Sharing With My Community

      In my last post, I talked about my involvement in several communities.  It's important to not just be a part of a community but to give back to one's community, so today, I'm offering up some special books.


      First, I have a double autographed copy of It Jes Happened by Don Tate and illustrated by Gregory Christie. I was able to spend a little time talking with them at their recent gallery talk/book signing held at The High Museum of Art. (Don and I met last summer at the               
Highlights Writers'  Workshop at Chautauqua.)

           The second book, Hanging Off Jefferson's Nose, is written by Tina Nichols Coury, known as "The Rushmore Kid" in the blogosphere. Tina is always promoting other authors and their books so it's nice to see her in the spotlight. The book is illustrated by Sally Wern Comport.




      Both of these picture book biographies are fabulous! They share life stories of individuals unknown to many and celebrate their remarkable contributions to the world of art and to America. I have read these books several times. There's have a smooth flow to each story matched by the cadence of words. I can only hope that the picture book biography I'm working on will shine half as bright as these fine books.


     So, how can you win one? Stop by this blog and leave me a comment. Tweet, FB post, or blog shout-out and earn extra chances. You don't even have to be a follower (although I'd love for you to!) Giveaway ends at midnight on June 15th.

       Each book is special in its own way, but they have a couple threads in common: always be observant of the world around you and find something you're passionate about and participate in it. These really are great stories, so if you don't win one, go out and buy them!

A Guest Spot and a Giveaway!       
 
        Last May, while strolling around the Decatur Book Festival, I stopped to check out books by Indie authors. I don't know about you, but titles draw me in, not cover art. I picked up a book called Maze In Blue by Debra H. Goldstein because it reminded me of my college colors- maize and blue. I read the blurb and surprise, the mystery's setting was my alma mater, University of Michigan.    
                                        

            Fast forward....book purchased and as I began to read I discovered the main character's backstory included living in the same dorm I lived in AND the time frame was the same years I attended U of M. * insert The Twilight Zone music here* It was as if I was meant to connect to this author. Fast forward again.. I emailed Debra (who lives in our Southern Breeze region) and we've been corresponding ever since.

             Somewhere between Jewish holidays (another connection, we're both Jewish) Debra asked if I'd like to be a guest blogger on her blog!

My post is appearing today! Please take a peak over there and let me know what you think.

Giveaway Time!!!!!!!

      I've been meaning to give away a few books as a thank you for helping me reach 100 followers. Now do I hear 150?? Just kidding! 
Anyway, here's what I have to give:

* An autographed copy of Untraceable by S. R. Johannes (aka our own Shelli Johannes-Wells).
-action/thriller/romance-

  *  An autographed copy of The Friendship 
     Doll by Kirby Larson  
        -historical fiction-
 

 

*  An ARC of Beyonders 2: Seeds of Revolution  by    Brandon Mull with swag (a bookmark and a packet  of real seeds!)  
-fantasy-


Here's what you do:
* sign on as a follower of my blog (name goes in once)
* mention on Twitter, and send me the link (name in again)
* mention on Facebook and send me the link (another chance)
* shout-out on your blog (4th opportunity)
* cajole  threaten convince someone else to sign up and if you want the credit, they need to mention your name in the comment please. (chance #5)


You have until midnight, April 30th to enter. Winners announced on May 1st. Sorry, open to US and Canadian residents only this time.
My bookshelf loss is your gain!
           

                    Where Have I Been? 
              (And a Giveaway) (Oh, and a writing contest)

      The last time I posted, it was November. Now it's almost no longer December! Where have I been? Here's the list:
 
* in Boston for a week over Thanksgiving
* taxing my brain all November thinking up picture book ideas for the Picture Book Idea Month challenge (30 ideas in 30 days.Yeah... I Did It. Go girl!)
* Working hard to help out the Foundation Fighting Blindness, my favorite charity, with several events, like the monthly support group I help lead.

Okay Gail, so whatcha been doing most of December???????

Um....... reading......writing.......making jewelry for Chanukah presents. Playing hookey [sorry!]

