Adventures of Molly Mavis Gumnut

Shut Up and Read

2012-01-27T07:24:00.000-08:00

If you'd like to read Molly Gumnut Rescues a Bandicoot for free, visit Goodreads and enter the Shut Up and Read discussion at this link: http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/783522-read-it-reap10-molly-gumnut-rescues-a-bandicoot-by-patricia-puddle

Here are some of the characters you'll meet in this story:

Molly and Lara

Molly Gumnut

The Very Random Thoughts of Laura: Some Laura'isms...

2012-01-16T16:07:00.000-08:00

The Very Random Thoughts of Laura: Some Laura'isms...

Rascals Sing at The Opera House available on Amazon Kindle

2012-01-12T17:46:00.000-08:00

Rascals Sing at The Opera House available on Amazon Kindle for $0.99: Here
If you don't have an eReader, you can download a Free Computer Kindle from Amazon when you download an eBook from their kindle store.Though I have an physical Amazon Kindle, the computer one is great too. It's like having your own library on your computer and the reading experience is fabulous. I especially like reading illustrated books on my computer kindle because I love seeing the drawings in full colour.

Here's a sample of the illustrations and characters.

Gertie

Pollyweena

Great Aunt Mabel

The headmistress, Mrs Godbolt Mean teacher, Miss Badger

Mange the doggy

Music teacher, Mr Tenor

Download Rascals Sing at The Opera House here: http://www.amazon.com/Rascals-House-Adventures-Gertie-ebook/dp/B00622EMW2/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&m=A24IB90LPZJ0BS

Here is a link for a free Computer kindle: http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=kcp_pc_mkt_lnd?docId=1000426311

Star-Crossed Rascals has been added to 5StarBooks. Yay!

2011-12-19T16:03:00.000-08:00

What a surprise this morning to recieve an email to say my book:
Star-Crossed Rascals has been added to the website 5StarBooks. I'm thrilled! Click on the logo below and it will take you there to see. Or click on my book tittle above to go to Amazon books or 5StarBooks to go to their website.

Here is the Book that was chosen:

Paperback version on Amazon Books:

eBook Version on Amazon Kindle

To go to the book sellers just click on the book covers.

Rascals do their Happy Dance

2011-12-17T20:39:00.000-08:00

Yay! Pollyweena and Gertie are doing their happy dance because their latest book:
Rascals Sing at The Opera House is starting to sell on Amazon.

Even Mange is excited and is waggling his butt!

Velvet Ball Free eBook at Smashwords

2011-12-13T01:37:00.000-08:00

Velvet Ball and The Broken Fairy is available as a free eBook at Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/32393

Little Girl with Alopecia Areata

2011-12-09T19:24:00.000-08:00

I wrote Velvet Ball and The Broken Fairy, as a paperback and eBook. This is the story about a nine-year-old girl with Alopecia Areata I'd heard that many children with this problem get bullied and ridiculed at school, so I wanted other children to be aware of the plight of a bald child, and the things they have to cope with. But I also wanted this story to be a happy story, one where children accept and love themselves the way they are, and for other children to accept and love other children with differences. To do this I created Roseberry, a dysfunctional and bossy little sprite, who also gets bullied because she doesn't know how to use her magic.

As I began writing this story, the two characters took over and the story unfolded without me knowing where it was going. Even I was entertained and surprised by the events that unfolded and the characters that emerged.

I think Velvet and Roseberry must be hanging around at the moment and must want their story told because suddenly I'm selling quite a few of these books, both in paperback and ebooks. I've sold many author copies myself, but now buyers are coming from unknown readers, so I'm sure the girls are out and about. If you've read the story you'll understand why, but I can't tell you because I'd give the ending away.

However, I'll post the most popular review from Amazon below. And if anyone knows of a child with Alopecia and would like a free eBook just ask in the comments below. I'll also give a paperback of this story to the first person who gives a new, verified review on Amazon or Smashwords and then post the link in the comments or connect with me on Goodreads.

Here is the review from Amazon:

Quote{
Quirky & delightful - a great read, November 20, 2010By
Elizabeth SwigarAmazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)This review is from: Velvet Ball and The Broken Fairy (Velvet and Roseberry) (Kindle Edition)In this book, the plot centers around two characters - a little girl with alopecia, and a fairy who can't do magic. Both are bullied, both are feisty, and both stick to their guns. Both discover hidden powers within themselves that they never new existed - powers they never would have known about had they not crossed paths. The end comes with several twists and turns that I did not expect, and the author resolves the issue of whether Velvet should accept her baldness or rebel against it quite nicely.
The story takes place in a small town in Australia. Certain details are quite charming for a US reader like me, such as the appearance of native animals like butcher birds and kangaroos. The setting is well brought to life and the descriptions of the school remind me of my own elementary days. I love a strong female heroine, and this book offers two. Interactions between the two contribute to their wonderful character arcs. Conversation between them, and among the secondary characters, feels natural. I particularly like Velvet's surprising mother, who appears in the story in unexpected ways, and her father, who breaks the mold for the traditional masculine father. The author treats these characterizations gently, incorporating them into the plot in a natural way that I find charming.
This book is good for all readers, full of humor and enough gross-out details to charm any child or adult reader who enjoys children's books. Faced-paced and quirky, the author's style is firmly entrenched in Velvet's voice, making us feel as though Velvet wrote the book.
Highly recommended.
A wonderful read from start to its surprising finish. A fairy tale about a medical condition - what could be better?} End quote.

Amazon Books:http://www.amazon.com/Velvet-Broken-Fairy-Patricia-Puddle/dp/1456387448/ref=ntt_at_ep_edition_1_1

Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Velvet-Broken-Fairy-Roseberry-ebook/dp/B004C05694/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&m=A24IB90LPZJ0BS

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/32393

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10413724-velvet-ball-and-the-broken-fairy

Boofhead and Beanie's Christmas Greeting

2011-12-08T13:33:00.000-08:00

Beanie & Boofhead
wish you a
Merry Christmas
and a
Happy New year.

Save a Macropod Joey

2011-12-04T16:53:00.000-08:00

I love Macropods

Macropods are: Kangaroos, Wallabies, Padamelons, Potaroos, and more.

In our garden, we have many Red-necked Wallabies and Grey Kangaroos. Though we live in the bush, we're not that far from a busy highway, and sadly we see many dead native animals on the roads. I know this can't be avoided, but when it comes to my tiny village, it breaks my heart to think that these precious animals get run over when the speed limit is only 30 kilometres per hour. Still, it's not always possible to avoid the roos at dusk when they sometimes leap out in front of a moving car, even if the driver is going slow. However, we've lost many due to people refusing to slow down. And it's sad to think that that little animal could have had a wonderful life, and sometimes there's a joey in the pouch.

When a Macropod has been killed it's often possible to save joey that is still in its mother's pouch. This can be gruesome and it's understandable that folks don't want to touch, or go near the dead animal, but please take the time to phone a wildlife rescue in your area because if there is a living baby in the pouch it will most likely die a slow and painful death from hunger and exposure. Plus it could be injured and in pain.

If you're able to rescue the joey, please don't pull the joey away from the mother if he's still suckling from the teat because this might tear the roof of the joey's mouth and then he may not survive. If he's not suckling, take him out and wrap him in a towel, blanket or tea-shirt to keep him warm until you find a wildlife rescuer or a vet. Most vets don't charge a fee to the public for the treatment off wildlife. Do not feed the joey cows milk, just keep him warm and get him to a vet or a wildlife carer ass soon as possible.

I'm a member of a wildlife rescue and recently I was called out to collect a joey that had been bouncing around a property for two day after its mother was killed. It had no food and was suffering from hunger and exposure, but died on the grass before I arrived. So if you see a joey without a mother, please call a wildlife rescue for help. You may save a precious life.

Here are some photos of the Red-necked wallabies and Kangaroos in my garden:

Sorry about this, but recently, on my morning walk in my small village, I came across this poor wallaby and her little joey that had probably been hit by a car. Unfortunately, the joey had been pulled from the mother's pouch by a large bird, though it looked like the poor little guy had already been badly injured.

It broke my heart, knowing these beautiful little animals could have lived a wonderful life. The speed limit in our country village is 30 kilometres per hour, not sixty or seventy and we often have folks speeding. Many animals are just left to perish, without first checking the mother's pouch, though many kind folks have accidently hit animals even doing the correct speed. Those wonderful people contacted us and the joeys were saved.

Here are two joeys that were saved and lived.

Here are phone numbers to keep for wildlife rescues in NSW Australia:

Taronga Wildlife Clinic, via Zoo switchboard: 02 99692777 press 0 for operator

WIRES Sydney: 1300 094737

SydneyMetWildlife: 9413 4300

FAWNA (Mid North Coast: 6584141

Wires Nambucca: 6564 8661

Wires Tamworth: 1300 131 554

Wires Coffs Harbour: 66527119

Native Animal Trust (Hunter) 0418 628 483

Wildlife Aid (Singleton, Musw, Scone) 0447 667737

Wildlife Arc Central Coast: 4325 0666

Nth Tablelands Wildlife Armidale: 1800 008 290

National Parks and Wildlife Hunter HQ : 4984 8200

Koala Preservation society - Port Macquarie: 6584 1522

Koalas in Care Taree: 6552 2183

Paperback Giveawy for Rascals Sing at The Opera House

2011-11-23T18:17:00.000-08:00

I'm doing a Paperback Give-away for my new book:
Rascals Sing at The Opera House

I'm giving away two paperback copies over at Goodreads, so be sure to come on over and enter. Plus, if you'd like a free eBook of this story, post on here, email me, or send me a message at Goodreads and I will give you a discount code to download a free eBook on Smashwords.

To enter the paperback Give-away, just click on the link in the Goodreads post on the right of this blog on the sidebar.

Good luck!

Pollyweena Grubble

Belly Gut Cakes

2011-11-16T19:53:00.001-08:00

Gertie decided to cook cupcakes for play-lunch

But there wasn't any flour.

So she mixed all the yummies into a bunch

And had it cooked within an hour.

Gertie's Belly Gut Cakes

Ingredients:

One cup full of raw oats

One cup of sultanas

One cup of dried apricots

One cup of sunflower seeds

One cup of Oat-bran

One cup of shredded coconut

1/2 a cup of crushed nuts

4 weetbix

1 raw egg

Seven tablespoons off melted coconut oil

Three tablespoons of honey

Mix ingredients in a bowl, then place in cupcake papers and cook in oven for 20 minutes on a medium heat.

When the cakes were cool

Gertie took them all to school

And when she'd eaten all the nuts

She got a rotten belly guts.

Rascals Sing at The Opera House, available as a Paperback

2011-11-06T06:31:00.000-08:00

Rascals Sing at The Opera House is now available as a paperback on Amazon books. I had to hurry and write this story because some of my favourite fans kept asking for the sequel to Star-Crossed Rascals. I hope this book makes them laugh as much as the first in the series, and I already have a plot for the third book. But first, I have to finish the sequels to Velvet Ball and Molly Gumnut. I can't have Molly and Velvet getting jealous of Polly and Gertie because I'd never hear the end of it. I had so much fun writing this story, but even more fun drawing the illustrations, though they took me forever. And to think five years ago, I didn't even know where commas went or how to spell. Now I've self-published four children's books as well as drawn my own illustrations and written songs and poetry for all my characters. This book is dedicated to all those children out there that struggled to learn like I did. And for all those kids that had embarrassing accidents at school like I did. You're never too old, or too young to learn anything. Follow your dreams, children and pay attention in school. And if your teacher won't teach you, turn her into a wicked witch in your book. LOL.

Here is the link to the paperback at Amazon Books: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1466471859And

Here is the link to the eBook on Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Rascals-House-Adventures-Gertie-ebook/dp/B00622EMW2

And eBook at Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/100658

This book was inspired by the things that happened to me as a small child at school. Here is a photo of my very first classroom and in it sits my best friend. Unfortunately, I can't bee seen in this photo as I was probably at the other side of the classroom, but I'll post a picture of me below.

My best friend is sat at the table on the top left. She's the girl with a bow and pointing at a reading card. She's sat next to the little boy with blonde curly hair. My best friend inspired Gertie, and yes, we really did go to a singing festival and I really did have to mime. My voice was horrible, but I so loved to sing. I was only allowed to stay in the choir if I promised to mime. Which I did, but I got into trouble from my teacher for wobbling my head like an Opera Singer. She said I was over acting. Though it wasn't the teacher from kindergarten. That teacher was wonderful, it was a later teacher. I also really did stink out the classroom, but to find out how, you'll have to read the book.

This is me as the rascal who inspired Polly.

Rascals Sing at The Opera House Now available as eBook

2011-10-31T06:22:00.000-07:00

Finally, Rascals Sing at The Opera House is now available as an eBook with Amazon Kindle and on Smashwords for $0.99

The paperback version will be available very soon, hopefully this week on Amazon Books as are my other three books, and also with amazon Kindle.

This is the second book in The rascals series. The first book is Star-Crossed Rascals. Here is a link to my Smashwords page: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/TrishaPuddle

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/100658

Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=Rascals+Sing+at+The+opera+House&x=0&y=0

Another 5 Sar Review for Star-Crossed Rascals

2011-10-24T18:13:00.000-07:00

Yay! I received yet another 5 Star review from a reader on Smashwords today. Here it is:

Polly and Gertie are best friends forever. They do everything together, whether it is disgusting like chewing bubblegum they have just picked up on the street or riding a bike like crazy.
Polly does get upset with Gertie for being silly or being totally careless when Polly thinks taking a risk is totally unnecessary. However, everything always works out between the two of them. (not going to give out any spoilers here)
When we meet Polly, her parents are away so auntie Mabel looks after her for the time being. However her aunt isn’t the best possible choice for a babysitter, which makes Polly’s life miserable and extremely difficult. Aunt Mabel doesn’t even try to understand Polly and can’t stand Gertie around Polly, blaming her for all the trouble Polly gets into. But telling the truth, when it comes to trouble Polly is as creative as Gertie.
Polly’s story made me laugh like crazy & made me cry at the end of the book.
This girl reminds me so much of another little girl I remember from my childhood. Little red Scandinavian rascal named Pippi.
Patricia Puddle did an excellent job at portraying friendship between two girls who aren’t into ballet & doll house parties. Their friendship is not easy but real friendships never are and they usually require a lot of unconditional acceptance.
Polly and Gertie’s friendship is realistic, they have ups & downs but most importantly one loves another and they are there for each other.
The book is a fantastic read for kids age 5-13 (not to put any crazy ideas into little kid’s minds ☺).
I would recommend “Star – Crossed Rascals” also to parents, teachers & librarians.

And here is the link to Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/65250

The sequel: Rascals Sing in the Opera House will be available very soon.

