BLOGS, VLOGS, WORDS & THINGS
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Good morning! I hope this blog post finds you all safe and well. I have something fluffilicious for you all Today I have the honour, nay.. the privilege.. of reviewing another fabulous book for #booksontour. So, let’s get straight into it. Today’s book is a fantabulous picture book by the insanely talented and creative Dave Atze. Here are the details
Belly Button Fluff in a book? Yes please! What is the book about? Scarlett Von Scruff is a hoarder of lots of gross stuff. From dandruff to earwax to stinky gym shorts - if it's weird or icky or yucky, Scarlett loves to collect it! Now she's found something new that's furry and soft and a little bit smelly. With her bow and her scarf, and her pretty pink wellies, she's gathering fluff from unsuspecting bellies. Nobody's safe as Scarlett goes on a fluff-gathering adventure. So, kick off your shoes and lay on the couch, let’s have a look in your tummy pouch. So, what do I think? Well... it’s amazing! The book caught my eye the second I pulled it from the packaging and it brought a much-needed smile to my face. This shiny, new hardcover book cover is bold and bright and so very cute. The protagonist on the cover, Scarlett Von Scruff is adorable, from her colourful hair and a bright pink bow to her Disney style eyes and cute clothing. She is hugging a big batch of purple Belly Button Fluff and although it is not most people's idea of fun, it looks as if she is loving every second of it. Oh, to have a collection that makes one so happy! I really like the title text, which is purple fading to pink and with a font that just stands out and suits the cover, book and character so well (what is the font called? Would love to use it one day). The cover is well done and made me want to see more, which is, of course, the aim of the cover of a book. Mission accomplished!  The story itself is a fun, if not slightly icky tale of a little girl who loves to collect. Anything and everything is on her to-hoard list. She has many collections of all shapes and sizes and each set brings her joy. Alas, something is missing. Poor Scarlett just doesn’t know what. Luckily for our new favourite book character, she quickly finds her missing piece (s) after relaxing with her father. Only Scarlett knows why, but the little girl goes on an adventure and collects this mysterious, fluffy item from people and from animals too ( an awkward conversation I would imagine.. may I please collect your.. :-/ ) Belly button fluff is in excess supply, so why not use this annoying lint collection for something useful?  Once the youngster has enough of this floofy, colourful material, she sets about finding something to do with it. So many things to make, so little time... In the end, Scarlett finds a creative way to help her two and four-legged pals. Unfortunately, after a lot of creating, poor Scarlett runs out of fluff! What will she do? With no more belly buttons to check, she goes in search of a new collection to start and low and behold Grandma helps out (by way of a charming accident). Go grandma! Soon, young Scarlett is off on her next search and collect adventure. I for one, cannot wait to read the next instalment and find out what this cute young lady drags home, it is sure to be fabulous! The illustrations are large, bright and hilarious and so well done. The colours used, go so well together that every cute detail draws your eye. I have read the book a few times and keep finding details I missed the first time. The story is so much fun and had me giggling; which was just what I needed. It is clear, easy to read, quirky and sure to be a much loved book in many children's (and adults) collections. A great read-a-loud and wonderfully written and illustrated. Well done to Dave Atze for bringing Scarlett to life and thank you for sharing your talents with us all. For more information on the book or Dave Atze, pop over to his website – HERE For more blog tour stops featuring Belly Button Fluff, see the graphic below #BooksOnTour   
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 I'm a Type One Kid has been
officially endorsed! For support, information and contact, get in touch with The Type 1 Foundation. Ladies, Gentlemen and Clucking floofballs.. Today I present to you the great and magical Marlow Brown in her latest adventures 'Marlow Brown- Magician in the making! (Drummm rollllllllll)  Marlow Brown - Magician in the Making is a brand new middle grade book for aged 8+ which launched on 1 June 2021 with fantastic reviews. The book is already a favorite with Marlow Brown fans and it's not hard to see why. This is the second of the Marlow Brown great reads and follows Marlow Brown: Scientist in the Making. The author- Kesta Fleming was born in England but grew up in the Adelaide Hills in a house full of books, bells and music. With a love of stories and a fascination for words, she began writing when young. In addition to Marlow Brown, she has had numerous poems, plays, articles and short stories published in The School Magazine and anthologies.  Luckily for all of us, Kesta has once again blessed her readers with a fast-paced, funny story and readers are sure to enjoy Marlow’s latest adventures. The blurb for the new book is as follows (as per Kesta’s website) Marlow Brown dreams of becoming a top-class magician but she has two problems: her special talent for creating chaos, and the fact that Dad won’t stop laughing … How can she show them, once and for all, what a serious and spectacular magician she is? Marlow Brown: Magician in the Making, is the second in a humorous chapter book series for ages 8+ which is unassuming in its inclusive treatment of both gender and culture. Illustrations are again by Melbourne artist Marjory Gardner.
