Category: Books by Rose (Page 4 of 4)

Give the Gift of Reading for Valentine’s Day 2020

February 7, 2020 / rosieadmin / 4 Comments

Valentine’s Day 2020 is coming! If you have young readers, here’s a list of my books for a special treat for Valentine’s Day. There are many to choose from for all ages.

Click on the titles to find out more. These title links will take you to Amazon. If you would like to purchase them at Barnes and Noble, or Rainy Day Books, they are available there, as well. If you live in the U.S.A and would like a signed copy, write me a note at: booksbyrose4u@gmail.com

Enjoy!

First up,

“Avi and Jackson Best Friends”

This is my first book, which is near and dear to my heart. It’s based on our sons growing up. They are best friends to this day.

Join Avi and Jackson to see all the fun things they like to do.
Can you find the special item that is their favorite thing to play with?

Available in paperback and kindle.

“Beasley’s Journey.”

If you haven’t met Beasley yet, you’re in for a real treat.

Everybody loves Beasley!

"Beasley's Journey." — “Beasley’s Journey”

Beasley goes on an unexpected journey. He meets many friends along the way. Will he make it to his destination? Come along to find out!! ( A portion of the profits sold goes to animals in need.)

This early reader is available in paperback and kindle.

“Beasley and Friends to the Rescue”

Readers will laugh as Lola Duck has big news she wants to share with Beasley. What will they find in Farmer Bill’s barn?

Beasley loves living in the country! He spends his days chasing butterflies, digging for treasures, and playing hide and seek with his bunny friend. Just as he settles in for his afternoon nap, his friend Lola Duck comes squawking from down the road. She says there’s a terrible racket going on over at Farmer Bill’s Barn. Beasley and Lola Duck gather their friends and off they go to solve the problem. What will Beasley, Lola Duck and their friends find when they get there? Come along and follow their adventurous day. This tale will leave readers with laughs, giggles, and will warm the hearts of young and old. (A portion of the profits book sold will go to animals in need.)

“A Search and Find of Every Kind with Jake and his dog named Cain”

Enjoy looking for over a hundred items in this search and find about Jake and his dog named Cain. Picture finds for those not yet reading, word finds for those that are. Continue the fun at home with extra search and find ideas that are included at the end of this book. (A portion of the profits sold will be donated to animals in need.)

This book is available in paperback and kindle.

“Sherman the Shopping Cart: A Search and Find”

Meet Sherman the Shopping Cart! Join him as he guides you on this journey of his life as a shopping cart. Have fun searching for over a hundred items. He has picture finds for non-readers and word finds for readers. Enjoy the fun activities in the back of this book. ( A portion of the profits book sold will go to children in need of art supplies.)

“What an absolutely delightful book. Loved the illustrations, the clever and imaginative idea of the life of a shopping cart, the humor, and all the learning activities that don’t feel like learning at all.” Author of “Just Call Me Goody-Two-Shoes” – Julie Gorges, Blogger, and Freelance Writer.

This book is available in paperback and kindle.

“Maggie, Millie and Merrie’s Magical Adventure”

These next three books you’ll see is a series about the triplets. They are for readers that are a little more advance but still enjoy pictures books. (Grades level 3rd-5th grade, depending on their reading level.) Available in paperback and kindle.

The triplets are more than excited to move in the very same home that their mother had grown up in, on Whimsical Avenue. Come along and join Maggie, Millie, and Merrie’s, Magical Adventure! Enjoy the fun art project included at the end of the book. (A portion of the profits sold will be donated to students in need of art supplies.)

“Maggie, Millie, and Merrie’s Magical Coins”

This is book two from “Maggie, Millie, and Merrie’s Magical Adventure.” The triplets enjoy a fun visit with Grandmother when she returns from Florida. As they are helping her go through the attic, they find a wooden box. Inside, there are three bright shiny coins. Grandmother tells them they are magical. What do the magical coins hold? Readers will enjoy many fun activities as this story unfolds. (A portion of the profits sold will go to children in need of art supplies.)

“Maggie, Millie, and Merrie’s Mystery Mail”

The triplets are back, and my, have they grown.The Midwest winter strikes them with a vengeance of snow. Stuck in the house with too many snow days, they turn grumpy with nothing to do. That is, until a mysterious package is delivered. Will the trio be pulled from their boredom as mail arrives each day? (A portion of the profits sold will be donated to students in need of art supplies.)

“A beautifully-illustrated snowy day tale, with added instructions for kids to make a craft and recipe from the story. Fun boredom-busting entertainment.” – Melinda Kinsman, Children’s Book Author and Illustrator

This new release is available in paperback and kindle.

“Moonshadow Mae”

Mae is a happy girl and loves many things.

