This is for the week beginning February 1 (which is Sunday). There is a change in my normal hosting spot in that I have been hosting folks on this blog but will host Suzanne on my JGDS blog since she is a children's writer and I can capitalize on that over there. See you all in the postings - E :)
Deborah Ramos hosting Sally Murphy
Dianne Sagan hosting Margaret Fieland
Harry Gilleland hosting Pam Devor
Karen Cioffi hosting Elysabeth Eldering
Kathy Stemke hosting Joyce Anthony
Lea Schizas hosting Crystalee Calderwood
Nancy Famolari hosting Deborah Ramos
Suzanne Lieurance hosting Dianne Sagan
Vivian Zabel hosting Harry Gilleland
Dehanna Bailee hosting Karen Cioffi
Margaret Fieland hosting Kathy Stemke
Ransom Noble hosting Lea Schizas
Crystalee Calderwood hosting Nancy Famolari
Elysabeth Eldering hosting Suzanne Lieurance
Joyce Anthony hosting Vivan Zabel
Sally Murphy hosting Ransom Noble
Pam Devor hosting Dehanna Bailee
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Friday, January 23, 2009
Wordle - a different one
I had done the one for the JGDS series first (you can view on my other blog) and then decided to create one for this blog. Here is the Wordle for this blog and you can create your own wordle here.
This one looks pretty busy to me - lots of stuff going on here -
This one looks pretty busy to me - lots of stuff going on here -
More CPSIA info
Seriously. This is to the point that every reader needs to listen and act upon. We have 18 days until this law becomes effective and the number of people it will affect is in the millions. We need all those millions of people to contact their representatives in Washington and make it known that CPSIA is more harmful to the children than it is protecting them.
My friend Holly Jahangiri posted her letter on her site. It's an excellent posting. I encourage you all to read her reply to Vivian's comment and understand that this is way deeper than just toys. It will hit everyone in the pockets in the long run.
Don't be a naysayer and say this doesn't affect you. This affects everyone. Please make those phone calls today. At this point, letters may not get there in time, and it seems the only way we can be heard is to be vocal. I would love to take a trip to Washington right now and sit on the front steps of the White House and in front of my representatives' offices and tell them what I think of CPSIA.
I hope the letter I sent to President Obama with a copy of my book inscribed to his daughters will get the message through. Someone has to have a light bulb go off soon and have one of those V-8 moments. If the libraries close their doors to children and/or even remove all the children's books, the schools will have to follow suit in that they won't be able to have textbooks. If all the toys and children's clothing and everything geared for that age group is removed from the places we shop most (like Wal-Mart, Target, K-Mart and the thrift stores and other places), what are all the families with kids going to do? Shrug and say, it doesn't affect me? If you can't even buy a pair of jeans for your kids, what then? Please don't say it doesn't affect you even if you have no kids in the home. If you are an aunt or uncle or a grandparent, it affects you. If you are a single person with no kid-ties in your family, it affects you because over time, you will find that the piece of jewelry you like so much and waiting for the right time to buy it will no longer be affordable to you. Those nice clothes you wear to work or to go out with your friends will be so costly, it won't be affordable to dress for work.
I know I sound like a broken record, but with only 18 days until doomsday, we need to be acting, not sitting back on our hunches and saying it doesn't affect me at all; I have no children in that age group. Call your representatives, remind them that they work for you and not the other way around. They have to listen to the voice of the people. They have to repeal CPSIA before it is too late.
T-minus 18 days and counting - E :)
My friend Holly Jahangiri posted her letter on her site. It's an excellent posting. I encourage you all to read her reply to Vivian's comment and understand that this is way deeper than just toys. It will hit everyone in the pockets in the long run.
Don't be a naysayer and say this doesn't affect you. This affects everyone. Please make those phone calls today. At this point, letters may not get there in time, and it seems the only way we can be heard is to be vocal. I would love to take a trip to Washington right now and sit on the front steps of the White House and in front of my representatives' offices and tell them what I think of CPSIA.
I hope the letter I sent to President Obama with a copy of my book inscribed to his daughters will get the message through. Someone has to have a light bulb go off soon and have one of those V-8 moments. If the libraries close their doors to children and/or even remove all the children's books, the schools will have to follow suit in that they won't be able to have textbooks. If all the toys and children's clothing and everything geared for that age group is removed from the places we shop most (like Wal-Mart, Target, K-Mart and the thrift stores and other places), what are all the families with kids going to do? Shrug and say, it doesn't affect me? If you can't even buy a pair of jeans for your kids, what then? Please don't say it doesn't affect you even if you have no kids in the home. If you are an aunt or uncle or a grandparent, it affects you. If you are a single person with no kid-ties in your family, it affects you because over time, you will find that the piece of jewelry you like so much and waiting for the right time to buy it will no longer be affordable to you. Those nice clothes you wear to work or to go out with your friends will be so costly, it won't be affordable to dress for work.
