Ominous Love Book Cover

Ominous Love is available on Amazon for $0.99 this week, so pop in a grab a copy before the price goes back up Go to this link: Here

The book cover, poster, and banner were all created by Patti Roberts. She did a wonderful job of putting the right scene together for me. First I had seen the angel on her website and knew that I had to have him for my character. Then Patti asked me what scene I wanted and offered suggestions. We worked together picking out the right pictures for my characters, then she added the thunderstorm just like the scene I was looking for. Though I probably gave her a hard time until I chose the right picture for my main character, Eloise. I had to get her right.

You can see the banner at the top of my blog and the poster below. Patti has also made the cover for my paperback that will be out shortly.

The first person to make a comment on this post will receive a free eBook copy of Ominous Love.

Pop over to Patti Robert's website and check out the wonderful covers she has for sale. Go to this link: Here

Competition to Win, Ominous Love, eBook

Finally Published!

Ominous Love (Book One) is available on Amazon Kindle: Here 

(Paperback will be available soon, also Smashwords edition.)

If you'd like to win a copy of this eBook, just guess the correct age of the couple in the photo below. The first three people to guess correctly will win an ebook version of Ominous Love from Amazon.

There is a way to find the answer, but you'll have to research. LOL.

Here is a clue. FB. 

You can read the the first two chapters for free on Amazon, but here is an excerpt from a much later chapter:

Punishment? I cover my face with my hands and try to clear my head. But there's no place to go, and even if I managed to escape, how would I get home? I'd need a plane to get me off this godforsaken mountain. Staring at myself in the mirror, I realize I have to resign myself to a life with a handsome monster, or die a horrible death. I pout. I must have done something really bad to deserve this misery, but I can't think of what. Was falling for a good-looking boy that bad? Closing my eyes, I wonder if I should just fight this brute to the death, after all, dying would be better than living with him. But how can I stand up to this evil monster? I'm just a girl and he's a huge and powerful young man.

A knock at the door drags me from my thoughts. “Yes?”

“Are you ready?”

“Nearly,” I lie. I'll never be ready for him, not ever.

Good Luck!

Ominous Love is Ready to Publish

I've finally finished editing my Y/A book, Ominous Love (Book One) It will be available on Amazon, Smashwords, iTunes and more in the next few days. If you'd like to win a copy of this book, go to the photo of the couple on Bondi Beach below and guess their ages. Details are below.

Good luck!

Oh, and don't forget to watch One Direction tonight on X Factor's final tonight on Channel Seven at Seven-thirty. I love all their albums. They're very talented. I listen to their music while writing.

https://itunes.apple.com/au/album/take-me-home-yearbook-edition/id574406654

Contest to Win a Kindle for Christmas

If you'd like to win a Kindle for Christmas, check out Patti Robert's Book Blog on the link below. Good Luck everyone!

http://paradox-theangelsarehere.blogspot.com.au/2012/09/win-kindle-for-christmas-supporting.html?showComment=1346928708850#c7834803992908474396

New Release, Coming Soon

Ominous Love

My very first Young Adult Book is due out soon. The cover, banner and poster were all created for me by Patti Roberts, a wonderful author and entrepreneur at  Paradox Book Covers & Trailers Custom Made. Thank you so much Patti, I couldn't be more thrilled.

In my MG Children's Books, I draw my own illustrations for the covers, or use the photos of my nieces and create them with the help of my sister, but with this Young Adult book, I was looking for a great image of an Angel for my cover. I couldn't find the right picture anywhere, but then I went to Patti Robert's website and wham! There he was, the perfect Angel for my character. I just had to have him.  I asked Patti if she could add a young couple that looked like my characters. She did and also asked me about the story. She's fabulous, she not only added the beach, but also added the lightning and put the Angel right where his enters the story. Thanks Patti Roberts, you're a doll.

The Book Cover

Promotion Poster

Competition

I have a Competition and the prize will be a free copy of Ominous Love when it's released.

