Time for some silly writing fun...Goose style! + #giveaway

I like to think of writing as living my dream, but last fall writing became work. I’d been in a frenzy, whipping books into shaping and sending them off to my editor. My muse was tired, and the creativity well was running low. I promised my muse if she stuck with me in October I’d give her a break in November. We both kept to our end of the bargain. In the past two weeks I’ve been cleaning my house from top to bottom, dealing with a massive pile of dirt in my backyard (don’t ask!) and gearing up for holiday craziness.

The holiday anticipation got me thinking about the goose decoy sitting on a dusty shelf in my laundry room. Since my brother found it on the side of the road nearly twenty years ago, the goose has found its way into many gag gifts and special occasions. It is a now a staple of our holiday grab bag exchange. Whoever gets the goose at Christmas holds onto it for the year and regifts it in the holiday exchange the next year. I got the goose last year, which means I got to plot a fun way to turn it into a gift this year. Bwahahaha!

My silent muse suddenly came to life. “We should write a book. Yeah, to show your family at Thanksgiving. About how scared Goose is to leave the shelf in our house and go to a new home. We can illustrate it with real pictures. From the camera. We’ll have Goose act out all the adventure we have planned for her. We can have her climb a tree, fly off the roof and hang from the basketball hoop. Oh, this is going to be so much fun. Let’s get started!”

So, I wrote a book with a mere 500 words and plenty of pictures taken by me and my daughter. It’s ridiculous and silly. I carried the goose to the park to meet real geese, and my tween daughter was so embarrassed that people driving by would see me walking with a goose. (I was having far too much fun to be embarrassed!) I spent the rest of the weekend playing with page formatting and fonts. Finally, I uploaded the finished document to Office Depot and had it printed and bound.

Sharing this book over Thanksgiving and making my family smile and laugh was a special holiday treat for me and my muse. Now that she’s had her fun, hopefully she will cooperate and give me some nice productive word counts this winter, and we’ll be back to living the dream!

A New Home for Goose is available digitally from Amazon for 99 cents. It will be free this Saturday and Sunday (January 23-24) and well as President's Day/Valentine's Day weekend (February 13-15). It is free anytime on Kindle Unlimited.

Goose sits on a shelf all year. Now it's Christmas, which means it's time for Goose to go to a new home. But Goose is scared!

Join the fun as Goose sets off on an adventure. What happens when a plastic goose rebels? Will Goose be able to overcome her fears?

Illustrated with actual photographs of Goose, this short picture book is fun for all ages.

Amazon

Free #kidlit #middlegrade #chapterbook from @BravestSquirrel April 3-5th

FREE April 3 - 5, 2015
on Kindle
The Bravest Squirrel: 3 Books in 1

As a special addition to The Bravest Squirrel family, The Bravest Squirrel Ever, The Bravest Squirrel in the Forest, and The Bravest Squirrel in School are now compiled in a special 3 in 1 print and Kindle book edition at a significant saving to buying all three books separately. In addition, if you are a member of Kindle Unlimited, you can download and read the digital version free!

The Bravest Squirrel: 3 Books 1

The Bravest Squirrel Ever: Scared of thunder, lightning and being "flopped" by the humans, Pippi the squirrel wants to return to her mama's warm, cozy nest. Instead, she and her siblings stumble on a better nest...in forbidden human territory. When she becomes trapped inside, Pippi must depend on her wits to survive, proving to herself and the world just how brave a little squirrel can be.

The Bravest Squirrel in the Forest: Max is determined to prove he is the bravest squirrel ever. He devises a plan to rescue his Uncle Louie. Instead, he is locked in cage, sprayed by a skunk, dumped out of a truck, and abandoned with a hungry coyote hot on his trail. Max has to give up being brave and beg others to help him. When he has the chance to save Uncle Louie or risk his life to save a friend, Max discovers just how brave he really is.

The Bravest Squirrel in School: Lana has no interest in being brave, but she would like to be cuddled by a human. She ends up in a school bus full of children with no other squirrel to take care of her. With no one coming to rescue her, Lana needs to stand up for herself against the playground bullies and figure out a way to get back home. If she’s not brave enough to rescue herself, she’ll be stuck in school forever.

Amazon - print and e-book

Createspace (print)
Barnes & Noble (print)

The @BravestSquirrel Drives a Race Car #kidlit #FREE Dec 24-28 #MerryChristmas!

The Bravest Squirrel Drives a Race Car

Free on Amazon (ebook)

December 24 - 28, 2014!

When his baby cousin Zander runs away, Chaz finally has a chance to live his dream of rescuing someone and proving his bravery. But Zander doesn’t want to be rescued, and he certainly doesn’t listen.

When the little squirrel crawls into a race car, Chaz follows him, expecting they will hide from the humans until the race is over. But Zander doesn’t stay hidden, wanting to try everything the humans do.

When the race car spins out of control, Chaz is the only one who can save them. If he’s not brave enough, not only will they crash, he’ll lose Zander forever.

Amazon ebook and print book
Createspace print book
Barnes & Noble (print)

The Bravest Squirrel now has a Facebook page and a Twitter account. Please follow and like us!

Spring Fling Treats

I will be at the Chicago Northwest Marriott in Hoffman Estates on Friday, April 27 and Saturday, April 28 handing out these fun squirrel tattoos to anyone who tells me, "I'm the Bravest Squirrel Ever!" So if you're in the area, please stop by.  I would love to meet you.

Even if you're not in the area, I still have a treat for you.  All day Saturday, April 28, The Bravest Squirrel Ever and The Bravest Squirrel in the Forest will free on Amazon.  Download and enjoy.  It's my treat to you.

The Bravest Squirrel Series

To celebrate The Bravest Squirrel series, document the start of this blog and just because I can, I will be giving away BOTH The Bravest Squirrel Ever and The Bravest Squirrel in the Forest on Saturday, April 28, 2012.  So, follow the links to Amazon and tell all your friends!


The Bravest Squirrel Ever:  Pippi the squirrel isn't brave and has no interest in earning the title of "The Bravest Squirrel Ever." Scared of thunder, lightning and being "flopped" by the humans, Pippi only wants to return to Mama's warm, cozy nest. Instead, she stumbles on a better nest. There's only one problem. It's in dangerous, forbidden human territory. The attic nest is too perfect for Pippi to resist, and she moves in. The humans soon discover her. Instead of driving her out, they seal off her only exit, trapping her inside. To escape and to survive, Pippi must face her fears and depend on herself for the first time in her life. In doing so, she learns just how brave a little squirrel can be.

The Bravest Squirrel in the Forest:  Everyone thinks Max’s sister is braver than he is, and he’s sick of it. He’s determined to prove he is the bravest squirrel ever. He devises a plan for the humans to trap him, so he can rescue his Uncle Louie. But things don’t go according to plan. First, he is forgotten in the cage. Then he is dumped out of a truck and abandoned in the forest with a hungry coyote hot on his trail. Max has to give up being brave and beg others to help him. When he has the chance to save Uncle Louie or risk his life to save a friend, suddenly Max discovers just how brave he really is.