Sue Perkins's Blog, page 16

Boo's Bad Day

Character
Post for





BOO’S BAD DAY


By: Penny Lockwood

Picture book for
children aged 18 months to 6 years

Published by 4RV
Publishing

ISBN# 13: 978-0-9852661-5-8

4RV -
http://www.4rvpublishingcatalog.com/penny-lockwood.php

$8.99
includes s/h




Look
inside at Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Boos-Bad-Day-Penny-Lockwood/dp/0985266155/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top




Sue, thanks for
hosting me.  At the end of the tour, I
will pick out one commenter’s name and send an autographed copy of Boo’s Bad Day to a United States address
only.  If the name I pick is someone who
lives outside the U.S., I will send a PDF copy of the book.  So remember, readers, be sure to leave
contact information when you comment!




If your readers
missed yesterday’s post, they can catch up at http://irenesroth.wordpress.com/.


Tomorrow, I’ll be
visiting with http://1stTimeMums.com





















Tagline:




Boo
sneaks out of the house and discovers that freedom by himself can be scary.




Blurb:




Boo
is a very bored kitten. When Timmy and his mom return home, Boo sneaks out of
the house.  Boo is frightened by the
noises of the big world outside of the safety of his warm home.  When Timmy coaxes Boo back into the house,

Boo
realizes some places are safe and some are not.




****




Hi,
my name is Boo, and I’m a teenager, cat that is, only about ten months old. I
have black fur that is short and sleek. I don’t know why people think I’m a
baby.  I’m pretty independent.  I can jump on counters by myself, and I
always use my litter box.  I eat all my
crunchies, and I love it when Mom gives me juicy, wet food in my special bowl.




I
love to play and chase things, especially when my boy Timmy is home.  He throws my toys for me, and when I run
after them, sometimes I slide on the wood floors, and he laughs.  It makes me happy when he does that.  Of course, there are times when Timmy and his
mom have to go out.  I don’t like that at
all.  I get so bored sitting there by
myself.  I try to entertain myself by
playing with my toy mice and jingle balls. 
I’ve even pulled Mom’s yarn out of her knitting basket.  She really doesn’t like that, but it’s fun to
play with.




The
other day Timmy and his mom were gone a really long time.  I saw something white covering the ground
outside the big window.  I sat on the
bench seat in front of the window and watched the other dogs and cats
outside.  They all looked like they were
having way more fun than I was.  It was
so quiet in the house with no one home. 
I just knew I had to go out there and see what they were doing and what
all that white stuff was.




When
Timmy and Mom came home, I snuck out the door before they closed it.  Boy was I surprised!  That white stuff was so cold it hurt my paws.
But since I was out there, I decided I should explore.  I think my curiosity got the better of me,
though, because before I took a few steps, I wanted to get back inside the
house. 




There
were so many strange noises: metal scraping against rocks, barking dogs,
blaring sirens.  Oh, my.  I just wanted to hide from all the strange
sounds.  They were so loud they hurt my
ears. I didn’t know how to get back inside, so I all I could do was call for
Timmy. The longer I was out in that cold white stuff, the more I knew I
wouldn’t be bored if I was in the house. All I could think of was the hearth in
front of my nice warm woodstove. Sometimes being bored is good.















Penny Lockwood has published more than 100 articles, 75 stories, a
chapbook, and her stories have been included in two anthologies. She writes for
both adults and children. Her fiction has appeared in numerous genre and
children’s publications, and non‑fiction work has appeared in a variety of
writing, parenting, and young adult print magazines and on line
publications.  She edits for MuseItUp
Publishing.  Visit her web site at http:// pennylockwoodehrenkranz.yolasite.com.
Her writing blog is located at http://pennylockwoodehrenkranz.blogspot.com/.




She has recently released Boo’s
Bad Day with 4RV Publishing and has three other children’s books under
contract with them: Ghost for Rent, Ghost
for Lunch, and Many Colored Coats.
She has three romances published by MuseItUp Publishing: Love Delivery, Lady in Waiting, and Mirror, Mirror.  Her short
story collection, A Past and A Future,
is available through Sam’s Dot Publishing and Smashwords. 























