What Will Fat Cat Sit On?

Today I'm going to write about on of our favorite books on my son's bookshelf: "What Will Fat Cat Sit On? by Jan Thomas. Michael has agreed to help me out with this story. This book is about a fat cat that desperately needs a place to rest. It's a good thing this book has a narrator or else Fat Cat would just squish everything in Fat Cat's path.


















"What will Fat Cat Sit On?" is wildly hilarious. It is even more so when you have a tiny baby trying to grab 2-D animals while your read. If you don't have a tiny baby, then borrow one. If you actually want to be able to turn the pages easily I suggest reading it in the bookstore first.

It's not just the words that make this book funny. The fonts and colors of the words add so much depth to the book. In many books you may have to guess (or have read the story) to know how to read said story aloud. With the fonts that are used in this book it makes it easy to read the book as it was intended by the Jan herself.

 The pictures help to make the book. Jan uses thick lines and flat, ((mostly pale) colors. The expressions on the animals are priceless. David, my 5 year old, loves looking through each of Jan's books after I read the story so he doesn't miss anything in the pictures.

I hope you will check out "What Will Fat Cat Sit On? It's a tasty treat for all ages.*

*Please do not actually feed this book to your kids. Any book eating in this post is purely fictional. No books were harmed in the m

I Want a Puppy

Last night was an anomaly in the Duck household. I read David a book (which is nothing new) and after my husband read David a book. So what's the problem? We both read him the same book. It wasn't really a problem because my 5 year old did not complain.

So what was this book that was so good that it could be read twice in a row? It was I Want a Puppy by Mo Williams. It would be just as good if we had read it three times thrice. And we did over the week that we had it. 

I love that this is not another book where a kid asks for a puppy. In this book it's a pigeon who asks for the puppy. The story is funny and the resolution is fun. 

I love the drawing in this book. They are simple, but very expressive. The colors are muted so that the beautiful thick lines stand out. I love the humor that Mo Williams conveys in just a few lines. David loved this book so much that he made us get a ton more books by Mo Williams.

This is just one of the many books that David brings home from the library every week. There are so many we both love. I hope to continue sharing some of our favorite books (both new and old) with you on my blog! 

The Magic Mask

At the end of last year I was commissioned to do some illustrations for Pamela Stadnyk's book "The Magic Mask". This story follows Jade in a magical undersea adventure. It is a lovely storybook with amazing illustrations. (What, I'm not biased!)

I loved this commission because I got to work with an underwater theme and I love creating underwater art! I selected for you a few of the illustrations that you will see in the book. You can pick up Pamela's book here. While I do not get commission for this book I do encourage you to buy this so that I can work with Pamela on her next book! 

 

The Vengeful Half by Jaclyn Dolamore

I received this lovely post card in the mail a few weeks ago. I told Jaclyn that I'd post it when I got the info in the mail, but it got lost on my desk! Sorry Jaclyn. Here are the cards:

I was going to black out my address, but if you want to send me mail, then I won't deny you. Love that she added a couple drawings of characters from her book. I love getting drawings in the mail!

If you want to find out more about "The Vengeful Half" or any of Jaclyn's other books then check out her blog here: http://jaclyndolamore.blogspot.ca/ 

Also be sure to follow her on Twitter! I've been following her since the beginning of time and she always has something interesting to say: @jackiedolamore  

Cynthia Kennedy Henzel's "Myth Rider"!

Today was not my day for posting! My electricity was out, so of course the internet was down as well. This will teach me not to schedule my posts! I have survived and now I bring you Cynthia Kennedy Henzel's "Myth Rider"! If you'll remember I interviewed Cynthia back in July of 2014. If you've forgotten or (*gasp*) never read my interview with Cynthia then you can read it here: http://daniduckart.blogspot.ca/2014/07/interview-with-cynthia-kennedy-henzel.html.  Read below to find more about Cynthia's book "Myth Rider" and to see the beautiful cover!

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MYTH RIDER

In 1910 a young girl races an ancient myth to return the Centaurs to their homeland in Georgia. As a shadow falls over the land and danger lurks ever closer, Tamara flees to a place that seems as strange to her as Dorothy dropped into Oz. With a new horse, new friends, and a daunting new challenge, she adapts to this land of opportunity. Now she must choose: race for the American dream or heed the cry of the Centaurs calling her home?

Cynthia Kennedy Henzel began her writing career at the Perry Daily Journal in Perry, OK writing the “An Optimist’s View” column. Since then, she has traveled the world and written over 50 books for young people. Her travels took her to the country of Georgia, where she discovered this story that led her home again.

MYTH RIDER

by Cynthia Kennedy Henzel

Publication date: April 2015

ISBN-13: 9781940310251

$15.99 152 pages

5.5 x 8.5 paperback

Published by 4RV Publishing

What others are saying:

"Creating a bridge between countries and cultures, race and gender, science and story, Myth Rider is a beautifully written novel that will rope you in, take you for a ride, and ultimately bring you back home again."- Lindsay Eland, author of A Summer of Sundays.


