Amber Polo's Blog, page 2

Omega Reader Wanted - Read a Series Backwards!

Ever Read a Series Backwards?


I will never be able to read my own books for the first time. Can't happen.
 
But, if I could, I'd love to read The Shapeshifters' Librarybackwards. I'd start with my personal favorite Reprinted (Book 4). FIRST!


I feel a lot of fantasy readers would have fun doing just that. If that idea makes you cringe and whimper, it's not for you. Just stop reading.


But, if you're intrigued - Here's the challenge!
 
I'm looking for a fantasy reader who has NOT read any of the four books in my series.
Must love dogsAdore librariesPossess a quirky imaginationHave an open mind about werewolves
If that's a fit, send me an email and I’ll give you Reprinted (Book 4 in my series) in the ebook format of your choice. 

Read it. Tell me what you think. l send you Book 3. Same deal. Next Book 2... Then Book 3...
And finally after you've read the FINAL three books, you get BOOK 1 - Released. Let me blog about your experience and together we might start a new trend.

Love, Serendipity & Chocolate - a Paranormal Real-life Romance

Amber Polo's
Love, Serendipity & Chocolate





Indulge me as a republish my annual Valentines Day post:           
       Once upon a time, in 1994, I was the marketing manager for a Boston conference audio-taping company. My boss’s Polish wife decided to throw a party. Registered for a weekend regional Mensa conference at a hotel west of Boston, I was more interested in getting away from my co-workers than socializing with them. But, when your boss has a party, you go, even if the weather is awful and you know traffic to the west suburbs will be hell.
            So I ate Jolanta’s thick potato soup and dark bread and waited for the earliest polite moment to leave. At last, blocking the door, she told me I must take sweet treats with me. I opened my briefcase and she dropped in a handful of candy. I smiled and ran down the steps to head into Friday rush hour traffic.
            At the hotel Regional Gathering on Friday evening I met old friends. On Saturday morning I had my first ever tarot card reading. Still trying to make sense of the intricate cards, I walked into the Clear Thinking Workshop. I was not particularly interested in thinking; Thinking meant questions and I wanted answers. What did the future hold for me, my career, my fortune, and, most of all, my love life? Was it too much to hope to meet the love of my life? And soon?
            Sitting next to me, with obviously a more serious interest in clear thinking, was Vince Polo, an attractive, age-appropriate man from Maryland with a big smile. Vince and I left the workshop and over the next six hours drank a lot of coffee, discussed our lives, and shared personal stories and feelings. Vince’s intelligence, sense of humor, good looks, honesty, and his intense interest in me were irresistible. He stayed for the evening banquet, returned for sessions on Sunday and decided to stay in Boston for another day so we could have dinner on Monday evening.
            Sunday night, as I was unpacking my weekend luggage, I up-ended my bag and out fell two “Prince Polo Krunche wafel z kremem Kakawym oblewane naturalna Czekolada” candy bars in gold foil wrappers.
Had I found my prince?
Here's a photo from our Arizona wedding!

            A Polish deli near Sedona’s Well Red Coyote bookstore (now sadly closed) stocks Prince Polo chocolate-covered wafer candy bars. And like all the Polish people I've questioned, the deli owners agree the candy bars have been around forever and the name has no significance.
Little did I know back then that I've ever write a paranormal romance novel or a fantasy.


See what Wikipedia says 

The Shapeshifters' Library's new dogs

The Shapeshifters’ Library Series

Light fantasy  for the dog lover who lusts for books adores libraries.
Comic villains, smart sweet heroines, and brave intelligent heroes
share a world where dogs talk and librarians battle werewolves to protect knowledge.
Meet my cover models - three boys and one lovely lady:  Chronus, the Old English Sheepdog hero of Released (he's the image of Jonathan, my forever dog) Cynerik, the Mastiff hero of Retrieved Bliss, the brave beautiful heroine of Recovered Pacifico, the smallest but smartest, hero of Reprinted heads for the Caribbean
Each has a story to tell and in human form are as enchanting as when they change into four legged beings: Chronus, Headmaster of the hidden academy in Released Cynerik, archaeologist hero in Retrieved Bliss,  children's librarian heroine in Recovered Pacifico, computer guru, millionaire, smartest hero in Reprinted                Special series pricing beginning January 28th

