~ COVER REVEAL FOR 'THE FOREVER SKY' ~

~ FRIDAY FICTION FEATURE ~

COVER REVEAL FOR:

--  'THE FOREVER SKY'  --

AUTHOR JANALYN VOIGT
~Post Includes: Book Spotlight,
Author Bio, Cover Reveal & Giveaway~

  

 

Welcome to the Cover Reveal for The Forever Sky, the fourth book of the Montana Gold series by Janalyn Voigt, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

ABOUT THE BOOK:

THE FOREVER SKY
Series: Montana Gold, Book 4
Author: Janalyn Voigt
Release Date:  December 1st, 2019
Genre: Western/Historical Romance

Can a young widow with no faith in love, hope for a future with the man who broke her heart?

Maisey isn’t about to give Rob another chance to reject her love. Why should she believe that the man who left town without a backward glance three years ago cares about her? Life had taught her all about broken dreams, and she didn’t want to hope again. If only her young daughter would stop adopting Rob as a father, ignoring him—and her own emotions--would be a whole lot easier.

Thoughts of the woman he’d left behind haunted Rob for three long years. It wouldn’t have been fair to ask Maisey to wait while he mined a gold claim. After making his fortune, he’d returned to his family in Montana’s Bitterroot Valley. Rob was ready to settle down, and he’d rather do so with Maisey. But after their first encounter, it was clear that he’d lost her forever.

Circumstances force Maisey and Rob into one another’s company. They learn, through hardship and loss, that the only way to one another is to surrender first to God’s love.

Based on actual historical events during a time of unrest in America, The Forever Sky explores faith, love, and courage in the wild west. 
  

Here's the Cover:

PREORDER LINKS*: Goodreads | Amazon

 

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Janalyn Voigt fell in love with literature at an early age when her father read chapters from classics to her at night. After Janalyn grew older, she put herself to sleep with bedtime stories "written" in her head. Janalyn is a storyteller who writes in multiple genres. The same elements--romance, mystery, adventure, history, and fantasy/whimsy--appear in all her novels. Janalyn Voigt is represented by Wordserve Literary. Learn more about Janalyn, read the first chapters of her books, subscribe to her e-letter, and join her reader clubs at her website.  

CONNECT WITH JANALYN: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | BookBub

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TOUR GIVEAWAY

One winner will receive a $20 gift card!

Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule shown below. Giveaway will begin at midnight November 1, 2019, and will last through 11:59 PM EST on November 8, 2019. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

ENTER GIVEAWAY HERE 

 

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Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!



*NOTE: This post contains affiliate links.

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~ MMGM WEAVING WITH LITTLE HANDMADE LOOMS ~

~ MARVELOUS MIDDLE-GRADE

MONDAY S.T.E.A.M. FEATURE ~

--  'WEAVING WITH LITTLE HANDMADE 

LOOMS:  MAKE YOUR OWN MINI LOOMS & 

WEAVE 25 EXQUISITE PROJECTS'  --

AUTHOR HARUMI KAGEYAMA

LEARN MORE ON GOODREADS 

ABOUT THE BOOK {from Goodreads}:

Learn how to make your own portable weaving loom with everyday materials like cardboard, paper, pins, tacks, wood, and nails. Step-by-step instructions illustrate how to construct four handcrafted loom designs with ordinary tools. Use a cardboard cake box to make a circle loom and weave friendship rings. Create a little loom with a picture frame and weave a colorful purse.

Featuring 25 cute projects like bags, jewelry, table-mats, and pouches, all projects are friendly for weaving with both traditional and unconventional fibers. You can try different materials, from classic yarn to more novel materials like ribbon, suede and pipe cleaners -change it up for a whole different look!

These do-it-yourself looms are perfect for crafting on the go. They are small enough to take with you as a portable travel craft or outside pastime. With basic materials you’ll be weaving on your handmade loom in no time!

MY THOUGHTS:

When I saw this book listed in the online catalog for my local public library it piqued my interest. I remember making some fun weaving projects in Girl Scouts and in a high school weaving/stitchery class. 

The author has written her book in a warm, welcoming tone which encourages readers to try new techniques, use recycled materials to make the looms, and make the projects for gifts and personal use.

The book begins with a gallery of the 25 exquisite -- one of my favorite words -- projects ranging from bracelets, necklaces, coasters, and pouches to more complex projects such as covered buttons, brooches, totes, and clutches. A beautiful close-up photo and blurb for each project is included along with the page number where the instructions can be found in the final section of the book.

