Book #5 in the Fabled Forest series. CHEETS HEADS for TROUBLEsville
Cheets is looking for an adventure! The elf has heard about ‘town’. Emma and her mother go there all the time but no one from the fabled forest has ever been there. Cheets is certain it is a magical place and perfect for him. He decides that he must head for Troublesville. He stows away in the car one day and, at the end of the trip, finds
him-self in busy, noisy streets all alone. He begins his adven-ture by befriend-ing two cats who live in a house with two humans. Then because of his undying curiosity and his obsession with carrots, he is captured in a trap and that’s when his adventure is no longer any fun. How can his friends back in the Fabled Forest help him when they don’t even know he’s in Trouble?
Don’t miss Cheets’ escapade and ultimate rescue!
Beautiful full color illustrations by Jefferson O’Neal.Click here to Purchase
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‘ Trisha Sugarek’s Emma and the Lady Aardvarks is both whimsical and thought-provoking and will delight and attract fiction and nonfiction young readers alike, as a new mandate to save the planet emerges. A time travel adventure about climate change and a mystical forest that features sister Aardvarks, who arrive in the mystical forest quite by accident when their time travel adventure goes awry.
Emma and the Lady Aardvarks adds another book to Trisha Sugarek’s Fabled Forest series for advanced elementary to early middle grade readers. The aardvarks meet friendly elves, fairies, farm girl Emma, and a host of creatures who inhabit a rare habitat, indeed. Annie is the shy one. Her braver sister Agnes has always protected her young sister, but even she quakes at the strange creatures and dialogues that emerge at the beginning of their new adventure.
Trisha Sugarek’s dialogue and setting is anything but predictable, from a Spanish-speaking spider to a host of characters who greet the skittish sisters Aardvarks: “Patsy, where are your manners?” Donald strolled over to Patsy. “Everyone is welcome in the fabled forest, as long as they come in peace.” “Dios mio, how do we know they come in peace, pequeño? Se ven como bandidos!” Donald laughed, “No they are not bandits, Patsy. Don’t be silly.”
Colorful drawings bring the forest and its creatures to life as Sugarek spins a colorful yarn, from a magical portal that discharges a posse of puppies to the injection of facts about extinction, global warming, and threats to wildlife. While Sugarek’s Fabled Forest milieu has been explored previously in five prior adventures, it should be noted that newcomers need have no prior familiarity with its creatures or history in order to appreciate this warm fantasy of a magical place and a mandate to try to stop climate change’s impact.
Young readers just past the picture book stage will find the peppering of colorful drawings a fine embellishment to a tale that weaves elements of fantasy and reality into a thought-provoking adventure.’ D. Donovan, Midwest Book Review
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My weekly BLOG features INTERVIEWS with best-selling AUTHORS! March: Lee Matthew Goldberg, May: Jenny Colgan, June: Don Bentley writing for Tom Clancy, August: Veronica Henry, October: Life Coach, shaman, author, Jennifer Monahan, November: Susanne O’Leary. To receive my weekly posts sign up for my
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CLIMATE CHANGE. ENDANGERED SPECIES have all come to the Fabled forest. In this sixth script in the series, Emma, Donald, Thomas, Cheets and Stare all return (to the story) to meet their visitors and try to help them.
~~THE FIRST THREE DIRECTORS/TEACHERS THAT CONTACT ME WILL RECEIVE A FREE COPY OF THE NEW SCRIPT.
Synopsis:
This is a fable about climate change and endangered creatures. Two sisters Aardvarks arrive in the Fabled Forest by accident. Their travel agent, Time Portals to Your Next Adventure, malfunctions and instead of Australia, they are plopped down in Cheets’ clearing in the forest. Here they meet Donald, the fairie, Cheets, the elf, Emma, the farm-girl and all the creatures that inhabit the fabled, mystical forest. Agnes and Annie are so ugly they’re cute. With their jaunty hats atop their weird heads, with their rabbit-like ears and short elephant type snouts, Emma and Donald are entranced. They set about helping the two aardvarks to complete their trip to Australia while helping other endangered species.
