7mya

World of Ink Network Online Radio by WorldOfInkNetwork Blog Talk Radio

BOOK REPORT: Lucy's Purple Pullover by author and illustrator Kavitha Punniyamurthi ~ IN A NUT SHELL!

2011-06-07T06:32:00.000-07:00

Lucy's Purple Pullover by
Kavitha Punniyamurthi

Lucy gets a Christmas gift that she knew would cause her no end of trouble from the kids at school. It is an oversized purple pullover sweater her aunt knitted for her with what looks to Lucy to be a pink gorilla in the front of it!

Groaning, Lucy thinks she looks like a giant furry grape but she did promise her aunt she would wear it.

The class bully and his friends have a great time spending the day taunting her. Lucy is embarrassed by their teasing and the monkey noises they send her way but she tries to ignore them.

Kavitha Punniyamurthi

On the way home after school, Lucy and her friend, Jenny, are catch unaware by a surprising discovery and a NEW use for the purple Pullover!

If your kids or grandkids have ever received a gift they did not like and know what to do with, Lucy's Purple Pullover will certainly light their imaginations. Kavitha Punniyamurthi's illustrations are charming and she has written a story that shows children compassion and caring for other creatures.

Kavitha's site: http://kavithapunniyamurthi.weebly.com/

Her blog: http://lucyspurplepullover.blogspot.com/

BUY AT Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Lucys-Purple-Pullover-Kavitha-Punniyamurthi/dp/1616330759

Buy AT B&N: http://www.amazon.com/Lucys-Purple-Pullover-Kavitha-Punniyamurthi/dp/1616330759

CHECK OUT LUCY'S PURPLE PULLOVER's Puzzle Pictures!

That's The Book Report: IN A NUT SHELL

JD Holiday

The BOOK GARDEN: JANOOSE THE GOOSE HAS A NEW E-Book Price!

2011-06-05T16:07:00.000-07:00

The BOOK GARDEN:

JANOOSE THE GOOSE HAS A NEW PRICE FOR KINDLE AND B&N Nook $2.99

Right NOW! (6-5-2011) JANOOSE THE GOOSE IS JANOOSE is # 11 on AMAZON's CHILDREN'S Picture Books!

TODAY ON The Writing Mama Show with VS Grenier, Marsha Cook and ME, JD Holiday we'll be talking with Bennet Pomerantz 06/03 6PM EST

2011-06-03T04:38:00.000-07:00

Bennet Pomerantz

Blog Talk Radio’s World of Ink Network Show: The Writing Mama with hosts VS Grenier, Marsha Casper Cook and ME, JD Holiday will be chatting with Bennet Pomerantz about censorship and the banning of books, among other things.
Bennet Pomerantz has covered the Audio medium for the last 28 years and has a syndicated newspaper column AUDIOWORLD and Movies of Your Mind in Affaire De Couer Magazine. This is where he highlights his vast and diverse knowledge of the spoken word medium. Bennet also has his weekly column TO BE OR WHAT, which appears in 200 newspapers across the country, as well as his monthly internet self-help column for writers, A PIECE OF MY MIND, which appears in the pages of Night Owl Reviews Magazine. He also is a top 1000 reviewer for Amazon.com.The show will air live, June 3, 2011 at 6pm EST.

The Writing Mama Show with VS Grenier and Marsha Cook 06/03 by WorldOfInkNetwork Blog Talk Radio

THE BOOK REPORT:

2011-05-25T10:05:00.000-07:00

Dan Quixote Boy of Nuevo Jersey

by Shevi Arnold ~ IN A NUT SHELL

Sandra Goldberg and Dan Tyler are best friends but they deal very differently with their problems. Dan is an artist and a dreamer who loves to use his imagination while Sandy is serious and sensible. Dan wants to slay the dragons and sing to the princess. Most of the time, Dan is able to imagine the best outcome. While Sandy wants to take the path well trodden and safe. Sandy would much rather go with the flow even though the flow is always changing with new rules at every turn. With high school just around the corner there will be a whole new set if rules. But is it the best choice for her?

Sandy wants to get good grades, grow up and be a lawyer so that one day she can become a judge who can right wrongs taking on those who hurt others. But Sandy and Dan struggle to fit in and not be bullied.

Bullies are all around them, kids their own age, and adults as well. They are made fun of, pushed around, beaten up, and have lies spread about them in the attempt to ruin their reputations while the bully’s followers laugh.

Dan is called the King of the Geeks. Sandy is called the Invisible Girl and is told that she doesn’t actually exist. How can she not believe it?

With lessons learned from all they have read and have heard, these two friends research their enemies and learn their weaknesses as they try to change things for the better, not only for themselves, but for others around them. Will they find that they are not too small to make a difference? That the pen is mightier than the sword or would the gleaming sword swing down and smash the pen as you might think?

With Dan Quixote Boy of Nuevo Jersey author Shevi Arnold gives her young readers essential lessons for life and brings new interest to some very important literary classics.

Watch the Book's Trailer

Shevi's World
Buy at Amazon for Kindle
Shevi Arnold's Site

That's Dan Quixote Boy of Nuevo Jersey:
IN A NUT SHELL

~ J.D. Holiday

The John 3:16 Marketing Network Facebook

2011-05-24T10:33:00.000-07:00

http://john316mn.blogspot.com.

TONIGHT!!!!!!
FACEBOOK JOHN 3:16 MARKETING NETWORK LAUNCH PARTY IS ON TUESDAY
MAY 24, 8-9PM EST!

The John 3:16 Marketing Network Facebook Page HERE!!!!!!!
If you sign up to join the John 3:16 Marketing Network on Tuesday, May 24, ONE DAY ONLY, you can download free egifts including the following:

TO APPLY FOR MEMBERSHIP CLICK*
MORE AT:
http://www.lorilynroberts.com/john_3_16_marketing_network.html

http://john316mn.blogspot.com.

Roaches That Eat Your Best-Seller Dreams: Part Three of Six

2011-05-19T17:17:00.000-07:00

Roaches That Eat Your Best-Seller Dreams

Part Three of Six BY Guest Blogger Lorilyn Roberts

John 3:16 Marketing Network

Many years ago my ex-husband and I drove to Gainesville, Florida, from Augusta, Georgia, when he was finishing medical school and applying to residency programs. We had brought along our dog, Shelley, and it was dusk after the long eight-hour drive before we arrived at the motel.
As I headed into the bathroom exhausted, I was aghast to discover the ugliest creepy crawler I had ever seen—a huge, brown roach with antlers (okay, they were feelers, but they looked like antlers), crawling around on spiny, hairy legs, and the worst part—he turned his head and stared at me with dark beady eyes.
I ran out of the hotel room screaming at my husband, “I saw a roach.” After calming me down, we went back in so he could murder the invader. But the roach had scampered away. Of course, I insisted that we find him. As we examined the room in minute detail, we started seeing roaches everywhere—on the walls, on the floor, in the bathroom, crawling on the bed—I stood there and cried, “I can’t stay here.”

It was a football weekend, and if you know anything about Florida Gator football, you know that means almost every motel is full. We went from motel to motel for hours after driving all day to find one that had a vacancy that would accept dogs.

While my husband was contemplating an important interview for his residency, I was facing the horror of sleeping in a roach-infested hotel room. It was many years after that experience before I could stay in a hotel and not do the standard “roach check” – inside the bed sheets, under the bed, the dark bathroom, the closet—I would turn out the lights after I got into bed and then five minutes later turn them back on again to make sure one hadn’t come out of hiding.
As I learned later, because my husband did accept that position at the University of Florida, there are many species of roaches besides those big ones. There are little ones, ones that fly, ones that hide in dark places, and ones that fall into the water while you take a bath (I would know).
What does a roach-infested hotel have to do with book marketing? When my husband finished medical school, I had huge hopes and dreams. I had spent the first five years of our marriage supporting him while he was in medical school in a job which was less than satisfying. I couldn’t wait to take the next step toward my dream of earning that elusive college degree, which didn’t include meeting a roach upon arrival.

The roaches of life have a way of catching us off-guard. They appear out of nowhere when we least expect them, and usually at the worst opportune time. Recently I had my one-another group over for prayer and put out a nice spread of food. While enjoying the sweet fellowship of Christian believers, one of my guests pointed out a large handsome roach crawling across the floor toward the table of food. That pang of embarrassment at an unexpected moment, we have all been there. I ran and fetched the roach spray. Such is life in Florida for those folks who live in Canada and the hinterlands.
As authors, we hope that story we have been mulling around in our heads becomes the next best-seller. But what about those marketing roaches? Have you met one? They are those “horrid things” that threaten to make an even bigger mess of your best-seller dreams. They rob you of sleep, steal your money, destroy relationships, and take away your peace of mind, filling you with worry, apprehension, and doubt.
I encountered my first roach in marketing when I went to a writer’s conference in the Southeast. “No one reads memoirs” several people commented. Many attendees ignored me when they found I wasn’t a VIP—an editor, agent, or well-known author. Others sounded judgmental with comments like, “Did anyone edit your book?
I came home and wanted to crawl back into my little cubbyhole and forget all about marketing. The experience squelched my creativity and motivation in one fell swoop. Even the proposal that I spent several days working on that an agent asked me to send him following the conference was never looked at.
I’ve learned there are a lot of roaches in the publishing business, and I have by no means met them all. On the forum, some of my fellow authors have shared some of their experiences with other kinds of roaches that I didn’t even know existed.
My first step to a healthier mindset was to quit focusing on all the things I couldn’t do or control and figure out what I could do. I found I could do a lot more than I thought if I just took the time to learn how and wasn’t so impatient. Your roaches are probably different from mine, but whatever they are, they will handicap you more than you realize unless you deal with them. You will be able to do more than you think if you have a teachable spirit, a positive attitude, and invest some time in helping others. When you help others, you are really helping yourself. How? I don’t know how, except it’s one of the laws of nature that seems to work itself into equations that have eternal value. God sees it all and rewards us in ways we least expect it.
I had to go back to my faith and recommit my dreams. There is nothing anybody can do to prevent God’s perfect will from being accomplished. No one has any power over my mental state except if I willingly relinquish that power to them. In the process of adversity and difficulties, God makes us strong. Nothing is ever wasted without serving a useful purpose.
Nevertheless, it’s important to be aware of the more common kinds of roaches in marketing. A couple of months after my book was published, I bought two pricey email blast services—the kind where companies send out book announcements to their email lists, including subscribers, libraries and bookstores. Beware—these pricy roaches in the end were worthless. I sure wish I had that $600 back.
There are some other not-so-subtle roaches in marketing—laziness. If you are not willing or you don’t want to work hard at marketing, I hope you have some influential contacts. You’ve probably heard this before but it’s worth repeating: Nobody cares about your book. Your job is to make other people care. How do you do that? Through building relationships (I won’t say anymore about this for now, but will address this again in the sixth article).
For those who have day jobs, kids, school, and major commitments outside of writing, I feel your pain. And this is where my concept of “process” comes in. I must focus on what I can do and leave the outcome in God’s hands.

The roach of discouragement: Quit complaining and ask God to help you. The John 3:16 Marketing Network is all about encouragement and lifting each other up. If you are hoping that “best-seller” status will bring you happiness, it won’t. There is truly nothing “out there” that will fulfill you. Only your relationship with God, family, and friends can bring you happiness.
Now that we have dealt with some major roaches in marketing, let’s look at some things you can do to start marketing effectively. Before we begin a best-seller program, we need to look at what goes into launching a book, focusing on Amazon.
What you must do—long before you approach anyone to help you. We’ve had authors come into the network who did not have these things in place. Without fixing them, their book launch was doomed to failure.

1. Make sure your book has been edited completely—no ifs, ands, or buts. In addition to a professional editor, ask twenty people to read your book and look for things that are wrong, unclear, or misleading—from grammatical errors to content issues to structural problems. I guarantee you, honest people will find the problems—even though your mother will tell you it’s wonderful the way it is. All the networking and promoting in the world won’t salvage a poorly written book.

2. Make sure your book is not overpriced. Nobody will buy a book that is too expensive. There are unscrupulous companies out there that will overprice your book—roaches feeding on your desire to get published that care nothing about making your book salable. They will take your money up front and offer empty promises. Don’t fall for it. Be wise. Remember the Proverb, “A fool and his money are soon parted.” Go to Amazon and compare your book with others of similar content and length. Make your book cheaper if it’s possible (and some publishing companies do listen. I asked that the price of one of my books be reduced and they did it).

3. In my opinion, e-books are the wave of the future. Price e-books lower and you will sell more copies. Remember, you must be competitive to sell books. Not only publish your book on Kindle, but in other e-formats as well, including Nook and Sony. Smashwords is an excellent service for publishing all types of e-books.

4. Get as many reviews of your book as possible. If you are an unknown author, you should have at least 5 four/five-star reviews before asking others to help you. We ask for two reviews on the John 3:16 Marketing Network now, but we will probably increase it to five soon.

5. Here is a screen shot of my reviews for Children of Dreams. Reviews are important—both good ones and bad ones. My worst review was one three-star review. Why? The reviewer thought I had too much Bible content. I thought it was actually a good review—after all, it’s an accurate assessment of my book for someone who is thinking about reading it. The reader will know what he is getting before he buys it. That’s what reviews are for.

6. Take advantage of all the functionalities of Amazon.com to market your book; i.e., the inside-the-book program. It allows others to sample your writing before buying your book.

7. Upload a nice photograph of yourself for your Avatar. While I love those goofy animal shots, I am not so sure if they pass the screen test for promoting oneself as a professional.

8. You will notice on Amazon all of the author names are hyperlinked to something called an Author Page. These are set up through the Amazon Author Central portion of Amazon. The Author Page will show your profile, bibliography, published books, a book trailer if you upload one, and a link to the Amazon Associates Program. The Amazons Associate Program will allow you to sell Amazon books on your website or blog. All these things can sound very intimidating at first and overwhelming, but if you take it one step at a time, anyone can learn how to use these tools effortlessly. Because they are technical in nature rather than creative, all an author has to do is switch to the other side of his brain, which is where most adults spend their life anyway. Again, I repeat, anybody can do these things.

9. Make sure you list your book correctly in the subcategories on Amazon, going from the largest category to the smallest. It is more difficult to reach best-seller status in a huge category like fiction than in the subcategory Christian Romance Fiction. The biggest roach-killer for the John 3:16 Marketing Network authors has been not optimizing the best-seller categories to enhance the probability of reaching best-seller status on book launches.

