Harmony Kent's Blog, page 144

Supporting Authors: Monster Goose

I am delighted to introduce The Herz family … Father and two sons … Henry, Josh, and Harrison!

This trio came up with a great children’s picture book, and it was a nice break from my usual routine when I was asked to read it and give an honest review …

Monster Goose

Henry, Josh, and Harrison Herz

Illustrations by Abigail Larson

 This review is based on a pre-publication e-galley.

 This is a delightful collection of rhymes based on the traditional, but with a modern and somewhat macabre twist. Each set of double pages holds one short rhyme—written by the Herz trio—and excellent illustrations by Abigail Larson. This is a vibrant and colourful book, and is designed so that parents can read through this with young children. It is also great for the slightly older ones to read for themselves, and enjoy the fantastic pictures. I love the adaptations—for instance, instead of Mary having a “little lamb”, she goes to school with a “hippogriff”; Wee Willie Winkie becomes Wee Willie Werewolf, looking for tardy children to eat! Henry and his sons, Josh and Harrison, obviously have an acute sense of humour, and have shared this with youngsters everywhere in this funny collection of old favourites made new. I award a hearty five out of five stars for this book.

You will find my reviews in these places:

Amazon UK

Amazon US

Goodreads

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#amwriting – Finding Katie

Hi folks!
I have another instalment of Finding Katie for you … Are you ready? …
“The last bit gets my attention. The silence shifts, and holds the question. Mel catches it.”
WIP is now at 51,437 words
I’m also making good progress with my secret project

©2015 Harmony Kent

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Pay It Forward …

Post Copied from The Marquee Project, with Gratitude
This is the true spirit of support and generosity …
Rave Reviews Book Club –
 #onthemarquee

Posted on1 Day Ago by Bethany Turner

Today is the last day of Pay It Forward week, and I thought it fitting to end the week by placing Rave Reviews Book Club on the marquee.

If you have had many personal converations with me, or you follow my daily personal blog, The Year of Blogging Faithfully, you know that self-promotion is a struggle for me. I just don’t like doing it. I am a fairly confident person, extremely proud of my work, and I know that self-promotion is absolutely necessary for an indie author. And yet I hate it. I love promoting my friends. I love being someone else’s advocate. I love shining the spotlight on someone I believe in. I just love that! But that doesn’t sell books – at least not mine.That doesn’t bring awareness to my work.

Or does it?

Self-promotion is necessary. I know that. If only I could find a group of some kind – a book club, perhaps? – which allows authors to promote their own books, but even more importantly encourages you to support other authors. If only there were a book club like that which created opportunities to become advocates for others by letting you host them on your blog, or by shining the spotlight on them, or by offering contests and incentives which reward authors for supporting other authors…

Of course by now, everyone has hopefully realized that my tongue is planted firmly in my cheek, because such a group already exists.

Rave Reviews Book Club is more than 600 members strong, and growing all the time. I am in constant amazement at the talent which exists within RRBC.  There are bestselling authors, award-winning authors, top-rated bloggers, poets, novelists, biographers… The talent is overwhelming, but the kindness and generosity are why I’m paying it forward. When one of those talented authors wins an award, congratulations abound. When someone hits #1 on a best seller list, members of RRBC make sure the whole world knows.

This week I have tried to pay it forward to authors whose support has been incredibly impactful in my life. There are more, and I wish I could thank everyone in this way. I’ll be working on that as we move forward, but for now I want to give a special shout out to the Governing Board Members of Rave Reviews Book Club. Do me a favor…help me support them today. Click on their names and you will be taken to either their individual site or their author page on Amazon. Pick at least one book by one of these supportive individuals and download a book today. After you read their work, write a review. Follow them on Twitter. Or just drop by their websites or blogs or Facebook pages or Twitter feeds and thank them for their support, which is second to none. They spend so much time giving to others. Today, let’s give to them.

President

NONNIE JULES

Vice President/Mentor Program Dir.

BRUCE A. BORDERS

Secretary/Blog Tour Host Coordinator

MARLENA HAND

Administrative Assistant 2

LIZ GAVIN

Administrative Asst. 1/TST Manager

HARMONY KENT

Membership/Incentives Director

JOHN FIORAVANTI

Reviews Coordinator

BEEM WEEKS

Social Media Director

NICHOLAS C. ROSSIS

“Spotlight” Coordinator

MICHELLE ABBOTT

Site Monitor/TST

JAN HAWKE

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Supporting Authors: Cover Reveal …

Author James Sinclair is a special friend of mine, and I am delighted to showcase his third book …

In the Shade of the Shamiana
James’ latest book, In the Shade of the Shamiana is here! It will be available in Kindle within 24 hours, and paperback very soon after that! …
In the meantime, you can feast your eyes on the awesome book cover, and have fun watching the movie trailer …

 

 

 

India—that exotic land of jewels, silks, perfumes, and spices, drew many a young adventurer to that distant and alluring land.