The Aardvarks and the Painted Wild Dogs are endangered species and it is a dangerous lifestyle. In this fable children learn more about climate change wiping out habitat and about other endangered species and how we humans can protect them.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Emma ~~ A young earthling girl Stare ~~ A rhetorical owl Donald ~~ A young fairie
Cheets ~~ a rambunctious elf Patsy ~~ A large banana spider Agnes & Annie ~~ the sister Aardvarks
Thomas ~~ the sea-faring sea turtle Bertie, the bookworm ~~ the resident reading teacher
Fergus ~~ The royal engineer
Mr. Moseyalong ~~ Papa of the Painted Dogs Mrs. Moseyalong ~~ Mama Mic, Jax, Roger, Zeke and Serengeti ~~ the Puppies
No child need be turned away, there can be non-speaking roles as forest creatures and fairies.
TS. “We created a book cover representing the future time when our planet dies and everything is black and white. With a spot of color called hope.”
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Euphoria!! My full length children’s play, The Exciting Exploits of an Effervescent Elf is being produced in Ontario, Canada!
In this stand alone sequel to “Emma and the Lost Unicorn”, Emma is held captive in Patsy, the Banana Spider’s web. No one can see her except the irrepressible elf, Cheets. Everyone in the forest has been searching for Emma to no avail and given his reputation, no one believes Cheets when he claims to have found her. Cheets can see Emma but not hear her through Patsy’s web. Emma must “act out” vital news concerning the enchanted forest. Hazard, the Lord of the Underworld is selling the forest to developers. Emma must not stand in his way! This fable tells of greed, ecology, friendship, enduring love and justice.
Most of the characters from “Emma and the Lost Unicorn” [Published by Samuel French] return to this new fable. New characters include: Thomas, the sea turtle, pedantic but loveable. Laughter erupts when the audience realizes that he speaks only in nautical expressions and sayings. Patsy, the spider represents greed. Rose, Emma’s mother emphasizes maternal devotion and the ability to believe when the magical creatures of the forest reveal themselves to her. Hazard, Lord of the Underworld reunites with a lost love. Roles for every child who auditions!
Returning characters:
Emma, the earthling girl
Cheets, the elf
Stare, the rhetorical owl
Donald, Emma’s faerie best friend
Cleo, Queen of the Faeries
Handmaidens of the Queen
Assorted faeries and woodland creatures
New characters: Patsy, the spider
Hazard, Lord of the underworld
Thomas, the sea faring turtle
Rose, Emma’s mother
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A new edition of Emma and the Lost Unicorn has been released. Full color illustrations in watercolor by artist, H. J. Stine.
Emma, an earthling girl visits her friends in the forest all the time. She delights in the antics of Stare, the rhetorical owl and Cheets, the mischievous elf. One day she is introduced to Rainey, the Unicorn, a prince who’s been banished, for centuries, by the warlord, Hazard. He can never return home unless Emma solves more riddles than Hazard’s Lieutenant, Kodak. The fable ends with a surprise twist which will delight readers young and old. While written for children, this fairy tale is sophisticated enough to appeal to adults as well.
Queens, warlords, faeries, elves, unicorns, handmaidens, scary henchmen and one small mortal girl child in an enchanted forest. This fable offers many subtle lessons.
Children’s Play (#5 in the Fabled Forest Series) has been released! Children’s story book by the same name.
The story is in play form. A one hour children’s play, by the same title, offers a part for every child who auditions.
New characters are introduce: Barcode and Fiona the two cats. Reginald the Raccoon and his merry band of baby raccoons. And lots of others.
Synopsis: Cheets is looking for an adventure! The elf had heard about ‘town’. Emma and her mother went all the time but no one from the fabled forest had been there. Cheets was certain it was a magical place and he decided that he must head for Troublesville. He stows away in the car one day and finds himself in busy, noisy streets all alone. He begins his adventure by befriending two cats who live in a house with two humans. Then because of his obsession with carrots, he is captured in a trap and that’s when his adventure no longer is any fun. 6f. 15m. (many roles non-gender)
Recurring characters from the series return to help find Cheets. Don’t miss Cheets’ escapade and daring rescue! Full color illustrations by Jefferson O’Neal.
