No Trick Only Treats Here with Author Tina Ruiz's Halloween Books for Children...

This is definitely a treat for your favorite ghosts and ghouls. Two Halloween books from children's author Tina Ruiz. The amazing illustrations are done by Ishika Sharma. This creative duo knows how to put life and fun into children's books to encourage young people to read. As with all of Tina's children's stories, there's a moral at the end.

 

The story is about Peppa Roni and her twin brother, Reece A. Roni, who are having their 9th birthday party in the neighborhood restaurant. What makes this story different from any other children's book, are the names which the author has given to her characters. Example: Tess Ding, Chris P. Bacon, Mr. Noah Lott, Harry Pitts, Miss Turi, Walter Melon, Judge Mental and his wife, Judy, etc...

The storyline is quite charming, and because you will try to figure out the double meaning of the fun names while you read, this is bound to become your child’s favorite book.

 

AMAZON BUY LINK

The pictures are bright and the story is fun. It was written not only to entertain kids, but also to challenge their minds.

Every character has a name with a double meaning. Such as: Mr. Noah Lott, Mrs. Faye Ding, Mrs. Frieda Livery, Upton O'Goode, Adam Zapel, and Ella Vader, to name but a few.

Here's a hint to help you solve the puzzle, Ed Zortails is his name really heads or is it tails? You'll have to buy the book to find out.

Solving the double meaning of the words will be delightful for children and adults alike. On the off chance someone can't unravel a name, Tina supplied a cheat sheet at the back of the book.

As with all of her children's stories, there's a moral at the end.

AMAZON BUY LINK

Tina Ruiz was born in Germany, but her family moved to Canada when she was in grammar school. She began writing children's stories when her own were little. Through the years Ruiz wrote twenty-seven books. Most of those stories went into readers for the Canada Board of Education. Two did not. Mayor Shadoe Markley is a story about a ten-year-old girl who becomes Mayor for a Day through a contest at school.

Little did Ruiz know that story would “change the world.” The book came out at early January 1988. By the end of that same month, everyone was calling the mayor's office at City Hall, trying to get the forms to fill out so their children could participate in the contest. Thirty years later that same contest is still runs at full speed. And not only in Calgary, but all across Canada. The Mayor's Youth Council is now in charge of the celebrated contest and invites Ruiz to attend and meet the lucky winner. It's usually followed by a hand-written thank you card from the mayor himself. Recently Ruiz was invited to be part of the Grand Opening of Calgary's New Library where the mayor shook her hand and introduced her to the attendees.

Tina has worked in television and radio as well as being a professional clown at the Children's Hospital. She lives in Calgary with her husband who encourages her to write her passion be it high-quality children's books or intriguing romance.

Stay connected with Tina Ruiz on her Facebook group Tina Speaks Out.

Children's Picture Book Tour: Tabitha Won't Sleep by David McLain and Felix Eddy...

Mirror World Publishing and Sapphyria's Book Promotions Present

the 1-week virtual book tour for Tabitha Won't Sleep.

About Tabitha Won't Sleep:

It’s eight bells, and Tabitha Winter doesn’t want to go to sleep.

“Well, it’s time to go to bed,” Mama Kitty says. “Come on, let’s put your pajamas on. Dad will read you a story.”

Tabitha Won’t Sleep is a beautifully illustrated picture book about a young kitten whose parents encourage her to believe that she can do anything she wants to, as long as she goes to sleep first. Children will love exploring the wonderful adventures Tabitha has in mind as she tries to avoid bedtime, and adults will love that in the end, everyone goes to sleep. Seriously, it's past eight-thirty. Lay down your head and close your eyes.

Purchase Links:

Mirror World Publishing: 

https://mirror-world-publishing.myshopify.com/products/tabitha-wont-sleep-childrens-picture-book

Amazon:

https://amzn.to/3yPVsRU

Follow the Tour for Guest Posts, Spotlights, and Reviews:

https://saphsbookpromotions.blogspot.com/2021/08/book-tour-schedule-tabitha-wont-sleep.html

Writing a Children’s Book: The Illustrator is the One with the Talent

Every so often, especially if I’m sitting in a hotel room somewhere, I will turn on a morning talk show, and they will talk to some actor or actress who tells a self-deprecating story, and then casually mentions that they have a new children’s book that has just been published. The host will usually get a little more excited about this than they should, and then hold the book up, as if two middle-aged people reading a bedtime story together is the sort of thing that people do every day. There are usually a lot of warm smiles all around, and if you pay attention to these things, you’ll see that the book will usually end up on the list of best-selling children’s books for a week or two.