I know I sound like a broken record, but with only 18 days until doomsday, we need to be acting, not sitting back on our hunches and saying it doesn't affect me at all; I have no children in that age group. Call your representatives, remind them that they work for you and not the other way around. They have to listen to the voice of the people. They have to repeal CPSIA before it is too late.
T-minus 18 days and counting - E :)
Thursday, January 22, 2009
More CPSIA from the ALA
This is an excellent article on the position of the ALA (American Library Association) along with the AAP (American Association of Printers). This is not good. I'd like to leave a comment in that not only will the CPSIA affect libraries and schools but any organization that has books for this specific age group. Scouting groups won't be able to have handbooks, patches, or camping gear; other organizations that rely on handbooks as well. Again, there is double talk in the article from the CPSC side's - they realize and acknowledge that the deadlines are difficult to be met yet they are not doing anything about repealing the law and getting it written to target the items originally intended to target.
Of course the reason CPSIA of 2008 passed unanomyously in both the Senate and House is that no one wanted to be the naysayer of rejecting something set out to "protect the children". The more we contact our representatives, by phone, the more likely it is the public will be heard. I urge all of you to please tell your friends, family, acquaintances, email buddies, online friends, everyone to call their representatives. Tie up the phone lines as much as you can. Tell them to repeal CPSIA of 2008 and rewrite it. Protect the children and the economy. It is definitely going to take more than a few hundred voices to be heard. It will take the nation of voters (we all elected these folks to Congress and they work for us), to get this law repealed. Do not let February 10 come without any action. I, for one, do not want the books burned nor children banned from schools and libraries and museums and other places that carry items that cannot or will not be tested. Burning and banning are wrong. This is not protecting our children. If everyone of you who reads this blog, sends a mass email to your friends and families and get all of them to do the same thing, maybe we will reach enough people to voice the cry - Repeal CPSIA of 2008, protect the children, protect the economy, Don't ban or burn books and other items that have no lead whatsoever in them. I'm only a small part and I've written a letter to President Obama and included a copy of my first book in the series, hoping that he will read the inscription to his daughters and the letter to see how deep this law goes. He did not vote either time the Act came up for voting (either was present and did not vote or wasn't present). If our representatives see the big picture and how much havoc they are creating and not targeting the right people, then maybe they will do something.
Time of truly of the essence and there is no time like the present to act. Please, do your part (even if you have no children in the house, this will affect you in the long run because the cost of ordinary, non-children's items will go up so high that the everyday consumer will not be able to afford anything and there will be no businesses left to buy from), speak up and tell the governing body to repeal this horrendously written, ill thought out, double talk, contradictory, ambiguous law - Do it today.
Of course the reason CPSIA of 2008 passed unanomyously in both the Senate and House is that no one wanted to be the naysayer of rejecting something set out to "protect the children". The more we contact our representatives, by phone, the more likely it is the public will be heard. I urge all of you to please tell your friends, family, acquaintances, email buddies, online friends, everyone to call their representatives. Tie up the phone lines as much as you can. Tell them to repeal CPSIA of 2008 and rewrite it. Protect the children and the economy. It is definitely going to take more than a few hundred voices to be heard. It will take the nation of voters (we all elected these folks to Congress and they work for us), to get this law repealed. Do not let February 10 come without any action. I, for one, do not want the books burned nor children banned from schools and libraries and museums and other places that carry items that cannot or will not be tested. Burning and banning are wrong. This is not protecting our children. If everyone of you who reads this blog, sends a mass email to your friends and families and get all of them to do the same thing, maybe we will reach enough people to voice the cry - Repeal CPSIA of 2008, protect the children, protect the economy, Don't ban or burn books and other items that have no lead whatsoever in them. I'm only a small part and I've written a letter to President Obama and included a copy of my first book in the series, hoping that he will read the inscription to his daughters and the letter to see how deep this law goes. He did not vote either time the Act came up for voting (either was present and did not vote or wasn't present). If our representatives see the big picture and how much havoc they are creating and not targeting the right people, then maybe they will do something.
Time of truly of the essence and there is no time like the present to act. Please, do your part (even if you have no children in the house, this will affect you in the long run because the cost of ordinary, non-children's items will go up so high that the everyday consumer will not be able to afford anything and there will be no businesses left to buy from), speak up and tell the governing body to repeal this horrendously written, ill thought out, double talk, contradictory, ambiguous law - Do it today.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Covey anyone?
Aidana submitted my cover for State of Wilderness back in August and received notification this past weekend that it was posted for the January awards. So pop on over to the Covey Awards blog and cast your vote. Be prepared that mine is the only children's cover nominated. See you all in the postings - E :)
Monday, January 19, 2009
The Prairie of Prairie Dog Cowboy
by Vivian Zabel
The setting for Prairie Dog Cowboy was fictionalized but exists in the Oklahoma Panhandle. The prairie runs from what is now northeast Oklahoma, the Texas Panhandle, and north into Kansas and Nebraska.
