I've been very pleased to get to know one delightful Ms. Courtney Hexham who is an up and coming book creator that you may enjoy. So far she has two books out there and I have a short review of each for you before we get down to the nitty gritty about this colourful persona! Hazel and Jade A delightful book where Hazel goes on a trip and makes friends with an Iguana while on a Christmas visit. Hazel learns so very much about iguanas and makes a friend for life! Simple illustrations convey the story wonderfully and children will clap when Hazel makes a new friend! A fun read! This story was inspired by the real Hazel, from the UK, and a real Iguana named Jade, from the US. The book is dedicated to their families. The Firefly and the Frog A firefly helps a frog to find some inner light and shine brightly! Engaging illustrations and simple rhymes will be sure to entertain and capture the hearts of young readers! The inspiration for this title was a frog-obsessed friend who requested books for her baby shower. Courtney saw a video where a frog swallowed a firefly and then was lit up, and so the story begins... But what do know about the delightful Ms Hexham? Let's find out, shall we? I asked her if she had always wanted to be a writer. The short answer? Yes! She has always been a writer and a creator. She loves art and bringing stories to life, and in fact studied screenwriting. She submitted a screenplay to the Interlochen Center for the Arts and was accepted into their Creative Writing camp. She later attended the cap for performance, musical theatre and fine art. She also studied media production, design, and journalism in college and obtained an MBA. She loves to learn a little bit about everything and infuse creativity and positivity into every aspect of her life! As with most of my fellow writers, Courtney struggled to find the right platform for publishing. Her goal? To make the books affordable--a big thing in the current economy--and fairly priced. Like many of us she tried several methods and examined proofs, got feedback from her "mom" friends, and settled on self-publishing through Amazon. She is currently working on a longer book of stories about her own "adventures" as a child and I must say I am looking forward to it. Courtney experienced a lot of bullying in elementary school, and that drew her to social psychology and a passion for boosting kids' self-esteem and sense of belonging. She says: "Our formative years have a huge impact on how we view the world and our place in it. No child should ever question if they belong or are they worthy of love and acceptance, no matter how they look or their circumstances." I agree with Courtney on this whole-heartedly! One of the first things I learned about Courtney is that she is a Black transracial adoptee. "Transracial adoptee", for those unaware of the term, means she was adopted by a family of a different race. This is where I asked her to produce some fun facts for us and here is what she said:
To learn more about Courtney and what she gets up to, refer to the graphic below!
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No matter what title this has, Kara Johnson has created a real tail wagger! Beautifully written and illustrated, this story shows the true chaos and joy that is any puppy's "go to" mode! The story follows Doc and Honey as they journey through life with their family. For animal lovers both young and old, this will become a favourite read! Doc and Honey are based on Kara's family's dogs. Just like in the book, they were Christmas gifts. Doc passed away before Honey, and she made the move with Kara's family to Texas only to pass about six months later. But this is not a sad book--oh no! At times laugh out loud funny and quietly endearing, Kara assures me that everything in the book actually happened! Her son was dragged through the neighbourhood as Doc raced after another dog while Kara shouted "let go of the leash"! Honey ate everything she could...even things not meant for a puppy! They truly did escape and end up doing yoga in the park! Kara was born and raised in Southern California, and her family moved to Texas not that long ago. Clearly fond of animals, Kara once had 6 dogs, 3 horses and 2 tortoises at the same time but now there are only three dogs left in the family pack. Kara (much like myself) appears to have an (ir)rational side that wants to adopt every stray and, also like myself, has a rational side (I call mine Dave but let's call hers Mr. Johnson) that steps in to prevent an over population! I asked Kara how she got into writing and her response was, "I'd actually call myself a story-teller and not a writer. There's a huge part of me that is experiencing imposter syndrome! I truly can't believe I put my book (that was intended for my adult children to remember their childhood dogs) out there for others to see." I for one am glad that Kara did! What is next? Kara, and her imposter syndrom, has two novels in editing now. She loves romance books and just had to give it a try or she'd regret it forever. Well Kara, that's not imposter syndrome talking! You are a writer! Today we are off for a magical drive in the Little Red Truck in the beautiful colours of autumn! Kathy Brandon's latest work is full of cozy fun and added value items for interaction with your littles! The story takes you on a visit to Nonna and Papa's to visit with them and their dogs! Many adventures will be had in the little red truck, as you work in the garden and enjoy the fall festival. Your imagination will conjure up the sounds and smells cleverly described in the book and the illustrations are a feast for the eyes. Don't forget to look for the little red truck--it's hidden somewhere in the pictures on every page along with some fabulous visitors. That is part of the fun, as the end papers will provide a list of those visitors you might be looking for. The author has also included some activities