10. Again, don’t let the laziness roach eat at you. Persistence pays off.

11. Don’t let the discouragement roach take away your dreams. As long as there is life in you, give it your best shot. Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you will land among the stars.

12. Start a blog and post to it as often as you can. To be a member of the John 3:16 Marketing Network, you must have an active blog. Write about what stirs you, interview other authors on your blog, review books, and post your reviews on your blog, Good Reads, Amazon, and other social networking sites.

13. Build up your Facebook contacts, Twitter followers, and create a Fan Page on Facebook.

14. Seek out positive people to interact with on the Internet. Avoid roach people—those who are self-centered, negative, bitter, or judgmental. They will pull you down into a funk you may never get out of.

15. Enjoy the journey. If you feel overwhelmed, pull out the roach spray. What do you need to kill? Examine what you are doing and consider what isn’t working. Know yourself, your limitations, and your strengths. Focus on process, not on outcome, and ask God to give you wisdom.

16. Finally, don’t give up. Join the John 3:16 Marketing Network today and experience the blessing of sharing your marketing journey with others.

From Wednesday, May 18th through Tuesday, May 24th, we are hosting a membership launch featuring some of our members in a blog tour. Our Facebook party will include many events which you won’t want to miss. Mark your calendar—Tuesday, May 24, 8-9pm EST, when you will have an opportunity to win at least eight free books. During that hour, we will have members online to answer your questions, and we will be offering tutorials on how to do some technical operations for internet marketing. These tutorials/tips will include:
1. How to upload a .jpeg to Facebook/blog
2. How to resize a .jpeg and load it Facebook/blog
3. How to copy and paste widgets on websites
4. How to set up a twitter account.

The information will be useful whether you apply to the John 3:16 Marketing Network or not.
In addition to an opportunity to win a lot of books, on Tuesday, May 24th, if you submit an application to join the John 3:16 Marketing Network, you will be able to download free e-gifts
For more information or to submit an application to the John 3:16 Marketing Network, please visit my website at Lorilyn Roberts.
Again, Tuesday, May 24, will be the membership launch day. If you summit your application on Tuesday, May 24th, you will be able to download free e-gifts offered by some of our authors.

Today on our Blog Tour we will meet Dr. Robert McGinnis.
The Author Jeopardy Question to win Dr. McGinnis’ Young Adult book, Paradise is Where You Find It during the Facebook Party on Tuesday, May 24, 8-9pm EST, will come from our discussion below:
Kids read so much garbage these days, how about a YA book with clean language, no sex or extreme violence, a book that has adventures galore, and teaches values for life. Joy, my twelve-year-old daughter, calls Dr. McGinnis’ Books “Fun and Thrilling to Read!”

Question: Dr. McGinnis, you are one of the most complex, yet simple and fascinating authors I have met. You have a beautiful family with lots of children and grandchildren, and from what I have seen, two passions: Writing and family. In the midst of the joys and pleasures that those blessings bring you, you try to figure out the complexities of how God created us. What are two things you could share with us to help us know you even better?
Dr. Robert McGinnis: There are two things about life that I have always loved most.

1: Each of us is an individual and completely and totally different from anyone else, and there is no one exactly like us and never will be.

2: We are just like everyone else even with our differences, and we are totally and irreversibly exactly like everyone else.

If you can understand this, then you are way ahead of the game.

It can't be explained, it has to be felt, but let me give an unsatisfactory example. Every person is paddling a small boat every which way they choose while floating on a huge sea in a universe going in a preplanned direction of which the small boats have no control.

That doesn't do it, but try to think of the insignificance of all the smalls and the power of the large.

If that is not good, try this: No matter how hard you try, you are going somewhere over which you have no control at all and everyone else is going, too.

Well, I guess I will leave this for some of you to explain to me. I am trying to understand how I got here, where I am going, and what does it all mean?
Don’t forget, during our Author Jeopardy Game, you will have an opportunity to win Tuesday night, Paradise is Where You Find it , May 24, 8-9pm EST during our Facebook party at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Christian-Book-Launches-John-316-Marketing-Network/145412252147289
Saturday we will be featuring What is a Book Launch Anyway—and Slowly, Please, I am New at All of This, Part Four, from the John 3:16 Marketing Network. Our guest author will be Elaine Marie Cooper hosted by Janet Eckles (on her website).

If you missed the previous postings on this blog tour, here is the information which hyperlinks:

Wednesday, May 18
Location: Lorilyn Roberts
Featured Author: Jay Miller
Featured Book: Sal and Sally
Featured Author: Sherrill Cannon
Featured Book: The Magic Word
Featured Article: Are There Secret Formulas or Short Cuts for Making the Best-Seller List on Amazon-Part One of Six on the John 3:16 Marketing Network

2
Thursday, May 19
Location: Paulette Harper
Featured Author: Dr. Ray W. Lincoln
Featured Book: Innerkinetics™

Featured Article: What it Takes to Have a Winning Team - Part Two of Six, John 3:16 Marketing Network

THE BOOK REPORT:

2011-05-16T05:05:00.000-07:00

The PS Brothers by Maribeth Boelts~ IN A NUT SHELL

Life is not easy for these two best friends Shawn and Russell who both lack many of the essentials of life. They both have to overcome adversity. They live in somewhat impoverish conditions and are bullied mainly because of it.

Russell lives in a camping trailer behind his Uncle's house because Russell believes his Uncle Cory is irresponsible and not trustworthy according to his father who himself is in jail. But is Uncle Cory as irresponsible and not to be trusted as Russell's father says?

The boys decide to get a dog to protect them from the bullies they have to deal with. They begin scooping poop one scoop at a time to make the $200 they need for one of Princess' puppies.

Princess, a Rottweiller, looks vicious, far from what her name suggest of her. She seems to always want to attack them when they see her and her puppies in the basement of the house owned by a scary guy named Nick.

One time, they arrive at the wrong time. It doesn't take much for Russell to understand something bad might be happening after hearing barking, growls, and cries from the dogs along with people seeming to be having a good time coming from the garage behind Princess' house.

On the next visit to see their puppy and make another down payment on it, the boys discover not only is Princess cut up and injured but so are the three pit bulls that are kept cages in the yard.

As the boys learn compassion for the dogs in trouble they see their vision of having a dog scary enough to protest them might not be the right thing at all. And that dogs can be in need of protection themselves not unlike Shawn and Russell.

I loved this story. The author's clever writing on a serious subjects and the well timed jokes make it a book worth reading for grades 5 and up.

That's THE PS BROTHERS by Maribeth Boelts IN A NUT SHELL!

JD Holiday

The Writing Mama with hosts VS Grenier Marsha Casper Cook and ME, JD Holiday 05/13 by WorldOfInkNetwork Blog Talk Radio

2011-05-13T10:14:00.000-07:00

The Writing Mama with hosts VS Grenier Marsha Casper Cook 05/13 by WorldOfInkNetwork Blog Talk Radio

Our guest this week is Julie Schoerke, founder of JKSCommunications. Julie and her company specializes in developing winning promotional strategies integrating traditional and new media for authors and publishers and in managing comprehensive publicity campaigns.
This is going to be one fun show and full of information from marketing to time management. We'll be live 3pm PST-4pm MST-5pm CST-6pm EST.

May 9th Buy a copy of Completely Whole by Paulette Harper and get immediate access to amazing Free Bonus Gifts and contest giveaways.

2011-05-08T17:25:00.000-07:00

Completely Whole by Paulette Harper

Oftentimes, many people try to seek fulfillment from money, relationships, accomplishments, or material things. Others choose to cope with difficult problems by using drugs or alcohol, but they often come up short and soon have to realize that such things do not bring true happiness and fulfillment in life. How then can we successfully solve the problems that we face and find true happiness and peace in our lives? Well, author, Paulette Harper, in her latest book, Completely Whole, shows readers how to overcome suffering caused by alcoholism, substance abuse, poverty, and other obstacles blocking the path to a life of wholeness in spirit, soul, and body.

Paulette Harper

In her well-written, resource-filled guide, Paulette Harper provides readers with practical and biblically-based solutions to overcome everyday problems. Completely Whole features prayers, meditations, and powerful scripture passages to allow readers to interact with the text and to apply it to their own lives. Harper uses personal experiences and biblical principles to place readers on a path to be in connection with God. This life-changing book will help readers to transform their spirit, soul, and body through Jesus Christ, so they can live a life of peace, joy, and fulfillment.

Please check out this link http://completelywholelaunch.blogspot.com/ to learn more about the amazing FREE bonus gifts offered by the wonderful sponsors of today's virtual event!

What others are saying…..
Author Harper is to be commended for the useful compilation of thoughtful chapters, application of scripture and use of her personal experiences to assist the reader(s) in their quest for spiritual wholeness. Whether you are at a crossroad of your life or seeking to strengthen your walk with Christ, you will find valuable inspiration, encouragement and most of all, assurance that by choice you can become COMPLETELY WHOLE. ~Dr. Linda Beed, Author

“COMPLETELY WHOLE” is a guide one can refer to over and over again during times of need. Ms. Harper’s grasp of real life and her method of dealing with these situations truly make this guide a learning tool that can be used over and over again. ~Tamarra Bryant, Literary Wonders Reviews

Click here to listen... to Paulette Harper's words.

Visit Paulette's blog at: http://completelywholelaunch.blogspot.com/

The BOOK REPORT: Vordak the Incomprehensible: How to Grow Up and Rule the World :IN A NUT SHELL

2011-04-30T13:36:00.000-07:00

Vordak the Incomprehensible: How to Grow Up and Rule the World~MuAhahahaha!!!

:IN A NUT SHELL!

If you are a kid who would love to rule the world this is the book for you! I’m not a kid, (okay, I am one at heart,) I laughed and smiled the whole way through this tongue-in-cheek book, HOW TO GROW UP AND RULE THE WORLD, Vordak The Incomprehensible.

Vordak The Incomprehensible , Mu Ahahahaha!!! Is a world-class Supervillian and your instructor to begin learning how to rule the world. Without Vordak you will not make it. PERIOD!

You as a lowly troglodyte (inferior human or caveman as Wikipedia calls it,) have to prove yourself and come up through the ranks by being humiliated and demeaned often by your tyrant and supervillian of a teacher, Vordak. While teaching Vordak finds ways to try and make you out to be an imbecile which is all done in fun as well as so that superheros everywhere should beware of you once you have graduated to supervillian and are RULING THE WORLD!

To become this supervillian you have to learn: Vordak The Incomprehensible’s fifteen mind-numbing commandments of incomprehensibility, his step by step villainous instructions, how to interact with underlings, learn who your arch-nemesis is, (everyone has on!) through a dossier of superheros so you will know them when you see them. And learn why it’s the same thing for bad guys to wear bright colors costumes or eat a bucket of nails. Everybody knows no-good-doers ONLY wear black and other shades of black! You will also learn what the world’s biggest loser really means.

Besides costumes, helmets and many other things you will need at else one strongman; one with wings is best!

It all comes to an end with the six mistakes to avoid making when issuing an ultimatum which is so cute, (YES CUTE!) and we discover that in truth, no superheros are REALLY ever harmed.

This just might be a book to help a reluctant reader appreciate reading and even pick up a dictionary to enjoy the book more. I think the reading level should be for kids in the 10 to 13 age range. There are a few pranks in it that just might get younger children into hot water.

The book is REALLY written by Scott Seegert, flows well and keeps the comical laughter coming to the end. The illustrations by John Martin are part of the fun and charm of the book making you laugh harder and help move the story along.

THAT's IT In A NUT SHELL!
J.D. Holiday

Visit the book's Website: http://www.vordak.com/
See the Book's Trailer at: http://www.amazon.com/gp/mpd/permalink/m151QKFQWP5ZNS/ref=ent_fb_link

TheWriteChris - On Writing: Interview with author, J.D. Holiday on her books,...

2011-04-26T09:53:00.000-07:00

I'm on TheWriteChris! - On Writing: Interview with author, J.D. Holiday on her books,...: "Today's interview is with author J.D. Holiday who currently has two children's books in print. She is not only the author but the illustrator and started her own publishing company!..."

BOOK REPORT CLASSICS: Review of the book, THE THIRTY-NINE STEPS: In a NutShell!

2011-04-02T16:09:00.000-07:00

Love this book! I grew up watching the Million Dollars Movies on TV with my mother and one of the greatest movies to this day, I think, is The Thirty-nine Steps, Produced by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Robert Donat (1905 to 1958) and Madeline Carroll (1906 to 1987.) So I was in for an awakening when I read the original book by John Buchan (1875 to 1940.) In The Thirty-nine Steps written is 1915 you follow Richard Hannay, who must decipher a murdered man's code book while threading through a maze of murder and mystery from England to Scotland and back again. You fall in love with the Scottish countryside as Hannay evades the German spies leading to the first World War and British police who think he has murdered the one man who knows how Germany will destroy the Britsh navy.

You will be surprised at how different the story is from any movie version! With its 113 pages, The Thirty-nine Steps is a quick and wonderful read!

That's Book Report Classics: In A NutShell!

JD Holiday

I'll be a guest on Childrens Authors with Fran Lewis+Marsha Cook TOMORROW!

2011-03-28T16:47:00.000-07:00

Red River Radio

CHILDREN'S AUTHORS - FRAN LEWIS and MARSHA COOK

March 29 4PM EST- 3PM CST -Red River Radio Hosts Fran Lewis and Marsha Cook would like to welcome everyone to the first of four special shows dedicated to children’s authors. This show will feature authors whose books are geared to early childhood student’s grades k-2. Although many of the books can be used as read aloud in any classroom from k-5 the reading levels of these books would be for children in the lower grades. The lessons taught in each of these books can be used in classrooms teaching Character Education, Sunday School Classrooms, for parents to read at night to their children and in libraries or bookstores during story time. This is a special edition for teachers, children, parents, grandparents and anyone that loves to read children’s books and YA books. Red River Radio would like to announce this special edition of Book Discussion with your host book reviewer, author and writer Fran Lewis. This show will feature the best of children’s writing with authors writing in many different genres. Each book will be geared to early childhood children, elementary school students or young adults and teens. The authors will entice readers by telling you about his/her book and reading a short excerpt to really make you want to go out and buy it for your children, grandchildren and friends. School is about to open in some states and has in many others and what better way to get a head start on books needed for research, book reports and just plain fun, by listening to our show, hearing about these great authors and their books and joining in the discussion. The stars of this show are six great authors whose books I have read and reviewed: Linda Nance Concetta Payne Gregg seeley Franny Orenstein Mary Ann Miller JD Holiday.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/rrradio/2011/03/29/childrens-authors--fran-lewis-and-marsha-cook-1

THE GREAT SNOWBALL ESCAPADE was up for the SCBWI Crystal Kite Award

2011-03-17T14:44:00.000-07:00

My latest book, THE GREAT SNOWBALL ESCAPADE was up for the SCBWI Crystal Kite Award, but it did not make it to the second round. I want to THANK, SINCERELY all my friends who voted for it!

