“The Guardian of the Stars – The Journey of Anais with the Wind” is the newest release from award winning author, Davide Amante.
I love searching high and low for books that are inspirational and have a girl protagonist. I think I’ve found a hidden gem emerging from the European book market by celebrated award winning author, Davide Amante. Many things have led to his recent book release. With a background of studying at American and Italian schools, traveling extensively, and teaching modern literature, he has crafted already four brilliant novels.
His new book, “The Guardian of the Stars –The Journey of Anais with the Wind” is reminiscent of “The Little Prince” with a girl leading the adventure. I had the opportunity to ask Davide Amante about his childhood reading memories, author influences, and what future writing projects he has in store for us.
What is your favorite memory from reading as a child?
Davide Amante: I remember reading Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows and de Saint-Exupery’s Little Prince in the hot summer afternoons, on an old chair in the backyard of my grandfather’s summerhouse on a small island. From the backyard you could barely catch sight of the sea, but with the hot wind came all the anticipation of the summer and its unexpected hours.
Who was your favorite author and how did they influence you?
Davide Amante: I loved so much reading that there really was no favorite author. Every author seemed to me to unveil a world so big and so boundless that really every author seemed to me to hold the secret of life.
Do you have a writing routine? Share what works for you.
Davide Amante: I write three or four hours a day, the rest of the time is what happens before actually writing: it is observation and inspiration.
What subjects would you like to write about in future projects?
Davide Amante: I didn’t expect the success “The Guardian of the Stars – the journey of Anais with the Wind” is having. It all began as a tale I told every night before going to sleep to my children. At one point, I realized it was becoming a novel and I wrote it. Although I don’t usually write for children, I am certainly thinking of another book like this.
What is writing to you in one sentence?
Davide Amante: It is the only way I know to express what I feel inside.
“The Guardian of the Stars- The Journey of Anais with the Wind” is an incredible journey of a girl connected to nature and driven by the wind. The wind leads her through a Forest of Talking Trees, connects her with a wolf, and helps her connect with the deserted island that she shares with her grandfather that works as a lighthouse keeper.
The summer the wind arrives is the turning point in her life. The wind helps guide her to see the other side of things, leads her to learn about loneliness, connects her with emotions, and points her in the direction of how to live. It’s a charming and powerful story of finding the essence in life and growing up.
“The Guardian of the Stars-The Journey of Anais with the Wind” is available at Amazon.com.
Book Trailer:
For more information on the author Davide Amante, please visit his website here.
One thing I like to highlight is a unique book that can be used in any teacher’s curriculum or for home schooling. I think I’ve found such a book from a fabulous author.
Rachelle Nones is a multimedia writer, editor and a trained storm spotter.
She used her expertise to create a wonderful book for those that love to weather watch and learn about meteorology. Her book, In the Sky, is a great read for anyone who wants to teach about clouds, tornados, storms and our ever-changing weather. I had the chance to talk to her about her childhood reading memories, her writing routine, and what writing means to her.
1) What is your favorite memory from reading as a child?
Rachelle Nones: As a child, I read poetry, science fiction, animal and adventure stories, and mystery and detective novels like The Mystery of the Stuttering Parrot by Robert Arthur Jr. I loved to visit the local library and wore out my library card from using it so much!
2) Do you have a writing routine? Share what works for you.
Rachelle Nones: As a freelance writer, I typically work on contract writing projects. I work remotely and get to set my own routine, which varies according to the project. I prefer to start working early in the morning because that’s when my energy level is high.
3) What is writing to you in one sentence?
Rachelle Nones: Writing is like wrestling a tornado.
In the Skyis a book to help readers understand the ever-changing weather. With creative illustrated rhyming content, it includes a range of cloud facts, cloud-related quotations, resource links to cloud-related poetry, songs, science projects and more. This book will make a great addition to any weather science unit and is ideal for readers grades 5 and up.
In The Sky is available on Amazon.com. This is a Kindle Unlimited title. It is also available as a premium color paperback edition.
For more information on Rachelle Nones, please visit her website at her Amazon Author Page.
“I Don’t Want to Wear a Mask!” has won the Silver Award in the Children’s Books Ages 0-5 category in the 2021 Reader Views Reviewer’s Choice Awards.
