Sara B. Gauldin's Blog, page 6

My Review of What Dreams May Come by Beth M. Honeycutt

This intriguing story line is based on the premise that a young girl creates an imaginary playmate in her dreams.  The imaginary friend, Gabe grows up along side Ellie as she dreams of his support, friendship and acceptance.  She learns to depend on her dream friend as she faces the challenges and joys of growing up.  Unlike the people she interacts with in the real world, he is always kind, accepting and non-judgmental.

As Ellie matures and grows the imaginary friend idea begins to bother her mother.  She sends Ellie to counseling in hopes that she will let go of Gabe in her dreams and focus on living her real life.  This demand drives a wedge between Ellie and her mother.  Ellie does not want to let go of the only sense of stability that is constant in her life.  She keeps her dream visits with Gabe a secret.

Over time Gabe begins to close each dream with a promise to find her in the real world and prove his existence to her.  When a new boy shows up in her class who bears a striking resemblance to Gabe, Ellie barely dares to hope there can be a connection.  When he seems determined to befriend her and seems to know more about her than he should she cannot help wondering if there is a reason for his sudden appearance in her life.

This is a promising read.  It is a sweet romance full of intrigue and devoid of smut.  It is appropriate for readers old and young!

Alive is available through Kindle Unlimited for Free!

This week has brought a major announcement to the world of Amazon book sales. Amazon unveiled a new program called Kindle Unlimited that facilitates unlimited, Netflix style, digital book borrowing for a ten dollar monthly membership fee. Essentially the books remain the property of Amazon. Should the subscription expire I presume the books would be reclaimed somehow, although I am not certain how that would work. Many famous authors have opted to allow their books to participate in the program including J.K. Rowling and Stephenie Myer. These publishing power player have arrangements to offer their books for lending without the exclusivity clause that us less widely acclaimed authors are subject to.

The program is offering a 30 day free trial here. If you are an avid reader who typically spends more than ten dollars per month on reading material it may be worthwhile.

 

What this means for me as an author is complicated and not entirely transparent. Only one of my books, Alive is offered exclusively on Amazon. My other titles are shorter selections and are more widely offered. Due to the structure of amazon’s Kindle Select program Alive will be available for free download through Kindle Unlimited unless I choose to withdraw form the program in order to sell my book through other vendors such as barns and Noble or the Itunes bookstore. I welcome readers to download and enjoy my book. The tricky part is royalty payments. If you are a wonderful reader, or fan, and you choose to procure a copy of Alive for your reading pleasure through this new program, you pay nothing except your monthly subscription price (which is free for the first 30 days). It sounds like a good deal because it is! Now as a participating author I don’t receive a dime unless you actually read at least ten percent of my book. (Yes, Amazon knows. I think it is a little strange too!). Once the ten percent mark is passed ( flip, flip, flip) Amazon owes me a royalty fee of some sort. At this point this amount is variable. The beauty part for the reader is that you are not obligated to pay this fee. You are a member, and once a member you will only ever owe your monthly fee.

If you are curious about my titles not offered through this program I will post links to them here. Both are discounted to only 99 cents. I suspect may authors will have certain books that are available through Kindle Unlimited and others that are not.

I am not endorsing this program, or trying to dissuade you the reader from trying it. No matter what Amazon decides I will continue to attempt to weave beautiful stories for my readers. If you choose to enjoy them in any format or though any authorized vendor I am flattered, thrilled and I feel your support!

Either way, happy reading!

Alive is available through Kindle Unlimited

This week has brought a major announcement to the world of Amazon book sales.  Amazon unveiled a new program called Kindle Unlimited that facilitates unlimited, Netflix style, digital book borrowing for a ten dollar monthly membership fee.  Essentially the books remain the property of Amazon.  Should the subscription expire I presume the books would be reclaimed somehow, although I am not certain how that would work.  Many famous authors have opted to allow their books to participate in the program including J.K. Rowling and Stephenie Myer.  These publishing power player have arrangements to offer their books for lending without the exclusivity clause that us less widely acclaimed authors are subject to.

The program is offering a 30 day free trial here.  If you are an avid reader who typically spends more than ten dollars per month on reading material it may be worthwhile.

 

What this means for me as an author is complicated and not entirely transparent.  Only one of my books, Alive is offered exclusively on Amazon.  My other titles are shorter selections and are more widely offered.  Due to the structure of amazon’s Kindle Select program Alive will be available for free download through Kindle Unlimited unless I choose to withdraw form the program in order to sell my book through other vendors such as barns and Noble or the Itunes bookstore.  I welcome readers to download and enjoy my book.  The tricky part is royalty payments.  If you are a wonderful reader, or fan, and you choose to procure a copy of Alive for your reading pleasure through this new program, you pay nothing except your monthly subscription price (which is free for the first 30 days).  It sounds like a good deal because it is!  Now as a participating author I don’t receive a dime unless you actually read at least ten percent of my book.  (Yes, Amazon knows.  I think it is a little strange too!).  Once the ten percent mark is passed ( flip, flip, flip) Amazon owes me a royalty fee of some sort.  At this point this amount is variable.  The beauty part for the reader is that you are not obligated to pay this fee.  You are a member, and once a member you will only ever owe your monthly fee.