Many people think the panhandle is drab, ugly, and flat. Not so. Yes, a person may think the land is flat because few, if any hills, are found, but the land has unexpected valleys and gullies that contain green, living things.
The view is spectacular in its own way. I’ve stood outside the house where my husband grew up and looked “forever” in all directions. The sky bright and blue arched above my head. The horizon stretched at the edge of the skyline miles and miles away. At night, the stars against the black velvet of darkness seemed closer than in other places. The lights of towns twenty to thirty miles away could be seen without trouble.
The gullies, deep and rather narrow cuts in the land caused by wind and rain run-offs, often hide green grass when the land above is dry and grass is brown. Valleys, which are different than gullies in that they are usually wider and have more flood plain created by rivers, are filled with trees and lush plant life.
Along the roads in pastures of prairie grass and man-planted plants, cattle graze, slick and fat. Fields of wheat or milo, sometimes corn, can be found creating breaks between thousands of acres of native pasture.
In the book, the ranches owned by the Hyman family and James Buck are found along the Beaver River. Much of the area used as the Buck ranch and a portion of the ranch used as the Hyman ranch were taken by the government to make the Optima Lake and hunting area. The land still exists though, cutting through the Oklahoma Panhandle prairie.
Buddy rode and worked the land that can still be found, rich and valuable filled with hardworking people.
Prairie Dog Cowboy
4RV Publishing
Vivian Gilbert Zabel
by Vivian Zabel
The setting for Prairie Dog Cowboy was fictionalized but exists in the Oklahoma Panhandle. The prairie runs from what is now northeast Oklahoma, the Texas Panhandle, and north into Kansas and Nebraska.
Many people think the panhandle is drab, ugly, and flat. Not so. Yes, a person may think the land is flat because few, if any hills, are found, but the land has unexpected valleys and gullies that contain green, living things.
The view is spectacular in its own way. I’ve stood outside the house where my husband grew up and looked “forever” in all directions. The sky bright and blue arched above my head. The horizon stretched at the edge of the skyline miles and miles away. At night, the stars against the black velvet of darkness seemed closer than in other places. The lights of towns twenty to thirty miles away could be seen without trouble.
The gullies, deep and rather narrow cuts in the land caused by wind and rain run-offs, often hide green grass when the land above is dry and grass is brown. Valleys, which are different than gullies in that they are usually wider and have more flood plain created by rivers, are filled with trees and lush plant life.
Along the roads in pastures of prairie grass and man-planted plants, cattle graze, slick and fat. Fields of wheat or milo, sometimes corn, can be found creating breaks between thousands of acres of native pasture.
In the book, the ranches owned by the Hyman family and James Buck are found along the Beaver River. Much of the area used as the Buck ranch and a portion of the ranch used as the Hyman ranch were taken by the government to make the Optima Lake and hunting area. The land still exists though, cutting through the Oklahoma Panhandle prairie.
Buddy rode and worked the land that can still be found, rich and valuable filled with hardworking people.
Prairie Dog Cowboy
4RV Publishing
Vivian Gilbert Zabel
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Prairie Dog Cowboy coming soon
More on Vivian and Prairie Dog Cowboy coming later this week. The guest posting article should be posted tomorrow. It's fun learning something historical you never knew. Come check out what Vivian has to say on prairie living. SYNOPSIS OF PRAIRIE DOG COWBOY:
Description of Prairie Dog Cowboy by V. Gilbert Zabel
Genre: middle grade/ young adult / historical fiction
Publisher: 4RV Publishing
Hardback, 180 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0-9797513-5-6
ISBN-10: 0-9797513-5-7
Time passes so quickly and history is getting rewritten all the time. So much of our heritage is lost with those changes. It is refreshing to see a slice of reality portraying the daily life of 1899 Oklahoma in V. Gilbert Zabel's latest literary work, "Prairie Dog Cowboy".
Buddy Roberts is but a small boy at the start of the story. It isn’t clear right away why his mother is set against the child. Although he has an older brother, he's tending to the cattle at the age of five, all alone with only his dog to keep him company. Buddy is a mindful child, doing what needs to be done, even at such a young age, hoping some day to grow up to be a cowboy. Instead of him and Patch doing the work on foot, he dreams of herding cattle on horseback someday.
Neighbor rancher Caleb Hyman is impressed with Buddy. He wonders, too, why the child works hard while his older brother, Jake, is doted on and spoiled. But, Caleb can see the man that Buddy will become, encourages him, and teaches him to rope. Once Buddy can rope a prairie dog, Caleb promises he'll give the boy a job on his ranch. Not an easy thing to do, but Buddy works hard to reach his appointed goal.