The competition is for you to guess the ages of the couple in the picture below. Just leave a comment and the first person to guess the correct ages will win a paperback copy. The second and third guesser will win an eBook copy.

Here is the picture that inspired my story

For updates on the release, watch this blog, or follow me on Facebook

I was thrilled with the service of Paradox Book Trailer Productions. Patti Roberts not only gave me personnel attention, but she really cared about my book like it was a child and wanted the best for it. I highly recommend her service, you will not be disappointed. I know I'll be using her service again. 

Here is the link:  Paradox Book Covers & Trailers Custom Made 

And here's the link to purchase Patti Robert's Books: Here

My Face Book Fan Page; Here

Molly Gumnut Rescues a Bandicoot, Special Promotion

Molly Gumnut Rescues a Bandicoot paperback version is now on special for $10.99, and the eBook version is Free today but there's only a few hours left.

Come and meet Furble the baby bandicooot Molly rescues. You'll get a good laugh as well as learn about saving bandicoots.

Here is a YouTube Video of Furble:

Book Trailer:

The link to Molly Gumnut on Amazon Books and Kindle: Here  

Reader Reviews on Amazon for Molly Gumnut: Here

My You Tube Chanel: Here

Competition to win a copy of: Rascals Sing at The Opera House

The memory of being in the choir at Primary School inspired my children's book:

Rascals Sing at The Opera House.

I remember being in the choir at primary school and looking forward to our school competing in the singing festival. I happily went to choir practice every Saturday morning for months, but then one day we were all asked to sing the scales individually. Our class teacher and the music teacher said someone was singing out of tune.  I was so nervous when it came to my turn to sing that I did sing out of tune. I was immediately banned from the choir, but after seeing my pouty face, the kind music teacher must have felt sorry for me. He decided to let me stay in the choir, but only if I promised to mime during the festival and all through choir practice. I still went to practice every Saturday, but I didn't always mime. I loved singing and would sometimes get carried away and sing out loud, to the frustration of the two teachers. My voice was checked again and I was allowed once more to sing, but a few weeks later I was told to mime again. The music teacher couldn't understand why sometimes I sang okay and other times I sang dreadful. I was still allowed to go to the singing festival as long as I promised to mime when we were on the stage.

Of course, I did mime, but was later scolded by my female class teacher for wobbling my head about too much and opening my mouth too wide. LOL. I told her that I was going to be an actress when I grew up. Not impressed, she pressed her lips together and rolled her eyes at me.

After that concert, I was never able to sing a note in tune, ever. My confidence was gone. But I still love to sing and do all the time. Needless to say I often get things thrown at me or people walk away with their fingers in their ears. Maybe the reason my voice went bad was because before this photo was taken, I had had an operation to remove my tonsils, but was later to find they were growing back and I had to have another operation. Or maybe my confidence to sing just disappeared into thin air. Who knows, but something good happened because of it all. I'm a positive thinker and this experience and memory inspired me to write the children's book:

Rascals Sing at The Opera House.

Now, for a competition. The first person who guesses which child in the photo above is me, will win e a free copy of Rascals Sing at The Opera House, either a paperback, or an eBook if they prefer.

Good luck and thanks for reading.

Me and Her, A Memoir of Madness by Karen Tyrrell

My 5*****Star Review of:  Me & Her: A Memoir of Madness by Australian author, Karen Tyrrell

 

Once I started reading Karen Tyrrell's story I couldn't put it down. What a brave woman to write a memoir of her mental illness and forced hospitalisation. That takes courage. From what I gather, people experiencing mania are enjoying it and don't think they need help. This memoir gives an insight into the mind of the author, while she's experiencing mania and how she felt about her husband's intervention. Not only will this book help people with bipolar, it will also help their family, friends and colleagues. Though Karen was ill in most of the story, her husband and kids suffered too. Maybe even as much as she did as it went on for a few years. My heart went out to her husband, who was battling a long-term illness of his own as well as caring for his family. What a wonderful man. I hope this book will help to stop discrimination against people with a mental illness. This story story shows they can be productive and determined people as well as being artistic.