This is a con job.

I have written a children’s book. It’s a wonderful book, and I’m very proud of it. I wrote it for my daughter, who at this point has had it read to her literally hundreds of times.  That being said, I can tell you that interviewing a children’s book author about their new picture book is roughly the equivalent of getting the reunited Beatles on your television show and asking Ringo all the questions. You see, I wrote the first draft of Tabitha Won’t Sleep in roughly two hours while watching the movie Hello Dolly! My wife, who did the pictures, worked on it off and on for three years.

After I finished, and after Barbara Streisand had ended up married to Walter Mathau, I emailed the text to my wife. She and my daughter had gone out of town for the weekend, and I was left behind. My daughter was three months old, and impossibly small. She had been born almost two months premature and had spent the first six weeks of her life in an incubator, with tubes coming out of her in multiple places. Once the tubes come out, the hospital staff made sure we knew how to change a diaper, and then they handed us a child the size of a Guinea Pig and wished us the best of luck. My wife wasn’t OK. Neither was I. Nonetheless we came home with Tabitha and started a new chapter in our lives.

So, while my wife was out of town, I wrote a story. A nice story about putting Tabitha to bed, a story where we showed Tabitha that she could do anything that she wants in life, provided that she goes to sleep first. I anticipated (correctly) that my daughter would look at bedtime as the end of the world, and might need to know that there would be a wonderful new day full of adventures tomorrow. In the book, Tabitha would be about three years old, and would be a cat. (My wife and my daughter both believe that the cat version of anything is better than the regular version of the same thing.)

I got a response to my email about three hours later. “Your story made me cry” my wife said. After that, she got to work.

The drawings started coming quickly. This part is fun to watch. Most writers will probably never get to see their work come to life quite like that, and my wife, inspired by the idea that our daughter would get to read this, did some great sketches with a lot of life in them. After that, she went to ink the drawings. Here we had a small disaster, as one of our real cats knocked over a bottle of ink onto a picture. (Our daughter ended up using it as a coloring page.) After that she started working on coloring. I could see that the book was going to be beautiful. Our book has a lot of fun settings that made for good imagery, like Egyptian Pyramids, and the moon. (It also features a lot of pictures of my daughter’s actual bedroom, which has a steampunk theme and is painted in red and yellow stripes and made a bit of a splash on the internet before she was born.) Weeks, and then months and then years rolled by. I made matters worse by adding a couple of pages to fill out the book. There were lots of times that I thought she would never be done, which was frustrating, because we were so close. Tabitha learned to walk and got out of diapers. Then one day she was done. I brought my daughter downstairs to my computer and read the book to her.

I learned a few things from the social experiment of writing a book about my daughter. For one thing, Tabitha always understood that the book was about her, even though in the book she’s a cat. For another, anything that was even slightly different about the way her room was depicted in the book had to be fixed in the real world. This led to an awkward conversation where my daughter suggested we buy the toy castle pictured in the book, causing my wife to explain “That castle isn’t real, it’s just a picture I drew.” To which my daughter replied, “It comes with a pony.”

Since then, we have read Tabitha Won’t Sleep a lot. I have been in the unique position of reading my book to the main character in the book while sitting in the room that book takes place in and having the person that I am reading to fall asleep at the same time as she does in the book.

I can tell you I worked as hard as Jamie Leigh Curtis worked on any of her children’s books, which is not very hard at all. My wife, the lovely and talented Felix Eddy, did most of the work, and she did an amazing job. I can tell you that I did have a wonderful time working on the book. If you decide to write one, I hope you do too.

David McLain

David McLain is the author of Tabitha Won’t Sleep, a new children’s book, available from MirrorWorld Publishing. It was illustrated by his wife, the lovely and talented Felix Eddy. It can be purchased {Insert like that I don’t have because the book is not actually out yet} here.  You can follow him on twitter @mclaindave. 

Release Date: August 17, 2021

Publisher: Mirror World Publishing

Publisher Website: https://mirrorworldpublishing.com/

Meet the Author:

David McLain is the author of the novels The Life of Thief, Dragonbait, and The Time Travellers Resort and Museum. His stories and poems have appeared in over two dozen magazines, including Harvard’s Dudley Review. He is an occasional contributor to the podcasts The History of England, and Geek Salad. He graduated from Purchase College, where he directed a production of William Shakespeare’s The Tempest. He lives in upstate New York.