Next is the section about the weaving tools, other useful tools, and stepped-out instructions (including photos) for how to make a variety of looms. There are board looms, round looms, box looms, and frame looms. The instructions for how to construct these looms are excellent and include measurements written in the Imperial and Metric systems to make them appealing and user-friendly for readers around the world.

Finally, the materials list and detailed instructions with photos and diagrams for each of the projects is presented. I feel these instructions are very user-friendly because they are brief and concise.  

There are a few projects presented in the book that I would like to try such as the color block tote/clutch and the clamshell pouch. Since the projects in the book are small, using scraps of yarn leftover from previous knitting or crafting projects is appropriate.

Highly-recommended! This book is an excellent resource for adults working with middle-graders. The reading level may be challenging for some middle-graders, but the text, techniques, and projects are appropriate for tweens and teens to use independently. 

I borrowed this book from the 'new' book non-fiction shelf in the children's section of the local public library.

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Learn about more great middle-grade reads by visiting Greg Pattridge's 'Always in the Middle' blog to find the links to other blog posts celebrating Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday!

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~ MMGM IGGY & OZ THE PLASTIC DINOS OF DOOM

~ MARVELOUS MIDDLE-GRADE

MONDAY ACTION &

ADVENTURE FEATURE ~

--  'IGGY & OZ:  THE PLASTIC

DINOS OF DOOM'  --

AUTHOR J. J. JOHNSON

~Post Includes:  Book Spotlight, 

Author Bio & Review~ 

 LEARN MORE ON GOODREADS

ABOUT THE BOOK {from Goodreads}:

What if hundreds of plastic toy dinosaurs suddenly came to life- Could you find a way to stop them...?

Iggy Risner is your typical wise-cracking twelve year old. When his younger brother, Oz, wakes him in the middle of the night claiming he heard a monster in the attic, Iggy takes him upstairs to prove him wrong. But instead of a flesh-eating beast, they discover hundreds of their toy plastic dinosaurs that have mysteriously come to life.

When the dinos escape the attic and start terrorizing young kids in the neighborhood, and trampling flower beds, somehow Iggy, Oz, and their friends must catch the plastic dinos of doom before the damage escalates. But what do you do when your parent's doubt your story, and a group of clueless neighborhood bullies stand in the way?

For Iggy & Oz- Catching the little beast may prove to be easier said, than done.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR {from Amazon.com & Goodreads}:
J.J. Johnson grew up in Pryor Creek Oklahoma. Attending Oklahoma Baptist Universtiy with a major in Student Ministry and a minor in Sociology. He currently resides in Edmond Oklahoma where he lives with his wife Ashley and children.

"Hi, my name is J.J. and I love to write, read, and drink coffee. As I write this I’m sitting in a local brewery sipping a espresso. There are few things in life that I feel need precise division with no room for error, coffee is one of them.

I love comic books, writing fun adventurous Science Fiction, and wasting countless hours on Social Media."

You can follow him on Facebook at:
https://www.facebook.com/jjjohnsonWrites

On Twitter
http://www.twitter.com/jjjohnsonWrites

Visit his website at http://www.jjjohnsonwrites.com

MY THOUGHTS:
The author does a find job of introducing his characters and setting the scene for the story in the beginning of the book. Iggy, the main character and narrator, is a 12-year-old boy who likes to write stories in the journal/diary his mother gave to him. His younger brother, Oz, is nine years old and was adopted from China.

They live in Whispering Pines, "a sprawling gated community," where the majority of the action takes places. Neighborhood kids are introduced throughout the story. Some are friends, some are bullies, and some are just plain strange, according to Iggy.

Oz calls Iggy, 'Captain', so the chapter names in the book are entitled, 'Captain's Log 001', etc. Iggy calls Oz, 'Wizard', so when Oz takes over writing in Iggy's journal, the chapters are entitled, 'Wizard's Log 001', etc.

One night Oz hears scratching and other noises coming from the attic above their bedrooms. He enlists Iggy's help to figure out who or what is up there making all the ruckus. The wild adventure begins . . .

There are dozens of Oz's plastic dinosaurs stored in a chest that Iggy's father bought at the estate sale of a mysterious neighbor on their street, Mr. Chesterson. After a funny episode of how the boys climbed up into the attic, they discover that the dinosaurs have come to life and are marching around the attic. Oh, I forgot to mention the plastic two-foot tall T-Rex that is the leader of all of the little dinosaurs. He's not so nice.

