Rascals do their Happy Dance

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

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

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

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

Save a Macropod Joey

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