Maria Savva's Blog - Posts Tagged "guest-post"
Little Nani Revisited - Blog Tour
You may remember my interview with author Cinta García de la Rosa, after I read her wonderful children's book, The Funny Adventures of Little Nani.
I am thrilled to be taking part in the blog tour for the re-launch of this book. Now I'm going to hand over to Cinta, so she can tell you more about it!
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Thank you for visiting this wonderful blog today so you can know a bit more about Little Nani, her stories, her world, and her author. OK, her author is not as interesting as Little Nani, but what can we do? They go hand in hand, so please bear with her.
Why are we here today? Because Little Nani is suffering a series of changes. “The Funny Adventures of Little Nani” was published for the first time last September 2012, both in print and in ebook form, on Amazon and Createspace. However, along the months, I started feeling less enthusiastic about my book, thinking that the cover was dull and boring, and also thinking that the stories could be improved, maybe going through some extra editing and proofing. So that’s what I did, and now I am much happier about the result and I trust that I will start getting many more sales. Why? Because I will make the books available not only on Amazon and Createspace, but also on Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, and Feed-A-Read.
There will be also many different options to buy the books. Do you want to buy the whole set of stories? You can do it. Do you want to buy just some stories, the ones you think you would like? You can do it too, since I will publish the stories individually on Smashwords. So you see, different options to match different customers, different readers.
Once all this is settled and the books are republished on all those retailers, I will start to do the same process with the second book in the Little Nani series, which will be available next Fall.
Follow the whole blog tour since I will be announcing all the news in the different blogs!
BLURB
Little Nani is a little girl who likes helping people. However, when she helps people the results can be a bit unexpected. Why is that? Little Nani is a witch! Or at least she wants to be a witch. With her magic wand, she will try to cast different spells to help her friends, but she won't be successful all the time.
Follow Little Nani in her funny adventures and meet her extraordinary friends. Funny ostriches, horses that love reading, super-fast turtles, grumpy zombies... Little Nani has lots of friends! You can also draw your own characters!
Little Nani is willing to become a good witch. Will she manage to do it? Who knows? Read the stories and discover what happens next!
Why my book is different?
“I have written a children’s book and I have published it.” You say that and people would tell you, “Oh yeah, congratulations! But there are millions of children’s books out there.” Yes, that’s true. There are indeed a lot of fantastic books for children available everywhere. That’s why we need to try to make our books be as much original as they can be. You must make your book outstand over the others. You have to write a unique book.
But how do you do that? Writing a memorable story? It can be done but there are lots of amazing stories that every child remembers quite well. Adding stickers? That has been done so many times that children don’t get excited about them anymore. Oh, that’s right! Writing a character that children will never forget! Oh wait... That has been already done too.
So, one day, while talking to a friend, I knew what I could do. That friend suggested providing some space for children to draw. And I thought that it was a great suggestion. I started thinking that sometimes, when we were little, we would have loved to be able to draw or scribble in the books we used to read. So I am giving my readers the chance to do that. Apart from the amazing illustrations drawn by Almudena Romero, I am including some empty boxes with prompts for them to write different scenes from the stories. In that way, the child feels more involved with the book than if they just read it.
My book is different, yes. Just because the reader can both read and draw in my book. Sounds funny, right? Why don’t you check it out?
GIVEAWAY!
Don’t forget to leave a comment, so you can enter the giveaway for the opportunity to win a signed copy of “The Funny Adventures of Little Nani”. If you leave comments in several blogs during the tour, you will get an entry for each comment. So don’t hesitate to comment!
Cinta Garcia de la Rosa is a Spanish writer who has loved the written word since he discovered she was able to read books at age 5. Since then, she has become a bookworm and reads around 100 books every year. She also writes, every day, compulsively, even in the middle of the night. You cannot control when inspiration hits you, can you? She writes in English because she is convinced that in a previous life she was British, so writing in English feels more natural to her than writing in her native language. Yes, she is crazy like that. Cinta Garcia is the author of “The Funny Adventures of Little Nani”, a collection of short stories for children, and “A Foreigner in London”, a short story published on Smashwords. She is a member of Independent Authors International (iAi).
LINKS TO THE BOOKS.
Createspace
Amazon (US)
Amazon (UK)
Smashwords
MEDIA LINKS:
Goodreads: Cinta García de la Rosa
Amazon Author Page
Smashwords Author
Website
Blogs:
I Can't Stop Reading
Authors You Want To Read
Tumblr
About.me
Authorsdb
Askdavid.com
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Thanks, Cinta!
Remember, you can enter to win a signed copy of the book by leaving a comment below! Good luck!
