BOOK TOUR & REVIEW for "Bob the Littlest Dinosaur" & "Bob and the Color Fairy" by Karlie Lucas

Tired of being the smallest dinosaur, Bob sets out on an adventure to change his appearance. After facing many obstacles, Bob decides that being small isn't as bad as he thought it was.

When the wizards steals all the color from Bob's home, the littlest dinosaur goes in search of the color fairies. But when they refuse to help simply because he's different, he has to find another way to restore the colors.

~ The Littlest Dinosaur ~

~ The Color Fairy ~ 

Karlie Lucas is a preschool teacher by day and a writer/artist by night.

A graduate of Southern Utah University, Karlie received a B.A. in Creative Writing, with a minor in art. She is a member of Sigma Tau Delta, The International English Honor Society, as well as ANWA, the American Night Writers Association.

Karlie is interested in all things magical and mysterious, especially elves and dragons. She is an avid fan of J.R.R. Tolkien and J.K. Rowling.

When not writing, Karlie can often be found drawing, baking, watching her favorite old school shows, or just spending time with her family.

She currently resides in Dallas, Texas with her husband and a cat named Kally.

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~ Amazon ~ Goodreads ~ 

***(4) out of 5 stars!

These picture books are perfect for the preschool set, with lessons for us all!  At just 32 pages each, they are a great length to capture and keep the limited attention span of the younger set.  The drawings are very simple and crude, looking somewhat as though they were drawn by the elementary set.  While too simplistic to really capture the imagination of adults and older kids, they are nonetheless simple and straight-forward enough to appeal to smaller children.  The stories themselves are also very basic, but they impart wonderful ideals.  Through Bob we learn some great lessons about courage, determination, self-esteem, valuing yourself and others, compassion and friendship.  These are definitely worthwhile tales to share with the juveniles (and others) in your life.   

I received free eBook copies of both titles from Loving the Book, 

and have willingly provided an honest review.

To view the blog schedule and follow along with this tour, visit the Official Event page. 

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BOOK TOUR for " Nanna and the 'c' " by Doris Schneider

 Nana and the “c” is a book for all ages and all cultures as it is about family and the ability to support a loved one through the challenges of cancer. It is told from a seven-year-old’s perspective as she gathers the courage to face her grandmother’s illness and learns that her irritating younger sister is perhaps smarter than she seems. Together they also learn how to conquer their biggest fear and replace worry with wonder. 

The story is uplifting and often humorous while symbolizing hope. It will make readers of all ages laugh, cry, and remember their own childhood and the relationships and events that influenced who they have become. The goal of this story is to help children through health crises in their family. The illustrator, editor and designer donated their time to help with the project in order to make possible the donation of copies of the book to waiting rooms of cancer clinics.

~ Buy 1 Gift 1 to Charity ~

Thank you so much for your generosity. We’re donating books to hospitals and children’s centers. Anywhere people might benefit from an uplifting story dealing with cancer.

~ Universal Amazon Link ~ 

****(4) out of 5 Stars!

A story inspired by real events in the life of the author, written from the perspective of her 7-year-old granddaughter.  The primary illustrations are beautiful renderings based on actual photographs that the author took with her family.

A genuine and unique way to address such a serious issue with children, even fairly young ones.  The book describes the basics of cancer and treatment options, without going into too much overwhelming detail.  It acknowledges the scariness of a cancer diagnosis, without giving in to despair over it.  It does skirt around the fact that some people do die from cancer, including the other grandma of cousins to the main characters.  But it emphasizes there are treatment options and much that can be done when cancer is caught early.  Even though there are often adverse side effects - like hair loss - that can be just as scary for kids as everything else. 

I believe this would be a great introduction to children in general about cancer, and an especially good resource for those facing it with a loved one.  The book's ultimate message is mostly we should spend our time on wonder and not worry. 

Doris Schneider is an artist, scene designer, writer, and educator. She taught at William Carey University and was a tenured professor of theatre at North Carolina Central University. She published two novels: Borrowed Things and By Way of Water. 

After her own bout with breast cancer, she wrote this story based on a real event with her granddaughters. While the illustrator, Wenhai Ma, was teaching at Duke University, the two became long term friends—culminating in their collaboration on Nana and the “c”.