      One of the books I've been reading is a fabulous book by a wonderful writer buddy. You might know her..Shelli Johannes-Wells (writing as S.R. Johannes)
Her debut novel, called Untraceable. It's an awesome read and tough to put down. Here's the description:
         Grace has lived in the Smokies all her life, patrolling with her forest ranger father who taught her about wildlife, tracking, and wilderness survival. When her dad goes missing on a routine patrol, Grace refuses to believe he’s dead and fights the town authorities, tribal officials, and nature to find him.
         One day, while out tracking clues, Grace is rescued from danger by Mo, a hot guy with an intoxicating accent and a secret. As her feelings between him and her ex-boyfriend get muddled, Grace travels deep into the wilderness to escape and find her father. Along the way, Grace learns terrible secrets that sever relationships and lives. Soon she’s enmeshed in a web of conspiracy, deception, and murder.
         And it’s going to take a lot more than a compass and a motorcycle (named Lucifer) for this kick-butting heroine to save everything she loves.

Intriguing, right? Well, hold on because here's where the GIVEAWAY comes in. I bought 2 copies of Untraceable, one for me and one for YOU. Or maybe you over there reading on your iPad. Anyway, you have until midnight on January 1st to enter. The winner will be announced on January 2nd.

RULES:
*You must be a signed-up follower of this blog to enter.
*Leave a comment on this blog post, with your email address  for a chance to win.
*Tweet about this giveaway (send me a link), one chance.

*FB shout-out about the giveaway (send me a link) is another opportunity.

* Give me a shout-out on your blog, another chance. (send me a link)

Are you with me so far? You're up to 4 possible chances.

*Get someone new to become a follower and get 2 bonus chances (be sure to tell me their name or have them mention your name in the comment left.)

How can you resist? Six possible chances to win this exciting new book.

Ready, set, go social media this giveaway! Good luck!

Now for the writing contest. 

Children's book author, Susanna Leonard Hill has a holiday writing contest. Either write a poem, based on Twas the Night Before Christmas or a story of 350 words or less. This only goes until Thursday, December 22nd so think and write fast. Your entry needs to be posted on your own blog, or if you don't have a blog, it needs to be pasted into the comments on her blog post. You might win a $15 Amazon gift card or the 2012 Children's Writers and Illustrators Market book. I actual found out about this contest on a blog written by a 12 year old boy. He wrote an entry and man, he will be hard to beat! Your poem/story can be about any winter holiday, or just wintry. If you're curious for all the details, click here

      So without further ado, here's my entry. Disclaimer: I'm not that good at poetry. Or rhyming. Especially long, rhyming poems with many stanzas. Okay, now here's my entry, for real.

Chanukah Nights

by Gail Handler

Twas the week before Chanukah

Mama said, "Kenahora!

I forgot to buy candles

to fill the menorah!"

"Oh where should I go

to buy Chanukah lights,

Forty-four are needed

for all the eight nights."

"To Publix? Or Target?

To WalMart? Online?

Oh, the synagogue gift shop

might work out just fine."

"Now I need to buy presents

Some big and some small,

But this time of year

I won't go to a Mall."

"So it's shopping online

for everyone in our group,

Web sites will gift wrap

So children can't snoop."

Fast forward eight days

Chanukah has arrived

with the out-of-town relatives

(we hope we'll survive.)

Sing songs, play some dreidel

Watch candles burn bright 

Jewish children get presents,

Spread over eight nights.

Chanukah lasts a whole week

filled with fun, food, and joy

Like potato pancakes and applesauce

or jelly donuts, oh boy!

So Happy Chanukah friends

spelled with one "k" not two

And if you're not Jewish

then Merry Christmas to you!

                                Random Acts of Publicity- Thursday
                          Part II of interview with Fiona Page  

          Yesterday, we met Fiona Page and talked about her new children's book, BETTINA THE BOLD. Fiona plans to take some of the stories she told as a professional storyteller in schools and now turn them into chapter books for kids.

           Today we'll talk about how her life has (or hasn't changed) after losing her sight and about her memoir, MY NIGHTLIFE IS 24/7.                                   

