Monday, May 27, 2013

A Memorial Day Prayer


    Dear Heavenly Father,
    As we remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedoms we enjoy every day, we think of how they have followed in the footsteps of your son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. Please hold our servicemen and women in your strong arms. Cover them with your sheltering grace and your presence as they stand in the gap for our protection.
    We also remember the families of our troops. We ask for your unique blessings to fill their homes, and we pray your peace, provision, and strength will fill their lives.
    May the members of our armed forces be supplied with courage to face each day and may they trust in the Lord's mighty power to accomplish each task. Let our military brothers and sisters feel our love and support.
    In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Credit to: http://christianity.about.com/od/prayersverses/qt/memorialdaypray.htm

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Best wishes,
Donna M. McDine
Award-winning Children's Author
Connect with

The Golden Pathway ~ August 2010 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc.
~ Literary Classics Silver Award and Seal of Approval, Readers Favorite 2012 International Book Awards Honorable Mention and Dan Poynter's Global e-Book Awards Finalist









Saturday, May 25, 2013

Rainbows are Beautiful ~ Guest author, Kai Strand visits Write What Inspires You!

Connecting with fellow authors is my favorite part of the Internet, for without it I would never have connected with so many talented writers! Watching colleagues writing careers bloom puts a smile on my face and being part of their virtual book tours is an honor. I'm delighted to host author, Kai Strand today. Welcome Kai!

Rainbows are beautiful. The colors blend and arc gracefully. They instill a feeling of peacefulness and hope in many who observe them.

The Underworld city of Concord uses the color scheme of a rainbow to represent the over arching theme of unity in the city. Concord means peace. The main fountain in the center of town has shimmering rainbow colored water bubbling out of the top and cascading into pools. The sidewalks are paved with red cinders or blue lapis lazuli or covered in yellow Creeping Jenny or green Irish moss. And color coded sections of the city represent the function the residents play in the cooperative community, such as red for government, orange for harvest and pink for entertainment and well-being.

Visit the lush Underworld city and meet its intriguing residents in Kai Strand’s new middle grade novel BEWARE OF THE WHITE.

About the book

As is tradition, Terra learns on the Saturday past her twelfth birthday that she is a Natures Spirit. It is her legacy to serve in the peaceful underground city of Concord. Learning she is named in a prophecy and being threatened by the leader of the death tribe…that part breaks tradition.

The Trepidus are the death janitors of the Underworld, responsible for delivering fatalities with a smile and cleaning up after themselves until Blanco, recent leader of the Trepidus, decides the day of reckoning for his species is coming. He begins organizing the creatures and leads them toward an uprising. The prophecy says there is one person who can stop him. Terra.

With Spirit of Security, Frank, protecting her, Terra attempts to complete her training and discover her Spirit talents. Together, they go on a rogue investigation to learn how to defeat Blanco. In the end, it comes down to a battle of the minds. The future of Concord is at stake. Will Blanco, the older, more experienced being win? Or will Terra, the young, new Spirit earn back the peace of the city?

Buy It:

Or look for it on iTunes

About the author

Kai Strand writes fiction for kids and teens. Her debut novel, The Weaver, was a finalist in the 2012 EPIC eBook Awards. She is a (very lucky) wife and the mother of four amazing kids. The most common sound in her household is laughter. The second most common is, "Do your dishes!" She and her family hike, geocache, and canoe in beautiful Central Oregon, where they call home.

To find out more about Kai’s books, download companion documents, find links to her published short stories and discover all the places to find Kai both virtually and in person, visit her website: www.kaistrand.com. She loves to hear from readers, so feel free to send her an email or visit her facebook page, Kai Strand, Author.

To celebrate the launch of BEWARE OF THE WHITE, Kai Strand has awesome book related prize packages. Be sure to enter to win. And return again and again to claim entries as you qualify. Kai will also have Spontaneous Giveaways during her book tour. Those giveaways won’t be announced so be sure to follow Kai’s tour. Only virtual stalkers will have the opportunity at all the fun!


a Rafflecopter giveaway








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Best wishes,
Donna M. McDine
Award-winning Children's Author
Connect with

The Golden Pathway ~ August 2010 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc.
~ Literary Classics Silver Award and Seal of Approval, Readers Favorite 2012 International Book Awards Honorable Mention and Dan Poynter's Global e-Book Awards Finalist









Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Children's Book ~ Boo's Bad Day by Penny Lockwood

I'm pleased to welcome Penny Lockwood today to Write What Inspires You as she shares details of her latest children's book. The cover of makes me want to pick it up right away. The intriguing title and the darling illustration by Deborah C. Johnson is just the beginning. Welcome Penny!