The Minds of Little Children

2011-10-23T18:07:00.000-07:00

My fourth book Rascals Go to the Opera House is finally completed. The illustrations took me as long as writing the story, but I enjoyed every minute of it.

I hope children and adults like this chapter book for reluctant readers as much as
Star-Crossed Rascals, but I couldn't help myself, I made it quite gross. I guess I'm still that seven-year-old child with memories as clear as clean water, though my short term memory is slipping a little.

When I was a small child, I often had little mishaps at school and I guess most children do at some stage. But this is rarely spoken about by children because of the embarrassed. I know I was so embarrassed sometimes that I refused to go to school. I would chuck a tantrum and use every excuse from tummy ache to complaining that my pigtails didn't match or my socks were uneven. When that didn't work, I would make myself sick.

I had a teacher that refuse to let children go to the bathroom unless it was recess. I guess that doesn't happen these days, but it was terrible when it happened to me. I was a small child and seemed to have a tiny bladder. I could never wait until playtime. One day after an accident, I came up with a brilliant idea - or so I thought. Hiding behind the coat racks at the back of the classroom, I waited until everyone went out to play. Then I stuffed my wet underpants down the back of the school radiator.Yay! I thought. They'll dry there. Lucky for me, I had my gym shorts in my bag, but no way could I play handstands with my friends. I told them I had a tummy ache. LOL.

Though I thought I had solved my problem of the day, I had created a big one. Of course when I sneaked back to my classroom before the other children, my underpants were warm and dry. Yay! I outsmarted the kids that usually teased me. I put them on and sat at my desk with a smug grin on my face. Well, that is until the teacher started sniffing the air. A minute later, the headmistress came into the room and wrinkled her nose. She immediately opened a window and said the classroom stunk. Then she asked us all which one of us had wet their pants. Yipes! I couldn't smell anything. Were they talking about me? I hadn't realised that the steam from the drying underpants had lingered in that classroom. I was terrified.

Then to make matters worse, a boy put his hand up and suggested to the headmistress that it was most probably me as I often had an accident. I was indignant. I stood up and yelled that it wasn't me and when the teacher checked my pants, she found that I was dry. Yes! I'd outsmarted them all, but by the skin of my tiny teeth.

The teachers never found out who's stunk out the classroom, but through my school years I had many odd accidents. Like the day I thought the linen towel, hanging from the wall would make a great swing. I was still only seven and tiny for my age, but while I was swinging too and fro, the darn container broke from the wall and landed on my head. Yipes! There was a huge hole in the wall and I was covered in grey dust and rubble, not to mention a big bump on my head as big as an egg. Only my best friend saw this happen and she steered me away before I got caught. Once again, I outsmarted the teachers as they thought it had just fallen from the wall.

The name my teacher used to address me was Wish-washy. That name stuck for years and I came to believe I was a bit thick as I had many occurrences like these. (Which are all made into the fictitious children's stories in my Lovable Rascals series. Star-Crossed Rascals is the first and Rascals Sing at The Opera House is the second and due out very soon.)

It was at this age that I had to have a few childhood operations, so I missed out quite a bit of my schooling, which set me behind in my lessons. I couldn't keep up with my classmates and that teacher was no help at all. She often sent me to sit outside the principal's office instead of keeping me in at recess and teaching me what I'd missed and needed to learn, like reading and writing. Of course, being the little weirdo I was, and still am, I learned to cope by making my classmates laugh. This brought me many friends an made my childhood years happy ones. I lived in England until I was twelve, then moved to Australia and while I was on a website a year ago, I came across one of my old friends from my childhood. This fellow now hosts my website. What a fun world cyberspace is.

As I grew up, I realised I wasn't thick at all, just uneducated. So I went and educated myself to the best of my ability, but I still wanted to make kids laugh, so when I write my children's stories, I add things that children actually do. Some of these things are quite gross and I've even had one man tell me that he wouldn't let his grandchildren read books such as mine - meaning ones that talk about toilet habits and cheeky children.

LOL. Well, my books are not for everyone, but so far my fans love them. Children love to read gross things and even if some parents won't let them read such books, they'll hunt them down in libraries and even at schools. I've had many teachers and librarians tell me that the reluctant readers love them. I even had a wonderful review from a lady with an autistic boy who wouldn't read, but is now one of my best fans.

That's my only aim with my books, to make people laugh, mainly children. Though I have many pensioner fans as they love small books with larger writing and the slap-stick humour of my stories.

I'd love you to comment and let me know what you think about gross children's book.

Author Interview (in South American Rainforest Indy Style) with Chrissy Peebles

2011-10-22T02:59:00.000-07:00

Here's my weird and wonderful interview with one of my favourite authors, Chrissy Peebles. And would you believe it takes place in the South American Rainforest - Indiana Jones Style - Cyberspace of course.

Hi Chrissy. What on earth have you got me into, dragging me into a cyberspace version of the South American Rainforest? You know I'm allergic to insects. Ouch! Splat! That mosquito was enormous and it just bit me.

Hi Trish! You are such a wimp. Now put you're protection hat back on and let's dive into the world of Indiana Jones

Hugh? Are we going on a treasure hunt for Indy’s golden idol? *birds squawk, insects buzz, mist swirls, and sunlight streams through the rainforest canopy*

Thanks for interviewing me out here in the rainforest. I hope it wasn’t an inconvenience, Trish.

Well. I only took a cyber-train, cyber-plane,cyber- jeep, cyber-canoe and sailed down a cyber-river loaded with piranhas, hippos, and crocs. But anything to promote your book, right? *big grin* You owe me girl. I'm covered in cyber-bites.

*Motions around* Oh, don't be such a meanie bum, I thought this would be the perfect spot for the spirit of my book since it takes place in the jungle. Anyway, I just read your new book that's coming out any time soon. And it was full of gross stuff. I could hardly eat my dinner with some of the things Aunt Mabel cooked for that Pollyweena kid. So you ow me, Patricia Puddle.

*Smacks giant blowfly* Okay, okay, you don't have to shove me. I'll do it, I'll pretend it's great to be here on your stupid little expedition, but I’m allergic to insects, eww. I hope we find the hidden temple, and soon. *Big sigh* So let’s start this interview, shall we? Go ahead tell me about your book.

I’d love too. My book is called Agartha's Castaway. Three teenagers are shipwrecked in a strange tropical jungle…hey, kind of like this one.

*Yipes!* Uh, oh. I read your book. There better not be T-rexes in this jungle. Anyway, how does your novel differ from all the other YA books out there?

I think what makes the novel unique and different is the way it crosses dinosaurs with UFOs. It’s kind of like Jurassic Park MEETS Independence Day with Twilight-like romance.

I love the genre-bending. So what’s your favorite movie song?

It’s…uh, Trish, why are you staring at me like that?

Well, um, Chrissy, I’m trying not to stare but you’re wearing a rough, snapped brim brown fedora, safari clothes, boots, and a leather coat. I always knew you were a little weirdo like me.

Oh, what, this get up? I’m Indy. *Smiles and cracks a whip* Well, this outfit sure goes along with my favorite movie song--Indiana Jones. I also like Star Wars, Jurassic Park and The Neverending Story.

Sing in the rain or dance in the streets?

*Thunder cracks in the distance complete with pouring rain and flashing lightning.*

Oh, poo! My hair is wet now. Oh, well I'll sing you the theme song to Indiana Jones, then.

*smiles* I always knew you liked to sing, and you’re awesome, but could you try to sing a little bit better. You sound like Pollyweena Grubble, the MC in my upcoming children’s book. Her singing is so bad, she asked to mime.

Ha, ha. Hey,your mascara is running.

Poo! it was supposed to be waterproof. Oh, well, at least I don’t look like a drowned rat like you. So Chrissy. Tell everyone what makes you unique? Then they can have a good laugh like me. LOL.

Duh! We’re having an interview in the rain in the middle of the jungle aren’t we? I guess I’d have to say my imagination and humor.

Don’t forget the big wooden spoon you use, Chrissy.

What?

For poo stirring. Hahahaha. Sorry, now you can tell everyone something that you’re really good at?

*Adjusts wide-brimmed fedora* Why I give the best shots in the world.

What? And you’re proud of that?

Giving shots with no pain is a skilled craft. I swear I’ve given 5,000 of them in my nursing career.

*Covers butt* Okay, well just don’t think about giving me one. How can you drop a raw egg onto a concrete floor without cracking it?

Concrete floors are very hard to crack!

Funny girl! But guess what? I’ve actually cracked a concrete floor. Yes I have. When I was helping my husband to build our full brick house in the country. We did everything, just the two of us, and I cracked the slab when we poured the concrete, so there.

*Ducks under giant fern and smiles* Ah, you always have to be the best. Now, you’re stealing my lime light too, you bozo!!!

Well, you’re making me romp around the jungle. But sorry, I forgot this was your interview. Let’s continue, shall we? What if we run into a tiger or a giant anaconda?

Trust me.

Hey, isn’t that what Indy always says? Okay, next question. If you could be any character from the X-men, who would it be?

Think blue skin. Yellow eyes. Mutant shape shifter. I’d live in the Marvel universe, home to the most kick-butt superheroes in the galaxy. Any idea who I’m talking about? *smiles* Yep! Mystique from the X-men.

How about if you could be one of the characters from Lost?

Oh! I’d love to be Kate Austen. (Evangeline Lilly) She knows how to track people, goes on dangerous excursions, she works hard, kicks butt…and the chick just rocks!

Hang on, I'll just move this branch aside. Oh, cripes! There's a horrific stone sculpture of a Chachapoyan demon. and those vines and leaves are covering me. Geese, that black entrance looks like it's designed to look like open jaws. Chrissy, surely we’re not going in there? The freaking place is covered in spider webs!

Yep, we’re going in! So channel your “inner Laura Croft”. Or distract yourself by giving me the next question. *carries torch as she walks up the twisting, narrow passage from the main entrance. It’s wet, dark, and hanging with plants and stalactites. Whistling drafts and dripping water fill the air*

*Gasps* Oh my gosh, Trish, there's a big, hairy tarantula crawling up on my arm.

*Whack!* Don't be a baby. It's nothing more than a fly. I’m more freaked out by those thousands of snakes hissing and slithering everywhere.

I would like to now tell everyone that I’ll take snakes any day over spiders!

Dually noted!

Here's a torch, Trish. Wave it at anything that slithers.

Snakes. Why'd it hafta be snakes? *CLANG! Giant spikes spring together* Eeeeuuuew! I had to jump out of the way then. I think I hate booby traps even more!

Hey! Like you told me, don't be a baby.

*Points* But there's a skeleton impaled on that spike! We can’t go any further.

Now, Trish, we don't want to be discouraged by every little thing.

Okay, now you sound like the famous Indiana Jones himself. Okay, we need to be extra careful. And we really need to get on with this interview. Burger King or McDonalds?

I like the loaded Whopper better than the Big Mac and- *lets out long scream*

*Without warning Chrissy and Trish fall down a set of narrow stairs.*

Ouch! Shine the torch down here, will ya Chrissy? I think I broke something.

*shines torch downward as two idiots scream*

The floor is covered in human skeletons! I wanna go home. It’s dark, there’s spiders…and human bones. *crunching with each step* I’m not sure I’m liking your fantasy. So what made you become a fantasy writer anyway?

I love all genres. But to me, there’s no greater genre than fantasy. I also love that in fantasy I can push the envelope outside normal boundaries.

Push the envelope? Well, you certainly do that in all of your stories. And even here in real life, like bringing me out here to die in some Egyptian temple.

*Chrissy chuckles* No one is dying today.

*Chrissy motions inside a large, domed room with ten skylights shining beams on a black and white tiled floor* Let’s go inside! *walks to jeweled idol sitting on a polished stone altar* The statue, it's beautiful! Isn’t it, Trish?

Wow! We’re going to be rich!

*Chrissy reaches in jacket for a small canvas bag; and begins filling it up with dirt* Trust me, everything’s going to be okay. *Chrissy’s hands slowly inch closer toward idol*

Trust you, you greedy pig. Anyway, your hands are shaking. If you mess up, we’re dead. Try to distract yourself. Why don’t you tell me about your next project?

Good distraction. I have written the sequel to Agartha’s Castaway. I hope to have it out on Amazon Kindle soon. And I am ¾ of the way through a new adventure fantasy called, The Ruby Ring. It’s about a twenty-one year old girl named Sarah Larker who returns to a cave where her sister disappeared five years earlier. She walks through a portal and is mistaken for a runaway princess on the run by a dangerous Immortal king in medieval times. Her plan is bold as well as daring—become this princess, wed the king, and slip on an ancient wedding ring that will unlock the portal. Then find her sister and run as fast as she can out of Dodge. But taking on the identity of Princess Gloria comes along with dangerous consequences; and slipping on the ruby ring comes with an even higher price.

Chrissy, don’t take this the wrong way but you’re not exactly inspiring confidence with all those beads of sweat rolling down your face. You sure this is going to work?

Why wouldn't it? Keep me distracted by asking more questions. *makes the switch and grabs the idol*

Vampires or werewolves?

Definitely vampires. I have a thing for boys who sparkle.

*The cave rumbles and shakes* Hey! The swap didn’t work Chrissy!

Oops! *a huge boulder (form-fitted perfectly to the passageway) speeds toward us* Uh, Trish, we have a little problem.

*Gulps* Little?

Oh, crap! Runaway boulder. Run, Trish, run!

*Trish runs like hell.* You bloody idiot. I knew I shouldn’t have come here. What? You’re trying to kill me and I haven’t even published my next book yet. Goodonya! *Boulder passes by. *runs out of cave, brushing off dirt and pulling twigs out of her hair* That was close Chrissy! Let’s move on to the next question so I can get out of this nightmare. If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?

The Galapagos Islands. You can swim with giant mantas, turtles, dolphins, tuna, sea lions, and let’s not forget about the 32 species of sharks! White tip reef sharks, whale sharks, bull sharks, and large schools of hammerhead sharks swim throughout the clear waters.

Yipes! What about sharks? Your not scared of sharks?

No way. I think I’m more likely to be killed by lightning or a bee sting than by a shark attack. Swimming with sharks would be such a blast!

Yipes! *Native warriors in full battle paint carry long blow guns. A white man named Belloq dressed in safari gear speaks with a French accent.*

“Chrissy, you choose the wrong friends. This time it will cost you,” said Belloq. *Chrissy hands Belloq the idol*

“Chrissy, who is this weasel?”

“My competitor, stupid.”

“So, Chrissy,” said Belloq. “I have an interview question for you. If you could have any superpower, what would it be?

Chrissy bites lip. “Super strength to kick your butt.”

“Yeah that would come in handy right about now,” said Trish.