For those of you who don't know, I publish my books myself. SCBWI, in the past, has not recognized many self-published books for their contests and I was told that my book wouldn't be in this contest.
But last Saturday, March 12th, 2011, I found that SCBWI had added my book for the award!

I was PLEASANTLY surprised! In my opinion, this is really big for them to do. AND this would have been a bigger thing for me if my book win! BUT being nominated has been a REALLY BIG deal for me, TOO!
It says, as my friend, Susan Rundle-Hughes told me, it proves my book is well thought of and, Sue added, loved!

I've heard people who are up for awards say, "It's really great JUST to be nominated."
I can't agree more! I feel wonderful about the support I have recieved!

YES, I have GREAT FRIENDS! Glad I was able to share this with them.

So we won't say anything more about tweeting friends for vote! (JUST A LITTLE JOKE TO MY FRIENDS! :D)

SINCERELY,

JD Holiday

The Swim Party

2011-03-09T11:18:00.000-08:00

 A Digital Painting: THE SWIM PARTY, In Stages

by J.D. Holiday

Stage Three

Stage Four

Stage Five

Final!

Meet Christy Condoleo: Author, Artist and StoryTeller!

2011-02-22T07:03:00.000-08:00

An interview with author and artist, Christy Condoleo. Christy is an imaginative storyteller. She calls herself ‘an extreme daydreamer’ and her creative imagination is to be admired. She is the author of many children’s stories and books that include: FOTK Eala's Misfit, Something Greater Than Fear, Spirit Feathers, Tyme's Hope and Gasgeil’s Bravery and a member of American Author's Association.

Thank you Christy for being on my blog today. Let’s start with; when did you realize you were a storyteller and when did you start writing them down?
Thank you so much for taking the time out of your many projects to interview me! When I was in elementary, I had wanted to make my own comics but sadly never did-I liked the idea of creating something for others to enjoy. In middle school, during a brief time in study hall, I started writing for story. One of my best friends read what I wrote and liked it so much that I kept writing.

How did the publishing of your first story come about?

My sister had read one of my stories and sent me a link to a children’s picture book contest. I’d never thought to write that genre but decided if I was serious about writing I should at least try. Unfortunately, I didn’t win but I didn’t want my story to just be put away. I discovered a wonderful artist on a friend’s website and she came up with some rough sketches for the story. I printed out the sketches, inked them, added a bit to some, and then colored them with my computer program & Wacom tablet. I found Xlibris after researching and Gasgeil’s Bravery was born.

Did anyone in particular inspire you to go to the next step and publish your works? And who is your greatest supporter or supporters?

My YA novel was my goal to have published first. I actually had thought it would be the first book I published. My very patient and wonderful husband Nick and my friend, illustrator, and second biggest fan, Chris Goguen.

What is the plotting process for your stories like?

It’s varied. Sometimes a plot will come while I’m on my treadmill (I close my eyes while I’m walking on it so I can visualize things better), sometimes daydreaming, and sometimes in my dreams. I once woke up calling out for one of my characters—it was a bit weird because I was really worried about him.

You have quite a few children’s books and stories out. FOTK Eala's Misfit, Something Greater Than Fear, Spirit Feathers, Tyme's Hope, Gasgeil’s Bravery. Christy, tell us about your stories?

Spirit Feathers is a thought provoking small collection of short stories.

Something Greater Than Fear is a about a little mouse that overcomes her fear by letting something else replace it.

Gasgeil’s Bravery is about a timid mouse that learns that sometimes you can be brave without meaning to.

FOTK Eala’s Misfit is the first in a seven book fantasy series about a girl trying to find where she belongs in a world where she was once exiled from. Her return is more confusing than the past she cannot remember and why is it that everyone is after her? If secrets, Demon Mages, Sirens, golems, and talking wolves aren't enough to deal with then Bowen Wilts is!

My childhood plays a large roll in my creating my stories; does your childhood also play a roll in your writing for children? If so can you tell us how it does?

Yes. When I was young I didn’t really have any playmates so I remember always coming up with stories for my action figures and dolls. When I grew up, I had friends but I always loved finding new ones in books. I love quirky characters with loads of flaws—just like me. So, my characters will never be perfect but you will love them anyways.

What is your daily life like and when do you find time to work on your stories?
Well, once I had a schedule but now….I’m struggling to regain it. I rise Mon-Fri at a bit before 5 and after hitting the snooze button at least 5 times, I treadmill for 30 mins, then after my boys are up/dressed/fed/lunchboxes made/dropped off at school-I write for 30 minutes before heading off to work. I have more time in the afternoon so I try to continue then. On the weekends it’s much calmer so I get more time to write and draw.

I know you design your own promotional materials as well as promoting other authors works, that includes me. What is your overall strategy to sell your books?
I love spreading the word about my friends as much as I do my own—we are all struggling so if I can help someone then I do. Mostly getting my name out there by any means possible. I’ve dropped coloring books (displaying characters from my book and some of my author friends) off at doctor’s offices and even my tax advisor. If people have to wait (and they have kids) then they need something to do and I’ve just the thing! Donating copies of books to schools, libraries, fundraisers, and contests are another way.

Christy, you have served in the United States Air Force. Have you thought about writing a story around you experience in the Air Force?
Nah. I loved the time I served. It was an experience that I will always treasure-not only because of the wonderful people I met but because of the confidence it gave me. I don’t think I could do that experience justice.

This question leads me to ask, do you write in any other genres?
Yes. I dabble a bit in poetry-you can spot some of the poems in a few of my children’s picture books and also in Mark Wisher’s latest book, How to Impress a Dragon. Spirit Feathers is a collection of general fiction stories. I would love to write a mystery—my mother loved mysteries and I have fond memories of watching PBS’ Masterpiece Theater (particularly Sherlock Holmes) with her.

What do you do to relax?
I write or draw. They settle me and help me keep from bottling up. I’ve found that when I don’t write, I am become very agitated.

I know you also make jewelry. What type do you make and how did that come about?
I was looking at jewelry charms in a craft section (can’t remember why) and saw some pewter tea charms--one of them was a teapot with a blue bead in the center. A thought popped into my head at how wonderful it would look as an earring and I felt compelled to make it. So I visualized how an earring looked and found the necessary pieces. It was my first pair. I ended up giving the pair to a co-worker that liked tea.
I mostly make earrings (charm kind) but I have made bracelets (one was a gift and the other for a fund raiser).

Where can people buy your jewelry?
I have an online store http://jewelrywonder.com/store2347 and I also sell them to business associates. I use the profits to help fund my book projects.

Thank you again, Christy, for doing this.
No, thank you!! I appreciate all your help with getting word out about my books. The interview was fun—you did an excellent job.

For more about Christy Condoleo you can check out these links:
http://www.eppyscreations.com/
www.freewebs.com/gasgeilsbravery
www.twitter.com/chriscondoleo
www.lulu.com/eppy
http://galleryofwriting.org/writing/1228799

THE STYLISH BLOGGER AWARD!

2011-02-04T07:09:00.000-08:00

This week I received the Stylish Blogger Award!
If you win this award here are the instructions on what you need to do:

1. Thank the blogger who gave it to you. THANK YOU Carolyn Watson Dubisch! :D

2. Tell 7 things about yourself few people know.

I’ve known my best friend and husband, Angelo since we were 15 and 16 years old.

We met on a blind date and went to a Halloween party.

I was probably Dyslexic as a child.

Two weeks after graduation from high school my father died.

I love doing research on any subject.

I was born in Paterson, NJ and traced my family back to the founding
of Paterson, 1792.

Hate shopping in stores, especially for clothes.

3. Award this award to 15 blogs.

Sue Rundle-Hughes

http://suerundlehughes.blogspot.com/

Beverly Stowe McClure

http://beverlystowemcclure.blogspot.com/

Morgan Mandel

http://bloodredpencil.blogspot.com/

Geri Aheams Bookreviews
http://authorgeriahearnsbookreviews.blogspot.com/

JIM BRENNEMAN

http://artboyalpha.blogspot.com/

Hazel Mitchell
http://hazelmitchell.blogspot.com/

L.J. Boldyrev
http://ljboldyrev.blogspot.com/
Lea Schizas
http://thewritingjungle.blogspot.com/
Donna McDine

http://thegoldenpathway.blogspot.com/

Liz Castro

http://www.pigsgourdsandwikis.com/

Velda Brotherton
http://veldabrotherton.blogspot.com/
Gavin Fiorina
http://gavfior.blogspot.com/
Susan Whitfield
http://susanwhitfield.blogspot.com/
Randi Lynn Mrvo
http://themaggieproject.blogspot.com/
Andrea
http://www.unsungsewingpatterns.net/

READ WHAT REVIEWERS HAVE SAID ABOUT THE GREAT SNOWBALL Escapade!

2011-01-26T11:38:00.000-08:00

REVIEWER Fran Lewis says~ "...This is definitely a FIVE SNOWMAN BOOK! Let’s hope
the author brings Wil and Bud and her friends back in another
novel.
This book should be in every school library, guidance counselor’
s office, public library, police youth groups, public libraries and
of course my own..."
http://www.gabina49.webs.com/

Reviewer Wayne S. Walker from HOME
SCHOOL BOOK REVIEW calls The Great
Snowball Escapade “a heart-warming story about the
importance of understanding the problems of others and
treating them as we would like to be treated…”
http://homeschoolblogger.com/homeschoolbookreview/

From KidsRead, Book reviewer and librarian,
Nancy Mossmore
“…an entertaining read for emergent readers that includes a
lesson about compassion and judging others. Because of that
lesson, I would suggest that teachers in first through third grade
use this as a read-aloud in class.” AND “…As a librarian, I
would add this book to pathfinders about bullying and
friendship…”
http://www.blogger.com/goog_1181427353
snowball-escapade-book-giveaway-interview-with-author-jd-
holiday/

From author Terri Forehand: “…This book is a story
which includes characters who face a bully, make judgments
without facts, and learn to get along together…” AND “…The
characters are likeable and the theme is a common one among
peers- learning to trust, get along, and compromise. Young
readers will enjoy the story and leave with the satisfaction that all
is not what it seems. I give the story a thumbs up…”
http://www.blogger.com/goog_1181427331
and-learn-about-her.html

Editor Jason Toupence at One Zillion
Books: “…my daughter and I have been reading a little
each night before bed and we have enjoyed it…” …” AND
“…I think this is a very important story to read with your
children. Seeing others through a different perspective can really
shed some light on what makes them act the way they do. Just
because someone has some bad traits, doesn't make them a bad
person…”
http://www.onezillionbooks.com/

From The Maggie Project: “…J. D. Holiday
delivers just the right amount of suspense to entice children to
turn the pages…” AND “…Perfect for six to eight year old
readers and loaded with black and white illustrations, the story
shows the effect of bullying and the value of understanding
another’s point of view…”
http://www.themaggieproject.blogspot.com/

Reviewed by: Irene S. Roth at
Adolescent Girls Blog
…“This is a great book about how to deal with mean siblings
and kids. It offers kids great lessons about how to cope with
bullying-types of behaviour and mean kids. These are important
lessons for kids to learn. Siblings can have a difficult time getting
along. Many kids will be able to relate to the issues in this book.
I really enjoyed getting to know J.D. Holiday and her writing
life. She’s such an inspiration to me being a writer myself. I hope
you have followed her tour and learned more about her writing
process and books…”
http://www.blogger.com/goog_1181427360
com/2010/12/17/meet-author-j-d-holiday/#comments

Written by Author and Illustrator Carolyn Watson-
Dubisch
"...this book the Great Snowball Escapade struck a chord..."
AND "...Life is full of changes and so often they are
challenging ones. This is the story of Wilhemena Brooks, a
little girl who's life has hit a bit of a rough patch and her
cousin, Bud Dunphry, who's in more of a tailspin. Together
they discover that their new life together can be okay,
maybe even good. It's a simply told story with realistic
overtones and is the book to buy for any kid going through a
difficult life change. The illustrations are gritty but
charming and it's a truly engaging novel..."
http://escapingnewyorktoagreenerlife.blogspot.com/

Books, Books, the Magical Fruit: Author Interview & Giveaway - The Great Snowball E...

2011-01-19T10:00:00.000-08:00

Books, Books, the Magical Fruit: Author Interview & Giveaway - The Great Snowball E...: "How long have you been writing and what inspired you to become a writer? I’ve been writing for 28 years, since 1983. My father wrote every..."

Review of HOW TO IMPRESS A DRAGON BY MARK WISHER

2011-01-14T10:23:00.000-08:00

Chloe wants to impress Drake, the most popular dragon in school. What makes it even harder is that all the other dragonesses are trying to get his attention, too. Everyone knows that dragons love to be impressed and only like dragonesses who can do cool things! So said Chloe’s best friend, Sarah and her not so best friends, Saraphina, Dilly and Blue.

Sarah and Chloe try to come up with ways for Chloe to get Drake‘s attention. Chloe just doesn’t seen to blew heart shaped smoke like the other Dragoness’ and everyone always seems to notice when she does anything wrong for that matter. How horrible!

Sarah tells Chloe she should try sun kissing that was only played by dragons. Chloe wasn’t sure about this, especially which all the other girls watching. And once again, Chloe is sick and feels foolish when it doesn’t work. Was it going to take a miracle for Chloe to be able to impress Drake?

As we all have something we are better at that others, so does Chloe! Follow Chloe as she learns just what her own unique ability is and learn how Chloe impresses Drake.

Mark Wisher tells a heart warming fairy tale that illustrates we all have something we can do better than others, and THAT something makes us unique with our one brand of fire.

