S. Smith's Blog, page 26
December 18, 2013
12 Authors of Christmas Giveaway! 6 Days Remaining
Our busy Book Elves are giving away a total of 30 prizes of books suitable for Middle Grade readers - age roughly 8 to 14 – although a lot of adults enjoy them too!
Who are the Authors on tour?
All these authors are interviewing each other, reviewing each others’ books and more in the Giveaway blog tour starting 1st December. Click the links to go to their websites and find out more about them, and check out their books in the InLinkz list below.
Jemima Pett: the Princelings of the East series (1st, 11th and 18th December)
M G King: Fizz & Peppers at the Bottom of the World (2nd and 10th December)
Fiona Ingram: The Secret of the Sacred Scarab (3rd and 12th December)
Wendy Leighton-Porter: The Shadows from the Past series (4th and 14th December)
Stanley and Katrina (Pet Authors): The Perpetual Papers of a Pack of Pets (5th and 17th December)
Ben Zackheim: Shirley Link, ace detective series (6th and 19th December)
Rebecca Douglass: The Ninja Librarian and Return to Skunk Corners (7th and 16th December)
Cheryl Carpinello: The Young Knights of the Round Table series (8th and 13th December)
S Smith: The Seed Savers series (9th and 18th December)
Julie Grasso: Caramel Cardamom series (11th and 22nd December)
Paul R Hewlett: Lionel’s Grand Adventure series (16th and 20th December)
S W Lothian: the Quest series (tba)
Check out all these books!
Now Enter the Giveaway!
You could win a prize from one of these authors. Most are offering one or two books from their series: if you’ve already got the first, they may offer you a different one if you win. The prizes are as detailed on the rafflecopter form.
Contest runs: December 1st to 23rd, 11:59 pm EST, 2013
Open: Worldwide
How to enter: Enter using the Rafflecopter - click this link.
Terms and Conditions: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. Winners will be randomly drawn through the Rafflecopter widget and will be contacted by email within 48 hours after the giveaway ends. The winner will then have until 28th Dec. to respond. If the winner does not respond in that time, a new draw will take place for a new winner. No cash alternatives to the ebooks offered. Authors may (at their sole discretion) offer a different ebook from that listed if the winner already owns the prize listed. Odds of winning will vary depending on the number of eligible entries received. This contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. This giveaway is sponsored by the authors named and is hosted and managed by Jemima Pett, the Princelings author. If you have any additional questions – feel free to send an email to jemima (dot) pett (at) gmail (dot) com.
December 11, 2013
IS ENVI-FI THE NEWEST SCIENCE FICTION SUBGENRE?
Third Book Released in Environmental Dystopian YA Series
SALEM, Ore. December 11, 2013— S. Smith recently released the third installment in her middle grade/YA series, Seed Savers. Heirloom chronicles the lives of three young friends in a not-so-distant future where large corporations and the government have merged and taken control of the food supply.
Like the emerging genre of cli-fi— literature based around climate change— Smith’s series imagines a future based on the environmental decisions we make today. The main focus of the book is a future U.S. where seed ownership is banned and gardening is illegal. Climate change is also alluded to with mention of “land parched and treated so poorly that it had lost its ability to be productive and was tossed aside like so much trash,” and with the Pacific Islander “climate refugees” hidden in the Smoky Mountains. The Seed Savers series is unique in its imagining of what could happen if intellectual property rights concerning patenting of seeds and plant life remain unchecked.
Heirloom, like the previous books in the series, is not bleak and hopeless like many dystopians in today’s market, such as The Hunger Games. Smith describes it as “Little House on the Prairie meets Fahrenheit 451.” In an earlier interview Smith stated that the first Seed Savers book was “a love story starring homegrown food.”
About book three Smith said, “Though taking place some fifty years in the future, Heirloom is about connecting to the past. Lily reconnects with her family’s past while Clare and Dante experience the wider cultural past of living on a farm with its seasonal cycles of planting and harvest.” Why should people read Heirloom? “It’s a fun book, an interesting book that takes on important issues of our time.”