“And you thought I'd given up,” said Belloq.

Chrissy (eyeing the natives) “Too bad they don't know you like I do, Belloq.”

(smiles) “Yes, too bad. You could warn them... if only you spoke Hovitos.” Belloq looks at the natives. “Kill them!”

Chrissy and Trish exchange a glance. *they bolt into the jungle as a rainstorm of poison darts and spears pass over their heads.

“Yipes! Chrissy, You never told me this interview would entail cliff diving! You know I’m a big coward and scaredy cat.

Sorry Trish. *angry yells radiate from the jungle* Jump into the river!

Do you like to sing in the shower?

Y----E----S! *voice echoes as Chrissy jumps off cliff*

SPLASH! Chrissy and Trish swim to the seaplane! *more arrows whiz past head as Trish climbs onto seaplane* Why did I agree to do this interview with you?

Because you love me? *smiles*

Trish pushes Chrissy. “Always”, bestest friend, but I don’t know why. We didn’t even get the golden idol.

Plane speeds off over the jungle.

Phew! Now that we're back at my place, Chrissy, how about we check out you book trailer? I bet it's over the top like you and your book.

Yep!

All righty then, let's play it. Got any popcorn? Here's the book trailer: http://youtu.be/viwT0M8Ms_g

Sheesh! I'd hate to be those teenagers and I better not see a darn dino or UFO, Chrissy

Oh, I better tell folks where they can buy your book? Here it is: http://www.amazon.com/Agarthas-Castaway-ebook/dp/B005JPEG9M

Buy it now, you'll love it!

And here is the wacky Chrissy Peeble's blog:

Rascals Sequel Out Soon!

2011-10-12T19:21:00.000-07:00

I've finally finished my sequel to Star-Crossed Rascals and it will be available soon as a paperback and also an eBook. This book took me longer to finish because I worked on the illustrations as much as the story. I wanted to add more pictures because that's what children love as well as the story. As this book is for young, and reluctant readers, the illustrations are important. I hope the children, and adults like them.

Here is a preview of some illustrations in the next Rascals Chapter Book:

Review for Velvet Ball and The Broken Fairy

2011-10-09T13:25:00.000-07:00

While I was over at Goodreads, I noticed a new review for my book
Velvet Ball and The Broken Fairy.
A lovely lady by the name of Terry gave me this fantastic review. Of course it made my day even brighter. Thank you so much, Terry.
Here is a copy of the review and a link to read it at Goodreads:

Terry rated it *10 Stars*
Recommends it for: Everyone! (Great for Reluctant Readers!)
Shelves: favorites, highly-recommended, kids-of-all-ages

Ms. Puddle, you never cease to amaze me!
I don't think I've ever read two books in a row by the same author that I've enjoyed this much until now!
I loved Star-Crossed Rascals and absolutely adored Polly and Gertie. I didn't think it possible to like any other characters as much as I did those two.
That is, until I met Velvet Ball and Roseberry, the Fairy of Crabtree Forest. Once again, I found myself falling in love with the main characters, Velvet our young heroine, and Roseberry our unlikely heroine.

Velvet Ball is a bright, intelligent and precocious 9 year old girl who suffers with a disease called Alopecia Areata. This condition has left Velvet bald, with no body hair, and an obvious target for bullies. This wonderful little girl is nobody's victim however, and she is no pushover. Roseberry IS the fairy your mother warned you about. She's sassy times ten, a tad bit rude, yet a bundle of laughs. The way Ms. Puddle handles the relationship between these two is masterful; the dialogue smoothly bounces back and forth as expertly as a tennis ball at a Wimbleton match.

The story moves consistently along at a nice speed, with just the right amount of excitement, action and humor. (Might I add well placed, well-timed humor that is actually funny, not cheesy or dumbed down). Velvet rescues Roseberry, after the bullies have thrown her into a tree. She takes her home where she'll be safe, but the bullies kidnap Roseberry out of Velvet's room. (My stomach actually dropped at this part; the talented Ms. Puddle knows how to write!). Velvet is once again going to bravely rescue the fairy from the bullies...

I highly recommend Patricia Puddles books to everyone. This is one author, whom I'm thankful to have been introduced to. Her books have never failed to cheer me up and make me laugh. I'll even go as far as to say they're therapeutic.
My autistic son loves them also. He's become a big fan. We plan on buying/owning every book she writes. I'll be keeping her books on my favorites shelf for years to come, where they will be shared with my grandchildren.

Here is the link if you'd like to read it on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10413724-velvet-ball-and-the-broken-fairy

Return of Great Aunt Mabel

2011-10-09T06:03:00.000-07:00

First of all, do you like my new blog picture up above? That is a little Antechinus I caught in our house and released back to the woods. Antechinus are little marsupials that live at the top of trees and eat insects and bugs. However, they prefer the comforts of a house if they can get access to one.

Okay, back to my blog post. I'm halfway through the sequel to Star-Crossed Rascals, but the illustrations are taking longer than the writing. Here is a one of my illustrations for: Return of The Dirty Rascals. (Or should I call them Lovable Rascals? Not sure yet.)

Anyway, here's Great Aunt Mabel and she causes even more trouble for Polly and Gertie.

Keep watching this blog and I'll post Polly and Gertie very soon.

Illustrations of Polly for Return of The Grotty Rascals

2011-10-09T04:15:00.000-07:00

Here are my latest Polly Illustrations.

Review for Star-Crossed Rascals

2011-10-09T00:18:00.000-07:00

I was so excited to receive this fantastic review for Star-Crossed Rascals that I had to share it with my blog readers. Thank you so much to the lovely lady that wrote it on Goodreads. Here it is:

Quote from happy reader at Goodreads:

[ Oh my word! Ms. Puddle, you are a genius!
Finally, a "childs" tale which is appropriate for boys and girls of all ages. I'd highly recommend for everyone to read this book, from Senior Citizens to the youngest readers.

Star-Crossed Rascals is the funniest tale I've read in years! I will never look at "play-dough", "gobstoppers" or mops the same. *****10 stars!*****

Polly is such an endearing little girl, who's best intentions always seem to land her in a mess. She has come to life in the pages of this book, which will have you laughing and crying at the same time. Gertie, who is Polly's best friend, is the child your mother always warned you about, except she's not cruel or mean, simply adventurous. She's the best friend we all want to have! I found myself cheering on Polly (and Gertie), in their antics against Great Auntie Mabel who was an utter crank.
I'm keeping this one for my grandchildren, as it will be re-read many times again. Thank you for the fun Ms. Puddle and for Zac's new favorite book! Please, please write many sequels!] End quote.

Please Vote for my Book Cover.

2011-09-30T17:33:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, I would love it if you would vote on which book cover I should use for my new book:
Rascals Sing at the Opera House. It's due out in a few days. Yay! Thank you to anyone who votes. I really appreciate it.

Great Aunt Mabel Without her Teeth

2011-09-11T09:48:00.000-07:00

Had to post my latest illustration of Great Aunt Mabel without her teeth in because it cracked me up. You'll find out what Polly did to make her so mad when Return of The Grubby Rascals is released, which will be very soon.

Agartha's Castaway by Chrissy Peebles

2011-09-08T04:53:00.000-07:00

Agartha's Castaway is a fantastic Y/A book, but will be enjoyed by all readers. I absolutely loved it. The story is full of adventure and thrills. Casey's parents are lost at sea in a storm and she ends up stuck on a yacht with her two best friends, Mike and Jack. The story takes a bizarre turn when they end up on a strange island. I can't tell you too much about it though as I don't want to add spoilers. The characters are hilarious and the author has the dialogue and actions of teenagers so perfect.

The MC, Casey, is very endearing, and is also like a young Lara Croft, but much funnier. Mike and Jack, will have you laughing at their funny antics, though I particularly like Jack. He's so witty. There's also a love triangle and unusual prehistoric animals that will excite any reader. If you loved Jurassic Park, you'll absolutely love this book. However, the plot is quite different and there are twists and turns that'd you never expect. I highly recommend it. It will have you on the edge of your seat right to the exciting end. The author is brilliant.

I rate it at 10 stars, because I can and it's worth it. Can't wait to read more books by Chrissy Peebles.

To buy this wonderful eBook at only $0.99 click on the book cover or the blue Amazon link here >>> Amazon Kindle Store:

You can also buy it on Smashwords here >> Smashwords

Interview with Spencer Brokaw, a 12 year-old Published Author

2011-08-20T02:05:00.000-07:00

Today I'm interviewing twelve-year-old, published author, Spencer Brokaw. How cool is that?

Hi Spencer. How old were you when you decided you wanted to be an author?

I was 6 years old when I began writing at home. I think that was when I decided I wanted to keep writing and be an author.

That is amazing, Spencer. Tell me, who influenced your writing?

Authors like Rick Riordan, and J.K. Rowling heavily influenced my writing.

Did anyone encourage your to write?

Yes, my dad was the person who suggested that I write in the first place. He always read what I wrote and told me to keep writing.

What a great dad you have. I'm already trying to encourage my grandchildren to write and draw, but they are both under five at the moment. What do your teachers and school pals think of you publishing a book?

My school pals were amazed. I was able to get a hold of my teacher by email to tell her that I published my book. She couldn’t believe it. My friends are a little bit more interested in writing now that they have seen a paperback and kindle copy of my book.

Great. Tell me, are you good at all subjects or just English?

I am in the advanced Math classes at my school and get straight A’s in almost everything but Science. I always have gotten A’s and B’s, never a C.

Gee, I think I’m interviewing a child genius here. What genre do you write?

I write YA espionage thrillers. I want to start a historical fiction series but I haven’t done any research.

That sounds great. What is the title of your upcoming book?

The Impenetrable Spy: Future Dreamer

Wonderful. I can just see that on the movies one day. What inspired your story?

Lots of action movies and Tom Clancy video games.

Wow! I didn’t know there were Tom Clancy video games. Tell us a little about the characters.

The main character is Zack Carter, a CIA spy that has a time machine locked into his chest. When his heart rate stops, it will send him back in time to whatever set time he wants. Davidson is Zack’s guy that’s feeding him information through Zack’s mic. He also goes on a few missions with Zack. Jack is a main character introduced in Chapter 8. He was a bank robber and art thief until converted into being a CIA agent.

Sounds wonderful. Is there any part of yourself in the MC?

I think all main characters have a little bit of the author’s personality thrown in.

That’s true, well, it is for me too. Who is your favourite author?

I would say J.K. Rowling. Harry Potter was an addiction, the books and the movies. I have read the series twice and watched the movies countless times. She sparked my interest when it came to Fantasy books.

J.K Rawlings is amazing and has influenced so many writers. However, I actually haven’t read her books yet, but I will if I ever find the time. What is your next planned story?

I’m actually trying to do a synopsis but haven’t completed one yet. Here’s a rough draft: Zack’s best friend has been murdered. The gun is covered in his fingerprints. Now on the run, Zack has to pit himself against CIA agents while trying to uncover the truth. He has to clear his name before things get out of hand. When he stumbles onto something bigger he must go on several missions through exotic locations, including Nigeria, New York City, CIA headquarters, Germany, and France.

That sounds great, Spencer. How many hours a week do you spend writing?

Anywhere from 2 to 10 hours.

Gee, with school work, it doesn’t leave much time for anything else, does it? But like all authors, you’re probably addicted to writing. How long did it take you to write your first book?

It took me about a year to complete it.

That’s pretty good going. Do you have a critique group or writing partner? Or does anyone edit your work?

My dad suggests things that I could change but I don’t have a writing group. I want to start one this year at school though.

That’s a great idea, Spencer. It’s surprising what other people pick up when reading another author’s work. It could be a day or time that’s wrong or they may make a funny suggestion for a scene. Where can people purchase your book?

As an ebook my book is available through iBooks, Kindle, nook, Smashwords, Kobo, Stanza, and most other retailers. It will be available in paperback (hopefully) by the end of august on Amazon.

Thanks great, Spencer. You seem mature way beyond your years and I’m so glad that I had the privilege of interviewing such a young and talented author. I’ll be able to tell my grandchildren I interviewed you when you are famous like J.K Rawlings, which will only be a few years away I'm sure.. Thank you so much for the letting me interview you, Spencer. It’s been a pleasure. I’m sure you’ll go a long way in your writing career and become a best seller. I bet your parents and teachers are so proud of you. Good luck. I look forward to reading your first book.

Here are the links to purchase Spencer’s book:

Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00580W9ZG/ref=rdr_kindle_ext_tmb

Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-impenetrable-spy-spencer-brokaw/1104729132

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/73511

Here are his websites:

http://www.spencerbrokaw.com

Velvet Ball Paperback Giveaway for August

2011-08-03T18:30:00.000-07:00

At the end of this month I'm giving away a paperback copy of:
Velvet Ball and The Broken Fairy. All entries will be placed in a hat and my little grandson will draw the winner. The winner will receive a paperback copy in the post and all other entries may download the eBook for free with a discount code at Smashwords.

To enter just make a comment and your name will go into the hat. (To purchase a copy, the links are on the side bar on the right. Or click on this link: Particia Puddle's Children's Books

Here is an excerpt from the story:

Chapter Three – Bad Manners

“Listen here, baldy. You better give us our doll,” said Rory, an evil grin on his pudgy face.

Velvet gulped and held her hand over the trembling Roseberry. “I haven’t got your doll, but you’ve got my hat. So give it back.”

Rory spun her hat around his finger. “Only if you give us that stupid-looking doll.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” said Velvet, spotting Mitch and Trevor coming down the track.

“Just give it here!” Rory pulled at her backpack.

She pushed his arm away and darted under a bush. On her hands and knees, she crawled out the other side and scrambled to her feet. As she leaped over a root ball, she tripped and lost her footing. Then she hopped on one leg to regain her balance.

“Yipes,” squealed Roseberry, poking her head out the top of Velvet’s tunic. “Why are you so clumsy? If you’d fallen, you would have squashed me like a pancake.”

“It’s okay,” said Velvet. “Don’t fret. We’ll be at my place soon.” She pushed Roseberry back down the top of her uniform. Then holding her tight, she charged up a dirt track. When she reached the stream, she thundered across the rickety wooden bridge before darting left into the scrub. The branches slowed her pace, but she pushed ahead.

Roseberry stuck her head out again. “It’s a good job you’re wearing a singlet. It’s awful sticky down here.”

“Shush.” Velvet shoved her back down and stopped to listen. The boy’s laughter echoed through the woods. Would they never give up?

“What’ve you stopped for?” snapped Roseberry, bobbing up again. “Keep going!”

Velvet shoved her hands underneath her uniform and yanked the fairy’s feet downwards before taking off again. “Just keep still for a minute.”