Through trial and error, Iggy, Oz, and their friends Aaron and Jenn determine that the dinos only come to life when there are no adults around. With some clever problem-solving and good, old-fashioned team work, the group, along with the neighborhood bully and his gang, come together to ----------- enough said! You'll have to read this delightful book yourself to find out the rest of the story!

At one point, Iggy lies to his father about who destroyed their neighbor Mrs. McKenzie's flowers. Oz chastises his big brother for lying to their parents. I loved this element of the story because it was handled in a 'teaching a life lesson' sort of way that kids would be able to relate to and understand without being turned off by it. In the Acknowledgments at the end of the story, the author notes that he wanted to write a story for his own children.

Of course, the story includes a fair share of middle-grade gags with slime, mucous, vomit, worms, etc. There is some mention of blood when the dinos nip at fingers and toes. However, I feel the book is completely clean in language and content.

Highly-recommended! This is a fast-paced, fun story with lots of humor. It would make a great family or classroom read-aloud.

Disclosure from reviewer: I was given access to a digital copy of this book by JustRead Publicity Tours. I was not compensated in any way for posting my review on this site or any other site.

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Learn about more great middle-grade reads by visiting Greg Pattridge's 'Always in the Middle' blog to find the links to other blog posts celebrating Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday!

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~ MMGM HISTORICAL FICTION LISTS ~

~ MARVELOUS MIDDLE-GRADE 

MONDAY FEATURE ~
BEST 'HISTORICAL 

FICTION' BOOK LISTS 

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Recently I was searching for some middle-grade historical fiction books I have not yet read. I began with Goodreads. After a brief search, I came up with this helpful list:

Goodreads Popular Middle Grade Historical Fiction Novels

I have reviewed several of these books on my blog, such as:

The best thing about this list is that a number of the other titles on the list caught my eye and are now on my own 'To Be Read' list. 

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Next I did a search on a certain well-known search engine and found this list of thirteen award-winning historical fiction novels for middle-grade readers:

Award-Winning Historical Fiction List

I read number 1, Johnny Tremain, in junior high.

I read number 2, Across Five Aprils, somewhere along the way, too.

Some of the books on this list overlap with the above Goodreads list, but some of these award-winners look promising, so I have added those titles to my ever-growing TBR list. 

I've also decided I need to reread Johnny Tremain and Across Five Aprils now that I'm an adult and have a greater background knowledge of the events and time periods these novels cover.

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This final list is unique and meaningful. This blogger has posted a list of  'Ten Moving Historical Fiction Novels for Tweens'.

Connecting With the Past: Ten Moving Historical Fiction Novels for Tweens

In her post, the blogger writes:

"The ten books below are great examples of moving historical fiction for tweens that will connect them with the past and make them empathize with characters who aren’t so different from them after all."

Needless to say, these ten books are now all on my 'starred' TBR list!

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Some other excellent middle-grade historical novels written in the past decade which I have reviewed on this blog which deserve 'honorable mentions' are:

 

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What are some of your favorite historical fiction reads?  -or-  Who are some of your favorite historical fiction authors? Please leave a comment so we can share our love of middle-grade historical fiction with each other.

                 📖 📖 📖 📖 📖 ~ GIVEAWAY ~  📖 📖 📖 📖 📖 
NOW CLOSED -------  DON'T FORGET TO ENTER! THIS PAPERBACK GIVEAWAY IS CLOSING SOON ----------- 

Dancing Lemur Publishing, LLC, has graciously offered to give away one print copy of Stone Man to one lucky US resident! Please complete the below Rafflecopter entry form shown below for your chance to win.

 📕📗📘📙📚📕📗📘📙📚📕📗📘📙📚

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Learn about more great middle-grade reads by visiting Greg Pattridge's 'Always in the Middle' blog to find the links to other blog posts celebrating Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday!

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~ NEW RELEASE--'HALLOWEEN FRIENDS HAND PUPPETS' SEWING PATTERNS ~

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~ MY NEWEST KINDLE RELEASE ~
--  'HALLOWEEN FRIENDS HAND

PUPPETS:
3 SEWING PATTERNS'  --

ABOUT THE BOOK: 

Join June to stitch up some colorful Halloween hand puppets for children!

To make these patterns user-friendly for seamstresses around the world, all of the patterns include the measurements in Imperial and Metric. Tips on how to work with felt are provided along with detailed cutting and sewing instructions.