Meet the Illustrator:

Wenhai Ma - American-Chinese scene designer, illustrator and educator. He was granted tenured professorship at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He graduated from the Central Academy of Drama, China and Carnegie Mellon University, USA. He has taught at Duke University, University of Nebraska Lincoln, Purdue University and the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, the Central Academy of Drama, China and the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Singapore. He is the author of Scene Design Rendering and Media (Focus Publishing, USA) and illustrator for 10 children's picture books in the US. He has designed sets and costumes for various dramas, operas and musicals in the United States, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan and Indonesia. His first novel Such An Enchanted Night was published in Taiwan, 2017.

~ Facebook ~ Blog ~

~ Writing Group Website ~

~ Writing Group Twitter ~

To view the blog schedule 
and follow along with this tour,
visit the Official Event page.

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BOOK TOUR & AUTHOR INTERVIEW with Karlie Lucas for "Tarragon: Dragon Bane"

The Revenants are coming. 

Only recently woken from their centuries' long slumber, the dragons are unprepared to face them. But when a legend is uncovered, revealing the existence of a lost tribe of mages, hope flickers to life. 

The race is on as Tyler Durand and Anwen Kaida rush to find this missing tribe while the others prepare for their last stand. But time and numbers are against them, and Anwen fears that even if they find the lost mages, it will be too late. 

~ Universal Amazon Link ~ 
~ B&N ~ Kobo ~

~ Smashwords ~

Karlie Lucas is a preschool teacher by day and a writer/artist by night.

A graduate of Southern Utah University, Karlie received a B.A. in Creative Writing, with a minor in art. She is a member of Sigma Tau Delta, The International English Honor Society, as well as ANWA, the American Night Writers Association.

Karlie is interested in all things magical and mysterious, especially elves and dragons. She is an avid fan of J.R.R. Tolkien and J.K. Rowling.

When not writing, Karlie can often be found drawing, baking, watching her favorite old school shows, or just spending time with her family.

She currently resides in Dallas, Texas with her husband and a cat named Kally

~ Facebook ~ Website ~

~ Amazon ~ Goodreads ~ 

 ~AUTHOR INTERVIEW with Karlie Lucas~

1) What gave you the inspiration for the story line?  

Tarragon: Dragon Bane is the third in a trilogy, and while it sort of can stand on its own from the others, it is part of an overall arc. The original idea came as a dream about my main character seeing a vision of dragons in swirling dust. From there, I just had to write it to see what led up to that and what went past. For Dragon Bane, it was a little harder because I wasn't sure what was going to happen until I'd started writing book two. By that point, I had figured out who the overall villain was and had to find a way for them to defeat them, and that's how Dragon Bane came about. I think, in the back of my mind, I always knew it would come to this point but it just didn't solidify until halfway through book two.

2) Are there any hidden themes in the book that you hope readers will discover?

There are so many hidden themes that even I'm still discovering what they are. (laughs) But, out of the ones I purposely put in there, I hope people will see that expectations from others and what we think they expect from us aren't always the same thing. I also hope readers will see that we are capable of more than we believe we are, and that sometimes we make sacrifices beyond what we can imagine, but, if they're for the right cause, those sacrifices turn into something even better.

3) Are any of the characters based on real people you know?

There are a few characters that are at least loosely based on people I know in real life. Walter is my "number one" fanboy. Leslie is his wife. And Kira, from book two, is their only daughter. Personalities aren't exactly the same but, when borrowing people for your stories, they never really are.

4) Who has influenced you most as a writer?

As a writer, I'd have to say I've been influenced the most by a mix of J.R.R. Tolkien and J.K. Rowling. Tolkien has inspired me to create worlds above and beyond what we know as reality. Rowling inspired me to make them as real as possible. Both have a history of some kind of hardship in their lives, either in getting their stories out there or just in life itself. So if they could do it, surely I can do it too.

5) If you could have any three literary characters over to your place for game night, who would you invite, what would you play, what would you serve, and why? 

Now this one really makes me think. Um... well, I'd love to have Gandalf over. As for the other two, I think it would be amusing to see what he'd think of Dumbledore and my own Emi. They'are all faves of mine. As for games... I think it would be entertaining to play monopoly to see how each would react to it, especially if we play with "house rules", though that might be a bit much for a 3-4 year old.... so maybe Shoots and Ladders would be more entertaining. As for food, I'd serve something easy to eat, like mini sandwiches and sandwich cookies with something like smoothies or chocolate shakes for the drink, because I really think they'd like the chocolate.

6) Do you feel that you can ever have too many books? 

I would personally love to have a copy of every book in the world that has something inspirational to say. The only genres I would exclude would be anything pornographic, violent for the sake of violence, horror, gore, or related. Give me clean and wholesome and life is good. As to a number, there should never be a limit; the more the merrier.