“Where are we going?” asked Roseberry in a muffled voice. “It’s taking forever and I’m getting a headache from all the jolting around.”

Huffing and puffing, Velvet headed up a hidden track. “You’ll have more than a headache if those rotten boys get hold of you again.” She wrapped her hand around the fairy to protect her from prickly thicket as she scrambled through low-lying branches

Velvet’s head began to hurt as twigs and leaves scratched her scalp. Her legs ached, but she kept on running. She couldn’t let those creeps get hold of Roseberry. Who knows what they’d do to her.

Blinking the sweat from her eyes, Velvet set her jaw and ran down a narrow path. Just a few more paces and she’d be home. She wriggled through a hedge and came out at the back entrance to her cottage. “Thank goodness.” Wheezing, she bent and over and held her knees as she tried to get her breath back.

“Hey!” yelled Roseberry. “This is just too much. You’re going to squash me to death and you’ve so ruined my hairstyle.”

“Oh, be quiet. At least you’ve got some hair.” Velvet entered her garden through the back gate and smacked a mosquito on her forehead. Pesky little gnats were everywhere.

“Okay, stop already,” moaned Roseberry. “I feel sick.”

Velvet closed the gate behind her and let out a long breath. “Phew.” She’d finally made it home, and she’d actually managed to save the strange little fairy from those bullies. Dropping Roseberry on the soft lawn, she wondered if the whole thing was just a dream.

“What’s the big idea?” Roseberry rubbed her elbow and crawled under a tree. “You could’ve put me down nicely.”

Droplets of moisture dripped from Velvet’s chin as she plopped down beside the fairy. Shaking her head, she wondered why she was bothering to save such an ungrateful little thing.

“I have a bruise now.” Roseberry pouted. “And look at all the leaves in my ponytail.” She plucked them out and flicked them at Velvet.

“Don’t be such a sooky laala.” Velvet, moved into the shade under the huge crepe myrtle.

Roseberry shook her finger. “You may be the one saving us from those nasty boys, but don’t forget, I fell out of a tree. I would’ve kicked their butts if I wasn’t so sore.”

“You?” Velvet held her tummy and laughed. “You can’t even grant one little wish. How would you protect yourself from bully boys?”

“Like this.” Roseberry scrambled to her feet and kicked her legs in the air as she punched her fists about.

“Who do you think you are? A kick-boxer?” Velvet broke into a fit of hysterical laughter. “You look more like my granny when she’s had a glass of sherry.”

Roseberry continued to spar with herself. “Just let me at those twits.”

“You’re all talk.” Velvet grabbed a handful of pink petals that had fallen from the crepe myrtle and threw them at Roseberry. “Let’s go indoors. I’ve had too much sun and I’m getting a headache.” She jumped up, grabbed Roseberry by the waist and walked towards the house.

Roseberry pinched Velvet’s arm. “Let me go!”

“Ouch,” said Velvet. “Can you be quiet until I hide you in my bedroom? Or is that too much to ask?”

Roseberry squirmed about. “Well, I don’t like being dragged around like rag doll.”

Ignoring the fairy, Velvet opened the back door and bumped smack into her mother. Poo! She was supposed to be at work.

Her mother stared at Roseberry, then at Velvet. “Where did you get that strange looking thing? I didn’t think you played with dolls anymore.”

Velvet bit her lip and glanced at Roseberry, willing her to keep still. Then she looked at her mother. “I … I found it in the woods and I kind of liked it, so I brought it home.”

“Where’s your hat?” Her mother frowned. “You know you’re not allowed out without it. And look at the state of your head.” She peered at Velvet’s scalp and raised an eyebrow. “And why weren’t you on the school bus? I waited at the bus stop.”

Velvet shrugged. “That mean Rory and his gang teased me. They took my hat, and my headband. I didn’t want to sit on the bus with them, so I walked home through the woods.” Oh, why did her mother have to notice everything?

“That’s terrible, love.” Her mother put the laundry basket down and hugged Velvet. “I’m so sorry I didn’t get home in time to pick you up. What a shame your father had to work late too, but don’t you worry. I’ll skin them lads alive when I catch 'em.” She grabbed the laundry again and headed to the clothes line. “You’d better put some lotion on your head, sweetie.”

“Yes, Mum.”

Roseberry started wriggling about and digging her fingernails into Velvet’s hand.

With a sigh of frustration, Velvet bolted through the kitchen and up the stairs to her bedroom. The aroma of fresh baked bread made her stomach growl. She plonked Roseberry onto the patchwork quilt spread across the bed. “Why do you have to keep pinching and scratching me?”

“Because you keep squeezing my belly as if I’m a dish rag.” Roseberry folded her arms.

Velvet shook her head and sat in her wicker chair. “You could’ve kept still for a while. My mum could have seen you.”

“You try being squashed by a giant hand.” Roseberry sniffed the air. “Anyway, I’m starving. What’s to eat?” She stretched out on one of Velvet’s soft fluffy pillows. “I’ll have a nap while you fetch me some food.”

“What do fairies eat?” asked Velvet, rubbing soothing cream onto her scalp.

Roseberry sat up and wrapped her arms around her knees. “Mmm, let me see. How about angel cake with pink frosting? And a caramel malted milkshake?” She licked her lips. “Oh, and I would love a chocolate donut with whipped cream.”

Velvet let out a long sigh. “We don’t have any of that. My mum’s a health nut. But if you’re really a fairy, you could wave your magic wand and make them appear. I love cakes and milkshakes.”

“You already know I can’t do any magic,” said Roseberry, throwing herself back against the pillow. “If I could, your wish would have come true. It’s not fair. I passed all my exams, but at my graduation, I still wasn’t awarded any magical powers. I just got zoomed away.”

“Maybe you didn’t pass your tests after all.” Velvet giggled and put her lotion back on the bedside table. “Anyway, you probably got zoomed away because of your smart mouth.”

Roseberry sat bolt upright. “I’ll have you know, I was the best in the whole class.”

“Sure you were,” said Velvet. “You probably spent too much time complaining instead of learning anything.” She stared at the little sprite. “But it’s not too late. My grandmother didn’t learn to read until she was an adult. Now, I’m going to get us something yummy to eat.” She left Roseberry frowning and took off downstairs to the kitchen.

Wondering what she’d gotten herself into, Velvet grabbed a plate and cut two large slices from the brown loaf on the table. As she covered them in butter and strawberry jam, she sniffed. “Mmm.” The bread was still warm from the oven. She chopped Roseberry’s slice into small pieces and poured a large glass of milk. After placing it all on a small tray, she carried it to her room and set it on the bedside table.

Roseberry was curled up on the bed, but she soon sat up. “What’s that?”

“Wait a minute,” said Velvet, rummaging around her toy cupboard for her old tea set. She couldn’t believe she was playing tea parties with a little sprite. Giggling, she poured some milk into a small plastic cup and offered it to the fairy.

Roseberry grabbed it and took a sip. “Yuck! That’s not a milkshake. I told you what I wanted.” She poured her milk back into the large glass. “What’s to eat?”

“Gosh, you’re rude.” Velvet pushed the smaller sandwich in front of her new roommate. “Here. My mum made the jam, and the bread is fresh out of the oven.”

“Bread and jam?” Roseberry wrinkled her nose. “What sort of food is that to feed The Fairy of Crabtree Forest? Anyway, you lied. You said your mother’s a health nut.”

“Wholemeal bread is healthy.” Velvet bit into her sandwich and munched while she spoke. “I like it. You would too, if you tried it.”

“I don’t want to try your stupid bread,” said Roseberry. “Get me something nice.”

Velvet giggled. “What do pretend fairies eat? Junk food?”

Roseberry grabbed her bread and flung it across the room. “Well, I won’t eat that rubbish.” The sticky bread landed on the dresser and stuck to the mirror.

What an ungrateful spoilt little thing. Velvet shook her head. It wasn’t like Roseberry had anything better to offer. It sure wasn’t going to be easy looking after a broken fairy. But who knew – if Roseberry did get her magic powers, she might be able to grant Velvet a wish. Glancing in the mirror, Velvet imagined herself with her long golden hair back.

“What else is there to eat?” snapped Roseberry. “I haven’t had anything since my graduation breakfast this morning.”

Velvet rolled her eyes. What a cheeky little thing Roseberry had turned out to be. “Why don’t you at least try a little bit of your sandwich?”

Roseberry punched her fist into the pillow. “No! I told you, I don’t like it.”

Blowing out a big breath, Velvet stared at the fairy. Oh, well, at least Roseberry didn’t call her baldy or poke fun at her. She even said Velvet had beautiful green eyes. And after all, it was really nice having someone to talk too. She smiled and took another bite of her bread.

Roseberry pressed her lips together, and then kicked Velvet’s glass of milk off the table. It bounced onto the floor and splashed across the carpet.

A second later, the door flew open and Velvet’s mother walked in. “Velvet, why did you cut into my fresh loaf? There’s plenty left on the other one.” She glanced around the room and stared at the sticky bread stuck to the mirror. Then she frowned and looked at the milk on the floor. “What on earth …”

Roseberry remained still with her foot still in a kicking position.

Her eyes wide, Velvet kept chewing her sandwich. “It … it was an accident.” Crumbs sprayed from her mouth as she spoke and she gagged on her bread. How was she gonna explain the mess to her mother?

Introducing Author / Illustrator, Jodi Stone

2011-07-26T08:21:00.000-07:00

Today I'm introducing the wonderful children's books author and illustrator, Jodi Stone.

Jodi Stone is following her dreams of writing and illustrating children's books. She now has contracts for five children's books that are currently on the market through Solstice Publishing. Jodi's stories and drawings are inspired by her three beautiful daughters and her amazing and supportive husband. She has a degree in Education and is soon to finish her degree in Creative Writing at The University of south Florida.

Here are some of her beautifully illustrated children's books. I've read them and highly recommend them. And I just adore Jodi's illustrations.

Brooke is a young girl who is about to take an amazing journey...one that begins when she awakes with a crown upon her head. When Brooke forgets who she really is, it doesn't take long for her to realize that it's much better to be a princess with gratitude than a princess with attitude. Go on this journey with Brooke in 'Confessions of a Pre-Teen Beauty Queen', the first of two stories in Princess Stories you'll be sure to love!
You can order at: http://www.solsticepublishing.com in paperback or e-book

Savannah is about to take an adventure in her own backyard. When Savannah goes out looking for a doll amidst the grass she finds a tiny door. Curious Savannah tries to open the tiny door, but to no avail. When Savannah returns again later the door is gone and a mouse named Frey is in it's place begging for cheese. Savannah must decide what's more important and might find some suprises along the way. Go on this fantastic journey with Savannah and discover that when you lend a helping hand, more doors will open for you. To read more, order 'A Louse of a Mouse' through Fairy Tales and Dreams at Solstice Publishing: at:
http://www.solsticepublishing.com.

This book is also available in paperback with a second story, 'The Little Witch's Hat, in the book entitled, 'Two Great Stories'.

Here is a link to Jodi Stone's wonderful website: http://www.jodistories.mysite.com/

Introducing Author: Veronica Randolph Batterson

2011-07-19T16:39:00.000-07:00

I recently read Billy's First Dance by Veronica Randolph Batterson. What a wonderful coming of age book. The story has many wonderful characters and is about the love and kindness a thirteen-year-old girl has for her invalid younger brother. The boy, Billy is in a wheelchair and would love to dance.

Real family dramas and comedy happen and the story will make you laugh as well as cry. It's a coming of age book, so young girls will love it and maybe even some boys. Reading this story brought back many wonderful memories of when I was thirteen.

The writing was perfect and I enjoyed the unique descriptions of all the relatives, especially the old woman. I read the whole book in one day

Veronica received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Her short stories and essays have appeared in various publications. She currently lives in Chicago with her husband and their golden retriever, Lily, and is working on her next novel.

Thirteen-year-old Junie dreams of becoming a writer. Her youngest brother, Billy, afflicted with Spina Bifida and confined to a wheelchair, dreams of dancing. Their quirky but loving family finds a way to stay together.

Set in the southeast in the 1970s, BILLY'S FIRST DANCE unfolds with attention to family bonds, special needs and coming of age. Junie wants desperately to become a writer but must deal with the unusual circumstances of her family. She and her three half-siblings live with their grandmother and aunt, and none of the children know where their mother is.

BILLY'S FIRST DANCE is written for the middle grade reader and older. It is available on amazon.com, buybooksontheweb.com, borders.com and waldenbooks.com. Any bookstore may order copies.

You can find Veronica's books at the following links:

http://www.veronicabatterson.com/
http://www.amazon.com/Billys-First-Veronica-Randolph-Batterson/dp/0741459132/ref=sr_1_?ie=UTF8&qid=1311010719&sr=8-1

http://www.indiebound.org/hybrid?filter0=Billy's+First+Dance&x=35&y=15

http://www.buybooksontheweb.com/product.aspx?ISBN=0-7414-5913-2

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/billys-first-dance-veronica-randolph-batterson/1021449563?ean=9780741459138&itm=1&usri=billy%2bs%2bfirst%2bdance

http://www.borders.com

Introducing Fantastic Y/A Author Jayde Scott

2011-07-11T02:38:00.000-07:00

Jayde Scott is one of my favourite authors of all time and I'm so excited to interview her and introduce her to you. You'll love her book as much as I do. Promise.

Hi Jayde, thank you so much for letting me interview you. First of all, tell us about yourself and where you sit to write your wonderful stories. Do you have an office? Or do you just write anywhere?

Hi Trish , thanks for inviting me. I write dark fiction including the paranormal and mythology. My books are aimed at teens and young adults, though at times, I also venture into women's fiction. I'm very particular about my writing environment and prefer dark spaces with no windows because I can't write with distractions. I don't have an actual office so I'd say I can write anywhere, but there has to be a bed or sofa since I tend to write leaning against a wall with my MacBook cradled on my thighs. Depending on the scene I write, I need either perfect silence or music.

That’s funny, Jayde, but so understandable, especially since you also write dark fiction, which I love of course. Gee, no way could I write like that though. I love to gaze out of a window occasionally. Now, I have this great image of you writing in a dark room. It sounds cosy though. Now, tell us how long you’ve been writing?

Ever since I could read and write. I started out writing poetry and the endings of my mother's romance novels, then moved on to short stories. In my teens, I figured why not try my hand at a vampire novel. The book was horribly bad and clichéd, but it certainly taught me a thing or two about writing.

It sounds like you’ve always wanted to be a writer then?

Well, not always. At some point I wanted to be a poet. When my aspirations were shattered, I went to uni to get a degree and didn't do much writing because I figured no writer can ever live on royalties alone. It was only two years ago that I really wanted to be a writer and started changing my life in that direction.

Wonderful. You found what you loved and decided to do it, no matter what. I love that. Do you remember your first writing attempts?

