Fine Reads By Friends

Hey everyone. I hope your past week was enjoyable and relaxing. Our week was indeed enjoyable even it wasn't so relaxing. For some reason, May seems to overflow with one event after another. Emily attended her last after school science class and her last Wednesday teen church  meeting until fall. She also had an orthodontist appointment and I mowed both our yard and my mother-in-laws. And finally, we rounded out the week by celebrating my mother-in-laws 81st birthday and my husband's aunt's 80th birthday.

In-between, I managed a trip to the library where I found a wonderful chapter book by my friend Jessica Young titled Haggis and Tank Unleashed - Digging for Dinos. Now if you and your sprouts have never read anything by Jessica Young, I highly encourage you to do so. Jessica has a wonderful way with words and the confusion those words cause between friends Haggis and Tank as they track dinosaurs is hilarious. The scene where the dogs egg sit some dinosaur eggs they find is pretty funny as well. Jessica is also a master of imagination as she unleashes a surprising ending!

I also managed to review two books sent to me in e form for my friend Holly Niner. I was particularly taken with The Day I Ran Away. Told from the pov of a young girl telling her dad about her day and how she rran away, this tale shows  how a child's day can go from horrible to memorable when a little love is added to the mix. The wonderful way this story unfolds, allows children to see that punishment for wrong doing doesn't mean parents don't love them. I especially loved the ending where the young girl turns the negativity of running away into something positive and fun she can share with her parents. 

Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me next week, same crazy time, same crazy channel. Also be sure to drop by Literacy Musings Mondays for more great blogs as well as my personal website Fun With Aileen where you will find more on reading, writing, and my very own chapter and picture books. And finally, you can find me on twitter if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.

Birthdays and Bunnies

This past week was a mixed lot as far as life's emotional roller coaster ride. I found out through FB that my publisher closed their doors, and I have no idea as of yet what that means. Time will tell, and while I wait, I will continue to work at improving my craft and gaining the notice of an agent.

On a cheerier note, this past weekend was also Emily's Birthday, and she got a double dose of birthday fun. On Friday evening, Bobby, My sister, and I took Emily and two friends to a birthday dinner at The Golden Corral. Before we left they played some kind of a jelly bean where they had identical looking jelly beans and some were tasty while some were plain down right gross. Flavors like barf and booger. I have no idea why one would want to eat gross flavored jelly beans, but the girls seemed to have a giggly good time.

 

On Saturday we hosted a party that was attended by her cousin and her school mates. We wore funny glasses. We played birthday bingo. We played hot potato. We played remember what's in the box. And we played a game called Spoons. Every girl received a spoon and they had to pass a mini Reese cup without using hands. It was much more difficult then one would think and made for some truly laughable moments.

And when the partying was over, I found time to do my weekly reading. Bunnies on Ice found its way into my hands and became this week's choice for review. Sparse on words but not on story, this story is a tale of childhood, ice skating, and self confidence. One patient and determined bunny waits all year to be a champion ice skater and when the time comes, she gives it her all and enjoys each moment. This book would be perfect for children ages four to eight.

Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me next week for another exciting episode, same crazy time, same crazy channel. Also be sure to drop by Literacy Musings Mondays for more great blogs as well as my personal website Fun With Aileen where you will find more on reading, writing, and my very own chapter and picture books. And finally, you can find me on twitter @AileenWStewart if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days. 

 

Happy Birthday Fern Valley!

I must admit that the journey of being a published author/book marketer has been a roller coaster ride with emotional ups and downs. When my journey started, I knew it would be fraught with mountains of hard work, rejections, disappointments, and frustrations; but it has also been a journey of love, passion, determination, joy, and fulfillment.

As March quickly descends upon us like an unexpected snow storm, I can hardly believe that my first children's book Fern Valley - A Collection of Short Stories is going to be a year old. Much the same way I look at my daughter, who just turned seven, and wonder how time could have passed so swiftly; I look at my book and say, "Didn't I just give birth to these stories?"

So being the fun loving mom that I am, I decided to throw Fern Valley a birthday party and you are all invited. Oh, and did I mention that all of your friends are invited as well? That's right, come on over to Fern Valley's fan page, join the party, and enter to win a Fern Valley Birthday Pack. It's more fun then a barrel of monkeys and a whole lot cleaner too! The best part of all is that this party lasts until Fern Valley's official birthday on March first.

Signing off for now with wishes for a bright and beautiful day!