
Monday, March 27, 2017
DUCK AND COVER BY JANET SMART
Quote for the week:
I'm so excited today to host Author Janet F. Smart and her latest novel DUCK AND COVER. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy your visit.
I'm so excited today to host Author Janet F. Smart and her latest novel DUCK AND COVER. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy your visit.
Isn't this an adorable cover? Sure makes me wonder what's about to happen.
Duck and Cover
Published
by Saguaro Books
By
Janet F. Smart
Released
February 2017
BOOK
BLURB
After his dad dies in an accident at
work, twelve-year-old Teddy Haynes and his mom come back to live with family in
rural West Virginia. They hope to start
over, but some people say the Russians are going to blow up the United States.
How can they start over, if the world comes to an end?
He finds his life filled with talk of
bomb shelters, a cat and dog that don’t get along, clinging two-year-old twin
nephews and a pretty girl he’s too shy to talk to. To help cope with their
fears, Teddy and his friends convert an old cave in the woods into a bomb
shelter. Will they be able to work
together and pull through the tense-filled months during the Cuban Missile
Crisis in the fall of 1962? And will Teddy be able to overcome his grief from
the loss of his dad?
The
Inspiration:
The inspiration for this middle grade book came from
a flicker of a childhood memory. When I was young, I remember going to my
aunt’s house with my mom and another aunt. I remember them being afraid and
saying that the world was coming to an end. It took me a while to figure out
what this memory could be about, but I finally realized that it must have been
during the Cuban Missile Crisis. So, I wrote about the incident from the eyes
of a twelve-year-old boy. I added three friends, a cat, a pregnant dog—and a
brownie recipe.
The
first paragraph hook:
I survived the long drive from
Cleveland. Now if I could just survive the Russians, I’d be okay. Some people
worried they were going to blow up the United States. Mom and I had come back
to West Virginia to start over. How could we start over if the world was coming
to an end?
The
history
The first version of this manuscript that I can find
is dated 2012. It was only 20,000 words. And 360 of those words were the lyrics
to a song (Monster Mash). Of course, that had to be taken out. There have been
many more changes to this story since then. It took first place in a writing
contest in 2015. At one time, there were five recipes in the book. Now there is
only one – brownies!
Fun
Facts
Teddy is the main character, but I really love his
best friend, Melvin—he is quite a character. Teddy’s family has a naming
tradition. They name their children (and pets) after presidents and/or their
wives. Teddy carries a worry stone with him wherever he goes.
My
advice to writers:
Never give up.
Get critique partners, keep improving on your manuscripts and send them
out. They can’t be published if the only one who sees them are you, your
critique partners and the insides of your computer.
You can find Duck and Cover on Amazon in paperback
and kindle.
A
little about Janet:
The author, Janet F. Smart, lives in picturesque
West Virginia. She is the mother of three grown boys. She enjoys writing for
children, bringing her thoughts, dreams and imagination to life. When not
outside enjoying nature, she sits at her writing desk, her inner child flowing
onto the paper. She writes a monthly children’s column for a regional magazine,
belongs to WVWriters and loves writing poetry, picture books and middle grade
manuscripts.
Connect with Janet on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/wvsmarties,
her writing blog http://creativewritingintheblackberrypatch.blogspot.com
and her author page www.janetfsmart.blogspot.com
Janet is giving away a copy of her book to one lucky
commenter on this post, continental US only. Get extra entries when you share this post to Facebook
and/or follow her writing blog. Janet will select the winner next Monday and we'll post it here.
Congratulations, Janet.
Happy Reading!
Wednesday, March 22, 2017
SOMETIMES YOU JUST GOTTA LAUGH
Welcome Wednesday. First, a huge thank you to everyone that attended our birthday party, whether you just visited or left a comment. The kids and I hope you enjoyed your cake and ice cream. Also the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I must share the funny thing that happened so you'll understand why we sometimes just gotta laugh. Life is funny, and we need to accept the fact that often we are not in control. Yes, I'm talking about the Rafflecopter. I tried and tried to get it to show up. It wasn't about to, until Wednesday, the last day. And suddenly, there it was. I laughed. Well, better late than never, right? And that's enough about that.
One day last week, I looked out the window of my writing room, and this is what I saw.
One day last week, I looked out the window of my writing room, and this is what I saw.
Seven white-tailed deer were grazing in the pasture.