JD Holiday

Mark Wisher a full time writer for children's television, and the author of How to Impress A Dragon, Don't Kiss The Prince and Say Mummy Say Daddy!

To buy How To Impress A Dragon at: http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/how-to-impress-a-dragon-digest/12932965?productTrackingContext=search_results/search_shelf/center/1

Mark Wisher's website:http://www.wisherponastar.webs.com/

Mark Wisher's page at Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/120421270

On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/officialmw13

Book Reviewer Fran Lewis Reviews "The Great Snowball Escapade"

2011-01-07T08:51:00.000-08:00

The Great Snowball Escapade

by me: J.D. Holiday

Reviewed by Fran Lewis

Growing up can be difficult enough for kids today but falling prey to a bully’s wiles makes it even harder as Wilhelmina Brooks finds out when her cousin, Bud comes to live with her. Bud’s amusement is at the expense of the others. Wilhelmina, who prefers begin called Wil, takes the brunt of his escapades as he insults her friends, takes ownership of her old sled and becomes the class terror in her second grade class. Even worse, he ruined her Christmas vacation by putting gum in her hair, taking her new sharpener and just being plain old MEAN! What can she do when her mother insists that she has to be nice to him, looks away from his pranks that are not funny and ignores the fact that he is angry at his present situation and more? Poor Wil! Is she going to survive living with Bud? Will he ever learn his lesson or will he become the terror of the second grade and the entire neighborhood? Author J.D. Holiday brings to light the issue of bullying and harassing other kids in her outstanding chapter book: “The Great Snowball Escape.”

To escape means to want to get away from it all. You might want to go on a vacation, trip or just take a walk to clear your head. But, poor Wil, wants to escape her house, her school and her life just to get away from Bud, her mean cousin whose pastime is picking on kids smaller and weaker than him and creating havoc in the second grade and more.
Snow days are every kids dream. A day off from school to play outside, building a snowman and even better throw snowfalls or snowball fights are every kids and even adults idea of fun. But, when Wil and her friends decide to build a snowman in front of her house, what happens disrupts everything and she gets sent to her room as once again she and Bud cannot work or play together.

Wil’s mother wants her to understand that Bud is going through a difficult time and needs understanding. But, how much can she endure and will she have to take before someone realizes that she is only 7 years old and cannot be expected to understand or withstand everything her cousin dishes out. So, when her mother insists they make peanut better cookies together, will they succeed or will they get into a flour and sugar throwing war? Will they be able to work together and finally go outside to play? This reviewer will not divulge that secret to you. You are going to have to read the book yourself.
But, what happens when one bully meets another bully? Who wins or who backs down? While sledding down the huge hill where her friends were, they encounter Drew and his mean dog. Drew thinks that he has the better of Bud and Wil and wants Bud’s sled. What happens next will definitely surprise the reader and one bully might learn a serious lesson from another and two cousins just might become friends.

But, there is more. On the way home Bud and Wil encounter her friends who are gathered around Suzy whose cat, Mimi is missing. Added to that someone destroyed his or her snowman and everyone thinks it was Bud. Just how this story ends and if they find Mimi will not only endear you more to Wil, but will teach children a lesson in loyalty, trust and friendship that every kid needs to understand and learn. Will they get the cat back? Who gets blamed and who really did take it? Who destroyed the snowman? Will Bud and Wil ever see eye to eye and become friends? Author J.D. Holiday has created two characters that are not so different. Wil just wants to be understood and have her mother understand that having Bud stay with her caused some major changes in her life. Bud, just feels like an outcast and might be using his outbursts, and pranks to get attention and tries to get sent home to live with his Dad. Both Bud and Wil need the adults to understand them. Wil’s mother makes one statement that I feel says it all: Treat people the way you want to be treated. Now, if everyone did that maybe there would be no wars, fights or hate in the world. Just what positive things can come out of snowdays: Read this great children’s book and learn for yourself as Wil and Bud teach not only themselves but adults so really important lessons in friendship, understanding, communication and teamwork. This is definitely a FIVE SNOWMAN BOOK! Let’s hope the author brings Wil and Bud and her friends back in another novel.

This book should be in every school library, guidance counselor’s office, public library, police youth groups, public libraries and of course my own.

Fran Lewis: Reviewer
To read more of Fran Lewis' reviews go to:
http://www.gabina49.webs.com/
http://www.bookpleasures.com/websitepublisher/articles/3091/1/A-Heartbeat-Away-Reviewed-By-Fran-Lewis-of-Bookpleasurescom/Page1.html
http://thebookmarketingnetwork.com/forum/topics/why-am-i-so-anxious-reviewed

The Maggie Project: Review of The Great Snowball Escapade

2010-12-13T06:28:00.000-08:00

The Maggie Project: Review of The Great Snowball Escapade: "The Great Snowball Escapade by J. D. Holiday; illus. by the authorPrimary Book Garden Publishing &n..."

SFC Blog: Families Matter: J.D. Holiday..Slices from The Great Snowball Escap...

2010-12-09T06:10:00.000-08:00

SFC Blog: Families Matter: J.D. Holiday..Slices from The Great Snowball Escap...: "Come take a closer look at the new release from author J.D Holiday. It is a thrill to present this book to you before the holidays. Ta..."

The Great Snowball Escapade BOOK GIVEAWAY & interview with ME, JD Holiday!

2010-12-07T12:55:00.000-08:00

The Great Snowball Escapade by J.D. Holiday; published by Book Garden Publishing, 2010.
Win a free, autographed copy of this book! Read on for details!

My thoughts…from Librarian, Nancy Messmore!

The Great Snowball Escapade is an entertaining read for emergent readers that includes a lesson about compassion and judging others. Because of that lesson, I would suggest that teachers in first through third grade use this as a read-aloud in class. In addition, the author recommends this book for children ages 6-8. I think a set of these books would be appropriate in second grade classrooms for group assignments and discussion. Public libraries might consider including a box of these books for loan to schools. As a librarian, I would add this book to pathfinders about bullying and friendship.
Aside from the lesson inherent in the story, I always had a hard time finding winter-themed chapter books that kids wanted to read after the holidays when I worked in an elementary school library. This book fits the bill perfectly for a display of snowy books that early elementary students will want to read.
By the way, J.D. Holiday also illustrated the book. For early chapter book readers, illustrations not only break up the text (nice transition from picture books) but provide context clues for the story. Holiday’s illustrations work very well with the text.
Want a FREE copy?
As promised, J.D. Holiday has provided me with an autographed copy of The Great Snowball Escapade plus two autographed bookmarks! This set would make a great holiday gift for a child or teacher (…or librarian…).
In order to win:

Share this post in your blog, Facebook account, or in a tweet (or in any other social media) THEN

Post a comment about the book and indicate how you shared it (Facebook, Twitter, etc) AND

Be sure to include an email address where I can reach you to get your mailing information!

The first comment that fulfills these three steps will be the winner!

This contest is limited to U.S. mailing addresses only, please.

For more information about J.D. Holiday’s World of Ink Tour, visit http://storiesforchildrenpublishing.com/J_D_Holiday_WorldofInkTour.aspx

Utah Children's Writers: Getting to Know Author & Illustrator J.D. Holiday

2010-12-05T09:16:00.000-08:00

MY Appearance on Utah Children's Writers!

Utah Children's Writers: Getting to Know Author & Illustrator J.D. Holiday

ALSO TOMORROW!

Stories for Children Publishing, LLC

Website: http://storiesforchildrenpublishing.com

M E D I A R E L E A S E

CONTACT: VS Grenier

Owner & Founder, Stories for Children Publishing, LLC

Email: VSGrenier@storiesforchildrenpublishing.com

Phone: 435-625-1743

For Immediate Release

J.D Holiday Guest Author on RRRadio-RFK: Stories for Children –December 6th

Come listen in at RRRadio’s newest show, RFK: Stories for Children as the hosts (VS Grenier, D.M. Cunningham and Tiffany Strelitz Haber) chat with J.D. Holiday about her newest book “The Great Snowball Escapade,” and what it has been like doing the World of Ink Author/Book Virtual Tour. J.D. Holiday will also be sharing writing tips, trials and tribulations of the writer’s life.

The show will be live at 11am MST (10am PST, Noon Central and 1pm EST). You can tune in at the RRRadio’s site at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/rrradio or you can listen/call in at (646) 595-4478.

In addition, Stories for Children Publishing will be touring J.D. Holiday’s book, “The Great Snowball Escapade,” all month long. You can find the World of Ink Author/Book Tour schedule at http://storiesforchildrenpublishing.com/J_D_Holiday_WorldofInkTour.aspx. Make sure to stop by and interact with both the hosts and J.D. Holiday at the different stops by leaving a comment and/or question. Both will be checking-in throughout the tour.

J.D. Holiday is the author and illustrator of two children’s books: Janoose the Goose, picture book and a chapter book for six to eight year olds, THE GREAT SNOWBALL ESCAPADE. A chapbook of her short stories called, Trespasses was published in 1994 and she has had short stories printed in literary magazines and numerous articles about writing and publishing published. She is a member of The Society of Children’s Writers and Illustrators, (SCBWI) and Small Publishers of North America, (SPAN).

Not only will you have the opportunity to meet Holiday, but this will be the perfect time to meet and learn about the hosts VS Grenier, D.M. Cunningham and Tiffany Strelitz Haber, and their new show on RRRadio-RFK: Stories for Children and their exciting writing careers, along with Stories for Children Publishing and its many divisions.

To learn more about J.D. Holiday visit http://storiesforchildrenpublishing.com/J_D_Holiday_WorldofInkTour.aspx

Learn more about Stories for Children Publishing, LLC at: http://storiesforchildrenpublishing.com

###

Full Media Kit, Photos and more are available upon request electronically.

The Writing Mama: Interview Friday with J.D. Holiday

2010-12-03T07:26:00.000-08:00

The Writing Mama: Interview Friday with J.D. Holiday

The Great Snowball Escapade book trailer!

2010-11-29T08:28:00.000-08:00

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

My book: The Great Snowball Escapade can be bought at both Amazon.com and BandN.com!

MORE with Kathy Stemke! An interview and the Book Review of her book!

2010-11-23T15:36:00.000-08:00

KATHY STEMKE is not only an author but is a ghostwriter, editor, and reviewer DKV Writing 4U and a contributing editor for The National Writing for Children's Center where she writes a monthly teaching tips column.

1- When did you start writing professionally?

As a teacher and tutor I taught creative writing for many years. About three years ago I won a couple of poetry contests and found myself on Helium, an article site. I sold several of my articles to publishers and was encouraged to start a teaching tips blog. I collaborated with an artist to publish my first ebook on Lulu.

from Moving Through All Seven Days!
WATCH THE BOOK TRAILER
http://www.youtube.com/user/kathystemke1

2- I know you write a monthly column, 'Tips for Teachers and Parents' at The National Writing for Children's Center. How long have you been working for them?

I’ve been writing for NWCC for a little over a year. I’ve learned several vital writing and marketing skills from the many excellent authors associated with this organization. The Children’s Writing Coaching Club is an outgrowth of this center and a great place for new authors to hone their skills. They have weekly teleseminars on writing techniques and marketing skills, and professional weekly critiques.

Click on this link to find out more about it. Join Childrens Writers Coaching Club!

3- As an editor, what advice do you have for writers?

Learn your craft. This includes developing a character with depth, and a plot with conflicts that must be resolved. A good picture book has to be different to get the attention of the public. It must also have lots of unexpected surprises. Get into a good critique group and learn about punctuation, spelling, and grammar.

Click on this link for a free children’s writing checklist.

THE CHILDRENS WRITING CHECKLIST

4- You also work as a ghostwriter at DRV Writing 4 U. How did you become a ghostwriter and are there books out there "written" by others that have your fingerprints on them?
I joined the team at DKV Writing 4 U in June of 2010 through my associations with Karen Cioffi and Lea Schizas. So far I’ve been editing, writing articles for several websites and writing book reviews. Ghostwriting news posts for websites has been interesting and lucrative. Other members of our team have written books for others.

5- I love your children’s e-book, Moving Through All Seven Days. How much did your background in dance help create the book?My background in dance as well as my teaching in kindergarten helped me create this book, which inspires movement as kids learn the days of the week. Most preschoolers know the names of the days, but have trouble putting them in order and learning how to spell each day. Through rhyme my book conquers these two problems. There are worksheets, phonics practice pages, and coloring pages too. Buy it here:

MOVING THROUGH ALL SEVEN DAYS

http://www.lulu.com/content/e-book/moving-through-all-seven-days/7386965#http://www.helium.com/users/406242.htm

6- Tell us a bit about your latest books. Trouble On Earth Day
The illustrator, Kurt Wilken, is almost done with the pictures for this book about recycling. Shelby has won a poster contest at school and finds things around the house to recycle. When she hears someone crying outside she goes to see if she can help. She makes a new friend, helps someone in need, and helps the Earth too! Look for it’s debut early in 2011.

7- And, Sh, Sh, Sh, Will the Baby Sleep?
This is my first book with Guardian Angel publishers. The illustrator, Jack Foster, did a fantastic job bringing the main character, Zachary, to life. He is having trouble adjusting to his new baby sister. He runs into trouble keeping her asleep. The fun begins when he puts on his thick black glasses and has super powers. It should come out early 2011.

8- Are you planning to write in other genres as well?Yes. I’m researching a novel now, which will be based on my mother’s life. She was an English War bride who stowed away on a ship with her newborn after World War II to get to America. They were discovered half way across the Atlantic Ocean and turned over to the FBI when they reached Boston harbor. She was instrumental in getting a law passed in congress to help all the war brides get reunited with their husbands.

9- Please tell us about your monthly newsletter, Movement And Rhythm.
Teachers were hungry for my ideas, because I used movement to teach math and phonics. I decided to write a free monthly newsletter titled, Movement and Rhythm. I also do book reviews of other children’s books and useful websites. I have 400 subscribers so far.
Sign up on my blog: http://educationtipster.blogspot.com/

10-What are you interested in besides writing?
I’m the dance director of the Daughter of Zion Dance Company. It’s a ministry outreach from our church. We’re presenting a show on December 10th at the Schaefer Theater in Toccoa, Georgia. This multi media performance includes photography, beautiful costumes, music, singing, and dance.

