Mindy Hardwick's Blog, page 44

Christmas Blog Hop Winner

 

Congratulations to Sherry who has won a copy of my sweet, contemporary, romance holiday story, LOVE’S CHRISTMAS GIFT!

Christmas Blog Hop

It’s a Christmas Blog Hop and I’m giving away one ebook copy of my sweet, contemporary romance novellas, LOVE’S CHRISTMAS GIFT. To win a free copy of LOVE’S CHRISTMAS GIFT, all you have to do is enter a comment below telling me your favorite Christmas present.

STORY BLURB: Skipper Bill and Elizabeth have been friends forever. But, this holiday season, Elizabeth has a little more up her sleeve than decorating her house for the annual Historic Homes Holiday Tour. And when Elizabeth is offered a job interview across the country, Bill and Elizabeth will have to find out if there is more than friendship under the mistletoe.

LOVE’S CHRISTMAS GIFT is a part of the Sailor Series Romance Novellas including LOVE’S BID and LOVE’S STORMS.

And…also available for FREE this holiday season from Musa Publishing is a short story for teens ages (12-15) ELF SHOES.  ELF SHOES is available for all types of ereaders and tablets.

Story Blurb: Fourteen-year-old Alexa loves to volunteer as an elf at the Island Santa Workshop but this year her costume elf shoes feel a little too tight. When childhood playmate, sixteen-year-old Samson, turns up to play Santa, Alexa finds herself trying to convince Samson to see her as more than just one of the “boys”. Can first love be found this holiday season at Santa’s Workshop?

ELF SHOES is a companion story to my tween novel, STAINED GLASS SUMMER. (Ages 10-14).

ELF SHOES is a part of Musa Publishing’s Twelve Days of Christmas FREE reads.

You can download ELF SHOES here.

And remember to enter to win LOVE’S CHRISTMAS GIFT by leaving me a comment below about your favorite Christmas present.

Goodreads Giveaway Weaving Magic

One of the fun parts of a print book is hosting a Goodreads Giveaway! And….there is now a Goodreads Givewaway for one PRINT copy of WEAVING MAGIC. Click on the box below to enter.

Good Luck!

Goodreads Book Giveaway


Weaving Magic
by Mindy Hardwick

Giveaway ends January 12, 2013.

See the giveaway details

at Goodreads.

Enter to win

WEAVING MAGIC PRINT AVAILABLE

WEAVING MAGIC in PRINT is now available for purchase. You can buy a copy at

Amazon here 

Barnes and Noble here.

I’m very excited to have WEAVING MAGIC in print.  When I wrote WEAVING MAGIC, I based the story on the teens I work with at the juvenile detention center writing workshop. I hoped at-risk teens, teens in detention centers, teens in alcohol and addiction recovery, and teens in the 8th and 9th grades (13-15) would be able to find the book.

This did not happen with the ebook for many reasons. Although STAINED GLASS SUMMER, has been able to find it’s audience as an ebook, WEAVING MAGIC has not.

So, to celebrate the print version of WEAVING MAGIC, I am asking if everyone could help the story find it’s way to the teens. I’ve put together a little list of some things we could all do.

Donate a copy of WEAVING MAGIC to a local juvenile detention center school program or library or a local treatment and recovery center for teens.


Recommend WEAVING MAGIC to Free Minds Book and Writing Club. Email your recommendation to mail@freemindsbookclub.org.


Consider donating a copy of WEAVING MAGIC to one of the following detention centers local to the story’s setting of the Skagit Valley area in Washington State.

Denney Juvenile Justice Center

ATTN: Gary Marks, School Program Director

2801 10th Street

Everett, WA. 98201

Island County Detention Center

ATTN: School Program/Librarian

501 N. Main Street

Coupeville, WA. 98239

Whatcom County Detention Center

ATTN: School Program/Librarian

311 Grand Avenue

6th Floor

Bellingham, WA. 98255

Markets for Young Writers

Evelyn B. Christensen keeps a fabulous ezine of children’s magazine markets. She updates every two months and you can find that listing here.