To view the blog schedule and follow along with this tour, visit the Official Event page.

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BLOG TOUR including REVIEW & AUTHOR INTERVIEW with Joy Heyer for "Duck, Duck, Moose"

Duck’s best friend Goose is gone for winter and Duck is lonely. The animals try to cheer Duck, but Duck, Duck, Pig is too messy, and Duck, Duck, Moose is too scary. 

Will Duck be alone until Goose gets back? Or can Duck come up with a game they all can play?

~ Universal Amazon Link ~ 

~ Goodreads ~ 

Joy Heyer lives in Virginia with her loving husband and three of her four crazy children. Her oldest child now has a child of her own, making Joy a grandma. 

Her family recently convinced her to get a dog. What was she thinking? The dog now follows Joy everywhere, waits loyally at the front window every time she leaves the house, and goes berserk when she comes back, even if she was only gone for 10 seconds to get the mail. 

In her spare time…. wait, what spare time? Whenever her children and dog permit, she loves to read, write, paint, and dream up home improvement projects.

~ Twitter ~ Instagram ~

~ Amazon ~

*****(5) out of 5 Stars!

This was a delightful children's tale with a powerful message of friendship!  

The illustrations are rather understated, fairly basic representations in somewhat muted colors.  Yet they present a darling, easy to follow narrative, without a bunch of visual distraction. 

The words on each page are sparse, but get the message across; and they pretty much all rhyme, which always makes things fun to read.  

The story itself is adoreable.  Duck so misses his friend Goose that he is just moping around everywhere.  Various friends try to cheer him up, mostly by offering to play with him a variation of his favorite game that he usually plays with Goose.  Things don't exactly go as planned, however, and Duck ends up even more depressed, at least which he gets grumpy and rude.  

Luckily, after several false starts, Duck has the brilliant idea to try a different game, together with all of his friends.  This goes so well that everyone has fun, and it apparently makes time fly, because before you know it -- Goose is back!

I received a free eCopy of this title from Loving the Book, 

and have willingly provided an honest review.

~AUTHOR INTERVIEW with Joy Heyer~

1) What gave you the inspiration for the storyline? 

It started with the idea of “duck, duck, moose” instead of “goose.” That started me thinking what it would be like for a duck if he were playing with a moose. Where was goose and how did duck come to be playing with a moose? Everything fell into place as I began to answer those questions.

2) Are there any hidden themes in the book that you hope readers will discover?

I hope that kids who are lonely will see that they have a say in how the react to that loneliness. Just because others are different from you or your friends, doesn’t mean they can’t become a friend.

3) Are any of the characters based on real people you know?

After writing the story, I realized I am a lot like duck. Like duck, it takes me awhile to make new friends.  Like duck, I have friends who are different from me, and I love their diverse perspectives.

4) Who has influenced you most as a writer?

My friend, Lezlie Evans, a talented children’s book author, has really guided me along this process. I would not have known where to begin without her showing me the way. 

5) If you could have any three literary characters over to your place for game night, who would you invite, what would you play, what would you serve, and why? 

I would invite Nancy Drew, Sherlock Holmes, and Miss Marple to play Clue. I love solving mysteries! And I would serve hot fudge brownie sundaes because they are my favorite.

6) Do you feel that you can ever have too many books? 

I think you can have too many books, but I don’t think you can read too many books. That is why I love libraries (and e-readers…though paper is preferred)!

To view the blog schedule and follow along with this tour, 
visit the Official Event page.

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BOOK REVIEW for "Swept Off My Feet" and AUTHOR INTERVIEW with Ines Bautista-Yao

Why my life sucks

by Geri Lazaro

1. My dad left when I was a kid.

2. My mom is in love (insert eye roll).

3. With a guy who is like 10 years younger than her!

4. My friends think he’s hot. (Gross)

5. I love ballet but our dance studio has a leak and we have to dance in this smelly studio that doubles as an aikido dojo.