For more on Kathy Stemke and her books please visit:
http://educationtipster.blogspot.com/
Read her articles: http://www.helium.com/users/406242.html
http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/237923
http://writingforchildrencenter.com/tag/kathy-stemke/

Follow Kathy on twitter: http://twitter.com/kathystemke

HERE is my REVIEW OF Moving Through All Seven Days by Kathy Stemke

This is a learning to read fun book not only for the classroom, but for the family! Each day of the week has colorful instructive pictures showing the activities that go with their own clever rhyme. Children will get physical exercise while they learn the days of the week. The tempo can be set to make it slow to fast to create more fun. The book also has coloring pages for the days of the week, rhyme inspirited games teaching spelling and more activities for fun.

My five year old grandson and I sang and danced through the activities. For Wednesday we placed a large W made of masking tape on the floor and we ‘walked on Wednesday’ while saying Wednesday’s rhyme. We extended the fun by changing from a walk to tiptoeing and then on all fours. We had a wonderful time!

WATCH THE Adorable Book Trailer for
MOVING THROUGH ALL SEVEN DAYS!

A Review of NO REST FOR THE CRANKY PRINCESS, a children's bedtime story by Kathy Stemke: IN A NUT SHELL!

2010-11-09T07:40:00.000-08:00

The Cranky Princess has the softest bed in the kingdom but she could not fall to sleep no matter how many times the wizard waved his wand. She was well entertained all night long. The jester’s laugh and the monster size shadows on the walls made her imagine playing with her friends.

Kathy Stemke

It will be the brave ‘Knight’ searching the deep sea, even with a ‘friendly enough’ shark in his way, who would bring a peaceful sleep to our Cranky Princess.

This is an entertaining and clever bedtime story with winsome pictures that will bring sweet dreams to its young listeners.

You can check out 'No Sleep For The Cranky Princess'at NATURE MADE SLEEP BEDTIME STORY CONTEST and VOTE for THE CRANKY PRINCESS.

That’s No Rest for the Cranky Princess by KATHY STEMKE: IN A NUT SHELL!

Review written by JD Holiday

I'm A TWO-TIME Winner of the One Lovely Blog!

2010-11-04T08:53:00.000-07:00

I'm A TWO-TIME Winner of the One Lovely Blog! Thank You to my friend, SUE RUNDLE-HUGHES for thinking of me for The One Lovely Blog Award 2010!

In the spirit that this award was given to me I am honored to pass it along to 3 authors I greatly admire. There are the rules for the award. They are simple:
1) Accept the award, and don’t forget to post a link back to the awarding person.
2) Pass the award on.
3) Notify the award winner/winners.

The three winners are:

J. ADAY KENNEDY
http://jadaykennedy.blogspot.com/

Carol Denbow

http://abookinside.blogspot.com/2010/10/another-great-way-to-get-hits-to-your.html

Kathy Stemke
http://educationtipster.blogspot.com/

Congratulations Ladies!
Please right-click on the award to place it on your blog!

Paula Slade: National Children's Entertainment: Charles McCreery: Creating classical music for today's youth

2010-10-21T16:55:00.000-07:00

Paula Slade: National Children's Entertainment: Charles McCreery: Creating classical music for today's youth

StopBullyingNow says here is WHAT YOU CAN DO if You are Being Bullied:

2010-10-20T10:17:00.001-07:00

StopBullyingNow says here is WHAT YOU CAN DO if You are Being Bullied:http://www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov/kids/are-you-being-bullied.aspx

Know you're not alone. Kids all over the world go through the same things you do every day.

Always tell an adult you trust. It's not always easy to talk about serious things with adults, but adults can help put a stop to bullying. If they don't do anything about it tell someone else. ALSO, you can have a friend or family member go with you for support.

Tell them WHO is doing the bullying where and what happened.

Ask this person to tell you what they will do to stop the bully. If you tell an adult at school, they should tell you how they will help stop the bullying because it is their job to keep you safe.

Also, stay in a group at all times if possible. You will not be an easy target that way. Bullies like to do it when others aren't around in most cases.

If you feel safe and have someone you trust with you you might try talking, NOT FIGHT, the person who is bullying you and tell them you 'don't like it' and that they should stop. Say sometime simple like, "Stop it," calmly, if you can and go on your way. Staying calm will show the bully you are not upset. They want to see that they have upset you. People who bully will likely just listen and less likely to bully you, when you're with someone and not alone.

IF this bullying is happening online. Do not rely! IF you have already, STOP! Tell a family member or adult you trust. Block all contact with this person. Save the emails that are bullying, print them out and show them to an adult.

REMEMBER!

This is not your fault! Many children are bullied by other children. You should not have to be afraid to do things you like to do. You should no have to feel bad and think the things being said are true.
If you DO feel this way talk with an adult immediately and tell them how you are feeling.

REPORT IT. Report the bully. Do not keep it to yourself. Trust adults to help you. Telling on someone who is threatening you in this way is not the same a 'tattle taling.' You have a right to feel safe!

Do not ignore bullying. Bullies often stop only after adults and other children step in to help.

Do not fight back or bully this person back. If you do not bully back you are the better person.

Do not stay out of school or other activities because of be bullied. Again, report it and that way you will not have to feel you need to hid from the bully.

The Horribles by Carolyn Watson Dubisch on THE BOOK REPORT

2010-09-28T11:12:00.000-07:00

IN A NUT SHELL!

The Horribles world is anything but usual. Carolyn Watson Dubisch is the author and illustrator of six children’s books which includes the award winnng book for ‘Best All-ages Comic of 2010,’ The People That Melt in the Rain, as well at this modern goth-style fairy tale, The Horribles. This is a story full of dark comedy everyone will enjoy and on par with Monsters Inc with a touch of the Addam’s Family and charming textured drawings.

I loved following The Horribles and their pets around their quirky neighborhood.
The daughter, Sylvia, is “bewitching” and not as sweet as she looks. Maude and Roddy’s lives definitely change for the better with Creature under the bed. The cat, Remus has to lug a huge bell around his neck. While the teacher insists that you might be ‘too clean’ to be in her class. And just why take the long way home through the bad part of town where no one should roam?

I enjoyed reading this book and couldn’t put it down. I had forgotten how much fun satirical humor is to read. Sometimes it’s much easier to live in a crazy world than the ‘usual.”

The Horribles: IN A NUT SHELL!
JD Holiday

THE BOOK REPORT CLASSICS - The Ivy Tree by Mary Stewart © 1961: IN A NUT SHELL!

2010-09-18T15:39:00.000-07:00

THE BOOK REPORT CLASSICS THE IVY TREE by the Legendary Author MARY STEWART

I do a lot of writing and drawing of late and find reading has been put on the back burner, but found some time, usually in bed late at night, recently to read The Ivy Tree and Madam, Can You Talk? both my favorites, and both by legendary Novelist, Mary Stewart.

Even by today’s standard, these books are page turners and they don’t need graphic sex to do it.

The Ivy Tree takes place in a beautiful English countryside setting which is as much a character in this story as the lovely Mary Grey. She has just arrived from Canada, a young working woman with an uncertain future, who begins a dangerous adventure.

The spitting image of the missing heiress Annabel Winslow, Mary is about to be offered the chance to replace Annabel, who eight years earlier just walked away from a grand fortune.

Connor Winslow is the son of a nephew to Annabel’s grandfather, Mathew Winslow and Con manages the vast estate for the older man and is his only living male relative. Annabel is the oldest of Mathew’s two granddaughters.
On her arrival in England Mary meets an angry man who takes her for his long ago runaway cousin and heir to the fortune that, Con, himself thinks should now be his. He wants to know what she has come back for. She convinces the angry man that she is not his cousin, only to have him make her ‘an offer she had trouble refusing,’ to walk into Mathew Winslow’s life and take Annabel’s rightful place!

Does Mary really looks so much like Annabel Winslow that she can fool the grandfather the real Annabel loved? What of the missing heiress who is now taken for dead? Is she die as her distant cousin, Connor Winslow hopes or will she come back? How does Mary play Annabel when the true heiress is the own one who knows her own secrets? Could Mary be the ex-lover to Adam Forrest, a romance even Con did not know about? So many questions in such a great adventure!
When we first see the Ivy Tree, Mary is about to walk past it into a new life. The secret of the Ivy Tree could easily be her undoing, for neither Con nor his sister knew of its significance. The Ivy Tree’s description remains you that Mary is about to embark on what could very well be a dangerous enterprise.

‘…the wall had been clothed in ivy, and the ivy had reached for the tree, crept up it, engulfed it, till now trunk was one towering mass of the dark gleaming leaves, and only the tree’s upper branches managed to thrust the young gold leaves of early summer through the strangling curtain. Eventually the ivy would kill it…’
When Mary meets Adam Forrest he will not be persuaded she is not Annabel. Does she tell him the truth or continue the lie. She decides the best way is to tell him what she up to and why. Adam finds the story she tells not one he likes. Adam is finally convinced by Mary that she is not Annabel and tells her he will give her a short time to get away before he tells the truth about her.
With her masterful way with similes, the author tells us how Mary feels when Adam walks away:

‘…In the silence after he had gone, the tap dripped, a small, maddening sound, like a reiterated note on a harpsichord, a little out of tune.
I found I was leaning against the chilly metal of the cooler. I felt cold, with a sweating, empty slackness, like someone who has just vomited…’
Under the circumstances, Mary is overwhelmed and is frighten and fears what she has gotten herself into. But all she has to do is to pull it off to get the fortune, even though, if Annabel is dead, it all rightfully belongs to Annabel’s young cousin, Julie.
Ms. Stewart is one of the founders of the modern romance suspense genre’. Her descriptive story settings such as ancient Greece and Rome placing you there inside her tales of mystery and romance.
At this date, September 2010, Ms. Stewart lives in England and is 94 years old. In my opinion she is one of the best authors of out times. I thank her for her marvelous works and I wish her well.
THE BOOK REPORT CLASSICS: IN A NUT SHELL! by JD Holiday

Out of Print! This is the only suspense novel by Mary Stewart that I haven't read.
Not able to find this IN GOOD CONDITION with out paying an arm and a leg for it!

PUBLISHING STORIES

2010-09-03T17:14:00.000-07:00

PUBLISHING STORIES - A site is for authors and illustrators to discuss problems with self-publishing and find solutions. If you don't have an answer maybe other members will! This site will only deal with self publishing. If you're interested please join me. http://grou.ps/publishingstories

Janet Caldwell aka Derailed Poet: Extinguish and Proceed

2010-08-13T13:06:00.000-07:00

Janet Caldwell aka Derailed Poet: Extinguish and Proceed:
"Recently she said that she needed more from this life. Dreams are not brain dead, the doors just ajar. At 10 she told Jackie she'd be an ac..."

ONE OF MY SHORT STORIES IS IN CBB Writer Mag THIS Month!

2010-08-08T12:26:00.000-07:00

My short Story: The Cemetery Affair in is CBB Writer Magazine this month!

Some of the other authors in this issue are: Mari Sloan, Linda King, Tucker Smallwood, and more!

CBB WRITER MAGAZINE'S Home is COLD COFFEE

Cold Coffee is a site for writers, those in the writing business and anyone who loves the written word.

This issue is $13.95 at MAG Cloud.com

My Blog Won the VERSATLIE Blogger AWARD!

2010-07-23T13:50:00.000-07:00

Thanks, JO!

JD'S Writers Blog has been awarded the Versatile Blogger Award by Jo Linsdell- Feliciani! I want to Thank Jo for this lovely honor!
There are Rules! (I love rules!)
They are:
1. Thank the person who loved me enough to bestow this gift.
♥♥♥♥ THANK YOU, JO! ♥♥♥♥♥♥☺

2. Share seven things about myself.
     I have a wonderful hushand, daughter, son-in-law and grandson.
     I enjoy writing and painting.
     I am working on my dream of getting all my book manuscripts into print.
     I enjoy my family's retreat by the lake, which we just got back from.
    I love dogs and want to get a male lab to go along with the lab mix girl I have, Dora.
    I love my online friends!
I hope to never break my ankle again!

3. Bestow this honor onto 10 newly discovered or followed bloggers–in no particular order–who are fantastic in some way. (Let me say, that this was a hard choice to make since I know so many great blogs.)

Diana Navarro http://www.myspace.com/artistportfolio
Nata Romeo http://aritistadonna.blogspot.com/
Christy Condoleo http://www.eppyscreations.com/
Doreen Cavazza http://www.myspace.com/snoopyflyingace
Janet Caldwell http://janetakaderailedpoet.blogspot.com/
Paula Slade http://paulasladeimho.blogspot.com/
Helena Harper http://helenaharpersblog.blogspot.com/
Virginia Grenier http://thewritingmama.blogspot.com/
Hazel Mitchell http://hazelmitchell.blogspot.com/
Yvonne Perry http://yvonneperry.blogspot.com/

4. Drop by and let my ten new friends know I admire them.
     That would be all the above blogs!

JAN

From 1974: JD Holiday

2010-07-10T11:09:00.000-07:00

My Broken Ankle!

2010-06-23T16:00:00.000-07:00

Some of you may know already that I broke my ankle playing freeze tag with my 4 and a half year old grandson in May. My grandson, Luke feels bad and I told him is wasn't his fault, but he quickly became my doctor and got to work using his "Handy Manny" tools on my ankle.

Here is the BOOT. Isn't it beautiful.

(See that gorgeous knee!)

The doctor put my foot in the BOOT which at first, for me, was terrible. It rubbed against the ankle and made it worse.

The first two weeks where the hardest with the pain and not getting around very well! I tried the crutches which were not fun. The third week I went to a walker and am hobbling around happily now.

I have an old cloth bag from the 1989 Bouchercon (XX) Conference tied to the walker,

just to make it easy to carry around all the things I need and stay off my foot.

With only 2 weeks to go before I can walk again, though I'm using the foot in the BOOT more and more each day, I'm getting back to work on my next book and setting up Janoose The Goose and The Great Snowball Escapade for the iPAD!

For Father's Day! The Easier Path

2010-06-19T10:00:00.000-07:00

Painted in 1970 for my Dad.
I didn't understand why at the time I painted this. I had just learned that my father did not have long to live.

Years later, I came to understand after living without him the meaning of this painting. On June 27th it will be 40 years since my Dad died. Maybe it is a long time ago, but I remember him as if it were yesterday.

The Easier Path, one I would not be able to take.

Free Coloring Pages Album at Photobucket for KIDS!

