Steve Berkowitz's Blog

Chocrotes Bookmarks

Win your free bookmarks by buzzing Chocrotes and the World Without Question on Libboo.com!!

 

 

 

Always question what you feel is wrong or unjust.

Giving Away Chickens on Amazon 5/23-5/24

Hello everyone!

 

I have enrolled my first book, Chocrotes and the World Without Question, on Amazon’s KDP Select platform.  For this I get 5 promotion days where Chocrotes will be offered for FREE!!! The first two days will be 5/23 and 5/24.  Get your free copy of the epic allegorical tale for you and your family to enjoy, and don’t forget to tell your friends!

 

~~ Get your FREE copy on May 23 and May 24,2013 HERE ~~

Lemon and Herb Roasted Chicken coming soon…

A Hurricane’s Jam

There is a storm a brewing in the atlantic, heading toward the northeast.  So in order to prepare, or just because I felt like it… I made jam!

I made two kinds of jam, cranberry apple and just plain apple.  Both were very good, but the cran apple was ridiculous. Here’s how simple it is.

Cranberry Apple Jam

8 oz fresh cranberries

1/2 an apple  (I used granny smith but another variety would work as well).

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup orange juice

1/3 cup water

Wash cranberries and chop apple into small chunks, you can leave the skin on or peel it off. In a medium sized saucepan combine all the ingredients. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer for 20 min. Let cool for 5-10 min. Using either a hand blender or a food processor mix the jam to your preference. Let cool and place in a jar or tupperware container.

Enjoy your jam in any way you please.

 

 

Give Away #2

The time is here again my friends, the time for some more free Give Away’s via www.Libboo.com. Get them quickly as they are only good for 24 hours! I will post them again after 24 hours if they are not all gone. Eat ‘em up!

The books:

Cracks in the Shell    4 Copies to Give Away

Tropic of Violet Series – Book 1

The Mayans called it the gateway to the underworld. The Taino Indians revered it as the birthplace of mankind. But for retired detective, Carlos Consuelo, it’s just a sea cave – shelter from a hurricane that’s bearing down on his tiny Caribbean island. However, he’s about to enter a dangerous realm, one filled with towering sandcastles, blood-thirsty crustaceans, and a mystery that goes far deeper than he ever could’ve imagined.

Code: https://www.libboo.com/freebies/42187...

Revolutionaries

A New History of the Invention of America

In the early 1770s, the men who invented America were living quiet, provincial lives in the rustic backwaters of the New World, devoted primarily to family, craft, and the private pursuit of wealth and happiness. None set out to become “revolutionary” by ambition, but when events in Boston escalated, they found themselves thrust into a crisis that moved, in a matter of months, from protest to war. In this remarkable book, the historian Jack Rakove shows how the private lives of these men were suddenly transformed into public careers–how Washington became a strategist, Franklin a pioneering cultural diplomat, Madison a sophisticated constitutional thinker, and Hamilton a brilliant policymaker. Rakove shakes off accepted notions of these men as godlike visionaries, focusing instead on the evolution of their ideas and the crystallizing of their purpose. In Revolutionaries, we see the founders before they were fully formed leaders, as individuals whose lives were radically altered by the explosive events of the mid-1770s. They were ordinary men who became extraordinary–a transformation that finally has the literary treatment it deserves. Spanning the two crucial decades of the country’s birth, from 1773 to 1792, Revolutionaries uses little-known stories of these famous (and not so famous) men to capture–in a way no single biography ever could–the intensely creative period of the republic’s founding. From the Boston Tea Party to the First Continental Congress, from Trenton to Valley Forge, from the ratification of the Constitution to the disputes that led to our two-party system, Rakove explores the competing views of politics, war, diplomacy, and society that shaped our nation. Thoughtful, clear-minded, and persuasive, Revolutionaries is a majestic blend of narrative and intellectual history, one of those rare books that makes us think afresh about how the country came to be, and why the idea of America endures.

Code: https://www.libboo.com/freebies/42582...

 

Rumors of Savages- Only 1 copy available!!

