Book Release Party for The Shadow of the Unicorn:The Legacy by Suzanne de Montigny

I always love parties and today we are having a party for a newly released book, The Shadow of the Unicorn:The Legacy by Suzanne de Montigny. This is very exciting and we will be partying until there is no virtual food left.

Of course, I have brought my famous chocolate chip cookies and I hope you will all bring something to this party. It would be fun if you would bring one of your characters. I think it's always fun for characters to meet each other. Also, who wouldn't love to meet a unicorn and one so brave!!!

Actually, let's meet Suzanne de Montigny, the author and find out more about her and her work.

Hi Suzanne. Welcome to my blog and let's get this party started with a little information about you.

1. Where were you born and raised?

I’m mighty proud to say I’m a Canadian girl born in Vancouver, B.C., and raised in a small town called Chilliwack a hundred km east of Vancouver where my father practiced medicine.

                       2. Tell us a little about your life before you started writing.

Believe it or not, I started out as a free-lance composer and pianist. I used to play piano around town and write music for everything from television, to plays, to industrial videos. But don’t tell anyone about the last one – it’s commonly known as elevator music. Then I got tired of living in poverty and taught elementary music for over twenty years. During that time, I discovered I was a pretty good storyteller. The kids would behave just so I’d make up a story on the spot at the end of class. Later, I took off a couple of years to take care of my two young boys. It was during this time, I started writing.

          3.    Why did you decide to start writing?

Here’s a bit of a spooky story for you. When my father died, I kept walking around his funeral saying, “I feel like writing a book.”  I like to think he planted the idea in my head from the other side.

          4.  Did anyone influence you in your writing?

I always loved Lucie Maude Montgomery, Kurt Vonnegut, James Michener, Jack London, and Ray Bradbury. I also love Kit Pearce, one of our Canadian authors. So I suppose they all influenced me. In French, I love Arlette Cousture.

           5.    Would you share with us the story of how you got your first novel published?

When I was in grade six, I had a creative writing project due. I got carried away and wrote a six chapter book about a unicorn. I got an A+ and have always kept that little book in a safe place. Then about five years ago, I was cleaning out the basement and found an old box full of childhood memorabilia, and in that box, I found a partial rewrite of the first four chapters that I had done somewhere in my teens. I chuckled and threw it in the blue box. Then, a couple of days later, I thought, “I should at least see what I wrote.” So I dried the rain off and read it. I was just fascinated, and the following week, I began writing it. Later, I submitted it to two agents and was rejected because it wasn’t the kind of story they were looking for. But then, one day, I opened up the MuseItUp site, that had a big winged Pegasus for a banner. I thought, “That’s where my unicorns will live.” And I was right.

           6.  What was the inspiration for your latest book? Have you always been interested in fantasy?

My latest novel, entitled: A Town Bewitched came from our experience with a fiddling camp a few years ago. My two boys and I are avid fiddlers. We all play classical violin too, but our passion is definitely fiddling. When we attended the  camp, we were absolutely lit on fire. It was like we were bewitched. And what was even better, was that one of the instructors moved to town so we could continue studying with her. Then one day, I thought, “What would happen if a whole town was lit on fire like us, only there was something really wrong with the fiddler?”

       7.   When you write which is more important for you to start with, the plot or the characters?

            I have a beginning, a middle, and an end in mind and characters just walk in. One minute they’re not there, the next, they are. I always say that writing is like reading a really good book only you’re writing it. I don’t know what’s going to happen next. It just comes to me as I go.

          8.    Please describe a typical writing day for us.

          I get up at five AM, answer e-mails, tweet, FB, blog, and then I write until the boys get up. After I drive them to school, I exercise or run errands. Then I write until they come home. After that, it’s all about them.

