Rose Cooper's Blog, page 3

EMS 3rd Period: Marlon Barry Jr.

Character and story collaboration by the creative minds of
 Enterprise Middle School's 3rd Period art class. Read about the activity HERE!

Marlon Barry Jr. (yes, there's another one just like him out there!) just had his 25th birthday and couldn't believe how old he had become. He looked back on his life, remembering how much he loved playing soccer as a kid. Why hadn't he stuck with it? Maybe if he had, he would've become a great soccer star!

That's when the greatest idea struck Marlon Barry Jr.! He would go back in time!  His father, somewhat of a crazy inventor, created a time machine that surely could bring Marlon back to his childhood years. But...which exact day and year should he choose?

Marlon thought. And thought. And thought.

Student Drawing
"Ah ha!" he exclaimed. He knew exactly when to go.

He was five years old when he first began playing soccer. That would be the perfect age to begin training! As for the exact day, he would choose the week after his 5th birthday--when he ate 100 ice cream cones. He would be crazy not to relive that day! Well, minus the stomachache. But that was beside the point.

With a thundering boom and a flash of light, Marlon Barry Jr. transported back in time to his five-year-old self. Except...there was one teeny, tiny, little problem. Marlon was--gulp!--stuck in his 25-year-old body!

He may have looked old on the outside, but on the inside, he was that same cute, energetic kid that he remembered so well. He would just have to settle for being a little big for his age, which surely would give him an advantage to his soccer career.
Student Drawing
As time went on, Marlon Barry Jr. became the best player on his team. He could easily outrun, outplay, and out maneuver all those smaller kids. However, he did run into some problems. He never grew bigger as he aged, but his hair continued to grow. Unfortunately, this got him into some pretty hairy situations. Anything and everything seemed to get stuck in his massive curls. Especially on windy days.


Student DrawingAs a prank, another kid on the soccer team who was jealous of Marlon and his mad skills, smothered the soccer ball in super glue. As Marlon gave his best pose for the soccer team photos, his foot stuck to the ball. No matter how hard he tried, Marlon could not remove the ball. The idea of simply removing his shoes never occurred to him.

However, this never stopped him from achieving his dreams and he became a soccer champ, playing in Barcelona, alongside his pet Hot Dog. And if you look closely, you could tell what Marlon has been up to by examining his hair. For instance, you can see just the tip top of the horn belonging to a unicorn that has been deeply embedded in his curls for quite some time. Also? he might have a pet spider in there somewhere...that tarantula has been missing for awhile!

Other characters & stories by Enterprise Middle School:
2nd Period: Bubbles

EMS 2nd Period: Bubbles

  Character and story collaboration by the creative minds of
 Enterprise Middle School's 2nd Period art class. Read about the activity HERE!


Bubbles had goals in life. Actually, one goal to be exact. And that was to become the world's greatest clown. As a kid, he was always the class clown. Making people laugh was his speciality, whether they were laughing with him or at him. He knew he had to take advantage of this talent and of course, becoming a clown was the way to do just that.

Although he was born with the name Zitch, which was almost as funny as he was, he still went on to change his name to Bubbles once he entered his dream school...Clown University. But quickly, things went from good to terrible.

Bubbles attended too many clown parties and stayed up all hours of the night, too exhausted to ever study for his classes. His chuckles became too weak, his grades became laughable (the bad kind), and his attempts at being funny were epic failures. And then he flunked the Clown Exam and was booted from school.

Although Bubbles had failed, he still was determined to make it as the worlds greatest clown. He went to many, many, many job interviews, hoping that someone---anyone--would see he was destined for a laughable future and give him the chance.

They never did.

With his head hung low, his shoulders hunched, and his big red shoes shuffling awkwardly down the street, he made his way to one last interview. His stomach fluttered with nervous butterflies and growled as it demanded food. Bubbles made a stop at Walmart to grab a quick snack.

He couldn't be late for the interview, so Bubbles hastily sped down the isles, nearly tripping over his clunky shoes, and grabbed the first item he saw---a block of cheese.

He left the store, tearing off the wrapper and shoved the block of cheese in his mouth, not paying any attention to how the cheese actually tasted, or that the wrapper had said "soap."

For his interview, he had to shoot out of a human cannon. "No problem," said Bubbles as he waved his hand dismissively. "I've got this."