 

Under British Rule, Hindus and Muslims live peaceably together. The mixed-race community—the Eurasians or Anglo-Indians—also enjoy the privileges and protection offered to them by the British—who represent an awning of shelter: A Shamiana.

 

In the Shade of the Shamiana, is a tale of life in 1940s British India, where class and race distinctions and discriminations abound. But times are changing, and young Jamie Donaldson finds his world turned upside-down when his school, Fernhill, closes down without warning. His mixed-race mother, Lydia, is discontented in her marriage and misses the big city, and ends up making decisions that will forever change her son’s life. Howard, the patriarch of the family, has secrets that could tear the family apart. Tensions rise as the possibility of a ‘Free India’ sparks riots and violence. Winds of change are in the air, and Jamie’s world becomes something unfamiliar, unknown, and full of challenge and turmoil.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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#amwriting: Finding Katie, Day 11

Ooops, where’d the last four days go? I kind of blinked and missed them. Exciting though, once I stopped being ill, ‘cos I have a new project up my sleeve … yes, as well as the WIP, LOL. Anyway, I won’t keep you waiting too much longer … without further ado, here is the line for the day from my WIP, Finding Katie:
“I check for adult eyes before I show her the finger.”

©2015 Harmony Kent All Rights Reserved.

Current word count: 40,129 … woot, woot! Feels great to be over the 40k mark

 

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#amwriting: Finding Katie, Day 10

Okay, I know I haven’t posted in a while … sorry about that  
I’ve been learning how to use Scrivener, and I must say that I love, love, love it. Anyhoo, I have still been writing off and on. Did another 1500 words today.
My friends are also pestering me for another quote from my Work In Progress, so here goes:

 

“The room is cold, and that faint, slightly-sickly smell of mouldy rubber never quite seems to leave.”
©2015 Harmony Kent

 

38,845 words written so far

 

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Supporting Authors: Dog Bone Soup by Bette A Stevens

DOG BONE SOUP is not only the title of Bette A. Stevens’s debut novel; it ranks high among the paltry meals that the book’s protagonist, Shawn Daniels, wants to forget. Plodding through mounting snow and battling howling winds, Shawn is ready to leave it all behind—living in poverty, Dad’s drinking, life in foster care, the divorce, the bullies….

Travel with Shawn Daniels through the guts and the glories of life. You’ll find them all in DOG BONE SOUP, a Boomer’s coming-of-age saga. Available now at “YOUR AMAZON”

From the Reviewers

“Dog Bone Soup is the poignant tale of a dysfunctional family struggling to survive in America in the 50s and 60s, when most others were on the crest of a wave. It will make you laugh, it will make you cry. But most of all it will make you glad you read it.” ~ Charlie Bray, founder of the Indietribe

“In Dog Bone Soup, Bette Stevens captures the feeling and images of growing up in hardscrabble times perfectly.” ~ John Clark, librarian and author

DOG BONE SOUP
READ the opening Excerpt from Chapter One right here…

The postcard arrived four days before my eighteenth birthday. All I had to do now was sign the final papers and light out for basic training. I could hardly wait to leave this place behind.

There were six of us ready to become soldiers. The other five guys were headed to Fort Dix. Soon as we were inducted, the sergeant who swore us in started calling us a bunch of lily-assed bastards and worse. When the jerk marched the other five guys off, I was happy as hell I wasn’t one of them.

Lieutenant Richards called me into his office. “You’ll be heading out tomorrow, Private Daniels. Here are your tickets.”

We sat in his office and talked about my future with the U.S. Army. Then he handed me a schedule for the next day’s journey and we went over every detail.

“Now let’s get you home so you can get a good night’s sleep before you fly off to serve Uncle Sam, soldier.”

“Good luck Private,” the lieutenant said when he dropped me off at the house. We saluted and I stood there watching until his car disappeared over the hill.

I’d always liked army people. They called me Mr. Daniels and even sir sometimes. Now I was officially a private in the U.S. Army and I was ready to start a new life. I pictured myself in an officer’s uniform one day—a lieutenant, a captain, maybe even a general.

Mum and I didn’t get much more than a few winks of sleep that night. I don’t know how many pots of coffee she perked while we sat at the kitchen table and talked the night away. Of course, it was Mum did most of the talking. Once she opened her picture books, I felt like I was drinking in the life I wanted to leave.

Mum took all of those pictures with her Brownie—that camera was her pride and joy. None of us kids was allowed to touch it unless she supervised a picture taking every now and then. If Dad wasn’t around, it was me peeking through the lens. Mum was fussy about taking pictures just so.

Five books were piled on the table and we went through them one page at a time. Mum had a story for every snap shot. Some made me laugh so hard that I doubled over.

It was two minutes shy of three when she closed the last album.

“Thanks for staying up. I’ve got the alarm set for six and I know that won’t give us much sleep.” Mum pulled out her hanky, sniffled and hugged me before we turned in. My leaving would to be hard on her.

Willie was snoring away, likely dreaming about cars. I slipped in next to him and pulled away some puffs and huddled under them.