Project One is a friendly monster named Malcolm. His neon green face, black hair, hand-embroidered face, button eyes, and metal button neck bolts will make any youngster smile.

Project Two is a colorful pumpkin hand puppet named Polly or Patrick. With black buttons added for eyes, nose, and a broad smile, this pumpkin becomes a jack-'o-lantern. Hand-embroidered vertical lines add texture to this Halloween friend. Two options are included to personalize the puppet even more.

Project Three is a sweet black cat named Casey. With three-dimensional ears and hand-embroidered whiskers and mouth, Casey will delight youngsters. As the perfect finishing touch, Casey's collar is made out of bright rickrack with a small bell attached.

These are the perfect beginning projects to get your child started on sewing their own crafts!

Stitch up a set or two and let the good, old-fashioned fun begin.

ABOUT THE DESIGNER/AUTHOR:
Over one hundred of June McCrary Jacobs's original sewing, quilting, and stitchery designs have been published in books, magazines, and on sewing industry blogs in the United States and the United Kingdom in the past decade-plus. This is June's second pattern book available in the Kindle Store.

LINK TO FIND THIS BOOK ON AMAZON

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~MMGM STONE MAN AND THE TRAIL OF TEARS~

~ MARVELOUS MIDDLE-GRADE

HISTORICAL FICTION FEATURE ~

--  'STONE MAN AND THE TRAIL OF TEARS'  --

AUTHOR CHARLES SUDDETH

~Post Includes:  Book Spotlight, Author Bio,

Unique Author Interview & Giveaway~

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Stone Man
And the Trail of Tears
By Charles Suddeth

Driven to Stone Man’s trail...

After U.S. soldiers attack twelve-year-old Tsatsi’s Cherokee village, his family flees to the Smokey Mountains. Facing storms, flood, and hunger, they’re forced to go where Stone Man, a monstrous giant, is rumored to live.

His family seeks shelter in an abandoned village, but soldiers hunt them down. Tsatsi and his sister Sali escape, but Sali falls ill and is kidnapped by Stone Man. Tsatsi gives chase and confronts the giant, only to learn this monster isn’t what he seems.
 
Their journey is a dangerous one. Will Tsatsi find the strength to become a Cherokee warrior? And will they ever find their family?

Release date – October 8, 2019
$12.95, 6x9 trade paperback, 162 pages
Print ISBN 9781939844620 / EBook ISBN 9781939844637
$3.99 EBook available in all formats
 
EARLY PRAISE FOR THE BOOK:
~ "I enjoyed how the story accurately conveyed the historical attacks against the Cherokee tribes, and this book could be a useful educational tool." {Goodreads Reviewer}

~ "I found this story enjoyable, educational, and inspiring. It made me want to learn more about the Trail of Tears (which I’ve read some books about in the past but not recently). . . . By the way, this book is nonstop action." {Goodreads Reviewer} 

BOOK LINKS:
Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/Stone-Man-Trail-Charles-Suddeth/dp/1939844622/
ITunes - https://fnd.io/#/us/book/1455664389-stone-man-and-the-trail-of-tears-by-char
Kobo - https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/stone-man-and-the-trail-of-tears
Barnes & Noble – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1130849102?ean=9781939844620 
Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44453832-stone-man-and-the-trail-of-tears

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Charles Suddeth loves to tell stories of all sizes and shapes and flavors. He draws inspiration from hiking Tom Sawyer State Park. Of Cherokee heritage, the author teaches in Louisville, Kentucky. Charles has published poetry, picture books, middle reader’s books, young adult thrillers, and adult mysteries in English, Cherokee, and Turkish. He is active with Green River Writers and leads a monthly SCBWI Social.

CONNECT WITH THE AUTHOR:
Website - http://ctsuddeth.com/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/CharlesSuddeth
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Charles-Suddeth-Writer/160410994004533
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/chucksuddeth/ 

Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/7whistlepig7

AUTHOR INTERVIEW:
June: Welcome to 'Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic', Charles. I'm delighted to have you as my special guest for Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday today. Congratulations on your newest release, 'Stone Man: And the Trail of Tears', officially releasing tomorrow, October 8th, 2019!

June: Please tell us how you created your setting and developed the characters for this novel. Are any of the characters or their personality traits or physical descriptions based on people you've come across in your own life? If yes, what prompted you to include them in 'Stone Man'?