and discussion questions to help turn story time into something deeper. The Adventures of Nonna and the Little Red Truck in Autumn will deliver truck loads of adventure! Kathy Brandon has been an educator for three decades and loves to share her passion for equity and access to books. She spreads STEAM and literacy education to inner-city schools and her local communities and wants readers to be able to see themselves in the pages of her books. She splits her time between Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, with family, friends, dog and grand-dogs as well as three grandsons who are the inspiration for her Little Red Truck series. Jennifer Kasitz, the illustrator, is also an educator, artist, mother and seeker of nature inspirations. Her love of people, animals and plants is clearly evident in the delightful illustrations. Her art can be found at the citybirdart.com link button below. I sent Kathy Brandon a few questions which she generously took the time to answer!
Kathy Brandon has always found reading to be a way to go on adventures, see the world, meet fabulous people, and give her a safe place to go in her imagination. She hopes her books allow readers to the the same, or to remember a fond time with a family member. She was inspired to create this title as a follow up for her first book (The Adventures of Nonn and the Little Red Truck in Summertime), where she used many of the activities she does with her grandsons in the Midwest, just in a new season. There will be a total of four books in the series, covering the amazing activities you can do in your diverse and inclusive communities. It was very important for Kathy to have children see someone they may recognize from their lives in the pages. "As an educator of reading, I wanted an interactive and engaging book. My grandsons are always asking questions. I wanted to come back to some of the simpler moments the adult reading the book might reflect on with their own parents or grandparents. To show this generation how interactive, kind, fun and creative they can be in their own communities while highlighting a community event..." Nature has been Kathy's happy place for a long time, engaging all her senses and exploring the world around her is pure joy and she wants that for everyone. It is vital that we care for nature so it can be here to be enjoyed for future generations. This book allows and encourages the wonder and inquisitiveness that children bring to all that they do. She is also raising some awareness in the book for "Empty Bowls", and initiative that brings in art from local children (pottery, quilts, etc) and makes meals to serve. All proceeds then go to a local food pantry. It is an amazing initiative and sounds like one I could also get behind. She has more information on this in her end pages. You will note in the images above the links to reach out toKathy and learn more about her and her books! Today I want to introduce Iva Maurin and her book The Little Candle (2024, Independently Published). The Little Candle takes us on a journey with a small candle who wants to shine his light but he's not quite sure how--and he's not been lit. His brave and desperate journey to find his light so that he can shine brightly for everyone to see will inspire. The illustrations are bright and colourful and capture the imagination. A great way to encourage youngster who are feeling lost or insignificant. Just when he is about to give up, our brave candle receives his light! This story will surely ignite your flame also! Iva's title is available for purchase on Amazon and is also enrolled in Kindle Unlimited. Iva lives in Reno, Nevada, with Larry and their cat, Leo. She is a communications specialist who has been writing and doing graphic design professionally for over 20 years--although typically on the serious side like news, speeches and technical writing, designing collateral for government projects and events. Iva always wanted to write and illustrate her own children's book and this is the fulfillment of that dream. "I started this journey last quarter of 2022, when I illustrated Wasteful Emma, a book meant to teach kids about energy conservation," says Iva. This book was published and distributed free across the Philippines. She goes on to say that The Little Candle is about life in that we are all candles looking for our purpose. Eventually everyone must carve their own path. We will meet many candles along the way, each with a different purpose. Some will help us. Others will not. It is okay to ask for help. Iva draws her own illustrations by hand using a tablet and ProCreate, and then works with InDesign to create the whole package. She has done a wonderful job! When not writing and creating, Iva loves nature and can be found walking in parks or just lying in the grass looking at the clouds. (So do I, so who can blame her?) What is next? Well, Iva has been asked about a children's book on climate change so she is building a story about that. She also thinks it would be fun to write a book about Leo and thinks he will greatly appreciate the extra attention and kibbles! See images below for more and details on how to get in touch with Iva. Veronica Santaguida is a Canadian author and the creator of The Girl With The Big Voice (2023, Blooming Dahlia Publishing). A brief overview with no spoilers: Emma loves to use her voice—maybe a little too much if others have their say...Follow this little girl as she learns to control her voice and not stifle it. Through a series of interactions, she discovers how to use her voice respectfully. Told in a catchy, rhythmic rhyming scheme that will capture the reader's attention. The colourful "notebook scribbles" with line drawings create a fun and youthful backdrop. So much fun to read! This is Veronica's first venture as an author and I think she's on the right track! She has found her voice and we will definitely be hearing from her again!
