Book Review - Pump Up Your Book - The Do's and Don'ts - Hayley Rose

Review:  This is a cute picture book for kids to read and enjoy.  The pictures are bright and colorful letting kids know what to do and what not to do.  I love the one for the napkin - great ideas for Do's and Don't.  This would be a great book to read to kids a few times a month as you talk with them about manners and why they are so important.  Kids don't always know why they have to do things this is a great reminder with cute pictures to help them remember.  Nothing is better than having someone comment about how polite and well mannered your child is.

Read this book to your kids and help them learn why and how to be polite and well mannered.  Great ideas and pictures so children will enjoy the book and learn to understand the concepts of it.

Title: The Do’s and Don’ts
Genre: Children’s Picture Book
Author: Hayley Rose
Publisher: Inkwell Productions Inc.
Pages: 46
Language: English
Quick Rating:  5 stars

Synopsis:  The Do’s and Don’ts is a whimsical lesson book aimed at teaching young readers the difference between good and bad behavior/etiquette. In the book Zack and Chloe go from being manner monsters to well-behaved children as they provide samples of typical scenarios that not only young children encounter but can relate to. For example, Zack becomes a Manner Monster when he loses a game, kicking and pouting like a poor sport. In contract, good behavior is then modeled depicting Zack congratulating the winning team. Unlike other etiquette books for children that tell a story or just communicate positive behavior, The Do’s and Don’ts compares and contrasts between good and bad behavior. Simply, yet colorfully displayed, are examples of inappropriate behavior and decisions young children may display followed by behavior and decisions that are more socially accepted. Each compare and contrast anecdote is set in the same scene so that young readers can instantly see the differences between good and poor behavior.

Author information: Award-winning author, Hayley Rose, grew up in the beach side town of Pacific Palisades, California, to a family of visual artists. In the early 1990's she traveled the U.S. with her band Crush Violet. In 1994, after a family reunion, she was inspired to write a children's book. Looking for a cute and catchy name for a main character, she kept hearing “first in, first out”. Hence, the name Fifo was born. Hayley’s mother would often ask her what she wanted to be when she grew up, so Hayley decided to start her series of “Fifo” books with that very question. Her first book, Fifo “When I Grow Up” was published in 2002. Her love of travel inspired her second book in the Fifo series, Fifo “50 States”, published in 2010.

Along with writing children’s books, Hayley has been working in entertainment business management for the past 15 years, specializing in concert touring. She has worked many “A list” tours including Michael Jackson, Rod Stewart and Candlebox, just to name a few. Hayley hopes to one day soon release an album of children’s songs. She is a currently member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, and resides dually in Los Angeles, CA and Scottsdale, AZ.

Book Spotlight - Pump Up Your Books Tour - Semi-Coma - Gulten Dye

Q: Can you tell us why you wrote your book?

Writing for me is such a wonderful way of getting in touch with what really goes on in my subconscious and in my heart.  As for my book itself, I guess you could say that when I started to understand that my happiness didn’t have to be from outside myself, that I actually had something to do with it, and that I could make more of it anytime I chose to, I wanted to share that message with others.

Synopsis:  This book is about self-discovery and the journey that awakened me to the many facets of life. The road hasn’t always been easy with its tolls and junctions. It’s about my struggle to discover who I really am, what I believe in and how I’ve arrived at a place where I am able to appreciate myself and my surroundings.

Most of my life I lived in a state of arrested consciousness without being aware of it. Then one day out of nowhere my eyes opened just enough for me to question my way of living and my state of mind. That was the day questions started to arrive. They were nothing like the questions I had before. As if they weren’t even questions they were an unraveling string of realizations followed by overwhelming sorrow. How could I have lived my life as if I was in a semi coma and in turn induce my own suffering?

Of course in the beginning of seeing I didn’t realize that my eyes would open slightly from time to time to give me an illusion of happiness, but because I had no idea what true happiness was I would drift back to my state of familiarity. I lived my life mostly on an automatic life-sustaining machine by my body without my mind interfering with it.

It is my hope that the stories I share with you will somehow touch your heart, perhaps crack open a door and shine a light for you to embark on your own quest of self-discovery. I don’t presume to have all the answers; I don’t even know all the questions. At the very least, I am seeking to understand and allow life to happen; learning to take responsibility and ownership of myself and my actions, and appreciating all that is.

Read the chapters, each on its own. As you move through them, you will uncover my intermittent consciousness as I explore my thoughts or beliefs and might be able to even get a glimpse of my evolution along the way. 