2010-06-10T15:32:00.000-07:00

We have a free coloring pages album at Photobucket. http://s932.photobucket.com/albums/ad167/coloringpagesgallery

This could be another way to get our children’s books noticed. Pictures must be kid friendly, uncolored or decolored (we can tell you how to do this,) titled, have the artist/author name somewhere on the picture and your website or blog address at the bottom were people can find out about your book and where to buy it. Your pictures must be sized to 10”x12” @ 150 dpi (any other size will cause it to print small). If you would like to have your picture(s) added to the album or if you have any questions email them to JD Holiday at: jdholiday@comcast.net or Christy Condoleo at: caedesdragon@hotmail.com. All we ask is that you post a “site ad” for the Coloring Pages Gallery on your sites & blogs. So far we have received over 900 hits on the album & it's only been up 9 days.

Review of THE GREAT SNOWBALL ESCAPADE!

2010-05-17T21:48:00.000-07:00

Review by Nata Romeo of The GREAT SNOWBALL ESCAPADE written and illustration by JD Holiday.

I highly recommend The Great Snowball Escapade. My daughter and I love the book! J.D. Holiday is a very talented writer and illustrator. Children can relate to Wilhemena's life being turned upside down when her cousin Bud moves in with her and her family. Bud is misunderstood. At first there is alot of tension, blaming between the cousins, even the kids at school blamed Bud for everything that went wrong. In the end everything works out. Wilhemena and Bud learned to trust each other as friends do.
Nata Romeo ArtistaDonna

http://aritistadonna.blogspot.com/
http://nata-romeo.artistwebsites.com/
http://www.scbwi.org/Illustrators-Gallery.aspx?i=2909927665229896
http://www.jacketflap.com/Artista13
http://artistadonna.ebsqart.com/

Blog JOG DAY, SUNDAY MAY 9th!

2010-05-07T16:11:00.000-07:00

Free Give-A-Way DRAWING

for 3 lucky Joggers!

Signed copies of my book:

THE GREAT SNOWBALL ESCAPADE

Just leave a comment on this blog entry (below) and the winners with be announce Monday night, 5-10-10!

Started this painting May 5th. It's called, CATCHING THE BREEZE!
I used Corel Painter Essentials, the Impressionist and Smeary Round brushes.
The sky is Powder blue. The Clouds are Titanium white, Light raw umber and lightened and darkened them with the color wheel tool for the clouds as well as adding some Meduim spring Bud and June bud greens.

The far ocean color is Olive green with the Impressionist Brush, waves are Itiamium white with the

Smeary round brush. The sand is Light raw Umber again lightened and darkened using the color wheel tool.

Catching The Breeze!

The woman's shirt is Tea green with dark green shades. Her shorts are Cabalt Blue and Prussian Blue. Skin is Pale pink and lighter, andRose Dove to shade the skin.

I have a great admiration for the Impressionist painters. They worked hard to achieve their desired affect. Now, today, with the use of Corel Painter Essential (a wonderful tool!) I get to try and replicate their style in my own work and knowing I will never reach their spectacular achevements no matter how hard I try. ~ JD Holiday

***YOUR NEXT LINK!***

http://blackvelvetseductions.com/readers_blog/ is your next trip! Enjoy!

If you would like to visit a different Blog in the jog, go to http://blogjogday.blogspot.com/.

My Latest Painting- EARLY MORNING MIST

2010-04-29T16:24:00.000-07:00

I saw a picture in a magazine and couldn't tell if it was a photo or a painting! The artist's, neither photographer or painter, use of black to form the trees intrigued me because her or he did not use any light on the trees at all. Of course, I seen this used before but I thought the trees needed highlights. I sat at my computer and using Corel Paint Essentials and ideas of my own, I painted Early Morning Mist.

Picked and mixed color.

I added the trees in the mist using a darker shade of the same color after I

blended the lines between the shades of bluegreens and black.

For the final painting I added some red in the sky, using a brush called Simple Watercolor which does not smear anything you paint over, and you will see that I move the black background into the lower part of the treeline mist.

Then I added three trees in the front of the painting all in black and the new light of day on their branches and on the ground behind them and on the green lawn in front with the dandelions.

FINISHED

EARLY MORNING MIST

Read an excerpt from my children’s chapter book for 6 to 8 year olds, The Great Snowball Escapade!

2010-04-29T10:06:00.000-07:00

SUMMARY: In the story, Wilhemena Brooks’ cousin, Bud Dunphry come to live with her family. Wil, as she likes to be called, finds her pink pencil sharpener is missing after Christmas. Wil knows Bud has it! Who else would have taken it? Bud doesn’t like girls! In fact, Bud doesn’t like anybody. Wil tries to ignore him but he pulls her friends hair, taken over games, and when Bud is in trouble he making his “you’re going to got it” face at her.
After a snowstorm closes school, Wil and her friends go sled riding. Bud shows up and starts a snowball fight which lands Wil in her room for the rest of the day for fighting.
When her pencil sharpener is found, right where she left it, Wil decides she has to try harder to understand her cousin and stay out of trouble. Her mother told her to be nice to Bud and to treat him like she would like to be treated. If Wil treats Bud nicely does that change anything for her?

THE GREAT SNOWBALL ESCAPADE

J.D. Holiday

Chapter 1

Wilhemena Brooks watched her cousin, Bud Dunphry race down the street to the schoolyard gate.

Bud stopped and scooped up some snow. "I don't want to play with you. Who wants to play with a someone named Wilhemena. It‘s a funny name," he yelled.

Then Bud threw the snowball at Wil. It hit her in the arm, but it did not hurt.

Bud ran into the schoolyard.

Wil shouted after him, "I don't want anybody to see me with you anyway. Who wants to be seen with a bully. And what's wrong with Wilhemena? Wait till I tell Grandma you don't like her name."

'Wil' was what her father and mother called her. She liked to be called Wil. Bud knew that and was just being mean.

Wil wiped the snow from her arm. Too bad there was not more

snow on the ground, she thought. Sledding on Slide Hill after school would be just the thing to help her forget about her cousin. She could try out the blue sled she got for Christmas.

Wil walked slowly to the schoolyard. She was not in a hurry to see what trouble Bud would get into.

This was the first day back to the Ten Street School after Christmas vacation. Bud was now in her second grade class.

Over the holiday, he and his mother came to live with Wil's family.

Aunt Karen lost her job and was looking for a new one. Wil's parents did not know how long Aunt Karen and Bud would be staying with them.

Bud was a pain. Wil hoped they would not stay with them long. She wondered why Bud could not live with his father and why was this happening to her? She did not like changes.

Wil closed her hand. She could feel her new pink eraser inside her mitten. Her initials were on it. W.B. She did not want to lose it, or the pink pencil case that came with it. They were part of a set but the pink pencil sharpener that came with them was missing. Wil thought Bud took it, though he said he did not have it.

Wil had not seen her sharpener since the day after Christmas when Bud was drawing space monster pictures for his bedroom walls. Rather, her brother, Jason's, bedroom walls.

Jason was twelve. He went to a military school and liked being a cadet. He liked wearing a uniform like their father.

If Jason did not have to go back to school there would be no bedroom for Bud to stay in and Wil would not have to put up with him.

Wil sighed. She knew she should be nice to Bud. Her parents say you should be nice to everybody. She liked her Aunt Karen. They were good friends. Bud did not want to be her friend. She wished Jason did not like to march so much. She wished Bud were the one going to a military school.

Wil hurried through the schoolyard gate. It was too early for the bell to ring. All the kids were in the playground. No one was in line yet. Then she saw Bud running toward the boys throwing a ball against the school building.

Wil wished her friend Joey Van Stand was not there. Joey was smaller than Bud. Bud said Joey was a baby. There was going to be trouble.

Suzie Kemp and Robert Anders hurried over to Wil. Suzie had on the rose perfume she liked. She pointed to Bud and rubbed her head. "That boy pulled my hair," she wailed. "Who is he?"

Robert was staring at Bud. "Just what we need. Another mean Drew McFarley," he said. "Drew shoots rubber bands. I think he can shoot ten rubber bands a minute, and they hurt."

"It's not that many," Suzie told Robert. "It's about five rubber bands. He shoots rubber bands at everybody. Have you seen he’s big dog? It has huge teeth."

Wil was not listening. She was trying to forget about her cousin across the playground.

Robert shook his head. "I think I've seen him before,” he said.

Then somebody began to shout. Wil knew that voice. It was Bud's. Looking around she saw him.

Bud grabbed the ball and stopped the game. The other boys gathered around him.

Robert and Suzie were watching Bud, too. Robert said, "I heard about reform schools in the old days. He's the type of kid that would go there."

"Yeah. I heard that in reform schools kids eat bread and water and break rocks for exercise," Suzie said.

Bud was shouting at Joey. Wil looked at the ground. She wished the bell would ring soon.

Then Bud pushed Joey.

Suzie cried out, "Oh, no!"

Wil looked up. Now everybody was staring at Bud and Joey. Joey's face was red. He looked scared.

"You cannot play, Shrimp," Bud told Joey. "Go join the babies on the monkey bars."

His arms at his side Joey kept opening and closing his hands. "I can so play," he wailed. His eyes were watery.

Wil rushed across the playground. She had to reach Joey. She did not know what Bud might do next. Suzie and Robert followed Wil.

Wil stood next to Joey. "Everybody can play," she said.

Bud made his mean face. "I'm not talking to you, Wilhemena," he said.

Joey edged closer to Wil. He whispered, "Yeah, everybody can play."

"Who said, little BABY," Bud said to Joey.

Joey's lips trembled. "The principal, Mrs. Johnson said. She makes the rules," he said.

"The principal isn't here, is she?" Bud shouted.

Wil stepped in front of Joey. I have to be nice, she kept telling herself. She grinned and said, "Those are the rules. Why don't we start up another game?"

Some of the kids started to play again.

"What do you know, Wilhemena?" Bud yelled.

Suzie said, "She doesn't like to be called Wilhemena."

"She likes 'Wil'," Joey said.

"What's going on?" a voice said.

It was Mrs. Campbell, the playground monitor. She was coming closer.

"Oh, nothing," Bud said. He kneeled and pretended to tie his boots.

No one else said a word.

"You're new here, aren't you?" Mrs. Campbell asked. "What's your name?"

Bud looked up. "Bud Dunphry," he said. His voice was squeaky.

Wil had an idea. "It's his first day. Bud has to see the principal before school starts," she told the playground monitor.

Then the bell rang. Mrs. Campbell blew her whistle.

Putting a hand on Bud's shoulder, she said, "You can come with me. Bud. I'm heading for the office. Everyone else line up! Line up!"

"Okay,” Bud mumbled. He fell into step beside Mrs. Campbell then turned

and make a face at Wil. It was his, you're-going-to-get-it face.

Robert stared at Bud. Then he looked at Wil. "Hey," he said. "Isn't he the kid who was with you and your mother at the store yesterday, Wil?"

Wil frowned. "He's my cousin."

Suzie cried, "Oh, no! You've got problems."

End Of Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Everybody stood inside the classroom staring at their desks. The room was hot. It had this funny paper odor.

The long neat rows of desks were gone. All the desks were in a large circle. Wil could not tell which desk was hers.

The teacher's desk was at the front of the room near the black board.

Mrs. Ronald, their teacher, came into the room. She was smiling. "Everyone look for his or her seat. I thought we needed a change for this half of the year," she told the class.

The room became noisy. Looking around, Wil saw Joey. He used to sit in front of her. Now his desk was clear across the room.

Wil closed her eyes a minute. Why did things have to change?

Mark Morse ran by. He stepped on Wil's foot. "Watch it," Wil shouted.

Mrs. Ronald clapped her hands. "Quiet down, children."

Soon all the kids found their desks.

Wil finally found hers. She looked inside her desk. Nothing was missing.

Robert slipped into his seat beside her. "Sitting in a circle," he said. "This is cool."

Wil did not say anything. She wondered what happened to Bud.

No one was sitting at the desk on the other side of her. She looked inside the desk. It was empty. Maybe the principal would not let Bud come to school here.

"Reading groups will meet this morning," Mrs. Ronald said.

Wil put her reading on the corner of the. Maybe Bud would have to go to reform school.

Mrs. Ronald stood in the circle. "But first thing this morning I want to hear about your Christmas vacation. So think about what you will say.”

Wil wondered what there was to think about.

"I got a bike," someone said.

Jimmy Hopkins held up a hand held electronic game. "See what I got," he said to Mrs. Ronald. "I won a higher score than anybody else so far!"

"How nice," Mrs. Ronald said.

Wil moaned. What was she going to say? She knew she should say nothing if she could not say anything nice.

That Bud tied the hair of her new doll up in knots.

That he broke her favorite CD.

That he fed her goldfish pretzels.

That he put gum in her hair.

Wil slumped into her seat. These were not nice things. Bud was not nice unless being nice would keep him out of trouble.

Christmas vacation? For Wil, it was a Christmas nightmare.

It had been the worst vacation she ever had.

Robert probably has a good story. He always does. Joey went ice skating every day. Franny got three DVD movies. She has watched them fifteen times already.

Just then, Bud came into the classroom. He was not smiling.

Mrs. Johnson, the principal, was behind him. Maybe Mrs. Johnson would not let Bud stay, Wil thought. Mrs.Johnson might say, "You are too mean for our school, Bud Dunphry. The reform school will take you."

Instead, Mrs. Johnson said, "Mrs. Ronald. Boys and girls, I'd like you to meet your new classmate. Bud Dunphry. Let's show him he is welcome."

Everybody said, "Hello, Bud."

"Bud is Wilhemena's cousin," Mrs. Johnson added.

Mrs. Ronald smiled at Bud. "Then Wilhemena can help you settle into the class," she said. "There is an empty seat right next to Wilhemena you can have."

Wil looked at the desk next to her. Then she looked at Bud. He stuck his tongue out at her. Mrs. Ronald and Mrs. Johnson were talking. They did not notice. The kids laughed.

Mrs. Ronald looked around. Everyone became quiet.

"I don't know what's so funny, but I want you to show good manners to Mrs. Johnson," she said.

Then Mrs. Johnson said good-bye and left the room.

"Take your seat. Bud," Mrs. Ronald said.

Bud sat down beside Wil. Carol Lu sat on the other side of him. Bud stuck his arm inside his desk. Thumping sounds came from the desk as he fished around inside it. He was going to get into trouble.