Blog Tour for Far Away In Time
Far Away In Time has been on a blog tour in the past couple of weeks. It's not an official tour as such, but more that I have been lucky enough to find some generous author and blogger friends who agreed to post something on their blogs about the new release.
If you'd like to check out some of the blogs, I've created a board on Pinterest, here: http://www.pinterest.com/mariasavva/f...
Some of them include guest posts and there's an interview on one of them.
You can also see the book trailer on some of the blogs.
If you'd like to check out some of the blogs, I've created a board on Pinterest, here: http://www.pinterest.com/mariasavva/f...
Some of them include guest posts and there's an interview on one of them.
You can also see the book trailer on some of the blogs.
Guest post: Jason McIntyre, author of ZED
Today I have a guest post from one of my favourite writers, Jason McIntyre.
He recently released his novel, Zed, which is part of the Dovetail Cove series of books.
Here's Jason to tell us a bit more about the book, and if you scroll down you'll find a fun interview with one of the characters from the novel :)
***************************************
Writing my latest novel, ZED, was profound and scary and fulfilling all at once. Why scary? Believe it or not, I always try to scare myself as I approach a new piece of work. It makes the story better and more urgent and, truth be told, it pushes me further—as a writer and a person.
Often, those scares come from writing about a topic or in a style that is completely new for me. In the case of ZED, the story worked out in a way that I was able to incorporate special-needs patients living in a care home, something I had some experience with but had never brought to the page. Some of characters have developmental challenges. Others, physical disabilities. The period of the novel is the 1970s, a time when understanding and acceptance of such things was very different than it is today.
One of them, Zeke, turned into a main character and one I’m extremely proud of. His disability becomes central to the book but never was it approached with negativity. In fact, for the most part, Zeke’s honesty and earnest approach to life is a breath of fresh air. He acts as a counterpoint to many of the characters who don’t have learning disabilities — those who act greedily or take their situations for granted.
Apparently, when Marcel Proust was fourteen years old, his friend Antoinette asked him this list of questions. While these questions were originally intended for his personal use and self-enlightenment, I find them to be helpful questions to ask my characters as I try to understand them more deeply. Oh, and by the way, this is very serious. Only the most serious writers talk to their fictional characters. Out loud. At the dinner table.
Here is Proust’s Questionnaire, with answers by Zeke, one of the main characters the novel, ZED. To note, Zeke suffered a serious brain injury as a boy. He’s in his sixties now, but developmentally, he’s very much been ‘left behind’.
1. What is your idea of perfect happiness? My truck.
2. What is your greatest fear? Something happening to my truck.
3. What is the trait you most deplore in yourself? Sometimes I’m not as strong as I want to be. Try as I might, I can’t lift the heaviest things anymore. Mr. Tom says I’m just getting older…but I feel like, I dunno, I feel like I’m only about six. Seven, tops. I should be able to lift stuff.
4. What is the trait you most deplore in others? Lying. You’re not gonn lie, are you?
5. Which living person do you most admire? It used to be Mr. Tom but no I ain’t so sure. I like Police Chief Birkhead. Him’s a good man and he has a real nice car and a good haircut. Hard to get a good haircut here in town. My daddy used to cut mine but…huh? Oh, Okay. I’ll answer the next one.
6. What is your greatest extravagance? What’s a ‘extra-ga-vants’? Huh? Oh, well, I put the premium gas in m’gas tank. It’s a penny more, don’t you know, but it’s worth it. Daddy says we gotts ta take care of the things we work hard for. Or we might lose em.
7. What is your current state of mind? Um. Hungry. Mostly. Is it almost lunch time? Karen says we gots ta eat three squares a day. Fidela makes bad lunches. If’n you ask me, her lunches taste like square blocks o’ wood. Sorry, that was mean. I like Fidela, she’s a nice lady. Even if she can’t cook worth sawdust.
8. What do you consider the most overrated virtue? Don’t know what a virtue is. Huh? Oh, I guess…em…Honest-ness. I like it when I don’t have to work really hard to know what someone wants me to do. Just tell me. I’ll do it.
9. On what occasion do you lie? Uh-uh. Nooo waaaay. Zeke, he NEVER lies. Daddy says we always gots to tell the truth. I found out the hard way when I told a fib long time ago. But I don’t really remember doing that. Daddy has to remind me.
10. What do you most dislike about your appearance? My truck.
11. Which living person do you most despise? It’s not nice to say out loud. But if’n you come a little closer, I’ll whisper it in your ear.
12. What or who is the greatest love of your life? Aren’t you paying attention? My truck.
13. When and where were you happiest? At that there hot spring. North of town. And with Mary. When we was out there together, that was the best time of…ever.
14. Which talent would you most like to have? Counting. And remembering. I got a broken glass thinker bottle, that’s what Daddy says.
15. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? You gotts a bad thinker too! I just told you!