Meet the Illustrator:

Felix Eddy graduated Magna Cum Laude from Alfred University. She has illustrated over two dozen books for children and young adults, including The Big Red Purse, Dinosaur Boogie, Barks Mulberry Socks*, K-9 Merlin-Police Dog Extraordinaire*, and The Bestiary Alphabet, which she also wrote. You can find out more about her art and embroidery at her website www.felixeddy.com. (* Bark's Mulberry Socks and K-9 Merlyn are both 2020 TAZ award winners.)

Connect with the Author and Illustrator:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mclain.dave?fref=ts

Tumblr: https://mydogisgross.tumblr.com/

David McLain's Amazon Profile: https://amzn.to/3hEFuTs

Cover Reveal: Tabitha Won't Sleep by David McLain and Felix Eddy...

Mirror World Publishing and

Sapphyria's Book Promotions

 present the cover reveal for Tabitha Won't Sleep.

About Tabitha Won't Sleep:

It’s eight bells, and Tabitha Winter doesn’t want to go to sleep.

“Well, it’s time to go to bed,” Mama Kitty says. “Come on, let’s put your pajamas on. Dad will read you a story.”

Tabitha Won’t Sleep is a beautifully illustrated picture book about a young kitten whose parents encourage her to believe that she can do anything she wants to, as long as she goes to sleep first. Children will love exploring the wonderful adventures Tabitha has in mind as she tries to avoid bedtime, and adults will love that in the end, everyone goes to sleep. Seriously, it's past eight-thirty. Lay down your head and close your eyes.

Release Date: August 17, 2021

Publisher: Mirror World Publishing

Publisher Website: https://mirrorworldpublishing.com/

Meet the Author:

David McLain is the author of the novels The Life of Thief, Dragonbait, and The Time Travellers Resort and Museum. His stories and poems have appeared in over two dozen magazines, including Harvard’s Dudley Review. He is an occasional contributor to the podcasts The History of England, and Geek Salad. He graduated from Purchase College, where he directed a production of William Shakespeare’s The Tempest. He lives in upstate New York.

Meet the Illustrator:

Felix Eddy graduated Magna Cum Laude from Alfred University. She has illustrated over two dozen books for children and young adults, including The Big Red Purse, Dinosaur Boogie, Barks Mulberry Socks*, K-9 Merlin-Police Dog Extraordinaire*, and The Bestiary Alphabet, which she also wrote. You can find out more about her art and embroidery at her website www.felixeddy.com. (* Bark's Mulberry Socks and K-9 Merlyn are both 2020 TAZ award winners.)

Connect with the Author and Illustrator:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mclain.dave?fref=ts

Tumblr: https://mydogisgross.tumblr.com/

David McLain's Amazon Profile: https://amzn.to/3hEFuTs

Get Ready for 'A Halloween Party' by Tina Ruiz...

This is definitely a treat. Tina Ruiz has a new children's book out just in time for Halloween! The amazing illustrations are done by Ishika Sharma.

The pictures are bright and the story is fun. It was written not only to entertain kids, but also to challenge their minds.

Every character has a name with a double meaning. Such as: Mr. Noah Lott, Mrs. Faye Ding, Mrs. Frieda Livery, Upton O'Goode, Adam Zapel, and Ella Vader, to name but a few.

Here's a hint to help you solve the puzzle, Ed Zortails is his name really heads or is it tails? You'll have to buy the book to find out.

Solving the double meaning of the words will be delightful for children and adults alike. On the off chance someone can't unravel a name, Tina supplied a cheat sheet at the back of the book.

As with all of her children's stories, there's a moral at the end.

BUY LINK

Tina Ruiz was born in Germany, but her family moved to Canada when she was in grammar school. She began writing children's stories when her own were little. Through the years Ruiz wrote twenty-seven books. Most of those stories went into readers for the Canada Board of Education. Two did not. Mayor Shadoe Markley is a story about a ten-year-old girl who becomes Mayor for a Day through a contest at school.

Little did Ruiz know that story would “change the world.” The book came out at early January 1988. By the end of that same month, everyone was calling the mayor's office at City Hall, trying to get the forms to fill out so their children could participate in the contest. Thirty years later that same contest is still runs at full speed. And not only in Calgary, but all across Canada. The Mayor's Youth Council is now in charge of the celebrated contest and invites Ruiz to attend and meet the lucky winner. It's usually followed by a hand-written thank you card from the mayor himself. Recently Ruiz was invited to be part of the Grand Opening of Calgary's New Library where the mayor shook her hand and introduced her to the attendees.