          9.    What have you planned to celebrate the release of Shadow of a Unicorn?

          Well, my husband got up early on Friday when it was released, and bought me a bouquet of flowers. Then we went for Chinese food with friends that night, and ended up back home singing Christmas carols. Then, on the ninth, I’m having a live launching for friends and families where I’ll be collecting used eye glasses for the Third World Eye Care Society. And BTW, just so everyone knows, half of all my proceeds will be going to the Third World Eye Care Society, a group of eye specialists who travel to underdeveloped nations bringing thousands of pairs of glasses and performing eye surgery for free. I figure since I can’t do anything about my rotten eyesight, I can at least help someone else restore their vision.

That is such a great thing to do for these countries!! 

         10.   Do you have any WIP’s on which you are working? Would you please share them with us?

I’m frantically writing the second of the Shadow of the Unicorn series. And I’ll only tell you that there’s a second natural disaster, but I won’t say what.

         11.  Are you doing any contests with this release?

         Being a newby, I’m completely in the dark about contests. I’m hoping I’ll find out soon. It would be cool to add under my belt.

Suzanne de Montigny Bio:

Suzanne de Montigny wrote her first unicorn novel when she was twelve. Several years later, she discovered it in an old box in the basement, and thus began her love affair with unicorns. A teacher in Vancouver, B.C., she learned she could spin a good tale that kept kids and teachers begging for more. She has written four novels. THE SHADOW OF THE UNICORN: THE LEGACY is her first. Living in Burnaby, she resides with her husband and two boys.

Book Trailer

Let's find out about your book:

A loud, hissing sound filled the air. The unicorns looked up, their eyes filled with horror.

Azaria, a unicorn colt, is intrigued when the young, clairvoyant dinosaur, Darius, foresees a terrifying change to their world. When a giant fireball smashes into the earth, the unicorns struggle to survive the hurricanes and starvation that follow. But nothing compares to the danger when the creatures-that-walk-on-two-legs settle in the valley, and their leader discovers the healing power in the unicorns’ horns. Greedy and ruthless, Ishmael will stop at nothing in his pursuit of wealth – even the complete extinction of the herd. Azaria must find a way to outsmart Ishmael before it’s too late.

Wow, Suzanne!!! This sounds a lot like what is happening to the rhino population!! 

I want everyone to know that Suzanne is giving away a free ebook to the lucky commenter who wins the drawing. Meanwhile let's get this party started!!! 

Here are my virtual chocolate chip cookies. Help yourself and I hope everyone gets to read this book! I have it on my TBR list and I will be posting a review very soon!!!

Here is where you can find more about Suzanne de Montigny:

www.suzannedemontigny.com

https://www.facebook.com/unicorngirl52?ref=hl

https://twitter.com/sfierymountain

You can find the book here:

https://museituppublishing.com/bookstore2/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=466&category_id=10&keyword=the+Shadow+of+the+unicorns&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1

Don't forget to leave a comment!! Come join the party!!!

Girls Succeed Blog Tour Begins Here!!

It's always exciting to be introducing a new book and being the first stop on this super special blog tour is  also very exciting!!!

Before I introduce you to J Q Rose and her fabulous book, I would like to talk a little bit about the past week and how it has impacted so many lives. As you know if you are a regular reader of this blog, I live by the water, so my entire apartment complex was evacuated on Sunday of last week. We were forced to find a place far from the water and west of where the storm was going to be the worst. So we wound up in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. This is a town with which my family and I are pretty familiar, since we have come up there for a few days each summer. So with no notice at all we found a place to stay and the second day we were there they had a power outage, but it only lasted for an hour and a half. We were very lucky, because the only inconvenience we had was that we had to switch rooms. Since the elevators weren't running just in case there was another outage, we moved to the first floor. So during the entire storm we were warm and dry.

Many other people weren't so lucky and as I witnessed the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy I was overwhelmed with sadness that these people's lives had been uprooted. I imagined their horror and the turmoil inside them when they realized that maybe they would never be able to go back to their homes. I saw homes that were literally blown apart and all that was left were scattered pieces of people's lives. I saw public places completely ruined and the lower east side of New York City completely flooded. I saw subways that were filled with water instead of people and people left without power for days. It was the worst storm I had ever seen in my lifetime.

