Back to normal?
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Dear friends,
I hope to find you safe and well.
Are your lives getting back to normal?
Things are looking up here in British Columbia (Canada) with schools, stores and offices partially reopening.
For me and my family, however, nothing will change for several months, as my husband is in the middle of his chemotherapy treatment. Fortunately, we have everything we need. Our children are homeschooling, we get groceries delivered at our doorstep and a timid sun is announcing the arrival of summer.
Still, May was a strange month and I experienced some difficulty concentrating. Even though I'm running around a lot less than before, the unconscious toll of our situation is probably taking up more brain space than I'd like.
But when lack of concentration or gloominess slow me down, I like to think about La Fontaine's fable The Hare and The Tortoise.
The Hare and The Tortoise
I love this fable because its life lesson allowed me to finish writing my first book.
In this story, the Hare mocks the Tortoise for being slow and challenges it to a race. The Tortoise accepts. When the race starts, the Hare runs so fast and is so far ahead that it figures it has time to take a nap under a tree. In the meantime, the Tortoise, who is slow but constant, passes the sleeping Hare, reaches the finishing-line and wins the race.
So, the trick is to keep at it! Consistency will turn you into a winner, an expert, a professional. A step a day leads you in the right direction.
I feel like the Tortoise right now. I've been slow, but I take one step forward every day, and I can see the finishing-line!
News about the Alien Skill Series
For instance, consider my plans to take The Alien Skill Series wide (ie. making the books available on multiple platforms, libraries and bookstores as opposed to being exclusive to Amazon).
I tripped a hundred times along the way, trying to learn how to use new platforms, but the finishing-line is ahead.
- Ben Archer and the Cosmic Fall is now WIDE. You won't notice any difference if you browse for it on Amazon, but the book can now be ordered worldwide at any store. The hardback version is also available, though it's at the wrong price ($29.99 instead of $19.99). As soon as I manage to fix this I'll share the link with you.
- Ben Archer and the Alien Skill is now WIDE. The hardback link will go live very soon.
- Ben Archer and the Moon Paradox should go wide within the next week.
- Ben Archer and the World Beyond should go wide within the next week.
- Ben Archer and the Star Rider is in it's first draft. If you didn't see the book cover in my previous newsletter, here's a privileged look, just for you!
Hope you like it! :)
AllAuthor book cover of the month
Talking about book covers... I joined the AllAuthor book cover of the month contest again, this time with the cover for Ben Archer and the Cosmic Fall.
If you think PINTADO, my book cover designer, did an awesome job with this cover, please vote for it here:
https://allauthor.com/cover-
What's up in the neighbourhood
May was a month of reflection, with time to watch nature bloom, go for long walks and celebrate our son's birthday in self-isolation with yummy crepes.
The arrival of the Wishing Shelf Book Award medal for Ben Archer and the Cosmic Fall was heartwarming to say the least! :)
June 2020 reading list
I wasn't able to join many book promotions this time because my book links changed after I went wide. As soon as I'm set up again, I'll be sharing book promotion lists on my social media. Make sure to check them out so you can fill your summer library!
Bringer of Light: The Complete Allie Strom Trilogy by Justin Sloan
Her Mother’s Missing. More than one friend will betray her. Good thing this new girl in school has a magic necklace.
Allie thinks she's a normal kid with normal problems on her first day of seventh grade. She hopes for a fresh start despite her mom being overseas with the Army, again.
But none of that matters when she discovers that her mom has gone missing.
On the same day of her mom’s disappearance, Allie finds the necklace her mom was never without. When the necklace magically teleports her new and her new friend Daniel, she learns that her necklace contains an ancient magic and might be the key to finding her mom.
Will this duo be able to find the tomb of Solomon and the other magical items needed to rescue her mom and save the world? Can these two kids travel the world and stand against the evil army arrayed against them? Portals, mythology, and secrets of the ancients await them, but friendship will be the key to seeing this war come to an end.
The Third Eye by Mahtab Narsimhan
For Tara and her brother, Suraj, the year their mother and grandfather fled the village of Morni in the middle of the night has been a nightmare. Their new stepmother is cruel and deceptive, and the village itself is lacking a healer. What's more, men of the village have been disappearing, often returning in a strange, altered form.
When a new healer, Zarku, a mysterious man with a third eye possessing strange power, suddenly appears in Morni, all are mesmerized by his magic -- all except Tara, who sees through his evil disguise.
With nothing but her own courage and wit, Tara tries to find her missing mother and grandfather, the true healer, in time to save her village. But along the way she must enlist the help of the god Ganesh and the lord of death, Yama, or she, like others before her, will fall victim to Zarku's third eye.
Maddie Makes Money (Maddie Series) by Sonia Garrett
Maddie is on top of the world. Her adaptation of Cinderella just won Best Stunt Action in the Young Filmmaker of the Year awards! But there’s no time to celebrate—the science fair is approaching, and her friend Ivan’s project is missing that special something. Maddie has just the solution: what if, instead of measuring how far humans can jump, Ivan were to measure how far people can be launched?
Of course, tattletale Raquel can’t let Maddie boost Ivan to the top so easily. She’s soon clued in the exasperated Principal Richardson, who promptly clips Maddie’s wings.
Maddie may have lost the battle, but she’s determined to win the war—and what better opportunity than the upcoming class play? After exchanging some scathing taunts, Maddie and Raquel settle on a bet: whoever’s play is best gets to order the loser around for a whole month.
Maddie will need something special to upstage the wily Raquel . . . and naturally, she has an idea: a dramatization of the Trojan Wars, complete with makeshift chariots, a ton of fake blood, and bickering gods. What could go wrong?
Maddie Makes Money marks the return of the cheeky, fearsome Maddie, and is sure to delight mischievous kids while terrifying their wary parents!
Stay safe, stay healthy and stay tuned! :)
Rae