It seemed the perfect stunt to save the ailing Adventure Channel. When a famed anthropologist disappears in the middle of a formidable African jungle while searching for a legendary—and reportedly bloodthirsty—”lost tribe,” fading star Max Carrington and his bumbling television crew swiftly set off to find him. Their goal: bring him back, alive or dead, documenting every moment along the way for a blockbuster television event. Back home, their dramatic live video dispatches from the middle of the jungle swiftly become the media sensation of the moment. But when members of the crew start disappearing as well, they realize too late that much more than the network’s fortunes are at risk…

Code: https://www.libboo.com/freebies/429df...

 

Chocrotes and the World Without Question -  8 copies available! 

In a world of chickens, one chicken fights for the right to question. The setting for this book is a fantasy world inhabited strictly by Chickens. In this far off world, the Chickens live in fear of an evil King: Doodle Doo. This evil king, having usurped the throne from a Queen and King who believed in the power of questions and love, Doodle Doo turns the Chicken world upside down and destroys thousands of lives in the process. Chocrotes is born during Doodle Doo’s reign and is raised by a scientist and professor of roostory, who believe in the power of questioning. Chocrotes believes strongly that his peaceful world has been uprooted by a fascist regime. Throughout his life Chocrotes asks questions, even though he is warned not to. This is his story.

Code: https://www.libboo.com/freebies/42172...

 

Infinity Squad - Only 2 copies available!!

“Second Lieutenant Jonah Forrest is finding out that having infinite lives doesn’t make war any easier. Sure, downloading into a cloned body when you die is better than the alternative, but that doesn’t make a Hell-Spider’s claws hurt any less. Or his General’s orders for suicide missions any more sane. But when his First Lieutenant gets killed in action, really killed, and when a captured Hell-Spider offers a way to get ‘kills’ without taking on the enemy, Forrest and his Infinity Squad will have to decide how hard they are willing to work to take the easy way out. Especially when the General starts catching on to their schemes. And when their Hell-Spider prisoner starts suggesting more and more dangerous alternative missions. And when they start suspecting that not ALL of their consciousness is transferring into their new cloned bodies. Infinity Squad: They’re willing to die to free your planet from alien invaders. More than once if necessary.”

Codes: https://www.libboo.com/freebies/013bb...

https://www.libboo.com/freebies/3f08b...

Kun Lun - Only 1 copy left!!

Footprints of a Servant

This beautiful and deeply moving story of love and friendship, which has the power to reach beyond death, has already changed the lives of thousands of readers. It begins during the Year of the Tiger in the 16th century China. Two men, the Chinese Emperor’s artist, wise Buddhist Master Li Wang and his mute Taoist servant Yu, have lost their families in the greatest earthquake of mankind, which devastated Shaanxi Province of China in 1556. After twenty years of mourning their loved ones, inspired by Master Li’s ominous dream, they set out on a journey across the Himalayas in search of the mystical Mount Kun Lun, where all secrets are unveiled. lovers reunited, and a magical Ray of Light awaits for those who find it. Kun Lun is an exciting adventure to our inner self with profound Oriental wisdom found in the conversations between the two men, yet it is a tender love story wrapped in fantasy and spiritual fulfilment. The unexpected twists and turns of their story will keep you spellbound all the way to the surprising end. Appraised by literary critics and fiction book lovers, Kun Lun has sold out wherever it’s been published. At the Helsinki Book Fair in 2003, Kun Lun surpassed the sales of Paulo Coelho’s best seller “The Alchemist”. Critics comments on Kun Lun: “Kun Lun and its author are the cream of the crop”. Eila Tiainen, literary critic, broadcast journalist and director of Central Finland Cultural Foundation. “A remarkable book, which touched me deeply and made an everlasting impression on me”. Marketta Mattila, Finnish National Television host during TV-1 cultural talk show “Voimala”. “Kun Lun is a pearl!” Juha Roiha, Literary Critic, Finnish National Radio.

Code: https://www.libboo.com/freebies/01402...

 

Georg[i]e - Only 1 copy left!!

