10 Commandments of Writing — ARHtistic License
For most writers, the path to publication is full of obstacles, detours, and potholes. Tenacity and resilience are required to reach your destination. Observe these commandments: Write every day. The quickest way to become a published writer is to exercise your writing muscles. The more you write, the better you get. Write for the joy […]
Don’t Feed the Elephant @513sherrye
Don’t Feed the Elephant by Sherry Ellis
From the author:
“Alphabetical fun with food!
Get ready for some seriously messy fun with food in this entertaining picture book…
…Best story line from A to Z and with wonderful and delightful illustrations to match.
…as entertaining as it is educational.
This charming new children’s story by award-winning author Sherry Ellis won’t just entertain kids with its hilarious descriptions and zany main character. It will also educate them about the alphabet and help them learn the order of letters. As the elephant works his way through foodstuffs, each new dish features a new letter of the alphabet. From animal crackers to zebra cakes, the elephant is enthusiastic to gobble everything up, even when it lands him in hot water!
The narrator starts off by warning the readers that you should never, ever feed the elephant, even if he says, “Pretty please with sugar on top!” Everything the elephant eats just ends up turning into a huge mess. He’ll give you gooey chocolate kisses after eating brownies, fire animal crackers out of his trunk, and juggle eggs and French fries at the same time. The elephant is more interested in throwing hamburgers like Frisbees and using noodles as jump ropes than having a proper meal. You can’t stay mad at him for too long, however. His adorable antics will entertain both you and all the little elephants you share them with!”
My review:
I absolutely loved this book by Sherry Ellis “Don’t Feed the Elephant.” Learning the alphabet using a elephant eating various food items with awesome consequences had me laughing the entire time. All ages will love this beautifully illustrated book for kids. Honestly, all parents, children, and teachers should have this book in their arsenal of books in their library. Five stars all the way!
How the Virus Stole Easter #COVID19
How the Virus Stole Easter
By Kristi Bothur
With a nod to Dr. Seuss
Twas late in ‘19 when the virus began
Bringing chaos and fear to all people, each land.
People were sick, hospitals full,
Doctors overwhelmed, no one in school.
As winter gave way to the promise of spring,
The virus raged on, touching peasant and king.
People hid in their homes from the enemy unseen.
They YouTubed and Zoomed, social-distanced, and cleaned.
April approached and churches were closed.
“There won’t be an Easter,” the world supposed.
“There won’t be church services, and egg hunts are out.
No reason for new dresses when we can’t go about.”
Holy Week started, as bleak as the rest.
The world was focused on masks and on tests.
“Easter can’t happen this year,” it proclaimed.
“Online and at home, it just won’t be the same.”
Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, the days came and went.
The virus pressed on; it just would not relent.
The world woke Sunday and nothing had changed.
The virus still menaced, the people, estranged.
“Pooh pooh to the saints,” the world was grumbling.
“They’re finding out now that no Easter is coming.
“They’re just waking up! We know just what they’ll do!
Their mouths will hang open a minute or two,
And then all the saints will all cry boo-hoo.
“That noise,” said the world, “will be something to hear.”
So it paused and the world put a hand to its ear.
And it did hear a sound coming through all the skies.
It started down low, then it started to rise.
But the sound wasn’t depressed.
Why, this sound was triumphant!
It couldn’t be so!
But it grew with abundance!
The world stared around, popping its eyes.
Then it shook! What it saw was a shocking surprise!
Every saint in every nation, the tall and the small,
Was celebrating Jesus in spite of it all!
It hadn’t stopped Easter from coming! It came!
Somehow or other, it came just the same!
And the world with its life quite stuck in quarantine
Stood puzzling and puzzling.
“Just how can it be?”
“It came without bonnets, it came without bunnies,
It came without egg hunts, cantatas, or money.”
Then the world thought of something it hadn’t before.
“Maybe Easter,” it thought, “doesn’t come from a store.
Maybe Easter, perhaps, means a little bit more.”
And what happened then?
Well….the story’s not done.
What will YOU do?
Will you share with that one
Or two or more people needing hope in this night?
Will you share the source of your life in this fight?
