Engaging Young Readers One Book at a Time

Tag: Books by Rose (Page 2 of 2)

May Celebrations 2019

Things you’ll find in this months post:

*Honoring Mom for Mother’s Day

*Sneak Peek to a New Release this Fall/Winter and Update on MG Tale

*Interview Feature

*Happy 5 years “Books By Rose!”

*Celebration Homemade Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

*Fun and Easy Bookmark To Make

Honoring Mom for Mother’s Day

A salute to all the mother’s out there. Mother’s Day can mean a lot of different things to different people. On this day, you may celebrate with your own children, your mother, your mother-in-law, aunts, grandmothers, or the mother figures in your life.

Our sons make me feel forever grateful to be called their mom.

Field of Dreams in Dyersville Iowa

With my own mother, we honor her in many ways, remembering her in everything she was. It’s hard to believe if she were still living, she would turn 100 years old this year.

Margaret, Irene, and Mary

One way I keep her memory alive, I include her in some of my stories. For those that have followed along, you know the story about how she was a singer in her younger days. The ten years before becoming our mother, she was in a trio called, “Margret, Irene, and Mary.” Sound a tiny bit familiar? Yes, my triplet books and the “name of their titles” were fashioned as close to the name of her group as I could get. “Merrie” in the story is after our mom. Our niece also spells her name the same way, so I thought it was a perfect fit.

One of these days, I’d like to come up with a music theme for the triplets. Feel free to share any “magical” ideas you have. I would love to hear your thoughts.

Here’s some recent news about the triplets. I feel it’s safe to let you know I’m starting on the illustration of page 19 in my next book about them. I hope to release it in the late fall or early winter.

What’s Maggie giggling at?

Here’s a sneak peek of Maggie. If you have read this series, you will remember, she’s the happy go lucky one. She sure is giggling about something that’s going on here. I can’t wait to share this cute story with you. It’s filled with fun ideas for your readers to enjoy. Okay, I better move on, before I tell more. Keep watching!

Progress on MG tale with co-author Cat Michaels

Cat and I are working hard on our MG (Middle Grade) tale coming next year.

When researching on how to get our story started, we found making a visual map helped us put our story in action. Having an image to refer to where our characters lived, what their entertainment sites looked like, and an overall reference to the town where they reside, puts this all in perspective for us. Stay tune for more fun facts about our book.

Our visual map

Interview Feature

Lauri Fortino’s Frog On A (B)log

A few weeks ago, I had the wonderful opportunity to be interviewed by author and librarian, Lauri Fortino. I hope you will visit her page to meet new authors and learn of new children’s books she features on her “Frog On A (B)log” page. Click here to learn more on my thoughts when “Writing Children’s Books Young Readers Will Love.”

Happy 5 Years, “Books by Rose!”

Hard to believe it’s been 5 years for Books by Rose! What a learning curve this all has been and I’ve loved every minute of it. I’ve had to teach myself how to illustrate the images, which has been so much fun! Learning how to craft stories that readers will enjoy has been a huge task. The best part, is getting books in the hands of readers.

I could not have done this without all my fans, family, and friend’s support. Thank you all so much!
🌷❤️🌷❤️🌷 ❤️🌷❤️🌷❤️🌷

Click below to watch my celebration video.

 

Celebration Homemade Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Let’s celebrate by making this easy homemade ice cream. You want to know the best part? You don’t even have to have an ice cream maker, just a few ingredients and some patience for waiting.

I made this recently and it turned out soooo good and creamy. Have fun coming up with different flavors.

All you need is:

2 cups heavy whipping cream

Chilled, 1 (14 ounce) can of sweetened condensed milk,

Chilled, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon or more of Mint extract, or other flavors that you like. Taste as you mix.

Chilled, 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips or soft candies of your choice. You can add more, it’s up to you.

Directions and Tips:

Place two cups whipping cream in a metal bowl. Using a mixer, choose your “whip” setting and mix until it becomes the consistency of store bought whipped cream. (It takes awhile, but keep mixing. The first time I tried this recipe, I didn’t whip it enough and the ice cream came out too hard.)

Add chilled sweetened condensed milk and extracts. Mix to combine.

Place in the freezer for three hours.

After three hours, remove and give it a stir. Add your chilled candies. (Important note: Your candies should be chilled. Otherwise, they will melt in the ice cream, even at room temperature. Also, for safety reasons, stick to small, soft chewy candies. Hard, round candies can be a choking hazard.)

Add your ice cream to the container you want your ice cream stored in, with a air tight lid, and place back in the freezer for three more hours. Your ice cream takes a total of six hours or more to set.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Fun and Easy Bookmark To Make

Last, here is a fun, fast, easy step by step bookmark to make for yourself or give away for as a gift.