One thing she adores the most is the moon.

She is in awe of the glowing shine and the shadows left behind.

Come along and enjoy this rhyming tale as Mae explores the wonders of the atmosphere above.

Enclosed are fun facts, a special craft, and a yummy recipe in the back of this book.

This book is available in hardcover and paperback.

That’s it for now. Look for more books to come.

Author Cat Michaels and I are working hard to finish up an exciting chapter book for Middle Grade readers. Keep watching!

Happy reading everyone and I’ll see you back at the end of the month. My GR8Blog friends and I have some fun posts to share with you.

I Like the Sound of 2020!

January 10, 2020 / rosieadmin / 8 Comments

"Happy New Years 2020 poster from Pixabay.

It’s hard to believe its 2020, right? I like the sound and looks of it.

I’ve seen fun posts already relating to the title of this year.

“Welcome to the Roaring 20’s.”

“I’ve Got 20/20 Vision for the New Year.”

We’ll just have to remember to write down 2020. That will be the tricky part for a while.

Now, for a short post on what changes I’d like to see for myself for the upcoming year.

Before I move forward…

I wanted to give a big shout out to those that purchased my children’s books for their young readers over the holidays. Please let me know your thoughts. If you could kindly leave a review on Amazon, it would be greatly appreciated.

"Thank You" poster from Pixabay. — Image Credit: Pixabay

What’s Really Important?

Well, my last day of the year in 2019, ended me in the hospital with a surprise surgery. I didn’t need my appendix anyway, right? I was back home on New Year’s Eve, but needless to say, it was an uneventful celebration. That’s okay, we never go out on that night and rarely make it to midnight, so no loss there.

"Important" poster from Pixabay. — Image Credit: Pixabay

My whole experience last week, put things in a different perspective and reminded me how much I’ve taken my days of “feeling well” for granted. We get busy, going through life, working at things that we think are just so important to get this done and that done. When I felt well enough to get back to my, somewhat normal routine, I found the things I was so fixated on before, didn’t bring me the same significance of importance. Have you ever had that feeling?

Family, friends, and doing the things you love and enjoy is really all that matters in the end. Sure, I work hard on my job every day, which I love! However, I will be looking at it in a whole new way, picking out what’s the most important thing to focus on and spend my time doing that. Again, that talk to self is, not everything has to be done in one day. More on that in a minute.

What’s to Come for 2020?

"What's Next" poster from Pixabay. — Image Credit: Pixabay

I’m not a fan of making resolutions, but a fan of thinking of things I would like to see happen more for myself and improving situations around me.

I do have a lot of things I’m looking forward to in 2020.

As I’ve said in many of my other posts, I’m Co-Writing a MG book with Cat Michaels. We are halfway there. Even though we still see lots of changes in the story from our first ideas, I feel like we are making it better than originally planned. Cat is awesome to work with and we are having a great time.

Also, as you know, I have a Picture Book that I would like to finish after our MG book. I’m looking at the end of 2020 for that to be done. This book is written so all I have to do is the fun part. Illustrating it. Again, I want to accomplish this with joy and not rush it. It’s a darling story.

Personal Projects

Since I’ve always loved crafts, I plan to emerge myself more in making crafty items, for personal use, and for family and friends. What better way for me to get away from the computer and take a break, right? I hope you will try this as well. It’s refreshing and clears your mind better more than anything I have found so far. Not a crafty person? How about photography? Pick up an music instrument and play a song? Plant a flower garden? Refinish a piece of furniture? There are unlimited ideas out there. Pinterest and YouTube are great places to start.

I believe, giving yourself permission to do something you enjoy makes your mind more clear and more focused.

Other Personal Project. Walking!

Walking on Treadmill poster from Pixabay. — Image Credit: Pixabay

My husband gets on me all the time because I’ve slowed down with my walking habits. Again, it’s that thing about sitting at the computer thinking I have to get everything done in one day. I’ve clearly realized, that breaking tasks up into different parts of the day will be much healthier for me. This is especially hard for me when I’m illustrating a book. I literally can sit here all day, enthralled in all the tiny details. I love it so much, I never want to stop.

So, I hope to get back to our treadmill, even if it’s for short breaks every day. I’d rather walk outside, but I will have to wait for warmer days to come for that.

Do you have any special visions or plans for this New Year?

Vision Poster from Pixabay — Image Credit: Pixabay

What goals do you have set for yourself? Write a note in the comment section, I’d love to hear from you.

Have a safe and happy 2020 with many blessings and good health.

Thanks for stopping by.

As always…Happy Reading!

Rosie

Click here to check out my Picture Books for your young readers. There’s a little something here for everyone. Enjoy!