What have you found that you can still do with no sight that you thought you'd have to give up?

Dance! I love to dance all kinds of dances. I also thought I would never read again because audio books were not widely accepted in 1987. Now there are many options for reading.

What do you miss the most as a person without sight?

The freedom to do what I want when I want.

( I can relate to this as well. No matter how hard we work at maintaining our independence, the bottom line is that life now takes more planning and arranging. Going and doing something spontaneously doesn't easily happen when you no longer drive and/or need someone else for assistance. I struggle with this too.)

Yes, coping with challenges is an ongoing process! 

 

As a visually impaired person myself, I find characters in my stories frequently have vision loss or another disability, or one of their family members has a disability. Do you find a pull toward those sorts of characters in your stories?

My mother was disabled. She had two prosthetic legs. I like to show others that we all have something which is a challenge but it does not make us different because we all want to be accepted and have friends. It only inconveniences us until we find a way around it. I think I will write about my mother now.  

Ah, you come by your strength of character naturally, then!

Let's talk about your memoir, MY NIGHTLIFE IS 24/7. Would you tell us about it?

MY NIGHTLIFE IS 24/7 is about going from a being a sighted person to a sightless one. It's also about overcoming challenges with courage and conviction and moving beyond them. You know, we all have obstacles in our lives, some of them we did not choose for ourselves. We can, however, make a choice about how we will deal with those obstacles. I hope it will show others that life does go on.

Was writing your memoir a part of the healing and acceptance process after losing your sight?

Most definitely. I became blind in '87. Life became a whirlwind of learning (using a computer, cane mobility training, daily living skills). It was not until 2000 that I started writing out of desperation--I couldn't talk for two months. Through this long process--years of writing--I realized I finally accepted the "new" me. Accepting my blindness took ten years and then it only came in stages.

(I understand. I call it my "new normal" because what I previously called normal responses or situations all had to change.)

Absolutely!

Thank you Fiona for sharing your life story along with your written stories. You are truly inspiring and I'm glad to call you friend.

Remember.... leave a comment and an email address (unless I already have your address!) and there will be a book giveaway late Friday night. I'll post the winner on Monday.

If you're interested in purchasing a copy of BETTINA THE BOLD or MY NIGHTLIFE IS 24/7, you can click here. 

 Ancient History But Modern Day Lesson

     A couple weeks ago, I went to a book launch party for the fabulous author and wordsmith, Vicky Alvear Shecter. Vicky has written two incredible nonfiction books for kids;  Alexander the Great Rocks the World 

and Cleopatra Rules! The Amazing Life of the Original Teen Queen.

Vicky's newest release (and the reason for celebration) is Cleopatra's Moon, a YA historical novel about Cleopatra Selene, the only daughter of Cleopatra and Mark Antony. At the party, I asked Vicky if she would make a blog visit to discuss her book, which is garnering some fabulous reviews, I might add!

Hi Vicky, welcome and thanks for taking time to share with us! 

Thank you for having me here, Gail! It’s always fun to talk about our work with friends. 

Would you give us a brief synopsis of Cleopatra’s Moon?

         Cleopatra’s Moon is the story of what happened to Cleopatra’s daughter, Selene, after Rome conquered Egypt (yes, the famous queen of Egypt had a daughter—it’s based on real history!).  The story is told from Cleopatra Selene’s point of view as she tries to make sense of the tragedies that befell her family. Selene, by the way, was the only one of the queen’s four children to survive into adulthood.

The only child to survive? Go girl power!  Was Cleopatra’s Moon your original title? If not, who changed it?
 

           Yes, it is the original title. Selene means “Moon” in Greek, and Cleopatra was the last of the Greek, Ptolemaic rulers.  I liked the subtle play on words because her daughter was, in many ways, like the moon—mysterious and in darkness—as compared to the bright lights of scrutiny continually trained on her own life as the last queen of Egypt.

Was there anything unusual or unexpected that you learned about Cleopatra Selene when you did your research?