This triangle shape slides right onto the page you want to save.

I started with a 6 x 6 inch square, but you can experiment with different sizes.

How will you spend this month of May? Weddings? Graduations? We love to hear from you.

Here’s some more “May First Friday” posts from my author pals to follow:

Sandra Bennett – Where Do You Find Ideas For Stories?

Julie Gorges – 10 Super Foods for Baby Boomers

Rebecca Lyndsey – Great Sale!!

Auden Johnson – WHEN YOU’RE TOLD YOU CAN’T MAKE A LIVING AS AN AUTHOR?

Cat Michaels – 9 TIPS TO HELP YOU BUILD YOUR ONLINE COMMUNITY

James Milson – Happy Hummer Season! Welcoming, Helping, and Attracting Hummingbirds In Your Neighborhood


Thanks for stopping by!

Happy May and Happy Reading!

Rosie

April Showers Bring May Flowers…Please!

In this blog for April, a few things you will see:

April – Welcome April 2019!

Paperback books with authors Melinda Kinsman and Julie Gorges.

Ribs, cooked to perfection!

I love you to pieces. (A spring or Easter puzzle card craft.)

Lake Elsinore’s Poppy Paradise with author Julie Gorges

Welcome April 2019!

What a cold and icy winter we had in the Midwest this year. The schools were closed more days than I could count. Poor kids will have to go well into June if we have any more. Snow in April? It’s happened before.

My winter was spent going to the library to stock up on books, then to the store to stock up on food. Stuck home again, until the next decent day to get out to repeat all over again.

So, lots of reading happened this winter. If you are an author or thinking about writing in the future, I have to tell you about one of the best books I came across in the years I’ve been writing. This book has step by step how to get started from beginning to end.

It’s called, “Writing Children’s Books” by Anthony Fredericks.

Here is my 5 star review:

“Writing Children’s Books” by Anthony Fredericks is a must have for all authors writing fiction and non-fiction books. This is one of the best books I’ve seen on the market for how to get started from the beginning to end. Believe me, I think I’ve read them all. Be prepare to do some work as this book walks you through on coming up with ideas, how to put them in place, and detailed pages on how to submit your work to agents and publishers.
Each chapter is filled with easy to follow and practical advice on how to apply techniques.
(I picked up this book at our local library in the new release section.)
Thank you Mr. Fredericks for writing and sharing your wonderful book.

Paperback books

Here in the Midwest, spring can bring beautiful weather, but it also can bring big thunderstorms, and sometimes, tornadoes.

Our author friend, Melinda Kinsman wrote this adorable book, along with an important message to those little ones that fear the storms.

Melinda Kinsman

Here is my 5 star review for “Molly Mouse Moves House.”

“What an adorable story author and illustrator, Melinda Kinsman has made for young readers. The illustrations and rhyming text are engaging, bringing a sense of friendship and healing for those that have been through troubled times. Ms. Kinsman has also included further fun and learning on the back pages of this book.”

To find this book and more of Melinda Kinsman’s cute stories, click on the links below.

Ebook

UK Site

US English Print Edition

British English Print Edition

Ribs

With warmer weather, we always look forward to grilling out. As I was preparing this blog for you, it snowed, so we had to move to plan B.

In the oven these went. They were delicious.

Melt in your mouth ribs!
  • 4 lbs pork ribs, membrane removed (I used St. Louis Style Ribs)
  • 1/2 to 3/4 cup brown sugar (I used the full amount.)
  • 2 teaspoons of Liquid Smoke (Divided)
  • 1 heaping tablespoon of Paprika
  • 1 heaping tablespoon of Garlic Powder
  • 2 cups of your favorite barbecue sauce
  • Garlic Salt and Pepper
  • Directions:
  • Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil, shiny side out. Spray with cooking spray.
  • Peel off tough membrane that covers the bony side of the ribs. (Good luck. I always have a hard time with this.)
  • Lightly season the ribs on both sides with garlic salt and pepper. Rub a teaspoon of liquid smoke on one side, turn and rub the other teaspoon.
  • In a medium bowl, combine the light brown sugar, paprika and garlic powder. Apply the rub to both sides of the ribs.
  • Lay the ribs on the foil, bone side down. Add a large piece of foil to the top of the ribs, leaving a tented space for the ribs to steam. Crimp edges together.
  • Bake in the oven for 2-2 1/2 hours or until meat is starting to shrink away from the ends of the bone. (Mine were done at 2 1/2 hours.)
  • When done, remove from oven and brush on sauce.
  • Broil for 1 or 2 minutes until sauce is cooked on and bubbly

I love you to pieces Spring or Easter card craft

This is such a simple card to make. You could use any shape you want, but I chose an oval shape to represent an egg for Easter.