Smith is a former middle school teacher, a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, an OSU Master Gardener, and a seed saver with her local seed/food bank. She grew up on a small family farm and occasionally sells apples with her brother at a local farmers’ market. She grows, harvests, and “puts up” most of the vegetables and fruits her family will eat for the year.
Heirloom (Seed Savers, #3) ISBN 978-0615906737 is available in print wherever books are sold and at Amazon for ebooks, with wider distribution coming soon. For more information visit http://seedsaversseries.com or buy online at http://amzn.to/19xynAD. The names of the first two books in the series are Treasure and Lily.
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For more information about Ms. Smith or the Seed Savers Series, or to schedule an interview, call S. Smith at 503-362-6591 or email authorssmith@gmail.com.
December 8, 2013
A Timeless Story of Courage and Loyalty
I recently had the pleasure of reading The King’s Ransom (Young Knights of the Round Table) by Cheryl Carpinello. It was a wonderful story, well-written and interesting, with surprises thrown in at the end.
As you can guess from the title, the story takes place during the reign of King Arthur. The protagonists are ages eleven, thirteen, and fifteen. Their adventure lies in trying to clear the name of a friend who has been framed for murder. Each boy must face his fear and complete a quest by himself in order to save the friend.
The book is short–just over 100 pages–so it’s ideal for use in a classroom setting. It is also wonderful for kids who maybe do not yet love reading or are intimidated by longer books. The book ends nicely, but leaves itself open for many sequels where we might again enjoy the company of Gavin, Philip, and Bryan.
The content of The King’s Ransom is appropriate for children of any age.
I highly recommend The King’s Ransom. Go out and get a copy now! 
The King’s Ransom is available through Amazon or Barnes and Noble or here.
Connect with Cheryl Carpinello:
Carpinello’s Writing Pages: http://carpinelloswritingpages.blogspot.com
Webste: http://www.beyondtodayeducator.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cheryl.carpinello1
Twitter Home Page: https://twitter.com/ccarpinello
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/cherylcarpinello
IAN: http://www.independentauthornetwork.com/cheryl-carpinello.html
This review is part of the Middle Grade Book Elves Giveaway
S. Smith is the author of the awesome and award-winning middle grade series, Seed Savers. Visit her Facebook and Pinterest pages. Follow her on Twitter. Sign up for the newsletter!
December 4, 2013
Book Coma
Reblogged from Anakalian Whims:
I’ve been a slacker these last few weeks. At least it feels that way. I am behind on my reading – but when am I not? My house is not nearly as clean as I would like it to be – since when is this news? And I’ve been doing an awful lot of just ‘hanging out.’
Just thinking about the act of doing nothing makes me cringe sometimes.
It almost seems too self-indulgent to reblog such a nice post... thanks, anakalian whims
December 3, 2013
Cover Reveal: Seconds Before Sunrise
Two nightmares. One memory.
“Chaos within destiny. It was the definition of our love.”
Eric has weeks before his final battle when he’s in an accident. Forced to face his human side, he knows he can’t survive if he fights alone. But he doesn’t want to surrender, even if he becomes the sacrifice for war.
Jessica’s memory isn’t the only thing she’s lost. Her desire to find her parents is gone and so is her confidence. But when fate leaves nightmares behind, she decides to find the boy she sees in them, even if it risks her sanity.
Seconds Before Sunrise releases March 22, 2014
Fact #33 The Timely Death Trilogy is based on a series of dreams, but the final product is far from the original visions.
Visit Shannon’s Goodreads Page
December 2, 2013
Why Jeff Bezos is My Hero
It has nothing to do with drones delivering books to my doorstep. I’m still thrilled with the UPS trucks. In September (yes, before the whole drone business) I actually posted a youtube link to my son about Bezos’s “Regret Minimization Framework.” I have no idea if he ever watched it or if he knows who Jeff Bezos is. My kids still think I’m weird.
