Five Fun Facts - Stephen King

Five Fun Facts

About the Author, Stephen King

Author of Carrie, The Shining, and The Stand.

(photo borrowed from Goodreads.com)

1. Has an adopted older brother named David.

2. In 1985 he wrote part of an X-men comic that was created to raise proceeds for charity.

3. Sings in a band called Rock Bottom Remainders with 3 other authors. ( Dave Berry, Barbara Kingsolver, and Amy Tan)

4. What writer scares Stephen King? H.P. Lovecraft

5. He had short stories published in Playboy.

Info collected from https://stephenking.com, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_King, biography.com/writer/stephen-king, https://www.americanheritage.com/man-who-can-scare-stephen-king, and https://www.vox.com/culture/2017/8/4/16066180/stephen-king-themes-cultural-influence-explained

Shannon's Review - The Margaret Mitchell Encyclopedia by Anita Price Davis

Title: The Margaret Mitchell Encyclopedia
Series: None
Author: Anita Price Davis
Illustrator/Book Cover Design: unknown
Genre: Non-Fiction, Author, Encyclopedia, Margaret Mitchell
Publisher: Macfarland & Company
Received: Free for an honest review
Release Date: 2013
Pages: 233
Rating:




Author Anita Price Davis’ Official Websites:





Website:
None Found

Blog:
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Facebook:
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Twitter:
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Instagram:
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Shannon’s Thoughts:


This Encyclopedia gets into big and small details about author Margaret Mitchell’s life and death.


I am a big fan of Margaret Mitchell and her only book Gone With The Wind. I have read the book many times. When I was younger I looked for anything I could find about Mitchell which at the time was not much. This has so much info and even though it is an encyclopedia it is very easy to digest.


The downside to this book is that it will only appeal to fans of the author. I mean I can’t imagine anyone who is not a fan would read this.


I liked this book more than I thought I would. I thought being an encyclopedia it was going to be too dry. I kinda wish some of my other favorite authors had their own encyclopedias.

Five Fun Facts - John Grisham

Five Fun Facts

About

John Grisham

Author of The Firm, A Time To Kill, and Pelican Brief

(photo borrowed from Goodreads.com)

1. After Law School he traveled to Brazil as a missionary spreading the word of God. 

2. Growing up he wanted to be a baseball player.

3. Grew up on a cotton farm.

4. Hangs out with the fellow author, Stephen King. 

5. He has five little league baseball diamonds on the grounds of his Virginia estate for local kids.

Info collected from wikipedia.com, theguardian.com, therumpus.net

Five Fun Facts - J.K. Rowling

Five Fun Facts

About the Author 

J.K. Rowling

Author of the Harry Potter series

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(photo borrowed from Goodreads.com)

1. As a child, she wrote stories to tell to her younger sister. 

2. Her favorite animal is the sea otter

3. She is a fan of the game Minecraft.

4. The sport in Harry Potter called Quidditch has basketball qualities as J.K. is a basketball fan. 

5. Wrote her first story at age 6 called Rabbit

Info collected from Wikipedia

Five Fun Facts - Dan Brown

Five Fun Facts

About the Author 

Dan Brown

Author of The Da Vinci Code, Angels & Demons and Origin.

(photo borrowed from Goodreads.com)

1. He was once a pop singer-songwriter with his own record company.

2. A song he wrote and performed made it into The Da Vinci Code movie soundtrack. It’s called Phiano.

3. An agent suggested he write a book after seeing an article he wrote in a college newspaper. 

4. The Bourne Identity series by Robert Ludlum inspired his Robert Langdon series

5. Has a cat named Zeus, who watches him as he writes. 

Info collected from Wikipedia, BusinessInsider.com and South China Morning Post. 

Five Fun Facts - Eric Carle

Five Fun Facts

About the Author 

Eric Carle

Author of over 70 children books, like The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Will You Be My Friend? and The Grouchy Ladybug.

(photo borrowed from Goodreads.com)

1. Had a dog named Took, named after a character in The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. Carle knows the author.

2. In 2009 he designed the Google logo as his famous book The Very Hungry Caterpillar by request. 

3. At various venues, The Very Hungry Caterpillar is performed as a play with puppets and black light. 

4. Carle and his wife created the Eric Carle Museum for children book illustrations. 

5. His book The Very Hungry Caterpillar just celebrated it’s the 50th year in publication and is probably the most known book by Carle. 

Info collected from EricCarle.com, FamousAuthor.org, and EricCarlemuseum.com

Five Fun Facts - Dr. Seuss

Five Fun Facts

About Author 

Dr. Seuss

Author of over 60 children books, like Green Eggs And Ham, How The Grinch Stole Christmas and Oh The Places You Will Go!.

(photo borrowed from Goodreads.com)

1. Everyone pronounces Dr. Seuss wrong. Most of us say “Su ss” when it should be pronounced as if rhyming with the word voice...so it is really said as Dr. “Soice”

2. Never had children but was known to say “You have them I’ll entertain them.” 

3. As a young boy scout each boy of his troop was to receive a medal from President Teddy Roosevelt, in person or so he thought. Unfortunately, he was left on stage with nothing to be given him because of a misunderstanding. 