  1. If using markers, cut a heavy piece of card stock in the shape of an oval. A heart shape for a Valentine’s Day card? How cute would that be?
  2. Write your message on the back side.
  3. Cut in random pieces.
  4. Stick in an envelope with a note to surprise your friend or loved one.

I think the note I’ll write will be something like this:

“Oh no, it looks like my card broke in the delivery. I hope it won’t be too “puzzling” to mend it back together to receive this special message.”

Have fun using your imagination.

And last, but not least:

Lake Elsinore’s Poppy Paradise

One day as I was scrolling through Facebook, I saw our author friend, Julie Gorges’s post and it took my breath away. Look at what Julie was lucky to see in her home state, Southern California!

Julie had more to say about her awesome experience:

Julie – “They say it never rains in Southern California – but this year it did in a big way with record-setting rainfall. The result? A “super bloom” with an eye-popping explosion of flowers on hillsides and even in the normally arid desert. These photos were taken in Walker Canyon in Lake Elsinore where a poppy paradise drew massive crowds. Tourists from around the world could be seen on the trails enjoying the spectacular sight.”

Author Julie Gorge

I’m so glad Julie had this beautiful experience! She has worked so hard these past many years. Her new book about her mother and the trials they went through has touched the hearts of many around the world.

Here is my review on Amazon for “I’m Your Daughter, Julie: Caring for a Parent with Dementia”

5 Stars: An important book for those taking care of patients with Lewy Body Dementia.

“I’m Your Daughter, Julie: Caring for a Parent with Dementia,” written by author Julie Gorges is a gripping story on what it’s like to be the caretaker of her mother that suffered from Lewy Body Dementia.
I highly recommend this book for those that have someone in your life dealing with this terrible disease. You’ll benefit by learning more about this story and will know you are not alone.
Thank you author Julie Gorges for writing this to help guide others through your personal account of what it was like to go this with your mother. Thank you also for offering resources throughout this book to explain this disease further.

To follow more of Julie and her stories, here are her links:

Website

Amazon

Goodreads

I hope your April is off to a great start! What plans do you have this spring? Write in the comment section below, I’d love to hear from you.

Here are some more “First Friday” #Gr8Blogs for April. I will add more awesome authors and links to their pages as they are posted.

So far we have:

Sandra Bennett

Julie Gorges

Rebecca Lyndsey

James Milson

Carmela Dutra

Cat Michaels

Auden Johnson

Oh, and before I go, don’t forget, books are a fun addition to those Easter baskets and spring reading. Here is the link to my books on Amazon.

www.booksbyrose.com

As always,

Happy Reading!

Rosie

Writing Contest For Valentine’s Day

Just a few more days to enter your stories or poems for a chance to win a free paperback book from Books by Rose. Those outside of the USA will receive a $10.00 gift card from Amazon.

Friendly Reminders:

*I have your full permission to add your story or poem. In other words, if I don’t have your approval in writing, I will not be able to add to them to my blog.

Write me: booksbyrose4u@gmail.com

*Remember, this is your time to shine. I will not be able to edit your work. Have your polished story or poem ready for the whole world to see.

*Family friendly stories and poems only.

Read more for full details here.

Have fun and good luck,

Rosie

My Last Five Weeks Building A New Website

 Have you ever had to switch to a new software and build a new website?

There were lots of technical issues for this one. 

With this one being my third time changing,  I’ve learned a lot about how websites work. I’m still learning more every day.

The second time I had to rebuild, I painstakingly tried to replace all my posts from my first website. Talk about a lot of work.

When looking back, many of those posts were outdated so I’ve decided to start fresh and new.

First you’ll see the landing page, Welcome to Books by Rose.

Next is a Kidlit Blogs by Rosie page. This is where things might look a little different. I will have blogs for news and will also include interviews with authors, artists, and more. (Before I had a separate page for that.)

Last, I’ll still have my Shop Here page. I plan to add more in time.

Before I go any further, I’d like to thank James Milson – Writer for helping me figure out how WordPress works and talking me through the “Hemingway” theme.

If you haven’t met James by now, he too is a Missouri author and has a favorite book of mine out there called, “The Adventures of Little Red Bear: The First Holler.” Talk about a fun, family friendly book for a read-a-loud in the classrooms and at home.

Here is my five star review for James’s book: 

I’m excited to have my website back to bring you more fun posts that I hope you will enjoy.

Always feel free to contact me at booksbyrose4u@gmail.com or leave a comment. Scroll back to the top of this post and click on comment. 

Now, off to learn more about this website. 

As always, “Happy Reading!” 

Rosie

 

 

Newer posts »

© 2024 Books by Rose

Theme by Anders NorenUp ↑