I watched them for awhile, and they slowly moseyed along toward the mesquite trees and vanished.
Haven't seen them since. I guess they were just passing through. I was happy to see that some of them survived hunting season. There are a lot of hunters in the area.
Happy Reading and Writing.
Monday, March 20, 2017
HE GAVE ME BARN CATS BOOK TOUR

If you’re looking for a story that will
touch your heart, you’ve found it in this tender story of love, loss, and
inspiration. You could win your own copy, just check out the giveaway details.
◊ He Gave Me BARN
CATS
◊ by Maria Santomass0-Hyde
◊ by Maria Santomass0-Hyde
◊ Published by
Dancing Lemur Press, L.L.C.
◊ Available March 14,
2017
◊ $10.95, 6x9 Trade paperback, 134
pages
◊ Genres: Christian Fiction / Christian
Life-Death, Grief, Bereavement
◊ Print ISBN 978-1-939844-21-7 eBook ISBN
978-1-939844-22-4
◊ Order through Ingram, Follett Library
Resources, or from the publisher
◊ $3.99 eBook available in all
formats
Inspired by true
events...
Maria has cared for her very ill mother for many years. Her burdens are heavy,
causing a sadness bordering on darkness. When she discovers her
historic barn is now home to a mother cat and kittens, she feels lighter than
she has in years. As the kittens grow, they teach her as only animals can
do.
Then tragedy strikes. As Maria loses her family, the darkness
envelopes her like the heavy fog that blankets her Blue
Ridge Mountain home each morning. She creates a scorecard: God: 9,
Maria: 0. Her questions turn into anger at God. She
searches to find answers as to why her loving God would take away so much in
such a short time.
How will she learn to trust again? Can the kittens in her barn help her
heal?

HE GAVE ME BARN
CATS is available for order in eBook format at the following sites:
Barnes and
Noble, Kobo, iTunes, and Amazon.
Be sure to add HE GAVE ME BARN
CATS to your shelf on Goodreads.
She lives in Valle Crucis, North Carolina,
with her husband, Lee, and The Queen of the Universe (Roma, their Black Cat) …
and other Black Cats who decide to move in.
Come join the blog tour and learn more
about Maria and HE GAVE ME BARN
CATS by visiting the following
blog:
March 7 - Joylene Nowell Butler,
Suspense Author - Feature
March 8 - Rockin' Book
Reviews - Guest Post
March 9 - Mello & June, It's a Book Thang! - Feature
March 10 - Defending The Pen - Excerpt
March 13 - Reviews
by Crystal - Q&A
Alex J. Cavanaugh - Guest Post
March 14 - Thoughts in Progress - Review
March 15 - Open
March 16 - A Bluestocking's Place - Excerpt
deal sharing aunt - Review
March 17 - Juneta @ Writer's Gambit - Q&A
March 20 - Reviews From the Heart - Review
The Story of a Writer - Feature
CBY Book Club - Excerpt
March 21 - bookworm1102 - Excerpt
Storey
Book Reviews - Excerpt
Celticlady's
Reviews - Feature
Giveaway
Details:
This is a tour-wide giveaway for two (2)
print copies (U.S only) and two (2) eBooks (international). To enter just click
on the Rafflecopter widget below and follow the
instructions.
Wednesday, March 15, 2017
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ONE-YEAR-OLD
Gulp, one-year-old. How can that be? It seems like just yesterday that you were born. I remember thinking the same thing when each of my boys were born. The years are short. Time passes. Today, my YA contemporary novel, UNDER A PURPLE MOON, is one year old. Let's celebrate.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Birthday parties must have cake. I hope you like this one.
It's Red Velvet.
What's cake without ice cream?
Choose your favorite flavor.
"Wait! Wait! Wait, Beverly."
"Eden? What's wrong?'
"Where's the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches?
"Yeah, we have to have peanut butter and jelly."
Murphy, Toby, and Josh nod at each other.
"We do? Why?"
"Yes, Ms. McClure. Would we lie to you?"
The boys and Eden look so innocent, though I know otherwise, how can I refuse?
"OK. Let me see what I can do."
How about these?
"Perfect."
Four teens gobble them down. Then eat the cake and ice cream for dessert. And to think, I created these characters. Maybe I should have worked on manners a bit more.
The party isn't over yet. What's a birthday without gifts?