Festival of Sleep Day - January 3rd

January 3rd - Festival of Sleep Day!  The writer's goal is not to put readers to sleep.But when I teach relaxation that is sometimes my student's goal. In April I uploaded my Prelude to Sleep audio to Insight Timer's Free Guided Meditations. This year over 7,000 people have tried it and the reviews are great!
(Not sure how a sleeper can review, but I am not complaining.)

Try Prelude to Sleep.
 Insight Timer is available on the Apple App Store and Google Play. (free or with an optional upgrades) 
 Prelude to Sleep is also available as audio download track and even an old-fashioned CD. Buy Links   iTunes cdbaby CD album and MP3 download Amazon CD



   Insight Timer – Meditation Timer
I love this app! The bell quality is excellent. The options to set presets of times and bells is amazing. I can set the time I want to meditate, the number of beginning and ending bells, and choose interval bells - random bells to call my mind back from random thinking. Seeing who in the world is meditating now is nice support if you need reminders that you are not alone.
Developers say 1,400,000  meditators worldwide call Insight home and every day the community generates over 30,000 hours  of collective meditation.
Insight Timer is available on the Apple App Store and Google Play (free or with  optional upgrades)

Christmas in the Caribbean for 99 cents

Fly Off to a Caribbean Island for Christmas?
Christmas on Wherever Island by Amber Polo
A Magic Santa brings Caribbean Christmas Joy!
Marti Bell is facing the prospect of a very unmerry Christmas. Reluctantly, leaving her married lover she travels toward ice, snow, and judgmental family until a magic Santa sends her to a surprise destination in the warm waters of the Caribbean.  
Wherever Island would be a winter paradise except the only place to stay is the beachside cottage of romantic globetrotting photographer Cliff Holmes. Cliff wants to unwind and treat Marti to a little romantic Caribbean Christmas fun but she’s determined to stay in the warm ocean and out of hot water. 

  “Not only is the setting sensational, the hero will sweep you off your feet…this is one story I can read every Christmas season. …a great happily ever after story.”  Gotta Read Reviews

99 cents - Novella in ebook only Christmas on Wherever Island
Kindle

Magic Christmas Trees in Sedona... and one in Albuqueque

The Magic Trees of Sedona       Something magical happens in Sedona every December.  Well since it’s Sedona, let’s say something more magical happens in December.  Along Highway 179, between Bell Rock and the Town of Sedona, Christmas trees appear along the road.  They just appear.  One day they’re not there and the next morning they are.  Not ordinary Christmas trees, these are heavy with thick tinsel garlands and bright round balls.  Each tree is different but they all seem to be decorated in the same style, as if there were a plan.  This year among the reds and greens, silvers and golds, and purples and blues, there are many covered with red, white, and blue garlands and ornaments. 
          Since the trees appear on Coconino National Forest land where federal regulations require visitors to stay on the trails, decorating trees isn’t allowed.  It is rumored that families sneak along the road late at night with boxes of decorations, but that rumor is harder to believe than magic.
          Wherever these magic trees come from, they disappear as mysteriously as they appear.  On New Year’s Day there are no trees.  If you look carefully you might find a few shards of a red or silver ornament or a bit of glittery purple tinsel, but the trees are gone.  The red rocks and the green trees are still there and still magnificent, but they seem a little drab for a few days.                               

*************************

I wrote this in 2001. The trees no longer appear. The nature-loving people of Sedona have stopped decorating forest trees for fear birds will be attracted to the glittering decorations, eat, and die. So let's keep our trees indoors or with animal friendly decorations.
********************
Christmas trees are the best part of Christmas. Here's a repeat post of my trip to Albuquerque in 2014 and the great Christmas tree in Old Town Albuquerque.