Though the story was sad, I laughed a lot while reading it. Karen Tyrrell is a funny lady. I don't know if she was trying to be funny, but some of her thoughts had me in stiches, not to mention her antics and sneaky ways of finding out things. She'd make a great detective. Though she wrote her notes while ill, she knew she wanted to be a writer. The real Karen was in there for the ride too and she wasn't letting anyone stop her from writing. After reading this book, anyone with a loved one suffering from mania would better understand that not all of the things that the patient is doing is part of the illness. The healthy person is still there with goals that are attainable. I love the way she worked out why this happened to her and her determination to publish her memoir. She wrote about her mania, or hyper-mania, but she didn't mention having a deep depression or suicidal thoughts like I've heard can happen with bipolar, though she did suffer from insomnia, anxiety and stress, and did have Post Natal depression years before. Maybe her husband got her the medical help she needed before a deep depression set in.

There's so much information in this book for anyone suffering bipolar disorder. And their families will have a guide of what to do, which is great because it would be hard getting someone suffering from mania to willingly go to a mental health hospital. Karen Tyrell is a genius and I'm sure her story will save many lives. I'd give this book ten stars if I could, but I'm only allowed five. Keep writing, Karen Tyrrell!

To purchase this amazing book on Amazon go: Here

To go to Karen Tyrrell's website go: Here

Interview With Author Jo Barker

Introducing Jo Barker, one of the funniest authors I've ever met.

Hi, Jo, tell us something about yourself.

Well, I’m a twentysomething chocoholic, bookaholic and water baby. I grew up by the sea so I love being in, on or around water. Of course, chocolate and books always go hand in hand as well.

How true, Jo, I love chocolate too, but try not to eat it. I also love water and have mostly lived near it. I believe we get energy from the sea. Now, when did you decide to become an author?

I didn’t really decide to become an author. My other half suggested, nay, insisted that I published. I hid away my writing from people, but he stumbled upon it and encouraged me to write. I still consider myself an apprentice to becoming an author.

What a great partner to do that. Mine is the same. We're very lucky to have their support as I know many authors don't, and that can cause problems.

What inspired to you to be a writer, Jo?

I just love to write. I used to have some crazy dreams that seemed quite entertaining to write down. I also love the lyricism that can come with language and writing, words are something I enjoy playing with. The lyricism aspect might have something to do with the fact that I love listening to music, almost any music. Writing to a rhythm can be quite helpful, although a tad strange when you’re not actually listening to any music.

I understand that, Jo. I really enjoy music and love writing songs for the characters in my children's books. They have to rhyme to a rhythm in my head, though I've never learned music. I think some folks like you and me are born with that.

Where do you sit when writing?

I write on a laptop so anywhere fairly quiet where I can shut out the world for a mo. Unfortunately the world always has a way of intruding.

It sure does and can be frustrating, especially when in a creative mood.

How many hours per week would you spend on writing?

If I could, I would probably spend all my time writing. As it stands, I write mainly in the evenings or an hour or two during the day if I can grab a chance.

What genre do you write and why?

Well I’m actually genre greedy. My first book is a children’s book. However I am working on a fantasy novel as well as another children’s story. I also have quite a few ideas that spread over a range of genres. Perhaps one day I'll settle down with a genre and be happy with it, until then I shall continue to explore.

That's fantastic that you can write in different genres, Jo. I prefer children's books and fantasy, but would love to do adult and Y/A too.

How do you come up with characters and stories?

The characters and stories tend to come together. I have no idea how I think up what I do, the brain is a mystery to me. Generally I literally dream them up, my brain has apparently got a very strange way of working things out when I’m sleeping.