MY features INTERVIEWS with best-selling AUTHORS! Did you miss the past few months? March: Mystery (and Western) writer, Larry D. Sweazy. April: World Traveler, Tal Gur. June: mystery author, Manning Wolfe. Check out more Motivational Moments…for Writers!
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How to Land a Multi-Book Children’s Publishing Deal? Write From the Heart!
About a year ago, I was paddling down a familiar stretch of whitewater when I found a tangled up crawdad in a fishing line. After about five minutes of meticulous unwinding, I launched the little fellow back into the wild. My wife Tamara and my paddling buddy Tom, both thought that would make a great children’s story. The next morning, I wrote my first children’s book, Jason and the Crawdad King, on the back of a few napkins while sipping tea in a coffee shop.
Not far from where I found the Crawdad King
It was the first time in my life it felt like all the pieces were falling into place. The premise of the story came out of doing something I love. The suggestion for the story came from people I love. Plus, the story imbues a sense of wisdom from my personal experience and philosophy˗˗something else I love. And the whole package is directed toward the people that everyone loves—their children. From the time I found the helpless little crawdad, to the moment I’m typing this out on my laptop, it’s been one endless magic carpet ride. I think in spiritual circles they call it divine Flow.
The day I finished writing the story, Tamara’s daughter Chantelle came to visit. It was the first time I met her. It just so happens, besides being a professional ballerina in San Francisco, she’s also a brain child from Columbia University. In the two days she visited, she edited my book. Flow on, man.
Next I met my illustrator, Lili Avakem. Major Flow there. Lili and I met via the modus operandi of the 21st century…the internet. I was hoping to find an illustrator who was exceptionally talented, in love with illustrating, relatively unknown (like me), and hadn’t reached their full potential yet (hopefully like me too!). In short, I was hoping for an enormous stroke of good luck.
I held a contest on Freelancer.com, searching for samples from illustrators. Lili beat out 25 other entries. However, to win the contract to illustrate the entire book, I asked Lili and another artist from Thailand to submit one more illustration. I took one glance at Lili’s second submission and my jaw dropped to the floor in utter disbelief. I realized the enormous stroke of good luck I was hoping for had actually arrived. As I sit and write this, I still haven’t met Lili face-to-face. It’s like she’s some angelic creator of magic, hanging out in cyber space.
Shall we Flow a little further? After Lili and I finished the manuscript, I sent out queries to about 120 literary agents and publishers. After about a month, as rejection notices started to pile up, I was contacted out of the blue by Golden Bell Entertainment in New York. I never submitted anything to them. They contacted me based on an illustration of Lili’s I posted on Facebook. Go figure!
I recently landed a children’s picture book publishing deal, for nine books, with Golden Bell Entertainment in New York. “Wow!” You might be thinking. “How did you pull that off?”
I’ll lay it to you straight. It happened on accident. I’m was born a creative free spirit. It took me a long time to figure out what that was, let alone accept it. I was also born with powerful spiritual inclinations and an incredibly strong connection to nature. I’ve always seen things from a philosophical point of view, as I’ve wandered deep into the wilderness. That framework led me to a Master’s degree in Geology and a patchwork career as an exploration geologist. With a helicopter pilot as my chauffeur, I’ve prospected the Alaskan Arctic, the Yukon Rocky Mountains, and the Barren Lands of the Arctic Ocean. I also hung my hat for a spell in northern Sweden.
Artic Tundra…that little speck is me
And what was the result of those fascinating explorations? It deepened my connection to this planet we call Earth. So here I sit, a published author with the sky as our limit. And how did it all happen? By being myself and doing what I love, with people I love, to the core of my being. If you’re looking for success as an author, I’d suggest you start there. The rest will take care of itself. Your only job is to enjoy the journey.
Bio
Joseph Drumheller is a three-time award winning author with works in non-fiction, fiction and now children’s books. He has a deep love for nature and adventure, which fueled his previous career as an exploration geologist. He lives with his twin flame and extraordinary performing arts spouse, Tamara. They live in the great Pacific Northwest. www.josephdrumheller.com
DON’T MISS UPCOMING BLOGS featuring INTERVIEWS with best-selling AUTHORS! September’s author will be Joseph Drumheller and October: Author, Lisa Jackson. November’s author will be best selling author, Grace Burrowes Check out Motivational Moments…for Writers!