If you are curious about my titles not offered through this program I will post links to them here.  Both are discounted to only 99 cents.  I suspect may authors will have certain books that are available through Kindle Unlimited and others that are not.

I am not endorsing this program, or trying to dissuade you the reader from trying it.  No matter what Amazon decides I will continue to attempt to weave beautiful stories for my readers.  If you choose to enjoy them in any format or though any authorized vendor I am flattered, thrilled and I feel your support!

Either way, happy reading!

My Review of Murder at Cold Creek College by Christa Nardi

Who doesn’t love a murder mystery?  This book is set in Virginia, my home turf making it even more appealing ( at least to me!)  The story is set in a small private college community.  The summer is drawing to a close when one of the faculty is murdered on campus!  The main character, Sheridan is a humble psychology professor who never asked or desired to become involved in the investigation.  Despite her desire to move forward with business as usual, she finds herself incrementally  drawn into the investigation.  The man who was murdered was a colleague whose personal network crosses over many of Sheridan’s friends and co-workers.  When Sheridan is asked to help the investigating detective, she finds herself inexplicably attracted to him.  This flicker of attraction only cements her involvement in the investigation.  The story has an involved plot, ripe with description and back story.  I will not spoil the story by disclosing who was suspected or who was responsible for the crime.  I will say that I look forward to reading more about Sheridan and her new found attraction!

Beware the Summer Slide!

Near the beginning of my teaching career, I doubted the existence of the “Summer Slide.”  This is the idea that children lose a significant amount of the progress they made in school during the inactive downtime of summer.  Five years ago, I had an experience that opened my eyes to this phenomenon.  I had happily taught first grade for many years when a demographic shift led me to “looping” up with my class to teach second grade.  I had a great group of kids who had worked hard and made significant growth.  I was excited to see where a second year would take us!  We competed the school year in first grade with significant gains.  The children would return knowing my expectations, and we could pick up just where we left off!  Except I was wrong…

The same children returned to me in the fall, taller, tanner, and somehow different.  I had missed their sweet faces so at first I chose to overlook a fundamental change.  When the reading achievement test, PALS was administered, I nearly fell out of my chair.  The PALS test is given three times yearly at, the beginning, middle and end of the school year.  It assesses each child’s knowledge of specific phonics features, sight word recognition and reading accuracy combined with fluency.  It is an awesome benchmark for growth.  I gave the test at the end of first grade, two months earlier.  Yet I was staring at a glaring discrepancy.  The same children who had shown mastery of specific concepts no longer recalled the information.  How could this have happened?  They were only really out of school for ten weeks!

It was then that I realized that summer slide is a real thing.  All of those “year-round school” round school” advocates had a valid point.  Children lose valuable progress when they are put on an extended standby from practicing and acquiring knowledge.

 

Is There a Cure?

Summer Slide is entirely preventable.  But it requires sustained and consistent effort on the part of the parent and the child.  Obviously a tutor is a preventive measure, but not one that is accessible or affordable for everyone.  I will list some other options below.  Find a few that work for you and your specific child!

-Do review work together from all those work books your child brought home from school.

-Have a designated reading time daily.

-Read to and with your child.

-Visit your local library, make the visit a fun treat!

-Turn OFF the TV and video games and let the imaginations out to play.

-Make something together.

-Play various board games.

-Take your child to see things, places, museums, zoos etc.

-Give your child math challenges form the world around them.

-Cook something together, let you child help measure.

-Plant and grow something together, watch each day.

-Send your child to summer school, camps, or programs in their community.

-Be creative!

In conclusion, the summer does not need to be a time of rigid classroom activity, but it should not be a stopping place.  Children are naturally inquisitive.  They learn by exploring the world around them.  Help them to continue to learn and grow!

Now if you will excuse me, I hear a television that needs a time out!

REVIEW — Feeling the Corporeal Pull

Sara B. Gauldin:

I am excited to share this review of Alive!

Originally posted on Tools for the Creative Mind:

Alive, Sara B. Gauldin’s epic tale of lovers torn apart by cruel fate, is a riveting, action-packed introduction to her new Corporeal Pull series.

Alive: The Corporeal Pull, by author Sara B. Gauldin, is an intelligent, modern fantasy adventure that will definitely appeal to readers of all ages. On the surface, it’s a riveting story about two soul mates who are torn apart by horrific circumstances. Underneath, some deep, dark waters carry the story forward, challenging readers with some pretty heavy philosophical questions. (And many will occupy your mind long after you’ve turned the final page.)