I had the privilege of landing an advanced reader copy of the new book which had me giggling, thinking and entertained from start to finish. I read it many times and I feel like it is going to be something I read many more. The book begins Marlow and friends visiting a magic show and seeing a top-class bloke, strutting his awesome stuff. It is at this show that the beginnings of an idea (and possible career path?) begin to form in Marlow’s mind. Can she do it? How should she go about it? So many ideas; so many questions. Marlow decides that the place to start.. is at the beginning and so her research begins. What else does one need to do when trying to do something new? Practice! So, Marlow the magnificent child magician researches and begins to practice, practice, practice (with lots of treat-led support and love from her furry assistant.) Marlow, as with many people who are trying something new, comes across a few roadblocks- One... her dad cannot control his laughter (insert sad face) Two… how can she ensure that the magic tricks will go right; and she will not be left red-faced and dripping with water? Three- to try and do her best trick in public? Or not? What could go wrong?
With some help and plenty of patience, Marlow and friends go through with the trick and although it did not go as expected (it went in a totally different direction in fact) it turned out to be an amazing experience and with expert magical help, Marlow is able to prove to her family (looking at you Marlow’s Dad) and most importantly herself, that she IS able to achieve amazing things when she sticks with it and when she puts her heart into something. What will the future bring for Marlow? Will her new teacher help her to improve on her new skills and make a career of it? Or will magic develop into a fun and amazing talent that is only brought out on special occasions? Only time will tell, and I cannot wait to find out what Marlow does next. This is a great read for young and old. It is a book that shows you just what perseverance can do, how not to make fun of others and how practice does not make perfect, but it does make life more interesting (and super fun!). I love this book and will be waiting among my own chaos for the day the next Marlow Brown book is announced. For now, I leave you with the links to purchase Marlow Brown- Magician in the making. and, the link to the website of Kesta Fleming. Have a great rest of the weekend everyone and keep safe! Title: Marlow Brown - Magician in the Making Author: Kesta Fleming Illustrator: Marjory Gardner Publication Date: 1 June 2021 Format: Paperback ISBN: 9781925572193 For ages: 8+ Type: Middle Grade Kesta Fleming - Website HERE Kesta Fleming - Twitter HERE Purchase the book - HERE Purchase the book- HERE or Purchase the book- HERE Marlow Brown - Magician In The Making Now touring with Books On Tour PR & Marketing  Books On Tour - HERE
Welcome back to another Books On tour 'blog' review. Without any ado at all, let’s get straight into it. Today’s book for review is You Can Be A Writer by the fabulous Teena Raffa-Mulligan.  The synopsis for the book * * You Can Be A Writer takes early primary age children on a story writing adventure. Imagination is their passport and they can go anywhere, be anyone and do anything in their stories. Based around the multi published author's successful group presentations in schools and libraries over many years, it is presented in a reader friendly conversational style with accompanying cartoon-style illustrations. Starting with where ideas can come from, they are taken through a simple process of choosing characters, deciding where they can live, when their story might take place and what could happen to them. By following the simple instructions and completing the worksheets