 

What Do 135 Christmas Trees Look Like?The weekend before Thanksgiving in 2014 I went to Albuquerque for the New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards banquet. As an aside my book Heads in the Clouds did win the Romance category. But even without that thrill spending a weekend in Old Town Albuquerque at the elegant Hotel Albuquerque was a delight.

Shops, museums, art, lots of jewelry. And chilies – hanging from rafters and mixed into luscious New Mexico dishes.While visiting the historic old San Felipe de Neri church on the Old Plaza, I noticed a tall pole with skeleton-like protrusions in the Plaza Don Luis. Left over from the Day of the Dead celebration? I didn't think so.


When a bucket truck arrived and placed a pine tree on the top, I asked the clerk at the gift shop, located in the Sister Blandina Company that once housed the Sisters of Charity, what was happening. Then I saw a flatbed truck pull up with a lot more, really a lot more, trees. And workers began inserting trees into the skeleton from the top down.
As the day progressed, so did the tree, until one hundred and thirty-five (135) trees merged into one gigantic tree.

Workers continued to decorate the the tree with lights, white snowflakes, and red bows until the glorious tree was complete!

New Canine Cover Models

The Shapeshifters’ Library Series

Light fantasy  for the dog lover who lusts for books adores libraries.
Comic villains, smart sweet heroines, and brave intelligent heroes
share a world where dogs talk and librarians battle werewolves to protect knowledge.
I've been busy training dogs for my NEW covers!
 
They're all gentle sweeties, but sometimes get bored posing for covers.

Meet my cover models - three boys and one lovely lady:  Chronus, the Old English Sheepdog hero of Released (he's the image of Jonathan, my forever dog) Cynerik, the Mastiff hero of Retrieved Bliss, the brave beautiful heroine of Recovered Pacifico, the smallest but smartest, hero of Reprinted heads for the Caribbean
Each has a story to tell and in human form are as enchanting as when they change into four legged beings.

Now scroll down to see this season's gifts. A free Christmas romance novella, perfect with a pumpkin latte (or a rum punch). And a Goodreads Giveaway.

Thanks for letting me share my news and please tell your friends, Amber Read for FREE through the season
Christmas on Wherever Island
is the "warmest" story I've written.
Maybe it was the season, but a lonely northern girl
needed to find herself on a sunny island with a hot hero. Amazon Kindle
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Goodreads Book Giveaway Reprinted by Amber Polo Giveaway ends December 09, 2016.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads. Enter Giveaway

Christmas (on Wherever Island) is Free

Fly Off to a Caribbean Island for Christmas?
Christmas on Wherever Island by Amber Polo
A Magic Santa brings Caribbean Christmas Joy!
Marti Bell is facing the prospect of a very unmerry Christmas. Reluctantly, leaving her married lover she travels toward ice, snow, and judgmental family until a magic Santa sends her to a surprise destination in the warm waters of the Caribbean.  
Wherever Island would be a winter paradise except the only place to stay is the beachside cottage of romantic globetrotting photographer Cliff Holmes. Cliff wants to unwind and treat Marti to a little romantic Caribbean Christmas fun but she’s determined to stay in the warm ocean and out of hot water. 

  “Not only is the setting sensational, the hero will sweep you off your feet…this is one story I can read every Christmas season. …a great happily ever after story.”  Gotta Read Reviews


Novella in ebook only Christmas on Wherever Island
Kindle

The Book of Dog Magic - A gift for dog lovers with New Age spirit

The Book of Dog Magic: Spells, Charms & Talesby Sophia with Denny Sargent, (Llewellyn, 2016)