1...2...3!

Bubbles blasted from the cannon and shot out faster, higher, and funnier than any clown in the history of...well, clowns. Bubbles knew he did it. This would make his career. This would--

Splat!

Bubbles smacked right into the window of a hovering helicopter. The force caused the window to crack and bubbles to float right out of his ears. As if in slow motion, Bubbles slowly slid down the length of the window, falling straight down into a manhole and was washed out to sea.

To this day, there have been sightings of Bubbles who washed up on shore of a nearby island except, he wasn't exactly the same. Instead of the bright, red, bulbous nose, he wore an eye patch over his left eye and a hook on his right hand.

Yep, you guessed it. He was the worlds greatest pirate. And, he had developed quite a craving for cheese. Or was it soap?

Other characters & stories by Enterprise Middle School:
3rd Period: Marlon Barry Jr.

Enterprise Middle School: 2nd Period

  Character and story made up by completely by the creative minds of
 Enterprise Middle School's 2nd Period art class. Read about the activity HERE!


Bubbles had goals in life. Actually, one goal to be exact. And that was to become the world's greatest clown. As a kid, he was always the class clown. Making people laugh was his speciality, whether they were laughing with him or at him. He knew he had to take advantage of this talent and of course, becoming a clown was the way to do just that.

Although he was born with the name Zitch, which was almost as funny as he was, he still went on to change his name to Bubbles once he entered his dream school...Clown University. But qucikly, things went from good to terrible.

Bubbles attended too many clown parties and stayed up all hours of the night, too exhausted to ever study for his classes. His chuckles became too weak, his grades became laughable (the bad kind), and his attempts at being funny were epic failures. And then he flunked the Clown Exam and was booted from school.

Although Bubbles had failed, he still was determined to make it as the worlds greatest clown. He went to many, many, many job interviews, hoping that someone---anyone--would see he was destined for a laughable furture and give him the chance.

They never did.

With his head hung low, his shoulders hunched, and his big red shoes shuffling awkwardly down the street, he made his way to one last interview. His stomach fluttered with nervous butterflies and growled as it demanded food. Bubbles made a stop at Walmart to grab a quick snack.

He couldn't be late for the interview, so Bubbles hastily sped down the isles, nearly tripping over his clunky shoes, and grabbed the first item he saw---a block of cheese.

He left the store, tearing off the wrapper and shoved the block of cheese in his mouth, not paying any attention to how the cheese actually tasted, or that the wrapper had said "soap."

For his interview, he had to shoot out of a human cannon. "No problem," said Bubbles as he waved his hand dismissivly. "I've got this."

1...2...3!

Bubbles blasted from the cannon and shot out faster, higher, and funnier than any clown in the history of...well, clowns. Bubbles knew he did it. This would make his career. This would--

Splat!

Bubbles smacked right into the window of a hovering helicopter. The force  cuased the window to crack and bubbles to float right out of his ears. As if in slow motion, Bubbles slowly slid down the length of the window, falling straight down into a manhole and was washed out to sea.

To this day, there have been sightings of Bubbles who washed up on shore of a nearby island except, he wasn't exactly the same. Instead of the bright, red, bulbous nose, he wore an eye patch over his left eye and a hook on his right hand.

Yep, you guessed it. He was the worlds greatest pirate. And, he had developed quite a craving for cheese. Or was it soap?

Tomorrow on the blog--Enterprise Middle School: 3rd Period! Don't miss their story and character!

Enterprise Middle School: Art and Characters and Stories...oh my!

Last week while I was in WA for the Cavalcade of Authors,  I had the pleasure of visiting Enterprise Middle School. I did an activity with Mrs. Tsoukalas art classes for 2nd-6th period and each day this week I will be posting the classes creation for this activity.

The activity went something like this:

Together with the class, we created a single character. The class told me what to draw starting with the eyes (shape, size, etc.), following with the head, nose, mouth all the way to the expression and body language. Many times I chose students to come up and draw their ideas on the poster board. Once finished, the class named the character, then created a story using all the basic elements of who, what, when, where, why and how. I wrote down everything they told me and today you will get to see that character and read that character's story.

