Monday, February 2, 2015

Register for Write2Ignite Coming March 27 - 28!


Write2Ignite! is just a few weeks away -- March 27-28, 2015!

Write2Ignite! 2015 – March 27-28, 2015 at North Greenville University near Greenville, SC.

The Conference for Christian Writers of Literature for Children and Young Adults.

Key Note Speaker – Tim Shoemaker - author of 11 books for kids and parents.
Other speakers include Karen Whiting, Jenny L. Cote, Cheri Cowell, Kim Peterson, Tony Snipes, Vonda Skelton and Torry Martin.

Two tracks – one for adults and one for teens who write.
Interviews with editors and agents. Scholarships available.
Information and Registration at www.write2ignite.com


Mailbox Monday - February 2

Mailbox Monday is a meme started by Marcia of To Be Continued. Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. It now has a permanent home at the Mailbox Monday blog.

Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles, and humongous wish lists.

Happy Groundhog Day!

It is a snowy Monday in New England. This is our second major snowstorm in the span of two weeks. The kids and hubby are home for the day. We are expecting 6 to 12 inches of the white stuff. Yuck!

If you stopped by on Friday, you learned my long-awaited copy of Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Autobiography by Laura Ingalls Wilder and edited by Pamela Smith Hill arrived. I am so excited. Amazon had trouble filling orders of this book. I should have gotten it from the museum. It would have arrived sooner.

Pioneer Girl, for anyone who doesn't know, was Wilder's original manuscript. It was rejected and turned into a series of children's books. I know it will take me a while to get through this one, but I am so thrilled to have it.


Follow the real Laura Ingalls and her family as they make their way west and discover that truth is as remarkable as fiction.

Hidden away since the 1930s, Laura Ingalls Wilder's never-before-published autobiography reveals the true stories of her pioneering life. Some of her experiences will be familiar; some will be a surprise. Pioneer Girl re-introduces readers to the woman who defined the pioneer experience for millions of people around the world.

Through her recollections, Wilder details the Ingalls family s journey from Kansas, Missouri, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, back to Minnesota, and on to Dakota Territory sixteen years of travels, unforgettable stories, and the everyday people who became immortal through her fiction. Using additional manuscripts, diaries, and letters, Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Autobiography builds on Wilder s work by adding valuable context and explores her growth as a writer.

Author of an award-winning Laura Ingalls Wilder biography, editor Pamela Smith Hill offers new insights into Wilder s life and times. In an introduction, Hill illuminates Wilder s writing career and the dynamic relationship between the budding novelist and her daughter and editor, Rose Wilder Lane. Sharing the story of Wilder s original manuscript, Hill discusses the catalysts for Pioneer Girl and the process through which Wilder s story turned from an unpublished memoir into the national phenomenon of the Little House series.

Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Autobiography also explores the history of the frontier that the Ingalls family traversed and the culture and life of the communities Wilder lived in. This groundbreaking volume develops a fuller picture of Wilder s life and times for the millions of readers who wish to learn more about this important American author. It contains one hundred and twenty-five images, eight fully researched maps, and hundreds of annotations based on numerous primary sources, including census data, county, state, and federal records, and newspapers of the period.

An important historic and literary achievement, this annotated edition of Pioneer Girl provides modern readers with new insights into the woman behind the fictional classics Little House in the Big Woods, Farmer Boy, Little House on the Prairie, On the Banks of Plum Creek, By the Shores of Silver Lake, The Long Winter, Little Town on the Prairie, These Happy Golden Years, and The First Four Years.



I also received this book, though I am not sure why. It could have come to me unsolicited. Either that or I don't remember requesting it. Sounds like a fascinating novel.


A terrible loss. A desperate journey.
A mother seeks the truth.

In December of the year 1377, five children were burned to death in a suspicious house fire. A small band of villagers traveled 200 miles across England in midwinter to demand justice for their children’s deaths.

Sinful Folk is the story of this treacherous journey as seen by Mear, a former nun who has lived for a decade disguised as a mute man, raising her son quietly in this isolated village.

For years, she has concealed herself and all her secrets. But in this journey, she will find the strength to claim the promise of her past and find a new future. Mear begins her journey in terror and heartache, and ends in triumph and redemption.

What was in your mailbox?

Sunday, February 1, 2015

Bargain Kindle Book: Faith, Hope, and Murder by Elise M. Stone



Emotionally wounded, with prayers unanswered, Faith Andersen turned her back on God years ago. She’s devoted herself to her work as a web designer—and a series of meaningless relationships in place of the love she desires. She’s happier that way; at least, that’s what she tells herself.