Donna, you asked me what inspires me to write.  I enjoy writing in many different genres and for both adults and children.  My inspiration comes to me in many different forms from fleeting conversations to articles I’ve read.

Boo’s Bad Day, the picture book I’m currently touring on several blogs, including yours, came from an adventure our own black cat Boo had when he was a teenager.  At the time, we allowed our cats to go in and out as they pleased.  One winter day, during a particularly cold spell, Boo went out. As the day wore on, weather turned, and we had an ice storm. That evening, when we called Boo, he didn’t return.  The next day, we located him high up in a fir tree.  My husband tried to get him down but couldn’t reach him, not even standing on the top of our 50-foot ladder. We called the fire department, but they told us they no longer rescued cats.  Poor Boo’s meows were getting weaker, and we were worried. We finally arranged for a friend, taller than my husband, to come over.  He was able to grab Boo and get him down from the tree.  Once Boo got inside, he refused to leave the hearth in front of our wood stove for a week. 

When my grandchildren were born, I knew I wanted to try my hand at writing for younger children.  I thought of Boo’s story and decided this would be a good way to talk about caring for pets as well as being safe.

My middle grade novel, Ghost for Rent, started brewing in my head after I had a conversation with a former neighbor.  After divorcing, she left her home and moved into an old farmhouse rental with her children.  One night, they heard a piano playing in their living room.  When they went downstairs to investigate, they saw a ghostly being sitting on the piano stool. 

My young daughter had told me I wasn’t a real writer because I didn’t have a book published.  Up to that time, I had published numerous articles and stories in magazines, but I hadn’t written a novel. My friend’s story got me thinking this would be a great book for the middle grade readers, and one my daughter might enjoy.  She was a great fan of Poe at the time.  I was fortunate to find a publisher and I finally had a “book.” 

The follow-up to Ghost for Rent is Ghost for Lunch. When I finished the first book, I thought it would be a fun paranormal mystery series for kids.  I live in an area which has had numerous ghost sightings, so when I wrote Ghost for Rent, I located it in my town.  One day, I came across an article in the local newspaper about a restaurant in a town seven miles away. I knew this was the focus for the next book, and Ghost for Lunch was born. Since my original publisher had gone out of business, I was lucky that the publisher who accepted Ghost for Lunch was interested in the first book, too.

The next book in the series is my current WIP.  A friend told me about an experience with a ghost she had while working in a local craft store.  I immediately realized this would be the perfect mystery for my young sleuths to solve.  Ghost for Rent and Ghost for Lunch are under contract with 4RV Publishing, the publishers who released Boo’s Bad Day.  I hope they will be ready for release by the end of the year, packaged as a two-book deal. I’m also keeping my fingers crossed that 4RV will be interested in the next book, too.

Another picture book under contract with 4RV, Many Colored Coats, is a direct result of a diversity training I took while volunteering for our local women’s crisis line. One of the programs the agency developed was a child abuse prevention presentation.  I wanted to translate this into a picture book which would be available to more children than those in our county.  Using animals instead of children, I tried to make the message subtle yet strong enough that young readers will take away the important information.

My adult fantasy story, Ice Man, was inspired by an article in National Geographic about a man frozen in ice for thousands of years.  I wondered what his life was like and if he left any family behind.  Another adult fantasy, Ashley of Ashland, came from an article in a statewide newspaper about a man whose home burned, and they found him staring into the ashes. Mirror, Mirror, a time travel romance, popped into my head one day when I was looking at mirrors in a local antique shop.  I wondered what it would be like to travel through the mirror to another time, and the story was born.

I read a lot of fantasy, so most of my short stories tend toward that genre.  I guess I find inspiration in the authors I read, although I do feel my style is my own and not a rehash of someone else’s work.