6. There’s this Dojo guy who thinks the studio belongs to him.

7. Friends think Dojo guy is cute. (Ew.) (Okay, objectively maybe but still, ew.)

8. I’m failing algebra.

9. Need to quit either basketball or ballet. Or both.

10. Dojo guy keeps showing up! (Fine, he does aikido in the same building but whatever.)

11. Dojo guy is asking me to dance with him. And maybe he is as cute as my friends say.

12. I don't know what to do anymore! 

~ Amazon ~ Goodreads ~ Amazon UK ~ 

~ Amazon Canada ~ Amazon Australia ~

****(4) out of 5 stars!

This was a delightful tale, primarily about Geri, a bright but troubled teenage girl.  She has some long-term problems (being abandoned by her father, unhappiness about her mother’s boyfriend, etc) and some more recent matters (failing algebra, having to give up basketball and/or ballet, etc).  Mostly, she comes across as a pretty sullen and obnoxious teenager.  But beneath the bristly exterior, she is actually a nice person.  With the help of some other characters in the story, namely Bas (the “enemy” turned friend turned love interest), she is able to work through some of her issues, and start behaving like a pleasant person. 

I believe this is the first time I have read a story that is set in the Philippines.  While most things seemed quite similar to life in the United States or similar countries, subtle differences did make the background atmosphere of the tale quite noticeable and interesting. 

This story came across as very real and authentic.  The teenage angst that Geri experiences, and the general bad attitude she often exhibits, felt very familiar to me (both from my daughter’s teen years and my own youth).  Bas is the ideal friend/boyfriend; the type of young man that you want for your daughter.  Their relationship progresses very organically, with Geri being a little farther behind in figuring things out than Bas.  As she begins to work out some of her internal conflicts, her relationships with pretty much everyone in her life improve greatly.

Basically, it was a fun, overall uplifting, clean Young Adult love story.  One that I definitely recommend.

“Geri Lazaro, based on the past few weeks, I know it’s going to be one helluva ride, but I’m willing to hang on for as long as you’ll have me.” 

(I received a free eBook copy of this title from Loving the Book 
and have willingly provided an honest review.)

Ines Bautista-Yao is the author of One Crazy Summer, What’s in your Heart, Only A Kiss, When Sparks Fly, All That Glitters, and Someday With You. She has also written several short stories. Among them are “Plain Vanilla,” “A Captured Dream,” one of the four short stories in Sola Musica: Love Notes from a Festival, “Things I’ll Never Say,” part of the Summit Books anthology Coming of Age, and “Before the Sun Rises,” part of the Ateneo University Press anthology Friend Zones. 

She is the former editor-in-chief of Candy and K-Zone magazines and a former high school and college English and Literature teacher. She is also a wife and mom who lives in the Philippines with her husband and two little girls. Her books are available digitally on Amazon and Buqo.ph.

Connect with the Author here: 

~ Facebook ~ Website ~ Amazon ~
~ Twitter ~ Instagram ~

~AUTHOR INTERVIEW with Ines Bautista-Yao~

1) What gave you the inspiration for the storyline?  

Quite a few things really. I think what started it off was when I watched the ballet recital of my niece. There were long intervals in between her numbers, so I let my mind wander. And I began to think about the life of a teenage ballerina. What it was like, what her issues could be and so on. At the same time, I recalled the recitals my cousins used to have every year, shows I religiously watched. 

I don’t recall why Geri started out as a basketball player but it helped that one of my cousins did both — basketball and ballet. And the commitment to both tore her apart too. But unlike Geri, she chose basketball. 

2) Are there any hidden themes in the book that you hope readers will discover?

I don’t think any of the themes are hidden, but I would like my readers to notice how Geri overcomes her shortcomings in order to continue her passion. Sometimes what needs work is not what you’re passionate about, but something else that can help you get there.

3) Are any of the characters based on real people you know?

Geri’s passions are definitely based on my cousin’s. But what I haven’t told anyone really is that Geri’s academic problems are based on those of my doctor’s daughter. My doctor told me that she had to pull her daughter out of her ballet recital because of bad grades. That planted a seed in me which grew three years later. 

4) Who has influenced you most as a writer?

Wow this is a hard question! So many people have influenced me, my inspiring English teachers, the authors I love, the family members  and friends who have fed my love of reading. It isn’t just one person, but I am grateful for all these people in my life. 

5) If you could have any three literary characters over to your place for game night, who would you invite, what would you play, what would you serve, and why?

Oooh! I would have Elizabeth Bennet, Anne Shirley, and Jo March over. A typical young girl’s list (maybe this is why I write YA). I’d love to play the game board Sorry with them (and see their strong personalities come out! It is the game of sweet revenge, after all) and I would serve tea and broas, sweet and soft pastries from Betsy’s Cakes, a local bakeshop in the Philippines. At the end of the day, we’ll all be best friends bonding over laughs and delicious food. 

To view the blog schedule and follow along with this tour, visit the Official Event page.

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