When her best friend asks her to help a stranger, she has no idea the problem is murder. The victim, a smuggler who brought drugs and human beings over the Mexican border, had plenty of enemies. And even more dangerous friends.

Pastor John Menard has problems of his own. When the pretty skeptic appears in his office to discuss a new web site for the church, John is intrigued, but cautious. With a recent divorce and an accusation of misconduct, he must win back the trust of his congregation—or risk losing his church. While he struggles to prove his innocence, there’s no space in his life for a relationship.

As Faith investigates the murder, she finds herself with more questions than answers. Who killed the coyote? Is the stranger really who she seems?

When John discovers Faith is poking into a homicide, he fears for her safety. Spiced with danger and opposing beliefs, their mutual attraction grows. But have they gotten themselves into more trouble than either of them could have imagined?

File Size: 426 KB
Print Length: 336 pages
Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0988848236
Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
Publisher: Civano Press (December 23, 2013)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Language: English
ASIN: B00B2ROIWQ


Purchase here for only 99 cents!

Friday, January 30, 2015

The Friday 56 - Week 212

Welcome to Week 212!

Rules:
*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader
*Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) that grab you.
*Post it.
*Add your (url) post to the Linky at Freda's Voice. Add the post url, not your blog url. It's that simple.



It finally arrived! The book that fans have been clamoring for over the last several decades: the release of Laura Ingalls Wilder's Pioneer Girl manuscript, the basis for her famous Little House books.

This annotated autobiography is edited by Pamela Smith Hill, author of Laura Ingalls Wilder: A Writer's Life. Since page 56 was just a map, this excerpt is from page 156.



14. Ma was afraid. In By the Shores of Silver Lake, Wilder used Ma's fear to reinforce the unspoken conflict between her parents and their views of the American West: "[Ma] did not say anything because nothing she could say would make any difference. Bu Laura knew Ma had never wanted to leave Plum Creek and did not like to be here now" (p.66).

Thursday, January 29, 2015

PBS KIDS Announces Annual Writing Contest!

pbs



The PBS KIDS Writers Contest is designed to promote the advancement of children’s literacy skills through hands-on, active learning. The contest is open to children in grades K-3 and encourages creative thinking and storytelling, while building literacy skills through the creation and illustration of original stories.

To enter, kids can submit stories to their local stations, and local winners will then be entered into the national contest. National winners will be announced during the summer of 2015, and the winning stories will be featured on pbskids.org/writerscontest.

This year, the judges include acclaimed writers, producers and children’s media creators, including Marc Brown, author and illustrator of the ARTHUR book series, and the Kratt Brothers, Martin and Chris, from the PBS KIDS show WILD KRATTS. The national winners will receive prize packages including ARTHUR books and a personal technology device courtesy of PBS.

To enter the contest and for more information on entry rules and contest resources, visit pbskids.org/writerscontest or your local PBS station website.

As a Busy Mom Thinks


Today is the release of a new regular column at The Busy Mom's Daily. This idea has been in the back of my mind for quite a while. When it began percolating, I envisioned it as a way to share opinions about a variety of things; a springboard for discussions with other busy moms. Let’s face it, not only do we busy moms work hard, we have opinions about a variety of topics. We should be able to share and discuss them whenever we want.

The title of this new column, “As a Busy Mom Thinks,” has its origins with Laura Ingalls Wilder. Before becoming a world famous children’s author, Wilder wrote a regular column for the Missouri Ruralist entitled, “As a Farm Woman Thinks.” She discussed home, family, and world events. I envision “As a Busy Mom Thinks” to be similar.

If you are interested in writing a guest post for “As a Busy Mom Thinks,” please email me at ccmal@charter.net.

I’m going to kick off this column with a bit of a rant. Why not start with a bang, right?

Why is it that working moms are expected to juggle family life and career, but working dads aren’t always expected to help out around the house?

When we first moved in here, both of us worked outside the home. Once I left the corporate world to become a stay-at-home mom, I felt part of my contribution was to take care of the house and run errands. For some reason, however, the expectation is that despite me working 40 hours a week now, I should still be the one to do all the laundry, cook, keep the house clean, and run errands. Do I look like Wonder Woman?

So, I must ask, is it the same way at your house or do I simply need to put my foot down?

Hope you enjoy this new column. I look forward to our discussions.