Quote of the Moment:

Quote of the Moment: Who said this, and why? "I'm coming to realize EVERYONE can eat me."

Thursday, December 26, 2013

The Joys of Re-Reading


Watching the recent film “Saving Mr. Banks” brought back some vivid childhood memories for me (warning: this will give away how ancient I am!): the opening night of “Mary Poppins,” the ensuing months of fun listening to the soundtrack on record, the coloring books, on and on -- and of course the purchase of the first two books bound together in one hardback version, Mary Poppins and Mary Poppins Comes Back.
    This week I went searching for the volume and found it still sitting on one of my bookshelves, a bit musty, faded blue cover, pages stiff, lovely line illustrations and even two color plates. I wonder whether it has been hiding on the shelf all these years since I wasn’t even sure I still possessed it; perhaps it has been blending in with the books on either side, never quite in my field of vision as I perused the shelf, pretending to be some other book? I suspect some magic at work here since I would swear that I’ve not seen it for 30 years ... 
    I remember little about these two books -- the only ones of P.L. Travers’ series that I ever read -- except that the plots were somewhat different from the film (understandable now with any Disney movie), and that odd things happened to the characters. So I’ve decided to re-read these children’s classics and “reboot” my memories. This may be the start of a trend for me: re-reading and thereby re-remembering many of my childhood reads. Or perhaps not even remembering, but discovering anew the joys of the old plots and characters. I guess it is a perq of the aging process: (re)discovery of marvelous stories and characters like Mary Poppins.
    Hmmm, I think I’ll go peruse some more shelves and see what other old treasured books will suddenly present themselves to me for re-reading. I can think of few better holiday gifts.

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Book Giveaway!


Update!
Thanks much to all who entered the giveaway, and congrats to the winners; enjoy the read. Oh, and the remodel is done, so whew! and on to Fall tidying up in the garden. A very Happy Thanksgiving to all. :-)

What do you do when you’re in the middle of a house remodel and are being pulled in a million directions, none of them involving writing at all? Give away free copies of your latest book!

Go to LibraryThing.com’s “Early Reviewers” link at the very bottom of their home page, then choose the Member Giveaway tab and look for 20 free copies of Monsters in the Territory. You’ll have to join LibraryThing, but why wouldn’t you, anyway? You can join for free, it’s a great cataloging website, with early book reviewers, giveaways, easy ways to catalog your book collections, and some fantastic discussion groups. Librarians use this site, so you know it’s good.

You don’t need to have read the first book (The Animal Guild) in my series to dive into this one, but I hope you enjoy the new twists in the adventures of Corto and Renard. Winners of the Giveaway will receive a coupon to download the book free from Smashwords.com, and reviews at Smashwords and Amazon are always appreciated. 

More teaser information about the book for those who wish it: Granite Council has assigned the 233rd animal guild to the large, mostly unexplored territory of a former guild which, along with its mad badger general, has mysteriously vanished. As the senior command, Corto and Renard must find the missing guild, a task made more difficult because of their now-constant bickering; the friendship between the dog and fox ended a year earlier, and no one knows why. Maybe the help of a clumsy spaniel, an impudent kitten and an energetic vixen will mend their feud -- because if they don’t work together, the strange, monstrous creatures they discover in the territory will destroy them and everyone they love. Monsters in the Territory is the first of a trilogy of books within The Animal Guild Series, soon to be followed by the next two installments (so be warned: cliff-hanger ending alert!). By the end of the trilogy, the world of animal guilds will be changed forever. 

So remember: When things are so hectic that you can’t hear yourself think, do three things:

Be generous.
(Try to) write.
Keep reading.

 

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

The season of burnt orange

Hey all,

It's the season of burnt orange, my current favorite color! But that's not actually what I'm blogging about, sorry.

I've added some new book reviews to my Reviews page! Check them out, be intrigued, agree or disagree, read the books, write your own (books or reviews), and just keep reading while thinking about burnt-orange leaves, pumpkins, pumpkin spiders and other Halloween images.

All for now.

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Procrastination


Is it just me, or is anyone else having a hard time doing what they should be doing instead of sitting outside in the sunshine watching their succulents bloom? This heat wave that we on the North Coast have been enduring for several weeks is so unusual that it’s like we’ve entered a fantasy world where the sun shines all the time and fog is a meaningless word. It makes us marvel at our tomatoes -- actually maturing without blossom-end rot; it makes us wear sunscreen; it makes us close friends with our hoses and watering cans; it even makes us buy fans. Simply amazing.

But it is also another way to procrastinate so that very little writing or editing gets done for those of us who are supposed to be disciplined enough to write every day (well, every couple of days). Dazzling sunshine?  It ranks number 5 on my Reasons to Procrastinate List; I like it in small quantities, but the glare on my laptop screen gives me a headache. Do I want fog and drizzle again? I won’t when the weather finally reverts, but it will help us scribblers get more scribbling done.

Keep dozing in the sunshine -- I mean, writing!

Friday, August 16, 2013

Monsters are in the Territory



Hey all, 

Monsters in the Territory has been published, woo hoo! It is available on Amazon and Smashwords (which will distribute it soon to Apple, B&N, Sony, etc.)

AND during the next 48 hours, I will enter your name in a drawing for a free copy if you can do one thing: find Corto on the cover of Monsters in the Territory. For easier searching, you can enlarge the cover image either by clicking on the “Look Inside” feature on Amazon, or by clicking on the cover image on my Smashwords page. You’ll need to send me an email (jen.sowle@gmail.com) or send me a private message via Facebook describing where you found Corto. Of course, this presupposes that you know who Corto is...  (Hint: he is a dog) :-)

If the lucky winner has already purchased the book, we can discuss providing a Smashwords coupon or the Amazon “gifting” feature to someone else that you designate. Also remember that Monsters in the Territory is an ebook, no hard copies at this time. 

Ready, set, search! And thanks for reading. 

UPDATE: A winner has been chosen! Thanks to all who entered the drawing and found that little terrier skulking about and spying on ... [spoilers]

 


Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Keep Reading!

Hey all,

I've added some "pages" to my site (see the tabs at the top), one of which is some reviews I have written of other books. These reviews are not great literature, ;-) but they may point you to some books you've not heard of and may want to add to your reading lists.

Keep on reading!

Friday, August 9, 2013

A Whole Different Animal

This blog world is a whole different animal for me, but here we go: I'm getting ready to publish Monsters in the Territory, the second book in my Animal Guild Series! It has been a lot of work to final-edit, format, and work on a fantastic cover with a talented artist, but it will be uploaded soon on Amazon and Smashwords. Meanwhile, my first book, The Animal Guild, is available at both retailers and may have a new price soon that will please many people.

Here are the links (I hope, not being a techie sort):
On Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/The-Animal-Guild-ebook/dp/B0091JDDEG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1375988707&sr=8-1&keywords=the+animal+guild
On Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/241666


All for now, thanks for reading.