Friday Celebrations & Cradle Rock by Tara Tyler

Hello, all!! Happy December!

I took November off from blogging but now I'm ready to jump back in to the fray with the Celebrate the Small Things hop. Although instead of celebrating the week that was, I thought I'd celebrate the month that was and share my celebrations from November.

In addition to a great Thanksgiving, I had two fun book events in November that I'm still celebrating.

One, I got to hang out with Mr. Cutie-Patootie, Baby Moo himself, at Sunrise Sanctuary's Thanksgiving for the Turkeys. As you can see from the picture, it was COLD and windy as can be, but it was still tons of fun. Sunrise is always a great place to spend time, and since I also sold some copies of Baby Moo's Great Escape it was a great day all around.

Two, I participated in the regional SCBWI's Indy and Small Press Book Festival at Cover to Cover Bookstore in Columbus, Ohio. While he wasn't there in the flesh, Baby Moo was still one of the stars of the occasion. It was a thrill to see him hanging out in the window display!

So that's what I'm celebrating this week. How about you?


The Celebrate the Small Things hop is hosted by Lexa Cain and co-hosted by L.G Keltner at Writing Off the Edge and Tonja Drecker at Kidbits. Visit Lexa's blog here to find out how join in the hop yourself and to see the list of participants.




I'm also thrilled to be helping to spread the word about another great release from my friend Tara Tyler. Here is all the info on her latest, Cradle Rock!

WELCOME BACK TO THE FOREST!

Gabe the goblin just saved his town Broken Branch Falls from splitting apart. He also revealed that humans--horrible creatures of myth and legend--may actually be part of their history! But seriously? Nah!

Now Ona, Gabe’s girlfriend, is headed thousands of miles away to Camp Cradle Rock for Spring Break seeking evidence of humans. Gabe knows better than to tell a stubborn ogress she’s crazy, so he’s letting her go and spending the break at the beach like a normal teenage beast. And he’s determined to have a good time without her, whether he likes it or not.

But when Gabe hears Ona went missing, he and his friends set out for the wilds of the west to find her, no matter what dangerous creatures get in his way. Not even humans.

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Goodreads

Check out the Book Trailer!

(insert your comments here)

Here is the list of wonderful CRADLE ROCK RELEASE PARTY POST HOSTS:

	12/5	Patricia Lynne	Nerds Rule
	12/5	Heather R. Holden	Vampires
	12/7	Juneta Key	author spotlight interview
	12/9	Julie Flanders	Teenagers Now vs 80s
	12/9	Elizabeth Seckman	Beast-themed Recipe
	12/12	Lori L. MacLaughlin	Merfolk
	12/14	Sharon Bayliss	Ogres
	12/14	Tyrean Martinson	5 Reasons to use Chapter Titles
	12/16	Michael Di Gesu	Craziest Spring Break Trip
	12/17	Cathrina Constantine	Teen Dating
	12/19	Christine Rains	Hiking Faux Pas
	12/19	Alex J. Cavanaugh	Beast vs Monster - terminology
	12/21	Ann Noser	CR Quotes
	12/21	Heather M. Gardner	Discrimination - joking vs hurting
	1/4	Ken Rahmoeller	Dragons
	1/4	L. Diane Wolfe	Marketing Tips - Live & Online
	1/9	C Lee McKenzie	Grownup Stereotypes
	1/11	M. J. Fifield	Crazy Road Trip
	1/25	Crystal Collier	Poetry & Songs in Stories - Writerly Wed

Tara is also giving away signed copies of Broken Branch Falls and Cradle Rock, some Beast World swag, and a $20 GC!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Baby Moo Giveaway and Friday Celebrations

Hello and Happy Friday! I hope everyone has had a great week. 

Before I get to my Friday celebrations, I want to announce that I'm giving away three signed copies of Baby Moo's Great Escape on Goodreads, so if you're interested in getting a copy of the book visit here to enter to win. You can also enter through the widget on the side of the blog. 

And now to the Celebrate the Small Things hop! This fun hop is hosted by Lexa Cain and co-hosted by L.G Keltner at Writing Off the Edge and Tonja Drecker at Kidbits. Visit Lexa's blog here to find out how join in the hop yourself and to see the list of participants.

I'm celebrating that I was invited to take part in the Columbus VegFest tomorrow in Columbus, Ohio. The wonderful ladies at Sunrise Sanctuary asked if I would like to participate in their booth and sell/sign copies of Baby Moo's Great Escape. I think it will be a fun day and I hope to sell lots of books!