The churches are empty – but so is the tomb,
And Jesus is victor over death, doom, and gloom.
So this year at Easter, let this be our prayer,
As the virus still rages all around, everywhere.
May the world see hope when it looks at God’s people.
May the world see the church is not a building or steeple.
May the world find Faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection,
May the world find Joy in a time of dejection.
May 2020 be known as the year of survival,
But not only that –
Let it start a revival.
Formatting the Final Manuscript #amwriting — Life in the Realm of Fantasy
I’m in the process of formatting a manuscript for publication, both for the paper version and the book version. While there are significant differences between the layout of the two types of documents, some fundamental things remain the same. I create three manuscripts. Before I embark on making mobi files for Kindle or designing the […]
via Formatting the Final Manuscript #amwriting — Life in the Realm of Fantasy
5 Dramatic Techniques to Transform Your Writing — Nicholas C. Rossis
ALLi, the Alliance of Independent Authors, recently published a post on dramatic techniques by Jules Horne, author of Dramatic Techniques for Creative Writers. With a background in scriptwriting, Jules is perfect for explaining how the dramatic techniques used in theaters and movies can power up your writing and make your storytelling bolder, more engaging, and […]
via 5 Dramatic Techniques to Transform Your Writing — Nicholas C. Rossis
#COVID19 – Info-graphic #ASMSG
Loving Guidance
From the author:
“Bree and Micah are eternal soul mates and have been lovers through many lives together. However, in this lifetime, Bree is in physical form here on Earth while Micah is in the spirit world as her guide.
They desperately yearn for each other, and Bree convinces Micah to come to Earth so that they can be together. Micah goes against advice and protocol, and he agrees to appear in physical form to be with Bree. However, when he does, it changes everything and becomes more than either of them were prepared for.”
My review:
This wasn’t what I had thought I would be reading. Even for a short story, I had expected more depth, more divinity, more something, less repetition in written sentences. Two characters carry the story entirely. Additional paranormal elements would have made this love story better. Mice read.
Murder on Tyneside
Book blurb found on Amazon:
“Recently widowed Agnes Lockwood is spending a few days on Tyneside in Northeast England, catching up with her past. When expensive jewelry is stolen at the hotel, Chief Inspector Alan Johnson gets on the case.
After Alan recognizes Agnes as a friend from schooldays, they rekindle their friendship and Agnes bombards him with questions about the case. But after dinner one evening, they find a body lying on the roadside.
Fearing for her safety, Alan warns Agnes to stay away from the case. But being an inquisitive woman, Agnes cannot resist getting involved… too involved.”
My review:
This is the second book I’ve read by this author. Having always loved Nancy Drew books as a child, I was anxious to get this book started. I wasn’t disappointed, and yet I was disappointed. The errors didn’t take away from the story and I found the interwoven mystery complex and interesting. I found Agnes interesting, but nosy and always trying to be where the action was at the moment and that was dangerous. The chief inspector was even worse as he let Agnes get to him which hindered his job and her safety. I would dislike seeing innocent people without police training, such as Agnes, get involved with more than one murder and the main inspector allowing his attentions to leave the job at hand just to think about Agnes. Murder/mystery persons will like this book.
Highway Twenty
INTERVIEW – MICHAEL J MOORE
Please introduce yourself to those reading this blog post.
I am Michael J Moore. I live in Seattle with my partner in life, author Cait Moore. I grew up an hour north of Seattle, in a small town called Mount Vernon, Washington but as far back as I can remember, though, I’ve always had an infatuation with bigger cities. Cait and I have five children. My spare time is spent at the gym, reading or watching Breaking Bad with Cait.
Has writing always been part of your life and when did you “know” that it was time to start writing your first book?
I remember writing a short thriller in the fourth grade, and the school librarian was so impressed that she encouraged me to enter into some young authors’ contest. I never did but all my English teachers pushed me to write so it was always in the back of my mind. After working for years as a personal trainer, it occurred to me that something was missing from my life, so one day I picked up a pad of paper and started writing the first draft of my first novel. Three months later, I wrote “the end” on the last page of my manuscript and put it away happier and more complete than I could remember feeling in a very long time
How difficult was it writing your first book?