Social links:







Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/penny.ehrenkranz

Twitter: @PennyEhrenkranz

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/pennyehrenkranz/


Website: http://pennylockwoodehrenkranz.yolasite.com

Blog: http://pennylockwoodehrenkanz.blogspot.com

Boo's Bad Day - Review

Boo's Bad Day









Title: Boo's Bad Day




Author:         Penny Lockwood




Illustrator:    Deborah C. Johnson

Publisher: 4RV Publishing




Pages:         32 pages




Genre:         Children's book with pictures







This a wonderful story about Boo the kitten who sits by the window watching the bigger cats play in the snow outside. He wants to go and join them and his chance comes when his owner Timmy comes in the door. Unfortunately the outside world is not as wonderful as Boo expected it to be.




After reading this book I wished I knew children who were the right age to read it. I was fascinated by the story and illustrations, and believe it will catch and hold young children's attention. The author makes no attempt to humanize Boo. He acts and purrs like a kitten when he is happy, and meows loudly when he is frightened. His owners love him and he loves them. The only reason he got into trouble was because he was bored. Is there a message for young people there?




Well done and thank you Ms Lockwood for writing a gorgeous book. You also picked exactly the right illustrator for your story. Congratulations.

The Acadian Secret by Tammy Lowe

Welcome Tammy, thank you for visiting today. You sound as if you have a very exciting life of exploring and experiencing new and wonderful places.




Tammy has given us a teaser of her new release The Acadian Secret. Hope you all enjoy it, I know I did.




Sue










Hi Sue,

Thanks
for having me on your blog today. 

I live in
Cambridge, Ontario, with my husband of twenty years and our teenage son. 

From
September to June, I am surrounded by preschoolers and covered in glitter and
glue.

Once
school is out, I grab my hubby and our son and we are off on some grand
adventure. We’ve explored pyramids in Egypt and sailed down a river in rural
China on a tiny raft.  We’ve slept in the
tower of a 15th century Scottish castle, searched for the Loch Ness Monster and
have even dined at a Bedouin camp in the Arabian Desert. I love to explore this
amazing world of ours. 




As a kid,
I loved to read books and watch shows like Little House on the Prairie and Anne
of Green Gables.  I loved anything set in
the “olden days”.

When I
was about ten years old, I began to wonder about time travel.  My biggest wish was that I’d end up back in
the pioneer era.  I wanted to go and hang
out with spoiled Nellie Olsen.  I don’t
remember why I wished for Nellie over Laura Ingalls, but I think it had something
to do with the fact that her parents owned the candy shop.

I had it
all figured out.  I didn’t want to live
in the 18th or 19th century; I’d miss my family too much. And I can’t live
without modern comforts.  I wanted the
freedom to travel back and forth through time.




So strong
was my wish to time travel, I even dressed the part, as much as I could,
without raising anyone’s suspicions. I wore dresses to school every day, when
all my friends wore jeans and t-shirts. I had to be prepared just in case it worked
and I was whisked through time. That summer, I even begged my mom to buy me a
bonnet.  She did.  I wore that white bonnet everywhere.  If I ended up in Walnut Grove or Avonlea, I
was prepared. 

By the
sixth grade I was old enough to realize that time travel probably wasn’t going
to be a reality for me, so I decided that when I grew up, I’d write a book
about a girl who could travel back and forth through time. 




THE
ACADIAN SECRET is a Tween/YA Paranormal Action-Adventure about a young girl who
can…time travel.




Elisabeth finds she
can play in the past;

when bosom friends,
treasure hunters and tormented alchemists are still the norm.







BACK
COVER:




Elisabeth
London is keeping her new friends a secret from her parents.  Not only do they live on the other side of
the world in the Scottish Highlands, they lived more than three hundred and
fifty years ago. Her mom and dad would never allow her to go gallivanting about
seventeenth century Scotland.  They won’t
even let her go to the mall by herself yet.