I’m a proud member of GR8Blogs. Watch for posts on Facebook and Twitter this next week as I share what my author friends from this group have been up to. See you then…

My Ups and Downs and In-Betweens on the 2019 Writing Road

December 8, 2019 / rosieadmin / 6 Comments

If you are a writer, what big project have you been working in 2019? Have you faced any challenges? What obstacles have you had to jump? Has your writing road in 2019 been a smooth one?

I’ve had an exciting year and I can’t wait to tell you all about it.

This past year, I worked on writing and illustrating my latest book, “Maggie, Millie, and Merrie’s Mystery Mail.” It was a fun book to make and I hope readers are enjoying the art project in this story.

In October, I released my ninth book! I had a book launch in November, giving away lots of fun prizes.

“Maggie, Millie, and Merrie’s Mystery Mail”

If you are thinking of gifting this book, you can read the Kindle Version for the low price of $1.99. (Limited Time Only.)

***The art project will keep your reader busy for hours and hours on those snowy days, or anytime.***

Setting Up and Co-Writing with Cat Michaels – Writer

The first few months of this year were spent setting up and writing a story with Cat Michaels for a MG chapter book released next year.

Of course, we wanted to get right to the story, but, we had to decide on some business issues first. We plugged right in, getting started and paved the way to how this was going to work out.

Writing with a Co-Writer

Here are just a few things we had to consider. We had to decide on the technical issues. How were we going to write a book together living so far away from each other? What responsibilities did each one carry? How often would we touch base to discuss updates?

Technical Issues Credit: Pixabay — Technical Issues

(Cat and I will hopefully explain this better for you down the road. For now, here are a few critical things we had to discuss before starting.)

Objective
Target Audience
Desired Results
Roles (How to divide the work.)
Budget
Royalties (How will they be managed and split?)

And so much more.

Building Timelines and Character Boards

Timeline and Character Boads — Timeline and Character Boards

For the writing part, we built a timeline and character boards. These were not made all in one day. After our characters evolved over time and more ideas kept popping up, we changed things many times. It was interesting when a situation took a whole new route and one we weren’t expecting. Writing is funny that way.

Research

Many times in our story, we run across things that need to be researched. This takes time away from our writing, but it’s been worth its weight in gold.

Horses

There has been so much that we didn’t know about horses. Luckily, we have found some great people and resources on where to get our answers. Thanks to all that contributed to this. Cat even took this research to the next level on her travels.

Check out one of her trips here.

Food

Another research item you may all remember, was a dinner meal the characters eat in the story. Our story is set in the Midwest and this well-known food is popular in this area. It’s Country Fried Steak. Or, is it Chicken Fried Steak? Since Cat was not familiar with this food, we thought we’d run a survey to our followers. Country Fried Steak won! That post made us all hungry.

Psssst. There will be a recipe at the back of this book for you all to try out. Yum!

Life Happens

Cat and I both have many things we do in our personal lives. She went on a few trips. I had a few times where family situations came up and had to put writing on the back burner. Knowing these busy times were going to happen, I planned accordingly and wrote as much as I could. I was lucky for the most part. When I’d sit down to write a chapter or two, the ideas flowed like magic most days. A few times though, I’d find myself stuck and have to take a break.

***Taking breaks is highly recommended, by the way.***

Now to the Story

The story we started is very different than the one we originally wrote.

Here’s the image that started it all back in a story prompt Cat posted on February 27, 2015. Wow, that was almost 5 years ago!

Cat's post from 2015 — Cat’s Post from 2015

Our older version did involve a horse, but the situation was much different. Also, a mysterious older lady befriended our main character. I won’t tell you too much, because someday, I think the story can actually work in another genre. After looking it over and discussing it, the topic in the main plot was not one a MG reader would enjoy or find interesting. That would not work, right? We have to entertain the reader.

We did keep the setting, the family, and the horse. That was about it.

A best friend was developed for our main character. (I happen to love this character and I can’t wait for you all to meet her.)

Another character we added, is a “mean girl.” It’s probably been the hardest part of the story for me to write.

How We Pulled this All Together

We decided, I would write the chapters and Cat would go in and do her magic. If you have not seen Cat’s work yet, you will see what I mean. She can take a boring ole’ sentence and make it fly off the page.

Cat has a wonderful critique group in her hometown to look it over and add their awesome advice. So far, this system has worked well for us. (Thank you N.C. Critique Group!)

My Dream for December and the New Year

Finishing our story and getting it out into the world to all of you! We still have a long way to go, but I feel we are on track to where we want to be.

I’m also going to work on gathering image ideas for a new Picture Book for Early Readers. That will hopefully come out late next year.

Share your Dreams for December and this Next Year?

