I am pleased to host award-winning author, Kelly Preston as she tours her book, Real Dogs Don't Whisper 

First and foremost, Kelly Preston is an animal lover. Raised on a ten-acre property in a small town in Pennsylvania, she grew up with horses, rabbits, and – of course – dogs. When she left home after college, she acquired Gizmo, an irresistible Lhasa Apso that started her on a journey full of joys and sorrows, hopes and tribulations, frustrations, endless lessons in patience, and above all else, love. All of this has come at the hands (more precisely the paws) of Gizmo, Betty Boop, Buffy, Carla Mae, and the inimitable Mr. MaGoo.

Get to know Kelly a bit further through a quick interview...

Q:  How long have you been writing and what do you love about it? 

As a child, I would submit articles to a local newspaper and Highlights for Children; there were a few that actually published and I was over the moon.  As I entered my teen years, I stopped writing, until recently. Fast forward and many years later, appears that I am picking back up where I left off as a child.  Perhaps I am closing the loop in my life

Q: Your book is the winner of a number of awards, Indie Excellence Finalist Book Awards, International Book Awards Finalist, Bronze e-book Award Global e-books and others. What can you tell us about finding and winning awards?

I didn’t even know that awards were out there for books until I saw a post on Facebook.  I did research and was surprised at the number of awards are out there to apply for.  Once I began opening up some of the links, my level of surprise went to another level as the amount of genres that were offered too.  At first I was hesitant; does my book truly qualify for an award?  My recommendation, do not doubt your work.  If you have a limited budget to enter, then select the one or ones that best fit your book.  On the other hand, if you have budget to enter a substantial amount, go for it.  Most award sites, will list at the very least your title and a short description, talk about an awareness builder.  There are award sites that are just not limited to books; they also offer awards for book cover, website, use of promotional material, eBook.  Do your research, examine your budget and at the very least, enter one.  You just may be surprised!

About Real Dogs Don’t Whisper

The award winning book, Real Dogs Don't Whisper (www.realdogsdontwhisper.com), which highlights my life journey caring for four special needs dogs and the life lessons they taught me along the way.  The overall message within Real Dogs Don’t Whisper is about giving those with special needs a second chance.  The book touches on integrity, unconditional love, leadership, trust, stopping abuse and opening your heart to receive and give both unconditional love and friendship.  To lighten the message, I developed a co-author, Mr MaGoo; Mr MaGoo is my Lhasa Apso and he is larger than life.  He adds humor within the book; sharing with the reader how life is so tough for him being the only male in the house and living with a crazy lady, me.

Mr. MaGoo is a nine-year-old Lhasa Apso and the book’s co-creator and co-writer. He is, in his own words, “the alpha and omega of all dogs – in the cutest and sparkiest, most fun-loving package ever.” Ignoring Kelly’s persistent eye-rolling, Mr. MaGoo has forged ahead with this project in an attempt to, as he puts it, “present the facts from a dog’s perspective. In other words, the correct, most accurate, most interesting, only-one-that-matters perspective,” to which he adds, simply, “Woof!”

Visit Kelly Preston and/or purchase her book at: 

Website

Amazon

Kindle

Barnes & Noble

Nook

Bookshop Santa Cruz

Kobo

Thank you for visiting with Kelly today. 

Congratulations Kelly, I wish you continue success!

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

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

A Sandy Grave ~ Coming January 2014 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc.

Powder Monkey ~ May 2013 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc.

Hockey Agony ~ January 2013 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc.

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

Best-selling Children's Author, Nancy Stewart Visits Write What Inspires You

Welcome to Write What Inspires You! 

I'm delighted to host Best-selling and Award-winning children's author, Nancy Stewart on her latest virtual book. I had the honor of meeting Nancy in person in the fall of 2010, I can hardly believe how much time has past since our first meeting! I was unable to travel to Florida for the February 2013 Guardian Angel Publishing gathering and hope to meet up with my fellow "Angels" at the next gathering.

Without further ado, I present to you Nancy's guest post and be sure to follow Nancy throughout cyberspace during her latest virtual book tour. Welcome Nancy! 

You Have a Great Idea for a MG or YA Book? Now What Do You Do?
by Nancy Stewart

So you have a wonderful idea for a book.  How can you turn that fabulous idea into a great book?  And how do other authors do it?  Certainly middle grade novels require a bit of amping down, but with young adult, all bets are off.  You can create the creepiest, meanest, or most selfless and heroic characters you want without fear of doing so.  In fact, young adult novels have become known as “crossovers,” appropriate for teens and adults alike!

Let’s start with characters—protagonists and antagonists.  Immediately move them out of the ordinary but not too slant.  By that I mean, keep them a little bit “everyman” while making them non-ordinary.  Most of us write characters with which we can identify—those within our comfort zone.  Get rid of that notion.  Try writing about the hapless, the flawed, those who are different than you but, of course, are still human with many of the same desires and wishes.  Hard to do?  Yes, but so worthwhile in creating a complex and memorable character.  (Think Tennessee Williams, Ernest Hemmingway, Margaret Atwood.) In The Handmaid’s Tale, Atwood gives the Cinderella protagonist no quarter—and no handsome prince to save the day.  She’s on her own, and the readers love it!