And I saw the grit and determination of people who though they had lost so much refused to give up and wanted to rebuild. I knew their horror, because just a few years ago my family had our lives changed completely by a fire. I know how all of these people feel, because I went through it all. All I can offer is my extreme sympathy and reassurance that their lives will return to normal soon. My heart goes out to anyone who has lost their home or worse, to anyone who has lost a loved one due to the storm. When we were on our way home from Massachusetts I worried that we would find damage, but our place was spared and we did not have any loss of power. Some in my family felt guilty that we had not suffered because of the storm, because we saw so many without power and all the destruction caused by trees falling into homes or power lines. I also had to wonder how we were so lucky. Then someone told me that maybe we had had our fill of horror and that is why we were spared. For whatever reason I am thankful!!! Lastly, I want to thank all of you who sent their good wishes to us. As I have said before, sometimes the internet is one big hug!!!

Now, I am happy to introduce you all to J Q Rose, who has been a guest on this blog before. She is back to begin her new blog tour and I am delighted she has chosen my blog for the kick-off!!

Thank you, Barbara, for hosting me on the kick-off of my virtual book tour for my non-fiction children’s book, Girls Succeed: Stories Behind the Careers of Successful Women. 

You're welcome, J Q. I am always happy to see a book that is geared toward showing girls good role models. These women seem exceptional and what a great idea to write a book with all of them included. 

Hello Readers. I am excited to visit with you today. Please leave comments to enter a random drawing for prizes after the tour is completed. More information about that later.

I am thrilled to be here to introduce you to this interactive e-book packed full of stories of passion, determination, and dreams. Fifteen successful career women in a variety of occupations share their stories in these pages.

Tagline: Inspiring and empowering girls to achieve success in their dream careers.

Firsts by J.Q. Rose

Thank you for joining me on the first visit for my first book tour for this interactive e-book. Speaking of firsts…There are ladies in the book who have accomplished firsts in their careers.

Olympics gold medalist Angela Ruggiero is the first female to play in a professional men’s ice hockey game and through the years she and her Team USA won first places in national, international cup, and Olympics games.

Horse woman Pati Pierucci received first place in dressage competitions at the Gran Prix level, the elite level of competition. 

Cycle racer Mackenzie Woodring won first place in road racing competitions. This year she garnered a gold medal for the 2012 Women’s Pro State Champion at USA Cycling’s Road Race in Michigan. She also won gold medals as the pilot for her blind partner, Karissa Whitsell, in the 2008 Paralympics games in Beijing, China, riding a high tech bicycle for two. They are currently the world record holders for the Paralympics three kilometer pursuit race. This year she is the 2012 Women’s Team USA Paralympics Gold Medal Winner with partner Kara Vatthauer.

Professional clown Brenda Marshall’s career includes firsts. She was the first woman president of the Clowns of America International and the leader of the first People to People International Clown Delegation to China.

Educator Barbara “Chili” Chiles was the first Athletic Director for both boys and girls in Illinois.

I could go on and on with all the things each woman has accomplished in her career, but I believe the path they took to finding success is the most compelling reading. I’ll be sharing some of their stories during the tour. These remarkable women were girls just like the ones who will be reading the book. I hope the girls will be inspired by the stories and empowered to work toward making their dreams come true.

I have included an excerpt from the first chapter about Pati Pierucci, horse trainer, teacher, and dressage competitor. This story had to be the first one for this first post for the book tour. It’s also a wink and a nod to the first novel I wrote in seventh grade about a horse. My grandmother took all those hand-written pages and typed them up for me. When I saw the manuscript in that form, I knew I wanted to be a writer.  Well, it’s taken a few years, but I’m living my dream now.

EXCERPT

“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams.

Live the life you have imagined.”