Oh, gosh, yes. They were horrible because I had a tendency toward flowery, verbose description. I thought I sounded like Anne Rice, but I was probably just a bad copycat. I still think my poems were great though.

What genre do you write the most?

I prefer to write fantasy and paranormal (mostly YA), but I do dab into contemporary women's fiction at times just to give myself variety.

Great, and they're wonderful, I know because I've read them. What other genres have you written in, or would like to pursue?

At the moment, I don't really see myself writing in other genres. My paranormal fiction may take a darker turn in the future since I'm really drawn in that direction, but I don’t see myself changing genres because I really love what I do right now.

I know what you mean. I love writing children's stories, so that's my genre. I think it's great that you write Y/A because you're so fabulous at it. I love all of your books and would love to read more. What goals do you set out to achieve when you start writing a new story?

I try to write at least 2000 words a day and have the first draft finished in six weeks.

Gee, that’s fast. I’m much slower than that. You must be a fast writer.

Yes, I'm a fast writer and can write up to 5000 words a day, but I tend to break off in the middle and not write for a few weeks and months, then return to a story and finish it.

How long does it take you to write a whole book?

It depends. I'd say anywhere between two and six months. It took me six months to write A Job From Hell, but only two to write The Divorce Club, which might have something to do with length and how much plot is in there.

That’s about the time it takes me, but only if I’m left alone to write. There are always so many distractions to stop me though. Like family, animals, marketing and work. Jayde, how do you cope with certain friends and family that don’t support your writing or believe in your writing?

Easy, I don't tell them about my books.

Great advice, Jayde. I’m getting that way too, but now my family are starting to believe at last. What is your next project?

My next project is Voodoo Kiss, the third book in the Ancient Legends series. I don't want to reveal too much about it, so let say it's much darker than anything I've done before with lots of Voodoo, rituals and betrayal. It's going to be a wicked read.

Fantastic. I can’t wait for that. Do you ever base physical appearance of your characters on people you know, portraits or actors?

Yes, I believe we all do that every now and then, though I wouldn't say it applies to all characters. Aidan from A Job From Hell is a very famous rock star. Everyone else was just a figment of my imagination.

I would love to know what rock star that is, but I know you won't want to reveal that, so I won't ask. Introduce the main character from your latest book. Who are they? Let them speak for themselves. What would they like to say?

The main character from my last book, Beelzebub Girl, is Cass who happens to be Lucifer's daughter. She's a bit of a klutz but very endearing. At just seventeen, she has quite a bit on her plate. Think, parents are separated and she lives with her conventional father. Soon she'll be bound to Hell forever if she doesn't find the love of her life to save her from her curse. Trouble is, said soulmate is mortal and her family isn't exactly thrilled. Now she not only must persuade the family that he's worthy of their approval, she also has to protect him from the psycho causing havoc in Hell. And that's quite a task for a seventeen-year-old.

Thank you so much for answering my questions, Jade, and good luck with your new book and the ones already published. I'm reading BeelzeBuB Girl at the moment and absolutely loving it. The book cover and title are fabulous.

Thank you for inviting me, Trish. I appreciate it.

You can purchase Jayde’s wonderful books online at Amazon, Smashwords and Barnes and Noble. Here is a link and to purchase her books click on >> Amazon.

Children's eBooks under a dollar plus Paperback Giveaway.

2011-07-04T18:34:00.000-07:00

Because my readers are mainly children, I decided to lower the cost of all my eBooks. They're now all available at the low price of $0.99 and available at Amazon Kindle: http://tiny.cc/klwu2 and also with Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/TrishaPuddle I've also lowered the cost of the paperback versions, available at Amazon books or CreatSpace. To purchase paperback copies or eBooks, just click on the cover of the book of choice in the side bar on the right hand side of the blog.

My children's books vary from chapter books for beginner readers to junior fiction and also fantasy books. So far, I'm having wonderful feedback from children and also from pensioners, who also enjoy my stories. I would love to hear yours. So in August, I'm giving a free paperback copy of one of my children's books to anyone who purchases all three ebooks and also reviews them on either Amazon or Smashwords. I also have a new children's book being released in August, so there will be four books to chose from.

To some of my best fans, six elderly ladies in a retirement village, I thank you for your support and for rushing me to finish my next book. At your request, it will be available sometime in August. Thanks you so much. I really appreciate it. And thank you to my new young fans, Faith, Matthew, Braelynne, Dana, Will, and also the wonderful ladies in my village.

Oh, and I have to thank the local coffee shop that also sells my books. Thank you: Shots of Happy.

And to the wonder DJ, Michael Hilsden, who mentions my books on his radio show on Wednesday afternoons. You can listen to him here: http://www.greatlakesfm.org.au/studio_streaming.htm

An Interesting post from George Straatman

2011-07-02T09:33:00.000-07:00

Today we have an interesting post from the wonderful fantasy author, George Straatman.

Elizabeth Simpson and the impact of characters on those who create them

There are many aspects of creative writing that are truly mystifying even to those who have devoted their lives to the art. Writing the Converging Trilogy was a twenty year undertaking and as I look back over those two decades and the process of evolution I’ve undergone, both as a writer and an individual in the world beyond…I realize that this series of novels and the characters I created to populate the Converging’s landscape, have left a lasting impression upon me in ways I could never have anticipated. I’ve often been asked about my creative process or more specifically, “Where I learned to write like that?” I suspect that those who pose the question find my response rather odd because my writing style is highly intuitive and is simply the way I naturally write…In that time, I’ve received some fairly effusive praise for the series and I’m still rather uncomfortable with the compliments because I’ve always felt that the stories wrote themselves and I was simply medium through which they were recorded.
With this notion in mind and as the Converging’s final word was committed to paper, my thoughts turned to the character of Elizabeth Simpson…and through her, I finally came to some epiphany of what it really means to be an author...to weave tapestries with words and emotions…to create characters whose lives and struggles can reach out beyond the printed page and leave an indelible mark on those who have shared their journeys.
I spend a portion of each day trying to learn more about the specifics of marketing in the new age of social media. In this process, I have heard the sage advice to ‘write to an audience’ and to ‘tailor your writing to their specific needs.’ While I have no doubt this works for those who have advocated the concept, I could no more write this way than I could draw down the moon. It’s simply not how my creative engine operates.
When I first took up the pen and began writing the first volume of the Converging the character of Cynara Saravic…the novel’s truly vile antagonist…was set firmly in my creative eye. Elizabeth Simpson, who would fall victim to Cynara’s demonic allure through the course of the novel, was to be a main character to be sure, but she was a nebulous creature whose character would be defined by the flow of the story. I mentioned that my writing is mostly intuitive and this was never more than case than it was with Elizabeth. As the story began to gain tangible shape, she spoke to me…quietly and with whispered grace and dignity and through the course of the 1,800 pages plus journey, Elizabeth’s tribulation-filled journey became the primary focus of the tale. Elizabeth came to define herself and endured the depths of despair and the heartache of ineffable loss that I contrived to heap upon her throughout the story with a stoic dignity. She suffered all of these things and through her grace, taught me the nature of perseverance, dignity and compassion even in the shadow of her own grief. Though provided with every opportunity to do so, Elizabeth fiercely refused to surrender her grip on the fundamental virtue of her nature and found the wherewithal to stay true to whom and what she was. When I first decided to write this horror trilogy, it was my aspiration to craft a horror story that would pay homage to all that I loved about the genre, but to also weave a tale that could transcend its limits and resonate with everyone who might embark upon reading it. If I have achieved this at all, it is to Elizabeth Simpson that all the credit must go.
I recall the night I finished the epilogue of Closures in Blood (the final novel of the Trilogy) in the summer of 1995. As I was inclined to do, I reread these final page and came to the stunning realization (one that I was unaware of during the actual writing) that I had just crafted one of the most poignant and heart-wrenching pieces of story-telling I had ever written…I had taken everything from Elizabeth that an omnipotent creator could take and in the end, had given back only the slim prospect of hope that was nebulous at best. Elizabeth endured even this with her customary grace. I recall how, through those twenty years, she taught me who she was and how best to recount her tale…and I know that I see her as a daughter…a friend and an example that I can look to when faced with my own trials to overcome.
One of the greatest compliments I ever received as a writer came when a fan of my series approached me (an avid reader who had never read a horror offering prior to mine) and told me that the conclusion of the final novel had left her crying unabashedly…not an easy emotion to arouse with a horror story. I was pleased because I knew that I was not alone in feeling the emotions that this ending evoked and also because I could take comfort in knowing that I had succeeded in telling Elizabeth’s story precisely as she would have wanted me to.
I’m not sure where a novel’s characters go once their tale has been told, but where ever Elizabeth Simpson might be, I hope she has found comfort and happiness there in exchange for all she has taught me about writing…and about life.

George Straatman

http://www.georgestraatman.com/home.html

Interview with Author June Bourgo

2011-06-27T09:58:00.000-07:00

Here is the wonderful June Bourgo and her wonderful book Winter's Captive that is due out in October this year.

Hi June, welcome to the Adventures of Molly Mavis Gumnut Blog.

Thanks so much for having me, Trish.

First of all, tell us a little about yourself.

First, I was born and raised in Montreal. I moved west in my late teens. I love BC. Victoria and Vancouver are beautiful cities. I can enjoy the sophistication of the big city and live in the raw beauty of nature not too far away.

That sounds wonderful, and perfect for an author. Where do you write, June? Do you have an office? Or do you sit in your garden?

I have an office to write in, but I like to sit by our trout stream and write. I usually carry paper and pen with me wherever I go, because sometimes I see interactions with people that inspire me to write and I don't want to forget what I saw.

That's like me, I always carry a pen and notebook wherever I go. You never know what might inspire you and it's so easy to forget things. Now, tell us how long you’ve been writing, June.

I always enjoyed writing as a child. I was an average student because I was a lazy student. I did what I needed to, to get through the course. But I always exceled in English and got top marks.

That's great. Have you always wanted to be a writer?

As a teenager, I was very shy and definitely a dreamer. Secretly I wanted to write, be a rock star, and be a stewardess so I could travel the world. I grew up in a loving and protective family but the support to have a career really wasn't there. As a female, I was encouraged to take typing so I could work as a secretary until I met a man and became a wife and mother. The fifties dream LOL.

Yes. I can relate to that. Not all parents see the artistic side of their child. I look for it in my grandchildren and can already see that one is a potential author. He has a great imagination and is great at drawing.

Do you remember your first writing attempts, June?

I do. I remember writing about being a snowman when I was nine and walking down the street and melting away in the hot spring sun LOL. I got an A for that. Then, as a teenager, I tried to write the great Canadian novel about a girl in Quebec in the days of the French Voyageurs (fur trappers). Like I knew all about that! That was my first lesson in writing about what you know. Haha.

That's funny, June. I remember my first story. It was about a miniature person that lived in my pocket. I named her Inchy and she was a right trouble causer. LOL.

What genre do you write the most?

Fiction - women's stories, all about empowerment.

What other genres have you written in, or would like to pursue?

Well, at the moment, my passion lies with women's stories. I love getting into the psyche and I'm very character driven as opposed to plot driven. I enjoy creating plots, but they are there to serve my characters only.

What is the main theme of your latest book? And what inspired it?

Again...empowerment. That shy protected teenager, along with being a dreamer, was extremely niave. I married the wrong person for all the wrong reasons. He was an abusive alcoholic. It took me nine years to finally get the courage to get myself and my son out of that destructive relationship. My first novel, Winter's Captive, is based on the lessons I learned and the growth I gained from that time of my life. It is a fictitious story about a pregnant women who is abandoned by her cheating husband and she escapes kidnappers in the Canadian north. She spends the winter lost and alone in a remote cabin, experiences childbirth solo, and reflects on her life while trying to survive a harsh winter. The book was a healing process for me and my therapy.

That was very brave of you to do. Many women never have the courage to do that as they fear the reprisals, and quite right in some cases. You're also very brave to talk publicly about it too. Good for you, June.

What goals do you set out to achieve when you start writing a new story?

Wow, that's a tough question! I don't write outlines. I loosely write down the main characters name and list all the things I see happening to that character before my preconceived ending. I, also, don't write in any particular order. I know a beginning and an end. I write where the muse takes me knowing only that that piece will be near the end, or in the middle somewhere, etc. I just follow the muse of the moment and sooner or later all the pieces fit together. It is the only way I can do it. To start at chapter 1, go to 2, then 3, etc. sounds so restrictive to me and boring LOL. So after all this rambling, my only goal is to write, no rhyme or reason to it.

Are you a fast or a slow writer?

By some peoples achievements, slow. My first novel took nine years. Well, actually two and a half years. The rest of those years, life got in the way. But the past year I completely rewrote it and found a publisher after three tries.

How long does it take you to write a book?

I guess I answered that above partly. I expect my current novel to take me a year. If I could retire full-time, probably six months.

How do you cope with the friends and family that don’t support your writing or believe in your writing?

Generally, if we don't support something a family member is doing, we keep our mouths shut, unless it is somethng destructive. But the rest of us will talk to each other about it. A typical family LOL. I can be a private person and some of my friends didn't even know I write.

That's sensible. I make the mistake of telling everyone I'm an author, leaving myself wide opene for critisism, sometimes, but not always.

What is your next project, June?

A sequel to "Winter's Captive". My main character has more to say and more to share about herself with the world.

Great. Do you ever base physical appearance of your characters on people you know, portraits or actors?

Good question. Portraits or actors - no. Physical appearance somewhat, but I do draw more from personality traits and character of people I know. I use names of my grandchildren for secondary characters that may only appear in the story on one or two pages where we don't need to know anythng about that character. I don't use names of people I know for main characters because first, I can't disassociate their name from their personalities and that gets in the way of the character's development. And secondly, I don't want anyone I know to think a character is based on them, especially if the character's role in the story is a bad one LOL.

I know what you mean. For my characters, I merge a few people I know together, then they can't recognise themselves. LOL.

Introduce the main character from your latest book. Who are they? Let them speak for themselves. What would they like to say?

My name is Georgia Charles. The most important thing I can tell you is to get to know yourself. Don't define yourself by what you do or who you are with. Be your own person. And if life hands you lemons, make lemonade. It's up to you to decide how much sweetness to add to the lemons, no one else. Live for today.

Fantastic, June. Thank you so much for answering all the questions. That was very entertaining.

I enjoyed it too, Trish, and thanks for inviting me to your blog.