Are you a writer in the middle of a story that you can’t wait to finish?

What big projects are you excited about?

Please share in the comment section. Oh, and before you go, find more smiles and inspirational recollections at these #Gr8blogs below.

Happy Reading!

Rosie

Cat Michaels
My Ups, Downs and In Betweens on the 2019 Writing Road

Rebecca Lyndsey

Holiday Traditions that Ring in the Season

Julie Gorges

Baby Boomer Writer’s Ups, Downs & In-Betweens in 2019

James Milson

Christmas Peanuts & Linus’s Inspirational Message For Us All

Julie Schooler

3 Writing Wins and Lessons in 2019

Sandra Bennett

December Dreaming – 5 Ways Looking Back Can Help You Look Forward

Who Inspired the Title, “Maggie, Millie, and Merrie” Series?

December 2, 2019 / rosieadmin / 4 Comments

As most of you’ve seen, I’ve had the first two books to my, “Maggie, Millie, and Merrie” series, FREE for the past few days. Just one more day to snag a *FREE* copy of Book 1 and 2.

Here’s a little background about how these books came about.

Singers from the 1930's — “Margaret, Irene, and Mary”

These lovely ladies are, Margaret, Irene, and Mary. They were singers in the Kansas City, MO area in the 1930’s. They sang on stage at the Brush Creek Follies, and even had a chance to sing with Roy Rogers.

Why is this so special to me? The lady you see at the end is our mother. Her name is Mary. When I thought of names for the triplets, I thought of our mother’s singing group.

Margaret was changed to Maggie. Irene was changed to Millie. We have a niece named after our mom, her name is Merrie. I thought how special it would be to use her name.

The triplets were also inspired from our sister, Robin and a childhood friend, Cindy. My, did we have fun growing up! We did many things together as you see in the books. I’m forever thankful I’ve had them both in my life to grow and learn from over the years.

When we were young, we used our imaginations everyday, creating fun things to make and do. That is also why you see so many fun projects in all the books.

Maggie, Millie, and Merrie Series Book 1 and 2 — Book 1 and 2
“Maggie, Millie, and Merrie’s” Series

If you want to read more about them and the adventures they go on, click on the titles. ***FREE** today, December 02, 2019, until midnight.

“Maggie, Millie, and Merrie’s Magical Adventure”

“Maggie, Millie and Merrie’s Magical Coins”

My New Book

This Kindle Version is $1.99 For A Limited Time Only

“Maggie, Millie, and Merrie’s Mystery Mail”

Enjoy and Happy Reading!

Rosie

PS. Don’t forget to subscribe to my page for more updates. We’d love to have you along on our fun journey.

Free Books from Books by Rose

November 29, 2019 / rosieadmin / 2 Comments

Happy day after Thanksgiving! I hope you all enjoyed your holiday.

I know many are out shopping today, as it’s the biggest day of the year to get great deals. Some are staying home and shopping online.

As most of you know, I just released my new book, “Maggie, Millie, and Merrie’s Mystery Mail.” My book launch was a great success and the items have been shipped off to the winners. Thank you all for showing up and supporting my new story.

The reviews for this book are building everyday. Here are a few of them for now…

Snow Day Fun

Snow days can be so much fun! Especially when a mysterious package is delivered. Join Maggie, Millie and Merrie on their snow day, which turns into days and boredom kicks in. That is until a mysterious package arrives that has special instructions for each girl. Boredom is no longer an issue.
Beautifully written and illustrated. Great addition to this wonderful series.
Also includes instructions for your own craft and recipes from the story.

Who Doesn’t Love Snow Days, Mystery Surprise Packages, and Fun Project

Rosie Russell captures the excitement of snow days and receiving surprise packages in this delightful children’s story. She adds a bit of whimsy and mystery along with a fun craft project perfect for snowy – or rainy – days. Children will learn all about creating “widget boxes” which can be turned into a school project, a card for a loved one, or even a dollhouse. As someone who spent hours making miniature houses and cardboard furniture out of shoe boxes, I loved this idea. And if all that creating makes kids hungry, Russell even adds a yummy recipe. Beautifully illustrated, this third installment of a series revolving around triplets Maggie, Millie and Merrie is sure to please.

Interview with Cat Michaels – Writer

In a recent interview with, Cat Michaels – Writer, she asked this question about my new story.

Cat: Can children read your book as a standalone, or do they need to read the other two books in this series first?
Rosie: This book can be read as a standalone. I made sure to include instructions and ideas from the other two stories. I think readers will enjoy it even more once they read the first two books.

So, those first two books in my Maggie, Millie, and Merrie Series?

**They are FREE today!**

Not only today, this promotion will run until, Monday at midnight.