Sometimes a phrase or something from my surroundings can set me on a creative spree. I suspect if I knew the answer to how people generated ideas the scientific community would be knocking down my door.

When you're sleeping? That's fantastic, Jo. I think up ideas while I'm bush walking. 

Do you have any favourite authors, and have any inspired your work?

When I was growing up it was Roald Dahl and Robin Jarvis. Later came Terry Pratchett. I love the quirky and grotesque and the utterly bizarre things in life. If you enjoy reading, it certainly helps when it comes to writing. My early reads have definitely rubbed off on me.

How funny. We have a lot in common, Jo. Roald Dahl is my favourite author too. He inspired me to be myself when writing. My Rascals series is gross, full of mischievous children and horrid adults. Oh, plus it's true memories of me as a child. LOL. Has anything dramatic in your life given you an idea for a story?

I would say yes, things in life do affect you and your outlook on life and would therefore affect your writing. Although off the top of my head I can’t think of an example to share.

Now that you’re published, how do you market your work?

Largely word of mouth and social media. I have been strapped for time recently so I haven’t been able to put as much effort as I should into it.

Who is your favourite character?

My favourite all-time character in literature has to be Matilda, she was my role model when growing up. My favourite character creation to date has to be a feisty warrioress, whos name I shall keep under wraps pro tem. I haven’t finished her story yet, it’s something I have worked on off an on for a few years and I've grown quite attached to her. In the Adventures of the Frog Prince the spider is my favourite for his pure cheek.

How funny. Matilda is my favourite too because I related to  her. Though I was no genius like her, quite the opposite, but I did have a teacher like Mrs Trunchbull. I really did.

How did you come up with the setting for your stories?

With the Frog Prince it felt right that it should be set in castle. It’s based on a fairy tale after all, and what’s a fairy tale without a castle of some nature?

What a great cover, Jo! And your artwork is fabulous. I'm about to read this book, can't wait.

Is being a published author harder or easier than you imagined?

Not sure quite what I imagined, so I can’t say either way really. I didn’t think I would get quite so into blogging though.

Any regrets?

I wish I wish I wish I was better at art.

I'm sure you're better than you think, Jo. I love doing my own illustrations. The more I draw, the better it becomes. Though time can be a problem. I find drawing relaxing and now I've learned to draw on the computer, which I love.

What are you working on at the moment?

A children’s book and a fantasy novel, I should be able to reveal details about the children’s book in the not to distant, but for now I’m still keeping it under wraps.

What are your plans for the future?

Oh you know, the usual, find a nice sandy beach somewhere with plenty of surf, no sharks or jellyfish and stay there. I shall surround myself with books, pens, and paper. Someone has promised to have a mai tai waiting for me. Not sure what’s in a mai tai, but I’m looking forward to trying one.

Now, I know you have a YouTube Channel because I found you on there too. I thought your fairy film was hilarious.

Where is your You Tube channel?

Yes, Trish, I do. It's called: The Ian and Jo Show. It’s made up of the strange things my other half and I dream up in our spare time.

Yes, and they are well worth a look. They're quite entertaining and very funny. Here is a link to Jo's book: The Adventures of The Frog Prince

Jo's Website: Here

Free eBook: Molly Gumnut Rescues a Bandicoot

Come and meet Molly Gumnut and the baby bandicoot she named Furble.

Find out how Molly rescues Furbe, what mischief she gets up to and why she's always in trouble with her parents, the headmistress, the neighbour, even Grandma Lilly.

Meet her best friend Lara:

See how tiny Furble really is:

This story is meant to pull at your heartstrings as well as make you laugh. Read it for free and download in on Amazon: Here.