We're doing this a different way than usual. The birthday kids are giving you, the visitors, the gifts.
So what do we have?
First is a deck of UNDER A PURPLE MOON playing cards.
These are really neat and would make great gifts for friends and family, as well as for yourself.
Next, we have a signed paperback copy of UNDER A PURPLE MOON (US only).
and
Third is a $10.00 gift card from Amazon.
I had planned to try Rafflecopter, but my eyes are still giving me trouble and I don't have the patience to read the instructions and put the thing together. So, we're doing a much easier giveaway. If you want to enter for a prize, just leave a comment. Next week, March 22,
Random. org, will choose the winners. I'll announce them on the blog and to you, and your gifts will soon be on their way as soon as I have where to send them.
Happy 1st Birthday to UNDER A PURPLE MOON May there be many more to celebrate.
Silver Award Winner of the 2016 Children's Literary Classics Award.
Thank you to L. Diane and Staff for making this book possible.
Happy Reading!
Good news! Thanks to the kindness of Alex J. Cavanaugh, who made one for me, Rafflecopter is coming tomorrow. What a wonderful friend. Thank you, Alex.
If you comment before the Rafflecopter is live, (midnight) come back and check off that part, and you are entered. I'm so excited.
The link to the Rafflecopter is below. I did it wrong, of course, and the thing doesn't show up, but you can enter following the link.
Monday, March 13, 2017
DID YOU SPRING AHEAD?
Quote for the week.
I hope you've recovered from the time change.
No post today. My eyes still insist on seeing two of everything, and it's very tiring covering one eye when I read or type or whatever which, lets me see only one image. Don't even ask me about driving, just get out of my way. They're putting a prism in one lens of my glasses. It's supposed to make everything normal. Normal? What's that?
Anyhow, be sure and stop by on Wednesday. We're having a party. Refreshments (cyber) and prizes.
See you then.
Wednesday, March 8, 2017
READ AN E-BOOK WEEK
Welcome Wednesday. I'm late posting this, but you know the saying: better late than never. March 5-11 is Read an E-Book Week.
artwork © Brad Fraunfelter
Twilight Times Books, the publisher of my Award-Winning YA historical fiction novel CAVES, CANNONS, AND CRINOLINES has several books for free. You can see them here. My book is not a freebie. Sorry. It is available at AMAZON for $2.99, and most other places where books are sold.
I also have some exciting news coming next week. On March 15, 2017, we're celebrating a first birthday. I'm not saying who. You'll have to come to the party to find out. We'll have cake and gifts. Be sure to stop by for a chance to win some awesome prizes.
See you on March 15th.
Happy Reading and Writing!
Monday, March 6, 2017
#INKRIPPLES Tropes
Quote for the week: Words are singularly the most powerful force available to humanity. We can
choose to use this force constructively with words of encouragement, or
destructively using words of despair. Words have energy and power with the
ability to help, to heal, to hinder, to hurt, to harm, to humiliate and to
humble. Yehuda Berg
Well, #InkRipples for March has another new word for me. Tropes. Are you familiar with the word, or am I just illiterate? So, if I planned to write about tropes, I had to find out what in the world they were. Thanks to the fabulous Internet, I now have an idea.
Here's what I found from Wikipedia. A literary trope is the use of figurative language. It can be a word, phrase, or even an image. The word can be used to describe commonly recurring literary and rhetoric devices, motifs, or clichés in creative works. (Now you know, if you didn't.)
TYPES:
Allegory – A sustained metaphor continued through whole sentences or even through a whole discourse. For example: "The ship of state has sailed through rougher storms than the tempest of these lobbyists."
Antanaclasis – is the stylistic trope of repeating a single word, but with a different meaning each time. Antanaclasis is a common type of pun, and like other kinds of pun, it is often found in slogans.
Irony – creating a trope through implying the opposite of the standard meaning, such as describing a bad situation as "good times".
Metaphor – an explanation of an object or idea through juxtaposition of disparate things with a similar characteristic, such as describing a courageous person as having a "heart of a lion".
Metonymy – a trope through proximity or correspondence. For example, referring to actions of the U.S. President as "actions of the White House".
