Miro the Dragon, by Teresa Berg

I got to thinking that a lot of you have children and might appreciate a recommendation on books for them to read, so I decided to include a "Recommended Reading for Children" tab on my blog. I have grandchildren that enjoy reading and I happily buy or suggest books for them too.

Most of these books will be by writers that I have a personal (or at least an Internet) acquaintance with. As a writer myself, I am always interested in what other writers are doing, even if it isn't the type of book I am normally drawn to. I enjoy children's books and have even considered trying my hand at them, so who knows, you might see me posting one of my own here.. 

This little book caught my eye, so it will be the first of many! How cute is this cover?

Miro the Dragon by Theresa Berg

Miro the Dragon lives in a place called Drakonia, the land of dragons. He is a tiny little creature who is frightened by everything around him. Miro wants most of all to be a "real" dragon and sets out to accomplish that. He meets some unusual friends along his journey and learns many valuable lessons.

You can buy this book in paperback or as a digital download if your child has an e-reader. Just click on the blue link above the picture and it will take you to Amazon where you can read more about the book or the author. Be sure to stop back by and let me know how your child liked Miro the Dragon. I'll gladly pass the information on to the author!

Til next time...happy reading!

Let’s Go to the (Blog) Hop…

I can’t say often enough how great writers and bloggers are about helping each other out. It might be advice, proofreading for each other, sharing each other’s work or spreading the word about great promo opportunities.  When fellow writer, Langley Watts Cornwall, posted in a group on facebook about a Blog Hop, I was intrigued and quickly jumped on board.

So what is a Blog Hop, you might be wondering? Well, it kind of reminds me of an “old fashioned” chain letter type thing. Okay, now you are probably thinking “Oh no way,” but some of those chain letters were really cool, remember? I have done the recipe ones, where you add your name to a list and then send a recipe to the next three people, and then you end up getting several recipes mailed to you.  Ever done one of those?

Anyway, a Blog Hop just helps you to find really cool blogs that you may not otherwise know about. You will find great writers and see what they are up to. You will find other creative and interesting people who have decided to join us as well. So what do you have to do?

Technically, (and trust me, I am NOT a technical type person) all you have to do is read my blog, learn a little about what I am working on, and then follow the links I will provide to check out a few of my awesome friends. Their blog will have links to other blogs, and you can just keep blog hopping at your own leisure and enjoyment. Sounds cool, doesn’t it?

My Blog Hop post is scheduled to post on March 6^th, so be sure to Follow or Join my blog so you can keep up with all the neat stuff that writers, bloggers and creative types alike are up to! You can also click on Langley’s name up above and see what she is up to, and who is on her list for you to blog hop around to.

I have some very interesting people lined up to link you to when I post, and they in turn have found some more interesting people to introduce you to. You’ll learn about writing books, running websites and even a bit about herbs and natural treatments!

Tell your friends to stop by my blog and join in on the fun! Y’all can grab a cup of coffee, or whatever your preferred drink is, and hop around and meet some interesting people!

Until next time…write on! Donna

Silly Tree Anthologies Name that Title!

As I said in my last post, writers and authors are great about helping each other out. Silly Tree Anthologies is a brand new publication, organized by several writer friends. There goal is to help people get published. No, they don't pay money, right now, but that is not always the goal. Remember that writers have to get their name out there and need help with promotion!

Silly Tree Anthologies recently ran a contest to name their first book. The group had already chosen a theme for the first book and sent out a call for submissions. Which, by the way, I have already answered! The theme is "Love Gone Wrong." Anyway, they announced this contest to name the title of the book.

I submitted what I thought fit really well, and guess what? I won! The group at Silly Tree Anthologies thought my little old title was a great fit. By being selected as the winner, I will recieve a free digital copy of the book when it comes out. I am thrilled with that, but really I did it to help them out, and because I enjoy coming up with titles and such....at least for everyone else!

Anyway, the cover is fantastic and I wanted to give you guys a sneek peek! If you want to know more about Silly Tree Anthologies, you should check out their site HERE

The Self-Published Writer's Juggle...

I, along with many others, have chosen to be a self-published author. You will hear varied opinions about Indie authors versus traditionally published authors. Some writers have been traditionally published and changed to being an Indie author, or even Indie authors have been "discovered" by a great publishing company and decided to work with them. It really is a matter of what you are comfortable with.