--Henry David Thoreau

CHAPTER 1

PATI PIERUCCI

HORSE TRAINER AND COMPETITIVE RIDER

Photo Courtesy of Judy Woodruff

True Love

For Pati Pierucci, it’s all about the horses.  She says, “They make me smile inside and out.  I love spending time alone with them.”

Pati loves the horses today just as deeply as she did at seven years old.  They are not just a job. They are her pets and friends.  They are her passion.

When the big pearl white stallion, Idilio, gently neighs when Pati walks by his stall, she drops everything to spend time with him.  Idilio is a powerful Pure Spanish Horse. In Spanish the breed is called Pure Raza Espanol or PRE. Pati and Idilio have introduced this breed successfully into competition in the United States.

Growing up on horse farms in Kentucky and New Jersey, Pati was around horses all the time.  At the age of fifteen Pati was caring for and feeding other people’s horses. Later, at Barclay Farms in New Jersey, Pati galloped their race horses every morning.  As head instructor, she gave riding lessons at the farm. Her interest in horses and farm operations led her to major in Equine Studies in Overall Farm Administration and Breeding at Harcum Junior College in New Jersey.  Pati successfully worked at farms in New Jersey and in Virginia.  

She became serious about “dressage” when she rode and trained her mother-in-law’s quarter horse, Sage’s Spy Song. Dressage is a French word that means training.  The rider guides the horse through a series of intricate moves by using the rider's hands, legs, and weight. The horse and rider seem to become one moving from one task to another flawlessly.  There is beauty and grace in the dressage movements performed by the horse and rider.  Many people compare the competition to watching figure skating, ballet, or gymnastics.  Teaching Sage the movements was a challenge because the horse had one leg shorter than the other!

 Pati learned the levels of movement in dressage from talented teachers. She practiced and worked hard to advance her skills for competitions.

She remembers her first performance at the Gran Prix level, one of the highest levels of competition.  She was excited and nervous about the first presentation with her horse.  They would be performing under the lights in front of a crowd of 17,000 people.  She wanted to be sure to warm up just enough so that Idilio would be ready, but not tired.  However, there was a delay.  She tried to stay calm. She didn’t want to get too anxious because her horse would pick up on her nervousness and make the stallion uneasy.  Finally after a twenty minute delay, the pair began the dance.  

Pati concentrated on the dressage movements allowing Idilio to perform flawlessly.  A few minutes into the presentation, she realized she was so nervous that she couldn’t swallow.  Saliva kept building up in her mouth, but she could not swallow!  Pati rode her horse through all of the paces, yet she could not swallow.  She began to think that at the end of the performance she would be drooling.    

After performing for six minutes, she heard the crowd start clapping. The performance was over. Finally she could swallow. Happily her nerves did not upset Idilio. He performed so well they made it to the next round.  She never forgot that bit of panic at her first Gran Prix event.  Now she experiences nerves before a routine, but she calls them good nerves because they keep her sharp and ready to perform.

Pati and her husband, Peter, work together in their own business, Pierucci Dressage, located on a farm in Virginia. Pati focuses on teaching lessons in dressage, coaching and training horses. She is enjoying enormous success showing for client horses as well as with students in dressage competition. She supervises a staff of highly qualified people who help care for the horses.

Pati’s occupation allows her to spend her days with her beloved horses and to have family with her even at work. She can be with their children, Phoebe, Hannah, and Ramey at the farm and include their four dogs and pet mouse, Georgina, in all the activities.  

The day begins early on the farm to turn the horses out of the barn and prepare stalls.  Pati spends the entire morning riding each horse for forty-five minutes teaching the horses the movements required to perform in a dressage competition.  

 As the horse masters each movement Pati teaches another maneuver which becomes more complex than the one before. The rider and horse spend years working together in order to place well in the competitions. Pati and Idilio performed at The Gran Prix and International Levels where only the top horses and riders appear. 

The afternoon on the farm is spent on grooming, treatments, and teaching until the horses are fed and tucked back into their stalls at 9:00 pm.  This routine is practiced six days a week by this dedicated horse woman and her staff.