Through the years, Buddy becomes a part of Caleb's family, a friend of Caleb's twin sons, and the unknowing object of affection for their younger sister, Katie. Life begins to take a turn for the better as he approaches manhood. An ironic twist at the end brings the cycle of life in full circle.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Latest from Publisher's Weekly concerning the CPSIA
If you all don't think this new soon to be law doesn't concern you, please think again. The latest article from Publisher's Weekly shows that this new law will affect more than just books being sold in bookstores; it goes down to the libraries and schools. I urge you all to send your letters to the appropriate people (again, a good listing of contacts and other information can be found on both Vivian's blog and Holly's blog.) Holly has been putting up the good fight but we are a small company and it will take thousands of voices to be heard.
On the good news side of this, Change.org had some topics that were posted and encouraged the population to vote on to present to President-elect Barack to help make changes in such things as this silly, ill-written, poorly thought out, double edged, contradictory and ambiguous law. The top 10 vote getters will be presented, and "Save the Small Businesses from CPSIA" ranked in the top 10. So now it is a matter of getting a platform on how to make this a national problem to present to the President-elect in order to get it changed. So please keep writing and calling and emailing your congressmen, the chairs of the committees and even President-elect and President-soon-to-be. The more voices that speak out against this new law, the better we are. February 10 will be here before we know it (25 days and counting). Speak up to save the books, clothing, and toy industry from the monstrous law that will kill the economy totally.
On the good news side of this, Change.org had some topics that were posted and encouraged the population to vote on to present to President-elect Barack to help make changes in such things as this silly, ill-written, poorly thought out, double edged, contradictory and ambiguous law. The top 10 vote getters will be presented, and "Save the Small Businesses from CPSIA" ranked in the top 10. So now it is a matter of getting a platform on how to make this a national problem to present to the President-elect in order to get it changed. So please keep writing and calling and emailing your congressmen, the chairs of the committees and even President-elect and President-soon-to-be. The more voices that speak out against this new law, the better we are. February 10 will be here before we know it (25 days and counting). Speak up to save the books, clothing, and toy industry from the monstrous law that will kill the economy totally.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Let's meet Vivian, author of Prairie Dog Cowboy
Vivian Gilbert was born to Raymond and Dolly Gilbert, July 28, 1943, on Randolph Air Force Base, Texas. The base for years was outside the city of San Antonio, but now the city surrounds the base.
With a military father who was transferred around the world, Vivian often changed schools, in fact when she graduated from high school in Limestone, Maine, she had changed schools twenty-two times.
After graduating from high school in 1961, Vivian returned to Oklahoma where she enrolled in Bethany Nazarene College (now Southern Nazarene University, in Bethany, Oklahoma). During the one semester she could afford to attend, Robert Zabel visited his sister, and Vivian and Robert met. They married February 18, 1962 and are still together.
During the next few years, Robert and Vivian had four children, three of whom lived. A story that shows the love and closeness between the couple is found in the short story “Romance Midst Tragedy,” published in Hidden Lies and Other Stories.
As she reared her children and was a stay-at-home-mother, with spells of working in the business world, Vivian wrote short stories, poetry, and articles, which were published. Once her children were in school, Vivian returned to college and, in two and a half years, earned her BA with two majors (English and speech).
Vivian attended workshops, clinics, conferences, and classes about writing during her twenty-seven years of teaching. The further education helped her better teach her students and helped her hone her own writing skills. Finally in 2001 she was able to write full time and write longer works, after she retired from teaching.
At present, Vivian has six books to her credit, two co-authored. Her latest books are Prairie Dog Cowboy (written under the name V. Gilbert Zabel) and Midnight Hours (written under the name Vivian Gilbert Zabel).
Her interests besides writing include her family (husband, children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren), reading, helping other people publish their books (through 4RV Publishing), and traveling (which she can’t do much any more).
Links:
4RV Publishing
Vivian Gilbert Zabel
Midnight Hours
Prairie Dog Cowboy
For ordering information:
Click here or go to Amazon
Check back later in the week for an article on life on the prairies of Oklahoma that is tied into Vivian's new book "Prairie Dog Cowboy".
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Middle of month and so much going on
Here it is the 14th of January and I've not gotten myself organized for the upcoming tours (working on it, though). Tomorrow I am hosting Vivian Zabel, my publisher, for the Virtual Book Tours forum. I will post some introductory information later this evening and then an article pertaining to her new book, Prairie Dog Cowboy, which will be the topic of this tour.
Saturday I begin my actual blog tour for State of Wilderness and State of Quarries which may not get released until late February but I am still promoting it. We will begin by being on the Book Roast Blog and end up on my JGDS blog on Sunday the 25th. So come travel the states with us and see what's in store for you at each stop.
Stay tuned to see what fun things we can learn about being a Prairie cowboy all this week too.