Source: photos-public-domain.com

I'm also celebrating that yesterday was the first day of autumn, my favorite time of the year! Unfortunately it's still ridiculously hot here and I'm grumpy as can be about that, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the cool air will arrive soon. I can't wait for sweater weather.

Happy weekend, all!

Baby Moo's Release Day and Celebrations!

Baby Moo and I are back together to share the news of our release day! Doesn't Moo look thrilled? ;)

He may be kind of blase about the whole thing, but I'm thrilled because Baby Moo's Great Escape is officially out in the world today. Yay!

Amazon  ~ Barnes & Noble

Goodreads

Blurb:  

Baby Moo has a dream. He wants to travel the world and sing on the stage of the Sydney Opera House! While he loves his home at Sunrise Sanctuary, it hasn’t been the same since a piglet named Nathan showed up and stole all the attention away from Moo. Jealous of the new baby, Moo decides now is the time to make his escape and pursue his dream.

But the world outside the sanctuary gates is not quite the fun and exciting place Moo imagined, and he quickly finds himself in big trouble. Moo's friends Missy the dog and Ruthie the cat rush to help him, and land in some trouble of their own.

Lost and frightened, Moo and his friends must rely on each other to find their way back home. Will they ever see Sunrise again? 

Fundraiser: 

I'll be donating $1 to Sunrise Sanctuary for every copy (print or ebook) of Baby Moo sold in September. If you're on Twitter and wouldn't mind sending out a tweet or two to raise awareness about the fundraiser I'd really appreciate it!

Baby Moo's Great Escape by @JulesFlanders is here! $1 will be donated to @sunrise_ohio for each copy sold in Sept.  http://tinyurl.com/gpuomwm

I'm celebrating a little early this week since it's Baby Moo's big day! The Celebrate hop is hosted by Lexa Cain and co-hosted by L.G Keltner at Writing Off the Edge and Tonja Drecker at Kidbits. Visit Lexa's blog here to find out how join in the hop yourself and to see the list of participants.

I hope everyone has lots to celebrate this week!

The Big Thing by Phyllis Korkki & Baby Moo's Great Escape!

Hello, all! I am excited to be a stop on the TLC Book Tour for The Big Thing by Phyllis Korkki today, and also thrilled to share the cover for my children's book Baby Moo's Great Escape. Isn't Moo a cutie?

The book will be released on September 8 by Native Ink Press. Huge thanks to everyone who said yes to my request to give the book a shout-out any time in September. I will have the info to you shortly!!

Now on to The Big Thing!

I had to laugh a little bit when I was first asked if I would like to read The Big Thing and be a host on Ms. Korkki's tour. I thought, how did she know I'm a "lazy, self-doubting procrastinator?" I felt like it was some kind of sign that the chance to read this book basically fell into my lap.

And maybe it was, because I have been a lazy, self-doubting procrastinator for much of this year and reading this book did inspire me to knock it off and get back to my own "Big Thing," my next book. So I'm very glad I learned of the book and got the opportunity to read it.

Ms. Korkki works for the New York Times and has had a long and successful career in journalism. Yet, she has always wanted to write a book. That goal was the "big thing" that inspired her to write this book, and the book itself is the completion of her goal.

Korkki has an engaging writing style and as I read along I felt almost as if we were becoming friends. I could relate to a great deal of what she discusses in the book, and particularly appreciated her candor regarding her struggles with depression and anxiety and the impact those struggles have had on both her life and her book.

We meet Korkki at the beginning of her decision to start her big thing, and the book takes us through her journey in many inspiring ways. She discusses her work to become healthier in both mind and body, and shares interviews and anecdotes from others who have forged their own paths toward doing their best creative work.

What inspired me the most was Korkki's realization that she needed to make her big thing part of the structure of her life, and simply start writing it instead of thinking about it. She relays how she often said "the hardest part is to start" out loud to herself before she started to work. I've been fussing over my writing for so long now that I was almost to the point of feeling like I was afraid to try it again, so this was a great reminder to me.

As was the simple truth that "creativity for creativity's sake feels wonderful." We all know that is true, yet that's something else I had forgotten.

I'm really glad I got to read The Big Thing and highly recommend it to anyone who may need a creative boost.