The minute I closed my eyes I started dreaming about my new life. No more freezing to death up north. I was headed for southern sunshine and I saw myself soaking it all in.

Bzzzzzzz. I jumped out of bed, threw on my clothes, grabbed the suitcase and headed for the kitchen. Mum already had breakfast on the stove, so I ran outside to do my business and came back in to grab a hot biscuit and down it with a cup of steaming coffee.

I was half frozen and snow was whipping around me in circles when I headed out on the three-mile walk into town to catch that bus.

I shook flakes big as quarters from my jacket when I climbed the steps of the Greyhound. Two hours and I’d be boarding a plane headed to Fort Jackson. South Carolina was sure the place to be, especially in February.

### end of excerpt

Read all of Chapter One
OR Grab your own copy of DOG BONE SOUP here at “YOUR AMAZON” and dive right in!

About the author

Inspired by nature and human nature, author Bette A. Stevens is a retired elementary and middle school teacher, a wife, mother of two and grandmother of five. Stevens lives in Central Maine with her husband on their 37-acre farmstead where she enjoys writing, gardening, walking and reveling in the beauty of nature. She advocates for children and families, for childhood literacy and for the conservation of monarch butterflies (milkweed is the only plant that monarch caterpillars will eat).

Bette A. Stevens is the author of award-winning picture book AMAZING MATILDA; home/school resource, The Tangram Zoo and Word Puzzles Too!; and PURE TRASH, the short story prequel to DOG BONE SOUP.

Find out more about the author and her books right here on “YOUR AMAZON”

Bette’s WEBSITE/BLOG
Find Bette on FACEBOOK
Follow Bette on TWITTER
Author Bette A. Stevens at “YOUR AMAZON”

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#amwriting: Finding Katie, Day 9

Day Nine
Finally got back to writing yesterday, and I have another line for you today …

 

“My skin crawls, and I just wanna scrub it off.” …
©2015 Harmony Kent
Words written so far: 30,441.
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#amwriting: Finding Katie, Day Eight

Day Eight
I’ve been absent for a while due to the flu. Finally got back to writing today, and it feels great … even though I just wrote two real heavy chapters! LOL
So, I have another line for you today. Are you ready? …

 

“By the time I’ve calmed enough to climb back into the chair and curl up, continents have moved. The world is a different place.” …
©2015 Harmony Kent
Okay, so I cheated just a teeny tiny bit … it’s really two lines, but hey that’s artistic license in action

 

Words written so far: 28,433.
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#amwriting, Finding Katie, Day 7

Day Seven:
As you will have noticed, I took Sunday off. But, now I’m back Today, seeing as Michelle Abbott made a special request, instead of giving a first line quote I will give you all a clue. The quote I am giving, comes from the Part One title page, and is the last two lines of a poem by Neverlandpoet…

 

“I killed someone, you see. I killed the girl, who used to be me.”

 

Can you guess what the book’s about yet? To help you out, I recap all the quotes:

 

1. “The nurse is asleep in the chair.”
2. “I stop moving and hold my breath.”
3. “Fast as I can, I snatch off the wires and stumble for the door.”
4. “We head for the dining room in silence.
I got away with it.
Becky and I sit together at the table, and I keep up a stream of banter—anything to hide how I’m feelin’. I need to find something, and soon, but I really want to go on the trip tomorrow. Gawd, why do they have to make it so tough?
It’s not like I want to hurt myself, well … you know, not like, hurt hurt. Just a bit of a scratch will do it. That’s all. Just a bit of distraction, to keep me going. I don’t want to lose it like I did the other day.
Dinner is awful. It’s s’posed to be veggie lasagne, but I don’t recognise it. The unappetising mush covers my plate, and I push my fork around aimlessly.
Afterward, Amanda—the nurse in charge—takes me down to the clinic. I know what’s coming. Guess I didn’t fool Sally after all. Sure enough, she checks me all over for marks or cuts or bruises. And I mean all over. Freak.
Mel would’ve been nicer about it. Roll on Monday.
“Happy now?” I ask, all stony-faced and hard-eyed.
“Mmmm.” Is all I get from her.”
5. “BOO!” I yell, just for the hell of it.
They both jump. Too funny. Sure beats morning TV.
******
Hours later, Melanie flops down into the chair at the foot of the bed. An exasperated sigh draws my eyes to her. All I get is a hard stare. Then she rubs at her already mussed hair.
“What the hell, Kate?”
I look away, back at the TV.
Melanie snatches the remote and hits standby. I stare at the black screen instead. She slams the remote onto the table. I stare at the screen.
“You’re being discharged.”
That gets my attention. Startles me into looking at her. Just for a second. Then I go back to the TV. Too late, though—she saw. I shouldn’t ‘ave reacted at all. Now who’s the daft cow?
“Well?”
I shrug and stare at the screen.
“Don’t you care what happens to you?”
6. “What idiot am I to think I can hide the kind of girl I am?”
©2015 Harmony Kent

 

Words written so far: 26,753.

 

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