Twelve-year-old
Elisabeth is old enough to know there is no such thing as magic, but when her
quartz crystal necklace has the power to transport her back and forth in time,
she no longer knows what to think.  The
only thing she is certain of is that she loves spending carefree days with
Quinton, the mischievous nephew of a highland warrior, and sassy little Fiona,
a farmer’s daughter. 

However,
Elisabeth’s adventures take a deadly turn when she is charged with
witchcraft.  At a time and place in
history when witch-hunts were common, those found guilty were executed,
children included. Elisabeth must race to find her way back home, while trying
to stay one step ahead of the witch-hunter determined to see her burned at the
stake













Excerpt:

As the afternoon sun began to travel
behind the mountains, it cast an emerald glow across the glen. The valley was
littered with boulders, while a small river twisted its way toward a distant
forest.

Malcolm Craig was stalking his prey. He
was a tall, strong man with piercing blue-green eyes, a short beard, and wild
black hair that gave him a crazed look. He smelled the boar before he saw it.
Talbot, his hunting dog, lunged into the brambles after the wild pig which
began to grunt in anger. That was when something to the right caught his eye. A
young girl lay motionless in the heather.

"What the devil?" Malcolm
said as he jumped down from his horse. While still keeping his hearing attuned
to Talbot and the boar, he walked over and bent to peer at her. He breathed a
sigh of relief to find she was fast asleep. Malcolm scooped the sleeping girl
into his arms. “You’re lucky I found you, lassie, before that beast did.”

With a sigh, she rested her head
against his chest and put her arms around his neck. “Daddy…” she said in her
sleep.

Malcolm laughed. “Daddy? I’m nae your
daddy. No daughter of mine would be dressed like this, wandering around
barefoot in the middle of…”

Elisabeth’s eyes popped open and she
let out an ear-piercing scream. She bit Malcolm’s shoulder and he dropped her.

“Och, child! You bit me!”

The silence in the valley broke as
Talbot howled, the boar squealed and Elisabeth jumped to her feet and wailed in
horror.

"Dinnae move, lass!" Malcolm
yelled to be heard over the pandemonium. He reached for his dagger. It was
almost time for the kill.

The enraged boar deserted his hiding
spot in the brambles and charged toward the dog, its lethal tusks ready to
kill. Talbot was well-trained so, instead of turning tail and running, he
danced backward, facing the pig, luring it away from his master. With the boar
now in pursuit of the dog, Malcolm did what was natural to any man born and
bred in the Highlands: he ran at the beast as if he were a wild animal himself.
Jumping on the boar from behind, he grabbed its ear, yanked its head up and
slashed its throat.

Elisabeth continued to scream. Malcolm
jumped off the boar as it fell limp at his feet and cleaned the blade on the
carcass before putting it away. He walked toward Elisabeth, his bloody hands
held in front of him.

“Enough, lass. It's all right now.”

Her wide eyes fixed on the enormous man
dressed in a skirt. “You’ve got a knife!”

“Aye. And a sword.” He smirked as he
pointed to it.

“You’re armed!”

“I’m nae going to harm you, though. I
was hunting.”

“Hunting what? Little girls? Where am
I?”

Not waiting for an answer, she ran from
Malcolm and toward the forest, her bare feet slowing her great escape.

“That lass is completely mad,” Malcolm
grumbled while rubbing the shoulder she had bitten.

Malcolm mounted his horse; he couldn’t
leave the terrified girl alone out here. It wasn’t safe and would soon be dark.
She would be easy enough for a blind man to find again because she hadn’t
stopped screaming. For some reason, he hadn’t stopped smiling.



His black warhorse was as large and
intimidating as Malcolm was, and the animal’s powerful legs kicked up tall
grass and thistles as it barreled along. The sound of its hooves seemed
amplified as it raced toward Elisabeth. Malcolm caught up to her. Without
needing to slow his horse, he reached down, scooped her up into his arms, and
placed her in the saddle in front of him.