The story revolves around TERRA, a spiritual guide who exists in a mysterious, ethereal place called The Tweens. A good part of the story happens here, and Gauldin does some impressive world-building to create a place that feels both alien and wondrous at the same time.

The Tweens is a kind of spiritual…

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A Great Review of Alive: The Corporeal Pull

I’m thrilled to share this feedback about my latest novel, Alive: The Corporeal Pull!

http://willswrds.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-corporeal-pull-by-sara-b-gauldin.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter&m=1

New Cover Reveal…. Alive: The Corporeal Pull

As a teacher, summer time is a time of catching up.  It is also a time for making things new.  In the spirit of reinvention somehow my powder room was gutted for a remodel this week.  While I was in the frame of mind to refresh and renew,  my novel, Alive also has been getting a few tune ups!

Many of you know that my novel was originally entitled The Corporeal Pull.  While relevant it was not really doing a wonderful job when it came to welcoming new readers.  In the interest of continued relevance the book is now entitled Alive and has the subtitle The Corporeal Pull.  Each book in this exciting new series will have this trademark subtitle with a unique and approachable main title.

I tweaked my existing cover to denote the change in moniker, but to be honest I felt like I was not being fair to the book.  It needed a remodel of its own.  I designed the original cover.  I have to be honest with myself here.  I incorporated tons of symbolic imagery.  The stars for the vastness of space, the Earth to represent the mortal journey, the altered computer rendering of the Earth’s magnetic pull representing the undeniable attraction between the two opposites, Terra the immortal guide from another plane of existence and her mortal charge, Liam.  Of course there were the hands, reaching for one another but not quite able to touch in a pivotal moment that you simply must read the book to find out more about.  I had fun creating the cover.  But really it was about as approachable as the original title.  My imagination having fun with symbolism, but zero approachability.

So I had to come to terms with my own lack of quality cover creating ability.  I always heard acceptance was the first step.  Accepting that my cover was not up to par did not really solve the problem.  I tried fiver, but I spent five dollars and ended up picking a picture I was not sure of ( I already established that visual art is not my strong point) and getting no cover in return.  I don’t exactly know what happened to my five dollars.

Thank goodness I stumbled upon help while keeping up to date with my favorite Facebook group, Clean Indie Reads!  A huge thank you to Samantha Fury for her impressive cover design.  I think her design is much more approachable than my home grown cover above.  If you would like to see more of her work visit her web site.  You will not be disappointed!

So with out further ado, I now present to you the new image of Alive: The Corporeal Pull!

Notice: The Corporeal Pull is now Alive: The Corporeal Pull

I have been doing some soul-searching about my books.  I have noticed that many people seem somewhat uncomfortable with the title of my novel, The Corporeal Pull.  The title was not an easy selection from the beginning.  The book is based on an immortal guide, a bit like a guardian angel that finds herself falling in love with the spirit of a man who is meant to be born as a human being,  Corporeal refers to the physical being, the antonym of the spiritual.  Terra the main character is propelled away from the spiritual nature of her entire existence and towards the physical, mortal and corporeal life of her love and her soul mate Liam.  Hence the pull towards her soul mate is also corporeal.

Yeah I know.  I spent more time of that then most people are comfortable investing in a book search. In response to many raised eyebrows I am retitling the book Alive with the subtitle The Corporeal Pull.  Alive is also extremely relevant to the plot on more than one level, but I think it is less vague and distracting to readers who do not want a long explanation of a title before they commit to reading the book itself.

In a few months I will be releasing a sequel to Alive.  Book two will be entitled Aware with the subtitle The Corporeal Pull.  I am moving right along with this project and  I am very excited about it!

The real work is ahead.  Everywhere that my book is featured I now need to modify to reflect the title change.  At this point a few contacts a day will have to work because I am a bit tied up with the creation of Aware and summer vacation is short lived.

Also expect a new book cover reveal to celebrate the rebirth of Alive : The Corporeal Pull very soon.  I have been exploring a few options and I feel very optimistic about this change.

My Review of Avarice Dynasty: Evasion by Dyego Alehandro

This book is an intense blast of science fiction and sheer adrenalin pumping action.  The story line begins with the main character, Drevin’s realization that he is in an unfamiliar setting and has been injured in some sort of accident.  Drevin’s knowledge of his own character and personal involvement in the catalyst event is slowly revealed throughout the book as he recovers from an initial blast that left him with a brain injury and trauma that caused amnesia.  This gradual recovery is thwarted and challenged by a series of near misses and attacks that seem to be aimed at erasing him and his co-survivor, Katrina from existence.  Drevin must find a way to recall what he may have witnessed that would make him so dangerous that he is being hunted down for elimination.  The story line is fast-paced and action packed.  The descriptions of the futuristic space bound human encampments are detained and vivid.  The incorporation of technological advancements would make any Trekkie envious!  I look forward to learning more about both the character and the future space bound civilization he inhabits!