16. What do you consider your greatest achievement? You don’t know by now? My truck!
17. If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be? A smarter man than even my Daddy.
18. Where would you most like to live? Oh I couldna live anywhere but the Cove. It’s my home. Good and proper.
19. What is your most treasured possession? Not gonna answer this one anymore! Daddy always says you gotts ta pay attention.
20. Who are your favorite writers? I never learned to read more than a hundred words. Maybe less. Maybe fifty.
21. Which historical figure do you most identify with? What’s a ‘istorigul’ figgur?
22. Who are your heroes in real life? Most people are pretty good, if ya let ‘em be.
23. What are your favorite names? Tom. I really liked Mr. Tom but then he…oh nevermind. I still like Mr. Tom.
24. What is it that you most dislike? Olives. Oh. And raisins. I like raisins from a box but not in stuff. Raisins ruin a cookie and a muffin.
25. What is your greatest regret? That I didn’t eat more breakfast. Fidela’s breakfast is better than her lunch. I shoulda filled up this mornin.
26. How would you like to die? I don’t want to talk about bad stuff, kay? But I guess if you made me answer…I’d want to die helping. I’m good at helping. I try harder than anybody I know.
27. What is your motto? C-O-O-G-E-R-Z! Go, Cougars!
About the book…
ZED by Jason McIntyre Booktrope Editions, 2015
There are two kinds of people in the tiny island town of Dovetail Cove: those who shop at the Foodway on Broad and those who shop at Harlow's on Main. Nineteen year old Tom Mason is neither.
It's the waning dog days of August, 1975 and Tom's only here for his summer job at the group home so he can afford a new camera and impress his professors back home. His boss, Karen Banatyne, cuts corners on the food bills and dopes her handicapped 'houseguests' so she can re-up her financial grant income. The Banatynes are the wealthiest couple in town but Karen's hubby, Chris, hasn't been seen in a few weeks and Karen isn't saying why. Something’s hiding in the hot springs north of the beach, just off the main road. And the local handyman is seeing things that may or may not be real.
Tom may learn what friendship is from his lovable charges at the care home, might just come to understand the real value of a dollar, and may yet piece together the weird goings-on in the tourist town that he couldn't wait to leave but now realizes he's going to miss. Even if it conspires to kill him.
ZED is part of a group of books and stories about the citizens of Dovetail Cove. But it's not a series. Each book stands on its own while sharing the same universe and telling a much larger tale. Enter at your own risk.
Find Jason McIntyre:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Jason%20McIntyr...
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/"...
Apple iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/author/jason...
Social Media
Website: http://www.thefarthestreaches.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorJasonMc...
Twitter: http://twitter.com/jasoncmcintyre
He recently released his novel, Zed, which is part of the Dovetail Cove series of books.
Here's Jason to tell us a bit more about the book, and if you scroll down you'll find a fun interview with one of the characters from the novel :)
***************************************
Writing my latest novel, ZED, was profound and scary and fulfilling all at once. Why scary? Believe it or not, I always try to scare myself as I approach a new piece of work. It makes the story better and more urgent and, truth be told, it pushes me further—as a writer and a person.
Often, those scares come from writing about a topic or in a style that is completely new for me. In the case of ZED, the story worked out in a way that I was able to incorporate special-needs patients living in a care home, something I had some experience with but had never brought to the page. Some of characters have developmental challenges. Others, physical disabilities. The period of the novel is the 1970s, a time when understanding and acceptance of such things was very different than it is today.
One of them, Zeke, turned into a main character and one I’m extremely proud of. His disability becomes central to the book but never was it approached with negativity. In fact, for the most part, Zeke’s honesty and earnest approach to life is a breath of fresh air. He acts as a counterpoint to many of the characters who don’t have learning disabilities — those who act greedily or take their situations for granted.
Apparently, when Marcel Proust was fourteen years old, his friend Antoinette asked him this list of questions. While these questions were originally intended for his personal use and self-enlightenment, I find them to be helpful questions to ask my characters as I try to understand them more deeply. Oh, and by the way, this is very serious. Only the most serious writers talk to their fictional characters. Out loud. At the dinner table.
Here is Proust’s Questionnaire, with answers by Zeke, one of the main characters the novel, ZED. To note, Zeke suffered a serious brain injury as a boy. He’s in his sixties now, but developmentally, he’s very much been ‘left behind’.
1. What is your idea of perfect happiness? My truck.
2. What is your greatest fear? Something happening to my truck.
3. What is the trait you most deplore in yourself? Sometimes I’m not as strong as I want to be. Try as I might, I can’t lift the heaviest things anymore. Mr. Tom says I’m just getting older…but I feel like, I dunno, I feel like I’m only about six. Seven, tops. I should be able to lift stuff.