Her book is a wonderfully complete package, which is no surprise given that she works in marketing and innovation when she is not pursuing her passion for writing. Her biggest passion, however, is being a mother to two amazing and strong willed girls. She says they remind her of herself, as she was often called bossy when younger, and was told she talked too much. She now knows that the traits that earned her negative labels as a child have become her biggest strengths in life. She and her daughters love to read empowering stories with strong female leads, rhythmic story telling, and diverse characters. Veronica hopes that this story she has created will captivate young hearts and minds. She wants them to feel encouraged to find their own voice and express themselves fearlessly. "Let's inspire the next generation to dream big and speak up," says Veronica Santaguida. We hear you, Veronica! But did you notice there are TWO Veronica's who worked on this book? The second one spells her name with a K and worked on the lovely illustrations. Veronika Gruntovskaya, is an educator, mother and creator. She explores the expressive without being bound by genre or medium. She has helped create children's book illustrations, murals, ornaments, weaving. Her love of life is clearly evident in her work and the vibrant colours and joie de vivre we see in The Girl With The Big Voice. A mother to three boys whom she describes as play, curiosity and laughter. I am positive BOTH Veronic(k)a's will be making a huge splash in future books! Well, this is something that I have thought about doing and then put off, because I don't think I'm that unusual. I'm an open book. Literally. I see it--I write it! However, here are a few tidbits about me that you may not know:
Well...that's 15 things you know about me now that you probably wished you didn't. Thank you for reading and taking the time to get to know me. These actually answer some questions that I've been asked via Instagram, Tiktok, or Facebook (you can find me on each of these @ruthamandawrites). Follow me for more ridiculousness--I mean, very important authoring and creative stuff and book updates! Whee doggie! Where do I begin with this one? As a wise man once said, gnaturally, "Begin at the beginning..." and so I shall. In February I decided my 2024 would be full of support for my fellow authors--I may have even blogged about it. I posted in an author FB group my offer and the response was overwhelming. I have been reading, reviewing and (w)riting about these books in every spare moment. And in these books, there are quiet gems. There are also shining stars. In the case of The Gnatural, there are home runs that may actually be grand slams--I'll stop there before I screw up the baseball analogies. So here is my review of the book: Gnatural is going to create some buzz in your bookshelf this season! Roy and Bryce are obsessed with bugball and hope to one day make the major leagues. I really enjoyed following their adventures as they overcome bullies and injuries to make their dreams a reality. A wonderful story to help motivate and encourage young athletes to aim high but be good sports. Never let a bad season "bug" you! Colourful illustrations perfectly portray the action and you will be on the edge of your seat waiting for that next smash hit! Those of you of a certain age (or just being fans of sports movies) may notice some similarities with a certain movie: The Natural (1984) starring Robert Redford, from TriStar Pictures. That is not the only carry over from real life in this book. Baseball fans will find bug puns abound in cameo appearances from Major League Bugball--I mean Baseball--stars! I spoke with Mark Bryson to learn a bit more about him and his books and here is what I learned. Mark has a background in sports which is no surprise. His love of events and sport started at an early age and has never disappeared. He continues to be involved as an event manager, board member, motivator as well as player, umpire, official and coach in multiple sports.