Phoebe Gelber’s life is pretty much planned out. She’s going to marry her long-term boyfriend Mark. They will have children together and live happily ever after. Until Mark unceremoniously shatters her dreams in a cubical of the women’s toilets after a boozy night out. Life and sanity on the rocks, Phoebe is thrown into turmoil when she meets dishy George McCally. A whole new world opens up to her, one that will challenge both her own prejudices and those of the people around her. Is love ever enough to overcome a lifetime of conditioning? Orla, Phoebe’s best friend since childhood, doesn’t seem to think so. Their longstanding friendship is in danger of collapsing under the strain of intolerance. Meanwhile, ex-boyfriend Mark turns up on her doorstep with a drug habit and a change of attitude. Phoebe sees a side of him she never knew before. The death of a mutual friend causes everyone to evaluate existing and new relationships. While some strengthen, others cease to exist. Ultimately, it is up to Phoebe to follow her heart and take a brave step towards an unconventional future.

Code: https://www.libboo.com/freebies/248e9...

 

There you have it the second Give Away on Mr. B’s reads! Come and get ‘em… More new titles next week.

 

Ebooks Give Away #1

I have 21 ebooks to give away.  If you are interested you must first register for free with the new start up publishing platform, www.Libboo.com. After you register you can click on the links following the book and book synopsis to receive your free ebook. The links are only good for 24 hours, so get them while they are hot.  If after 24 hours you would still like to access one of the links, please leave a message on this page and I will re-submit the link for you.  Here are the books.

First and Foremost, I have 7 copies of my debut children’s book, Chocrotes and the World Without Question:

In a world of chickens, one chicken fights for the right to question. The setting for this book is a fantasy world inhabited strictly by Chickens. In this far off world, the Chickens live in fear of an evil King: Doodle Doo. This evil king, having usurped the throne from a Queen and King who believed in the power of questions and love, Doodle Doo turns the Chicken world upside down and destroys thousands of lives in the process. Chocrotes is born during Doodle Doo’s reign and is raised by a scientist and professor of roostory, who believe in the power of questioning. Chocrotes believes strongly that his peaceful world has been uprooted by a fascist regime. Throughout his life Chocrotes asks questions, even though he is warned not to. This is his story.

Code: https://www.libboo.com/freebies/011b6...

I have 3 copies of the new scifi, Infinity Squad: 

Second Lieutenant Jonah Forrest is finding out that having infinite lives doesn’t make war any easier. Sure, downloading into a cloned body when you die is better than the alternative, but that doesn’t make a Hell-Spider’s claws hurt any less. Or his General’s orders for suicide missions any more sane.  Infinity Squad: They’re willing to die to free your planet from alien invaders. More than once if necessary.

Code: https://www.libboo.com/freebies/3f08b...

I have 2 copies of Pulitzer Prize winner Jack Rakove’s new history of the United States, Revolutionaries:

A New History of the Invention of America. In the early 1770s, the men who invented America were living quiet, provincial lives in the rustic backwaters of the New World, devoted primarily to family, craft, and the private pursuit of wealth and happiness. None set out to become “revolutionary” by ambition, but when events in Boston escalated, they found themselves thrust into a crisis that moved, in a matter of months, from protest to war. In this remarkable book, the historian Jack Rakove shows how the private lives of these men were suddenly transformed into public careers–how Washington became a strategist, Franklin a pioneering cultural diplomat, Madison a sophisticated constitutional thinker, and Hamilton a brilliant policymaker. Rakove shakes off accepted notions of these men as godlike visionaries, focusing instead on the evolution of their ideas and the crystallizing of their purpose. In Revolutionaries, we see the founders before they were fully formed leaders, as individuals whose lives were radically altered by the explosive events of the mid-1770s. They were ordinary men who became extraordinary–a transformation that finally has the literary treatment it deserves.

Code: https://www.libboo.com/freebies/013ec...

I only have 1 copy left of the thrilling adventure, Rumors of Savages: Sold Out for the 2nd week in a row!!!

It seemed the perfect stunt to save the ailing Adventure Channel. When a famed anthropologist disappears in the middle of a formidable African jungle while searching for a legendary—and reportedly bloodthirsty—”lost tribe,” fading star Max Carrington and his bumbling television crew swiftly set off to find him. Their goal: bring him back, alive or dead, documenting every moment along the way for a blockbuster television event. Back home, their dramatic live video dispatches from the middle of the jungle swiftly become the media sensation of the moment. But when members of the crew start disappearing as well, they realize too late that much more than the network’s fortunes are at risk…

Code: https://www.libboo.com/freebies/01417...