I am proud to announce that my most recent picture book, “I Don’t Want to Wear a Mask!”, has won the Silver Medal award in the Children’s Books 0-5 age category. I am awfully pleased to accept this award and want to thank my illustrator, Natalia Cano, for her fantastic illustrations that capture perfectly the message and theme of the book.
Also, to my father, who supported me in all of my writing and always encouraged me. I lost him in 2018, and dedicated the book to him. I’d also like to thank my husband, family and friends for their continued support in my writing endeavors. Without all of you, it would be hard to keep going.
Most of all, I’d like to thank all the readers of my books through the years. I started writing back in 2005 with the self-publishing of my first children’s book in 2007. It’s been a long path, but I want to continue bringing you unique voices and perspectives in my books. You’ve made it all possible. Thank you.
“I Don’t Want to Wear a Mask!” is available as an ebook or as a paperback edition at Amazon.com.
I am a sucker for a good zombie book. I also remember teaching all the different genres when I was a teacher. October was the “Spooky” genre month, but I found many students reading them all year long. If you have a child that enjoys the “Spooky” or horror fiction genre, I think I’ve found the right author for you.
Ron Crouch is a child psychologist that loves to write and help kids critically think. He is writing a series of middle grade novels and the second will be released on March 31. With a love of fantasy as a kid, he brings alive a gripping and humorous world kids can get lost in. I had the chance to talk to Ron Crouch about his childhood reading memories, favorite author, writing routines and what projects he has planned in the future.
What is your favorite memory from reading as a child?
Ron Crouch: My favorite memory from reading as a child was the joy of stumbling onto a really good series and realizing that there were many more books to read.
Who was your favorite author and how did they influence you?
Ron Crouch: I loved Lloyd Alexander and I read every book he published. I finished them sometime between the ages of eight and fourteen. When I took up writing myself, I found that although my settings and characters are very different, and my use of language in much more modern, I still had the same love for quests, adventures, and tall tales.
Do you have a writing routine? Share what works for you.
Ron Crouch: I work as a child psychologist during the day, so my writing routine starts early, usually before 5AM. I try to fit in all my writing before I leave for work at the hospital each day. Luckily, I’m an early bird by nature and find that I am most creative in the hours before the sun rises.
What subjects would you like to write about in future projects?
Ron Crouch: The Beyond Belief book series is for middle grade readers, and I would like to finish the series with five books. But beyond that I would like to write nonfiction for parents. In particular I would like to help parents in their efforts to teach their children how to think critically in our current misinformation age.
What is writing to you in one sentence?
Ron Crouch: For me, writing is a way of contacting like-minded people and offering them a sense of belonging in a world that might not value them and support them.
“Beyond Belief: The Adventure of Zombie Island” is Ghost Adventures meets the Goonies. Kenai is an ordinary kid that just happens to be a paranormal investigator. With his sidekick Tinkerbell, an AI drone, he has gone after ghosts in a haunted theater, run from herds of jackalopes, and gotten lost in underground bunkers. But in this book two of the series, he finds himself somewhere he’d never imagine: stuck selling door-to-door products for the Happy Day pyramid scheme. But there seems to be something wrong with the company. Can he find out what is behind the sinister business before the zombie thugs find him?
“Beyond Belief: The Adventure of Zombie Island” is the second book in the Beyond Belief series. It is available starting on March 31, 2021 and is currently on pre-order at Amazon.com.
If you’d like to start the Beyond Belief series with book one in preparation for the release of book two, here is the link to it. Start with “Beyond Belief: The Adventure Begins” HERE.
Both titles are in the Kindle Unlimited program.
For more information on Ron Crouch and his other projects, please visit his website at:
I always like to look high and low for new, interesting children’s authors. I really do love it when I find a new children’s fantasy author. She has a background in children’s development that gives her books that extra insight to support children.
Let me introduce you to Lia Ginno. Her unique, fantasy books deal with characters struggling to fit into normal and realizing often that they are fine the way they are. Her newest picture book, “Turmeric and Magic”, deals with a dragon trying to find her magic.