they soon have their own story to share. * * I was privileged to be gifted a copy of this brand-new book and must say, I adore it. I believe that children should be helped and encouraged to reach for their dreams, whatever those dreams may be. This of course, includes writing. For a long while, there have been many online writing prompts, courses, ideas and groups, which is fantastic. Teena however, has come along and has taken these resources to a new level in a helpful, easy to use guide which walks the reader through the basic steps of creating a story/masterpiece. The pages of Teena’s book are full of wonderful information, prompts and ideas in a handy, easy to carry around product. While completing the tasks and following the prompts, the reader slowly and clearly begins to create a new world, something never seen before, something unique to the reader/writer. Once the reader reaches the end of the book, they will have written an entire story. They can then build on that or they can leave it as is. The book features space to write down ideas as the prompt are given, word building, situation building, character building. It has space for brainstorming and many hints and tips along the way, which I love. The book will be a great record of the new writers’ journey and first ‘official’ story/book. The illustrations in the book are colorful and bright, while still being simple and making it easy to follow what is going on. I love that the illustrations are not huge and overwhelming, so the focus stays on the writing and activities aspect of the book, but they are still there, brightening up the pages.
I absolutely LOVE this book and was very tempted to follow along and write a new story of my own, which is great. This is a unique, well written and encouraging book, which will be a great resource for many children (big and small) as they take some of the first steps in their writing journey and as they reach for dreams that are not as far away as it might seem. Some of my favourite quotes from the book
Congratulations, Teena on a fabulous book which is sure to be a hit with many and will almost certainly encourage the young writers of the world as the begin their incredibly special journey into literature.  You can find Teena on the following social media channels: Website- HERE Facebook-HERE Email- traffa-m@bigpond.net.au You can find out more about Books On Tour on the following social media channels: Website- HERE Email- justwriteforkidsblog@gmail.com   At 6 pm tonight I will be launching ‘I’m A Type One Kid’ Due to Facebook removing Australian pages in the last few days (including author and arts pages) I have decided to release the book ‘I’m a Type One Kid’ early (instead of March). I am doing this just in case the page and event disappear before we get a chance to launch the book. So, at 6 pm tonight (20 Feb 2021) I will be going live in the Facebook event and will be making posts during the day; that I would have been making during the event. It will be just a few of the posts, not all. I do hope you all understand and thank you for sticking by me. Please share the word that the book is launching at 6 pm tonight via the below link xox https://www.facebook.com/events/2937856176497305/ Lots of love and stay safe x x x Tabitha  Good morning you wonderful, wonderful people, I hope your Friday is going well so far and you are all keeping safe and as healthy as you can. Today I have another Author spotlight and cannot wait to introduce you to the lovely Jennifer Senne. A quick note: If you would like to be featured on the blog and my other social media channels, pop on to the media page on this website and you will see options and instructions 😊 Follow the instructions in the downloadable template, return and secure yourself a spot.