4. What is the trait you most deplore in others? Lying. You’re not gonn lie, are you?
5. Which living person do you most admire? It used to be Mr. Tom but no I ain’t so sure. I like Police Chief Birkhead. Him’s a good man and he has a real nice car and a good haircut. Hard to get a good haircut here in town. My daddy used to cut mine but…huh? Oh, Okay. I’ll answer the next one.
6. What is your greatest extravagance? What’s a ‘extra-ga-vants’? Huh? Oh, well, I put the premium gas in m’gas tank. It’s a penny more, don’t you know, but it’s worth it. Daddy says we gotts ta take care of the things we work hard for. Or we might lose em.
7. What is your current state of mind? Um. Hungry. Mostly. Is it almost lunch time? Karen says we gots ta eat three squares a day. Fidela makes bad lunches. If’n you ask me, her lunches taste like square blocks o’ wood. Sorry, that was mean. I like Fidela, she’s a nice lady. Even if she can’t cook worth sawdust.
8. What do you consider the most overrated virtue? Don’t know what a virtue is. Huh? Oh, I guess…em…Honest-ness. I like it when I don’t have to work really hard to know what someone wants me to do. Just tell me. I’ll do it.
9. On what occasion do you lie? Uh-uh. Nooo waaaay. Zeke, he NEVER lies. Daddy says we always gots to tell the truth. I found out the hard way when I told a fib long time ago. But I don’t really remember doing that. Daddy has to remind me.
10. What do you most dislike about your appearance? My truck.
11. Which living person do you most despise? It’s not nice to say out loud. But if’n you come a little closer, I’ll whisper it in your ear.
12. What or who is the greatest love of your life? Aren’t you paying attention? My truck.
13. When and where were you happiest? At that there hot spring. North of town. And with Mary. When we was out there together, that was the best time of…ever.
14. Which talent would you most like to have? Counting. And remembering. I got a broken glass thinker bottle, that’s what Daddy says.
15. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? You gotts a bad thinker too! I just told you!
16. What do you consider your greatest achievement? You don’t know by now? My truck!
17. If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be? A smarter man than even my Daddy.
18. Where would you most like to live? Oh I couldna live anywhere but the Cove. It’s my home. Good and proper.
19. What is your most treasured possession? Not gonna answer this one anymore! Daddy always says you gotts ta pay attention.
20. Who are your favorite writers? I never learned to read more than a hundred words. Maybe less. Maybe fifty.
21. Which historical figure do you most identify with? What’s a ‘istorigul’ figgur?
22. Who are your heroes in real life? Most people are pretty good, if ya let ‘em be.
23. What are your favorite names? Tom. I really liked Mr. Tom but then he…oh nevermind. I still like Mr. Tom.
24. What is it that you most dislike? Olives. Oh. And raisins. I like raisins from a box but not in stuff. Raisins ruin a cookie and a muffin.
25. What is your greatest regret? That I didn’t eat more breakfast. Fidela’s breakfast is better than her lunch. I shoulda filled up this mornin.
26. How would you like to die? I don’t want to talk about bad stuff, kay? But I guess if you made me answer…I’d want to die helping. I’m good at helping. I try harder than anybody I know.
27. What is your motto? C-O-O-G-E-R-Z! Go, Cougars!
About the book…
ZED by Jason McIntyre Booktrope Editions, 2015
There are two kinds of people in the tiny island town of Dovetail Cove: those who shop at the Foodway on Broad and those who shop at Harlow's on Main. Nineteen year old Tom Mason is neither.
It's the waning dog days of August, 1975 and Tom's only here for his summer job at the group home so he can afford a new camera and impress his professors back home. His boss, Karen Banatyne, cuts corners on the food bills and dopes her handicapped 'houseguests' so she can re-up her financial grant income. The Banatynes are the wealthiest couple in town but Karen's hubby, Chris, hasn't been seen in a few weeks and Karen isn't saying why. Something’s hiding in the hot springs north of the beach, just off the main road. And the local handyman is seeing things that may or may not be real.
Tom may learn what friendship is from his lovable charges at the care home, might just come to understand the real value of a dollar, and may yet piece together the weird goings-on in the tourist town that he couldn't wait to leave but now realizes he's going to miss. Even if it conspires to kill him.
ZED is part of a group of books and stories about the citizens of Dovetail Cove. But it's not a series. Each book stands on its own while sharing the same universe and telling a much larger tale. Enter at your own risk.
Find Jason McIntyre:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Jason%20McIntyr...
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/"...
Apple iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/author/jason...
Social Media
Website: http://www.thefarthestreaches.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorJasonMc...
Twitter: http://twitter.com/jasoncmcintyre