Tina has worked in television and radio as well as being a professional clown at the Children's Hospital. She lives in Calgary with her husband who encourages her to write her passion be it high-quality children's books or intriguing romance.

Stay connected with Tina Ruiz on her Facebook group Tina Speaks Out.

Audio-Book Review: DANIEL THE DRAW-ER by S.J. Henderson…

Since I’ve heard so much buzz about audio-books, I thought I’d try my hand at reviewing one, and downloaded the Kindle Audible App to my smart phone. I received a DANIEL THE DRAW-ER audio-book as a gift some time ago, and have finally gotten around to listening to it. What a surprise! Such a different experience than sitting on the couch with your feet up, flipping through a book. Relaxing, yes, but not productive. Instead, I plugged into my phone to ‘listen’ to a book, while getting my housework done. The hours flew by, and I managed to finish the book in record time! Who knew technology could help you get rid of your To-Be-Read pile so quickly? Technology rocks!

  

So what did I think?

This is 4 Star Fun for Kids! Narrated by Jay Prichard, I found that he did a great job bringing S.J. Henderson’s characters to life, and loved the way he created a multitude of unique voices. A story about love, friendship, and sharing, Henderson pushes the boundaries of a child’s imagination and mixes in the problems children have in the real world today. I believe kids will really enjoy listening to Daniel’s adventures on long car rides or bedtime or even while they’re doing household chores.

DANIEL THE DRAW-ER Blurb:

"This is no ordinary pencil,” says the cat sitting on the end of nine-year-old Daniel’s bed. "It's magic." 

Everything Daniel draws with his pencil--flying dragons, Octobears, and pizza-loving aliens from the planet Beezo--comes to life. It’s pretty awesome until the pencil draws a line between Daniel and his best (and only) friend Annie. 

Come along with Daniel and his fantastic creatures on this fun-for-the-whole-family journey as he discovers that friendship is the greatest magic of all.

Author Bio:

S. J. Henderson is the author of the children’s book DANIEL THE DRAW-ER, as well as several not-yet-published Young Adult novels.

S. J. lives in Michigan with her husband and four wild boys. When she is not writing about talking cats and magic pencils, S. J. can usually be found riding one of her family’s horses or drinking a little bit of coffee with her creamer.

Buy Links:

Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Daniel-Draw-er-S-J-Henderson-ebook/dp/B00JAXJF86/

Barnes & Noble:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/daniel-the-draw-er-s-j-henderson/1119074806?ean=9781497396999

S. J.'s store (autographed paperbacks):  www.sjhenderson.net/store/

Audible:  http://www.audible.com/pd/Kids/Daniel-the-Draw-er-Audiobook/B00PMIRY22/

iTunes:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/audiobook/daniel-the-draw-er-unabridged/id942710079

Connect with S.J. Henderson:

Website:  www.sjhenderson.net

Blog:  www.sjhenderson.net/blog/

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/authorsunnyhenderson

Twitter:  www.twitter.com/SunnyJHenderson

Goodreads:  www.goodreads.com/SunnyHenderson

In the Limelight with Children’s Author David Chuka…

I want to thank and welcome good friend and wonderful children’s author, David Chuka for sharing his personal writing journey with us on my blog today. David’s series The Fartastic Adventures of Billy and Monster and his other non-fiction books can be purchased from Amazon.

So let’s get this interview rolling! How long have you been writing, David?

As a children’s book author, I’ve been actively writing for the last two years. I’ve been writing non-fiction stuff longer than that.

Only two years? Quite prolific, I might say! Where did you get your idea and inspiration to write The Fartastic Adventures of Billy and Monster series?

The idea for the first book in the series came early one morning on Boxing Day 2012. The entire house was quiet and instead of lying in bed counting imaginary sheep, I crawled out of bed, grabbed my pen and pad and went to the kitchen. With an empty page staring at me, I began to imagine this little boy who’s an only child and creates this Monster character to serve as a brother and friend. They do everything together and have loads of fun. There’s just one problem. Monster farts a lot and everyone blames Billy for it. I completed the first draft in about 90 minutes. With the good reviews that accompanied the book’s publication and a nudge from a friend, I’ve gone on to write three more books in the series. Book Five is coming out this summer and it’s titled ‘Billy and Monster Meet the President.’