Wil quickly looked at the teacher.

Mrs. Ronald was saying, "Let's hear about your vacation."

Mostly everybody raised their hands. Marsha Goldberg waved her hand around and around. "Oo-oo-oo," she said.

Mrs. Ronald called on Marsha.

Wil looked back at Bud. He pulled something from the desk. It flew out of his hand and landed by Carol Lu’s desk. It’s was a crayon. He mumbled something to Carol.

"No," Carol whined.

Bud said louder, "Get it for me."

Wil bit her lip.

Marsha was telling the class she gave a talking bird to her grandmother. Marsha laughed and said the bird only made peeping noises. Everyone started laughing, too.

Bud grabbed Carol's arm. He mumbled, "Get it."

But Carol pulled away. She hissed, "No. Get it yourself."

Mrs. Ronald looked their way. Bud sat still.

Suppose Bud could only make peeping noises. "Shhh," Wil hissed at him.

"Be quite," Bud told her.

Robert leaned toward Wil. He said, "Bud the spud."

Bud heard him. His eyes narrowed to slits as he looked at Robert. Robert swallowed and turned away.

Clark Stanley stood up next. He helped make the Christmas dinner. He showed the class a picture of a pumpkin pie. Mrs. Ronald was smiling at him.

It was Suzie Kemp's turn. Suzie held up her ice skates and told about going skating with her three older sisters.

A hand shot out in front of Wil. Bud tried to punch Robert. He missed. Wil's reading book crashed to the floor.

Mrs. Ronald jumped. She was frowning as she looked from Bud to Wil. "Is there a problem?" she asked.

Nobody answered. The whole class became quiet.

Wil's face felt hot. She looked at the teacher. Mrs. Ronald 's eyebrow went up. "Wilhemena, you and Bud should save your talk for after school."

"Yes. Sorry," Wil said.

"Yes, Mrs. Ronald," Bud said.

Wil groaned. Bud was pretending to be an angel! He was good at that. She got up and raced around the desk to scoop up her reading book.

Mrs. Ronald said, "While you're up, Wilhemena, tell the class about your vacation."

Wil stared at the teacher. She felt like crying. Bud had spoiled her vacation. Wil could not think of anything to say. Mrs. Ronald was waiting.

Wil gulped and her eyes began to water. She closed them and the tears ran down her cheeks.

Mrs. Ronald patted Wil's shoulder. "Did you do anything special?" she said softly.

Wil shrugged her shoulders. "Bud came to stay," she said.

"And we sang songs at the piano," Bud said. He was smiling.

"See," Mrs. Ronald said. "That's something special." She then called on Franny Larson. Franny told the story of the princess in one of the DVD movies she got.

Wil wiped her eyes with her hands. She did not care about the princess story. She slumped down into her seat.

Bud whispered, "Cry baby."

End Of Chapter 2

An interview with Author, Magazine editor and the creator of two award winning sites as well as PROMO DAY! Jo Linsdell talks with me.

2010-04-20T15:25:00.000-07:00

1. What is Promo Day and how did it come about?

Promo Day is an all day, online, international event for people in the writing industry packed full of tips and advice along with a variety of opportunities for writers, publishers, editors etc to promote their work and services. Readers are also welcome to drop in and get to know the authors better in the forums, view the video trailers or read writing samples.

This year a new forums feature has been added to the site to make interaction even more international. There will be special sections for publishers to post their submission guidelines and give information to authors about their companies. Companies offering services (virtual assistants, website designers, illustrators, ghost writers etc…) will also have a section where they can let attendees know more about what they offer.

Another new feature for this year is that anyone can have their book featured in the on site bookstore for just €5,00. This is a big opportunity to increase your book sales and raise awareness for your work as the event is attended by thousands of people from the industry (email promoday@ymail.com is interested in placing your book)

Promo Day came about because I was looking for opportunities to promote my books using the internet at little or no cost. After attending the Muse Online Writers Conference back in 2006, I searched the internet for similar events aimed at what to do after you’ve written the book and found none. I decided to fill the void and so PROMO DAY was born. PROMO DAY is a great opportunity to network with other members of the industry, take part in online workshops and promote and best of all it’s FREE!

Visit the website http://jolinsdell.tripod.com/promoday for more details of how you can be involved.

2. How much work is Promo Day and what does it entail?

It’s a big task to deal with. From creating and updating the website and blog to scheduling the workshops to promoting it. I also need to find sponsors for the event. This years event is Sponsored by http://www.pumpupyourbook.com/

I usually start preparing for it just after Christmas to give myself enough time to get things right. I organize Promo Day in addition to my other projects and writing so I only get a limited amount of time each day to work on it. It’s well worth the effort though.

3. Do you do all the work yourself?

Yes. I do all the organization, updating the website, scheduling the workshops’ etc myself. On the day I have the help of moderators to keep track of the workshops and help thing run as smoothly as possible. I’m also lucky enough to have a large number of people that offer to promote the event on there websites, blogs, newsletters and writing groups. Their help is much appreciated and needed to make sure the largest number of people possible know about the event. The nature of the event means that the more people that attend the better the results for all.

4. Your blog, Writers and Authors has become a huge success. It is used by not only writers but by people in the writing/book industry in general. What do you see for it in the future?

I’m actually planning a make-over for the site in the near future to give it a whole new (and hopefully more polished and professional look).

I’ll also be launching the Writers and Authors online magazine at the same time which will showcase the blog posts over a four month period (it will be a quarterly publication), offer the chance for other book reviewers to post their work, contain articles by and for people in the writing industry, promote services on offer for writers, list paying markets, have a shout out section where people can brag about awards won, book deals signed etc… It will also highlight a visitor to the website who has contributed, in that period, by their interaction on the site.

I’m currently looking for people interested in being part of the editorial team. Anyone interested should email me at writersandauthors@yahoo.it

5.Writersandauthors.blogspot.com is an Award winning blog. You have another Award winning blog: astheromansdo.blogspot.com. Can you tell us about it?

As The Romans Do is my blog for anything and everything related to Italy. I came to Rome for 3 days back in 2001 and stayed. I love Italy and use this blog to share my passion for it.

Posts include reviews of books connected to Italy in some way, tips for tourists, famous Italians, events, recipes, guest posts and much more.

6. You write regularly for magazines, newspapers and websites. How do your pick what to write about? Is it current events driven?

The articles I write depend largely on the projects I’m doing at the time. For example, I’m writing a book about social media at the moment and so a lot of my recent articles have been about online marketing, twitter etc…

I write articles about Italy as, living in Rome, I have constant inspiration all around me.

I’m also mummy to a lively two year old and so often get ideas for parenting or children related articles.

7. What magazines, newspapers and websites do you write for?

I write articles for content sites like http://www.helium.com/ and for a variety of newspapers, magazines and websites. I don’t have a fixed column and so send off articles and fillers to various markets.

8. You have written two books that have to do with life in Italy; A Guide to Wedding in Italy and Christmas in Italy. Have you written any others and do you find a need for a subjects and then fill them?

I have two Italy related books available in print format ‘Italian for Tourists: Pocket Edition’ and ‘A Guide to Weddings in Italy’. I’ve also written several short e-books on topics like Christmastime in Italy and La Befana.

I wrote both print books following requests from people I met and based them on my personal experiences. Italian for Tourists started out as an e-book, then went to print and finally to pocket format thanks to public demand. It was the first book I wrote and has grown with me.

I wrote A Guide to Weddings in Italy following my own wedding in 2006. Italy is a bit tricky in sense of documents and has lots of traditions. Several people asked my advice about how to go about getting married here and so I decided to create the type of guide I would have liked at the time but couldn’t find.

The e-books were written out of the pleasure of writing them. They are topics that have interested me and so I figured would be of interest to others as well.

9. Are you currently working on a book? If so, is it fiction or another non-fiction and what is it about?

Like I mentioned before, I’m working on a book about social media. It will cover the various sites on offer, how to use them to get the best results and the applications that can be used with each of them.

I’m also working on a novel (romance/mystery) based in Tivoli, a small town close to Rome. It’s set in Villa D’Este, one of my favorite places. A young journalist comes from England to write an article on the villa and instead ends up in a hunt for art thieves whilst dealing with a complicated new love interest and an evil-ex.

I hope to have both finished by the end of this year.

10. What other writing and publishing interests do you have?

I’m Editor of Robin Falls Magazine (http://www.robinsfalls.com/) which is a bi-annual e-zine for creative souls to show off their talents.

11. You will be involved in the Roman Writers Retreat to be held in Rome on the 23rd to the 30th of October this year (2010.) Can you tell us about it?

I'm honoured to have been invited to host seminars at The Roman Writers Retreat to be held in Rome in October. This is not a full-blow writers conference, though the essential qualities of seminars taught by professionals certainly exists. Rather this is a heart-of-Rome Retreat. We’ve even organised a special evening at a restaurant where we will be having a lovely meal, a couple of seminars and have a table to promote our books from.

Seminars are planned (but not so many as to interfere with inspiration time!) on the craft of writing, the building of platforms and the marketing of fiction and poetry as well as less structured opportunities where attendees can share and learn from one another.

The other instructors are Eve LaSalle Caram and Carolyn Howard-Johnson.

Eve LaSalle Caram, MA, is a longtime and popular instructor for UCLA Extension Writers' Progam where she won their Outstanding Instructor Award in Creative Writing. She is a novelist, essayist, and poet whose latest novel, The Blue Geography, was a finalist in the Texas Review novel contest. Ms. Caram's other novels are Dear Corpus Christi; Wintershine; and Rena, A Late Journey. She edited Palm Readings, a multicultural anthology of fiction by Southern California women.

Carolyn Howard-Johnson has been an instructor for UCLA Extension Writers Program for several years. She is a multi-award winning author of This is the Place, and Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remember and her fiction, nonfiction and poems have appeared in national magazines, anthologies and review journals both online and in print. She is a popular seminar leader at conferences like Dayton University's Erma Bombeck Writers Workshop, San Diego State's world renowned Writers' Conference and Call to Arts! EXPO. She also appears in national TV commercials. Her HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers have become staples in the libraries of many writers.

I’m very excited about being involved in it and meeting other writers from all over the world.

More information about it and how to take part can be found at http://www.jolinsdell.com/

12. Jo, along with the blogs we mentioned, are there any other sites where we can find out more about you?

I recently purchased my own domain name http://www.jolinsdell.com/ and although I’ll be designing and re-launching it soon, it is my main website and has links to all my projects and other sites.

Blog Jog Day Sunday May 9th

2010-04-07T14:59:00.001-07:00

Join Blog Jog Day! Increase your blog traffic/Have visitors explore yourBlog/then travel on to the next Blog! Come Join us Sunday 5-9-10 http://blogjogday.blogspot.com/

in reference to: JD'S Writers Blog (view on Google Sidewiki)

Wendy Wahman on Manic 4/5/10

2010-04-05T14:39:00.001-07:00

Wendy Wahman's artwork on Manic-The Author/Illustrators Network http://manicnetwork.ning.com

in reference to: Manic - The Author/Illustrator Network - For the Author/Illustrator that does it all! (view on Google Sidewiki)

Book Garden Publishing, LLC Publishes A New Children’s Book, THE GREAT SNOWBALL ESCAPADE By Author and Illustrator J.D. Holiday

2010-03-18T15:29:00.001-07:00

March 18, 2010 - Book Garden Publishing is proud to announce the release of a 90 page chapter book for six to eight year olds by J.D. Holiday. The young readers of THE GREAT SNOWBALL ESCAPADE, will have many enjoyable hours reading about Wil, her cousin Bud and her friends.
In the story, Wilhemena Brooks’ cousin, Bud Dunphry come to live with her family. Wil, as she likes to be called, finds her pink pencil sharpener is missing after Christmas. Wil knows Bud has it! Who else would have taken it?
Bud doesn’t like girls! In fact, Bud doesn’t like anybody. Wil tries to ignore him but he pulls her friends hair, taken over games, and when Bud is in trouble he making his “you’re going to got it” face at her.
After a snowstorm closes school, Wil and her friends go sled riding. Bud shows up and starts a snowball fight which lands Wil in her room for the rest of the day for fighting.
When her pencil sharpener is found, right where she left it, Wil decides she has to try harder to understand her cousin and stay out of trouble. Her mother told her to be nice to Bud and to treat him like she would like to be treated. If Wil treats Bud nicely does that change anything for her?
“I hope children will have as much fun reading it as I did writing and drawing the pictures,” Holiday said. “It comes straight out of my childhood and the relationships with my family and friends.”

J.D. Holiday is also the author and illustrator the children’s picture book, JANOOSE THE GOOSE. She has written a variety of short stories and articles. She is a member of both The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and The Small Publishers Association of North America.
The book is available online at B&N and Amazon or order in bookstores for $5.99.
http://www.amazon.com/Great-Snowball-Escapade-J-Holiday/dp/0981861423/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_2
ISBN#978-0-9818614-2-5
For more information visit: http://www.bookgardenpublishing.net/
CONTACT: Book Garden Publishing,LLC.
DELAWARE VALLEY of PENNSYLVANIA, USA

###

REVIEW of The Great Snowball Escapade by Author and Illustrator Angela Cater

Wilhemena has had a rotten Christmas, thanks to her mean cousin Bud coming to stay. Things don’t get any better when she returns to school – not only is Bud in the same class, but she has to sit next to him! Bud is the school bully. He dictates who is allowed to play and where, he fights with Wil and her friends, deliberately gets her into trouble with teachers and her Mum, and there is no getting away from him because now he lives in her home!
Bud’s parents are going through a divorce, and Wil’s Mum encourages her to be understanding and nice to Bud, but that’s not easy when he’s so mean.
“The Great Snowball Escapade” has a believable and likeable heroine and children will easily identify with her and the situations she finds herself in. The book is effectively illustrated throughout with simple line-drawings.
Do Bud and Wil finally sort out their differences? You’ll just have to read the book to find out.

Angela Cater is the author and illustrator of:
The Adventures of Sailor Sam
A Perfect Nest for Mrs Mallard
Sailor Sam and the Two Sicknesses

Angela Cater blog: http://www.thebookwormreads.blogspot.com/
Her site: http://www.tabbycatpress.com/

My Interview with Angela Cater on her blog, THE Book Worm Reads

2010-03-17T14:03:00.001-07:00

An interview with JD Holiday on http://www.thebookwormreads.blogspot.com with Angela Cater!

in reference to: The Bookworm Reads (view on Google Sidewiki)

The Great Snowball Escapade!

