Best Summer Book - Sunstruck by Mayra Calvani

Just in time for your summer reading, Sunstruck hits the beaches! A fun, quirky, beach summer read ~ Twilight Times Books!

Synopsis:

Several strange mysteries are threaded through Daniella’s everyday life: her ex-husband, Ismael, has just opened an outlandish hotel for animal lovers that has her distraught; Ismael’s wife, a rich woman Daniella fondly refers to as ‘Lady Dracula’, has some gruesome ways to keep her skin looking young; Daniella’s mother is founding a revolutionary, feminist society called The Praying Mantises; the island’s national forest is being depleted of hallucinogenic mushrooms; meanwhile, young girls are disappearing and there’s a nut loose dressed as Zorro slashing the rear ends of women who wear miniskirts.  

Oppressed by all these eccentric characters, Daniella feels herself falling into an abyss. Then something terrible happens, making Daniella wake from her stupor and take charge of her life.

Gift with purchase offer…

Purchase Sunstruck http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008LYYOWM and receive FREE download e-Book of Dark Lullaby. Email her publicist, Donna McDine donna@donnamcdine.com with your receipt of Sunstruck purchase and receive link to FREE Dark Lullaby e-Book through July 22, 2012. Of course, if you purchase Sunstruck through Barnes and Noble or OmniLit please email receipt to Ms. McDine.

What reviewers are saying…

“Dark and quirky humor coupled with quixotic characters adds to the surprising mix found in Sunstruck… I've never read a book remotely like it. Everything from the humorously weird to the acutely macabre can be found between these covers, and then some.” –Laurel Johnson, Midwest Book Review

"Sunstruck is like a nutty Whodunit with a little twist. Who really is in the Zorro costume? With all the crazy characters I caught myself pointing fingers again and again. A great read that will make you forget where you are, while you giggle yourself to complete oblivion from all the silliness." –Autumn Blues Reviews

About the author: Award-winning author Mayra Calvani has penned over ten books for children and adults in genres ranging from picture books to satire to paranormal fantasy novels. She’s had over 300 articles, short stories, interviews and reviews published in magazines such as The Writer, Writer’s Journal  and Bloomsbury Review, among others. She has lived in America, Asia, the Middle East, and now lives in Brussels, Belgium.

Purchase info:

Title: Sunstruck
Author: Mayra Calvani
Author web site: http://www.mayracalvani.com/
Publisher: Twilight Times Books
url: http://twilighttimesbooks.com/
ISBN: 978-1-60619-024-2
Genre: Parody/Satire
Format: ebook in pdf, ePub, Kindle, Mobi, PRC, etc.
Release date: July 15, 2012
Price: $5.95
Pages: 160
Chapter excerpt: http://twilighttimesbooks.com/Sunstruck_ch1.html

Purchase link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008LYYOWM

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

Children's Author, Mayra Calvani's Virtual Book Tour at Write What Inspires You

A big thank you to Donna for having me on her cool blog today and for putting together this virtual book tour!

Mayra, my pleasure and thank you for visiting today through your Working Writer's Club virtual book tour and to celebrate even further it's Children's Book Week!

The Internet has made it possible for us to get to know people, especially authors, we normally would not have had the opportunity to meet through intimate conversations through social media. I am delighted to host award-winning children's author, Mayra Calvani as she discusses her typical writing life. Grab a cup of coffee and enjoy getting to know Mayra.

So, let’s see, a typical writing day for me...

I work best in the mornings. That’s when I’m rested and my mind feels fresh. After the kids are off to school and my hubby to work, I get a cup of coffee and sit at the computer with my golden retriever, Amigo, at my feet. Often, I do a short meditation. Next, I write my goals and objectives for that day. This is extremely important for me. Writing down my goals and objectives keeps me focused and productive—most importantly, it keeps me away from ‘bright shiny objects’ that can stir me away from my major goals. Then I start writing. I’ll usually write for 2-3 hours from Monday to Friday (I take weekends off to be with my family). After my writing session I have lunch and take a short walk with Amigo. Afternoons and evenings are for other work-related stuff such as promotion and publicity, networking, reviewing, blogging, etc.

I started adopting this system this January and it has worked wonders for me. The key points here are to write down my goals and objectives, then work on my work-in-progress before I do anything else.

For me, the hardest part about being an author is showing up on the page every day and completing a book. Inspiration isn’t always there, so I have to push myself and force myself to write even on those days when I don’t feel like it or my prose doesn’t seem exciting. Writing is hard work! At least, it is for me. It is immensely satisfying and I couldn’t live without it, but it can be maddening and frustrating and exhausting.

As far as the actual writing craft goes, the most difficult part is being able to closely, honestly and clearly articulate into words what I see and hear in my mind. I’d say, without a doubt, this is the greatest challenge.

The best thing about being an author?

So many things!

Creating fantastic fictional worlds and sharing those visions with readers in such a way that, if only for a moment, they’ll be suspended in space and time.

And who doesn’t like to be their own boss and work on their pajamas with free access to the fridge all day? J

About the book:

The Water Cycle: Water Play Series Book 1, for ages 4-8, follows the water droplets in their journey from the clouds to the earth and back to the clouds again. Written in a lyrical style, the book takes a new angle on the water cycle by showing the feelings it evokes in people. It also has fun learning activities at the end.

What reviewers are saying…

 “Written in Calvani’s delightful prose, “Huddle inside the CLOUD high up in the sky, the water droplets are excited,” While also complemented by the imaginative artwork of Alexander Morris’ fun illustrations, makes this book both easy to read and informative. The author also includes for her young readers a word search and glossary learning activity—a great addition to every teacher and homeschool parents’ teaching library.” –Carol Fraser Hagen, reading specialist and special education teacher.

You can read the complete review at http://www.carolfraserhagen.com/2012/04/30/reading-about-science-book-recommendation

Purchase The Water Cycle: Water Play Series Book 1 from Guardian Angel Publishing: http://guardianangelpublishing.com/water-cycle.htm

Purchase from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1616332379/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER

About the author: Mayra Calvani writes fiction and nonfiction for children and adults.  and has authored over a dozen books, some of which have won awards. Her stories, reviews, interviews and articles have appeared on numerous publications such as The Writer, Writer’s Journal, Multicultural Review, and Bloomsbury Review, among many others. Visit her website at www.MayrasSecretBookcase.com and get the first two lessons of her popular Walking on a Rainbow Picture Book Workshop free! 

Book information:

Title: The Water Cycle: Water Play Series Book 1
Author: Mayra Calvani
Illustrations: Alexander Morris
Genre: Children 4-8
Print ISBN: 9781616332372; 1616332379
eBook ISBN: 9781616332389; 1616332387 
Published: March 15, 2012
Pages: 20
Price: $10.95 print; $5.00 e-Book
Publisher: Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc.
http://guardianangelpublishing.com/water-cycle.htm

Learn more about Mayra when she visits with Karen Cioffi on Wednesday, May 9th: http://karencioffiwritingandmarketing.com.

I invite you to visit with my fellow Guardian Angel Publishing authors at their blogs during Children’s Book Week 2012 and beyond:

Mayra Calvani - www.mayrassecretbookcase.blogspot.com

Margo Dill - www.margodill.com/blog

Margot Finke – www.hookkidsonreading.blogspot.com

Nancy Stewart - www.nancystewartbooks.blogspot.com

Kai Strand - www.kaistrand.blogspot.com

Nicole Weaver - www.mysisterismybestfriend.blogspot.com

Don’t forget to enter our contest:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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