Me, I am kind of a control freak, so I prefer full control over what I write, where it is published and what kind of cover goes on it. Sometimes, it can even be a financial decision that makes someone choose self-publishing. Most Indie authors are extremely talented writers, but they just don't have the money to pay editors, proofreaders, PR people and graphic artists. They need to make money from their writing now, not months or years in the future.

So, the only way to write and get published is to do it their self, and by that, I mean  Indie authors do nearly everything. It is not just a matter of writing the story and then waiting on royalties while writing another great story.

Before the first story is ever published, it must be perfectly formatted, proofread, edited and a brilliant cover added. Some Indie authors are able to pay for help with some of these things. Many rely on friends and other writers to help them. Some even barter to get services....I'll read yours if you read mine, or I'll edit for you, you design a cover for me. It works!

Self-published authors do not have a huge PR firm backing them either, so we must advertise and promote our own books. Deciding how and when to promote your latest work of art, can be a juggle in itself. Too much promotion and people will think you are just spamming them and won't bother to read the book, no matter how great it might be.

Too little promotion and the book will just sit there. Hmmm, where is the happy middle ground? It is a juggle for every author to figure out of they are doing enough, not enough, or way too much. It can be especially confusing for a new Indie author like me, just learning the ropes.

But, it can be a fun and rewarding experience. You will be so thrilled when that very first story goes live on Amazon, Smashwords or Barnes and Noble. Yes, it is a lot of hard work, but as the saying goes, "No pain, no gain."

Unitl next time...Happy writing and happy reading!

Authors are Proud of Their New "Babies" and Would Love to Thank Every Reader

When an author publishes a new story, it is much like having a new baby. We fuss, we watch, we worry and at the same time we are thrilled at what we accomplished. Yes, we may talk about the book, just like we would a new baby. We will post pictures on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or anywhere else we can let people know what we have accomplished.

What you may not know is that authors are just as thrilled by the compliments as a new parent is. As we watch our sales numbers climb, we are just as thrilled as a new parent watching a baby grow. When someone compliments our writing style or a story they just read, we are proud and happy!

Sometimes we hear these compliments from friends and family and it is easy to respond back with a "Thank you." Most of the time we may never know who has purchased our stories. We may even see a review someone left somewhere and there is no way to contact the person back. But! Authors do appreciate each and every purchase and kind word readers have to say about their work.

My newest story, Night Dreams, has been available for a little over a week as a digital download on Amazon. It has sold 7 copies and has 3 very nice 5 star reviews on it. I would like to say a great big "Thank You" to every one of those 7 people, but I only know the names of the 3 who left reviews. So, please know that while we may not be able to say thank you to all of our readers, we do appreciate each and every one of you!

A good way to give an author a chance to say thank you is to join their Facebook writing page or follow them on Twitter. Drop them a line and let them know you read their story and enjoyed it. Chances are, they will respond with a great big "Thank you."

I would love to have you all come join my writers page on Facebook so I can get to know you and say "thanks for reading!" You can find me HERE.

Self Publishing: Fear It or Face It? I did Both...

Have you ever had something you wanted to do and for some reason, you just couldn't get the hang of it? Well, that's where I was with self-publishing several months ago. Oh sure I could easily publish articles using website templates, and I can find my way around Blogger okay, but for some reason, the mere thought of self publishing on Amazon like many of my writer friends were doing terrified me.

I belong to a writers group on Facebook, and the more they all talked about self publishing the more I wanted to try it. So, I had a talk with myself and said, "Look here! There is no reason you can't do this. Just get off your butt and get at it!" Yes, I can be pretty harsh with me when I think I deserve it. Well, I didn't want Me to be mad at Myself for long, so I took my own advice and decided to just jump in there and give it a try.

If you are thinking about self publishing and are procrastinating like I was, the best thing you can do is get a few friends behind you that have already done it. I bet I asked a zillion questions while I was formating my short story and getting it ready to upload. But guess what? I had a good friend that hung out on facebook's chat to answer each and every one I asked.