Because Pati worked hard and took on increasing responsibilities for the horses, she is respected within the horse trainers and performance circles. She embraced her passion for the handsome animals and allowed it to take her to new heights in her business. The life long fascination with horses continues for Pati as she develops her business and looks forward to even more fun and enjoyment with the horses. 

HIGHLIGHTS OF HER CAREER

Attended Harcum Junior College, New Jersey, degree in Farm Administration and Breeding

Head instructor, Barclay Farms, New Jersey

Competed in Dressage Competition at Gran Prix Level for over fifteen years

Head trainer and instructor at Hampton Greens Farm, Michigan and Florida

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Young Rider Website http://www.youngrider.com/ 

The Foundation for the Pure Spanish Horse  http://www.prehorse.org/

A Website for Horse Lovers http://www.horsechannel.com/hihc_portal.aspx

BowtiePress.com for books on horses http://www.bowtiepress.com/bowtie/ 

Dressage terms and information  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dressage 

 Mary King- Imperial Cavalier – Dressage competition London 2012 Olympics http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0te-vc_O04k&feature=related

Pierucci Dressage http://www.pieruccidressage.com/

Girls and Their Horses: True Tales from American Girls (American Girl Library)

by Staff of Pleasant Company Publications

Dressage for the Young Rider by Pegotty Henriques

Young Rider Magazine

Horse Illustrated Magazine

More about Dressage

The three basic gaits are walk, trot, and canter.

Lateral means to move sideways.

Halfpass is a dressage movement that is a highly trained lateral (meaning going sideways) movement.

Tempi Changes is when the horse is cantering and changes his lead leg.

J Q Rose Bio:

After writing feature articles in magazines, newspapers, and online magazines for over fifteen years, J.Q. Rose entered the world of fiction writing with her first published novella, Sunshine Boulevard, released by Muse It Up Publishing in 2011. With Girls Succeed she returns to her first love, writing about real people.  Blogging, photography, Pegs and Jokers board games, and travel are the things that keep her out of trouble. Spending winters in Florida with her husband allows Janet the opportunity to enjoy the life of a snowbird. Summer finds her camping and hunting toads, frogs, and salamanders with her four grandsons and granddaughter.

Connect with J.Q. Rose online at

Girls Succeed blog http://girlssucceed.blogspot.com/

J.Q. Rose blog http://girlssucceed.blogspot.com/

Author website http://jqrose.webs.com/

BOOK LINKS: If you would like to download a sample which includes the Table of Contents listing all the careers in the book, please go to

Amazon Link  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009NY6ZAS

Smashwords Link http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/241825

Contest Information Janet will be drawing winners from visitors who leave comments during the tour. The prizes are a $10 Amazon gift certificate, a copy of the e-book in your choice of format, a “Succeed” beaded bracelet kit, and inspirational note pads. (See the Girls Succeed and J Q Rose blogs for photos). Winners announced on her blogs on Sunday, November 18 at 9 pm EST. Good luck!

Don't forget to leave a comment here so you will be in the contest. Then go over to the next blog to leave a comment there. The more comments you leave the better your chances for winning!! The next stop will be here:

November 7

Pat McDermott  http://pat-mcdermott.blogspot.com/

Ten Interview Questions for the Next Big Thing

This is a new kind of blog hop. It's a tag hop. I have to tag 5 authors who will post on October 24th. Then they tag 5 authors who will post a week later. So every Wednesday 5 authors will post the answers to ten questions. This tag hop is the idea of Marva Dasef, author of the following books:

 Here are my answers:

Ten Questions for the Next Big Thing:

What is the working title of 

your book?

Footsteps on the Sand

Where did the idea come from for the book?

I was doing NaNoWriMo and needed to write something. The idea came to me from visits to the seashore.

What genre does your book fall under?