I want to know was in your coffee that morning for you to produce a draft in 90 minutes! What sets The Fartastic Adventures of Billy and Monsterseries apart from other books in the same genre?

I believe the books in this series are different from most books because in spite of the shenanigans Billy and Monster get up to in each episode, there is always a lesson with good moral values weaved into the story. Parents and grandparents have informed me that they enjoy reading the Billy and Monster books with their loved ones.

It’s certainly good to have parents and grandparents on your side! As a children’s author, what is your writing process?

I think for me, there has to be a big ‘What If’ What if someone couldn’t exercise self-control and it led them

to over-indulge? This ‘what if’ led to me writing ‘Billy and the Monster who Ate All the Easter Eggs.’ What if a child disobeyed their parent because they didn’t want to be teased by their friends? This ‘what if’ led to me writing ‘Kojo the Sea Dragon Gets Lost.’ A ‘What If’ scenario is always the springboard for me to write a story.

Asking ‘what if’ is a very powerful question for a storyteller. How long does it usually take for you to start and finish each book in The Fartastic Adventures of Billy and Monster series?

Hmmmm… that is a very interesting question. Sometimes, like with the first book in the series, it can take me less than two hours to have a first draft in place. Other times, like with the fourth book in the series, it took me about a month to get the story done.

Do you have any advice for other writers striving to write in your genre, David?

I would say to read a lot of children’s book to familiarize yourself with what’s out there. Then I would implore them to either innovate on what’s currently out there or perhaps take a fresh approach on a popular theme. I see a lot of me-too books in kidlit and it’s always refreshing to discover a new voice.

Sage advice, David! So, what’s next for David Chuka the author?

That is a very loaded question Sharon JIn the short term, I’ll be working with my illustrator to get the fifth Billy and Monster book ready before July 4^th. In the medium term, I’m working on writing my first Middle Grade book. And in the long term, I have aspirations to write a mystery thriller. Maybe things will pan out in that exact order…maybe not.

Hopefully your plans will all take root, David. Okay, here’s one for me, since I’m writing a time travel series—If you could time travel anywhere into Earth’s past, where would you go and why?

I would love to go to Egypt during biblical times. Whenever I read the Bible or watch the Ten Commandments, I’m always fascinated by the drama that surrounded the ten plagues that beset the Egyptians as well as the parting of the Red Sea. I sometimes imagine closing my eyes and waking up to here and see Moses telling Pharaoh ‘Let My People Go!’

It’s been an absolute pleasure being on your blog today Sharon. I value and appreciate your friendship and the way you go out of your way to make other authors SHINE! Your blog readers can connect with me at one of the links below. I’d love to hear from each and every one of them!

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Author.David.Chuka

Twitter - https://twitter.com/DavidChuka

Blog -  http://davidchuka.com/

GoodReads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6872534.David_Chuka

Amazon Page - http://www.amazon.com/David-Chuka/e/B00AV6UT9U

David Chuka lives in London with his lovely wife and two adorable children. His family are usually the first people to hear his funny and quirky tales. He was inspired to write his first book, 'If You See a Doctor' after he struggled to find a book for his daughter who was a beginner reader.

He's gone on to write more books including the popular 'Billy and Monster' series, a funny set of books about a little boy and his Monster who get into all sorts of funny situations and learn about moderation, friendship, self control, bravery etc. Young children can relate to Billy and you'll love sharing his adventures with your children, grandchildren and loved ones.

As a father himself, he has parents at heart when he writes. He recognizes that bedtime has to be one of the best parts of the day for parents and grandparents as it gives them the opportunity to bond with their little ones. He believes you'll enjoy sharing his stories with your loved ones at bedtime.

In David Chuka's books, you can stay rest assured that quality and captivating images will always complement the story to ensure your loved ones are spell-bound as you read to them. Beginner readers will also enjoy discovering new words as they read his books.

He would like to keep you updated on what he's working on and any giveaways he currently has on offer. Please subscribe to his newsletter at www.davidchuka.com and you'll get a FREE Coloring and Activity book for your loved ones.

You can also connect with him on twitter @davidchuka and Facebook.

Make sure to watch the video trailers for his most popular books on his Amazon Page and you'll get a little taste of why his books have garnered more than 300 glowing reviews.

He has so many stories to tell and can't wait to share them with you and your loved ones.