About The Big Thing

• Hardcover: 256 pages • Publisher: Harper (August 9, 2016) A New York Times business journalist explains why it’s important for people to pursue big creative projects, and identifies both the obstacles and the productive habits that emerge on the path to completion—including her own experience writing this book. Whether it’s the Great American Novel or a groundbreaking new app, many people want to create a Big Thing, but finding the motivation to get started, let alone complete the work, can be daunting. In The Big Thing, New York Times business writer and editor Phyllis Korkki combines real-life stories, science, and insights from her own experience to illuminate the factors that drive people to complete big creative projects—and the obstacles that threaten to derail success. In the course of creating her own Big Thing—this book—Korkki explores the individual and collaborative projects of others: from memoirs, art installations, and musical works to theater productions, small businesses, and charities. She identifies the main aspects of a Big Thing, including meaningful goals, focus and effort, the difficulties posed by the demands of everyday life, and the high risk of failure and disappointment. Korkki also breaks down components of the creative process and the characteristics that define it, and offers her thoughts on avoiding procrastination, staying motivated, scheduling a routine, and overcoming self-doubt and the restrictions of a day job. Filled with inspiring stories, practical advice, and a refreshing dose of honesty, The Big Thing doesn’t minimize the negative side of such pursuits—including the fact that big projects are hard to complete and raise difficult questions about one’s self-worth. Inspiring, wise, humorous, and good-natured, The Big Thing is a meditation on the importance of self-expression and purpose

 

Purchase Links

HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

About Phyllis Korkki

Phyllis Korkki is an assignment editor and reporter for the New York Times Sunday Business section. Follow Phyllis on Twitter.

Animal Stories & Friday Celebrations

Photo courtesy of Sunrise Sanctuary

I've been absent from the blogosphere lately because I honestly couldn't think of anything to blog about. I couldn't even think of any celebrations to post for the Celebrate the Small Things hop. I think part of my problem was that the honeymoon period between my WIP and me ended and I've been too busy having temper tantrums to blog.

But now I'd like to jump back in and I thought I could start featuring stories from the various animal sanctuaries I've become acquainted with since I started writing about animals back in 2010. While I love learning about and supporting cat and dog rescues, it's been interesting and fun to learn about sanctuaries for animals I wouldn't normally think about in this context, such as farm animals and wildlife.

So I want to begin with the newest resident at one of my favorite places, Sunrise Sanctuary in Marysville, Ohio. I have written about Sunrise before as it was the inspiration for and stars in my forthcoming children's book Baby Moo's Great Escape.

Curley the goat, shown above with her kitty friend Toby, came to Sunrise a few weeks ago from my hometown. Sadly, Curley's time here in Cincinnati came to a horrifying end.

Curley and five other goats were employed by Spring Grove cemetery to eat the weeds and provide natural landscaping services. The goats were kept in a secure pen when the cemetery was closed. Back in March, someone got into the cemetery and placed a dog in the goats' pen. This person/monster apparently directed the dog to attack and maul the goats for more than an hour.

Two of the goats died from their injuries. Curley was not expected to live, but she managed to make an extraordinary recovery. Now she has a happy ending at Sunrise Sanctuary, where she is getting stronger every day and is surrounded by friendship, care, and love. You deserve it, Curley!

Photo courtesy of Sunrise Sanctuary

I am going to visit Sunrise in July and can't wait to meet this little sweetie. Sunrise always brings a smile to my face because it is a place filled with so much kindness. We need all the kindness we can get in this world.

Source

Of course, since it's Friday it's time to Celebrate the Small Things and I'm happy to be back in the hop.

The Celebrate the Small Things hop is hosted by my buddy Lexa Cain and co-hosted by L.G Keltner at Writing Off the Edge, Tonja Drecker at Kidbits, and Katie at The Cyborg Mom. Visit Lexa's blog here to find out how join in the hop yourself and to see the list of participants.

This week I'm celebrating:

1. I had my annual physical at my doctor's office and got a clean bill of health. The older I get the more I realize how fortunate I am to be able to say that.

2. We had a beautiful week of weather here and Clancy and I got to take quite a few morning walks. I love walking in the morning when it's quiet except for the happy sounds of the birds. These walks always invigorate my mood.

I hope you all had lots to celebrate this week and have a great weekend ahead.

Celebrating My Children's Book!

Even though today is the Celebrate the Small Things hop, I'm actually celebrating a BIG thing for me and I'm thrilled to death! I'm so excited, because I officially have a contract for my children's book and it will be published this fall! I've been doing all kinds of happy dances all week.

The book is called Baby Moo's Great Escape and features the animals of Sunrise Sanctuary in Marysville, Ohio. This handsome steer is the title character.