Dogs have long been important in folklore and mythology. Many claim dogs can see ghosts and strange energies that  we cannot. Therefore, it's not surprising that dogs are associated with magic. Sophia and Denny Sargent’s how-to-manual of charms, chants, meditations, and stories provides background into dogs and spirit and a guide to magical techniques and exercises to connect you with your dogs on a deep psychic level.
First , every dog lover can find their inner canine and mythic dog spirit. Next discover your dog's astrological sign, as well as suggestions of complementary dog breeds based on your astrological sign.
Fortune telling? Yes, your dog can be your psychic. The authors offer the meaning of cards your dog steps on (and hopefully doesn't eat).
Use The Book of Dog Magic to find a spell to choose the perfect dog for you. Then look up a meditation to identify the right name for your new dog. Next, chant a spell to housetrain the puppy and another to make your dog more obedient.
To keep your dog from roaming try the practical "Always Come Back to Me" spell:
Tyr, hear, always stay. You will never run away. Always be by my side, Never vanish, never hide. If you do someday run free, Always return to me.


Most comforting are the spells and meditations to help your beloved dog pass into the afterlife.
The Book of Dog Magic includes a glossary of dog spirits and dog-loving gods and goddesses.

A wonderful gift for the dog lover with New Age spirit.
Sophia and Denny Sargent - 
Sophia is an animal intuitive, professional psychic, teacher, and bestselling New Age author. She's a traveler with the ability to call wild animals to her wherever she goes.
Denny Sargent is a writer, artist, and university instructor, specializing in ancient cultures and folklore.  He has been initiated in several esoteric, western Hermetic and Tantrika traditions. He helped found, write, and edit esoteric journals of contemporary mythology and magik.


Both love all animals, especially canines.

Animal Stories Make Great Gifts for Dog Loving Kids

Sashi and the Puppy Mill Girl by Linda Greiner
Illustrated by Morgan Spicer.
(Brown Books Kids, 2016)


A fast-paced story about breed rescue filled with charming drawings.

Sashi, the bossy Sheltie, lives with a liitle girl named Anna and her mother who fosters Shelties. Cinnamon arrives as a dirty and frightened foster. The story explains what a puppy mill is and how fostering and adoption works with an emphasis on the patience needed for rehabilitation. Fostering is defined as "helping dogs find a home where they will be loved forever and ever."

The "For the Adult Reader" page discuses choosing a family dog from a rescue.
A picture book for 5 - 8 year old children, kindergarten through 3rdgrade.


Linda Grainer adopted the real Sashi in 2001 from the Shetland Sheepdog Placement Services of New Jersey and started fostering in 2003. She is the author of two previous Sashi books. A portion of sales from Sashi benefit SSPSNJ.

Morgan Spicer, a self-proclaimed dog-and-cat-lady, hopes to one day open an animal sanctuary and rescue where she will continue to educate youth about the importance of compassion and the magic of animal companionship._____________________________________________

 

The Shelter Pet Squad series
by Cynthia Lord. Illustrated by Erin McGuire.
(Scholastic Press, 2014, 2015, 2016)


A series of three (so far) short chapter books about 7-year-old Suzannah, who can't have a pet - but desperately wants one. She volunteers at her local animal shelter and becomes part of the shelter ‘s Pet Squad, a group of children who learn about animals, make toys, and have fun caring for the shelter animals.
The first in the series features “JellyBean” the guinea pig. The second is about a ferret named “Merlin” and the third stars “Paloma” a satos puppy from Puerto Rico.
Each book encourages volunteering and friendship, explains how shelters work, and stresses the need to understand the type of animal you adopt. They include suggestions how children can help shelter animals in their own area, craft projects to make toys, and advice for caring for a pet and help your local shelter. Each one asks the child to sign a Pledge to become an Honorary Shelter Pet Squad Member.
Especially fun for 7-10 year old children, 2nd - 5thgrade.
Cynthia Lord is a prolific award-winning children’s author of many books about animals and pets as well as Rules, a Newbery Honor Book. Lord is a shelter volunteer, works in a writing shed, and has a collection of rubber duckies, as well as Milo her dog, Cookie the guinea pig, and two bunnies.