(and as an aside to how busy I will be during the blog tours, I have to take my daughter to two appointments on the same day and have a writing group meeting that night, with another meeting the next night and then in class with the 6th graders on Thursday, the 22nd, and having a live book signing on the 24th at The Open Book in Greenville, SC - so if you are in the area and want to help launch the second book in the series, come out and visit and get a signed copy of book 1, State of Wilderness and preorder your copy of State of Quarries. (Hopefully CPSIA will be on its way out the door and publishing of books will be able to continue as before)). And on the 26th of January - ALA will be announcing it's winners and honors in each of their award categories - Newberry, Sibert, Caldecott among others - (State of Wilderness is entered in those three, so we'll see.
If you have read a copy of State of Wilderness, and I haven't contacted you, would you mind going to this site and nominating it for the Crown Award. We want to get books in the schools for kids to read and this may be my way in. Appreciate it - see you all in the postings - E :)
Saturday I begin my actual blog tour for State of Wilderness and State of Quarries which may not get released until late February but I am still promoting it. We will begin by being on the Book Roast Blog and end up on my JGDS blog on Sunday the 25th. So come travel the states with us and see what's in store for you at each stop.
Stay tuned to see what fun things we can learn about being a Prairie cowboy all this week too.
(and as an aside to how busy I will be during the blog tours, I have to take my daughter to two appointments on the same day and have a writing group meeting that night, with another meeting the next night and then in class with the 6th graders on Thursday, the 22nd, and having a live book signing on the 24th at The Open Book in Greenville, SC - so if you are in the area and want to help launch the second book in the series, come out and visit and get a signed copy of book 1, State of Wilderness and preorder your copy of State of Quarries. (Hopefully CPSIA will be on its way out the door and publishing of books will be able to continue as before)). And on the 26th of January - ALA will be announcing it's winners and honors in each of their award categories - Newberry, Sibert, Caldecott among others - (State of Wilderness is entered in those three, so we'll see.
If you have read a copy of State of Wilderness, and I haven't contacted you, would you mind going to this site and nominating it for the Crown Award. We want to get books in the schools for kids to read and this may be my way in. Appreciate it - see you all in the postings - E :)
Monday, January 12, 2009
More info on the CPSIA
Follow the article here for more on this or even here on how a book is put together. As everyone can see, the components are tested and well below the limits and therefore when combined can't possibly as high as expected or set forth in the CPSIA.
I also found a link on our local news (unfortunately can't get the video to play all the way through) from last week that touches on this topic and I have left a comment and am hoping that the more voices who speak up and speak out against this law that the government has to take notice and repeal this law and/or reword it or rework it. So remember - please contact all your local, state, and DC representatives and the committee chairs who can call an emergency session to get this law repealed. At least stopped before it becomes effective. Let's be proactive to help save the book industry, the clothing industry and the small businesses this would definitely put out of business.
I also found a link on our local news (unfortunately can't get the video to play all the way through) from last week that touches on this topic and I have left a comment and am hoping that the more voices who speak up and speak out against this law that the government has to take notice and repeal this law and/or reword it or rework it. So remember - please contact all your local, state, and DC representatives and the committee chairs who can call an emergency session to get this law repealed. At least stopped before it becomes effective. Let's be proactive to help save the book industry, the clothing industry and the small businesses this would definitely put out of business.
Travel the States blog tour
In conjunction with the rotation on the virtual book tour forum, I'm also touring the JGDS series via another blog tour. Click here for more information. There will be prizes offered at each tour stop. I have interviews, reviews, and articles going up around the states - visiting New York, Utah, Montana, Washington state, South Carolina, Texas and one stop will be a "book roast". So follow the JGD squad and see where the adventure takes you next - E :)
Friday, January 09, 2009
CPSIA and Publisher's Weekly
There is some buzz about the publishing industry and you can follow postings all over the web. This is from Publisher's Weekly which is an industry standard that most publishers follow.
Now, the big boys are stepping in on this ill-written, poorly thought out Act. For those of you who haven't been following what is going on, the buzz is about the Consumer Product Safety Information Act of 2008. This Act was signed in August by President Bush and was enacted by the Commmittee of Energy and Commerce and passed in both the Senate and House of Representatives in July of 2008. The whole act was meant to target "manufacturers" of products aimed at children ages 12 and under and came on the heels of having two serious recalls of toys that Mattel(R) sold that were manufactured in China and had lead contents and small parts unsafe for children. The lawmakers all meant to target the manufacturers of said products but by creating this ill-written, ambiguous and contradictory Act. The lawmakers have impacted the small business and "one of a kind individuals" in a major way. The testing required for any product (that is everything, clothing, toys, books, et cetera) geared towards the children of this age group is expensive and has to be done on every batch of any item produced. If you run a 50-item batch this month, you have to test it. If you run a 5000-item batch next month, you have to have it tested. The burden of proof is falling on the wrong people. Small businesses, second-hand stores, publishers (large and small) will have to pay the costs and in turn end up going out of business.
This is a serious matter so I appeal to all my readers to please check out all the postings on the following websites: Vivian's Brain Cells & Bubble Wrap, Holly Jahangiri's Do I Have to Spell It Out? site and Idea Girl's spot and please voice your opinions. Send those letters to the appropriate people. Post on your blogs. Make this a national effort to get the word out that the publishing industry and small businesses will soon be a thing of the past.