Click on these titles to receive your free Kindle Editions:

“Maggie, Millie, and Merrie’s Magical Adventure”

“Maggie, Millie, and Merrie’s Magical Coins”

Once you’ve read them, please leave a review and let me know what you think. I hope you enjoy the fun adventures the triplets go on.

If you would like to give the gift of reading to your young readers this holiday season, here’s the link to my Amazon Author page.

For non-readers, check out my “Search and Finds.” They include hundreds of word finds and picture finds.

For new updates to come, subscribe to my page. Just fill out the links at the top right or bottom of this page.

Happy Reading!

Rosie

Celebrating “Wintertime Bliss” at Books by Rose with Blog Hop Author Friends

November 1, 2019 / rosieadmin / 7 Comments

Enjoy my blog and my #GR8BlogHop author friends posts, as we celebrate how we find our “Wintertime Bliss.”

Each of us will give you our take on what “Wintertime Bliss” brings to each of us. I hope you will click on their links at the bottom of this page to join in. Don’t forget to share with us what wintertime means to you and yours.

Book Launch!

First up in November, is my book launch for Maggie, Millie, and Merrie’s Mystery Mail.” I hope you will stop by on my “Books by Rose” Facebook page on November 07, 2019 at 9 am CST.

Thanksgiving

Next up, is Thanksgiving!

I wish everyone the best from A-Z for a wonderful November and Thanksgiving Day.

If you live outside of North America, you may celebrate a different holiday. Write us a note and tell us all about it.

Now on to the Rest of My Wintertime Bliss

December!

We celebrate Christmas at our home. We have so much fun exchanging gifts and eating a traditional Christmas Eve dinner each year. Our special meal is called, “Velveeta Chicken.” I usually make it along with a Sweet Potato Casserole, our favorite veggies, and rolls. Morning is spent opening presents and visiting with family and friends late into the evening.

Share with us on how you celebrate this holiday or your special holiday.

New Years!

It’s been pretty quiet around our house these past years on New Years Eve. When our sons were home, we’d eat snacks, watch the ball drop on T.V. and play board games.

How do you celebrate the upcoming New Year at your house?

Winter Reading

I plan to make sure I have a stack of books on hold from our library for those snowy days. There’s nothing better than relaxing and reading. It’s fun to get a mixture of fiction and non-fiction books. I usually have many going on at the same time. It depends on my mood that day.

Are you a “one book at a time reader” or do you read like I do? Oh, and if you have any great books to suggest, please leave the titles in the comments below.

Winter Shows

Outside of all the holiday movies to get through, my husband and I have been binge watching a bunch of shows. We are currently watching “Heartland.” Have you seen it? It’s a show based out of Canada and it’s really good. I’m learning lots of facts about horses which leads me to my next subject…Winter Writing

Winter Writing

Now that my Picture Book, “Maggie, Millie, and Merrie’s Mystery Mail” is finished and out into the world, I’m giving my full attention to the MG story I’m co-writing with Cat Michaels Writer.

We are having so much fun with this book. Here’s a snippet of our story to come.

Our protagonist, Olivia, and her friend, Isabella,
introduce new girl Candace to Olivia’s horse, Lucky.

“There now, boy,” Olivia crooned, moving to Lucky and stroking him gently alongside his neck.  “Candace is just trying to be friendly.”

“Your horse doesn’t like me,” Candace blurted. “He’s mean.”

“He’s just not used to you.  It’ll take time for him to know you, that’s all,” Olivia said.

“Yeah, right.”

“Try a friendly horse handshake like this, Candace.” Olivia suggested. She stuck out her hand with fingers held down and slightly bent.  “Hold your hand like this near Lucky’s nose. That way, he can smell your hand and get to know you.”

Unconvinced, Candace kept her distance, hands clasped securely behind her back.

“I was explaining the best way to pet a horse,” Isabella said, “but before I could finish, Candace reached over and petted Lucky in that small blind spot in front of his face. It startled him, so he bucked sideways.”
Check out Cat’s photos here, as she visited a farm for our research. Sounds exciting, huh? Keep watching!

Anticipating

I’m looking forward to what 2020 brings. I will start another Picture book later next year. It has been written for some time now but has been put on the back burner to work on my past projects. I’m excited to get started with it. This story will melt your heart. It’s already melting mine.

Illustrating

Not only will I have the cover to finish for the book I’m writing with Cat Michaels, I’m excited to use some new techniques I found for my new Picture Book. I draw with a Wacom Drawing Pad to create digital art. What do you use?

If any of you want to begin illustrating or want to create art, please visit YouTube. It’s amazing the free lessons you’ll find. Don’t forget to follow your favorite artists. They will welcome you and love to have you on board to follow them in their journey.