With each step I managed, my confidence grew. It really wasn't as hard as I had convinced myself that it was. It didn't take long, until I had everything filled out properly on Amazon's site. I had to upload a cover for my story, but once again, my friend came through for me and designed one that I just love. I will tackle figuring out how to make my own covers eventually, but for now, I was glad she had offered. Baby steps is where I am comfortable!

Let me tell you, I was in a sheer panic when I finally hit that upload button to send my story into cyber space. I watched the little wheels spinning and thought, "Oh, please let it all look okay!" Even worse was the fact that I should have been able to preview it, as it would look on a Kindle. Nope, just one more thing messing with my nerves! Somehow the page glitched and I never got to see a preview. Okay, time to panic, now!

My writer friend assured me that it was probably fine, and even if it wasn't I would be able to quickly edit, even after the story went live. okay, that made me feel a teensy bit better. Well guess what? My short story, "Night Dreams" is live on Amazon right now and available for digital download and it feels great!

So, if you have been considering self publishing your own short stories or even a full length novel and have been putting it off because it scares the daylights out of you, like it did me...I say just go for it! If you need help, let me know. I learned a lot and what I don't know, I can sure hook you up with folks who do!

Here is a peek at my brand new baby: Night Dreams

Meet Jennifer Walker, author of “Bubba to the Rescue”

So, Jennifer Walker decided to do a virtual book tour to promote Book Two of the Green Meadow Series, called "Bubba to the Rescue." I was thrilled to be asked to host one of her stops here on my little blog. A virtual book tour is just like a real life book tour; except it saves you some actual walking! You can follow the book tour around from blog to blog, just by clicking your mouse. Pretty cool huh?

The idea is to read the book and post a review on your blog, but I tend to be a little different at times, so first I want to talk about why you or your child should read books written by Jennifer Walker. I got to know Jennifer because we are both Twin Trinity Media authors. She helped me edit my short story before it was published. Granted, our only interaction has been through email and facebook, but I know if distance allowed, we would be great “in real life” friends.

Jennifer is a likable, helpful, talented person. So, what’s that got to do with her books, you ask? Don’t you have a favorite author that you love to read? As soon as anything new comes out that they wrote you want to run right out and grab it, right? Read just one of Jennifer Walker’s books and you’ll be hooked and want to read anything and everything she writes. Let me tell you why.

"Bubba Goes National" and "Bubba to the Rescue" are centered on a girl and her love of horses. Yes, it is fiction, but Jennifer is also an avid horsewoman. Her passion and knowledge shines through in these books. It’s almost like she is sitting right there beside you telling you about her own adventures with the horses she loves. From the moment she introduces you to Leslie, the young 13 year old, in "Bubba Goes National", you’ll be hooked and will want to follow Leslie all around Green Meadow Stables as she works to pay for her riding lessons.

You’ll follow Leslie right into book two, “Bubba to the Rescue,” and nearly panic with fear as you find her and her boyfriend fighting a fire to save the stables and horses that she loves. You’ll worry when a young horse follows them through the flames, and ask the same question Leslie did, “Where did he come from?” Where did “Spark” come from? Does Leslie get to keep him, does she find his owner? Well, you see…..(You didn’t think I was going to tell you did you?)

Jennifer Walker will introduce you to Leslie, but she will become your friend as you continue reading, and that’s because of the way Jennifer writes. She pulls you right in and you can’t help but become part of the story. Jennifer will definitely become the author you want your young teen to read!

Yes, the Green Meadows Series is written for children and teens, but I enjoyed them thoroughly and can’t wait to have my two granddaughters read them, because I know they will enjoy them too. Many of us enjoyed the Little House on the Prairie Series because Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote them with such knowledge and passion. You are going to find that same knowledge and passion in "Bubba Goes National" and "Bubba to the Rescue." You really need to order them, curl up with your daughter, granddaughter, niece, etc. and start reading!

Here is all the information you need to keep up with Jennifer and to order her books:

Walker Writing Services

Bubba to the Rescue at Twin Trinity Media

Bubba to the Rescue at Amazon

Stop back by after you have read one of Jennifer Walker's books and let me know how you liked them. I know you are going to enjoy them and Jennifer will soon be one of your and your teen's favorite authors. Leave a comment and let Jennifer know you stopped by. She will be stopping in sometime today.