“There. Now be a good lass. I promise,
I’m nae going to hurt you.”

And with that, Elisabeth fainted.

“Well now, that certainly makes things
easier,” Malcolm muttered under his breath as he wrapped her in his plaid and
nudged his horse on.







You can
find me at www.tammylowe.com

Dragon Ice release

Dragon Ice, the third of my Dragon series is now available on Desert Breeze Publishing.



Neisha and her people are trapped in the frozen north by silver dragons. In her dreams she is contacted by Tane who vows to come and help her people escape. She tries to dissuade him and Neisha is scared he will become trapped with her people. Tane refuses to accept there is nothing he can do and he and his friend set out to find Neisha's home.



Excerpt
























Dragon Ice - Dragon Series 3


One cold afternoon, Neisha lay outside the main entrance
watching the dragons fly across the plateau. Her father could be right. They
did appear to search for new accommodation. Every now and again one would fly
lower and investigate an opening in the cliff face big enough for them to
enter. She noticed none of the caves opened on ground level.

Her grandmother's diary recounted the ancestors'
investigations of these caves for a way to the outside world. They found them
roomy, but dead-ended, and too high for humans to use. The dragons might access
these caves and use them as lairs, but they would directly face the entrance to
the human underground community. No doubt the beasts would physically object to
their presence, and restrict the humans' access to the surface.

The sky darkened to black with the stars the only source
of light. Neisha thought of the warmer season arriving in a few months. The men
would go topside to hunt for fresh meat among the variety of wild animals on
the plateau. Last year, the dragons seldom ventured in from the pass, but now
the beasts hunted the same animals. This meant big problems for the humans.

The cold began to penetrate her furs and Neisha stood to
return inside. A screech behind her made her spin around. A huge silver dragon
flew toward her, mouth open wide. Steamy breath exploded from its gaping maw
and became ice arrows. Neisha threw herself to the ground and crawled around
the corner to the entry door. Once safe behind the rocky wall, she peeked back
to the outside, only allowing her head to show.

The dragon swooped by the opening, blocking the light
for a moment, and with a deep beat of its wings soared into the sky again.
Neisha vowed to watch more carefully next time she came up to the surface, and
she made sure to shut the wooden door firmly behind her.

Do you like to read?

Reading is something everybody does every day. Texts, phone numbers, shopping lists, signs, newspapers, magazines and last but not least - books.

I'd like to know what attracts readers to a book - either print or ebook. Authors are readers too so if you're a writer feel free to leave a comment.

So what does attract you to a book? Not the genre - most readers head for the type of book they normally read, before drifting toward different styles. Not the author, again the reader's preference would be the first stop.

What do you look for when searching for a book? Does the cover drag you to look at the blurb? Does the blurb encourage you to delve further? Or does the title grab you first?

For me the cover comes first, the blurb comes second and the first page comes next. If any of these don't sit well with me then I don't buy. I have passed over a book because I don't like the cover, my own personal bad, it didn't mean the book was no good.

Even if the novel meets all of the criteria above, I can still be put off by the size of the type. Very small type such as the size found in Charles Dickens books tell my brain there's probably a lot of explanation and telling instead of showing, so again I don't buy.

I'd love to hear about your personal likes and dislikes when searching for something to read.

On the 19th April I will randomly draw the name of a commenter to win a copy of my latest book Dragon Ice which will be released on 21st April. Please leave a comment to be in to win.

Return by Charity Santiago

Title:   Return : Lady of Toryn - Book 1





Author:   Charity Santiago





Pages:      301 pages





Rating:      4.5





Genre:        Fantasy, adventure, sweet romance





The war to stop Lord Angelo destroying the sun has been over for three years. During this time Ashlyn, Elder Heir of Toryn, has gone walkabout and is presumed dead. Her reappearance drives the protectors of the Free Land Democracy to bring Devlyn, the new Lord of Toryn, under control. At first Ashlyn complies but doubts are sown in her mind by a captured Toryn ninja and from there on chaos follows Ashlyn wherever she goes.