I had the chance to talk with Lia Ginno about her childhood reading, favorite author, and what writing means to her.
What is your favorite memory from reading as a child?
Lia Ginno: I loved going into another world.
Who was your favorite author and how did they influence you?
Lia Ginno: I loved Enid Byton’s, Secret Seven series and Famous Five series. I think I was at an age when I could imagine such adventures with friends. I remember I had a group of friends and an old tumbledown building as our headquarters for a ‘secret club.’ Unfortunately we never ‘lived’ the adventures in the books, but we all read them. They inspired my imagination and the first book and a play, I ever wrote, was when I was twelve. Also, a local reporter in an interview compared my first Legend book to one of EB’s books. So, she had more of an influence than I realized.
What is writing to you in one sentence?
Lia Ginno: A book is a dream you hold in your hand as imagination, problem solves, and creates everything on earth.
“Turmeric and Magic” is a picture book that deals with the diversity in all of us. Tumeric is different from other dragons. She cannot fly and is allergic to fire and smoke. She dreams to be like other dragons. Being an avid reader, she discovers that there is a book that will teach you magic if you are determined to find it. She begins a journey to find the book. Will following her dreams lead her to the book? Can it help her magic to appear? This delightfully illustrated picture book will enchant and help children explore their unique differences that can turn into inner strength.
Kevin Asla is the author of the new picture book, “When Fitch Lost Summer”.
If you have a child that loves fantasy, look no further. I’d like to introduce you to Kevin Asla. He’s a children’s picture book author that illustrates and writes his own books. He grew up in London surrounded by his mother’s books. Having studied under an ex-Disney illustrator, he wishes to bring what he has learned to his work. His new book, “When Fitch Lost Summer” reflects the magic he brings into his books as the illustrator and writer.
I had the chance to talk to Kevin Asla about his reading memories, favorite authors, and what future projects he has in store for us.
What is your favorite memory from reading as a child?
Kevin Asla: My mother would get me books every day, so it’s hard to pick a favourite moment.
2) Who was your favorite author and how did they influence you?
Kevin Asla: My influence comes more from the storytelling found in video games like Spyro the Dragon.
3) Do you have a writing routine? Share what works for you.
Kevin Asla: I tend to write stories by primarily using storyboards and refining dialogue once the main action of the scene has been set up. I have the whole stories skeleton pretty much clear in my head and then storyboard chunks, a few pages at a time, with some place holder dialogue and then go back in and lock down the words.
4) What subjects would you like to write about in future projects?
Kevin Asla: I am currently finishing the “When Fitch Lost Summer” series, but after that, I would like to write a more educational book about Vikings.
5) What is writing to you in one sentence?
Kevin Asla: Writing is story-telling, presenting viewers with a fantasy and hope they enjoy it.
“When Fitch Lost Summer” is a charming fantasy about a Fox looking for a Lost World of Summer. Fox wakes up in the mysterious Land of Autumn. Where did Summer go? Fitch sets off to look for Summer. Along the way, he encounters new friends and strange, magical things. But will it be enough to get him back to Summer?
Chris Lewis was kind enough to write a guest blog post on engaging young readers already on my blog. Today, I will be introducing you to this fabulous British author, and to the new book, Jax and Sheba Get Messy. I had the chance to ask Chris Lewis about current projects, what it’s like to write a book, and all about Jax and Sheba.
1) What are you currently working on?
Chris Lewis: I’m playing around with some ideas for another children’s picture book series, Jax and Sheba. For the older reader, I am toying with the idea of an Artificial Intelligence thriller in the long term.
2) How long does it take you to write a book?
Chris Lewis: That’s like asking how long is a piece of string. My longest book took three years and my shortest took six months. I usually need to go through several versions until I am ready.
3) What is your latest book about?
Chris Lewis:Jax and Sheba Get Messy is the first in a series about best friends Jax and Sheba. Jax is a floor-cleaning robot who loves to zoom, and Sheba, a cat who likes to point. They live at the edge of a faraway forest in a distant world with their good friend, Velo, a dinosaur dance teacher. This short 500-word story is designed to be a fun read for little ones to read to or read by themselves.