YA Paranormal


Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

The boy would be played by a new young actor, because he is supposed to be 16. The grandfather, who is a ghost, would be played by George Clooney or Matthew McConoughy.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

A boy's family inherits a beach house in the Hamptons on Long Island and he learns how to surf from his grandfather's ghost while falling for a cute surfer girl.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

Hopefully, by the time it is finished my publisher will want it. 

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

It took me over two years to write this as a first draft.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

I'm not sure of which books to compare this to, since i just changed the story recently to paranormal.

Who or What inspired you to write this book?

When I started writing the character was a boy. I had wanted to write a male main character for a long time.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

There are a lot of scenes of surfing and there is a romance that is very sweet. If you want to feel the sand between your toes this will put you right on the beach. Also, if you enjoy reading ghost stories, this will be a little different. It is a coming of age story with a ghost. 

 I'm not sure which authors I will tag, but I will post them as soon as I can think of them. I wanted to get this post up on the date. 

Until the next time, my guest on Thursday, August 25th will be Amy McCorkle, author of Gladiator. She will be talking about her new book.

An Apology

This is for all of my followers. I noticed I lost some people and I'm sad, because I realize it is because I haven't posted since the middle of September. I'm not really sure why that is happened, except to say my real life became too hectic and suddenly a whole month had gone by and I haven't posted.

Also, my writing life has been very busy too. The manuscript I was editing came back to me from the author who had rewritten it. So now I am in the middle of editing this again. Plus, on September 27th I got the happy news that I was going to be doing a book signing at the Fairfield University Bookstore on December 8th. The other thing is I just finished doing a workshop in the FORUM of the Muse Online Writers Conference for four days. All of this plus my own crazy life caused me to ignore my blog.

These are not excuses, but I apologize for not posting and I hope you will all forgive me. However, I have found a place for free book promotion that you are going to love and I give it to you as a present. An author friend of mine who I trust gave me the link and though I was skeptical at first, I am very pleased to let you know about this. I went there and there is a fairly long process to list your book, but it is worth it. I am promoting it here, because it helps you to do that.

The website is called Ask David and here is the link: http://askdavid.com. When you get there you will see: Latest Reviews and Book Promotion (Add Your Book Here) Click on the words in the parentheses and you will see the whole thing explained. Hope to see you there!!

One other thing before I end this post. I'm not sure how many of you are familiar with what is happening to Minnie Mouse. A store here in Manhattan decided that Minnie Mouse needed to be taller and way thinner. So they are putting a new and improved Minnie Mouse into their Christmas windows. The store, Barney's, sees no problem with this. However, thank goodness there are people looking out for today's youth and they have a petition you can sign if you agree with me that this is ridiculous and dangerous for girls as a role model. This new Minnie Mouse will be 5'11 and wear a size 0. Since body image is part of my book I think it is my duty to let people know about this. I signed the petition and I hope you will too.

Until the next time. I will have Kate Lynd/ Amy McCorkle on this blog on October 25th.

Meet Carolyn Meyer, Guest Author

You can say this has been a very eclectic summer on this blog. We have had on everyone from children's authors, young adult and the occasional adult author. Today I am very pleased to introduce you to Carolyn Meyer, who stumbled on my blog and what a lucky day that was! Carolyn is one of the most prolific authors we have had on the blog. Carolyn has published over 50 books for children and young adults and many of them have been translated into other languages.

Here is a list of some of Carolyn's books:

THE WILD QUEEN: The Days and Nights of Mary, Queen of Scots 
Daughter of the Scottish king, Mary leaves her homeland as a child, is sent to marry the future king of France, where life does not go according to plan. She returns to Scotland as a young woman to rule--a wild queen in a wild country.

Where the Broken Heart Still Beats: The Story of Cynthia Ann Parker 
Texas in the 19th century: Comanche Indians kidnap a white child, age 9. Cynthia Ann grows up with them, learns their language and culture, marries, has three children, and then is "rescued" against her will by the Texas Rangers 25 years later.