Have your characters do—not describe, or talk the reader to death, or kill them with boredom.  In other words (and I hate to say it again but will) show, don’t tell.  Let the people you’ve brought to life on the page live, betray, love, and hate—all the time showing what they do instead of describing how they do it.

Think of gestures you or others do.  Things we’re not really aware of many times on a conscious level. A look, a non-look when one should occur, a gesture, a speech hesitation, too much speech, a realization that one knows s/he has said too much, and s/he knows you (and perhaps the whole table) knows…I could go on forever.  These human markers drive fiction, they drive the story, heck—they drive life!  Use them to your advantage.  But remember, don’t describe them, make your characters live them.

If we (and I place myself first here) can infuse our writing with such techniques, our stories will improve. They will stand out.  They will shine. They will be art imitating life.  And who knows?  They may be as true to life as life itself.

About the book:

Bella and Britt are worried about all the trash appearing on their beautiful beach.  But what can they do?  Britt is leaving on vacation, and Bella can’t solve the problem alone.  Without  adults to lend a hand, can they possibly save their beach?

Excerpt:

Bella, Britt and all their friends built sand castles and filled moats with salty sea. But this summer, the girls were worried.

“Look at all this trash, Britt,” said Bella.

She nodded. “Yeah, and I leave on vacation tomorrow. I can’t help pick it up!”

Next morning, Bella walked along the beach alone. “Hello.” Bella said to the old crooked beak pelican, perched on his piling. “Somebody has to help, and I guess it’s me.”

Purchase from:

NANCYSTEWARTBOOKS.COM
GUARDIAN ANGEL PUBLISHING 
AMAZON
BARNES AND NOBLE

Nancy Stewart Bio:

Nancy is the bestselling and award winning author of the four Bella and Britt Series books for children:  One Pelican at a Time (eighteen weeks on Amazon Bestselling List), Sea Turtle Summer, (which won the Children’s Literary Classic Gold Award), Bella Saves the  Beach (which won the Gold)  and Mystery at Manatee Key.  The authorized biography, Katrina and Winter:  Partners in Courage, is the story of Katrina Simpkins and Winter, the dolphin. One Pelican at a Time and Nancy were featured in the PBS Tampa special, GulfWatch.   All are published by Guardian Angel Publishing. 

Nancy is a frequent speaker and presenter at writer’s conferences throughout the United States.  She conducts workshops and seminars and speaks to school children on writing and helping save their planet.  A blogger with a worldwide audience, she writes of all things pertaining to children’s literature.

Nancy’s travels take her extensively throughout the world, most particularly Africa. She is US chair of a charity in Lamu, Kenya, that places girls in intermediate schools to allow them to further their education. She and her husband live in Tampa and St. Louis.

Visit her online at www.nancystewartbooks.com and her blog at http://www.nancystewartbooks.blogspot.com

Bella Saves the Beach Tour Schedule

Monday, April 22^nd

Guest post at The Children’s and Teens’ Book Connection

Tuesday, April 23^rd

Book trailer feature at If Books Could Talk

Wednesday, April 24^th

Book review at On Words - Opening Eyes, Opening Hearts

Thursday, April 25^th

Book spotlight and giveaway at The Busy Mom’s Daily

Book review at Shannon Hitchcock Pen and Prose

Monday, April 29^th

Book review at Hook Kids on Reading

Guest post at The Pen and Ink

Tuesday, April 30^th

Guest post at Write What Inspires You

Wednesday, May 1^st

Book review at LadyD Books

Thursday, May 2^nd

Book review at Kid Lit Reviews

Friday, May 3^rd

Guest post at Lori’s Reading Corner

Monday, May 6^th

Interview at Tribute Books Reviews and Giveaways

Tuesday, May 7^th

Book reviewed at The Picture Book Review

Wednesday, May 8^th

Book reviewed at My Devotional Thoughts

Thursday, May 9^th

Book review at It’s About Time Mamaw

Friday, May 10^th

Book review at The Children’s and Teens’ Book Connection

Monday, May 13^th

Book review at 4 the Love of Books

Tuesday, May 14^th

Book spotlight at Review from Here

Book review at The Jenny Revolution

Wednesday, May 15^th

Guest post at Literarily Speaking

Thursday, May 16^th

Book review at Mrs. Mommy Booknerd’s Reviews

Friday, May 17^th

Book spotlight at I’m A Reader, Not A Writer

Nancy, congratulations on your latest release! It's always a pleasure to host you!

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

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

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

Award-winning Author and Guest Blogger - Sarah McLaughlin

Please welcome award-winning author and guest blogger, Sarah McLaughlin as she chat about Hope for the Future: Why I Believe Better Parenting Can Save the World!


Welcome Sarah! I'm in the midst of reading your book and can't wait to write my book review and share with others. 

Hope for the Future

Why I Believe Better Parenting Can Save the World

By Sarah MacLaughlin, Award-winning Author of What Not To Say: 

Tools for Talking with Young Children

My obsession with parenting actually began as fascination with babies. From the time I was old enough to hold one, I LOVED babies. I was captured by their innocence and joyful delight. I ended up being the oldest of seven. I was labeled a “little mother” from my preschool days. I am a caretaker from way back—always wanting to grow up fast so I could do a better job of it.