I also have 3 copies of the calming and wise tale of adventure, Kun Lun:

This beautiful and deeply moving story of love and friendship, which has the power to reach beyond death, has already changed the lives of thousands of readers. It begins during the Year of the Tiger in the 16th century China. Two men, the Chinese Emperor’s artist, wise Buddhist Master Li Wang and his mute Taoist servant Yu, have lost their families in the greatest earthquake of mankind, which devastated Shaanxi Province of China in 1556. After twenty years of mourning their loved ones, inspired by Master Li’s ominous dream, they set out on a journey across the Himalayas in search of the mystical Mount Kun Lun, where all secrets are unveiled. lovers reunited, and a magical Ray of Light awaits for those who find it. Kun Lun is an exciting adventure to our inner self with profound Oriental wisdom found in the conversations between the two men, yet it is a tender love story wrapped in fantasy and spiritual fulfilment. The unexpected twists and turns of their story will keep you spellbound all the way to the surprising end. Appraised by literary critics and fiction book lovers, Kun Lun has sold out wherever it’s been published.

Codes: https://www.libboo.com/freebies/01402...

https://www.libboo.com/freebies/01402...

Only 1 copy available of the political nonfiction book, Throw Them All Out:

How Politicians and Their Friends Get Rich off Insider Stock Tips, Land Deals, and Cronyism That

Politicians often come into office with relatively modest assets. As investors, they regularly beat the market and sometimes beat the most rapacious hedge funds. Even without making stock trades, they often retire rich. How do they do it? Billionaires and hedge fund managers often make well-timed investment decisions that anticipate events in Washington. How do they do it? When such former politicians and federal appointees as Al Gore, Dan Quayle, and Madeleine Albright decide to launch investment funds, wealthy clients sign up. Why? Welcome to the insidious world of crony capitalism. Cronyism exists not so much as outright bribery, using suitcases full of cash, but rather in accepted insider routes to wealth: Members of Congress trade stocks based on privileged information. They insert earmarks into bills to improve their own real estate holdings. Campaign contributors receive billions in federal grants. Nobody goes to jail. Crony capitalism transcends party lines and has become a big business hidden in plain sight. Using personal financial information, government databases, and a team of indefatigable researchers, Peter Schweizer shines a light into the darkest corners of the system — and offers ways to overcome it. It is time to clean house.

Code: https://www.libboo.com/freebies/01877...

And last but not least, I have two copies of the LGBT, Georg[i]e:

Phoebe Gelber’s life is pretty much planned out. She’s going to marry her long-term boyfriend Mark. They will have children together and live happily ever after. Until Mark unceremoniously shatters her dreams in a cubical of the women’s toilets after a boozy night out. Life and sanity on the rocks, Phoebe is thrown into turmoil when she meets dishy George McCally. A whole new world opens up to her, one that will challenge both her own prejudices and those of the people around her. Is love ever enough to overcome a lifetime of conditioning? Orla, Phoebe’s best friend since childhood, doesn’t seem to think so. Their longstanding friendship is in danger of collapsing under the strain of intolerance. Meanwhile, ex-boyfriend Mark turns up on her doorstep with a drug habit and a change of attitude. Phoebe sees a side of him she never knew before. The death of a mutual friend causes everyone to evaluate existing and new relationships. While some strengthen, others cease to exist. Ultimately, it is up to Phoebe to follow her heart and take a brave step towards an unconventional future.

Code: https://www.libboo.com/freebies/248e9...

 

There you have it! The second of many ebook giveaways on Mr. B’s Reads.  Stay tuned, more to come in 6 days!

 

Ebooks Give Away #2

I have 21 ebooks to give away.  If you are interested you must first register for free with the new start up publishing platform, www.Libboo.com. After you register you can click on the links following the book and book synopsis to receive your free ebook. The links are only good for 24 hours, so get them while they are hot.  If after 24 hours you would still like to access one of the links, please leave a message on this page and I will re-submit the link for you.  Here are the books.