Review of: The Writer's Guide to Psychology: How to Write Accurately About Psychological Disorders, Clinical Treatment and Human Behavior

My Five *****Star Review on Goodreads of:  The Writer's Guide to Psychology: How to Write Accurately About Psychological Disorders, Clinical Treatment and Human Behaviour by Carolyn Kaufman

The Writer's Guide to Psychology: How to Write Accurately About Psychological Disorders, Clinical Treatment and Human Behavior by Carolyn Kaufman

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Once I started reading this book, I couldn't put it down. I had a feeling it was going to be good, but it was much better than I thought. In this book, Carolyn Kaufman wrote about psychological disorders in such an easy way that all readers would easily understand. I liked the way she explained about similar mental illnesses and how to tell the difference. Not only is this book a great resource for writers, but also for families with psychological disorders, and for anyone wanting to understand why they happen and how to treat them. I bought this book to help with my writing, but I learned a lot about people that I didn't know, including myself. I bet everyone can find parts of themselves amongst the pages of this book. Ms Kaufman left nothing out. She gave an insight into every mental illness and psychological disorder and if everyone read this book and kept a copy, the world would be a better place. Thank you Ms Kaufman, you've helped more than you know.

View all my reviews

See on Goodreads: Here 

Amazon Review: Here

Free on Amazon Today: Star-Crossed Rascals

Reluctant Readers young and old, and anyone who likes a good laugh. Come along and download my Free eBooks on Amazon! My 5*****Star eBook: Star-Crossed Rascals is Free today! 


This is the first book in my hilarious Rascals Series.


Meet the rascals, Pollyweena & Gertie, Mange the dog, and the dreaded, Great Aunt Mabel.


Here is the link to download: Here

 

  

Download here: http://www.amazon.com/Star-Crossed-Rascals-Adventures-Gertie-ebook/dp/B0051XSEC2

Free eBook Promotion for Rascals Sing at The opera House

Hello everyone! My author is giving for free one of mine and Gertie's ebooks: 

Rascals Sing at The Opera House.

But you'de better be quick if you want the freebie, there's only a few hours left. It doesn't matter if you miss out though 'cause you can get it for just one dollar. Tee-hee. Then Gertie and I can buy bubblegum and lollies. Mmmm!

Here is the link to our free book. Be quick, or pay the dollar:

http://www.amazon.com/Rascals-House-Adventures-Gertie-ebook/dp/B00622EMW2/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Pay the Dollar!

Dogs Killing Wildlife

Wallabies and kangaroos have grazed safely on our property and the surrounding wetlands since we first moved here. Though I love dogs and cats, we don't have any because of the wildlife in our garden.

Earlier this month, I posted about local dog owners allowing their dogs to escape their gardens and roam our valley. These dogs have been chasing kangaroos, wallabies, and wildlife in our estate. So far we have found two dead wallabies and three dead joeys, and  who knows how many others there are in the surrounding forest and bush tracks. When chased, a wallaby or kangaroo will often throw their joey, which leaves the poor baby vulnerable to predators. Last weekend, this very thing happened in our garden.

Dog owners in our country estate were told to keep their dogs secured, but last week some dogs were out again, chasing the kangaroos and wallabies. The next morning, we noticed a little Red-necked wallaby, with a joey in her pouch. The mother wasn't eating any grass and was sitting in a funny position.

When we tried to get close to her, she hopped away. She'd lived in our garden for years and had had many joeys. We didn't know if she'd been injured by the dogs or something else, but we kept an eye on her so that if she died we could save the joey. She stayed in our yard and the next morning we found she still wasn't eating. The joey hopped out and bounced around, squeaking because he was hungry. Though we tried to capture him, he was way too fast, and when he got back in the pouch, the mother hopped into next-doors garden. See the video below.