June's book, Winter's Captive will be published in October 2011 by Asteroid Publishing Inc, Toronto.
You can follow June at:
http://losingcinderella.blogspot.com/
http://www.junebourgoauthor.com/

Children's Books for Reluctant Readers

2011-06-22T17:45:00.000-07:00

Lately, I've been asked by a number of folks why I write children's books instead of Y/A. Well, I don't know why, it's just that I love writing for children. My aim is to make children laugh, cringe and squirm on the edge of their seats. I think that's the aim of most authors who write for children, but I particularly like writing stories for reluctant readers, the ones not yet interested in reading.

I had difficulties at school because of childhood illnesses and was slow at catching up, but I loved reading stories with mischievous characters and nasty adults. I especially loved Roald Dahl's books and Enid Blighton's.

I was a very mischievous child and ended up in all sorts of strife with my teachers and parents. Once when I read my childhood diaries to some children, they laughed their heads off. It was a wonderful feeling and I became addicted to writing stories to make make children laugh. I also turned my diaries into fictitious children's stories for reluctant readers. At first, I was worried about the content of my children's books because I added the naughty things I did as a child, and some things weren't what parents would like their children to do.

I gave one of my books to a neighbour to read and he said no way would he ever let his grandchildren read such a story, and that humour like that should be kept in the bathroom. Well, that didn't put me off, I donated that book to the local schools and libraries. One headmistress told me that they kept such books in their schools and libraries because children loved them and that those type of books helped reluctant readers to want to read. I'm going to post a sample of my first reluctant reader book, then at the end, I'll post one of the reviews I received from a customer on Amazon. This lady bought my reluctant reader book for her granddaughter even though she's quite an advanced reader. So that's why I love writing for children and so far, I've receive such wonderful feedback from them.

Excerpt chapter from Star-Crossed Rascals:

Chapter Seven – Germs

“You little nitwit!” yelled Auntie, holding her forehead. “I can’t leave you alone for one minute. Just look at this mess.”

No way was I hanging around to poo my pants. I jumped off the toilet seat, pushed past her and ran downstairs. Holding my bum, I hurried to the outside dunny.

When I swung the creaky door open, a big stink hit me in the face. Eww! I pinched my nose. I hated that smelly outhouse. It was always full of creepy-crawlers.

My stomach gurgled from the worst bellyache ever. It felt like wild animals were fighting in my tummy. I sat on the loo and rested my feet on a milk crate. But there was no privacy. That grouchy grownup pounded on the door.

“Pollyweena, get out here this instant!” she barked. “I want to talk to you, but I need to use this toilet first. You’ve blocked the other one and the darn plumber can’t come until tomorrow.”

I ignored her and farted real loud. Take that, Auntie!

“Did you hear me?” she bellowed.

“Yeah,” I shouted, then I farted again. “Did ’ya hear that, Auntie? Did ya? I need to use the loo too, ’ya know.”

“This’ll be the last time I’ll ever babysit you!” she yelled. Then she must have gone indoors ’cause the back door slammed.

In the middle of the night, I had another tummy ache. That didn’t please Auntie. She had to take me to the outhouse again. When I sat on the loo, my teeth chattered. I nearly froze to death.

Auntie shouted through the door, “Hurry up, Polly! It’s cold out here.”

“Well, guess what?” I hollered. “It’s your own fault. You shouldn’t feed liver to little kids – or make them clean toilets.”

“Just get on with your business,” she said. “You didn’t even eat any liver.”

“I’m trying to do a poo, but you’re bothering me,” I moaned, holding my belly.

When I finally went back to bed, the sun was already peeking in my window. Auntie felt my forehead. “Seems you have a fever,” she said. “No school for you today. I won’t be accused of being a bad babysitter.”

“No way!” I wailed. “I wanna go to school.”

“Too bad,” she said, covering me with a blanket. “That’s what happens to naughty girls who eat other people’s muck. I bet Dirty Gertie McDoodle is sick, too.” On her way out, she turned back. “I’ll bring you water and dry crackers.”

Water and crackers? What sort of breakfast was that? Even prisoners got real food. I sighed and snuggled under my covers. How was I gonna see Gertie? School was the only place I’d ever get to see her until Mum came back. I didn’t ’wanna stay home with that cranky old boiler. I was never going bubblegum hunting, ever again.

I looked for Jenny, but I couldn’t find her. And where was Mange? He usually came up to my room. I got out of bed and shouted down the stairs, “Auntie, where’s Jenny and Mange?”

Auntie came upstairs, carrying a tray. “Get back into bed. This minute!” she demanded. “I’ve put that yappy dog’s outside. I won’t have flea-bitten animals in the house. And I threw that smelly rag you call Jenny in the washing machine. It was full of germs.”

“No, Auntie, no,” I cried. “She’s my baby. Give her back!” Tears filled my eyes.

“Bed!” she repeated.

As I climbed under my doona, I wailed, “But Jenny will drown and get dizzy from spinning. And Mange will be lonely.”

“Tough luck,” she said, setting my breakfast on the dresser. Then she headed out the door.

My lip quivered. I wanted my pals, not dry old crackers. I sniffed and sipped my water. Auntie didn’t even like Mange. I bet she only likes black cats.

When she started banging pots down in the kitchen, I screamed out, “I bet you’re cooking another horrid meal of bats and snails.”

She shouted up the stairs, “Watch it, Polly.”

“Watch what?” I yelled. “There’s no TV in here.”

Staying home with no one to play with was so boring. Auntie left Jenny, hanging on the washing line all week. Her pretty face got all smudged. And poor Mange had to sleep in the shed with the chook poo. Mum wouldn’t do that.

On Saturday morning, I got very excited. I jumped up and down. “Whoopee!” Mum and Dad were coming home. That meant I could play with Gertie again. I did a little jig around the room, then my door opened.

Auntie popped her head in. “Your parents are staying away for another week, so you’ll have to put up with me.”

I gulped. “Why?”

She sighed. “’Cause your grandmother’s sick.”

I frowned. “Can you take me to see her?”

“No, you’ll stay here with me,” she snapped.

But Grandma’s your sister,” I said. “Don’t you want to see her? You could stay and look after her.”

“I wish I could,” said Auntie. “She’d be less trouble than you. But your parents insist on staying, so don’t you dare leave this room until Monday.”

I frowned. Poor sweet Granny was sick, and I was stuck here with her nasty old sister.

On Monday morning, I grabbed my new shoes. Mum bought them before she went to Grandma’s. I put them on and did my happy dance. I spun around real fast. Yippee! Now I could go to school and see Gertie.

Grinning, I headed for the bus. Gertie wasn’t there. But when I got to school, she was getting out of her mum’s car. I ran and threw my arms around her. “Oh, Gertie, I’ve missed you!”

Gertie pulled my hands away from her neck. “I’ve missed you too,” she said, “but don’t smother me. I’ve been sick.”

“Me too,” I said.

Just then, Gertie’s mum came running towards us. “Gertie,” she shouted, “I’ve told you – you’re not allowed to play with Polly anymore.” She made squinty-eyes at me before marching back to her car.

Big tears pricked my eyes. I sniffed and looked at Gertie. But she ignored me and waved at her mother.

My shoulders drooped and I trudged across the playground. As I walked into school, Gertie ran up behind me. “Wait,” she shouted.

When I turned around, she was grinning. “Silly,” she said. “I had to fool my mum, didn’t I?”

I giggled. “You should get a big trophy for acting, Gertie.”

She looped arms with me. “At least my mum can’t see us in the classroom. And we can meet in the park after school.”

I smiled. “Auntie’s going home next weekend. Then you can play at my house.”

“And you know what?” said Gertie. “We can ride to the riverbank on my bike and you can sit in my basket again.”

A loud voice boomed behind us.

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the bicycle terrorists.”

I nearly jumped out of my skin.

Patting her belt buckle, the headmistress glared at us. “So, you’re the two girls who ran me off the road. Aren’t you?”

Gertie nudged me and gave me her be-quiet look.

“Answer me!” snapped Mrs Godbolt.

With a big gulp, I said, “It … it was an accident.”

“Go to my office!” she ordered, pointing to the door. “Now!”

My tummy shook. I’d forgotten about Cuthbert’s. I held Gertie’s hand and we shuffled into Mrs Godbolt’s room.

I hope you enjoyed my sample chapter. Here is one of my five-star reviews from Amazon Books:

5.0 out of 5 stars Want the Truth? Ask a kid!, June 18, 2011

June Bourgo - See all my reviews

This review is from: Star-Crossed Rascals: Adventures of Rascals, Polly and Gertie. (Volume 1) (Paperback)

I bought this book for my grandaughter. She loves it. I could stop the review right here because that says it all.

I'm sure we can all relate on some level to this story about two childhood friends who get into trouble all the time when thinking back on our own childhoods.

Just as these two adventurous, mischievious girls appear to go over the line, something funny happens, creating an amusing and entertaining tale.

My grandaughter is only seven, but advanced in reading and an avid reader. She carries this book with her and reads it over and over in bed before she falls asleep. I just bought her Patricia Puddle's newest release, "Molly Gumnut Rescues a Bandicoot". My grandaughter can't wait to read it.

Kudos to the writer. Not only does she reach kids on their level, she has great comedic timing that make her children's stories unique.

Thank you so much for that, June, and to all the other wonderful reviewers who posted great reviews on Amazon Books, Amazon Kindle, Smashwords, and Goodreads. I posted this review because it came from an child that loves my books. It makes all the hard work so worth while.

Children's Books By Irene Kueh

2011-06-15T08:53:00.000-07:00

I recently purchased these two children's books by Irene Kugh and Kathy Kesner.

My four-year-old grandson loved learning to read with these two colourful children's books books. He loved the bright letters and pictures and enjoyed me reading the rhymes. So did my two-year-old granddaughter, and although she can't read yet, she loved pointing out the numbers and saying them out loud. These books will certainly encourage her to learn the alphabet and numbers. The two children wanted to take the books home to their house, but I said no, they're staying at Nana's house so they have them when they come to visit me.
Irene Kugh is talented writer who also writes Y/A Fantasy stories. I can't wait to read her upcoming book, Voices. Hopefully, it will be out soon.

You can purchase Iren's children's books at Amazon: Here And Smashwords: Here

Star-Crossed Rascals eBook

2011-06-09T22:58:00.000-07:00

Star-Crossed Rascals is now available as an eBook with Amazon and Smashwords. I'm giving away a paperback version on Goodreads so if anyone would like to read this story for free, just go to the Enter To Win link at Goodreads and click on the Read More button underneath. You will then be able to read the whole story, but on the Gooodreads website. Here is the link: Read More. (If that doesn't work, try this link:
http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/11168-star-crossed-rascals-adventures-of-rascals-polly-and-gertie

You can also enter to win the paperback if you like the story.

Author Patti Roberts

2011-06-07T08:40:00.000-07:00

Patti Roberts lives in Cairns Australia and is the author of Paradox Available on Amazon Kindle here: http://www.amazon.com/Paradox-Angels-Are-Here-ebook/dp/B004QTOQQ0/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1307459762&sr=1-3

Book two will be available later in the year:

Book three will be available in 2012

Patti writes paranormal romance novels and is offering a free eBook to the first five people who leave the word: 'Paradox'on her blog Here: http://theangelsarehere.wordpress.com/

Children's Book Giveaways for June and July

2011-06-06T18:29:00.000-07:00

Three Children's Books Giveways at Goodreads.
See below for details:

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Star-Crossed Rascals

by Patricia Puddle

Giveaway ends June 30, 2011.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Molly Gumnut Rescues a Bandicoot

by Patricia Puddle

Giveaway ends July 30, 2011.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Velvet Ball and The Broken Fairy

by Patricia Puddle

Giveaway ends July 06, 2011.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Competition for Star-Crossed Rascals

2011-05-24T01:57:00.000-07:00

Competition to win a paperback of

Star-Crossed Rascals

I'm happy today because Star-Crossed Rascals is now available as an eBook. It's available on Amazon Kindle for the fantastic price of $0.99 and will remain at this price for a month.

I'm hoping to get feedback from children, so please drop me a line and let me know if you like it or not. The first child under the age of thirteen to post the name of Polly's little dog on my blog will recieve a signed copy of the paperback, so come along and meet Polly and Gertie. Oh, yeah, and you'll get to meet mean old Aunt Mabel too.

Here is one of my illustrations of Polly's little dog, so what is his name?

Here is the link to the eBook: Shttp://www.amazon.com/Star-Crossed-Rascals-Lovable-ebook/dp/B0051XSEC2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=A24IB90LPZJ0BS&s=digital-text&qid=1306047735&sr=1-1

You all come back now!

Molly Gumnut Rescues a Bandicoot is now available as a paperback on Amazon

2011-05-20T19:14:00.000-07:00

Here is the link to purchase: http://www.amazon.com/Molly-Gumnut-Rescues-Bandicoot-Adventures/dp/146101946X

I'm delighted that one of my Molly Gumnut Adventure stories is finally published.
Molly Gumnut Rescues a Bandicoot is now available as a paperback on Amazon, and also as an eBook on Amazon Kindle.

I began writing the Adventures of Molly Mavis Gumnut series four years ago when I posted the first chapters on Absolute Write Water Cooler, and then on Critique Circle.

Molly would like to thank all the wonderful writers that encouraged me to keep going with her stories, but she was most put out because when I published her first book, I renamed her Pollyweena Grubble in the story: Star-Crossed Rascals. Gee, I'll never hear the end of it, even though I told her she'll get to keep her name in:
Molly Gumnut Rescues a Bandicoot.

I didn't think she'd want to be remembered for eating mucky bubblegum she collected from the pavement, or stuffing her yucky dinner in-between the clean sheets in the linen closet. I thought she'd evolved and was more interested in saving animals now. Sigh. But Molly said she's not even bothered if people know that she's a grub as well. She doesn't care if Gretchen Bloomfield teases her and calls her Mucky Molly because she loves bubblegum, and she'll always hate that yucky chopped liver with spaghetti.

Oh well, at least now Molly's happy she's got her own spot on her very own blog, but I know she'll never forgive me for publishing Polly before her. After all, this blog is called Adventures of Molly Mavis Gumnut, not Star-Crossed Rascals or Velvet Ball and the Broken Fairy. I guess I'd better get on with Molly's next book in the series. I can't tell you the tittle yet. It's a secret. But it's guaranteed to give kids a laugh. I'll give you a hint though. It involves trouble and strife.

Hope you all come back now!

Farida Mastec Interviews me.

2011-05-16T16:54:00.000-07:00

I just had to share this interview that Farida Mestec gave me as she is such a fantastic interviewer.

Farida Mestec's Guest Interview with:

Patricia Puddle.

Hi Trisha! Welcome to The Upper Kingdom! Tell me, please, how long have you been writing?

I’ve told stories all my life, but as I didn’t learn to write properly until I was 53, I would have to say five years. Though many of my stories were handwritten at the age of eighteen, so I could also say forty years.