At the edge of the forest in a distant world, live two best friends, Jax and Sheba. Velo is their dinosaur friend that teaches dance. Jax is a floor-cleaning robot that loves to zoom while Sheba is an ever-ready practical cat that likes to point. Together, they make an odd team. But what happens when Jax wants to clean too much? Will the two be able to work together again? This humorous story will make a great read-aloud for school or home. Help your child understand that it’s okay to take a break.
Recommended for ages 3 – 5.
Jax and Sheba Get Messy is available on Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.com. **Ebook available now. Paperback edition releases on March 16, 2021. Pre-order available!
It is certainly handy when a book’s character or series matches the values you want to encourage. An association to a series could also support children in finding a common connection with other children.
We all learn in different ways. Sometimes you can learn at the same time you do something you enjoy. The following are a few tips to encourage children to read.
1. Look for relatable characters.
Connection with characters in a story may make it easier for children to learn from their experiences and perhaps appreciate a topic from a different view. Sometimes a situation can be better understood by a child when they see themselves represented in a group or activity.
2. Try something a little bit silly or unorthodox.
Animals are often used in picture books for their relatable factor. There are lots of examples in books where animals talk and live like humans. Sometimes, characters are a mix of both human and animal characteristics. Some stories have objects which are living, for example, a talking teapot.
3. Think about the format.
There are lots of book formats to choose from, but in summary, the choice is a physical version or an electronic copy. New books typically attract a new cost, but you can get access to free books from the library, or you can browse the Internet for a variety of free ones.
Sometimes there are extra elements in an eBook compared to a print version. Animation is a good example. Traditional books take up more space than eBooks. Still, there is a print version preference because of the look and feel, and no batteries are required.
4. Support the reading journey.
A child could use the same book from early childhood to a point where they can potentially read it by themselves. The knowledge gained from familiarity can serve as a morale boost when children get to the stage they can read independently.
5. Find a book for the right development stage.
The need of every child differs in the course of their development. Whether a child will enjoy a book or find it boring depends on the length, grammar, and level of content the child is prepared for, emotionally.
About The Author
Chris Lewis is the author of the eBook picture book Jax and Sheba get Messy for ages three to five. A print version will be available to order on March 16th, 2021. For more information about their books, please visit his website here.
***Connect with this author, Chris Lewis, through the interview featured on this blog.
The last time I wrote a blog post about the lockdown and the pandemic, it was April 8th, 2020 in a blog post called “Reflections on Anne Frank, Hiding and the Corona Virus Pandemic”. I was starting to realize that this lockdown was going to be longer than what the officials were telling us. It was eventually extended, making our “hiding” in place into the summer, about 3 1/2 months. From Mid-March to mid-June, I isolated in my San Jose condo. I didn’t fathom truly how it was going to affect us all except it could be as wide reaching as WWII. I could see it was going to shake up society, disrupt living, and likely change the world forever. I just didn’t know how it was going to do it, and how I’d survive it.
Half Dome taken from Yosemite Valley on a trip in 2020.
But I have to say, the hiding has worked out better for me than it did for Anne Frank. I guess that could be my Gen X cynical side speaking. Maybe because 2020 turned into a worse year than anyone could imagine for the last few generations. Maybe, it just takes a pandemic to really put things in perspective, just like a world war or other global event. This is my first global crisis of such proportions of a world war that I can understand some of what the Great Generation might have gone through now.
As I look back on my optimistic words from the beginning of April 2020, it was that hope that did get me through the year. With the political unrest in the US amid the pandemic, it just seemed like nothing was going right and everything was descending into chaos. But, the goal my husband and I had been working on for a few years, buying a house, seemed like it could still happen. I’d been wanting a house for a few decades, and my husband and I had been talking and doing some planning. Than, I got very sick, actually dying and was hospitalized. I pulled through that, and house buying had to be put off while I got better.
Mrs. Turner standing in Yosemite Valley, August 2020.
Finally, summer 2020 was going to be it, the time to buy a house. Then, the pandemic hit. But among all the goals that had to fall by the wayside, that one was still possible. Goals had to be literally and completely rethought through in the new world order that the pandemic created. House buying was one of the few industries left open during lockdown, because it was considered essential. People need shelter to isolate in.