Source: Sunrise Sanctuary 

In the story, Baby Moo is an ambitious guy who dreams of a traveling the world as a famous singer. He finds himself in quite a mess as a result.

I'm so excited about this book I haven't been able to think of much else all week. I can't wait to see it come to life. When I was a kid all of my favorite books were those with animals as the main characters. So it's surreal and amazing to think that now I will have a book just like that out in the world with my name on it.

The Celebrate the Small Things hop is hosted by my buddy Lexa Cain and co-hosted by L.G Keltner at Writing Off the Edge, Tonja Drecker at Kidbits, and Katie at The Cyborg Mom. Visit Lexa's blog here to find out how join in the hop yourself and to see the list of participants.

Happy Friday, all! :)

IWSG & Ringing Out the Old

Today's the day for the February meeting of the Insecure Writer's Support Group, hosted by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Visit here to see this month's co-hosts, a list of group participants, or to join the group yourself. The IWSG is a welcoming and supportive community and if you decide to join I know you won't regret it.

I know New Year's is generally the time we "ring out the old and ring in the new," but I am doing that a month late this year.

I've whined for probably six or eight months about the story I've been working on and finishing, then starting again, then finishing again, and then oops, still not really finished. I wrote about throwing in the towel on it more than once and also wrote about finishing it more than once. But last week I realized that it's not only not finished, it simply isn't a good story. IT. DOES. NOT. WORK.

I came to this realization while I was lying in bed enjoying the fact that I did not have to get up for work that day. For whatever reason, it became crystal clear to me that I was not going to finish that story and that was okay. Sometimes you just have to accept that something doesn't work and all the revisions in the world aren't going to change that.

It sounds crazy, but this simple realization caused me to breath a huge sigh of relief. For almost a year now I've been putting everything else on hold saying I needed to finish this story before I started on anything else. I stopped nearly all blogging and social media insisting that I needed to simply focus on this story. The story had become an albatross around my neck. So being able to give myself permission to let it go and move on was just what I needed!

Now I'm excited to be back to blogging again and giving other forms of social media another try. I've got some ideas for blog topics lined up and I even signed up for a blogfest, (see above) which I was fairly sure I'd never do again.

Source: publicdomainpictures

I'm even more excited to be working on a new story, something totally out of my comfort zone. I've had an idea for a children's book based on the farm animals I met at Sunrise Sanctuary last year and I actually started working on it now! I have no idea where it will lead but it's fun to try something totally different. My main characters are an ambitious but naive cow, an anxiety-plagued dog, and a streetwise but compassionate cat. My goal is to write a book I would have loved reading as a child.

I hope your month is off to a good start and I look forward to visiting and getting caught up with everyone!

The Listing Hop & Cardinal Sin Excerpt

I haven't joined a one-time blog hop in ages but when I saw this one on Bish Denham's site it was so simple I had to sign up.

Bish is hosting the hop to celebrate eight years of blogging (Congratulations, Bish!) and all we have to do is write a list. Seriously, that's it!

I decided to list my favorite animal rescue organizations, most of which I've encountered since I started this blogging and writing journey. Click on each rescue if you'd like more info on them.

1. Circle Tail, Pleasant Plain, Ohio
2. Best Friends Animal Society, Kanab, Utah
3. Tabby's Place Cat Sanctuary, Ringoes, New Jersey
4. Sunrise Farm Animal Sanctuary, Marysville, Ohio
5. Triple R Equine Ranch, Greensburg, Indiana
6. EARPS Exotic Animal Rescue & Pet Sanctuary, Brownsburg, Indiana
7. Hope for Paws, Los Angeles, California
8. Red Wolf Wildlife Sanctuary & Rehabilitation Center, Rising Sun, Indiana

So that's my list! One of the things I've loved most about learning more about animal rescues since I started blogging is that I've discovered so many different types of organizations. I had always thought of rescue in terms of dogs and cats but this list includes rescues that work with farm animals, "pocket pets" like hamsters, and even wildlife. There are so many amazing organizations out there doing great work that the list easily could have gone into the hundreds.

Thanks to Bish for coming up with such a fun and easy hop. For a list of all the participants, visit Bish's site here.

This week is the official release of the Untethered Realms anthology Mayhem In The Air, which includes my story Cardinal Sin. I thought I would share a brief excerpt from the story to kick off release week.

I screamed when they threw me into the mass grave with the dead patients. 

