Sherry Ellis's Blog, page 47

Attic of Sand and Secrets

My blog friend, Medeia Sharif has a new book out:  The Attic of Sand and Secrets.  It sounds really awesome!  I'll be reading it shortly, and then I'll post a review.



[image error] THE ATTIC OF SAND AND SECRETS 
by Medeia Sharif


Amazon | Featherweight | OmniLit Vendor links will be updated on Medeia’s site.
Middle Grade Historical and Fantasy, Featherweight Press, November 2014
Lily, a learning disabled girl, attempts to unravel the mystery of her abducted mother using supernatural clues from an ancient stranger, even when it means posing a danger to herself.
Learning-disabled Lily desires to prove herself, although her mind freezes when presented with big problems - such as her mother's abduction. With a French father and Egyptian mother, Lily worries that her mother hid her ethnicity from her French in-laws. However, there's something deeper going on. Lily finds a way into an attic that's normally locked and encounters a mysterious, moonlit Egyptian night world. There she finds Khadijah, an ancient stranger who guides her to finding clues about her mother's whereabouts. Lily becomes a sleuth in both the real world and magical desert, endangering herself as she gets closer to the kidnapper.
[image error] The book takes place in 1976. Every host for this book blast is going to post one fun fact for that year. For some of you, this will bring back memories. For younger blog readers, you'll learn something new.
1976 was the year Jimmy Carter was named Times Magazine's Man of the Year. 
Find Medeia – Multi-published YA and MG Author
Blog   |    Twitter</ a>   |   Goodreads   |   Instagram   |   Amazon
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Mama Ninja

Look out, everybody.  This Mama has nun-chucks.  And I know how to use them!

In Krav Maga class, we had a nun-chuck training session.  My son and I learned some really cool ninja moves with them.

Of course, when I came home, I had to show my husband my smooth moves.  He was very impressed.  "Whoa, woman!  Remind me not to get you mad!"

My son chimed in.  "Yeah.  She's the all powerful Mama Ninja!  Don't mess with her!"

(That's right.  And don't you forget it!)

Mama Gets an "F"

It's pretty much universally known that my handwriting stinks.  (And if you didn't know that, now you do.)  My students are always saying that they can't read my writing.  Even my son's second grade teacher commented on my poor penmanship.  It's bad when that happens!

So yesterday, I wrote the word, "Excellent" across one of my student's assignments.  The student, a third-grader, said, "Mrs. Ellis, why did you write, 'Elephant' on my paper?"

"That doesn't say, 'Elephant.'  It says, 'Excellent.'"

The girl frowned.  "That's not how you make an 'x.'" She took a pencil and demonstrated how to properly make an "x" and how to properly write, "excellent."  "Now you try," she said when she was finished.

I took the pencil and did my best to write legibly.

The girl looked at it when I was done.  She shook her head.  "That's still not right!"  Then she took the pencil and gave me a big "F-" at the top.  "You might be a good music teacher," she said. "But you need to go back to school to learn how to write!"

Uh.  Okay.

Bootsy and the Buzzard

Time for a cat story.  If you've been following a while, you may know that our cat, Bootsy, is a violent killer.  No little critter is safe at our pad.  Even our giant German Shepherd, Schultz, has gotten a scratch or two from the ferocious feline.

Apparently, all of Bootsy's killings have attracted buzzards (also known as turkey vultures).  These rather large birds like to feast on carnage.  And Bootsy has provided plenty of that.  This morning, I found Bootsy and a buzzard having a stare down.  Bootsy had made a kill which he left in the backyard.  A buzzard had come down and was standing near the kill.  Bootsy didn't like that one bit!  It was his, and he was going to defend it!

That crazy cat, who was half the size of the buzzard, approached the bird and parked himself right next to his prized carnage.  He sat there, staring at the buzzard.  The buzzard sat there, staring at Bootsy.  I wondered who was going to win. Would Bootsy end up as a buzzard meal, or would the buzzard end up as a Bootsy meal?

Schultz, meanwhile, had observed the whole thing.  He sat next to me, watching.

"What do you think, Schultz?"

He looked at me and made a little whine sound.

That's when I decided it was time to let Schultz loose.  He charged out the back door and went into full attack mode.  That buzzard knew he didn't have a chance.  And Bootsy knew he'd better get out of the way!

After the yard was cleared, Schultz went over to sniff the carnage.  I guess it didn't interest him, because he trotted back to me and wagged his tail.

"Good boy, Schultz!"  I said.

I hope Bootsy remembers this, because now he owes Schultz one!

Ten Plus Nine

"Mom," my teenage daughter said.  "See if you can complete the sentence."

I looked at her quizzically.  "Okay.  What sentence?"

"First thing's first . . ."

That sounded like the lyrics to Iggy Azalea's song.  "I'm a realist,"  I said.

"Good job, Mom!  You got one right.  Here's another.  What's nine plus ten?"