Now, the big boys are stepping in on this ill-written, poorly thought out Act. For those of you who haven't been following what is going on, the buzz is about the Consumer Product Safety Information Act of 2008. This Act was signed in August by President Bush and was enacted by the Commmittee of Energy and Commerce and passed in both the Senate and House of Representatives in July of 2008. The whole act was meant to target "manufacturers" of products aimed at children ages 12 and under and came on the heels of having two serious recalls of toys that Mattel(R) sold that were manufactured in China and had lead contents and small parts unsafe for children. The lawmakers all meant to target the manufacturers of said products but by creating this ill-written, ambiguous and contradictory Act. The lawmakers have impacted the small business and "one of a kind individuals" in a major way. The testing required for any product (that is everything, clothing, toys, books, et cetera) geared towards the children of this age group is expensive and has to be done on every batch of any item produced. If you run a 50-item batch this month, you have to test it. If you run a 5000-item batch next month, you have to have it tested. The burden of proof is falling on the wrong people. Small businesses, second-hand stores, publishers (large and small) will have to pay the costs and in turn end up going out of business.
This is a serious matter so I appeal to all my readers to please check out all the postings on the following websites: Vivian's Brain Cells & Bubble Wrap, Holly Jahangiri's Do I Have to Spell It Out? site and Idea Girl's spot and please voice your opinions. Send those letters to the appropriate people. Post on your blogs. Make this a national effort to get the word out that the publishing industry and small businesses will soon be a thing of the past.
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Some Like it Old!
No this isn't about the wedding saying - Something New, Something Old, Something Borrowed, Something Blue. This is about "old rock day". I don't know about all of you but I'm sure the rocks in my yard have been around a long time. I've lived here about five years and the rocks were here well before I got here. Anyone want to find out the oldest rock anywhere and post it here is welcome to do so.
Another today is ... item - Harlem Globetrotter's Day. I know that this team is old, but not as old as the rocks in my yard - lol. I can remember watching them on TV when I was kid. Then, of course, as is normal, the Globetrotter's aged and were replaced by the new and younger models but they weren't nearly as entertaining as the original group I grew up with. It was fun to watch them dribble and do all their interesting tactics on the basketball floor. So maybe instead of finding old rocks and figuring out how to date them we should go out and learn some new basketball tricks to show our friends.
Another today is ... item - Harlem Globetrotter's Day. I know that this team is old, but not as old as the rocks in my yard - lol. I can remember watching them on TV when I was kid. Then, of course, as is normal, the Globetrotter's aged and were replaced by the new and younger models but they weren't nearly as entertaining as the original group I grew up with. It was fun to watch them dribble and do all their interesting tactics on the basketball floor. So maybe instead of finding old rocks and figuring out how to date them we should go out and learn some new basketball tricks to show our friends.
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
Let's stay warm!
Rena Jones sent me a link to a calendar that lists some ideas of what the day is. I've been using the the one found on Teachers Net for my daily idea to blog about.
I printed out the January and February calendars from here for comparison. The teachers.net calendar only lists one thing per day where as the other one lists several things per day and some days, nothing.
For example, today is ..., according to the Brownie Locks calendar, Asarah B'Tevet day, epiphany or twelfth night, Three Kings day. I didn't really like those choices so went to the teachers.net calendar and found that today is ... cuddle up day, so what better way to stay warm than cuddling up with someone. So, for those in your colder climates, find a friend, buddy, or loved one and just cuddle up and stay warm. (Unfortunately here, the temps are in the mid 60s so not really cuddling weather. It did rain a good bit earlier and that was perfect cuddle up weather but all my cuddlers are gone. Maybe later.)
So keep warm, cuddle up and I'll see you all in the postings - E :)
I printed out the January and February calendars from here for comparison. The teachers.net calendar only lists one thing per day where as the other one lists several things per day and some days, nothing.
For example, today is ..., according to the Brownie Locks calendar, Asarah B'Tevet day, epiphany or twelfth night, Three Kings day. I didn't really like those choices so went to the teachers.net calendar and found that today is ... cuddle up day, so what better way to stay warm than cuddling up with someone. So, for those in your colder climates, find a friend, buddy, or loved one and just cuddle up and stay warm. (Unfortunately here, the temps are in the mid 60s so not really cuddling weather. It did rain a good bit earlier and that was perfect cuddle up weather but all my cuddlers are gone. Maybe later.)
So keep warm, cuddle up and I'll see you all in the postings - E :)
Virtual Book Tours - January 15 rotations
The Virtual Book Tour group on yahoo that I belong to will be doing it's fifth rotation the week starting January 15th. How these tours work are a bit different than a regular blog tour. The folks in the group take turns "hosting" another member and by doing so, we basically host one person for the week. We can post a book review, an interview, an excerpt or whatever we have in the database available to us. If you would like to find new and fun books to read, follow the complete tour as listed below.