We tried for many hour to capture the joey, and the mother, but they were way too fast. We noticed that the joey was having trouble getting back into the pouch, which was probably because the pouch had shrunk because the mother had had no food or water in her stomach. Now the joey wasn't only starving, but the sanctuary of his mother's pouch was becoming unavailable to him. He hopped around squeaking in a panic and my husband and I tried desperately to catch him with a sheet him. When I got down on the grass and pretended to be a wallaby, he hopped right up to my head, (as you can see in the above video), but before I could grab him, he bounced away again. My heart broke. The mother hopped underneath the neighbour's house and the joey followed her, and finally, he managed to squeeze into the pouch. Happy that the joey would be warm for the night, I placed a bowl of water and some oats and crushed weetbix under the house near the mother, hoping they would eat something or at least have a drink. It was already getting dark by then, so we decided to leave them in peace for the night. We didn't want them hopping into the forest because then we'd never be able to rescue the joey if the mother died.

I couldn't sleep much as I was wondering how I could rescue the joey. I knew the mother was getting weaker and thought it might be easier to grab her. As soon as it was light enough I went next-door, but the wallabies weren't under the neighbour's house. They'd gone. I desperately tried to find them and searched vacant blocks, long grass and woodlands, but I couldn't see them anywhere. It had been a very cold night and I knew that the joey wouldn't survive for long out of the pouch, especially with no food. I hadn't seen the joey eat any grass so he probably didn't have his teeth yet. Sadly, I tramped home, but searched again in the afternoon. I knew the mother couldn't have gone far because she would be too weak, so I did another search of the neighbour's property. The neighbour's weren't there, so I searched all over, trudging through the long grass. Then I found the mother wallaby. She was dead and lying on her belly. No way could the joey have got in the pouch to keep warm. The funny thing was, I had searched that area the day before, but I didn't see her then. I guessed that the body could have been dragged from another spot during the night by a predator. But where was the joey?

I searched for the joey all evening until it was too dark, but to no avail. I asked the local folks if they's seen it, but no one had. The father wallaby came and sat next to his dead wife and I hoped the joey would too, but he didn't. Sadly, I guessed the same predator that killed the mother had probably taken the joey. This broke my heart. We had been watching and filming this family of wallabies for years. Many of my blog posts have photos of these beautiful creatures.

We didn't bury the dead wallaby becasue we hoped there was a possibility that they joey would come back to its mother, as they do. I knew it was possible for a joey to survive for a few days without food, so I still hoped to save it. We've saved joeys before that have survived in their dead mother's pouch, though I knew if we did save this one, it would most likely have pneumonia from the cold.

But the next day I saw a large dog, dragging the dead wallaby across the grass. I lost all hope of ever rescuing the tiny joey then. I couldn't believe that these dogs were still roaming free after the owners were told of  the dead wildlife, and even today I saw a dog roaming at the bottom of our garden. Another neighbour told me she'd seen two large dogs in the paddocks yesterday.

WHY DON'T THE OWNERS KEEP THEIR DOGS IN THEIR OWN YARDS?

These dog owners may think they love their pets and that they should be able to run around and have fun. Well, they can't love their dogs that much because one was hit by a car and killed a few weeks ago and another one has gone missing, probably gone bush or was also hit by a car. Are the owners thick? We live near a highway full of traffic and trucks, not to mention the idiots that speed in our estate even though the signs say 30 KPH, and sometimes our native animals get hit and killed by motor vehicles. There's also been quite a few dogs killed since we've been here, as well as ducks, wallabies, kangaroos and other animals. I have the flu now from getting a chill after searching for the joey in the cold night air, but at least I can wrap up warm in bed. Our wildlife can't, they just perish when they get a chill, and on land that is theirs, not pet dogs. The video below was filmed a few weeks ago and before the dogs got out. Now there are no wallabies or kangaroos anywhere near our garden, or in the surrounding areas and wetlands. They've moved to safer ground until the dogs are no longer here. It's a shame because it was so peaceful here for them. See our garden in the video below.

Please feel free to leave a comment.

Free eBook Today: Velvet Ball and The Broken Fairy

Today my eBook version of Velvet Ball and The Broken Fairy is Free on Amazon.  Here is the link: http://www.amazon.com/Velvet-Broken-Fairy-Roseberry-ebook/dp/B004C05694/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&m=A24IB90LPZJ0BS