Cynthia Kennedy Henzel lives in Tucson, AZ.

Please see

www.cynthiakennedyhenzel.com for more information about her books

www.Facebook.com/MythRiderBook to ride along with Myth Rider

Interview with Amberly Kristen Clowe

Today on my blog I have Sci Fi Writer Amberly Kristen Clowe! She wrote the book Axel and Theo: My Dog is the Emperor of a Faraway Galaxy. Want to win a book and bookbag for the series? Click here to enter now!

I just got my copy of this book in the mail today (technically yesterday by the time you read this) and haven't had a chance to read the whole story. The story is fast paced and very cute. I love the colored illustrations done by Katy Huggins. They are so much warmer than the old black and white!
___
About Amberly: An avid story writer since elementary school, Amberly Kristen Clowe truly discovered her passion for writing after enrolling in a college, children’s literature class, where they read and analyzed children's books. After completing her BA in early childhood education she began her teaching career. “After my first year of teaching second grade, I had so many ideas swirling around in my head, I had to write. I might have gone crazy if I didn't!” Clowe expresses.

Axel & Theo is the first chapter book series for ages 7-12 written by Clowe, though
she already has two other children’s picture books in print, for which she has received
accolades and the Emerging Novelists “Children’s Novel of the Year” award in 2011.

Win a copy of the book and a Axel & Theo Lunch bag!*

*Contest is limited to those living in the US and Canada. Lunch bag colors are available in red, green and yellow. Picture of the lunch bag below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Dani: Why write Sci Fi children's literature?

Amberly: This genre came very easy for me. I've always loved the idea of a different, often improved, world than our own, and who doesn't love cool gadgets! I still can't believe I get to imagine worlds with crazy characters for an actual job. I so enjoy the Axel and Theo series as an adult. I would have been ecstatic as a kid. Kids have the ultimate imaginations. They can truly lose themselves in what they're reading without that nagging thought that plagues many adults: “That could never happen!” Sci-fi for kids is the perfect fit for me.


Dani: Is your dog (or any of your fish) an emperor of a faraway galaxy?

Amberly: Unfortunately, we have no emperors at our house (at least none that have revealed themselves…yet). Believe me, if my dogs could snap their paws and get a t-bone, they’d be snapping away!

Dani:  Finish these thoughts:

Cats are...

snarky.

Yeah, cat-people are so not going to like that one.

I want to write...

YA fiction. At the moment, I’m thinking about dabbling in the young adult genre. I love to read this genre but haven't taken that plunge. I think once I wrap up the second book in the Axel and Theo series, I might try my hand at an outline and go from there.

Readers should know...

Um…for me, coffee makes any bad writing day, a good one. And biscotti with coffee—well, that makes for a GREAT writing day.

Dani: What's special about your work?

Amberly: I’m really not one to toot my own horn, but you did ask, so…what I find, and have been told, is special about my work is its voice. I am one of those total optimists. I often use humor to make a situation bearable. I like humor. My writing reflects that. I enjoy one-liners, and the Axel and Theo series is full of them. To write a science fiction adventure and wrap it in humor, yeah, my eyes just fill with cartoon hearts.

Dani: What is your ultimate goal in life?

Amberly: Whew. I think I broke out in a sweat just reading that question.

Well, my main goal in life is to please God in all I do. To me, that means striving to be the best mother I can be, wife, daughter, sister, niece, friend, teacher, writer, and the hat-list goes on and on. I want to have the kind of love for others that Jesus Christ lived. I want to use my passions and gifts in a way that helps others and makes my creator proud.

Deep, right? You did ask for ultimate. 

BOOK BLURB:




Theodore Howard wants a white flag. The kind of white
flag that will show Riverwood Elementary’s biggest bully,
Theo’s given up on ever surviving the fourth grade, and
achieving his dream of becoming a real-life astronaut.
But, Theo’s seemingly pathetic future gets a glimmer of
hope in the form of a very talkative weenie dog named
Axel. Theo learns that his best friend on four legs, is
actually an alien from the planet Doglin, and just when
he begins warming up to the idea of having an alien for a
best friend, Axel is kidnapped by two cats from the
planet Catlat. Theo chases after Axel and his
kidnappers, embarking on an adventure he could never
have imagined. ABOUT AMBERLY KRISTEN CLOWE

Book Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaSePtEkiyk

Website: www.amberlykclowe.yolasite.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/amberlykclowe

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/book/show/23225662-axel-theo

Danielle Girard's Everything to Lose and a Giveaway!

I have lots of information for Danielle Girard's new book "Everything To Lose" on my blog today. This information was once again passed on to me by the lovely Kate Tilton. Read on and learn more about the book. Don't forget to enter the giveaway at the end of the post. You have until the end of next Thursday to enter!