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The conclusion of this delightful interview with author, Joseph Drumheller.
Q. What comes first to you? The Characters or the Situation?
JD. Characters. They tend to tell me what to write. After I found the crawdad that inspired, Jason and the Crawdad King, I spent the next morning sipping tea listening to Jason dictate. As he spoke, I wrote the story down on the back of some napkins.
Q. Do you ‘get lost’ in your writing?
JD. Absolutely. One day I began writing at 10 a.m. I vaguely remember getting up to grab a bite to eat or to go to the bathroom. The next time I looked at a clock it was 3 a.m.!
Q. Who or what is your “Muse” at the moment?
JD. I have two. (1) My wife Tamara. She’s the focus of out next work, Aura the Angel, The Ballerina’s Beacon. She was a child prodigy ballerina who spent 30+ years working in Off-Broadway productions in the San Francisco area. She is the epitome of love incarnate. (2) Lili Avakem. She’s my award-winning illustrator—born, raised and educated in Tehran, Iran and now living in LA. It seems everything we touch turns into magic.
Q. When did you begin to write seriously?
JD. I haven’t yet. If you love what you do, you’ll never work a (serious) day in your life.
Q. What makes a writer great?
JD. Heart, soul and passion. You can’t ‘try’ to be a writer. You either have it you or you don’t. And if you do have it in you, it still takes a lot of time and energy to sculpt your craft. But it it’s what you’re born to do, you’ll love it. Also, don’t worry about spelling. They have editors for that.
Q. and the all important:What does the process of going from “no book” to “finished book” look like for you?
JD. For me, it’s called a magic carpet ride. I wander around in nature (places I love) then go home or out for tea and write about it. I was born to be a free spirit. Writing is the only thing that has completely fit my lifelong tendency to be there proverbial round peg that doesn’t fit into any the square holes out there.
Q. How has your life experiences influenced your writing?
JD. When it come to writing, my life experiences are the whole ball of wax. Almost everything I write about is based on what I’ve seen and done. That’s why it’s so easy to write.
Q. Have you? Or do you want to write in another genre`?
JD. I have three published books in the genres of non-fiction, fiction and now children’s books. I also have eight more children’s books to come, with Golden Bell Entertainment out of New York.
The Subconscious, the Divine and Me (2012, Pine Wood Press) – An introduction to spirituality. Non-fiction.
The Unity Oracle (2015, Self-published) – An award-winning spiritual adventure novel. Fiction.
Jason and the Crawdad King (2016, Golden Bell Entertainment) – A picture book, featuring award-winning illustrator Lili Avakem. Children’s Book.
Q. Is there anything else you’d like our readers to know?
Don’t force your writing and don’t stop. If you love it, it will show. I would like to thank Golden Bell’s Polar Press
Visit Joseph’s website www.CrawdadKing.com and Joseph’s page on facebook
DON’T MISS UPCOMING BLOGS featuring INTERVIEWS with best-selling AUTHORS! September’s author will be Joseph Drumheller and October: Author, Lisa Jackson. November’s author will be best selling author, Grace Burrowes Check out Motivational Moments…for Writers!
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We are all so looking forward to this delightful children’s book by Joseph Drumheller. Joseph, in your own words, describe yourself. TS
JD. I’m a creative free spirit with a spiritual bent and a strong connection to nature. Cathartic mystical experiences and/or memorable happenings in the great outdoors are the underlying influences to almost everything I write. Yet, as I mature, the most powerful force I’ve experienced is love, especially from my wife Tamara. Without her consistent love, belief, and support, I’d be nowhere.
Q. Where do you write? Do you have a special room, shed, barn, special space for your writing? (shed, room, closet, barn….) Or tell us about your ‘dream’ work space.
JD. I spend a lot of time outside. When I walk, kayak, or cycle, the channels open up and the creative juices start to flow. Most of my books have been written entirely in my head. Typing them out in a coffee shop or in my office is the part that requires discipline.
Q. Do you have any special rituals when you sit down to write? (a neat work space, sharpened #2 pencils, legal pad, cup of tea, glass of brandy, favorite pajamas, etc.)