The link is the host and the second name is the guest.
Deborah Ramos hosting Margaret Fieland
Dianne Sagan hosting Ransom Noble
Harry Gilleland hosting Crystalee Calderwood
Joy Delgado hosting Elysabeth Eldering
Karen Cioffi Joyce Anthony
Kathy Stemke Deborah Ramos
Lea Schizas Dianne Sagan
Nancy Famolari Harry Gilleland
Suzanne Lieurance Joy Delgado
Vivian Zabel hosting Karen Cioffi
Dehanna Bailee hosting Kathy Stemke
Margaret Fieland hosting Lea Schizas
Ransom Noble hosting Nancy Famolari
Crystalee Calderwood hosting Suzanne Lieurance
Elysabeth Eldering hosting Vivian Zabel
Joyce Anthony hosting Dehanna Bailee
Let's be supportive of everyone and try to visit and comment and see what kind of fun stuff the authors have for you. - E :)
The link is the host and the second name is the guest.
Deborah Ramos hosting Margaret Fieland
Dianne Sagan hosting Ransom Noble
Harry Gilleland hosting Crystalee Calderwood
Joy Delgado hosting Elysabeth Eldering
Karen Cioffi Joyce Anthony
Kathy Stemke Deborah Ramos
Lea Schizas Dianne Sagan
Nancy Famolari Harry Gilleland
Suzanne Lieurance Joy Delgado
Vivian Zabel hosting Karen Cioffi
Dehanna Bailee hosting Kathy Stemke
Margaret Fieland hosting Lea Schizas
Ransom Noble hosting Nancy Famolari
Crystalee Calderwood hosting Suzanne Lieurance
Elysabeth Eldering hosting Vivian Zabel
Joyce Anthony hosting Dehanna Bailee
Let's be supportive of everyone and try to visit and comment and see what kind of fun stuff the authors have for you. - E :)
Monday, January 05, 2009
Tweet, Tweet
No I'm not talking about Twitter - the social network that people follow you around and see what you are doing. I'm talking about today is ... bird day.
According to Audubon's Birds of America online, there are several birds that are extinct and several more that are on the endangered list, heading for extinction. If you explore a bit, you will find in the index a listing of all the birds either alphabetical or by family. How many families are listed?
Under the listing by family there are several birds not in Audubon's synopsis, or new species. How many are listed there?
So go search and post your answers here, if you dare. Have fun and tweet like a bird today. Or listen to "Rockin' Robin" or another bird song. Tell us your favorite song about birds or birdsong. See you all in the postings - E :)
According to Audubon's Birds of America online, there are several birds that are extinct and several more that are on the endangered list, heading for extinction. If you explore a bit, you will find in the index a listing of all the birds either alphabetical or by family. How many families are listed?
Under the listing by family there are several birds not in Audubon's synopsis, or new species. How many are listed there?
So go search and post your answers here, if you dare. Have fun and tweet like a bird today. Or listen to "Rockin' Robin" or another bird song. Tell us your favorite song about birds or birdsong. See you all in the postings - E :)
The Duke of Dubai by Luigi Falconi
And now the book:
THE DUKE OF DUBAI
In 1974, Lou Falconi, an idealistic 27-year-old, uproots his wife and family from the security of middle-class America to become headmaster of a small oil company school in Dubai, a desolate oil community in the volatile Middle East. Lou soon meets Tim Johnson, an eccentric ex-oilman known as “The Duke,” who initiates Lou to a world of power and wealth.
Intoxicated by the inexhaustible riches of the oil-rich Shaikhdom and the powerful people around him, Lou eagerly follows the Duke on a journey in search of fortune. During this rite of passage, Lou confronts heavily-armed Iranian patrol boats, Yemeni extremists, Arab Jinns (spirits), a likable but ruthless gun-smuggling Bedou (nomad), and finally, a complex scheme by the Duke to obtain immortality. The internal moral struggle, brought about by Lou’s personal quest for wealth and the mystical magnetism of the Duke, tests Lou’s virtue, loyalty and love.
THE BOOK HAS BEEN BANNED IN DUBAI!
Book Details
Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Headline Books, Inc. (May 9, 2008)
LanguageISBN-10: 0929915763
ISBN-13: 978-0929915760
Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
$24.95
BOOK BANNED IN DUBAI
Copyright © Luigi Falconi 2008
Headline Books & Co.
www.headlinebooks.com
Publicist: Denise Cassino
Wizardly Web Designs
www.wizardlywebdesigns.com
303 838 3399
webwizard@att.net
Author’s Website
www.thedukeofdubai.com
Sunday, January 04, 2009
Carolyn Hart trivia/book review
Today is ... trvia day in the USA. I was going to try to tie this in with my series, but am at a loss how to do that without giving too much away. I've given you all a couple of clues on the first book, and no one has guessed the first state yet. So let's have something else here: What do a mystery bookstore owner, a well-traveled granny and a ghost have in common?