4. Became an author accidentally after being asked to illustrate books. 

5. His inspiration for The Grinch was himself. 

Info collected from Wikipedia, Saturday Evening Post, and Biography.com

Five Fun Facts - Author : Kate DiCamillo

Five Fun Facts

About the Author

Kate DiCamillo

Author of 2 Newberry Award Winning books The Tale of Despereaux and Flora & Ulysses

(photo borrowed from Goodreads.com)

1. When she was young her mother entered her into Little Miss Orange Blossom pageant (similar to pageant character from Raymie Nightingale wants to enter)

2. Once wanted to be a veterinarian but changed her mind after a gruesome incident with a German shepherd and it’s eye popping out.

3. She doesn't know how to cook.

4. Her laugh has gotten her kicked out of restaurants.

5. Before she was a writer she worked at Disney World, in charge of some of the ride lines.

Info collected from NPR interview, this NPR interview, this interview from TheChildrensBookReview.com, and BookPage interview.

Guest Post By Author Joshua Viola

Guest Post

Collaborative Storytelling
by Joshua Viola

When it comes to writing a book, many authors go at it alone. They do research, writing, and editing without outside assistance. The story they create is completely their own. At some point, their work should see other influences before reaching the reader, such as an editor, publisher, or even an agent (in some cases), but no one else is able to slap their name on the cover except for the author.

However, there are many instances where an author turns to someone else to assist them in creating a story. Perhaps a world is too big for one person to handle. Perhaps the author needs someone to fill in the holes (such as humor or action). Or, simply, two (or more) authors want to collaborate on a project together.

Finding the right author to work with isn’t as easy as some may think. There are numerous ways to go about co-authoring. Some authors work on a shared document. Others take turns writing specific character scenes or chapters. A few work on the fly and mash two separate ideas together. All of this requires those involved to be able to compromise and pull their own weight. Determining who your team members are takes a lot of thought and careful preparation.

When I began my most recent writing project, Denver Moon, I realized early on that in order for the book to shine, I had to enlist some help. It’s not that I didn’t feel capable of telling the story myself—I’d authored plenty of solo projects—but as someone with a background in the video game industry, I knew that collaboration with the right team could lead to fantastic results. When working with other creative individuals, ideas are shared with the intent that they will grow and blossom. Everyone brings their own unique talents to the table. The final collaborative product is far more important than an individual credit, and so ego can take a back seat if it’s in a car worth the ride. When the ideas started flowing and I was ready to take that next step, I reached out to another writer—but not just anyone.

I wanted to team up with Warren Hammond.

To be honest, I’d worked with Warren before, but in a different capacity. We briefly crossed paths in two anthologies—Nightmares Unhinged and Cyber World—where I played the role of editor. Then, a little later on, I joined his critique group to help hone my craft. That said, we’d never really collaborated before. We’d never crafted a world together or fleshed out characters to pit against bad guys in a compelling plot—and that was something I was dying to try.

If you’ve never read Warren’s fiction, you should. He knows how to tell a dark story full of suspense and surprises with some of the tightest prose you’ll find in genre fiction today. Check out his novels KOP and Tides of Maritinia, and you’ll see what I mean. So, when I reached out to Warren and he agreed to co-author a weird cyberpunk book called Denver Moon about a Martian detective with a talking pistol for a sidekick, I was more than a little excited. The only question we had was: Can we make this work?

When collaborating with another person, you’re either going to get along or you aren’t. I’d worked on a few nightmare projects before, dealing with those who lacked the skills needed to finish the job, those who didn’t care, and, worst of all, those with a drama queen mentality. Not really knowing each other’s habits or temperaments, Warren and I were taking a chance. Warren, in particular, had never collaborated before, and he wasn’t completely sold on the idea, but after a few beers and plenty of discussions, we developed a process we thought might do the trick.

Lucky for us, it did.

Denver Moon began as a short story. The idea was to establish the world and characters in short form first as a means of eliminating the things that didn’t work and building on those that did. I knocked out the first draft for Warren to see on paper. From there, Warren performed like a master surgeon, cutting things here, tightening things there, and ultimately putting his stamp on the story. By the time we were happy with the final draft, we’d traded the manuscript enough times that it read like it was authored by a single person.

When it came to the novella, Warren and I met over more beer to prepare a detailed outline and profile our characters. We were off to the races. Warren tackled our first draft, handing it to me for round two until we called it done.

Once finished, our process was stronger than ever. We’d not only learned how to work with each other, we also enjoyed it. On June 5, 2018, we'll be sharing the fruits of our labor with the world. We hope readers experience the fun Warren and I had together when they dive into our collaboration, Denver Moon: The Minds of Mars.

Big Thanks To Joshua Viola For This Great Guest Post!  Be Sure To Check Out The Denver Moon Series In Novel And Comic Forms!