What’s your Wintertime Bliss?

Please leave us a note in the comment section below. Don’t forget to subscribe to my page at the top right corner or the bottom of this page for more updates on what’s to come.

Click on the links below for more Winter Time Bliss.

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Winter!

And, always, Happy Reading!

Rosie

Author and Illustrator Carmela Dutra – Click on Part 1 and Part 2.

Part 1 .

Part 2

Author Sandra Bennett

October 2019 Brings New Title Reveal at Books by Rose

October 4, 2019 / rosieadmin / 6 Comments

Welcome October 2019!

The weather is cool, crisp, and beautiful. Our fall days in the Midwest can run a gamut of temperatures. Our autumn days are mostly filled with warm and sunny days, along with cool evenings.

My Favorite Reason for October!

October will forever remind me of one of the most important things in my life, my husband. We started dating in October 1972 and married 6 years later to the day. The joy he has brought me with our two sons cannot be put into words. It’s been an amazing ride and I’m looking forward to more to come.

My New Book Cover Reveal and Title

Remember last month, I said I’d reveal more about my new book coming in November? If you watched my video on October 1st, then you already saw a sneak peek of it’s announcement.

“Maggie, Millie, and Merrie’s Mystery Mail”

What’s This Book About?

The triplets are back, and my, have they grown.

The Midwest winter strikes them with a vengeance of snow. Stuck in the house with too many snow days, they turn grumpy with nothing to do. That is, until a mysterious package is delivered.

Will the trio be pulled from their boredom as mail arrives each day?

Thanks for all my Beta Readers for looking it over with your wonderful insights.

This new book can be read as a standalone, although, I think readers will it enjoy it more if they have read the first two books. It’s not require. I made sure to include some back story for those that have not.

If you have not read their first two books, you can check them out here.

Maggie, Millie, and Merrie’s Magical Adventure

Maggie, Millie, and Merrie’s Magical Coins

What’s Coming in November?

My book launch! You won’t want to miss this one. We will have a day of fun with my online “Mystery Fun Game.”

Clean out your computer or laptop cookies so you can search the internet for answers to my nine questions throughout the day.

There will be nine prizes to win! (Are you noticing that pattern with the number nine?) The answer to that will be revealed at my book launch on Thursday, November 07, 2019. My launch will be at Books by Rose on Facebook at 9 am and will run until 6 pm. (CST.) Come join the fun.

Before I Go…

I’d like to thank Readers’ Favorite for this lovely review and seal for, “Moonshadow Mae.” We are over the moon happy with these kind words from Emily-Jane Hills Orford.

Click here to read more. ► Readers’ Favorite

Readers' Favorite Review and Seal — Readers’ Favorite Review

What are your plans for October? Do you have any fun events planned for this month? How about a new project in the works? Leave a comment in the section below. We’d love to hear from you!

As always,

Happy Reading!

Rosie

September Word Game, Coming News, and Fall Recipe

September 6, 2019 / rosieadmin / 12 Comments

September 2019 First Friday

Join me on this first Friday of September. Come sit and let’s visit.

Bench at a park in the fall — Welcome!
(Image: Pixabay)

These months are flying by faster and faster.

School has begun, for most. Wishing you all a wonderful and successful school year.

September Fun

When my sister and I were growing up, we loved playing word games. One of them, we called, “How Many Words Can You Find?” After putting on a timer for 5 minutes, we’d start and write as many as we could. We’d tally up our words and the one that came up with the most, won the game. It was fun to find long words to use. The longer the better.

If you play this game, adjust your time, according to ages.

What words can you find in “September?”

Here are a few I found.

pet

best

Let’s play this game together. Write a few words you see in the comment section below.

Exciting News

Remember last month, I wrote about my third “Maggie, Millie, and Merrie” story coming soon? If you missed it, you can read more here.

It’s finished!

It’s currently going through my Beta Readers. For those that may not know, Beta Readers are those that have agreed to read this story to help mark errors and suggest improvements. I call these wonderful people, my Street Team. Their advise and time is valuable and appreciated.

So, don’t forget to come back the first part of October to see the…

Cover reveal of new release coming in October — Cover Reveal
(Image: Pixabay)

When Will This Book Be Released?

I’m looking at the first part of November. Keep watching for my Book Launch with lots of prizes.

Don’t forget, to subscribe to my blog at the top right or at the bottom of this page for further updates.

Want to catch up on the triplets first two books? They are available in Kindle and paperback here.

In other news…

If you follow me on Facebook, at Books by Rose, then you saw this poster I made of a book I’m co-writing with Cat Michaels – Writer.