What motivates you? I am motivated by the thought of empowering young minds through my stories, whether through my books or through public speaking. What do your family and friends think of you writing? Do they support you? At first, they were just as surprised as I was when I published my first book, but they supported my passion and work. I never considered myself as a writer, you see, but I love to create stories even when I was a child. I would create stories in my head to help me fall asleep. I was also a daydreamer, which had helped me develop stories, but sometimes got me in trouble with the teachers. Now, I am taking writing classes to help me grow as a writer, and my family is one hundred percent on board with me. What inspired you to create your books? I believe my first book had divine intervention. The second book was inspired by my experiences as a child. I’ve experienced the adverse effects of self-limiting beliefs, and I wouldn’t want children to go through the same experiences I went through, so I wrote “Good Morning Mirror!” Is there anything that helps you focus when you sit down to write? Great question! I don’t really have anything that helps me focus when I write, a good cup of coffee surely helps! What inspires you? There are so many things that inspire me. I am inspired by my loved ones, especially my children, my rescued animals, the books I read, my wins and losses in life, and so many other beautiful things that surround me. Are you currently working on any new books? Care to give us a sneak peek? Yes, I am currently working on several books. Next month I will be releasing my third children’s book, “Wonder Mommy!” Wonder Mommy is a sweet tribute to mommies with chronic illnesses. I suffer from Dystonia and Hemiplegic migraine, which can be debilitating at times. Wonder Mommy does not only remind little readers that even when things are tough, Mommies are a Wonder; it also reminds mommies that they are a wonder! I hope you guys grab a copy when it comes out next month. Sure, I’ll give you a sneak peek :)  It looks wonderful and I cannot wait to read it, Jennifer. So, last question 😊 What is one piece of advice you would give anybody starting out in their writing journey? Write as much as you can, and when nothing comes to mind, don’t be discouraged, don’t give up; just keep on writing! Follow me on: www.jennifersenne.com https://www.facebook.com/authorjennifersenne https://www.instagram.com/author_jennifersenne Join my Wonder Mommies – Support Group @ www.facebook.com/groups/699035237473475/ Thank you so much for joining us today and for sharing the wonderful books you are creating and sharing with the world. Keep on keeping on and I look forward to reading the new book. Tab x x x
*** PREORDERS OPEN! please share. Ensure you receive your copy of I’m a Type One Kid before release, by putting in your order asap. For Ages- 4+ Preorders- Open now Order- Comment or pm to secure your copy. Bulk and wholesale orders: email tpagewriter@gmail.com (discount avail) Releasing- 13 March 2021 Price- $21.99AUD plus postage Payment- PayPal (outside Aus.) Bank transfer (within Aus.) or Cash (Manor Lakes 3024, Melbourne) Author- Tabitha J Page Illustrator- Anna Kulieshova Themes- Juvenile Diabetes, Type One diabetes, Medicine, Daily Life, Anxiety, Feelings, Medical care, Support, Healthy Living, Child, Diagnosis, Change. All copies must be paid before February 13th to ensure it arrives on time for the release. Note: - Prepay before February 13th and receive a gift of a piece of hand-painted jewellery (randomly selected) Book trailer on the link below, check it out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1nyo1KJGk4&t=2s #typeonediabetes #typeone #juvenilediabetes #t1d #t1dawareness #awareness #booksbooksbooks #booksforkids #writerswithdisability
Elena, welcome to the blog! First of all, tell us a little about yourself? What do you do in your spare time? Do you even have any spare time? It seems like you have been so busy, getting all these fabulous books out into the world. Thanks for having me! I’ve always heard, “if you are doing what you love, it doesn’t feel like work”, writing children’s books has proven that statement true in my life. I have a mixed and blended family. We have a total of eight children, which you will meet, as different characters, throughout my work. When I find some spare time I like to run, listen to music, and watch television. I find, on certain days when I can take a break, there are so many shows I used to watch on TV that I missed through the week and I play catch up. If we go to your website, we see the words Laws Publishing Company, are you a publisher that people can submit to or have you started the company to publish your own books? Will you look at expanding one day and taking on other authors? I started my company so that I could publish my books. In the future, after I establish myself better, I wish to help others publish their work at affordable prices. I have recently been meeting a lot of people who would love to publish their work but they don’t have the money to pay for the process. I would love to be able to help others through the process. Tell us about your books? What do you currently have out in the world? I have three books that are out at market right now: my first book, What If A Rock Could Grow Flower Petals, my second book, Pauly Walley Crocodile Goes to The Dentist, and my third, Kateesha The Koaiger Climbs Her Favorite