Somewhere in there, he managed to meet and marry his wife and have six kids of whom he is rightfully proud. This is a busy man--but not too busy to help the smallest of players with their own story and dreams. I asked Mark where he found the time to work with son Ryan on The Gnatural. Mark says he mostly writes in the evening and often listens to music while driving which helps him to visualize scenes or stories. Mark says, "I have been blessed to be around many great coaches and players as Head Coach at MLB Fanfest. The inspiration quotes and motivational stories that they would tell to kids in the clinics provided much material." As a fellow bug follower, with a book on racing snails, I needed to know--will there be more sports books featuring bugs? And the answer is YES! There are a series of sports stories coming together. Beeball (to release in 2024) is about basketball with Joel Embee, Michael Jordant and Julius Erwing. Centipedes Can't Skate is hockey based and features Peter Forsbug, Sidney Crosbee, and Steve Flyzerman. You can probably guess at the names involved in other titles like Friday Night Lightning Bugs based on football, FLEAFA based on soccer, and GNATSCAR about--you guessed it--racing! You can bet that I'm ordering a complete set! Mark and Ryan are currently working on screenplays to pitch to PIXAR. They also hope to create live action coaching content with Bryce Hopper (Bryce Harper) to teach hitting, and Mite Trout (Mike Trout) to teach little ballplayers how to play the outfield. Lots of great content to come from this team and I am so inspired by this! Whatever your age, you are going to love what comes from this team! If writing were a World Series of Books, I see this team making the Big Game! Click the button below for more! I was blessed to be allowed to get to know a fellow author by the name of Boyana Atwood, publishing as Highbridge Stories. Her fun and engaging faith based books are sure to please! Boyana is from Europe, born in Serbia and raised in Switzerland. She originally studied law and worked as an Investment Banking Associate before travelling to Texas. In Texas, she attended Christ for the Nations Bible School where she met her husband. As a couple, they journeyed to Mozambique where they were involved in missionary work before deciding to move back to the states to start their family. Currently living in Anchorage, Alaska, they have two children. As with most of us, Covid changed how Boyana's world worked. While she had been doing some project management, Covid meant she became a full time stay at home mother. She began publishing guided journals on the side. This time with her kids lead her to the creative work of writing her own children's stories and last year she began to illustrate books as well. This year she plans to illustrate one of her own stories which is still a work in progress. Maya's Big Feelings was the first book she wrote. It is a fun short story about a girl discovering her feelings as they take her on a roller coaster ride of emotions. With a little help, she learns not to let her feelings take over. She has also been busy creating the following: Maya's Big Adventure, Pray With Me (A Book of Prayers for Small Children), and Exploring Our Space Neighborhood all come from the wonderful writing of Boyana Atwood.
For the Maya books, Boyana worked with illustrator Anastasiya Provozina and says she was wonderful to work with. Anastasiya went above and beyond what Boyana asked of her and was very easy to communicate with. Boyana would love to work with her on more books in the Maya series. Boyana added that she is now exploring the illustrator path herself now and is using an iPad and ProCreate software to create her drawings. I asked her what is next and she said "On March 5th is the office release date of The Creator's Kids, a book I was able to illustrate for the amazing Nicole Helm." Boyana also mentioned she is finalizing the illustration of another book for a similarly amazing author, and is exploring stories of her own that she wants to write. As with most of my author friends, Boyana has several ideas she is working on advancing. Boyana's Christian faith is evident in each page of her books. She has so far only received positive feedback , although she admits to marketing primarily to people with similar views and hasn't gone mainstream with her marketing. I encourage her to do so, as the books are well written and have a wonderful message to share. I asked Boyana to share some fun facts about her and this is what she came up with:
Today I am going to share a bit about There is Only One You by author Melissa Hin. There is Only One You is a celebration of a child's uniqueness with fun, bright illustrations. End pages included added value with questions and activities to guide the teacher or parent in encouraging the conversation about each reader's own unique strengths and assets. A good read for little ones who are feeling a little less than special, or to further encourage your kids that standing out as different is not a bad thing. In addition to being asked to review this book, I was also priveleged to email back and forth with author Melissa Hin and learn a bit more about her! Melissa Hin has been an artist from the day she was born. She can't remember ever NOT creating--its just something she has to do! She has explored many mediums and materials over the course of her artistic career and also has dabbled in a number of varying styles. She likes to deem her art "Contemporary" which allows for both realistic representations and the abstract. Sometimes she likes to mix the two. Most often her subjects are inspired by nature but it is always her desire to lead the viewer on a journey each and every time they experience a work of art. She owns and operates an Art Studio in Long Island, NY, where she paints and teaches. So with all that artistic creativity, is it any wonder Melissa has turned to writing books? I asked her about her inspiration for the book There is Only One You and she responded that every child is unique and special. She wrote the story to encourage young readers to remember that. We are all different and special and Melissa believes we should celebrate that. I wholeheartedly agree! She dedicated this book to her sons Alex, Matt and Zach. She recalls how every night when they were young they would read wonderful stories together. Sometimes they would write their own. On that note, Melissa says she has two additional children's books written and is anxious to bring them alive with her illustrations so she can put them in print. We asked her if she found illustrating her story difficult--as an author and illustrator myself, I sometimes struggle here. Melissa responded confidently that it had always been her passion to illustrate her own stories. She believes a good picture book has a fantastic manuscript in addition to whimsical illustration which will enhance the text as well as highlighting it. She does admit she went through two previously illustrated versions before settling on the one she published. Melissa is quite happy with the results. I believe readers will be as well. If you want to learn more about Melissa and her art, use the buttons below to connect to her websites. Additional contact details are in the image gallery below. Her books are available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and wherever fine books are sold. Ask your local bookseller! Thank you Melissa for taking the time to speak with me and for sharing such a wonderful book! I look forward to the next one... Those who are fans of "Geckos in the Garden" will know that I find it difficult to pass up a fun way to practice counting with little ones. Lee Matson is a writer after my own heart having created "Alexa & Pup Go to the Farm". A farm adventure and counting book in one! Bright colourful illustrations and catchy rhymes make this a fun read. There are lots of "noise" words to make reading aloud interactive and full of giggles. A great addition to any early library at home or school. But I was also able to learn a bit more about Lee and how he created this gem! Keep reading below! Lee Matson, renaissance man.
Living outside London, UK, with his partner Katie and children Alexa and Archer, Lee is a Personal Trainer andSenior Wellbeing Advisor. Lee holds a Sport and Exercise Science degree. He used to play semi-pro football (soccer for my fellow North Americans) and still follows the sport. Anything sporty really. During Covid, Lee was placed on furlough and spent all his time with Alexa (Archer appeared later). He notes they spent a lot of time watching TV, playing games, learning words and numbers, and doing lots of reading. After a while, as with most parents, Lee found himself bored with the same books and thought, "why not try something different?" This combined with a work related medical suggesting starting a new hobby to help with mental wellness during lockdown, came together when he thought he could create a book to enjoy with Alexa. The real Alexa reportedly loves the book and knows all of the words off by heart. She was apparently shocked when she realized she was on the front cover, and then more shocked to discover dear old dad also named on the front cover! When the books first arrived, Lee says she walked around with it telling her whole family she was famous. So why this creation? Lee knew that kids like Alexa love bright colours, animals, funny things and weird noises. Taking these ingredients, he mixed up a combination of these elements. I am so glad he did! Onomatopoeia keeps the kids interested and they can do the sounds as well. Lee's favourite bit in the book is when the sheep knit a hat for pup and it is far too long and covers pup. Kids have fun stopping here to find where Pup is hiding. His publisher produced the illustrations, and Lee was pleased with how they turned out. Lee enjoyed working with Austin Macauley Publishing. Lee would love for you to follow him on Instagram as he tries to build his audience. You can find him on instagram @alexa_and_pup where you can see what else he and Alexa and now Archer are getting up to! Thank you, Lee, for the opportunity to read and review your book and help share the word about it! A great first title and I am waiting for more! |
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May 2024
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