We asked our viewers if they were working on a WIP, and to share five words about their upcoming story. We had a great response and we are looking forward to all the wonderful books coming the rest of this year and in 2020.

Here’s five words on what Cat and I are writing about. It’s a MG tale and it’s coming together nicely. We are looking to release it in 2020.

Many people ask us how we write a book together when we live 725 miles away from each other?

We do this by working in Google Docs, emails, and many conference calls. I like to call them my “Chat with Cat” calls. Sometimes, our calls can go from one hour to close to three. We are getting better about keeping these calls shorter by organizing what we will discuss ahead of time. When this is all said and done, we may even write a piece on this for those out there working with a co-writer.

Do you have a WIP (Work in process) coming this year or 2020? Please let us know all about it or leave five words in the comment section below.

Before I leave, I want to share this recipe that I’ve had tucked away in my recipe box for years. I made this many times over the summer months. It was a big hit. With the fall months ahead, this dessert would be great for entertaining or after dinner dessert.

Apple Crisp Dessert

You can use any canned or fresh pie ingredients.

1 can of any pie filling

¾ cup instant Oatmeal

¾ cup flour

¾ cup brown sugar

¼ teaspoon soda

¼ teaspoon baking powder

½ cup of melted butter (1 stick)

Mix all of the ingredients above, except the pie filling, until crumbly.

Put half of the mixture in a greased 8 x 8 inch pan. You can use a regular size pie pan, as well.

Add your pie filling.

Sprinkle the other half of the mixture over the top.

Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 – 30 minutes, until golden brown.

Don’t forget to try different pie fillings, like cherry, blueberry, or strawberry. It’s great hot or cold. Some like it plain, and some like it with and dollop of whip cream or ice cream.

What are you looking forward to in September?

Please write us a note and tell us about your plans.

Don’t forget to play the “September” word game and leave a word in the comment section below.

I wish you all a fantastic September.

Happy Reading!

Rosie

Find out what my GR8Blog author friends have in store for this First Friday.

More GR8Blogs posts coming soon!

Book Lovers’ Day

August 4, 2019 / rosieadmin / 16 Comments

Book with rose and heart shaped pages. — Image: Pixabay

In honor of Book Lovers’ Day on August 09, 2019, my writerly pals and I are sharing all the ways we adore reading with the #BookLuvHop

We all chose different ways to celebrate this day. Don’t forget to visit the awesome bloggers listed at the end of this post. I hope you’ll find find more ways to share your bookish passions.

Book Art

For this day, I’m choosing Book Art. Being a lover of reading and art, why not combine the two?

Looking online for sources of book art, I came across many ideas. Painted book pages. Decoupage book pages. As an result, deciding which one to pick, was hard.

blue bird painted on a book page — Image: Pixabay

After taking a break from the thought, I found one right under my nose. It’s an art activity that was created by me in my first Maggie, Millie, and Merrie series.

These books have been close to my heart lately. See more below.

If you have read “Maggie, Millie, and Merrie’s Magical Adventure,” you know what the special art activity is in this book. Widget Boxes! I’ve read this story and shared this activity in classrooms many times and children loved making them. Adults have told me it’s one of their favorite projects to make, too.

Now For The Fun Part

Here’s some boxes I made from the pages of their book. The triplets story comes with instructions in the back of the book. You can make boxes with or without lids. If you make ones without lids, add a pipe cleaner or a stiff ribbon for handles. What a perfect gift to leave a little surprise for someone. They make great table decorations, too.

As in the story, the funny little gnome explains, “you can make them as small as a coin or big enough to sit in them.”

Widget boxes from "Maggie, Millie, and Merrie's Magical Adventure." — Widget Boxes

Would I recommend for readers to use any old book they see? No, we better not do that. I made these from books that were proofs. Proofs are books authors order to see their work in print. It’s a must, by the way, if you are starting out as an author. There’s something about seeing the words on actual pages. It’s a great way to catch errors or if you want to make changes. Authors revise their books many times. Proofs cannot be sold and throwing them away is hard to do.

Other Books

If you see any books out there that are ARC (Advance Reader Copies) or proofs, try and think of a way to recycle them. Sometimes, books have been damaged and are no longer readable. These would be perfect to use. See what fun “Book Art” you can find on Youtube, Pinterest, and the Web. You will be glad you did and our Mother Earth will thank you, too.

FYI

You can use any kind of paper, cardboard, or card stock. I’ve even used cereal boxes. Practice making them first with thinner paper. It’s much easier.

What to put in your boxes? Treats and other small items is an idea. Make them larger for all sorts of gifts and treasures.

Why Has Maggie, Millie, Merrie’s Books Been on My Heart Lately?

I’ve been working hard to release their third book in late fall. I’ll hold off telling you the title for now.