I am blessed to have had so many people touch my life and, knowingly or unknowingly, helped me on my journey. I have come to realize that because we are all one, that anything I come to know and am willing to share with others affects all of us in a positive way. With great humility, I open up my imperfect, yet perfect, life for you to walk beside me. I am forever grateful and honored. 

Kindle Edition, 213 pages

Published April 13th 2012 by Gulten Dye LLC- 

9780983829010

Author information:  Gulten Dye was born and raised in a small town in Turkey and moved with her family to Istanbul as a small child.  It was there that she earned a bachelor’sdegree in nursing, and worked as a nurse at a local hospital before moving to the Philippines with her boyfriend.

After being there a little over a year, they got married and a short while after that moved to Shreveport, Louisiana where she immediately began her studies to be able to work as a Registered Nurse. While studying for her boards, she was allowed to work as a scrub technician in an operating room at a nearby surgery center. She passed her boards and worked in an operating room for many years before moving toLas Vegas, Nevada there she worked at a busy University Medical Trauma Center as a staff nurse for several years until she earned the position of Charge Nurse.

By 2001, she was divorced and living with her two young sons.  Her desire to make more money became her impetus to start her own business, which soon became her sole source of income as her success grew.  She has never looked back.

Gulten found her talent and passion in creating one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces and sold them to well-known people, such as Celine Dion, Rachel Ray and Mary Higgins Clark.  She became an international success when her work showed on Entertainment Tonight and Insider and was for sale in the high-end casinos in Las Vegas and on high-end cruise liners. She then created a jewelry line called Metamorphosis, a line of interchangeable jewelry that brought her even greater success.

Gulten is also an author and self- published her first book Semi Coma – Evolution of my Intermittent Consciousness in 2011, currently selling on all digital media as well as in hard copy.  Her second book “The Missing Link” is awaiting publication in 2013.

In 2013, she opened her new concept store where she not only sells her own designs, but includes many local artists of different medium, including a local authors section.  In turn for being able to sell their artwork in her store, all artists have agreed to teach others their medium for the future generation free thinkers.

Gulten lives and creates in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Visit her website at www.gultendye.com.

Book Review - I've Got You Under My Skin - Mary Higgins Clark

Title:  I’ve Got You Under My Skin

Author: Mary Higgins Clark

Review:   I read this book on a bus to New Orleans from Minnesota with a bunch of high school choir students – the bus was noisy but I found I was able to concentrate on the story line as I worked at unraveling the mystery presented in this book.  It was fast enough to keep me interested in the book and not in the conversations all around me.  Teenagers can be loud.  I did have to answer a few questions from the needy teens here and there also glancing out the windows to see where we were along the way-but I read and enjoyed this book along the way.

The mystery was multi-leveled with many people in questions as the book went along.  I would suggest this to anyone who enjoys a good mystery.  I did not solve the mystery but at the same time could see how the person did it – I was still a bit confused at the end with what happened thinking maybe I had missed something in all the noise and shuffle on the bus – but I now believe that the murder was not completely ones persons doing.

Published:  Published April 1st 2014 by Simon & Schuster

ISBN:  9781476749068

Page Count: 320

Quick Review:  4 out 5 stars –

Why I Read this Title:  Sent by the publisher for review.

Synopsis:   When Laurie Moran’s husband was brutally murdered, only three-year-old Timmy saw the face of his father’s killer. Five years later his piercing blue eyes still haunt Timmy’s dreams. Laurie is haunted by more—the killer’s threat to her son as he fled the scene: “Tell your mother she’s next, then it’s your turn . . .”

Now Laurie is dealing with murder again, this time as the producer of a true-crime, cold-case television show. The series will launch with the twenty-year-old unsolved murder of Betsy Powell. Betsy, a socialite, was found suffocated in her bed after a gala celebrating the graduation of her daughter and three friends. The sensational murder was news nationwide. Reopening the case in its lavish setting and with the cooperation of the surviving guests that night, Laurie is sure to have a hit on her hands. But when the estranged friends begin filming, it becomes clear each is hiding secrets . . . small and large.

And a pair of blue eyes is watching events unfold, too . . .

 

Author Information:   Mary Theresa Eleanor Higgins Clark Conheeney, best known as Mary Higgins Clark, (b December 24, 1927 in the Bronx, New York) is an American author of suspense novels. Each of her twenty-four suspense novels has been a bestseller in the United States and various European countries, and all of her novels remain in print as of 2007, with her debut suspense novel, Where Are The Children, in its seventy-fifth printing.