Synecdoche – related to metonymy and metaphor, creates a play on words by referring to something with a related concept: for example, referring to the whole with the name of a part, such as "hired hands" for workers; a part with the name of the whole, such as "the law" for police officers; the general with the specific, such as "bread" for food; the specific with the general, such as "cat" for a lion; or an object with the material it is made from, such as "bricks and mortar" for a building.
Kenneth Burke has called metaphor, metonymy, synecdoche and irony the "four master tropes".[
EXAMPLES:
hyperbole
irony
litotes
metaphor
metonymy
oxymoron
synecdoche
For a longer list, see Figure of speech: Tropes
Examples:
In screen writing: The "ticking clock."
In music: The chord progression known as the "12-Bar" is a trope of Blues, Rock, and Country Music.
In literature: The trope of atonement or redemption is common.
There are many, many more, but I think I've got the general idea. I wonder how many tropes I've written without even knowing it.
Do you have any tropes in your writing?
#InkRipples is a monthly meme created by Kai Strand, Mary Waibel, and Katie L. Carroll. They post on the first Monday of every month with a new topic. They're all authors, but you don't have to be to participate. You can spread your own ripples by blogging about the topic any day of the month that fits your schedule, just be sure to include links back to Katie, Kai, and Mary.
The topic for April is Revision. I'm quite familiar with that word. So why not join and have fun?
I also have some news coming soon. Stay tuned.
Happy Reading and Writing.
Well, #InkRipples for March has another new word for me. Tropes. Are you familiar with the word, or am I just illiterate? So, if I planned to write about tropes, I had to find out what in the world they were. Thanks to the fabulous Internet, I now have an idea.
Here's what I found from Wikipedia. A literary trope is the use of figurative language. It can be a word, phrase, or even an image. The word can be used to describe commonly recurring literary and rhetoric devices, motifs, or clichés in creative works. (Now you know, if you didn't.)
TYPES:
EXAMPLES:
Examples:
In screen writing: The "ticking clock."
In music: The chord progression known as the "12-Bar" is a trope of Blues, Rock, and Country Music.
In literature: The trope of atonement or redemption is common.
There are many, many more, but I think I've got the general idea. I wonder how many tropes I've written without even knowing it.
Do you have any tropes in your writing?
#InkRipples is a monthly meme created by Kai Strand, Mary Waibel, and Katie L. Carroll. They post on the first Monday of every month with a new topic. They're all authors, but you don't have to be to participate. You can spread your own ripples by blogging about the topic any day of the month that fits your schedule, just be sure to include links back to Katie, Kai, and Mary.
The topic for April is Revision. I'm quite familiar with that word. So why not join and have fun?
I also have some news coming soon. Stay tuned.
Happy Reading and Writing.
Wednesday, March 1, 2017
MARCH HAS ARRIVED AND IT'S IWSG DAY
February sure went by in a hurry. Can't believe it's the 1st day of March, and we know what that means.
The Insecure Writer’s Support Group
Will it work this time? I don't know, but in a week or so, I hope to find out. The boy and dog are almost ready to face the world. So, at the moment I'm a bit insecure.
The Insecure Writer’s Support Group
Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!
Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time. Be sure to link to this page and display the badge in your post.
Ninja Alex J. Cavanaugh is the founder if IWSG!
Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!
Our Twitter is @TheIWSG and hashtag #IWSG
Every month, we announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG Day post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say.
Remember, the question is optional!!!
Remember, the question is optional!!!
March 1st question: Have you ever pulled out a really old story and reworked it? Did it work out?
The awesome co-hosts for the March 1 posting of the IWSG will be Tamara
Narayan, Patsy Collins, M.J. Fifield, and Nicohle Christopherson!
Now for the question.
Funny you should ask. I'm doing just that. My WIP was first written in 1998. Yes, that's a long time ago. And, I actually submitted it to a few publishers then Oh, my. I shouldn't have, but I was new in the writing world, and I thought it looked good. I know better now. So why am I working on the story after all these years?
Good question.
One day I was cleaning my writing room, throwing away a lot of old stuff, manuscripts, notebooks, and folders when I ran across this story. Now, I already had two or three other manuscripts in different stages, enough to keep me busy for years, but the boy and dog in the story kept calling to me. I listened and remembered how much I loved these characters, so we're trying again, with many changes.
Will it work this time? I don't know, but in a week or so, I hope to find out. The boy and dog are almost ready to face the world. So, at the moment I'm a bit insecure.
Happy Reading and Writing.
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