I was sure they’d hear me. But they carried on just the same. Before I knew it, they started throwing shovels of dirt on top of me. On top of all of us. 

“I’m alive!” I yelled. Or at least I thought I was yelling. How was it possible they couldn’t hear me? It wasn’t bad enough the idiot doctors had decided I was dead. Now these lumbering fools couldn’t even hear me?  

Just as I was about to give up, the shovels stopped and I heard a worker ask another “Did you hear something?” 

My still-beating heart filled with hope. 

“Hear what?” was the response. 

“Don’t know. Almost sounded like some poor sod crying.” 

Could it be? Did he hear me?

I yelled out again. “Yes! Help me!” 

“I don’t hear nothing.”  

“I guess I don’t either. Must have been a dog barking.”

“No!” I cried. 

The shoveling began again. 

If you want to read more of my story and the nine other stories in the anthology pick up Mayhem In The Air at:

Amazon ~ Google Play ~ Smashwords

Blog the Change for Animals: A Sunrise Sanctuary Follow-Up

It's time for the quarterly Blog the Change for Animals bloghop and today I'm following up with the organization I wrote about on the Blog the Change homepage back in April. I didn't plan to write about Sunrise Sanctuary again but something happened back in June that made me feel like I simply had to once again spread the word about the wonderful people who make the sanctuary a home to nearly 200 abused, neglected, and unwanted farm animals.

On June 8, 2015 a truck carrying thousands of piglets crashed on a state route near Xenia, Ohio, which is about an hour away from my hometown of Cincinnati. I found the headline so disturbing that I couldn't stand to read any articles about the crash, but did see that hundreds of the pigs were killed immediately while the rest were rounded up to continue on their way to their ultimate destination, a slaughter house.

I would not have expected something heartwarming and life-affirming to come out of something so upsetting to read about, but that is exactly what has happened. As it turned out, one little pig survived the crash and wasn't rounded up with the others. Instead, he was found tangled in the wreckage by a Good Samaritan who managed to get the piglet to Sunrise Sanctuary.

Little Nathan sleeping with his toys not long after he arrived at Sunrise. Photo courtesy of Sunrise Sanctuary

Mindy Mallett, the founder of Sunrise, took the piglet under her wing and named him Nathan after Nathan Runkle, the founder of Mercy For Animals. Though traumatized and suffering from a respiratory illness that required hospitalization at the Ohio State University veterinary hospital, Nathan managed to thrive. He now charms everyone he meets.

The darling piglet has become a social media star and I can't deny that his pictures and updates are one of my favorite things that I see in my Facebook newsfeed. My sister and I plan to visit Sunrise next month and we can't wait to meet little Nathan.

When I first visited Sunrise back in April the farm reminded me of a real life Charlotte's Web or Babe. Now the little piglet named Nathan has only added to that feeling. Sunrise is definitely a place like no other and one that will bring a smile to anyone who visits it.

If you'd like to learn more about Sunrise Sanctuary and the amazing work they do for animals, visit their site or find them on Facebook.

If you're interested in joining the Blog the Change hop add your name to the list below and hop around to check out some of the other bloggers. :)

The Letter M & Blog the Change for Animals

"Don't tell me the MOON is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass." ~ Anton Chekhov

I love this quote because I've always loved staring up at the moon in the sky, but it also intimidates me because it relates to the thing I find most difficult in writing. To me nothing is harder than description and while I like to think I could show the glint of light I'm certainly not confident of it. I sometimes think I should try my hand at writing a script because I love to write dialogue. If I could write all dialogue and skip description all together I'd probably be a happy camper. But I'm going to keep trying to capture that light on broken glass. 

Blog the Change for Animals is a hop that is held four times a year to raise awareness about animal-related causes and issues. Today marks the first hop since I joined the BtC team as a blogger, and I am excited to be able to share my first post for the blog. You can also see the list of other bloggers who are participating in the hop and sharing their own great causes.

I visited the Sunrise Sanctuary, a rescue for farm animals in Marysville, Ohio, this past Saturday and fell so in love with the place that it's inspired me to try to make more compassionate choices in my own life. To read about my visit, go to the BtC site here.

Since I wrote about my visit at BtC I will keep this brief, but suffice it to say that the Sanctuary is an absolutely wonderful and enchanting place that I am proud to support. I hope to visit again this summer. If you would like to learn more about the farm and the cows, pigs, goats, horses, llamas, ducks, and many others who call it home, visit their page here.