First and Foremost, I have 7 copies of my debut children’s book, Chocrotes and the World Without Question:

In a world of chickens, one chicken fights for the right to question. The setting for this book is a fantasy world inhabited strictly by Chickens. In this far off world, the Chickens live in fear of an evil King: Doodle Doo. This evil king, having usurped the throne from a Queen and King who believed in the power of questions and love, Doodle Doo turns the Chicken world upside down and destroys thousands of lives in the process. Chocrotes is born during Doodle Doo’s reign and is raised by a scientist and professor of roostory, who believe in the power of questioning. Chocrotes believes strongly that his peaceful world has been uprooted by a fascist regime. Throughout his life Chocrotes asks questions, even though he is warned not to. This is his story.

Code: https://www.libboo.com/freebies/011b6...

I have 3 copies of the new scifi, Infinity Squad: 

Second Lieutenant Jonah Forrest is finding out that having infinite lives doesn’t make war any easier. Sure, downloading into a cloned body when you die is better than the alternative, but that doesn’t make a Hell-Spider’s claws hurt any less. Or his General’s orders for suicide missions any more sane.  Infinity Squad: They’re willing to die to free your planet from alien invaders. More than once if necessary.

Code: https://www.libboo.com/freebies/013bb...

I have 2 copies of Pulitzer Prize winner Jack Rakove’s new history of the United States, Revolutionaries:

A New History of the Invention of America. In the early 1770s, the men who invented America were living quiet, provincial lives in the rustic backwaters of the New World, devoted primarily to family, craft, and the private pursuit of wealth and happiness. None set out to become “revolutionary” by ambition, but when events in Boston escalated, they found themselves thrust into a crisis that moved, in a matter of months, from protest to war. In this remarkable book, the historian Jack Rakove shows how the private lives of these men were suddenly transformed into public careers–how Washington became a strategist, Franklin a pioneering cultural diplomat, Madison a sophisticated constitutional thinker, and Hamilton a brilliant policymaker. Rakove shakes off accepted notions of these men as godlike visionaries, focusing instead on the evolution of their ideas and the crystallizing of their purpose. In Revolutionaries, we see the founders before they were fully formed leaders, as individuals whose lives were radically altered by the explosive events of the mid-1770s. They were ordinary men who became extraordinary–a transformation that finally has the literary treatment it deserves.

Code: https://www.libboo.com/freebies/013ec...

I only have 1 copy left of the thrilling adventure, Rumors of Savages:

It seemed the perfect stunt to save the ailing Adventure Channel. When a famed anthropologist disappears in the middle of a formidable African jungle while searching for a legendary—and reportedly bloodthirsty—”lost tribe,” fading star Max Carrington and his bumbling television crew swiftly set off to find him. Their goal: bring him back, alive or dead, documenting every moment along the way for a blockbuster television event. Back home, their dramatic live video dispatches from the middle of the jungle swiftly become the media sensation of the moment. But when members of the crew start disappearing as well, they realize too late that much more than the network’s fortunes are at risk…

Code: https://www.libboo.com/freebies/01417...

I also have 3 copies of the calming and wise tale of adventure, Kun Lun:

This beautiful and deeply moving story of love and friendship, which has the power to reach beyond death, has already changed the lives of thousands of readers. It begins during the Year of the Tiger in the 16th century China. Two men, the Chinese Emperor’s artist, wise Buddhist Master Li Wang and his mute Taoist servant Yu, have lost their families in the greatest earthquake of mankind, which devastated Shaanxi Province of China in 1556. After twenty years of mourning their loved ones, inspired by Master Li’s ominous dream, they set out on a journey across the Himalayas in search of the mystical Mount Kun Lun, where all secrets are unveiled. lovers reunited, and a magical Ray of Light awaits for those who find it. Kun Lun is an exciting adventure to our inner self with profound Oriental wisdom found in the conversations between the two men, yet it is a tender love story wrapped in fantasy and spiritual fulfilment. The unexpected twists and turns of their story will keep you spellbound all the way to the surprising end. Appraised by literary critics and fiction book lovers, Kun Lun has sold out wherever it’s been published.

Codes: https://www.libboo.com/freebies/7ff1b...

https://www.libboo.com/freebies/01402...