The students at Enterprise were VERY creative, interactive, and SO much fun! Comments are definitely encouraged as I'm sure the students would love to read them! Many of these participating students are hoping to be writers, illustrators, or even animators some day.

I also took photos of additional pictures drawn by students who wanted to share, so I'll be posting those as well.

The first participating class, 2nd Period, is posted HERE, so be sure to check it out!

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's...eh, it's just a plane

The countdown begins!

On March 11th I'm getting on an airplane for the first time (ever!) unless you count that one time I went skydiving then it's really just the first time I'm landing in an airplane (ever!) and heading to Pasco, WA for Cavalcade of Authors. I'm really very honored to have been asked to participate in this annual event of awesomeness.

While there I will be doing school visits, book signings, and giving a workshop... along with other authorly (yes, I declare this a word!)  things as well. Everything will be done in the span of 4 days so I will be busy, busy, busy. But I love busy. And I'll enjoy every minute of it.

And yes, I must take Sofia with me. She's actually kind of excited too. She even updated her blog (finally!) and announced it HERE.

So...any tips for a first time flyer (and lander)?

Little Dead Riding Hood: Cover Reveal & Giveaway!

You know things are going to suck when you’re the new kid. But when you’re the new kid and a vampire… well, it bites!

Unlike most kids, Scarlet Small’s problems go far beyond just trying to fit in. She would settle for a normal life, but being twelve years old for an entire century is a real pain in the neck. Plus, her appetite for security guards, house pets and bloody toms (tomato juice) is out of control. So in order to keep their vampire-secret, her parents, Mort and Drac, resort to moving for the hundredth time, despite Scarlet being dead-set against it. Things couldn’t be worse at her new school, either. Not only does she have a strange skeleton-girl as a classmate, but a smelly werewolf is intent on revealing her secret. When she meets Granny—who fills her with cookies, goodies, and treats, and seems to understand her more than anyone—she’s sure things will be different. But with a fork-stabbing incident, a cherry pie massacre, and a town full of crazy people, Scarlet’s O-positive she’ll never live to see another undead day.

Not even her Vampire Rule Book can save her from the mess she’s in. Why can’t she ever just follow the rules?
Add Little Dead Riding Hood to your Goodreads to-read list HERE


GIVEAWAY!!!!!!!

To celebrate the cover for Little Dead Riding Hood, Amie is giving away a $25 Amazon gift card! Just fill out the Rafflecopter form below. The more ways you share, the more points you earn!a Rafflecopter giveaway



believes in Unicorns, uses glitter whenever the opportunity arises, accessories in pink and eats too much chocolate. 
Bethanie Borst is a spunky 13 year old who loves archery, long bike rides and studying edible plant-life.
Little Dead Riding Hood is their second book in the Scarily Ever Laughter series. Their first book, Cinderskella,You can find Amie on: Twitter  Pinterest  From theMixed-Up Files of Middle-Grade Authors
Blog  Together they can be found on Facebook
Congrats Amie and Bethanie! I am once again so happy for your continued success and look forward to your newest book!

To Trademark or not to Trademark?

Today I will be on Red River Radio, discussing my art, books, and even the subject of trademarks.  Those of you that have kept up with my blog or Facebook probably remember when I was doodling and crafting some of my images and right when it seemed to start taking off...they disappeared. Completely unrelated to my books, a situation randomly presented itself and...I learned a lot from the experience. Such things as how people will come after you for any reason when you have stuff out there online and what I could've done to protect myself and if it was really worth it. And sometimes, staying silent isn't always the best choice.

So tune in today to Red River Radio, 10:00am pacific time, since I will be discussing some of this. And later this week I will have a follow up post to anyone who was unable to listen. This info will be especially helpful to any writers, illustrators, artists or anyone thinking of posting work online.

Folsom Lake: Mormon Island Ruins

Who knew that the lake I live so close to had a super secret sunken city beneath it? Not me, and I've lived here practically my whole life!  I guess for others it's not so super of a secret. And the city beneath Folsom Lake is the ruins of Mormon Island. And I only happened to find out because the water levels of the lake have plummeted, revealing the ruins.


Folsom Lake before (top)  and Folsom Lake now (bottom) with low water levels
For anyone who's a history buff, it was in the mid-1800's when a group of Mormons and other miners came to this area for the gold rush. It became a small city and, at its peak, had a population of more than 2,500 and included four hotels, a school and many small shops. In the 1940's, only few families remained and moved out of the area when Folsom Dam was built and the city was intentionally flooded with water to create Folsom Lake.