But, maybe growing up fast wasn’t the best plan. No one’s childhood is perfect, and I had my share of chaos and hardship. I also had plenty of laughter and fun. My parents failed and succeeded—overall doing a good-enough job. Yes, I turned out okay, but this doesn’t mean I received the best guidance. I’m fairly sure that we are still working on figuring out what kind of parenting might create an environment for optimal human development. I know we’re getting closer!

I was interested to see several writers on this blog tour take note of the epigraph in my book, a home-hitting quote from fellow parenting educator and friend, Pam Leo: “Let’s raise kids who don’t have to recover from their childhoods.” It strikes a chord, doesn’t it? Why do so many of us feel we have to “recover” from the upbringing we’ve received? Maybe some things should change? The “old story” tells us that we must teach children, through unpleasant experiences, or through losing something they desire, how to behave well. But this is faulty thinking because children always learn from example. They learn by watching us: what we do and what we say. We don’t need to always instruct them how to behave, because we are always showing them with our own behavior. I am extremely encouraged to see so many other advocates of this shift in parenting. We can move from a place of coercion to one of collaboration.

Part of the evolution of parenting is amazing new brain research that we can draw on. New scientific findings about how babies develop, and how children grow and learn are fascinating additions to the general theories of parenting. There are many voices (Carrie at Early Parenting, Rebecca at Consciously Parenting, and Annie and PhD in Parenting come to mind) growing louder about this paradigm shift in parenting. That change from a controlling, authority-based, behavioral approach to a cooperative, relationship-based approach can only help humankind—this is why I persevere in my quest to support parents in discovering their true heart in parenting.

In our broader world, we are also (hopefully) moving from an individualistic viewpoint that holds financial success and material wealth in the highest regard, to a community-minded view that reveres cooperation and emotionally honest problem-solving. This change is slow-going, but it is worth the effort. Small people deserve mindful parenting. They deserve to be treated with kindness and respect.

To paraphrase Genevieve at The Way of the Peaceful Parent: she suggests that we approach problems from the perspective that there is a conflict because one or more people are upset. From this place we trust a child’s inherent goodness. We believe that through honest, authentic, but sensitive sharing of feelings, difficulties can be resolved. The aim is to sort it out together.

And so I imagine that someday children will be honored and parents will be supported. No one will be labeling behavior “bad,” or insisting that children be “taught a lesson.” Parental leave will be standard, parenting education plentiful. Lack of resources for families will not be tolerated. I envision two people talking: “Remember when people didn’t really respect children or realize they need to be listened to? Remember spanking and time-outs? Remember when people lost their jobs unless they went back to work when their children were babies?—Wasn’t that insane?”

I remain ever hopeful because educated people once believed the earth was flat.

Resources Mentioned in This Post

Carrie: http://carriecontey.com/

Rebecca: http://www.consciouslyparenting.com/

Annie: http://www.phdinparenting.com/

Genevieve: http://www.peaceful-parent.com/

I'd love to hear what you think about the evolution of parenting and parenting education!

Special Giveaway!

Please comment on this post about what makes you hopeful about the evolution of parenting and parenting education. Your comment enters you in the eBook Giveaway -- to win an ebook copy of What Not to Say: Tools for Talking with Young Children, in the format of your choice: PDF, epub, or Kindle format. Sarah will be giving away one copy at each blog stop and will announce it on the comments of this post tomorrow. Be sure to leave your email so we can contact you in case you're the winner!

Other stops and opportunities to win during this Blog Tour are listed on Sarah's blog here: http://sarahsbalancingact.blogspot.com/p/blog-tour.html.

Also, you can enter at Sarah's site for the Grand Prize Giveaway: a Kindle Touch. Winner will be announced at the end of the tour after July 15th. Go here to enter: http://sarahsbalancingact.blogspot.com/p/blog-tour.html

About The Author

Sarah MacLaughlin has worked with children and families for over twenty years. With a background in early childhood education, she has previously been both a preschool teacher and nanny. Sarah is currently a licensed social worker at The Opportunity Alliance in South Portland, Maine, and works as the resource coordinator in therapeutic foster care. She serves on the board of Birth Roots, and writes the "Parenting Toolbox" column for a local parenting newspaper, Parent & Family. Sarah teaches classes and workshops locally, and consults with families everywhere. She considers it her life's work to to promote happy, well-adjusted people in the future by increasing awareness of how children are spoken to today. She is mom to a young son who gives her plenty of opportunities to take her own advice about What Not to Say. More information about Sarah and her work can be found at her site: http://www.saramaclaughlin.com. 

Sarah, thank you for visiting Write What Inspires You! Your article and insights are inspiring! Good luck and keep up the great work. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Best wishes,
Donna M. McDine
Award-winning Children's Author
The Golden Pathway ~ August 2010 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc.
~ Literary Classics Silver Award and Seal of Approval Recipient and Dan Poynter's Global e-Book Awards Finalist