Everything to Lose:

When the daughter of San Francisco socialites Gavin and Sondra Borden is brutally assaulted, Jamie Vail makes it her mission to find the attacker. A seasoned Sex Crimes Inspector with the SFPD, work is what Jamie does best. She isn’t distracted by the fact that her adopted son and the victim go to the same school.

Jamie can almost set aside that the man caught on tape with the victim is a man she’s been wary of for years, her son's biological father. At home, her son is performing poorly in school, becoming more reclusive, and nothing she does can draw him out. Every piece of evidence seems to bring her closer to home.

Desperate to be wrong, Jamie must find Charlotte's attacker before her son lands behind bars, or worse…

Purchase Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Everything-Lose-Rookie-Club-Book-ebook/dp/B00O86DBNA/

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/everything-to-lose-danielle-girard/1119569379?ean=9781614175919

iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/everything-to-lose-rookie/id927043823?mt=11

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1nhKnmh

Awards:

Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award for CHASING DARKNESS

Barry Award for COLD SILENCE

About Danielle Girard:

As one of four children, Danielle Girard grew up in a house where the person with the best story got heard, and it's probably no surprise that fast-paced suspense stories have always been her favorite. Girard's books have won the Barry Award and been selected for the RT Reviewers Choice Award. Two of her novels have been optioned for movies. Visit her website at www.daniellegirard.com.

Author’s Links:

Website: http://www.daniellegirard.com

Facebook Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorDanielleGirard

Twitter: https://twitter.com/danielle1girard

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/150675.Danielle_Girard

Newsletter sign-up form: http://www.daniellegirard.com/#!contact/c1kcz

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Soulless Blog Tour

Today on my blog I have something extra special. Today I'm part of Crystal Collier's Soulless Blog Tour! Tomorrow is the last stop, so be sure to enter the giveaway! Yes, there is a giveaway and this is your chance to win AMAZON CHEESE! There's also lots of e books and a signed print copy of Soulless. For those of you who don't want to read anything now I've got a Youtube video of Crystal reading her book. Don't worry, there is a great excerpt below for those of you who are readers today. Read, enjoy and tell me what you think!

Title: SOULLESS
Series: Maiden of Time
Author: Crystal Collier
Pages: 263
Pub Date: October 13, 2014
Publisher: Raybourne Publishing
ISBN: 9781629830032

The Soulless are coming.

Alexia manipulated time to save the man of her dreams, and lost her best friend to red-eyed wraiths. Still grieving, she struggles to reconcile her loss with what was gained: her impending marriage. But when her wedding is destroyed by the Soulless—who then steal the only protection her people have—she’s forced to unleash her true power.

And risk losing everything.

BUY

❀Unleashing the dream world, one book at a time ❀

  Blog | Twitter | Goodreads | Facebook | Website

What reviewers are saying:

"5 Stars." - Invincible Love of Reading Book Blog

"I LOVED it! So good. Seriously...exceeded my expectations." -Kristin Smith, advanced reviewer

"Entirely unique and chilling." Gabby @ What’s Beyond Forks

"Unputdownable." T.C. Mckee, BookFish Books

Excerpt:

“Here she stands.” The voice sounded as narrowly stretched as his skin, a hiss on the wind. “So nice to finally meet you, Alexia Dumont.”

The tang of a tomb rolled over her. She gagged. The blade’s edge scraped her neck, sharper than she remembered.

“What do you want, Amos?” Kiren’s voice was calm, despite his ridiculous position on the ground.

“They tell me you have chosen a mate.” The skull said over his shoulder while peering closely at her.

“Who tells you this?” Kiren huffed. “And more importantly, you believe them? I thought you were a man of reason.”

The death grin swept away, although he still looked to be grinning through the natural arch of rotted teeth. “Even men of reason possess faults.” He stepped closer, his face inches from Alexia’s, acrid breath stinging her eyes.

She closed them.

“I tend to trust too easily, as you are aware.” The rasp erupted in a fetid breeze across her cheek. “Lucky you do not seem to share that quality.” He turned. “Or do you?”

Kiren’s face revealed nothing, as unmoved as stone. The only indication he’d heard the accusation lay in his defiant glare. Alexia couldn’t decide if she should applaud him for courage, or berate him for looking so dispassionate while a blade raked at her jugular.

A finger of bone lifted to her cheek and trailed down to her neck, uncomfortably warm, spiraling a burning trail toward her heart.

A tremor ran through Kiren’s cheek, his mouth set.

Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Get your free copy of book 1, MOONLESS, October 13, 20, 27, 31 or Nov 7.

Author Bio:

Crystal Collier is a young adult author who pens dark fantasy, historical, and romance hybrids. She can be found practicing her brother-induced ninja skills while teaching children or madly typing about fantastic and impossible creatures. She has lived from coast to coast and now calls Florida home with her creative husband, four littles, and “friend” (a.k.a. the zombie locked in her closet). Secretly, she dreams of world domination and a bottomless supply of cheese. 

You can find her on her Blog, Facebook, Goodreads, or follow her on Twitter.