A Unique Situation

I'm over at The Mixed-Up Files today with Lauren Baratz-Logsted, co-author of The Sisters 8 series, which has sold over 200,000 copies! Can you guess who her co-author is?  Better hop on over to the Files to find out!

Maybe you'd be interested to learn why this traditionally published author went indie for her latest project.  But you won't know unless you visit MUF! http://www.fromthemixedupfiles.com/2013/05/unique-situation-lauren-baratz-logsted/

While you're there, be sure to enter to win some books. There's four to be exact!

So what are you waiting for? Head over to MUF now.  I'll race you there...and I'll even give you a headstart!

Welcome Chantal Bellehumeur!

Chantal Bellehumeur is the co-author of Sdrawkcab.  I was so excited to learn that her twelve year old son, Aidan, is the other author! I just love parent-child writing teams!

 

Nothing interesting ever happens to Lina Lombardo. That is, until she meets Professor Alfonso and enters a magical universe with mermaids, angels, pixies, elves, dwarves, gnomes, leprechauns, unicorns, winged horses, talking animals, giant bugs, arachnids, oversized lizards, fire breathing dragons, trolls, goblins, ghouls, vampires, werewolves, ogres, and other so-called unreal creatures.
The universe of Sdrawkcab, divided into a dark side and a bright side, is ruled by two queens: one evil and one good. The bright queen’s crown stones have been stolen to weaken her. The dark queen has hidden all twelve magical stones within her side of the universe and her most vicious creatures guard them.
With the help of Professor Alfonso and some new friends, Lina embarks on a dangerous journey to find the magic stones and restore them to the bright queen to save Sdrawkcab from permanent darkness, which will eventually lead to the human universe’s destruction.

 

 

Me: Hi Chantal! Welcome to my blog. So glad to have you here today.  Where did you get the idea and concept for your story? 

 

Chantal:  I woke up from a strange dream one morning and felt the need to write it down. The next thing I knew, I had an outline for a novel. I shared it with my son and he loved it. When the book was completed, he told me he thought it should be turned into a movie. By the way, the title of the book is the word backwords in reverse. My son and I came up with that name because the world I created is a bit backwards. 

 

Me: How cool is that! I never noticed that about the title until you mentioned it. I think it's even cooler that your son was excited about your writing.  What role did your son play in the writing process? 

 

Chantal:  Every time I would finish the draft of a chapter I would read it to my son and he would give me his input from a child’s perspective.

 

Me:  Excellent! That's a great way to get kids involved.  What are your inspirations?

 

Chantal:  I get mainly inspired by life in general, and sometimes dreams.

 

Me:  Dreams are a big inspiration for me, too.  What route did you chose for publication and why? 

 

Chantal:  I had already self published six novels before writing Sdrawkcab, so I continued down that route. I write as a hobby, but it is becoming more and more part of my everyday life. I started writing short stories for The Suburban Online Magazine. Ideas seem to flow faster than I can write them! lol

 

Me:  Indie authors rawk!  So....vanilla or strawberry?

 

Chantal:  Can I pick chocolate instead? Lol My son said he prefers chocolate too. If it really comes down to vanilla or strawberry, Aidan said he would pick Vanilla. I would choose Strawberry.

 

Me: I'm with you! It's got to be chocolate.  Cookies and cream or black raspberry?

 

Chantal:  Definitely cookies and cream for both myself and my son.

 

Me:  Good choice.  The loch ness monster or yeti? 

 

Chantal:  The loch ness monster.

Me:  Remind me never to go swimming with you! Thanks for joining me here today, Chantal. It was great getting to know a bit more about you.

I always loved to write but never thought about publishing anything until a friend of mine told me I should.

Before that, I was more interested in acting. I performed in a couple of amateur stage showed and joined a Youth run Theatre Company. I was also an extra in a few commercials, TV shows and movies.

My love for acting soon got replaced with the love for my son. I made him my number one priority. I found it easier to write on my spare time than to work around other people's schedules to act. I found that I had to use some of my acting training to write since I had to put myself in the shoes of the characters I created.

I write a bit of everything; I started off with a series of soap operas/romance books for female readers and continued with my horror novel “Just.Anohter.Common.Killer”. My son did the drawing for the book cover. I published a mystery book called“Thirteen-A Compilation of short stories” as well as a fictional health related novel entitled “Hope” to make people understand what living with Colitis is like. Finally, I wrote the fantasy book “Sdrawkcab” for my pre-teen son.

I have been receiving a lot of positive feedback and am hoping that others will help me pass the word along about my books, even if I simply write as a hobby.

I started writing short stories for The Suburban's Online Magazine. “A Mohter’s Love” was published in the April 26 issue and people can read it for free. “A Father’s Love” will be published in June, followed by “An unplanned Wedding” in July. I am working on “Emily’s Birthday getaway” for August. All the stories are about the same characters.

While I continue to come up with stories, I encourage my son to so some writing of his own since he is full of good ideas and has a big imagination. He reminds me of myself as a child. Aidan also loves to draw.

I am a single mom and feel very lucky to have Aidan in my life.

 

People can follow me on Facebook, my US Amazon Author page, Canada Amazon page, UK Amazon Author page and my Goodreads Author account.