"Nineteen," I answered, as any somewhat intelligent person would say.

"Wrong!"

"What do you mean, 'Wrong'?  Ten plus nine is nineteen!"

She grinned at me, "You're stupid!"

"Excuse me?"  I said.  "I may be crazy, but I'm not stupid!"

"No, look Mom!"  She pulled up a video on her iPod.






I just don't know what to say.  First I learned this week that Christopher Columbus came to Canada in 1942 in a kayak called the Pina Colada. Now I'm told that ten plus nine equals twenty-one.  Wow.  Maybe I am stupid!

Winners of Giveaway and Krakens are Real!

Thanks to everyone who stopped by for the Trick-or-Treat giveaway!  I was just going to give away two books, but I decided to give away a whole bunch of them, because you guys are so awesome.

So, drum roll please.

The winners are:  Michelle Willms, C. Lee Mckenzie, Crystal Collier, DMS, and Christine Raines.  I'll be contacting you shortly, to let you know and get mailing information.

Now for the story:

"Mama," my ten-year-old son said.  "Did you know Krakens are real?"

I looked at that kid and shook my head.  "Krakens are not real.  Those are creatures from mythology."

"They're real," he insisted.  "I read about them in a book.  They live in the deepest part of the ocean.  Let me show you."  He grabbed a book about monsters and showed me a picture.

"Dude," I said.  "You can't believe everything you read in a book."

He ignored my comment.  "And do you know what else?"

"What else, Bubba?"

"Megalodons are real!"

"They used to be, but now they're extinct," I said.

"No, they're not.  It said on the Discovery Channel that a couple were recently spotted."

Of course I didn't believe him, so he made me watch a video.





Well.  Those were certainly some big sharks!

(For those worried about Krakens and Megalodons in our oceans, I did a little more research.  It turns out there was a disclaimer on the Discovery Channel special that said the footage was fictitious.  There are no Megalodons in our ocean.  The jury is still out regarding the Krakens.)    

Trick or Treat Blog Hop

Happy Halloween!  You're in for a treat, today, because I'm participating in the Trick-or-Treat Book Blog Hop.  This was the great idea of Patricia Lynne.  Participants are offering free books to those who stop by. (No, it's not a trick!)

You can pick up a free copy of my ebook, That Mama is a Grouch, at Smashwords.  Use coupon code XB63M, expiration date:  11/30/14.

I'm also giving away two hard copies of my books, That Mama is a Grouch, and That Baby Woke Me Up, AGAIN!  If you would like a copy for yourself, or someone you know, please say so in the comments, and I'll enter you in the drawing.  Winners will be selected on Monday.




And if you didn't catch me rhyming with Pat Hatt (Yes, ladies and gentlemen, yours truly is the "duck bill"), you can find it here.

The Story of Christopher Columbus

Last night, my daughter was watching a video on her iPod, and laughing.

"What's so funny?"  I asked.

"You have to see this," she said.  "You're never going to believe it!"

What she had pulled up was the Story of Christopher Columbus, according to the fine folks who happened to be wandering down Hollywood Boulevard.

Here's what they say happened:  Christopher Columbus, who was from England, arrived in a kayak called the Pina Colada (or maybe it was a jet - we're not sure) in 1942.  At that time, he discovered the East and the West coast, and enjoyed the first Thanksgiving dinner.

What?  You don't believe me?  Here.  See it for yourself.


(Now I think I'll go find that Pina Colada, because my mind is completely blown away. Anybody want to join me?)

Bad Genes

My son is a little bit clumsy.  He has a habit of dropping his iPod.  This time, when he dropped it, he cracked the screen.

"Dude, that's not cool," I said.  "You really need to be more careful with your things!"

"But, Mama," he said.  "It's not my fault!"

"What do you mean, 'It's not my fault'?  You're the one who dropped it.  Who else's fault could it be?"

"Yours," he said.

"Mine?"  I couldn't believe it.  "How could it be my fault?"

"You gave me your bad genes for clumsiness.  If you hadn't done that, I wouldn't be dropping my things!"

Right.  (How do I always manage to get blamed for everything?)

The Popcorn Bowl

My daughter had a few of her friends over, yesterday, to watch a movie.  As is usually the case, she popped some popcorn.

Later, I came downstairs and saw the bowl of popcorn sitting on the kitchen table.  It was half full, so I figured the girls were done with it.  Since I was a little hungry, I decided to munch on some.

My daughter, who was still parked in front of the TV, heard me in the kitchen.  "Mom," she said.  "I'm so mad at Schultz!"  (Schultz is our giant German Shepherd, for those who don't know.)

I put another handful of popcorn in my mouth and ate it.  "Why are you mad at Schultz?" I asked.

"Because he ate half of our popcorn!"

I gulped.  "You mean the popcorn that was sitting in this bowl?"

She turned around and looked.  "Yeah, Mom.  You didn't eat any, did you?"

Uh.

(And I thought that was butter on the popcorn!)