Charles:
The setting: Over the years I have hiked, ridden horseback, and driven in the Smokey Mountains and Snowbird Mountains. I also used a detailed North Carolina map/atlas. Oconaluftee Indian Village in Cherokee, North Carolina introduced me to the types of dwellings Cherokees used. The Museum of the Cherokee, also in Cherokee, North Carolina, has a 200-year-old dugout canoe that could have been in the story. For the Nantahala and other rivers, I relied on Google Images.

People: I did not consciously model any of the characters after anyone. I do meditate and let my inner self decide and develop characters. I generally try to avoid using characters too close to my life.

June: Who is your favorite character in this story? Why is this person your favorite? Without spoiling the story, is there anyone in the story who you do not like? Why not? Do you plan a follow-up or is this book a stand-alone?

Charles: My favorite character is the Main Character, Tsatsi, twelve-year-old Cherokee boy. His sister, Sali, is my favorite female character. I usually have male and female favorite characters. (it is not always that way. I have a manuscript where the leading lady is not my favorite female character) There is a person in this story that I definitely don’t like, but again, saying more would spoil the story. This plot has lots of twists and turns, so I do not want to say too much.

Follow up novel? At the present, no. But my devious mind might just surprise me.

June: This book is historical fiction based upon a Native American legend. What inspired or prompted you to write about this legend?

Charles: Stone Man and the Trail of Tears is based upon the 1838 Trail of Tears which is not a legend. Yes, Stone Man, Nunyunuwi, is an ancient legend, but I don’t want to spoil the story and comment further.

What inspired me to write this story is another matter. My great-great grandfather, Bill Pennington was born in a Cherokee mountain village, possibly in Kentucky. He was born about 1830, and the family moved north of the Ohio River around the time of the Trail of Tears. I believe most of the village moved with them to a rural area north of Charlestown, Indiana, 30 miles north of Louisville, Kentucky. A mixture of whites and Meti (French/Shawnee mixed-bloods) lived there. Many of the Cherokees in eastern Kentucky were chased out by whites. Since they were not officially involved with the Trail of Tears, they lost their Cherokee citizenship.

June: What types of research did you perform before or while writing this book? Did you visit any historical sites, museums, or archives in the course of your research? Did you speak with any experts about the subject matter?

Charles: I visited Oconaluftee Indian Village in Cherokee, North Carolina several times. Many times, I visited the Museum of the Cherokee, also in Cherokee, North Carolina. I used a long list of books, museum journals, tapes, and some You-Tube for the Cherokee language. While I did not speak directly with any experts, I subscribed to the museum’s journal, which published extracts of 1838 documents.

June: When you write a book, do you outline the entire story, or do you have a different way of organizing your plot, characters, etc.? Do you always know the ending of your story before you begin putting things down on paper, or into your computer? Do you have any particular organizational tips that you'd like to pass along to other authors and aspiring authors?

Charles: I do not outline, though I knew where I wanted the story to go. I like to be surprised—I write using the old saying: Take your reader where they are not expecting to go. I like to write in a linear fashion so that each chapter ends with a bang, compelling the reader to keep going.

June: Are there any hobbies or interests you would like to pursue in the future?

Charles: I found out a couple years ago that I have Shawnee blood on my mother’s side and possibly my father’s side, too. I would like to write a book about the Shawnee.

I am very interested in DNA, and I have enough education to read some technical papers and not get too lost. I want to keep abreast of developments. DNA research has made great leaps in the last 20 years. In the next 15 years, I expect dinosaurs to come back to life. (they have found dinosaur fossils with intact tissue trapped inside, so….)

I have also become very interested in astronomy and physics, though my education in them is at the undergraduate level. They just obtained the first photo of a Black Hole. And they just synthesized Negative Matter—it does not obey Newton’s Laws of Physics. Writer fodder.  

June: Thank you for sharing with us today, Charles. I appreciate your taking time out of your busy schedule to chat with us about your writing journey and other topics! Best wishes for you continued success in your writing endeavors.

 📖 📖 📖 📖 📖 ~ GIVEAWAY ~  📖 📖 📖 📖 📖 

NOW CLOSED -------- Dancing Lemur Publishing, LLC, has graciously offered to give away one print copy of Stone Man to one lucky US resident! Please complete the below Rafflecopter entry form shown below for your chance to win.

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Learn about more great middle-grade reads by visiting Greg Pattridge's 'Always in the Middle' blog to find the links to other blog posts celebrating Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday!

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