Michael Delaware's Blog, page 4
September 7, 2019
Home Run Dog Park Project
For most of 2019, I spent a lot of volunteer time working to raise money and build a dog park in the City of Battle Creek. I served on a committee with 5 other people on this project. On August 23rd, the Home Run Dog Park officially opened. After 18…
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February 16, 2018
New Blue Book Coming in 2018
It has been 5 years since I published the eBook “My Name is Blue: The Story of a Rescue Dog“. Since it’s release in 2013, this story told from the viewpoint of a dog rescued from a shelter has touched the hearts of people from all over the world. This …
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June 2, 2015
Blue & the Magical Forest: The Power of Hopes & Dreams
The Power of Hopes & Dreams
I am proud to announce the release of my new book! “Blue & the Magical Forest: The Power of Hopes & Dreams” will be available on Amazon later this week, which you can find through my author page here. If you would like to order a copy immediately, click here. It will be available through Barnes & Noble and other online print retailers later this month.
What is Blue & the Magical Forest about? It is the story of a little dog who finds himself in an animal shelter, and he does not really understand what is going on. His mother is taken away, and he sister is later adopted. Finding himself alone he is overcome with sadness, and falls asleep one night only to wake up in a magical forest. From there, the adventure begins as he encounters other creatures in the forest who guide him on a special journey.
If you want to know what happens, of course you will have to read the story!
This book took over eight months to produce as it includes not only my own original story, but also my own original art work which began as acrylic paintings on canvas in my studio in October 2014. The main character is based on my own dog named Blue, whom I rescued from an animal shelter in 2012. He has been a wonderful part of my life, and my relationship with him has inspired me to support the cause of animal rescue.
I have directed a portion of the profits will always go to animal rescue organizations and no-kill animal shelters. Earlier this year, I released the book ‘Roamer: A Lost to Found Rescue Dog Story‘ and a portion of the profits from that book have gone to support the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah. If you have not heard of this organization, I implore you to visit their website at: Bestfriends.org. Their work is truly amazing and beautiful.
The 8 month journey of Blue & the Magical Forest
The story of Blue & the Magical Forest was created with many hundreds of hours of love and devotion from my team at If, And or But Publishing. My primary editor on the project was Amanda Skinner. Without her long hours of tedious attention on this project, and endless encouragement, this book would not have been possible. Blue himself also lent a paw, and so with any book signing events I plan to include him to add his ‘pawtograph’ whenever possible. I hope you get a copy and read it. It is was written and edited to be a bedtime story for children, but it also is a fun read for adults.
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February 19, 2015
Roamer: A Lost to Found Rescue Dog Story
Roamer: A Lost to Found Rescue Dog Story by Michael Delaware
I just released a new work in fiction entitled ‘Roamer: A Lost to Found Rescue Dog Story’. It is available immediately as a Kindle eBook here, but it will also be available in print through Amazon on February 25th, 2015. The story is a new one that is set in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, as told through the eyes of a dog named Barney who became a stray as a result of the tragic storm. It is a story I had been formulating for years since 2005 when Katrina hit, and I thought it would be a good idea to finally publish it on the year of the 10th anniversary of that event that so changed the country. ‘Rescue dog’ is a term used to describe dogs that are rescued from a animal shelter or sanctuary, most having been abandoned or lost.
The tale is drawn from first hand accounts of the aftermath from family members and friends who helped on the ground in the relief effort in the months that followed. It is also drawn from my experiences as a volunteer at the Humane Society, and my interaction with other animal rescue organizations around the country. A portion of the profits from the sale of this book will go to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary Society in Kanab, Utah and also the Pilots & Paws Rescue organization which raises money for volunteer pilots to save the lives of dogs in remote areas. As I write more books, I will expand the list to include more organizations.
I hope you enjoy this new story and will share it with others.
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January 17, 2015
New Projects for 2015
Blue and I at the Grand Canyon in Dec 2014
I have been working on several projects for the first quarter of 2015. The first one is an fun story entitled ‘The Road Blue’ which is a combination of a memoir and true life adventures of the road travels with my dog Blue. If you follow me on Facebook, you will likely be aware that my dog is a rescue dog. He has been my constant companion and even has his own book told from his own point of view published as . In 2014 I also released two other young adult fiction stories with dogs as their main characters, and have plans for more later this year.
As inspiration for this new book, I am chronicling my account of all of the miles Blue has traveled with me in my work as a Realtor since he was a puppy. Additionally, he and I just completed a cross country road trip together solo in December, where we traveled through 10 states and had some great adventures. So I am hoping the book will strike readers as both entertaining and fun.