So when I saw Bezos on 60 Minutes last night, I stopped what I was doing to find out what he was up to. You see, I’ve never forgotten the first time I saw Bezos on 60 minutes back in 1999. (In a piece titled “Nerd of the Amazon”).
I always remembered three things from that interview:
1) his regret minimization framework
2) the crack Bob Simon made about Bezos’s car in light of his net worth
3) that crazy laugh.
Although Bezos seems a little less light-hearted now, I still find him down-to-earth. Maybe I just like his philosophy. Like I said, I never forgot the idea of living your life now in a way that will minimize your regrets in the future. I’m not saying I’m very good at it. To the contrary, it seems I have a predisposition toward regret. And I think that’s why I love the idea and wish I had heard of it prior to 1999. Ah well, see there I go again …
In last night’s interview I liked the way Bezos nonchalantly shared that in the early days of Amazon one of his “visualizations of success” was to visualize that some day Amazon would be big enough that they could afford a forklift. I like the idea of visualizing success in very specific ways.
Most of us would call it “daydreaming,” but for Bezos it is “visualizing success.”
My husband’s stacking
I loved his efficiency in stacking. My husband is a stacker and it drives me insane. He is NOT an efficient stacker.
In response to Charlie Rose’s question about the power of Amazon and whether or not they were being ruthless with their power and ability to handle a small profit margin, whether they were driving small businesses and small book publishers out of business, Bezos said people complain about that, but “complaining is not a strategy.” “Amazon is not happening to bookselling,” he said, “the future is happening to bookselling.”
Obviously the delivery of Amazon products by drones has made the biggest splash in the headlines (you must go here for a fun take on that), but it was also news to me about “Amazon Fresh” delivering groceries to people and “Amazon Fashion.” Wow.
Yes, sometimes like you I worry about Amazon taking over the world. But really, there are a lot worse things to worry about than Amazon, don’t you think?
For now, I need to double down on the RMF and try Bezos’s visualization technique. Right now I am visualizing a time when I have so many reviews for my book on Amazon that I won’t have time to read them all. I’m visualizing boxes of Seed Savers being shipped all over the world …
Mr. Bezos, if you’re listening, I’m visualizing my book as a Kindle Daily Deal, Kindle Daily Deal, Kindle Daily Deal …
Your thoughts? I’d love to hear from you.
S. Smith is the author of the awesome and award-winning middle grade series, Seed Savers. Visit her Facebook and Pinterest pages. Follow her on Twitter. Sign up for the newsletter!
Endings and Beginnings
Today is the last day of my launch/blog tour for Heirloom. It’s been fun. All of the links are now complete, so if you missed anything just go here and you should be able to visit any of the hosting blogs. On the tour, there are reviews of Heirloom, excerpts, interviews, even a character interview with Lily and a haiku! A big thank you to all of the bloggers who hosted me!
Yesterday a special Christmas tour/giveaway featuring 12 authors of middle grade books (of which I am a part) began. There are prizes to sign up for as well as reviews and interviews to give you a sampling. For that list go here.
Tomorrow I will be doing a cover reveal for yet another author, so stay tuned.
The Goodreads Giveaway of Heirloom has concluded, but I think I will do it again sometime soon, as I don’t feel like I left it up long enough. Meanwhile, ebook copies of Treasure are still on sale for 99 cents. There is so much going on, it’s hard to keep up!
Don’t forget that I also have a facebook page and am now on twitter.
S. Smith is the author of the awesome and award-winning middle grade series, Seed Savers. Visit her Facebook and Pinterest pages. Follow her on Twitter. Sign up for the newsletter!
December 1, 2013
Is It Too Soon to Say Christmas?
Our busy Book Elves are giving away a total of 30 prizes of books suitable for Middle Grade readers – age roughly 8 to 14 – although a lot of adults enjoy them too!
Who are the Authors on tour?