Tree. When I was young, I loved books that were full of colour and had colourful characters. As I grew older I leaned more towards fantasy. ~~~~~~~ What If A Rock Could Grow Flower Petals is a book, I created from an idea that was sparked by my younger daughters, Viki and Lizi? When they were ages 2 – 9, every time they went on a walk, in our neighborhood or while on vacation or while on an area hike, they would pick flowers to give to me and they would pick rocks to give to their father. Every walk was a mini adventure and they wanted to be fair with both their father and me. One day I thought it would be interesting to see what it would look like if we merged the two. Most of us view a flower as soft and beautiful, and a rock usually represents strength and protection. In this book we can see, in an elementary way, what the two might look like if they were one but, the symbolism is what I am most proud of, there are many different meanings.  Pauly Walley Crocodile Goes to The Dentist is a story about a very kindly crocodile who experiences his first toothache. It’s an invitation to children, telling them it’s ok to be afraid and teaches us how we can count on our community to help us feel safe and, in some cases, make the fear and pain go away. I hope to encourage children to let those around them know when they don’t feel good, both physically and emotionally. This book was inspired by my two oldest sons Paul and David. When they were young they were always very helpful, friendly, and trusting to those around them.  Kateesha The Koaiger Climbs Her Favorite Tree is about a Koaiger, who is a young lady that is half koala half tiger, and on each day of the week she climbs her favourite tree to see what she can see. Each day she uses the ABC’s as she points out different animals doing different things. It is a rhyming book that uses primary and secondary colours. This book was inspired by my oldest daughter Katesha. Katesha is a very colourful person with a peaceful personality. Children love her and this book is a good representation of who she is and how creative she can be.  Do you have any works in progress that you can share with us? Any sneak peeks?
I have two books at the illustrators right now. One is about a dinosaur, and the other is about a beaver. The dinosaur book was inspired by my son David and the beaver book is inspired by my son Joseph. I have started another book about dragons that is inspired by my son Daniel and my biggest work is an ongoing project, which happens to be a fairy tale, that I have been working on for about 6 years. Do you have a favourite among your own books? No favourites, just like my children, I love them all the same. Do you have a favourite among other author’s work? The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett is my favourite book. I remember reading this book as a child, it was the first book that I felt really stretched my imagination in a more mystical and mysterious way. Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want? When I am creating a story, I don’t think about originality or delivery. I write what is real to me in that moment. The stories are representatives of how I view my children, their personalities, and events that have taken place in our lives. What other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer? You are the first author that I have reached out to and befriended. You were so kind in your response to the young indie author regarding new ways market. I am a part of a few Facebook Groups that have encourage new indie authors to search through their past posts to figure out how the indie process works. That’s how I have been able to accomplish so much this year. What was the best money you ever spent as a writer? Printing hardcovers of all of my books is the best money I have spent. To hold my creation in my hand has been the most surreal experience. Now, this next question is something that I do, so I wonder... do you hide any secrets in your books that only a few people will find? There are some secrets in my work that only a few will find. Those who are close to my family should have no problems finding some of them but, they will not find all of them. I will give you an easy one, Maria Monkey is me. My first name is Maria. There are other secrets that are more embedded in the details of each book that I will leave to the audience. Do you have any advice for someone who wants to write, or someone starting out in self-publishing? Always research what you have a passion for. There is someone out there who has gone through the experience before you. With Social Media having such a long reach, you will find the information you need and others who are willing to help you live out your passion. Finally, please share your social media and contact details with us, so we know how to get hold of you and then we will say goodbye (for now). Website: elenalaws.org Email: el@elenalaws.org Facebook: @ElenaLawsAuthor and @Lawspublishing Instagram: @elenalawsauthor and @lawspublishingcompany Twitter: @ElenaLaws7 and @PublishingLaws Tik Tok: @elenalawsauthor Thanks so much for joining us today, Elena. I love your books and cannot wait to see what you come up with next. Pop over to the above social media channels folks and show Elena some support :) As always, Onwards and Upwards we go :) x x Tab |
AuthorTabitha J Page writes words and things. Archives
August 2021
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