Sample of art from the forthcoming ‘Blue & the Magical Forest’ to be released in 2015. Copyright: Michael Delaware
Another book I have been working on since November is a children’s story which also includes Blue as the main character. This one is entitled ‘Blue and the Magical Forest’ and it is a full color picture book which includes my own acrylic art work throughout. I have been painting the canvases to be included in the book as part of the story, and I am including one sample of that here in this article as a sneak peak.
Two other books I have been compiling from notes are along my self help line of books, with another coming out on the vendor artist series, and another from my experiences as a sales manager. I hope to be able to release those later this year.
So I have been working on a lot of exciting projects, and wanted to post a quick update and wish everyone a happy and prosperous new year!
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November 10, 2014
Laugh Out Loud: Enrichment of the Soul
I released a new book in September based on a collection of essays I had written over the past few years which is entitled: Laugh Out Loud: Enrichment of the Soul.
This book is about laughter, the universal medicine in life. It unburdens the weary soul, lightens the heavy heart and reduces the size of problems immensely. Laughter has a way of smoothing out relations with people, and endearing them to each other. The only trouble with laughter is that too few people remember how to do it at times. It is really not the fault of laughter, as it is always there lying in wait underneath the surface. It sits in waiting like a volcano anticipating a future eruption.
However, laughter requires, to a degree, a willingness of the individual to not be serious. To cast seriousness aside, and give way to a good hearty laugh can seem difficult or impossible in some circumstances, but in truth it is always possible. There is always a lighter side waiting to lift the spirits. Laughter is the gateway to that lighter side of life.
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June 3, 2014
Hugging Stanley: A Story of Love & Magic
I just released a new children’s story entitled: Hugging Stanley: A Story of Love & Magic. It is a story about a young girl named Jenna that along with her parents adopt a dog from an animal shelter. Their friendship builds, and after a time she discovers a special magic with her dog that could change the world.
It is a short story, intended to later go into a collection of dog stories I have plans to release later this year. I hope you will take time to read the book, and let me know what you think. It is a fun story, with an interesting spin on life.
‘Hugging Stanley’ is loosely based on my experiences as a dog owner. Stanley is similar to the color of my own dog, and I also rescued my dog from a shelter, but that is pretty much the only connection.
I wanted this to be a special story to reach people on new levels about the importance of pet ownership and the love a dog can bring to a person’s life. To order your Kindle edition of: Hugging Stanley: A Story of Love & Magic, click here.
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April 19, 2014
New Children’s Story: Outdoors with Charlie
I just released a new children’s story which is intended to be part of a series I have outlined to write. The book is called ‘Outdoors with Charlie: A Story of Friendship’. It is a short story about a young boy who has lost connection with his friends due to a move to the rural country. He meets a farmer who offers to give him a puppy. The story covers his adventures with his new found friend ‘Charlie’ his black and white Blue Heeler dog.
This book will be later published in print as part of a collection along with other children’s story books I will release this year. If you are interested in this children’s story, you can download the eBook on Kindle, click here.
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February 26, 2014
My newest book ~ Living the Magic: A Walk on the Lighter Side
I just released my newest book ‘Living the Magic: A Walk on the Lighter Side’. It has been released initially as an eBook, whereas the paperback will be available in a week or so. The book is a compilation of some of my experiences. It is about rediscovering compassion in one’s life, as well as spirituality.
Here is a brief excerpt: “So compassion and understanding come from the heart. They are within us, and there is perhaps a universal circle where when good is done to us that we must in turn do the same for others. When that circle is broken by the purveyors of bad news and division-ism of the populace through false ideas and archaic concepts such as racism, religious bigotry and sexism, it is easy to lose sight of the necessity for compassion and kindness.
The heart of the matter would be thus: When you are compassionate and caring for another, and bestow upon them kindness, the goodwill from such a gesture flows like a comforting river through our society and the result can be a peaceful global community working together.”
If you would like to order a copy, click here or go to my author page on Amazon. The paperback edition will be available sometime after Match 5th on Amazon.
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February 22, 2014
Small Business Sales Management: 19 Winning Secrets of Success
My newest book is now available for sale on Amazon. It is entitled ‘Small Business Sales Management: 19 Winning Secrets of Success’. It is a book drawn from my many years as a sales manager and business owner, and covers discoveries I made for myself over the years that were beneficial to the success of the companies and organizations I worked for.
You have before you a special book on sales management techniques covering 19 secrets that can change the character of any small business. This book will challenge you to find hot new leads for future business where you least expected to find them. It will show you how to use a magical healing power within you to resolve any social difficulty, as well as insight into ways to empower and inspire sales people on your team to excel and reach new heights of success.
This book also covers techniques to hold brilliant special events that result in powerful word-of-mouth promotion from former customers, as well as methods to make your showroom a new experience of discovery for even your most frequent customers. You will also learn to use sales, discount and special incentives as a new approach to an old system to boost sales.
This book has been made available both in paperback and in eBook formats. To order, click here.
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