The first thing that caught my attention was the name Ashlyn, Elder Heir of Toryn. This brought to mind a strong person and someone to be reckoned with. Ms Santiago brought her character to life in such a delightful but forceful way that I felt quite sorry for Ashlyn when things went so disastrously wrong. I sympathized with her when her companions all knew what was happening and she was left in the dark. No wonder she took her own route to resolve the danger threatening her people and the planet in general.





The more I delved into this book, the more hooked I became. The variety of vampire, spartans, warriors and ninjas plus a surprise element blended perfectly into a seamless adventure story with a hint of romance appearing as an underlying plot. In fact there are two or three sub-plots to this book which all help make it a perfect start to a series. 





Adventure, fantasy, good writing and editing, all these make the book "Return" the type of book I love to curl up with and lose myself in. Well done Ms Santiago, I intend to follow this series. Thank you for giving me such an enjoyable few hours.











Charity Santiago

Tour of "Return"

Drop by on the 4th to see my review of "Return" as Charity Santiago's review tour visits my blog.

Spirit Stealer Special Price

My Middle Grade novel Spirit Stealer is set in a library and spans a century full of changes. Throughout the years the Spirit Stealer takes charge of the library at night, stealing the spirits of any who are foolish enough to remain in the library after dark. 



For approximately one week from the 16th February, Spirit Stealer is available at the reduced price of $1.99 from 











and also at a reduced price from Amazon.com



*****



Excerpt



Fader couldn’t help glancing toward the library during the day. The sun dropped low in the sky, and the crowds dispersed as he helped put the stalls away. Before slipping down the side alley, Fader checked to make sure no one watched him. The wad of paper worked well; the side door opened when he pulled the handle.
He hadn’t reached his hiding place when he heard a shout behind him. He looked quickly from side to side, desperate to find somewhere to hide. Two bookshelves stood against the wall. They didn’t quite butt up against each other, so he slid into the narrow space between them.
“What’s this?” Fader recognised the bull roaring tone of the man from the previous day. “Why is this door unlocked? Who stuck this paper in the lock? Get it out immediately and make sure the door is locked before you go home each night. We don’t want riff raff getting into the library.”
Fader’s heart sank.
The silly old fool’s found out how I got in. I’ll have to find another way, some place he won’t discover. He cheered up. I’ve got all night to work on that.
Fader spent the beginning of the night searching the building, looking for another way into the library. He searched the main entry and laughed as he sat in the Chief Librarian’s chair and twirled round.
I’ve got to find some way to get in. His gaze roamed the space before the front doors. Somewhere the pompous old fool wouldn’t even think to check.
Fader looked toward a small door on one side of the main desk.
Please let there be something to help me in here, he prayed as he opened the door.
The room held books neatly stacked on the floor and shelves. A bookcase hid the bottom half of a small window, but it only took a moment for Fader to fiddle with the catch. When he finished, it appeared to be locked, though it didn’t shut completely. He pulled the shelving further across until it hid the catch, but left enough room above for him to climb the shelves and slip out through the window.
The window entrance proved to be safer than the alley door. He didn’t have to worry someone might see him, or the window would be found and locked. He arrived after the library closed and left before it opened—too early and late for the librarians, lessening the chance of capture. Half his nights he spent reading and the other half sleeping. Weeks passed, and his nocturnal visits remained undiscovered. Fader began to think of the nighttime library as his very own place.
Then the noises started



*****




Would love for you take advantage of this special price.

Wind's Aria by Tessa Stockton

Sue's Review


Wind's Aria is a battle between good and evil with love bridging the gap. Aria is the songstress who sings each morning and night to the Sacred Flower goddess. Her people believe this tribute keeps the evil at bay. Aria is distracted and falters in her song. All seems well until the following day when a fog shrouds the town and surrounding area. A winged man she names Il Bora, comes to her rescue and love begins to blossom, but evil has other ideas for the future.