Now, she’s added a whole new section which lists markets for young writers. I was especially thrilled to see this list.  When I present youth workshops, one of the questions I receive is: How can I publish my work?

I keep a listing and give students a Publication for Young People Handout.

But, Evelyn’s resource makes things even easier! If you are an educator or work with young writers, please share this wonderful resource with them. The holidays can be a great time for young writers to write!

Favorite Holiday Stories

I’m guest blogging at the Euterpe YA Blog about my favorite holiday stories.  This was a very fun blog post to write and I got to share three of my favorite holiday stories.  One of those favorite stories is The Christmas Cat by Efner Tudor Holmes and illustrated by Tasha Tudor.

The Christmas Cat was given to me by my Grandma when I was seven. It was the same year I got my first cat, Sunshine. I begged my Dad for a cat and he finally made a deal with me. If I could learn to swim, I could get my cat. That summer, I learned to swim and we all trooped down to the local animal shelter to pick out an orange and yellow striped kitty.

The Christmas Cat is the story of a cat that is found by a farmer. He gives the cat to his two boys as a Christmas present. To this day, I still cannot read The Christmas Cat without choking up over the line, “A grey cat was struggling to walk through the deep snow. He meowed piteously. Occasionally, he would stop and hold up a paw caked with icy snow.”

You can read about the other favorite childhood holiday stories including Father Christmas and Miss Flora McFlimsey’s Christmas Eve at the Euterpe blog here.

I’d love to hear about your favorite holiday stories in the comments below!

WEAVING MAGIC Review

There is a new review for WEAVING MAGIC posted on A Book So Fathomless today. This is a blog hosted by two teens in Australia. You can read a bit about Chami and Ely here.

They had this to say about WEAVING MAGIC:

“‘Weaving Magic’ drew me in from the very first page- finally a YA book including magic without the usual paranormal and other fantasy themes tacked on. The main boy, Christopher, is the kind of magician you’d find a talent show- just a normal boy, no special powers and no absurd levels of perfection about him.

Both characters are incredibly relatable in one way or another to the readers- their flaws and the troubles they go through within the novel allow you to connect with them.”

You can read the rest of the review here.

WEAVING MAGIC will be coming in print soon. The print will be available everywhere–not just at my book signings. I’m just getting ready to proof the print galleys! Very exciting!

Elf Shoes Story Published

I’m really happy to announce that my companion short story to STAINED GLASS SUMMER is now available! ELF SHOES is a free holiday read and is available for all types of ereaders and tablets. It’s a short story, so you can even download it in PDF file directly to your computer.

ELF SHOES is available at Musa Publishing here.

Story Blurb: Fourteen-year-old Alexa loves to volunteer as an elf at the Island Santa Workshop but this year her costume elf shoes feel a little too tight. When childhood playmate, sixteen-year-old Samson, turns up to play Santa, Alexa finds herself trying to convince Samson to see her as more than just one of the “boys”. Can first love be found this holiday season at Santa’s Workshop?

ELF SHOES is a part of Musa Publishing’s Twelve Days of Christmas FREE reads. ELF SHOES is the story of Jasmine’s best friend, Alexa. (Alexa is the friend who Jasmine meets in the Handmade Soap store on the Island).

The Twelve Free Holiday Reads at Musa Publishing are a gift to readers! Happy Holidays!

To download ELF SHOES click here or on the cover photo.