        The thing that surprised me the most—though I don’t know why it should have—is just how LITTLE the lives of girls and women mattered to the ancient historians. Here was the daughter of Cleopatra and Mark Antony and yet we have nothing about her or her life. She is mentioned almost as an afterthought by Plutarch and some of the other ancient observers. We know only when she was born, who her parents were, where she was taken after the death of her mother, when she was marched as a political prisoner and when she was married off. That was about it!  What a loss!

Cleopatra’s Moon has been called a good read for mother-daughter discussions. What did the discussion sound like with your own daughter?

        I tend to discuss my books as I write, so the discussions evolved— at first talking about how it was that we know so little about Cleopatra Selene. Then it evolved into discussions about how the Romans used negative propaganda to shape our perceptions of the Egyptian queen— and how, as a culture, we still tend to do this today: smear the reputations of girls that threaten us or scare us in some way with sexually demeaning names. 

        Our discussions also moved into how Cleopatra Selene could keep her own sense of power in a world gone crazy.

Reminds me of present day bullying tactics only now the smear campaign takes place with technology.

What’s next in your writers’ grab bag?

                I am hoping to write another historical fiction novel but I can’t say more for now! (Don’t want to jinx it!)

  

        Ever have the urge to challenge yourself with an ancient history picture book?

       Funny you should ask! My first effort at getting published was with a picture book about a cat in pre-dynastic ancient Egypt. Could. Not. Sell. It. I came close a couple of times, but no sale.

        Since then, I’ve written a picture book about an amazing Nubian pharaoh named TAHARQA, but I haven’t been able to sell that one either.

        But, I’ll keep trying because I would love to have some of the magic and mystery of the ancient world captured in a picture book.

 
       Thanks Vicky for your time! I hope everyone will be intrigued and go buy Cleopatra's Moon. I know I'm enjoying my copy!

*ANNOUNCEMENT*  Oh. My. Gosh. Vicky has offered an autographed copy of her book to one lucky blog follower!  Here's the scoop:

• You need to be a follower of this blog and Vicky's blog
•  If you tweet or FB post or blog post about the giveaway, leave me a link to it in the comments. That will earn you extra chances at the book.
• If you get someone new to sign up, mention it in the comments and earn another chance.

Easy peasy. You have until Sunday, August 28th @ midnight. Winner of this incredible book will be announced Monday the 29th. Now go stretch those fingers and type away!

    

                                                   

                             Farewell to Chautauqua

         I hope you've enjoyed reading the highlights of the Writer's Workshop at Chautauqua as much as I've enjoyed writing them. I thought I'd close it out with some of the quirkiness of the place.

     Do you see the large acorn on the right side of the photo? I imagine a squirrel spotting that would have thoughts of hitting the jackpot! Here's a closeup.
                                  



         Then there's this fellow. Sometimes he (or is it a she?) sat in the yard; others times you found him/her on the porch. It must have been too heat for him/her as well! 

  

        Here's an interesting creature. Wouldn't want even one of these to join me at a picnic.  


         These were fun folks!  I called them the Hall of Missions Singers and from a certain angle, their object of adoration seemed to be a pedestrian sign.To each his own Higher Power. :-)

           

Of course, I couldn't resist joining them!

   

    

                         
*drumroll* And now for the book giveaway!!!  
                              *confetti throwing*
I have 6 books to giveaway and 3 of them are autographed!

• The Complete Idiots Guide to Publishing Children's Books by Harold Underdown
• Publicize Your Book: Getting Your Book the Attention it Deserves by Jacqueline Deval
• Writing From the Heart: How to Write for Children by Joy Cowley
• Bamboo People by Mitali Perkins
• Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine  
• Gone From These Woods by Donny Seagraves   

(Hint: the 3 novels are autographed!)

Okay, here's how you can win......

1. You must be signed on as a follower of my blog   (+1 point)
   
2. Leave a comment and include your email  address.  (+1 point) 
3. Tweet a link or Facebook a link or Blog a link back to my post. (+2 for each of these)
4. Anyone who mentions seeing your tweet, FB post, or blog post gives you an additional point!

This contest runs for 10 days (Aug.10-20) and I'll post the winners on Monday, August 22nd. Now go out and spread the word, um words.