So over the weekend we took a trip to the lake, along with hundreds of other people. The parking was down the boat launch areas. We knew we reached the spot where the ruins were exposed when we came across this sign:
 
 
 The tops of tree stumps had artifacts displayed, left by people who found the items, including bricks from buildings, glass, rusty tools and nails, and pottery pieces.
  
   The coolest thing to see were the walls of buildings and an old cemetery from the outskirts of the city. The rest of the city still lies about 90 feet below the lake...but the way this drought is headed, more could be uncovered yet.   The corner of a building
The largest wall uncovered. Stands about 8ft tall.
This is the foundation from the school. I loved learning about history so close to home. So much, that we took a trip to Folsom Prison right afterwards (but that's a post for another day!).
My two youngest boys had a blast!
 What kind of history does your town hold?
 

Discovery Friday at Barnes & Noble!

So excited about this event coming up in just a few days! Everyone should head out to their local B&N and kick off their holiday shopping! For anyone in the area, I'll be signing books at the B&N in Roseville, CA. Below is the Press Release:



Barnes & Noble stores nationwide will be hosting their first Discovery Friday event on November 22nd. This event is an opportunity for customers to jump start their holiday shopping at an exciting event, featuring authors, special deals and fun for the whole family.

The Roseville Barnes & Noble will be hosting the following authors:
Rose Cooper (3-4pm) - Children's author and illustrator. Her "Gossip From the Girl's Room" series is the girls answer to "The Diary of a Wimpy Kid". Funny and fast-paced, kids can't get enough of Rose's books.

Dawn Lairamore (3-4pm) Children's fantasy-adventure author. In her "Ivy's Ever After" series, Dawn's heroine doesn't waste time waiting around for a prince to save her and instead goes in search of her own adventure.


  David Carter (4-5pm) - Internationally recognized pop-up artist and author, with well over 7 million copies of his books sold worldwide. Official creator of Dr. Seuss pop-up books including; "Horton Hears a Who" and "The Lorax".
Jeri Chase Ferris (4-5pm) - Children's biography author; whose most recent title, "Noah Webster & His Words", received the 2013 Golden Kite Award for Best Nonfiction of 2012 from the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators.  Jack Parker (5-6pm) - Author of an adventure series whose hero Jeff Thornton treks the globe seeking out mystery. With a new installment coming out next year, Belizean Adventure is the latest novel in the series. Sisters in Crime's Sacramento Chapter, The Capital Crimes (6-8pm) - Fifteen members of this esteemed chapter took part in this year's anthology. The "2013 Anthology Capital Crimes, The Best of Capital Crimes Mystery" is a great way to sample the writings of our local mystery authors.

Sofia Speaks...to Cheddar from CINDERSKELLA

 

 

SOFIA:
*Clears throat, puts on professional voice* 



Thanks for agreeing to step outside of CINDERSKELLA to do this awesome interview given by the most awesome person. Ever. So, Chester…that’s an unusual name. What are you, like a chipmunk or something?



CHEDDAR:

The name’s NOT Chester. It’s Cheddar. C-H-E-D-D-A-R, Cheddar! The Living, always getting my name wrong.




SOFIA:

Hmmm…Okay. Well, give me just a second and…



*scribbling sounds as Sofia draws on paper* 







SOFIA:

Tada!  Do you look anything like THIS?







 CHEDDAR:




*Flicks tail in disgust* 

 




 *silence...except for the chirping of crickets*

 




SOFIA:

I see you are stunned into speechlessness. This can only mean one thing…You totally look exactly like this. Nailed it! I should really think about a career as a professional artist.  Okay, Cheddar, contain your enthusiasm and tell the readers  a little about your world. A day in the life of…

CHEDDAR:

A day in the life of Cheddar? The Living! Always asking ridiculous questions. Don’t you know I’m DEAD? *Humpf*  If you must know what I do in the Underworld, I spend my days in servitude. That's right. All I do is cater to this girl named Cindy and help transport her to the Underworld. Waste of time if you ask me. Oh that's right - no one ever asked me!! Mumble grumble, mumble, grumble.