A little bit of the behind the scenes on ELF SHOES.….The submission call for holiday stories went out in August.  I was just on my way back from my Grandpa’s Memorial and glad to have some fun work to do on the long plane ride back to the Pacific Northwest.  I started writing the story in the St Louis airport while we were waiting for our plane. We arrived early to the airport and our plane was really, really, really late. So, I had lots of time. My Mom snapped a few photos of the writer at work. Here I am, working on ELF SHOES.   If you look very closely, you will see a Tornado sign behind me. The St. Louis airport was hit by a tornado a couple years ago, and these signs direct people to places such as the bathrooms in case of a tornado. I grew up in St. Louis and I’m pretty sure these signs are new! Also included in this picture is the large, large iced mocha. I’m a bit of a coffee addict–it has to be all the coffee stands in the Seattle area…..but most of the time, my coffee is not this large!

WEAVING MAGIC Print Book

WEAVING MAGIC in PRINT will be coming soon……Here is the newly updated cover art designed by Wendy Dwyer Hughes at Summer Bay Press.

Giving Tuesday

Today is #GivingTuesday. On Tuesday November 27, 2012 charities, families, businesses and individuals are coming together to transform the way people think about, talk about and participate in the giving season. The idea is to find a way for your family, your community, your company or your organization to join in acts of giving. Tell everyone you can about what you are doing and why it matters.

So, in the spirit of #GivingTuesday, I wanted to highlight some of my favorite places to give. These are all places I have given to and support their missions and visions.

Sante Fe International Folk Art Market Sponsor an Artist: Every year, folk artists from around the world travel to Sante Fe to participate in the International Folk Artist Market. I have both volunteered at the Sante Fe International Folk Art Market as an Artist Assistant and every year, I donate to sponsor an artist to the market. Sponsoring a first-time artist at the Market, gives an artist the opportunity to meet other artists, encounter buyers from across the U.S. and the world, and succeed in a dynamic global marketplace. Sponsorships cover costs including training, international airfare, lodging, local transportation, and meals. Artists report that with the earnings from the Market they have been able to purchase land, build new studios, run health clinics, hire teachers and start schools, pay for school fees and books, and buy farm animals that bring additional wealth. The Sante Fe International Folk Artist Market is life changing for many, many of the artists who participate. You can find out more how to sponsor an artist to the market here. Be sure to watch the video.

St. Louis Zoo: Become a Zoo Parent. This is one of my favorite ways to give and gift others. The St Louis Zoo Parent Program enables you to pick an animal and donate toward that animal’s food and care costs. In return, you become a Zoo Parent and receive a certificate, a decal for your car, a stuffed animal (if you chose the animal of the season), and your name or the person who receives the donation gift (such as your sibling’s name) will be on the Zoo Parent board at the zoo. I’ve been gifting my siblings and parents as Zoo Parents for the last couple years. After my Grandpa’s Memorial in August, we stopped by the St Louis Zoo and saw our names on the Zoo Parents Board and we went to see the animals we donate towards. You can find out more about the Zoo Parents Program here.

Tacoma Glass Art Museum Membership: The Tacoma Glass Art Museum is an amazing experience of glass art. My favorite part of the museum is the hot glass shop where you can see hot glass artists at work. One way to support the Tacoma Glass Art Museum is to become a member. You can do this in your name or gift it to someone else. Find out more here.

I’ve also been a member of the Schack Art Center in Everett. They have a hot glass shop as well as offer FREE teen art nights on a regular basis. Right now, they are matching, dollar for dollar, all donations up to $5,000. You can find out more here.

Chicago Girl Talk: Self Care Day for Incarcerated Girls: On Saturday December 15th, Girl Talk will be hosting a “Pamper Yourself” Self-Care Day for the young women who are incarcerated at the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center. They are organizing this event with no money and will be heavily relying on supporters to make this day a success. They are asking for everything from personal care items such as: Bath salts, Bath Soaps, Bath Gels or if you live in the Chicago area and are a massage therapist or body worker, consider donating your service for the girl’s day. They are also asking for donations. You can find out more here. 

Chicago Girl Talk: Self Care Day for Incarcerated Girls is where I will be giving for Giving Tuesday.

Where will you give? Please share in the comments. I’d love to see the list of where everyone else is giving.