Clark began writing at an early age. After several years working as a secretary and copy editor, Clark spent a year as a stewardess for Pan-American Airlines before leaving her job to marry and start a family. She supplemented the family's income by writing short stories. After her husband died in 1959, Clark worked for many years writing four-minute radio scripts, until her agent convinced her to try writing novels. Her debut novel, a fictionalized account of the life of George Washington, did not sell well, and she decided to leverage her love of mystery/suspense novels. Her suspense novels became very popular, and as of 2007 her books have sold more than 80 million copies in the United States alone.

Her work dwells primarily on a central theme: the psychological trauma endured and overcome by her strong female characters. Clark, known as the "Queen of Suspense", was also the inspiration for the Mary Higgins Clark Award, given by the Mystery Writers of America. She is the mother of author Carol Higgins Clark and formerly the mother-in-law of author Mary Jane Clark

Other Reviews:

Publishers Weekly 

Kirkus

Book Tour - A Ripple Effect Romance - Silver Linings - Kaylee Baldwin

Tour Schedule

Silver Linings by Kaylee Baldwin Drew Westfall wants nothing more than to forget what he had to do in the name of "smart" business. Cutting off all ties with his parents—including handing over the entire contents of his trust fund to a charity—he takes off for Bridger, Colorado where his best friend has an extra room for him. It doesn't take long for him to realize that his business degree won’t do him much good in a town as small as Bridger, but he's broke and has nowhere else to go. Eden Torresi has every reason to wallow. Not only did she have to sell her house to pay for her mother’s medical expenses, but she also had to drop out of school and is in a relationship with a guy unwilling to commit. But Eden isn't the wallowing type. Instead, she chooses to spend most of her time taking care of the seniors at Silver Linings Assisted Living. When she learns that her boyfriend's new roommate is down on his luck, her caring nature makes her want to reach out to him and offer what help she can. But the more time they spend together, the more complicated things get, especially when the seniors of Silver Linings decide to play matchmaker.

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Kobo

Author Kaylee Baldwin When Kaylee Baldwin isn’t writing, she’s usually chasing after her four children, checking her email, trying to get motivated to train for that race she shouldn’t have signed up for, hanging out with her pretty awesome husband, and reading whatever good book she can find. She graduated from Arizona State with degree in English Lit. Her published books are Meg’s Melody, Six Days of Christmas (part of the All I Want collection) and Silver Linings.

Website * Twitter * Facebook * Goodreads

The Ripple Effect Romance Novella Series Enjoy this exciting new series of clean novellas by six critically-acclaimed authors. "Like a pebble tossed into calm water, a simple act can ripple outward and have a far-reaching effect on those we meet, perhaps setting a life on a different course—one filled with excitement, adventure, and sometimes even love." Book 1: Home Matters by Julie N. Ford Book 2: Silver Linings by Kaylee Baldwin Book 3: Righting A Wrong by Rachael Anderson Book 4: Lost and Found by Karey White Book 5: Second Chances 101 by Donna K. Weaver Book 6: Immersed by Jennifer Griffith

Tour Giveaway

$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 4/14/14 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Things We Hate - Natchez Jazz River Boat Cruise out of New Orleans - 1 star

I just returned from a 5 day trip to New Orleans and I have to tell you that the weather was sunny and beautiful- well with one day of torrential rain - otherwise great.  We did opt for a lunch jazz cruise and I was excited to see the boat and the tour of the waterfront.  It was raining when we boarded and the cruise was overbooked with people everywhere - we sat for lunch and the waiters seemed to hoover (not in a good way) as soon as we finished eating they asked everyone to go outside - raining still and heavier as the cruise went - they suggested the gift shop or the engine room for places to get out of the rain since it was coming in at an angle hitting the deck even under the awnings- we were soaked having ran in the rain to get in line for the cruise and outside was windy and cold.  Not happy I just sat sipping my drink slowly as a few others were asked to leave - we did leave eventually and wandered around the wet slippery desks looking for some dry spot to sit - none could be found.  The engine room was warmer and interesting to investigate btw, but the rest was cold.

Lunch was also a huge disappointment - the fruit cornucopia was 1 apple when I got to that section of the lunch line - they served us the food and the servings were tiny and no seconds allowed.  The corn bread ran out and was not replenished and yet we were being asked to leave so others could come in for lunch - what lunch?

The tour was over the loud speaker and seeing the waterfront with someone pointing out what you were looking at was interesting - but we later took a bus tour with a much more knowledgeable guide who told stories while pointing out historical and interesting places to visit.  The price of the cruise was 39.00 including lunch - I won't be doing that again - waste of money with some many more interesting foods to try along the waterfront this lunch was a huge disappointment not to mention the rude staff that served and cleared the tables.