All these authors are interviewing each other, reviewing each others’ books and more in the Giveaway blog tour starting 1st December. Click the links to go to their websites and find out more about them, and check out their books in the InLinkz list below.
Jemima Pett: the Princelings of the East series (1st, 11th and 18th December)
M G King: Fizz & Peppers at the Bottom of the World (2nd and 10th December)
Fiona Ingram: The Secret of the Sacred Scarab (3rd and 12th December)
Wendy Leighton-Porter: The Shadows from the Past series (4th and 14th December)
Stanley and Katrina (Pet Authors): The Perpetual Papers of a Pack of Pets (5th and 17th December)
Ben Zackheim: Shirley Link, ace detective series (6th and 19th December)
Rebecca Douglass: The Ninja Librarian and Return to Skunk Corners (7th and 16th December)
Cheryl Carpinello: The Young Knights of the Round Table series (8th and 13th December)
S Smith: The Seed Savers series (9th and 18th December)
Julie Grasso: Caramel Cardamom series (11th and 22nd December)
Paul R Hewlett: Lionel’s Grand Adventure series (16th and 20th December)
S W Lothian: the Quest series (tba)
Check out all these books!
Now Enter the Giveaway!
You could win a prize from one of these authors. Most are offering one or two books from their series: if you’ve already got the first, they may offer you a different one if you win. The prizes are as detailed on the rafflecopter form.
Contest runs: December 1st to 23rd, 11:59 pm EST, 2013
Open: Worldwide
How to enter: Enter using the Rafflecopter – click this link.
Terms and Conditions: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. Winners will be randomly drawn through the Rafflecopter widget and will be contacted by email within 48 hours after the giveaway ends. The winner will then have until 28th Dec. to respond. If the winner does not respond in that time, a new draw will take place for a new winner. No cash alternatives to the ebooks offered. Authors may (at their sole discretion) offer a different ebook from that listed if the winner already owns the prize listed. Odds of winning will vary depending on the number of eligible entries received. This contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. This giveaway is sponsored by the authors named and is hosted and managed by Jemima Pett, the Princelings author. If you have any additional questions – feel free to send an email to jemima (dot) pett (at) gmail (dot) com.
November 30, 2013
Guest Post: On Being a Pantser
Winner of last year's Excerpt Contest on Story Addict, S. Smith, is here to grace us again with her awesome prose and news that Seed Savers: Heirloom, Book 3 in the series that won her the award was released this November and is available now!
She's back with a post on the rare but fascinating breed of writers, the pantsers.
Here is a guest post I did a few days ago ...
November 29, 2013
After-Thanksgiving Specials
Black Friday (1940 film) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I decided against saying Black Friday. I’m tired of the hype. And I can’t tell you how many years ago I stopped shopping on the day after. It was before the term Black Friday came into vogue. It was after standing in a line for so long that people were abandoning their shopping carts and I was feeling like I might pass out from low sugar levels or something. Okay, I think I went one time after that with my mom, but then we both gave it up. I imagine it’s been fifteen years. So, yeah. None of that for me.
But in my last post I said something about watching for a Black Friday special, so I need to make good even though in some parts of the country we are already well into the evening. So I’ll keep my special on for a few more days.
Ta-da: I have marked the first book in the Seed Savers Series (it is not a trilogy!) down to 99 cents!
It is normally $3.99. I would also like to point out that Amazon is running a special until Dec. 1 for 30% off any paperback book. (There are probably other discounts with other retailers and my books are at all distributors, I’m just mentioning Amazon because I noticed it today.) If you are one of those people who are always saying you’re going to have to “look that book up,” then go for it!
And I think tonight at midnight is when the Goodreads Giveaway on Heirloom ends, so you might want to hop over there if you’ve been procrastinating.
Okay, that’s all for now. Hope you are all enjoying the holiday and maybe having a few days off.
S.
S. Smith is the author of the awesome and award-winning middle grade series, Seed Savers. Visit her Facebook and Pinterest pages. Follow her on Twitter. Sign up for the newsletter!