And have you always wanted to be a writer?

Yes, I knew I would be from as early as five, but I didn’t know how I would achieve it.

Do you remember your first writing attempts?

Yes, and although I never learned to write properly as a child, I scribbled my own childhood antics in note books and read them too people. I got hooked on this because it made people laugh. I was a very strange child, accident prone and a dare devil. If ever anyone dared me to do things, I’d do it, then get into trouble of course. These memoirs were turned into fictitious children’s stories in my Mischievous Rascals series. The first book is published as Star-Crossed Rascals.

You remind me of Anne of Green Gables! What genre have you been writing in?

My genre is children’s fiction, mainly adventure, but I’ve also written a fantasy children’s book called Velvet Ball and The Broken Fairy. I’m writing the sequel to that story at the moment. I also wrote an educational adventure fiction story, (if there is such a genre) Molly Gumnut Rescues a Bandicoot is the first in that series.

That sounds very interesting – I love the title! What other genres would you like to pursue?

As my characters will grow up eventually, I’ll have a chance to write Y/A stories. I’ve already started a Y/A novel, which I’m quite excited about. The MC is a fickle teenager who can’t stay out of trouble. It’s a comedy, love story, but I’m having trouble finding time to finish it as I’m still writing my three children’s series.

I know what you mean! I have ever so many projects I want to work on and I wonder where to get the time! What is the main theme of your latest book? What was it inspired by?

Molly Gumnut Rescues a Bandicoot was inspired by a baby bandicoot I cared for. I’m a volunteer at a Wildlife Rescue Charity for injured and orphaned animals In Australia. I wanted to help the endangered little marsupials without being boring, so I came up with Molly. Hopefully, children and adults will enjoy this story and learn about the perils of the bandicoot at the same time.

That's so wonderful! What goals do you set out to achieve when you start writing a new book?

My goals are to tug at the heart strings of the reader. Make them laugh, cringe and cry, and also to think about the subject I’ve written about. If I don’t achieve all four things, I feel I’ve failed in my attempts. Velvet Ball and The Broken Fairy is about an eight-year-old girl with alopecia, (no hair on her entire body). Velvet gets bullied at school and when she finds a fairy in the woods, she thinks her problems will be solved. But the Fairy has her own issues, she has no magic, is cantankerous and rude. She’s just a big pain in the butt and causes more problems for Velvet.

Ooh, poor Velvet!

My first published children’s story, Star-Crossed Rascals, will certainly make the reader cringe and laugh, not sure about cry though as it’s a chapter book for very young readers. In this story, I tried to show how scared a child can become of an adult who doesn’t understand the fears of children. The first half of the book was a true account of the things I did as a child, and although I didn’t have a cruel auntie, I had a very cruel teacher, who was supposed to teach me to read and write, but instead bullied, belittled and humiliated me for for four years of my childhood, causing me to believe I had a learning disability, or was too stupid to learn anything. I left school at the age of fourteen still unable to write properly.

That's horrible! But it's great that you are writing about it – someone has to. Are you a fast or a slow writer?

Um, well, I’m fast at thinking of a story, I don’t plan the plots. I just start writing and the story unfolds on the pages, but I’m a slow typist. I taught myself, so I look at the keys. However, I write so much that my speed has improved tremendously.

That's great! Now you'll be able to write many more wonderful and educational stories. How long does it take you to write a book?

I can write a children’s book in a few weeks, but I’m obsessive compulsive and so I edit and edit until I’m happy enough to publish. It can take me months to a year, but Star Cross Rascals only took a few months.

That's me as well. I can write a children's book in a relatively short time but it can take me a very long time to edit and be happy with it. Do you ever base physical appearance of your characters on people you know, portraits or actors?

This is a hard question because the characters are usually based on my own experiences, so I’d have to say me. But in Molly Gumnut, I used photos of the real bandicoot and also of my eight-year old niece, who also resembles me as a child.

I use another niece as her best friend, Lara, and also as other characters in my other books.

Introduce the main character from your latest book. Who are they? Let them speak for themselves. What would they like to say?

Here is Molly Gumnut, the main character in:
Molly Gumnut Rescues a Bandicoot.

Hello everyone. My name is Molly Mavis Gumnut and I’m eight. I just love animals, and I loved Tiddles too. He’s the black cat that lives next door in Mrs Wilson’s house. Well, guess what? That naughty cat went and hurt a baby bandicoot and I had to rescue him before Tiddles ate him. That sweet little bandicoot’s back was bleeding. Yuck! I don’t like blood. It makes me feel sick, but I had to help him. He’s so cute and I named him Furble, then I took him home to my daddy. Daddy and I took him to the animal hospital, but the vet said I couldn’t keep him. He said bandicoots are endangered marsupials and had to go to a wildlife sanctuary. I wanted to keep Furble, so I soon told him my Grandma is a member of a wildlife rescue. I was allowed to hand him to Grandma, but you know what? She said when Furble’s wounds are healed, she’s gonna send him back to his own territory to be with his mother. Well, she can’t do that because Tiddles will eat him for sure. I even told Grandma that Furble won’t have a mother if he’s dead, but she won’t listen to me. No one ever listens to me. Even when I asked Mrs Wilson to keep her cat indoors at night-time, she said I was an impudent child.

Well, I’m not letting Tiddles eat my Furble. I know how to look after bandicoots now because my Gran showed me. And after school today, I went to Grandma’s house and kidnapped Furble. Guess where he is? He’s in my backpack. I brought some mealworms and fruit with him too and I’m taking him far away to find him a much safer home. I know a secret place where we can be together forever and ever. Furble’s a bit scared though, so I sing songs to him that I make up just for him. He loves me and I love him. Oh, no! There’s a big black cloud above me and my legs hurt from walking so far. Do you know I went and forgot to bring some food and warm clothes for me? My tummy is rumbling and grumbling , but it’s a good job I brought a bunny rug for Furble. I’m cold now and it’s getting dark. I think it’s going to rain, so I can’t talk to you anymore. I have to get to my secret place before we get drenched, plus foxes and dingos come out at night. Yipes! I heard something growl.

Trisha and Molly, thank you very much for the interview and the introduction! It was great and I loved reading it. And I think bandicoots are becoming my favourite animals: they're so cute! But I don't think we have any here in Ukraine...

Available at Amazon as an eBook, and due in a few days as a paperback. Click this link to buy: Molly Gumnut Rescues a Bandicoot

Molly Gumnut loves her neighbour’s cat, but when she catches him attacking a baby bandicoot, she runs screaming into Mrs Wilson’s garden. After shooing the cat away, Molly rescues the injured critter and names him Furble. But when she takes him to the vet, he says she can’t keep him because bandicoots are protected native animals and must to go to a wildlife sanctuary. Molly doesn't let that stop her from keeping Furble. She informs the vet that her grandmother is a volunteer with a wildlife rescue and would gladly look after him. The vet gives in, but Molly is horrified when Grandma insists Furble will be released back to his own territory when his wounds have healed. Molly can’t let that happen, ’cause that’s where the big mean cat lives.

Well, no way will she let Tiddles hurt Furble again. She doesn't care if she gets into trouble for yelling at the neighbour, or disobeying her parents. She kidnaps the little bandicoot and takes him on a journey to find him a safer home. When things go wrong, Molly realises she’s made a bad mistake. Now Furble’s in more danger and so is Molly.

Be sure to learn more about Farida Mastac and her books at her website or her blog: http://the-upper-kingdom.blogspot.com/

Introducing author: Farida Mestek.

2011-05-09T21:12:00.000-07:00

Today I’m chatting to author Farida Mestek about her fantasy book:

Almendra - A Fairy Tale

Hi, Farida, how long have you been writing and have you always wanted to be a writer?

I honestly can't remember the time when I wasn't writing. It is something that I have to do in order to be happy. As a child I wrote poems, as a teenager – songs, as a young adult – fanfics, and now I'm writing books. And when in the past I couldn't think of anything to write, I kept journals. I always thought that it would be great to be a writer and I told my family that that's what I would become.

Tell me, do you remember your first writing attempts?

Oh yes! I was at school and, influenced by soaps that my granny used to watch, I decided to write a story about love, big money, murder and betrayal. Naturally, I didn't know what I was doing. It was absolutely ridiculous and beyond inconsistent and, of course, I didn't get too far into the narrative, because there was no plot at all. I remember that the main heroine's name was Margaret (my favourite name) and the first word was “Damn” and that it all started on the beach. It was so silly that I threw it away, but now I wish I would have kept it :D

What genres have you been writing in? What other genres would you like to pursue?

So far I've written three Regency-set books, one fantasy story and a number of fairy-tales. I think I'd love to write a detective story one day. I love detectives! I'd also like to try writing screenplays for movies or – better still! – TV shows. I grew up watching lots of those and I always wanted to work in the genre.

What are the main themes of your latest book? What was it inspired by?

In my latest published book (in fact it's the first book I ever wrote) – Almendra: A Fairy-Tale – there are quite a lot of themes: loneliness, fear of what the future holds, friendship, the search of love and mother/daughter relationship. It was inspired by my own experiences and fears and, in a way, if you take the fantasy and the magic away, it is quite autobiographical. It's funny and sad, because in the end of the book Almendra loses her gorgeous hair – dark, thick, wavy and very long – and as I had to go through chemotherapy treatment this year, so I lost mine just as gorgeous...

Farida, that is really amazing that we have just met. Wow! You've had chemotherapy? I wrote and published a story about an eight-year-old girl who also lost all her hair from alopecia. My book, Velvet Ball and the Broken Fairy is also a story of loneliness, fear and humour and was aimed to show the problems that children with alopecia have. I'm so delighted to meet a real Velvet. You're an inspiration. I'm sure children and adults with this problem will love your story. Okay, back to your book.

What goals do you set out to achieve when you start writing a new book?

Sometimes I simply want to tell the story. I have this need to share it with other people, because writing is such a personal and isolated activity. At other times, I want to try and write about an important issue. Ultimately, I want to write a story and characters that readers would like to come back to. I'm not sure I have accomplished that with any of my previous books, but I hope I will one day.

Are you a fast or a slow writer? How long does it take you to write a book?

I'm a very slow writer and it takes me about a year to write a book. I'm quick at outlining the plot – in my head – and not so quick at writing it down, so that I often have to stop myself from thinking about the story in case I forget something crucial. I do write it down eventually, but it takes me a long while. And then, as I've recently discovered – I am dependent on my muse and when she's out of town, I can't seem to write anything at all.

Do you ever base physical appearance of your characters on people you know, portraits or actors? Any examples or images that you'd like to share?

I often see my characters as people from real life. In fact, seeing them and their most outstanding features in my mind's eye makes it easier for me to describe them in writing. I also love sketching my characters and, because I'm not very good at drawing, they don't always end up as I would like them to. At times, however, I hit the mark. For example, this is one of many sketches of Almendra that I made and I can say that I'm really happy with it.

Introduce the main characters from your latest book. Who are they? Let them speak for themselves. What would they like to say?

My name is Jonnah Nibbler-Pincher. I'm a singer and a traveller. I've been travelling for years now. One day, as I was sitting on the bank of a river, singing a song and playing a tambourine, I encountered Almendra – the nowadays High Lady of The Upper Kingdom. It turned out that she was going to The Land of Men to try and find love in order to get rid of the curse of unhappiness, loneliness and gloom placed upon The Upper Kingdom by her mother many years ago. But she didn't know where she was going – she has never even seen a man in her entire life! – and, as I have long since wanted to supply my aimless wanderings with a purpose, I offered myself as her guide. We very soon became very good friends and she turned out to be not at all what I expected. Of course, she has a bit of a temper and she can be rude and stubborn, but she is also very naïve and is willing to learn. Well, I'm afraid that she had to learn quite a few lessons on her quest and pay a terrible price. This journey to The Land of Men – a vile land if there ever was one – changed her forever and so it fell upon me today to introduce us both.

Here is the blurb for “Almendra: A Fairy-Tale”:

Almendra, the High Lady of The Upper Kingdom, is doomed. Many years ago, in a fit of rage and broken heart, her mother banished all the men from the country and plunged it into unhappiness, loneliness and gloom. For many years Almendra’s only companions were her old Nanny and her faithful friend Woo, the wolf. Now Almendra faces a daunting task of going to The Land of Men and getting rid of the curse. But she doesn’t know the way and she has never seen a man in her life.

In comes Joannah Nibbler-Pincher, a girl with a tambourine, a bag of sad songs and a thick black choker that hides the mystery of her painful past. She and Almendra become best friends and Joannah takes it upon herself to take the High Lady and her unconventional family to The Land of Men, where Almendra intends to find love that, according to a fate line left by her mother, will have the power to restore The Upper Kingdom to all its former glory. But it’s a long way to The Land of Men and the outcome of the journey will change Almendra forever.

Thank you, Farida. That was wonderful and I really admire you for writting this book, considering your health issues. Maybe with our stories we can bring some happiness to readers suffering alopecia and cancer.

Here is the link to Farida's blog: The Upper Kindom

And here is the link to her buy page: http://girlebooks.com/ebook-catalog/farida-mestek/almendra/

My Book Review of - A Job From Hell by Jayde Scott.

2011-05-04T07:44:00.000-07:00

A Job From Hell by Jayde Scott

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a great read. This is a story for teens as well as adults. A very well written vampire love story that's full of intrigue right to the end. Seventeen-year-old Amber starts a new job as a housekeeper in an old mansion in Scotland, but she knows nothing about housekeeping and hates cleaning. She thinks household chores are a waste of time, so she's quite happy that the house is sparkling clean. Instead of working, Amber spends most of her time drooling over her new boss and snooping around the house. But there are secrets she doesn't know about the people that come to the house, and she has no idea there's a unique bond between her and one of them, or that she's been summoned there by a vampire.

Not long after she arrives at her new job, her brother turns up. He tells her about a stash of jewels hidden in the woods close by. They decide to steal them and run away to start a new life, but on the night of the robbery, her brother disappears. Scared, Amber goes looking for him. She doesn't find him, but stumbles upon a hut in the forest as well as the hidden treasures. Though she steals the jewels, she doesn't know they're actually the first prize in a paranormal race organised by a blood-crazed succubus demi-goddess. Suddenly, Amber has the ability to travel to other worlds and communicate with so-called ghosts, but every paranormal being out there is hunting for her. Amber doesn't know it, but someone out there is drawn to her blood, and they are determined to have it.

Amber is hilarious and a bit of a klutz sometimes, but she's very endearing. The story kept me turning the page in anticipation of what's going to happen next, but I could never guess. I highly recomend this book and I give it a five-star rating. Well deserved too. A great read that I finished in one day and night.