2010-03-09T11:07:00.000-08:00

An interview with ME (JD) is on http://www.thebookwormreads.blogspot.com/ with Angela Cater!

The Great Snowball Escapade by JD Holiday: a chapter book for children 6 to 8 years of age. For $5.99

Wilhemena Brooks,’ cousin, Bud Dunphry come to live with her family. Wil, as she likes to be called, finds her pink pencil sharpener is missing after Christmas. Wil knows Bud has it!
Who else would have taken it?
Bud doesn’t like girls! In fact, Bud doesn’t like anybody. Wil tries to ignore him but he pulls her friends hair, taken over games, and when Bud is in trouble he making his “you’re going to got it” face at her. After a snowstorm closes school, Wil and her friends go sled riding. Bud shows up and starts a snowball fight which lands Wil in her room for the rest of the day for fighting.
When her pencil sharpener is found, Right where she left it, Wil decides she has to try harder to understand her cousin and stay out of trouble. Her mother told her to be nice to Bud and to treat him like she would like to be treated. But where will that get Wil?

Publishers Urged to Change the Focus of the Copyright Debate

2010-03-04T11:42:00.000-08:00

Publishers Urged to Change the Focus of the Copyright Debate: "Publishers are losing the battle over copyright in the courtof public opinion..."

The Virtual Children's BookFair is here!

2010-02-26T09:38:00.000-08:00

TheVirtual Bookfair IS HERE! Visit the authors whose books are for sale.
The Everyday Living of Children and Teens Monologues (Volume I and II) by Adra Young
Two Books by Tara Michener: 100% Real and Who I Am, Not What I Am
“100% Real” by Tara Michener
The Guys The Roses & The Regrets; the Girl to Girl Dating Guide by Grace Hatton
The Tale of Eartha the Sea Turtle by Dan Bodenstein
Engineering The ABC’s by Patty O’Brien Novak
The Little Pot by Dawn Stephens
The One and Only Bernadette P. McMullen by Colleen Murray Fisher
The Fire Stone (Book one of the Reign of the Elements) by Riley Carney

TO THE BOOKFAIR!

2010-02-14T14:31:00.001-08:00

The Finished Cover Painting for my latest book.

My latest book, The Great Snowball Escapade, a chapter book for 6 to 8 year olds. Using another software program, Paint Shop Pro, also by Corel I added a border with the border command. The next step is placing it in the cover! Copyright by JD Holiday

Illustrator's Workshop: Creating a bookcover by JD Holiday! http://jdswritersblog.blogspot.com/
in reference to: Photos - SPANnet - The Definitive Self Publishing Community (view on Google Sidewiki)

Putting a bookcover together!

2010-02-14T14:16:00.000-08:00

To put a bookcover together you need to make a template or get one from your

print company. This is a mock-up of the one I got from my printer. The cover must extend to the

outer lines of the template in order for the book to have the trim line which gives the book its

nice neat final look. In other words, the whole area of the template must have the book's cover color in it, back and front. The area right inside the outer line is called the Bleed area which is cut off at the second line in on the template all the way around the bookcover. That will be the actual book size when it is done.

The front of the book is on your right hand side and the back cover is on the left side.

The spine is the middle area between the back and front covers. The spine size is based on the number of pages and the paper size of the book and that is calulated by the printer.

The red lines (a 1/2 inch from the trim line) on both the covers is the area you must keep all text and graphics in.

~~~~~

Next I painted the front cover and top part of the back cover in Corel Painter Essentials

Then I brought the cover into Indesign CS 3 to work.

~~~~~~

I used Indesign CS 3 to create my book and cover, though I do most of the artwork in art/graphic software.

This is a example of a text frame which using the Text Tool you put in the template and do your typing.

You use the Selection Tool to resize the Text frame when needed by grabbing any of the small squares around the frame and dragging it. You can also copy and paste your text from your word processor into the text frames.

For graphics you would go to File> Place find your picture on your computer (tif) and click Open.

The Selection Tool in Indesign will become loaded and you just click the place in your template or frame that you want the picture or graphic to go.

I rotated the cover to the left and typed in the spine text.

Adding all the items needed I created the book's cover!

My latest book, The Great Snowball Escapade, a chapter book for 6 to 8 year olds.

2010-02-10T10:32:00.000-08:00

This is the drawing for the cover picture for my latest book, The Great Snowball Escapade, a chapter book for 6 to 8 year olds. I used the art software program, Painter Essentials 4 by Corel. This is the fifth time I've painted using this art software. It is very different for me from real painting!

The finish painting. Next I will add a border to place in the book's cover template. I left white dots and used Celulean Blue and a medium gray to give the snow color.

The Finished Cover Painting.

Using another software program, Paint Shop Pro, also by Corel I added a border with the border command. The next step is placing it in the cover! Copyright by JD Holiday

Illustrator's Workshop: Nata Romeo

2010-02-08T11:59:00.001-08:00

Illustrator's Workshop: Nata Romeo's latest ' Work in Progress' in her Tree Goddess series!
http://aritistadonna.blogspot.com/

in reference to: SmartZone Communications Center (view on Google Sidewiki)

Found my Article on Lynda

2010-01-04T07:11:00.001-08:00

Found my article, From PICTURES TO PAGES, on an Adobe site! Very cool to see it there!
http://www.thefreetrialnetwork.com/free-trial-lynda/comment-page-1/#comment-3

in reference to: Share Toolbar feedback - Toolbar Help (view on Google Sidewiki)

Illustrator's Workshop: 'Work in Progress!' A children's chapter book for 6 to 8 year olds called, The Great Snowball Escapade! by JD Holiday

2009-12-11T11:02:00.000-08:00

The Great Snowball Escapade is a chapter book for children 6 to 8 years of age. I have completed the drawings and am in the process of inking them with waterproof Indian ink artist pen. There are 3 of the 25 drawings in that process I've chosen to show.

This is the first page.

Page 5

Page 6

In the story,Wilhemena Brooks,’ cousin, Bud Dumphy come to live with her family. Wil, as she likes to be called, finds her pink pencil sharpener is missing after Christmas. Wil knows Bud has it! Who else would have taken it?

Bud doesn’t like girls! In fact, Bud doesn’t like anybody. Wil tries to ignore him but he pulls her friends hair, taken over games, and when Bud is in trouble he making his “you’re going to got it” face at her.
After a snowstorm closes school, Wil and her friends go sled riding. Bud shows up and starts a snowball fight which lands Wil in her room for the rest of the day for fighting.
When her pencil sharpener is found, Right where she left it, Wil decides she has to try harder to understand her cousin and stay out of trouble. Her mother told her to be nice to Bud and to treat him like she would like to be treated. But where will that get Wil?

In the near future I will be painting the cover art for the book.

Check out Janoose the Goose on Amazon!

Artists Spot Light at Manic Network

2009-12-07T14:17:00.001-08:00

Artist Spotlight on Manic Network Linda Brewster Rodgers!
http://manicnetwork.ning.com/http://manicnetwork.ning.com/
in reference to: Contribute with Sidewiki - Toolbar Help (view on Google Sidewiki)

The Little Pot by Dawn Stephens

2009-12-02T16:39:00.001-08:00

Most humans wonder what their purpose in life is.
Many do not look to God for their answer and might never find an answer on their own.
In Dawn Stephen's, 'The Littl Pot,' Little Pot waits patiently for its creator to let it know its purpose. This enthralling children's story shows its young readers that their purpose is in the loving and caring hands of God and they need not feat wht lay ahead for God's plan holds the best outcome. This is a story for all ages.

My four year old grandson, Luke eagerly listened to the whole story. He loved that with each job Little Pot go made Little Pot more and more important. Luke said, "It was good that the Little Pot waited."
review by JD Holiday
in reference to: Share Toolbar feedback - Toolbar Help (view on Google Sidewiki)

The BOOK REPORT

2009-12-02T16:27:00.000-08:00

The Little Pot

Written and illustrated

by Dawn Stephens

Most humans wonder what their purpose in life is. Many do not look to God for their answer and might never find an answer on their own.

In Dawn Stephen’s, The Little Pot,’ Little Pot waits patiently for its creator to let it know its purpose. This enthralling children’s story shows its young readers that their purpose is in the loving and caring hands of God and they need not fear what lay ahead for God’s plan holds the best outcome. This is a story for all ages.

My four year old grandson, Luke eagerly listened to the whole story. He loved that with each job Little Pot got made Little Pot more and more important. Luke said, “It was good that the Little Pot waited.”

Illustrator's Workshop!

2009-11-27T08:41:00.001-08:00

IF you are an artist or illustrator by stop by.
http://illustratorsworkshopblog.blogspot.com

in reference to: JD'S Writers Blog (view on Google Sidewiki)

Copyrighting Artwork: In A Nut Shell!

2009-10-25T14:45:00.000-07:00

You might remember about a year ago Facebook changed their policy and it became unclear who held the copyright for pictures posted on Facebook. The policy had upset people and Facebook had to put this policy up for a vote which was defeated.

As an artist who posts my artwork on Facebook, I was concerned and followed the vote to its end.
This was not my first time with having to think about placing my art on the internet.
Google finds images they like for images.google.com and I was very surprised to find
a few years back all of my pictures from my website posted at http://images.google.com/.
I was alarmed by this too at first. I quickly came to feel it was all right and even could be good advertising because Google posts a note that all images were subject to copyright. But this lead me to place a copyright notice of my own at the bottom of all my pictures.
That was a few years ago and again, still not happy with having my pictures out there,
shall we say, without mommy to care for them, for the last two weeks I have spent time
typing a copyright notice inside each picture. In one it’s in a tree, a lighter shade of green in another it’s in the lake a darker shade of blue and placed so I know where they are.
There are other ways to add a copyright notice to your artwork. There is upload a lesser resolution of you pictures, watermarking your paintings, or submit your artwork for an actual copyright (cost money) are just a few ways to do this.
Copyright is a very important issue and one we must continue to think about.
That’s Copyright in a Nut Shell!
by JD Holiday

Illustrator’s Workshop!

2009-09-25T20:11:00.000-07:00

Illustrator’s Workshop!

Illustrator’s Workshop is a group of illustrators and artists showcasing their talents, while sharing and promoting their works.

If you are an illustrator and would like to know more go to:
http://illustratorsworkshopblog.blogspot.com/

~~~~~~~~~~

FROM THE PAINT BOX: NOT Van Gogh's SUNFLOWERS. Just JD's!

Having Your Own Private Chat room: In A NutShell

2009-09-10T17:08:00.000-07:00

Did you know you can have a chat room of your own on your site or blog for free? Most of us have had an IM (instant message) talk with a friend real time and if you have been to a chat room talking with many people at once then you might like a chat room of your own.

Though chat room talks are in real time like in IM that is where the similarity ends. With a chat room you can hold group chats with co-workers, group members, interviews with authors, webinars, discuss your genre or techniques, have authors chat with their readers. With some chat room applications you can hold large discussions with up to one hundred people, which might be a little crazy, but you get the idea.

Some of the chat rooms, also called chat rolls and chat boxes, are free and along with a blog posting board were you can add content for an event, such as a writing chat where a number of authors write a story together, you can have an hour or two or more of fun.

How can you do this you ask?
If you have a website that has more than one page you can add a private chat room to one of the pages and do not list that page on the navigation bar.
For the blog you would make another, separate blog to use as the chat room that you set for privacy!
For instance, on Blogger (Blogspot) under SETTINGS go to BASIC and then to ADD YOUR BLOG TO OUR LISTING and choice NO. Then at LET SEARCH ENGINES FIND YOUR BLOG select NO again and finally click SAVE SETTINGS!
If Blogger isn’t your blog provider you will need to take a look at your blog providers privacy settings to see if it could be done there.

Some of the free chat room sites that I looked at are; xat, chat roll, chat-form, spin chat and parachat. To find out what else is out there you can Google and Bing search to see what other chat rooms services there are available.

Of course, like most site on the internet where you have to join the community, chat room or chat roll sites are no different. You sign up for an account at one of these sites and you place the HTML code they provide on your blog or site. If you don’t know how to place HTML codes you will need to learn how or have someone do it for you. Then the only way someone can get to your chat room is if they have the url (Uniform Resource Locator) which you provide.
Also with some of the chat communities your guest will have to sign up at their site to participate in you chat room as well. You can even have more security by setting the blog settings so that your guest or members must sign in to your blog too.

To see what chat rooms are all about, one place you can visit is the writers and artists site Minds-Eye. http://minds-eye.ning.com/
That’s Using A Private Chatroom: In A Nut Shell.
Happy Chatting!
2009 JD Holiday

ONE LOVELY BLOG AWARD

2009-08-18T15:38:00.000-07:00

I am honored to have been given the ONE LOVELY BLOG AWARD from my friend,
Author Helena Harper. Helena, a winner of the ONE LOVELY BLOG AWARD herself, is a children’s author and poet. Her works include "It's a Teacher's Life...!" and "Family and More - Enemies or Friends?"
Helena is one of the first writers to become my friend on My Space. From the start, her positive personality, cheerful and thoughtful ways made friendship easy and fun! I can always count on Helena for inspiration.
In the spirit this award was given to me I am honored to pass it along to an author I greatly admire. These are the rules for the award. They are simple:
1) Accept the award, and don’t forget to post a link back to the awarding person.
2) Pass the award on.
3) Notify the award winner.
After 25 years of trying to get a publisher for my books I decided I was my own publisher. Though I had an agent at one time and editors interested in my works none of my stories made it into print. This award gives me the opportunity to acknowledge my admiration and thanks to the woman I am passing this award to:
MAYRA CALVANI
Mayra Calvani is a multi-genre author and book reviewer. Some of the titles of her books are, Sunstruck, Crash!, The Magic Violin, The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing and Dark Lullaby.
When I looked for advice on getting my children’s books printed, Mayra was there. She also invited me to join her on several key author sites when I begin networking. Mayra reviewed my first book and her glowing review got the book noticed. Over the years that I have know her I have learned that Mayra’s words are golden and she is always true to her words!

2009-08-10T17:06:00.001-07:00

My Grandson, Luke will be 4yrs. old in October. Luke said as I read one of my story's to him that I had not yet drawn pictures for. "This is like music with no words, but without pictures. That's even better!"