So, buying a house seemed like a plausible way forward, especially if there was as resurge of virus in the winter and maybe living in a crowded city wouldn’t be the best. I had moved mostly to virtual teaching and freelance writing. My husband’s company had also moved to virtual working. So, we decided on the move. July we bid on a house, and after it was accepted, went through the escrow process.
In the middle of this, we managed a trip to Yosemite, just to get out and away from being locked down for months. With reservations made in April, we were able to enjoy a stay at the Awanhee’s cottages in the Yosemite Valley. Just being out on a trip seemed a victory after being in hiding from mid-March to June. The state of California seemed to emerge for the summer to enjoy some kind of living, masked, and at least more outdoors. RVs and Campers became the travel vehicle for the new “apocalypse” though I was a bit sad that there weren’t real “zombies”.
Small things became a little triumph. Biking around Yosemite Valley seemed monumental. Hiking along the trails were a new adventure, even though it was my fourth visit to Yosemite. When a mountain lion crossed the trail near by us, I was marveling at how close it was, but still keeping tabs on when it went by. It was exciting, but still, I was more afraid of the non-masked humans than the mountain lion in the end. But a trip out in nature, because outside and space from people was safe, was the new frontier.
It was exciting to get our new keys to our house Labor Day weekend. We started fixing up the house, and moving some of our things in. Each weekend, we moved our items ourselves because it was less exposure to people. Packing boxes and moving up to the house became a routine for a few weeks. Then, on a Sunday run up to our new house, a fire broke out around the area. Strong winds blew that night, with our internet being knocked out. It was the night I met my new neighbors, at a distance due to the pandemic, talking loud over strong winds about the emergency alert messages and whether to evacuate. Luckily, I found out from them that the town would sound sirens if we needed to evacuate, like what had been done in 2017. Falling asleep, I was awoken some hours later by the sirens. I evacuated hoping my new house would survive the Glass Fire.
The Glass Fire surrounded my new town, and my husband and I were evacuated for a week. We prayed and avoided the news as much as would could, afraid to see pictures of burning buildings that could be our house. We followed the CalFire map, watching the movement of the fire, having all our friends and family pray our new house would be okay. Luckily, the town was saved and our house. I had survived one of my worst weeks of 2020.
Evacuating during the Glass Fire, 2020. Note, taken while driving through town to evacuate.
We finished with repairs and updating items in the house, and moved in beginning of November. By December, the SF Bay Area locked down again, and for 2 months, I isolated and stayed hiding again for a second lockdown. At least this time, I knew how to deal with it. It was a little trickier in a new house and town, but if anything, 2020 was an advanced course in adaptation and self reliance. I’d already realized that this was a historical time to live through, and I was so thankful for my new house and that it had survived. By the time I raised my champaign glass on New Year’s Eve, I was glad to see the year end.
I’d survived. 2020 was the strangest year I’ve ever lived through. It was an emotional roller coaster. The politics, protests, the election. The personal stories of COVID I saw and heard from friends. Friends had lost family members to COVID. I had family members that got sick with COVID, but luckily, survived. Of the other people I knew that had COVID, some were having long hauler symptoms. There are all these new terms now. But the biggest news as we entered 2021 has been about the vaccine. Everyone is waiting for their turn to get the jab.
Tiffany Turner is the author of this new self publishing guide.
I’ve just got to hold on now for the vaccine. I even made it into a doctor’s visit, and I think he summed up what is going on the best right now. I had asked about trying to sign up for the vaccine, and he answered, “Yeah, it’s like the Hunger Games.” He also recommended I continue “hiding” until I get the vaccine. So, it’s nice to be under doctors orders to continue to isolate, continue with this hiding plan. The craziness of trying to get an appointment are my new reality. I’m just too young right now, which is just crazy to hear. But I’ll hold on. I’ve made it through almost a year now. A few months waiting for a vaccine, no problem.
So, I have to report, through the things I lived through in 2020, I’ve kept that hope I saw so much with Anne Frank. You’ve got to keep that. It’s what helped me realize I could still go through the one goal dream of buying a house, and made it come true. I did finish my how to self publish guide too. It’s called “Get Ready to Push the Button: A Beginner’s Guide to Self Publishing”. I also published a picture book called “I Don’t Want to Wear a Mask!”. It’s about a young boy that has to return to school wearing a mask, and how he doesn’t want to do it. But his Mom explains to him why it’s important, and how he can be a hero if he wears a mask.