 

Non-Fiction Books at MUF

I'm over at The Mixed-Up Files today blogging about two great non-fiction books! These books feature jezebels, sirens, thieves, and villians. There's even a girl growing up in wartime America. Do I have your interest yet? Then come join the conversation!

The Emerald Ring Blog Tour with Dorine White!

Dorine White, author of The Emerald Ring - a middle-grade adventure story - kicks off her blog tour today at From the Mixed-Up Files of Middle-Grade Authors! She's giving away a copy of her book, too! So stop on over to MUF for a fun interview and enter for your chance to win The Emerald Ring.

http://www.fromthemixedupfiles.com/2013/05/emerald-ring-dorine-white/

Be sure to check out the other stops in the blog tour along the way!

Week One
•May 14 – Amie – From the Mixed-Up Files/  Heather – The Misadventures of a Twentysomething
•May 15 – Kathy – I am a Reader
•May 16 – Heather – Buried in Books (Review)/  Aeicha – Word Spelunking
•May 17 – Heather – Buried in Books (Interview & Giveaway)
•May 18 – Mel’s Shelves

Week Two
•May 20 – Bookworm Lisa/Shannon O’Donnell
•May 21 – Sharon – Beck Valley Books
•May 22 – Natalie – Literary Rambles  /  Books and Other Creative Adventures
•May 23 – Jennifer – Makobi Scribe  /  Carrie – Wandering with Wonderwegian
•May 24 – Lora – Read for your Future  /  Sheila – Why Not? Because I Said So  /  LDS Women’s Book Review

Week Three
•May 27 – Lauri – 1000 Wrongs
•May 28 – Orchid – Haunting of Orchid Forsythia
•May 29 – Krystal – Live to Read  /  Alana – Flashlight Reader
•May 30 – Angela – Reading Angel
•May 31 – Cathy – A Book A Day  /  Dena – Books for Kids  /  Heather – Geolibrarian

Why I Think "Teacher Appreciation Week" Should be Changed to "People Appreciation Week"

I'm not saying we shouldn't appreciate teachers. We absolutely should.

I appreciate every single one of my childrens' teachers. Well, everyone except my daughter's third grade teacher who told me at my very first parent-teacher conference, "I HATE your daughter." There's a special place in hell for that woman.

And you can bet what I did shortly after that conference--I withdrew my daughter from public school and homeschooled her. It wasn't without attempts to remedy the problem first, of course, but they weren't met with the most pleasant of responses. I couldn't let my daughter continue to rot and fester in that teacher's class, with her desk squeezed in a corner, back turned to the other students, completely isolated from her peers like some sort of dunce. But that's a story for another day...

Most teachers are pleasant people who love children, love teaching and probably love learning in their spare time. They sacrifice of themselves, their time and their resources to make their classrooms a nice place for children. They create a safe learning environment.

But I wonder what's wrong with us as a people that we should need an entire week dedicated to appreciating teachers. Shouldn't we be doing that daily anyway? Why do we have to wait for an appointed week to do something that should be automatic?

And if we insist on having an entire week dedicated to teachers, why do we limit that to school teachers? Why don't we include homeschooling parents? They're teachers. What about missionaries? They're teachers, too, sharing their knowledge of religion the world over. What about writers and authors? Their words and books teach millions. What about artists and musicians? Their mediums teach us about the world, teach us emotions. What about dancers? They teach us to move and love with a simple gesture. What about engineers? They teach us to appreciate creations large and small, from bridges, to electricity to computers and satellites. What about doctors and nurses? They teach us how to heal our bodies and take care of ourselves. What about parents? They're the greatest teachers of all. They teach children to love, respect, honor, cherish, tolerate. They teach persistence and perseverance, kindness, charity. They teach us how to cook, tie our shoes, make our beds, clean our rooms, care for others. They teach us to have hope and faith.

So go out and thank a teacher today, this week, this month. But don't limit it to classroom teachers, okay? Think of all the people in your life who've taught you or your children and thank them.  And do it with a genuine heart of gratitude.

Don't forget to thank yourself with a pat on the back for a job well done.

Win a Query Letter Critique!

I'm over at From the Mixed-Up Files...of Middle-Grade Authors today where I interviewed three amazing people! It's a fun post with The Chronicles of Egg author Geoff Rodkey (who also happens to be an Emmy-nominated screenwriter for the films Daddy Daycare and RV), his agent, Josh Getzler of HSG literary agency and Jennifer Besser, Publisher at G.P. Putnam!

If you want some insider information on the industry, a chance to win two great books or a query letter critique, then head over to MUF right now! (http://www.fromthemixedupfiles.com/2013/05/chronicles-egg-geoff-josh-jen/)

A Story of Lyme Told in Haiku

Ticks feed for their life.
Spirochete burrow tissue;
searing pain throughout.

Lyme disease adhered.
Muscles, joints and brain refuse
to work. It's the end.

Doctors won't help you.
But it's not all in your head.
Crippled body; truth.

Money, pills, money.
Pain, suffering, endurance;
Missed out on so much.

Days without an end.
Guilt, sorrow, fear, rejection,
Because of a tick.

Loved ones, holding close.
Courage and light in darkness;
Bacteria dies.

Ticks kill without care.
I will smash them with bare hands;
No more Lyme on Earth.