JD. No, not when I sit down and type. Walking, kayaking or cycling in nature does the trick for me.
Q. Could you tell us something about yourself that we might not already know?
JD. I’ve been lucky enough to have seen some of the most remote and glorious parts of the planet via helicopter, working as an exploration geologist. Some of those places include the northern arctic of Alaska, the continental divide in the Yukon, the Barren Lands near the Arctic Ocean, and northern Sweden.
Q. Do you have a set time each day (or night) to write?
JD. No. I tend to be more of a morning person but when inspiration hits, it’s time to write.
Q. What’s your best advice to other writers for overcoming procrastination?
JD. If writing doesn’t flow from the core of your being, take up tennis. With that said, I’ve never had a problem with procrastination. I was born two weeks early and always seem to get things done ahead of time. That creates its own set of challenges, like when I’m working with procrastinators!
Q. Where/when do you first discover your characters?
JD. I write almost exclusively from personal experience. The closer my characters are to home, the easy they are to write about. I found a crawdad tangled up in a fishing line while whitewater kayaking. That inspired Jason and the Crawdad King. Aura the Angle, The Ballerina’s Beacon is a story about my wife Tamara who was a child prodigy ballerina. My award-winning novel, The Unity Oracle, is essentially glossed over non-fiction, detailing mystical experiences I’ve had.
Q. What first inspired you to write your stories?
JD. Divorce. In the early days of a separation that led to divorce in 2009, I went on a solo self-directed retreat in a log cabin, along a mountain river. I spent four days writing. I’ve never stopped……
Join us for the conclusion of this fascinating Interview ~~ Saturday, September 17th
Release date of Jason and the Crawdad King Winter, 2017.
Visit Joseph’s website www.CrawdadKing.com and Joseph’s page onfacebook ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DON’T MISS UPCOMING BLOGS featuring INTERVIEWS with best-selling AUTHORS! September’s author will be Joseph Drumheller and October: Author, Lisa Jackson. November’s author will be best selling author, Grace Burrowes Check out Motivational Moments…for Writers!
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Excerpt from “Bertie, the Bookworm and the Bully Boys“ (c) A very large, beautiful sea turtle came down the path. He wore a bright red kerchief tied at his neck and a captain’s cap on his head.
“A-hoy there, mates. ‘ Tis a fair wind at my back that blew me to my home port.”
Donald and Emma rushed forward and hugged Thomas almost knocking him over. “Steady as she goes, mates. You’re about to knock me off me’ pins.” Thomas laughed.
“Oh, Thomas, we are so happy that you are home.” Emma cried.
“How was your voyage?” Donald asked.
“Rough seas around Cape Horn but that’s the way the ’horn’ is. We came back with a hold full of spices and teas from the Orient. I have to tell you that I miss the constellations in the southern hemisphere. But, all in all it’s good to be at anchor and to see my friends again.”
“We could have a reading circle about the stars in other hemispheres.” Bertie said.
“Oh! Excuse me, Bertie, for not including you. Do you know our friend, Thomas the sea turtle?”
“I can’t say as I’ve had the pleasure, Emma.”
“Thomas, this is our dear friend and teacher, Bertie, the bookworm.” Donald said.
“Well, blow us over and wet me sails.”
Thomas looked Bertie over. “You’re an old one, ain’t ya?” Thomas declared.
“I’ve lived some years, it’s true,” Bertie replied.
“Thomas! I know you didn’t mean that as rudely as it sounded.
Bertie is a respected elder of the forest. He teaches all of us how to read and spell better.
He introduces us to many new words. It’s very exciting.” Emma scolded.
“No harm done, Emma. I know that Mr. Thomas didn’t mean anything by that. It’s true, I am old.”
“It’s Captain Thomas, if you don’t mind.” Thomas told him.
“Sorry, of course, Captain Thomas.” Bertie smiled.
Thomas turned to Emma. “So, Emma, what brings you so far? You’ve set your sails a far league from your home port.”
“Slam and his gang took Bertie’s eye glasses Continue reading “Your Child’s Next Book!”
Book #5 in the Fabled Forest series. CHEETS HEADS for TROUBLEsville
car one day and, at the end of the trip, finds
escapade and ultimate rescue!
Click here to Purchase