 




SOFIA:

What issues do you have? I mean we all have some sort of issues—me not so much—but what is your role in the story and what made you so special that you were chosen out of all the other bazillions of mice in the world?

 

CHEDDAR:

Issues? My issue is this interview? Is it over yet?

 

*Twitches tail*

 

I’ll have you know I’m a very special skeleton mouse, thank you very much. The Living! Always making ridiculous assumptions.

 

SOFIA:

And your author people who call themselves Amie and Bethanie Borst…any suggestions, advice, or feedback you’d like to give them? Now's your chance to squeak up!

 

CHEDDAR:

The only intelligent thing these author people did was create me. If they’re smart they’ll dedicate an entire book to my story.

 

AMIE:

Not gonna happen, Cheddar. And stop being so rude to Sofia. She’s gracious enough to host us, the least you could do is be polite.

 

BETHANIE:

Maybe in the next life, Cheddar.

 

SOFIA:

You know, in my world, there’s an annoying girl named Mia. I wish I could ship her off without a return address. Do you have a Mia in your story? Who’s the super villain in CINDERSKELLA?

 

CHEDDAR:

I wish I could ship you off….

 

AMIE:

Cheddar, what did I just tell you about being rude?

 

BETHANIE:

You know, Cheddar, Cindy’s not the only one who can step on you…

 

SOFIA:

Speaking of stepping on...since you’re so small, it must be easy to hide. Do you ever secretly spy on anyone and accidentally overhear anything with your super huge ears?

 

CHEDDAR:

My ears aren’t huge! Have you forgotten? I’m a SKELETON. I don’t have ears!

 

SOFIA:

Skeleton ears. whatever. Why don't you list five reasons, for our readers, on why people should run out and read CINDERSKELLA?

 

CHEDDAR:

      1-      It involves me. I’m the greatest skeleton mouse that ever died.

      2-      It involves me.

      3-      Me.

      4-      Me.

      5-      Oh and bet you can’t guess what else. ME!



SOFIA:

Wow. Modest much? Last question-what is your favorite kind of cheese?

 

CHEDDAR:

*Glares* The Living! Always thinking they’re such a hoot.

 

SOFIA:

So, dear readers, this concludes the interview with  the oh-so-charming, Chester. Be sure to check out all the fabbity fab info below on the book, the author people, and how you--yes YOU--could win a signed copy of CINDERSKELLA.

 

CINDERSKELLA goes something like this....


Cindy is just a normal eleven and three-quarter year-old. At least until she wakes up one night and finds out she’s dead. Well, she isn't technically dead—she just doesn't have any hair . . . or a nose . . . or skin. Yep—all bones, no body.  



Human by day and skeleton by night, Cindy is definitely cursed. And because her mother recently died, Cindy has no one to turn to except a father who’s now scared of her and an evil stepmother who makes her do the housecleaning with a toothbrush. To make matters worse, the Spring Fling dance is approaching, and Ethan, the cutest boy in sixth grade, doesn’t seem to know Cindy exists. Of course, Cindy doesn’t think letting Ethan find out she’s part skeleton is the best way to introduce herself.



While facing such perils as pickled pig’s feet, a wacky fortune teller, and a few quick trips to the Underworld, Cindy’s determined to break the curse—even for a single night.



You can purchase Cinderskella at:

Amazon      Barnes & Noble      Books-A-Million     Add it to your to-read shelf on Goodreads!



Who are these author people, Amie & Bethanie Borst, that Cheddar speaks of? 







Amie Borst still believes in unicorns, uses glitter whenever possible and accessorizes in pink. She enjoys eating chocolate while writing and keeps a well-stocked stash hidden away from her family. A native New Yorker she currently resides in Northern Virginia with her husband, three children and a cute dog named Lily. She wishes she had a hot-pink elevator with carnival lights to travel the world. But for now, her minivan will have to do.



Bethanie Borst is a spunky 13-year-old who is an avid archer with Olympic dreams, enjoys the outdoors, loves reading and is quick to make lasting friendships. When she is not writing, she swings on a star.



You can follow Amie and Bethanie on Facebook  and find Amie at her Blog , Twitter, and Pinterest.



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*If you have a character you think Sofia would love to interview...shoot us an email!