The words just flowed out of me, like they had been there all along. I did not find it difficult to write at all and it surprised me. I was always good at putting words on paper, and I always sensed that it was my calling, but never took the time to explore it.
Have you ever wanted to give up and what stopped you?
I have never wanted to give up because I have felt it in my bones that I was meant to write. I wrote and wrote and kept all of my manuscripts, but I never got any support for the work I did. Family members were always too busy or not interested so I really didn’t think that anyone would read my books. It wasn’t until I met my wife and she encouraged me to submit to publishers that I actually thought my dream of writing might become a reality. In fact, she submitted my book Highway Twenty to publishers without my knowing as I did not think it was worthy of publication. She proved me wrong as it was placed on the Preliminary Ballot for Superior Achievement in a Novel in the 2018 Bram Stoker Award.
Who is the most supportive of you and your dream to be a writer?
That is easy. Without doubt, my wife, Cait Moore. Not only is she my second pair of eyes, she keeps me on my toes on the marketing front. Actually, Cait does most of my marketing and that is very time consuming, so I say it’s a labor of love.
Anything specific you want to tell your readers?
Look me up on my various social media sites. Read my book and short stories. Check out reviews of my recent horror novel Highway Twenty and don’t forget to leave me a review. I love reading what people think about my book. Every time a review is left, Cait and I and the kids spend a lot of time discussing it. It’s a highlight of our day. Recent reviews can be found on:
Highway Twenty Book Review (Darkbites.ca) –
https://darkbites.ca/reviewing-highway-twenty-by-michael-j-moore/
Highway Twenty Book Review (IseultMurphy.com) –https://iseultmurphy.com/2020/01/05/highway-twenty-by-michael-j-moore/
What is the best advice given to you (book or otherwise), and by whom?
“Instead of trying to be better than everybody around you, just strive every day to be better than the guy in the mirror.” This advice was actually given to me by the guy in the mirror.
What is your target audience and what aspect of your writing do you feel targets that audience?
I write in a few different genres: horror, thriller, literary, YA so my target audience differs for each book. Those who have reviewed for example Highway Twenty have commented that it is a cross-genre novel so essentially, it could be targeted to adults who like horror or adults who like romance or adults who like thriller stories. So when I hear people say, “Oh I don’t read horror,” I always respond that they should just give a book a go and then make up their mind.
Did the cover evolve the same way, or did you work with someone to make it come together for you?
I have two covers done so far. One was done by my wife Cait Moore after many different options were presented to me. The cover for Highway Twenty was done by HellBound Books perfectly in accordance with my ideas. I selected the train and the rest was the superb vision of Hellbound. Cait and I really love that cover.
What are you working on now? Can we get a peek, an excerpt?
I just tied the bow on my recent horror novel with a working title of Cinema 7. So far, I feel like it’s my best book but Cait has yet to read it and let me know her thoughts. The prologue for the book is called “Kimberley’s Bed” and it’s about to be published in Soteira Press’s Anthology What Monsters Do for Love. I recommend you get yourself a copy.
Any last words before we wrap things up?
Tomorrow I’m going to start working on Book Two of After the Change, a post-apocalyptic YA series about three teens who set out to rebuild society inside of a prison. Book One is available on Amazon and Audible. Read it and let me know what you think.
https://www.amazon.com/After-Change-Michael-J-Moore/dp/1795491671/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=after+the+change+michael+j+moore&qid=1580212793&sr=8-1
The link to my books and website:
https://www.amazon.com/Highway-Twenty-Michael-J-Moore/dp/1948318806/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=highway+twenty+michael+j+moore&qid=1580212815&sr=8-1
https://www.amazon.com/After-Change-Michael-J-Moore/dp/1795491671/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=after+the+change+michael+j+moore&qid=1580212793&sr=8-1
https://michaeljmoorewriti.wixsite.com/website
My social media links are as follows:
https://michaeljmoorewriti.wixsite.com/website
https://www.facebook.com/michaeljmoorewriting
https://twitter.com/MichaelJMoore20
https://instagram.com/michaeljmoorewriting
https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-moore-28b800178/
When Angels Fly 