My non-fiction work has been in the areas of parenting, teen self-help, and writing tips.  As a writer, I’ve learned a great deal about polishing a manuscript, where to find ideas, marketing, blogging, and other areas of the craft.  I wanted to share what I learned with other new writers. When I was younger, I didn’t know where to start, where to look for markets, or even how to properly edit a manuscript for submission.  Being able to share my knowledge with others is important to me.

By the same token, my articles for parents and teens have come about through my own experiences and from training's I had as a volunteer for Girl Scouts and my children’s after school programs.  For many years, I was actively involved in our local Women’s Resource Center.  There I learned about diversity, domestic violence, sexual abuse, and child abuse prevention.  What I was taught, I translated into articles for various parenting and teen magazines.  Again, I wanted to share my knowledge with others who might not have access to the information I had.

My inspiration for writing comes to me in unexpected places and from all around me.  I’m never at a loss for an idea, and I have so many ideas stashed away, I’ll never get to all of them.  I want to tell stories to my children, my grandchildren, and my friends.  I’m thrilled that others can enjoy them now, too, thanks to the support and belief of my various publishers.

Donna, thanks for hosting me.  At the end of the tour, I will pick out one commenter’s name and send an autographed copy of Boo’s Bad Day to a United States address only.  If the name I pick is someone who lives outside the U.S., I will send a PDF copy of the book.  So remember, readers, be sure to leave contact information when you comment!

If your readers missed yesterday’s post, they can catch up at http://4horsemenseriesbr.blogspot.com/. Tomorrow, I’ll be visiting with http://snugglewithpicturebooks.com/.

About the book: 

BOO’S BAD DAY
By: Penny Lockwood
Picture book for children aged 18 months to 6 years
Published by 4RV Publishing
ISBN# 13: 978-0-9852661-5-8
$8.99 includes s/h


Blurb: Boo is a very bored kitten. When Timmy and his mom return home, Boo sneaks out of the house.  Boo is frightened by the noises of the big world outside of the safety of his warm home.  When Timmy coaxes Boo back into the house, Boo realizes some places are safe and some are not.



About the author: Penny Lockwood has published more than 100 articles, 75 stories, a chapbook, and her stories have been included in two anthologies. She writes for both adults and children. Her fiction has appeared in numerous genre and children’s publications, and non‑fiction work has appeared in a variety of writing, parenting, and young adult print magazines and on line publications.  She edits for MuseItUp Publishing.  Visit her web site at http:// pennylockwoodehrenkranz.yolasite.com. Her writing blog is located at http://pennylockwoodehrenkranz.blogspot.com/.

She has recently released Boo’s Bad Day with 4RV Publishing and has three other children’s books under contract with them: Ghost for Rent, Ghost for Lunch, and Many Colored Coats. She has three romances published by MuseItUp Publishing: Love Delivery, Lady in Waiting, and Mirror, Mirror.  Her short story collection, A Past and A Future, is available through Sam’s Dot Publishing and Smashwords. 

Penny, it's been a pleasure hosting you today. Your experiences in your life are fascinating. I wish you the very best in both your personal and professional lives! 


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Best wishes,
Donna M. McDine
Award-winning Children's Author
Connect with

The Golden Pathway ~ August 2010 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc.
~ Literary Classics Silver Award and Seal of Approval, Readers Favorite 2012 International Book Awards Honorable Mention and Dan Poynter's Global e-Book Awards Finalist









Friday, May 3, 2013

Children's Book - Powder Monkey Galley

What better way for a children's author to start their day... Checking email and receiving the galley proof of their latest book. I finally learned how to take a snippet of the computer screen (yes, Thomas John...I can now do this for what we need to do) and I'm over the moon to share with you. 

Illustrator, K.C. Snider once again has blown me away! This is our second book together and she has exceeded my expectations! 

Thanks to my wonderful publisher, Lynda Burch of Guardian Angel Publishing. She is a true gem! 

Over the next several months plans will be set into motion for a virtual book tour, which will include Powder Monkey and Hockey Agony

Let the final proofread begin! 





~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Best wishes,
Donna M. McDine
Award-winning Children's Author
Connect with

The Golden Pathway ~ August 2010 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc.
~ Literary Classics Silver Award and Seal of Approval, Readers Favorite 2012 International Book Awards Honorable Mention and Dan Poynter's Global e-Book Awards Finalist