White Lilacs 
Based on actual events in a small Texas town in the 1920s, the story of Rose Lee Jefferson is set in the African American community of Freedomtown.

Jubilee Journey 
The sequel to WHITE LILACS, the story of Rose Lee Jefferson, her descendants, and her African-American community, continues here.

Cleopatra Confesses 
It is the first century B.C. Cleopatra, the third of the pharaoh's six children, is the one that her father has chosen to be the next queen of Egypt. But when King Ptolemy is forced into exile, Cleopatra is left alone to fend for herself in a palace rife with intrigue and murder.

The Bad Queen: Rules and Instructions for Marie-Antoinette 
Now here was a girl with a terrible reputation. Everyone believes she once said, when told the French people were starving, "Then let them eat cake!" But she never said that. Here is the REAL story of the French queen, beginning with her childhood in Vienna and following her to Paris, her marriage to a man who preferred food to almost everything else, her love for....well, read it and see. And follow her all the way to her most unhappy end.

This is the latest in the YOUNG ROYALS series.

Loving Will Shakespeare 
Anne Hathaway is a feisty young woman who hates her life. So why wouldn't she fall for a charming fellow seven years younger?

Marie, Dancing 
One of three sisters who were dancers in the Paris Opera ballet in the 19th century, Marie became the model for artist Edgar Degas's famous and controversial sculpture, "Little Dancer, Age Fourteen"

The True Adventures of Charley Darwin 
Charley Darwin didn’t know what he wanted to be when he grew up. He hated sitting in a classroom -- and loved being outside collecting birds’ eggs, rocks, and insects. It seemed he might never make anything of himself, but at the age of 22, he set off on a trip around the world on HMS Beagle and changed scientific thought forever.

In Mozart's Shadow: His Sister's Story 
This is the story of Nannerl, "the other Mozart,"a passionate musician who never stopped dreaming. While her bratty brother tours the world and forges ahead into a celebrated musical career, Nannerl is left behind; her only comfort is her music. But is that enough?

Anastasia, Isabel, and Kristina: The Royal Diaries 
ANASTASIA: THE LAST GRAND DUCHESS
IISABEL: JEWEL OF CASTILLA

KRISTINA: THE GIRL KING OF SWEDEN

Three "diaries" of three exceptional young women

Here are five more books in the YOUNG ROYALS series...
click on the image to order

Patience, Princess Catherine

The story of Catherine of Aragon, who journeyed from Spain to England as the bride of Prince Arthur, only to be widowed soon after her wedding. After many difficult years, she became the wife of Arthur's brother, Henry VIII. But her troubles were far from over.

Duchessina: A Novel of Catherine de' Medici

The story of the Italian girl who survived an orphaned childhood shut up in a convent and became Queen of France.

Review: "With meticulous historical detail, sensitive characterizations, and Catherine's strong narration, Meyer's memorable story of a fascinating young woman who relies on her intelligence, rather than her beauty, will hit home witih many teens."

Mary, Bloody Mary

Mary Tudor, daughter of King Henry VIII of England, was a beautiful young princess accustomed to every luxury until her father divorced her mother to marry Anne Boleyn [see Doomed Queen Anne below] and banished Mary to a humiliating life.

Review: "Accurately captures the glitter and grandeur as well as the brutality of this fascinating period in history."

Check out this student-made trailer on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTiCNdmHGYU

Named one of the Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults by the ALA.
2002 Young Readers' Choice Award, Pacific Northwest Librarians Association

Doomed Queen Anne


This is the true story of the girl everyone loved to hate--the girl who won the heart of England's most powerful man, King Henry VIII, and risked everything to become queen.

Review: "Masterful characterizations and descriptions of England at the time."

Beware, Princess Elizabeth

Princess Elizabeth's father, King Henry VIII, is dead. Now at the mercy of those in power, Elizabeth is imprisoned by her own sister, Mary; betrayed by the man who has captured her heart; and forced to practice a religion that defies her deepest beliefs. But through it all, the fair-haired princess is determined to stay alive, and to do whatever is necessary to one day rule her beloved England.