View all my reviews

Molly Gumnut Rescues a Bandicoot Available on Amazon Kindle

2011-04-22T17:27:00.000-07:00

Molly Gumnut Rescues a Bandicoot is finally published and available on Amazon Kindle. This book will also be available as a paperback in a few weeks time.

Molly Gumnut Rescues a Bandicoot available on Amazon Kindle

This book took me quite a few years to write and I'm thrilled that Molly Gumnut is now out there in the big wild world, and so is the sweet little bandicoot called Furble.

I hope readers will enjoy this story about the baby bandicoot and his fight to survive. Although it's a fictitious children's story, I did care for a baby bandicoot I named Furble after he was attacked by a cat. He inspired me to write this children's book and it's full of illustrations and photos of him. I hope readers will enjoy it. It's action packed and full of adventure.

Please feel free to let me know what you think of this story, either on this blog or go to my website: Children's Books Author Patricia Puddle

Thank you to all my fellow writers who helped get Molly on the road.

Happy Easter everyone.

My New Website

2011-04-07T08:54:00.000-07:00

At last I have a website. Yay! I hope you'll all come and browse around. You'll see my books, eBooks, new releases, book trailers, YouTube movies, my illustrations, and much more. I'll also be posting a regular newsletter, plus story snippets. You'll also see my updated photo. Hey! Don't laugh. I turned fifty eight today.

Here is the link: http://childrens-books-author-p-puddle.com/

My YouTube Videos

2011-04-05T18:18:00.000-07:00

I finally hunted out my best inspirational animal videos and posted them on YouTube.

Furble The Baby Bandicoot features in my upcoming children's book:
Molly Gumnut Rescues a Bandicoot

Here is a link to the YouTube Video. (I have nine videos on YouTube, all inspirations for my children's books.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tdl7BXkvgho

Win a Prize. Reviewing Star-Crossed Rascals with Price Minister

2011-03-25T20:54:00.000-07:00

Hi everybody. If you go to the PRICE MINISTER website and give a review of my book - Star-Crossed Rascals, you'll have a chance to win 300 pound.. The first review for my book = 10 chances to win 300 pound according to the website. I can't enter as I'm the author. LOL.

http://www.priceminister.co.uk/offer/buy/66001526/star-crossed-rascals-puddle-patricia-book.html

Good luck and thank you to anyone who adds a review. (The book is available with Amazon and Barnes and Noble in America as well as other websites in the UK)

Molly Gumnut Rescues a Bandicoot coming soon!

2011-03-22T06:54:00.000-07:00

Whew! I haven't posted in a while. So much to do. I'm writing sequels to three stories ar the moment and organising my website which will be up soon. Now, and after years of edits, and one last one to go,
Molly Gumnut Rescues a Bandicoot will be available on Amazon in a few weeks. Here is the book cover:

Furble The Baby Bandicoot

Furble's injuries after a cat attack.

Furble after his bottle

Furble taking a nap.

Furble want's his bottle

Furble's first meal after attack by cat

Furble taking a snooze after his dinner, bless him

Goodnight - sleep tight, Furble.

Please help our wildlife if you can and donate to F.A.W.N.A or become a member of a wildlife rescue. http://www.fawna.org.au/index.html

Smashwords - Read an Ebook Week Promotion

2011-03-05T14:27:00.000-08:00

Smashwords is having a Read an Ebook a Week promotion from 6th to12th of March. Here is the coupon number to add to recieve your discount of my eBook: QY29C

My eBook Velvet Ball and The Broken Fairy is available in all eBook formats and will be discounted by 50% for this week. Here is the link if you'd like to participate and buy my ebook for $1.50 USD
The discount coupon will apear when you pay. The code number for my book is: QY29C.

Here is the link to my eBook on Smashwords:

: https://www.smashwords.com/books/search?query=Velvet+ball+and+the+broken+Fairy

There is also a book trailer on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfkI8IcGK80

This book is also availabe as a paperback with Amazon

The winner of the prize for February is ........

2011-03-03T22:26:00.000-08:00

Drumroll ....rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr ...

It's Marti! Yay!

Congratulations, Marti. The mean teacher in the sequel to Star-Crossed Rascals will be called:

Mrs Haggerty.

Let me know your address, Marti, and I'll post you a copy of:

Star-Crossed Rascals.

Thanks for entering everybody. The new competition will be posted in a few days.

The Bookshelf Muse

2011-02-27T16:15:00.000-08:00

Today, I want to thank Angela Ackernam and Becca Puglisi for the wonderful critiques they gave me on the first chapter of my sequel to Velvet Ball. (My new Title is a seret as I've just changed it. LOL.)

I won the critique in a contest over at The Bookshelf Muse blog, a great place for writiers to find information, mainly for Thesaurus. Lets face it, us writers need a little help sometimes when we're stuck or too tired to think, so check it out and join in the fun competitions. Who knows, you may be lucky enough to win a great critique too.

I loved how Angela and Becca gave completely different, but great suggestions. And both helped me tighten my rather long chapter, so thanks so much, girls. You rock the writer's worlds and we love you both to bits.

Come on everbody, check it out: http://thebookshelfmuse.blogspot.com/

Emotion Thesaurus

Setting Thesaurus

Book Trailer for Velvet Ball and The Broken Fairy.

2011-02-25T08:43:00.000-08:00

I can't believe I actually made this book trailer all by myself, but I did. I worked on it for two days and night's but it wit.as worth it. Even I love it. If you want a peek, here is the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfkI8IcGK80

My First Bookst Trailer for Star-Crossed Rascals

2011-02-22T06:32:00.000-08:00

I've just made a Book Trailer for my first published book:
Star-crossed Rascals. Phew! That took me all day. My first attempt was yesterday, but I had more editing to do, but when I tried to upload my new version, it wouldn't take. I finally figured I could upload it straight from Windows Live Movie Maker toYouTube, though it took nearly an hour that way.

While I was looking for Free Royalty-free music, I came across a wonderful website. Now, I thought that I could just download music for free if it said it was free, but apparently not. I did some research with Google and found information on some websites that said if you use the free music for a product that earns you big money, the owner of the music can later claim some of your profits. Yipes! That's scarey. Let's face it, all us writers are all going to be millionairs, right?

Rick Vanman produces music for people to download for free providing they mention his name on their book trailer, adds or movies. He has quite a selection of free tunes, and many you can purchase. What a great idea. That takes away the worry about getting sued for downloading illegally, 'cause even if you think it's free, it's probaly not. Anyway, you can listen to his video explaining all that, so I'll give you the link, but firstly, I'll give you the link to my Book Trailer. Don't forget, this is my first, so it's not the best.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWqwiW02J1Y

Now, here is Rick Vanman's Website:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m916YeTTVNA

Competition for February is still going!

2011-02-11T18:06:00.000-08:00

The February Competition is still going and the prize is a paperback copy of:

Star-Crossed Rascals.

Anyone can enter by posting a name for a really mean school teacher in the comment box. The name picked will be used in the second book in the Rascals series.

Good luck éveryone. Oh, and kids, don't suggest your own teachers.

Here is an excerpt from the book:

With an evil smile, Auntie curled a finger. “Come with me, Polly.”
    I shivered. I didn’t want to go with her. She was not a nice woman.
    “Come on,” she said, grabbing my hand and leading me upstairs to the bathroom. “I have a job for you.”
    “What sort of job?” I asked. I didn’t want to do chores.
    Auntie gave me a bucket of soapy water and passed me a toilet brush.
    Frowning, I looked up. “What’s that for?”
    She folded her arms and grinned. “You’re going to clean the toilet.”
    I stared at that bristly white brush. “I don’t know how to clean a toilet,” I said. “I’m just a little kid.”
    “Well,” she said, “You’re never too young to learn.”
    Poo! That toilet stunk. I squinted at her and said, “I don’t want to clean a yucky toilet bowl. Mum never makes me.”
    “Really?” she said. “But you didn’t mind eating other people’s filthy chewing gum and mouldy dog poo. Did you?”
    I put my hands on my hips. “I didn’t eat them,” I said. “I just tasted them a bit.”
    “Well, from now on,” she said. “You can clean the loo every time you’re naughty. Now get on with it. And wipe the floor while you’re at it.” She passed me the mop on her way out. But as soon as she closed the door, I shook it at her. Then I leaned it against the wall.
    My friends didn’t have to clean toilets. Pinching my nose, I peered into the bog hole. Gross! I didn’t want loo slime on my fingers. But that toilet brush was way too short. I grabbed the mop instead. I dunked it in the bucket and shoved it down the poo hole. After jiggling it about, I pressed it down real hard. Auntie wouldn’t be happy if I didn’t clean it good.
    Oops. It jammed in the bend. I pulled and pulled, but it wouldn’t come out. Yipes! Now what would I do?
    I climbed onto the toilet seat and pulled even harder, but that stupid mop was stuck. I gulped. Then I heaved and heaved. My face got real hot and my tummy made a loud rumbling noise. Darn it! Now I needed to use the loo.
    That mop was a pest. I pressed the flush button, but it jammed even more. Yucky water poured out of the toilet bowl and covered my shoes. Shoot! Now I was gonna poop my pants. As I held my belly, Auntie’s big thumping feet came thundering up the stairs.
    My legs trembled.
    The door swung open and Auntie barged in.
    “Oh, my goodness,” she cried, pulling at her hair. “Now, what’ve you done?”
    I froze with my mouth open.

Here's a few of my own illustrations from the book:

George Straatman's Converging Horror Triology

2011-02-09T20:54:00.000-08:00

For lovers of fantasy stories:

Here is the synopsis for the final segment of George Straatman's Converging horror trilogy:

The Converging: Closures in Blood is the concluding volume of George Straatman’s epic Converging horror trilogy. Though rooted firmly in the horror/supernatural thriller genre, Closures in Blood is a skilful weaving of intense action and compelling drama that will stand as a fitting finale to this dark and richly imagined tale.

After apparently vanquishing the demon, Cynara Saravic…the now-immortal Elizabeth Simpson returns to America to begin a desperate search for the only man she has ever loved and the one person who can grant her absolution for the sins she has committed while under the demon’s dark thrall. Abhorred as an abomination by both Heaven and Hell, Elizabeth must run a deadly and insidious gauntlet to find David Stillman, unaware that she has become the catalyst for an apocalyptic war between good and evil. Pursued across a dying America by legions of religious fanatics and satanic assassins, Elizabeth is forced to turn to her avowed enemy…a dark mistress who represents her only hope of eluding her relentless pursuers and finding some sense of closure to the dark nightmare of her life…and a hope of personal redemption. Populated by a cast of dark and richly detailed characters, Closures in Blood is a frenetic rollercoaster ride into darkest depths of the Converging universe…a place where the vile and the righteous will find a grim measure or resolution in the explosive conclusion to this master work of dark horror.

Here are the links to the author’s website:

http://www.georgestraatman.com/

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3046802.George_Straatman

Finally, here is a direct connection to my sales page on Sony

http://ebookstore.sony.com/search?keyword=george+straatman

The trilogy is also available on Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Apple and Smashwords.

Winner of January Competition is..........

2011-02-01T20:22:00.000-08:00

Okay, the winner of the January Book Competition to win the above paperback is:

*Drumroll*

Kat. ( for her mean goblin name: Crusher. She also suggested Tuffy, and that gave me the idea to use Taffy for another goblin. Thanks, Kat, I hope you enjoy your paperback, Velvet Ball and The Broken Fairy. It's in the post.

Thanks for entering everybody. This month there will be another competition to win a paperback copy of Star-Crossed Rascals, and to win you have to suggest a name for a really mean school teacher. Anyone can enter and the prize will be drawn at the end of February.

Good luck everyone, and thanks for reading my blog.

Yay! I won a Prize with Angela Ackerman at The Bookshelf Muse

2011-01-26T17:10:00.000-08:00

Hey! I won a prize with Angela Ackerman and Beck on The Bookshelf Muse.

Yay! What a prize. A first chapter critique.

Angela helped make Star-Crossed Rascals shine when she suggested I mean-up Great Aunt Mabel.
That improved my story tenfold and now it's available with Barnes ans Noble and Amazon. Yay! LOL.http://www.facebook.com/sabrinaleccese#!/notes/angela-halliday-ackerman/good-things-in-3-winners/489917038830

Velvet ball and The Broken Fairy is now in NookBook with Barnes and Noble Yay!

2011-01-14T16:58:00.000-08:00

I'm happy today because my eBook
Velvet Ball and The Broken Fairy is now also available with Barnes and Noble NookBooks. Yay!

Here is the link:http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Velvet-Ball-and-The-Broken-fairy/Patricia-Puddle/e/2940011146060/?itm=1&USRI=velvet+ball+and+the+broken+fairy

This book is also available as a paperback with Amazon and also available as an eBook with Amazon Kindle and Smashwords. Here are the links:

Velvet Kindle version Amazon:http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=Velvet+Ball+and+The+Broken+Fairy&x=19&y=17

Velvet Kindle version Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Velvet-Ball-Broken-Fairy-Novel/dp/B004C05694/ref=pd_rhf_p_t_1:

Velvet on Amazon as paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Velvet-Ball-Broken-Fairy-1/dp/1456387448/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1293724495&sr=1-2-spell

Velvet on Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/32393

My book, Star-Crossed Rascals is available with Barnes and Noble and Amazon as paperbacks. Here are the links:

Star-Crossed Rascals on Amazon as a paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Star-Crossed-Rascals-Patricia-Puddle/dp/1907986227

Star-Crossed Rascals as paperback on Barnes and Noble: http://www.amazon.com/Star-Crossed-Rascals-Patricia-Puddle/dp/1907986227

And don't forget my competition! It finishes at the end of the month, so there's still time to win a paperback copy of:

Velvet Ball and The Broken Fairy. See the post below for details.

Happy New Year Competition!

2011-01-01T15:40:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone. Here's a
New Competition to start the Year.

Okay, I'll give away a paperback copy of
Velvet Ball and The Broken Fairy to the person who comes up with the best, unique name for a mean goblin. He will then feature in the sequel to Velvet Ball. Anyone can enter, and any age.

Good luck everyone.

Competition starts now!

My Children's Books

2010-12-27T19:05:00.000-08:00

Velvet Ball and The Broken fairy is available as a paperback with Amazon Books, but is also still on special as an eBook with Amazon Kindle for $0.99

http://www.amazon.com/Velvet-Broken-Fairy-Novel-ebook/dp/B004C05694

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1456387448/authorsdencom

Star-Crossed Rascals is available with Amazon Book and also on Barnes and Noble and other bookseller websites.

http://www.amazon.com/Star-Crossed-Rascals-Patricia-Puddle/dp/1907986227

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Star-Crossed-Rascals/Patricia-Puddle/e/9781907986222/?itm=1&USRI=star-crossed+rascals