Written to work on picture book self publishing skills, it has turned into a picture book to help with these strange times.
So, in a way, there was a lot of good that came out of 2020 for me and maybe some other people. Maybe that’s why Anne inspired me. You’ve got to work hard to turn the chaos around you into what you may want or the good that can come out of it. The phrase, “When the world gives you lemons, make lemonade” comes to mind. Boy, was there a lot of lemons to 2020. My lemonade might have been more sore, but I know there was some sugar in it.
All the reading, writing, and self reflection I think has just made me look at everything with a new lens. The world is different now after COVID. Maybe we were living in a bubble. That complacent reality before the “crisis” hits, just like in any movie, and then the world is changed forever. It happened with both World Wars. Now, my generation had the pandemic. And it’s affected all the generations living today. Generations living in the future will wonder what it was like for us. I guess that’s why I’m blogging now. To let them know.
What would I tell them? We watched a lot of Netflix. Learned to knit or other skills from YouTube. Listened to a lot of music. Wrote. Reflected. Did our jobs. And just lived through it the best we could. Just like you might have. And we read books to help us figure it all out. And some of us, even wrote those books to help us figure it all.
There was a lot of chocolate consumed in my house. M&Ms was the chocolate we were easily able to get. Supplies weren’t completely stopped, but some things were harder to get than others. Anne Frank didn’t have Walmart delivery. So, yeah. I’ve been blessed. And Girl Scout cookies went online and you could have them delivered, especially if you’re niece hooked you up. We kept our humor. We knitted slippers for our family because if we couldn’t be there, our knitting would keep them warm like a hug.
Christmas was by Zoom. Thanksgiving was by Zoom. Everything was by Zoom.
The whole time, we just wanted it to be over. The whole irony is as I’m going through it still, I think we haven’t gotten that it will never be over. The world has changed forever. We can’t go back. There’s only going forward now. Who knows what that future will look like until we get there.
I wish for you safety and peace. May you be able to get the vaccine soon, and to always still wear a mask. We’ll get through this together. We’re all going to have all our own COVID pandemic stories after all this. Keep that optimism and hope.
Eva and Amaira Deotale are the co-authors of the children’s book “Short Stories: By the Children, For the Children”.
During these cold winter months, it’s good to have some inspiration to brighten the days ahead. I’ve found a delightful, twin duo that writes their own short stories to encourage other children to read and write. Their names are Eva and Amaira Deotale. They’re six years old and live in the United Kingdom. Eva loves to sing and tell stories influenced from nature. Amaira loves puzzles, drama and is a keen observer. Together, they love to spend time in the garden and take long walks.
Their current book, “Short Stories: By the Children, For the Children” is a collection of children-written fables. I had the chance to speak with both the girls about their favorite reading memories, authors and future writing projects.
1)What is your favorite memory from reading as a child?
Eva and Amaira Deotale: Our favorite book memory is reading and listening to “The Giant of Jum” book by Elli Woollard. This book is one of our favorite because it’s a rhyming book with a twist – the giant in this book likes children and is very friendly.
2)Who was your favorite author and how did they influence you?
Eva and Amaira Deotale: Dr. Suess, Julia Donaldson. We love their storytelling and each story has a message.
3) What subjects would you like to write about in future projects?
Eva and Amaira Deotale: Our next book will be another short story book with funny creatures and a message on disability inclusion. Our latest venture, beingpurple.co.uk, is all about empowering people with disabilities.
“Short Stories: By the Children, For the Children” is a great collection of wonderfully illustrated short stories for children. Written by children, it is relative to kids and can help teach morals and values. These eight easy-to-read fables make great read-alouds in the classroom and short stories to read together at bedtime. Stories include themes of inclusion, courage, learning and exploring, and the lesson to never give up. Give the gift of values to any child.
“Short Stories: By the Children, For the Children” is available at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.
For more information on the authors Eva and Amaira Deotale, please visit their website here.