This book has a whimsical beginning, but strengthens as the story unfolds. Aria appeared to be a young, naive woman, and Il Bora a troubled young man - or spirit. I wasn't quite sure of his identity. The book takes a few unexpected turns which kept my interest at its peak. Definitely a book that left me with a satisfied, pleasant feeling.





*****







Wind's Aria - Excerpt




Wind's Aria

Fog continued to dance around them covering most of his
body, to her dismay. Just curious, she convinced herself. She closed her eyes
and squeezed the bridge of her nose to concentrate . . . something that seemed
hard to do at that moment.





“Feeling better?” The smooth notes of his words swam through
her ears.



“Mmm.” She nodded. “I guess.”





He continued to stare.





Aria cleared her throat. “Um . . . can I ask you a
question?”




“You may ask . . .”




“But will you answer?”




“That depends.”




“Oh. Well. How did you get to be so huge when all the
Meleyans are rather small? And why haven’t I seen you before?”




“That’s two questions.”




“S-sorry.”




He exhaled a steady stream of air, adding to the mist, as if
deliberating.




Aria felt the strength of his breath, blowing strands of her
hair across her face.




Slow, yet with precision, he lifted a lock from the curve of
her mouth and rubbed the strands between his fingers. He murmured, “Soft and
orange, like the petals of prairie-tails.” Then he bent and smelled her hair,
closing his eyes. “And sweet like the honey of bees.” Again he held her gaze.
The corner of his mouth twitched upward. “Do you have a sting?”




“I asked you a question first—”




“Two,” he corrected. Then he smiled.




****








Tessa Stockton - Bio:



A veteran of the
performing arts and worldwide missions, Tessa Stockton also contributed as a
writer/editor for ministry publications, ghostwriter for political content, and
she headed a column on the topic of forgiveness. Today she writes romance and
intrigue novels in a variety of genres. In addition to her fantasy romance,
WIND’S ARIA, she’s the author of suspense/thriller, THE UNSPEAKABLE, political
intrigue/romance, THE UNFORGIVABLE, and a literary short story, LOVE AND LULL,
with more in the works.






Tessa will be awarding a $50 Amazon Gift Certificate to a
randomly drawn commenter during this tour and her book blast tour.




Follow the tour and
comment; the more you comment, the better your chance of winning. The tour
dates are:




February 11:  Maggie's Meanderings

February 12:  Sue Perkins, Author

February 14:  Long and Short Reviews

February 15:  Let's Get BOOKED

February 18:  Journey of a Bookseller

February 19:  It's Raining Books

February 20:  Love Triumphs Past and Present

February 21:  The Write to Read

February 21:  STOP 2 - The Eclectic Review

February 22:  Margay Leah Justice








Links: 

www.TessaStockton.com




https://twitter.com/TessaStockton




https://www.facebook.com/tessastockton




Purchase links:



Publisher's Bookstore: http://www.soulmatepublishing.com/winds-aria/




Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Winds-Aria-ebook/dp/B00B1FEC2A/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1358431989&sr=1-4&keywords=tessa+stockton




B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/winds-aria-tessa-stockton/1114146612?ean=2940016000206

Recipe for Romance - Available Now

RECIPE FOR ROMANCE RELEASED



Recipe for Romance has been released and is available from Desert Breeze Publishing.







The new hotel manager upsets Kirsty from day one. Reeve's high handed attitude makes her wonder if the accidents in the kitchen really are her fault. With the head chef on one side and Reeve Stuart on the other she feels as if she's being torn in two different directions.



Both Kirsty and Reeve feel a growing attraction for each other, but decide to put their feelings aside until the restaurant problem is resolved. Kirsty knows it is time to take action when the attacks on her ability become personal. How can she prove she is not to blame?






Recipe for Romance is a contemporary romance set in the beautiful scenery of New Zealand. Although a sweet romance, the attraction between the Kirsty and Reeve sizzles with tension.