Only 1 copy available of the political nonfiction book, Throw Them All Out:

How Politicians and Their Friends Get Rich off Insider Stock Tips, Land Deals, and Cronyism That

Politicians often come into office with relatively modest assets. As investors, they regularly beat the market and sometimes beat the most rapacious hedge funds. Even without making stock trades, they often retire rich. How do they do it? Billionaires and hedge fund managers often make well-timed investment decisions that anticipate events in Washington. How do they do it? When such former politicians and federal appointees as Al Gore, Dan Quayle, and Madeleine Albright decide to launch investment funds, wealthy clients sign up. Why? Welcome to the insidious world of crony capitalism. Cronyism exists not so much as outright bribery, using suitcases full of cash, but rather in accepted insider routes to wealth: Members of Congress trade stocks based on privileged information. They insert earmarks into bills to improve their own real estate holdings. Campaign contributors receive billions in federal grants. Nobody goes to jail. Crony capitalism transcends party lines and has become a big business hidden in plain sight. Using personal financial information, government databases, and a team of indefatigable researchers, Peter Schweizer shines a light into the darkest corners of the system — and offers ways to overcome it. It is time to clean house.

Code: https://www.libboo.com/freebies/01877...

And last but not least, I have three copies of the LGBT, Georg[i]e:

Phoebe Gelber’s life is pretty much planned out. She’s going to marry her long-term boyfriend Mark. They will have children together and live happily ever after. Until Mark unceremoniously shatters her dreams in a cubical of the women’s toilets after a boozy night out. Life and sanity on the rocks, Phoebe is thrown into turmoil when she meets dishy George McCally. A whole new world opens up to her, one that will challenge both her own prejudices and those of the people around her. Is love ever enough to overcome a lifetime of conditioning? Orla, Phoebe’s best friend since childhood, doesn’t seem to think so. Their longstanding friendship is in danger of collapsing under the strain of intolerance. Meanwhile, ex-boyfriend Mark turns up on her doorstep with a drug habit and a change of attitude. Phoebe sees a side of him she never knew before. The death of a mutual friend causes everyone to evaluate existing and new relationships. While some strengthen, others cease to exist. Ultimately, it is up to Phoebe to follow her heart and take a brave step towards an unconventional future.

Codes: https://www.libboo.com/freebies/0188c...

https://www.libboo.com/freebies/248e9...

 

There you have it! The second of many ebook giveaways on Mr. B’s Reads.  Stay tuned, more to come in 6 days!

 

Libboo is Back

So the platform I use for publishing my books is back up and running.  It is new and improved and now featuring over thirty vetted books by various authors.  I was using the site last week, and enjoyed buzzing my book and others as well.  Basically I was just spreading the word about these other books on social media, and getting rewarded for it.  This Monday I was awarded with 19 free ebooks to give away, not bad for a weeks work.  What my goal is with these freebies is to not only spread the word about these awesome books, but also Libboo.  Hopefully readers will enjoy the free books enough to review them on Amazon and elsewhere, only fair to review a book that was gifted to you.

 

These are the books:

 

1. 3 copies of Kun Lun: Footprints of a Servent Kun Lun

“This beautiful and deeply moving story of love and friendship, which has the power to reach beyond death, has already changed the lives of thousands of readers. It begins during the Year of the Tiger in the 16th century China. Two men, the Chinese Emperor’s artist, wise Buddhist Master Li Wang and his mute Taoist servant Yu, have lost their families in the greatest earthquake of mankind, which devastated Shaanxi Province of China in 1556. After twenty years of mourning their loved ones, inspired by Master Li’s ominous dream, they set out on a journey across the Himalayas in search of the mystical Mount Kun Lun, where all secrets are unveiled.”

2. Only 1 copy of Infinity Squad (Not on Goodreads yet )

“”Second Lieutenant Jonah Forrest is finding out that having infinite lives doesn’t make war any easier. Sure, downloading into a cloned body when you die is better than the alternative, but that doesn’t make a Hell-Spider’s claws hurt any less. Or his General’s orders for suicide missions any more sane. But when his First Lieutenant gets killed in action, really killed, and when a captured Hell-Spider offers a way to get ‘kills’ without taking on the enemy, Forrest and his Infinity Squad will have to decide how hard they are willing to work to take the easy way out.”