Celebrate Every Day With Books 3/19/2018 - 3/25/2018

Celebrate Every Day With Books 3/19/2018 - 3/25/2018

It seems like everyday has some new theme to celebrate so I thought it might be fun to see what kind of interesting books I can find  (new, old, or coming soon) for everyday holiday. In fact, most days have more than one holiday!

Just so you know I have not read most of these but the ones I pick seem the most interesting.  You can probably find tons more books for each holiday but I am only going to pick two books for every holiday.

Let me know what you think.  Do any of them seem interesting to you? Is there another book you think would be a better choice?

MONDAY MARCH 19TH 2018

Poultry Day

Title: Poultry Breed by Carol Ekarius

Genre: Non-Fiction, Technology & Engineering, Agriculture, Animal Husbandry

What It Is About?: Poultry Breeds is a fresh field guide of feathered friends with stunning photos highlighting the beauty and unique attributes of 104 chicken, duck, goose, and turkey breeds.

Available: AVAILABLE IN STORES NOW

Title: Poultry Suite by Jean Pagliuso

Genre: Non-Fiction, Art, Photography

What It Is About?: Carefully designed by Shahid and Company, New York, and with reproductions of nearly fifty photographs, Poultry Suiteimpeccably applies the aesthetic excellence of fashion photography to form a true appreciation of the diversity of these birds.

Available: IN STORES NOW

TUESDAY MARCH 20TH 2018

Extraterrestrial Abductions Day

Title: Dating An Alien Popstar by Kendra L. Saunders

Genre: Fiction, Science Fiction

What It Is About?: Daisy Kirkwood has only just escaped her small-town life and run away to New York City, the land of last-minute secret gigs at famous musical venues when she's kidnapped by aliens.

Available: IN STORES NOW

Title: Alien Alert by David Biedrzycki

Genre: Fiction, Children, Picture Book, Science Fiction

What It Is About?: When a UFO beams up Baby Bear and abducts the family, the human world goes crazy.

Available: APRIL 3RD 2018

WEDNESDAY MARCH 21TH 2018

Fragrance Day

Title: Awaken To Healing Fragrance by Elizabeth Anne Jones

Genre: Non-Fiction, Health & Fitness, Aromatherapy

What It Is About?: Jones discusses energetic medicine, creating aromatic gardens, and establishing integrative medicine clinics where doctors trained in Western medicine would collaborate with alternative therapists such as acupuncturists, nutritionists, and aromatherapists to bring a new consciousness and sense of well-being to healthcare.

Available: IN STORES NOW

Title: The Fragrance Of Sweet-Grass by Elizabeth Rollins Epperly

Genre: Non-Fiction, Literary Criticism, Feminist

What It Is About?: Examining all of Montgomery's fiction, Epperly argues that Montgomery was much more than a master of the romance genre and that, through her use of literary allusions, repetitions, irony, and comic inversions, she deftly manipulated the normal conventions of romance novels.

Available: IN STORES NOW

THURSDAY MARCH 22ND 2018

National Goof Off Day

Title: Gomer Goof: Mind The Goof! By Andre Franquin

Genre: Fiction, Juvenile, Comic, Graphic Novel

What It Is About?: From work-shirking scheme to the disastrous inventions, enter the hilarious world of the most famous layabout of all!

Available: IN STORES NOW

Title: The 20% Doctrine by Ryan Tate

Genre: Non-Fiction, Business & Economics / Leadership

What It Is About?: Gawker tech-blogger and journalist Ryan Tate reveals how businesses can inspire greater creativity and productivity by allowing their employees to pursue their own passions at work.

Available: IN STORES NOW

FRIDAY MARCH 23RD 2018

National Puppy Day

Title: Penny The Puppy: Fairy Animals Of Misty Wood by Lily Small

Genre: Fiction, Juvenile, Chapter Book, Fantasy, Fairies

What It Is About?: Penny the Puppy is trying to learn something very important in school—how to count. The only problem is that Penny keeps getting distracted. How is a puppy supposed to concentrate on her numbers when Misty Wood is so beautiful and interesting?

Available: IN STORES NOW

Title: The Doggie In The Window by Rory Kress

Genre: Non-Fiction, Pets, Essays & Narratives

What It Is About?: When Rory Kress began to wonder where her beloved Wheaten Terrier, Izzie, had really come from, she had no idea of the horrors she would uncover.

Available: APRIL 3RD 2018

SATURDAY MARCH 24TH 2018

National Chocolate Covered Raisin Day

COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING FOR THIS DAY

SUNDAY MARCH 25TH 2018

Palm Sunday

Title: Humphrey’s First Palm Sunday by Carol Heyer

Genre: Fiction, Childrens, Picture Book, Christian

What It Is About?:  The delightfully goofy camel we met in Humphrey's First Christmas is back, three decades older and not much wiser. He wants nothing more than to be the lead camel in the caravan, so he can improve his view.

Available: IN STORES NOW

Title: The Palm Sunday Tornado by Timothy Bontrager

Genre: Fiction, Historical Fiction

What It Is About?: From the grandson who lost his grandparents to the tornadoes of April 11, 1965 comes a heart warming story about the meaning of family and a reason to believe in love.

Available: IN STORES NOW