I can tell you this much.

The triplets have grown up a bit.

Something magical happens to them.

Readers will be introduced to a new fun art activity. A yummy recipe will be included, too.

If you would like to get caught up on their past two books, and want to learn how to make Widget Boxes, check out their first book, here.

Available in paperback and kindle.

"Maggie, Millie, and Merrie's Magical Adventure" book. — “Maggie, Millie, and Merrie’s Magical Adventure”

Amazon Barnes and Noble Rainy Day Books

Book 2, “Maggie, Millie, and Merrie’s Magical Coins.

This book includes another exciting magical story with activities that will keep readers busy for hours.

"Maggie, Millie, and Merrie's Magical Coins" book. — “Maggie, Millie, and Merrie’s Magical Coins”

Amazon Barnes and Noble Rainy Day Books

*If you are already a subscriber to Books by Rose, write me a note to receive instructions on how to make, “Widget Boxes.”

*Subscribe to Books by Rose in the top right hand corner to receive free instructions. We are excited to have you on board for future updates, new books, with more fun activities.

An Extra Surprise

I received a nice surprise. My author friend, Rebecca Lyndsey, sent me her book art project.

Check out Author Rebecca Lyndsey’s wonderful Book Art project.

Author Rebecca Lyndsey's Book Art. — Author Rebecca Lyndsey’s Book Art

Rebecca said this wasn’t hard to make and it took her about 45 minutes. She found the template online. There are many out there. Youtube has a ton of different ones to make. She said it was easy, just a bit time consuming. The book she used here, took 40 pages and 80 folds.

Rebecca’s latest release is called, “Into the Ocean.” It’s full of facts, humor, and lots of fun. You can find more about Rebecca Lyndsey and her books ► here.

More Fun With Book Art with

“What’s In My Wonderland“

Georgia is a passionate writer, photographer and aspiring author, she writes for her blog whatsinmywonderland, which was created in Jan 2018. Her blog covers many topics ranging from her lifestyle, to her mental health journey as well as anything and everything book related. Georgia enjoys to be creative and aims to inspire others to chase their dreams. She also sells handmade vegan scented candles on her website.

Check out Georgia’s cute Book Art project.

► Hedgehog Book Art

You can find more about Georgia here:

Website Facebook Pinterest Twitter Instagram Youtube

How will you celebrate “Book Lovers’ Day?” We hope to hear from you in the comment section below. Don’t forget, if you blog, add your feedback and share your family-friendly blog link in our comment section, and we’ll spread blog love your way!

Thanks for visiting.

Tap on the names below for more ways to enjoy, “Book Lovers’ Day.”

As always,

Happy Reading!

Rosie

Cat Michaels – Book Lovers’ Day and Bibliophiles Everywhere with My R*A*P, Really Awful Poem, to Bookishness

Rebecca Lyndsey has a list of great books to share for Book Lovers’ Day.

James Milson – Happy Book Lovers’ Day – Why Lifetime Reading is Important

Sandra Bennett – 5 Reasons to Support Independent Bookstores

Auden Johnson – #BOOKLOVERS’ DAY HOP: BEST FANTASY BOOK TROPES (IN MY HUMBLE OPINION)

Before I move forward…

What’s Really Important?

What’s to Come for 2020?

Personal Projects

Other Personal Project. Walking!

Do you have any special visions or plans for this New Year?

Setting Up and Co-Writing with Cat Michaels – Writer

Writing with a Co-Writer

Building Timelines and Character Boards

Research

Horses

Food

Life Happens

Now to the Story

How We Pulled this All Together

My Dream for December and the New Year

Share your Dreams for December and this Next Year?

My New Book

** This Kindle Version is $1.99 For A Limited Time Only**

Interview with Cat Michaels – Writer

They are *FREE* today!

Book Launch!

Thanksgiving

Now on to the Rest of My Wintertime Bliss

New Years!

Winter Reading

Winter Shows

Winter Writing

Anticipating

Illustrating

What’s your Wintertime Bliss?

Welcome October 2019!

My Favorite Reason for October!

My New Book Cover Reveal and Title

“Maggie, Millie, and Merrie’s Mystery Mail”

What’s This Book About?

What’s Coming in November?

Before I Go…

September 2019 First Friday

September Fun

Exciting News

When Will This Book Be Released?

In other news…

Apple Crisp Dessert

What are you looking forward to in September?

Book Art

Now For The Fun Part

Other Books

FYI

Why Has Maggie, Millie, Merrie’s Books Been on My Heart Lately?

An Extra Surprise

More Fun With Book Art with

Books by Rose

This Kindle Version is $1.99 For A Limited Time Only

**They are FREE today!**