They are all characters created by Carolyn Hart.
In Carolyn's new series, the Bailey Ruth Raeburn series, Bailey Ruth comes from the Department of Good Intentions in heaven as a "ghost", although her boss in heaven would beg to differ with us earthlings about the terminology, to help those in need of help. In "Ghost at Work", Bailey Ruth finds herself plopped right down in the middle of a major mess with the preacher's wife and a dead body found on the back porch of the rectory.
"Ghost at Work" is a rather quick read, and being that this is a new series, I feel that Ms. Hart tried to cover a lot with all the descriptions and not leaving anything to the reader's imagination. I think this can be a fun series, so I'll have to keep an eye on it as it develops.
Having read some of both her Annie Darling and Henrie O. series, I think I am going to like the Bailey Ruth Raeburn series the best. I'd have to say that the Death on Demand series becomes very predictable after a couple of books. The Henrie O. series is fun because she at least travels and finds her mysteries in places that are away from home, and now with the Bailey Ruth series, we are getting the prespective from the ghost herself.
They are all characters created by Carolyn Hart.
In Carolyn's new series, the Bailey Ruth Raeburn series, Bailey Ruth comes from the Department of Good Intentions in heaven as a "ghost", although her boss in heaven would beg to differ with us earthlings about the terminology, to help those in need of help. In "Ghost at Work", Bailey Ruth finds herself plopped right down in the middle of a major mess with the preacher's wife and a dead body found on the back porch of the rectory.
"Ghost at Work" is a rather quick read, and being that this is a new series, I feel that Ms. Hart tried to cover a lot with all the descriptions and not leaving anything to the reader's imagination. I think this can be a fun series, so I'll have to keep an eye on it as it develops.
Having read some of both her Annie Darling and Henrie O. series, I think I am going to like the Bailey Ruth Raeburn series the best. I'd have to say that the Death on Demand series becomes very predictable after a couple of books. The Henrie O. series is fun because she at least travels and finds her mysteries in places that are away from home, and now with the Bailey Ruth series, we are getting the prespective from the ghost herself.
Saturday, January 03, 2009
Let's Siesta!
I found a great little network, hopefully to help get my books into schools, www.teachers.net. I subscribed to several of the newsletters and one of the things is the Gazette. In it are all sorts of tidbits and fun information for teachers. Advice columns, articles, et cetera, all can be found here.
So a new feature in the calendars/printables section is a "Today is ..." calendar. I thought I would use that to post mini blog postings here.
January 3 is Festival of Sleep Day - and siesta in Spanish is to sleep. So I say let's siesta today. I did sleep in a bit longer than I had planned to this morning, so I honored the sleep day.
Happy siestaing everyone - see you all in the posts.
PS - tomorrow will tie into my books so be prepared - see you then - E :)
So a new feature in the calendars/printables section is a "Today is ..." calendar. I thought I would use that to post mini blog postings here.
January 3 is Festival of Sleep Day - and siesta in Spanish is to sleep. So I say let's siesta today. I did sleep in a bit longer than I had planned to this morning, so I honored the sleep day.
Happy siestaing everyone - see you all in the posts.
PS - tomorrow will tie into my books so be prepared - see you then - E :)
Friday, January 02, 2009
Luigi Falconi and The Duke of Dubai
This week I'm hosting Luigi Falconi, author of The Duke of Dubai. This book has been banned in Dubai so should make good reading.
So let's meet Mr. Falconi:
The love child of the local priest and the parish housekeeper, Luigi Falconi was born in Tricarico, italy, in 1945. Soon after his birth his parents immigrated to the United States.
He attended Mary Magdalene High School in Hoboken, New Jersey. Although an honor student with a football scholarship to Notre Dame, he left school to study Kabbalah. When fear of adult circumcision led him to give up the idea of converting to any religion that required surgery, he became an apprentice to a shoemaker on Mackinac Island, Michigan.
A skilled artisan, Luigi designed and crafted Chippewa moccasins while attending Michigan State University where he earned a BA in 1967 and an MA in 1969. While shoemaking and taking full-time university classes toward his Ph.D. in rocket science, he wrote three unpublished novels and one volume of poetry. The shoe shop burned in 1971, destroying Luigi’s manuscripts and his innocence. mentally drained from this tragedy, he did the only thing left for an educated shoemaker to do: he became a teacher and, soon after, an administrator.
In 1974, Luigi uprooted his family from the security and comfort of their middle-class American home to become the headmaster of a small oil company school in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. he left education in 1978 and went to work in the Middle East oilfields.
After thirty-two years in the hot desert sun of Arabia, Luigi, unable to distinguish fact from fiction in his own life, left Dubai and moved to Italy to learn Italian and rediscover the truth.
http://www.thedukeofdubai.com/
Contact Denise Cassino, dencassino@gmail.com, Publicist - for review copies and ordering
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