R

Look for more books soon from Carolyn Meyer!!eview: "Gripping historical drama....an entertaining tale of intrigue, self-discovery, and royal wrangling....SABEL: JEWEL OF CASTILLA
KRISTINA: THE GIRL KING OF SWEDEN

Meet Carolyn Meyer!!!

Carolyn has decided to take over the blog so here she is talking about what it is like to re-issue a book which you have written over twenty years ago:

How hard could it be? 

A fellow YA writer suggested that I resurrect some of my backlist and publish them as e-books. Of the more than 50 books I’ve written for children and teens, the choice was easy: a series of novels about four high school kids who start a peer counseling hotline in the aftermath of a friend’s suicide. More than twenty years ago I’d gone through suicide-prevention hotline training and spent another six weeks volunteering. The first of the four-book Hotline series, Because of Lissa, was published in 1990; three more books followed at six-month intervals. 

My stepdaughter, Vered, who was thirteen at the time, is now a graphics designer and has her own publishing business with the skills and the software to design new covers and produce the novels as e-books. All I had to do was retype the books in manuscript form, updating the content as I went along. It should be a breeze, right?

Except that it’s a different world now. A whole generation has grown up since I wrote those books. Vered has gone from brat to businesswoman. No doubt many of the young adults who read the Hotline novels twenty-two years ago now have teenagers of their own. Probably the single biggest difference—in terms of the storyline—is the advent of the cellphone as the principal means of communication. Since most of the plot points involve phone calls made or not made, answered or missed, a number of scenes had to be rewritten. One of the main characters in the original series was Lan Nguyen, a refugee from Vietnam. In the revised version, Lan is American-born, and his story becomes his mother’s. 

Fortunately, not too many other details had to be updated—Jenny’s parents now drive a hybrid and platform shoes make a brief appearance, but since I’ve never tried to use slang in my dialogue, I don’t think I’ve committed any gross errors in speaking style.

Books do have a different look now, though—just compare the cover of the original paperback, Because of Lissa, circa 1990, with the new e-book cover, scheduled to debut this week on amazon.com.

Thank you so much, Carolyn, for letting us know about your writing process. Updating a book is difficult. I remember what happened when I went back to the manuscript of my second novel and realized so much needed to be changed. A lot has happened in technology even in five years. 

                                        This is the original book cover for Because of Lissa

                                             Here is the new cover for Because of Lissa

Usually, I have my Guest Authors give me a Bio, but for Carolyn Meyer, I think it is best to go to her website, where she does a really good job of filling in all the important facts about herself.

She is also on

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CarolynMeyerBooks
Twitter:  http://twitter.com/cmeyerbooks

Thank you for being my Guest Author, Carolyn, and I hope that you will return when your series is released.

I also want you to know that today I am also on Cher Green's blog with Voices of Fiction, which is an answer to a question authors were asked. If you want to know more about me check it out.

IT'S OKAY TO READ YA!!!

One more interesting fact I found by reading PW Daily. This article says that a study shows 55% of Young Adult books are bought by adults! So don't feel bad the next time you pick up a YA book and don't bring it home for your child. It's okay to read YA!!!

Until the next time, I will be doing my radio show the 4th Thursday of this month, but at the moment I don't know who the guest will be be. It's a surprise.:)

Also, another author friend of mine, Marian Lanouette, who is a MuseItUp author too, is giving a reading at The Mark Twain House in Hartford, CT. I am hoping to get up there to see her. Again, if you live anywhere near there you should definitely try to make it. The house is worth seeing too!!!

You never know what will happen when you go to a reading. If you are one of my Facebook friends, then you saw what happened when I went to Donna Marie Merritt's reading in Mystic, CT. If you didn't, then here is the photo of me reading my poetry at an improvised open mic appearance. Thank goodness for IPhones!!!