3. 4 copies of Chocrotes and the World Without Question Chocrotes and the World Without Question

“In a world of chickens, one chicken fights for the right to question. The setting for this book is a fantasy world inhabited strictly by Chickens. In this far off world, the Chickens live in fear of an evil King: Doodle Doo. This evil king, having usurped the throne from a Queen and King who believed in the power of questions and love, Doodle Doo turns the Chicken world upside down and destroys thousands of lives in the process. Chocrotes is born during Doodle Doo’s reign and is raised by a scientist and professor of roostory, who believe in the power of questioning. Chocrotes believes strongly that his peaceful world has been uprooted by a fascist regime. Throughout his life Chocrotes asks questions, even though he is warned not to. This is his story.”

4. Three copies of Rumors of Savages Rumors of Savages (Sold Out!!)

“It seemed the perfect stunt to save the ailing Adventure Channel. When a famed anthropologist disappears in the middle of a formidable African jungle while searching for a legendary—and reportedly bloodthirsty—”lost tribe,” fading star Max Carrington and his bumbling television crew swiftly set off to find him. Their goal: bring him back, alive or dead, documenting every moment along the way for a blockbuster television event. Back home, their dramatic live video dispatches from the middle of the jungle swiftly become the media sensation of the moment. But when members of the crew start disappearing as well, they realize too late that much more than the network’s fortunes are at risk…”

5. Four copies of What Came from the Stars, by Gary D. Schmidt What Came from the Stars

“The Valorim are about to fall to a dark lord when they send a necklace containing their planet across the cosmos, hurtling past a trillion stars . . . all the way into the lunchbox of Tommy Pepper, sixth grader, of Plymouth, Mass. Mourning his late mother, Tommy doesn’t notice much about the chain he found, but soon he is drawing the twin suns and humming the music of a hanorah. As Tommy absorbs the art and language of the Valorim, their enemies target him. When a creature begins ransacking Plymouth in search of the chain, Tommy learns he must protect his family from villains far worse than he’s ever imagined. High fantasy collides with a contemporary small-town in two-time Newbery honoree and National Book Award finalist Gary D. Schmidt’s newest coming-of-age tale.”

6. Last but not least, three copies of Georgie (also not on Goodreads yet)

“Phoebe Gelber’s life is pretty much planned out. She’s going to marry her long-term boyfriend Mark. They will have children together and live happily ever after. Until Mark unceremoniously shatters her dreams in a cubical of the women’s toilets after a boozy night out. Life and sanity on the rocks, Phoebe is thrown into turmoil when she meets dishy George McCally. A whole new world opens up to her, one that will challenge both her own prejudices and those of the people around her. Is love ever enough to overcome a lifetime of conditioning? Orla, Phoebe’s best friend since childhood, doesn’t seem to think so. Their longstanding friendship is in danger of collapsing under the strain of intolerance. Meanwhile, ex-boyfriend Mark turns up on her doorstep with a drug habit and a change of attitude. Phoebe sees a side of him she never knew before. The death of a mutual friend causes everyone to evaluate existing and new relationships. While some strengthen, others cease to exist. Ultimately, it is up to Phoebe to follow her heart and take a brave step towards an unconventional future.”

Blogging about Inspiration

When I began to think about who had inspired me to first start writing, I struggled with what author or artist I would choose. While I recently have jumped back into reading the genre I love to write, no author has changed the direction of my life. Sure, there are some authors whose style I love, but to say they inspired me to write would be a lie.

The events which inspired me to write occurred back in the spring of 2009.  I was teaching English in Taiwan to students who really didn’t want to learn from the textbooks I was given.  They were bored, tired, and unengaged.  I thought about how I was going to inspire my own students to enjoy learning a foreign language.  A language that would help open doors for them later on in life. While trying to inspire my own students to learn English, I was inspired to write.

Read the full blog post about my inspiration here on Mick Davidson’s Blog

 

 

Inspiration

Today I will be featured on Mick Davidson’s Blog for an It’s All About You.  I was asked to write a bit about what piece of art, or artist has inspired me in life and writing.

I chose something a bit different, no work of art, artist, or author has inspired me to write.  Instead it was when I was trying to inspire my students to learn, that I became inspired to write.

You can find the full article at the link above. Check Check Check it out.

Here is some inspiration for you all from my eye: