It has been a very busy time for us here between Christmas and a new book series. I'm afraid that it's been too busy to post. I am late in saying this but to all those that celebrate, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Christmas went well for us though we are still not back in our home. We were with family though and together so one could not ask for more. Now for some updates on what I have been busy with: Sherlock the Remarkable Cat Series
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Book Reviews It seems that I have little to no time to do reviews for other authors anymore. At least not for chapter books. My daughter has offered to take on this role and has been doing a great job of it. While some of it is slow, she is far faster at this then I am with lack of time. She has already done two reviews on her own (videos still need to be done) and has had compliments on them. Great job! Freckles the Bunny Series Freckles is now on her 5th book this year! This book should be out near the end of February. The book is entitled, "Freckles and the Cost of Popularity." Learn more about it by visiting her website. A video preview should be out sometime later this month. All Websites
E-BookI have not yet added anymore books on Smashwords (nor updated) as I am currently waiting for my husband to read the contracts for putting them on Kindle. I will bring you news at a later date to let you know if the e-books go on Amazon or if I add more onto Smashwords, or both. Well that is all of the news here. We hope all of our readers and fans are well!
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Wow! Things have been so busy! I've almost fully recuperated (as fully as one can ever be after such a loss) from the fire and so much has happened since then and since my last blog post! Most of it is Freckles the Bunny Series news of course, but there is some other news, so I hope you will continue to read. Here we go: Other Authors Reviews Things have taken an unexpected turn this year, starting with the fire. Book sales have doubled in a small amount of time (though they are still small) and I am finding less and less time to get things done while juggling marketing, family, etc. I am finding it hard to make time to write at times. Unfortunately, this means that I need to cut down on the reviews. While I still intend to get those done as promised, I can no longer do any long books. This means chapter books. I simply don't have the time to read them. I hope you will understand. At the moment, I am not taking in anything new. I am still trying to catch up on the books I am behind on. Thank you for your understanding! Youtube Channel Videos I've added a bunch of new stuff to the Youtube Channel. I can't remember them all but of course there are more animal videos and some new things. I will just mention some of what I think is new. Some of them are playlists. Playlists: 1. Sherlock the Remarkable Cat Series playlist 2. Craft Time with Erika-Elizabeth playlist There may be some other playlists that were not mentioned earlier on there as well. Videos: 1. Freckles the Bunny Series, Book # 4: Freckles and the True Meaning of Christmas Preview (read by the author) http://youtu.be/X3jgTHKGi5g 2, Sherlock the Remarkable Cat Series Pre-Intro http://youtu.be/twRtgIWO7eQ 3. Craft Time with Erika-Elizabeth videos. - An intro to the shows. http://youtu.be/KF2cwS2EPf0 4. Pine Cone Feeder Craft - A how to video that your child can do along with Erika-Elizabeth. Stay tuned for more! http://youtu.be/lF87wCcHcCU 5. Freckles the Bunny Series, Book # 4: Freckles and the True Meaning of Christmas Trailer http://youtu.be/X3jgTHKGi5g 6. Many more videos on our channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/FrecklesBunnySeries ContestsWe had two contests this month. One was for reaching 100 likes to our fan page. We gave away a free copy of Freckles the Bunny Series, Book # 3: Freckles Lends a Paw. The second one was for our upcoming book, Freckles the Bunny Series, Book # 4: Freckles and the True Meaning of Christmas. Unfortunately, we just don't seem to be getting enough participants at this time so we have decided that this will be the last contest for awhile. At least until things pick up again. Thank you to all of those that have been! I plan for it to be as humorous and possibly as educational as the Freckles series is now. A New Chapter Book Series I have decided to start writing a chapter book series. The character is a popular one and since the older children love the series (but some don't want to be seen reading them at their age), I thought they might enjoy a series of their own. The series is about my unique cat Sherlock. You can learn more on the page I have set up for him on the Freckles website. It will be out sometime next year. Expect to see humor, a lot of Boots' family, cross-overs and more! Freckles the Bunny Series Book #'s 5 & 6 Planned I am afraid that with lack of time, I sometimes forget what I've written on previous posts (especially after two other blogs). I have two new books coming out next year. I am not officially set on the titles or the order yet, though I do know book 5 will be book 5. They are as follows: Freckles the Bunny Series, Book # 5: Freckles and the Popular Persuasion - Popularity and peer pressure are discussed. Freckles the Bunny Series, Book # 6: The Freckle Monster - Emotional and verbal bullying are discussed. My daughter will be helping write the 6th book as she has previously experienced this at her last school. School Visits I have had the pleasure of visiting St. Augustine School here in Saskatoon and I will be visiting St. Phillip School very soon! Freckles III, Stew II and I had a wonderful visit and hope that we are invited back again. Book Edits My husband and I spent many nights fixing up the third book as we found many things that needed fixing. We are happy to report that they are looking great and online! I also spent many hours fixing the quality of the books appearance for books one and two. They are also online now. All three books will be listed as second editions as I also edited some text and added a craft to every book that did not have one. This will be a continued feature for every book. We've extended the deadline for pre-ordering book # 4, to October 20, 2013. If you haven't ordered one and want to, please contact me right away. This is by far, the best book, more writing, more pictures, 2 crafts and an 8 x 10 size instead of our usual 8.5 x 8.5. You don't want to miss it! Newsletters, Secret Page for Children and New Products I have added a monthly newsletter for the Freckles site. I will also include a monthly sign in so that children can access a secret page with some downloads and online games that are only accessible this way. There are also some new products for sale. Book Purchasing Options We realize that purchasing through Paypal on our website can be a pain. We are now taking orders through the contact link as well and we will figure out the shipping for you, then send an invoice. In this way, we will be able to charge less while you still use Paypal. Other payment options are as follows:
* Interact E-Transfer (works well if you are with a major bank in Canada). I am also told that this is only possible if you have online banking access. * Send us a Money Order or Certified Check after we let you know the total with shipping. * Personal/business checks will only be accepted through schools and libraries. Sorry for any inconvenience. We had a fire in our home July, 20th. It was small but with plenty of smoke damage. We are still recuperating, not from the loss of our stuff which is trivial, but from the loss of some rabbits I was unable to save. We are currently staying with family and unsure as to when we will be back in our home. Freckles stuff is a bit slowed down at the moment but we are working to catch up as we deal with things here. The reviews have been on hold as we try to mend our hearts. These pets were not just pets, item, but family. I know not everyone understands that concept and I've been judged because of that by some. We need time right now to understand and accept their loss as we try to prepare for what is to come as well. Thank you for your understanding. In my grief, I've written a poem for their loss. I've shared it on this website and the videos that were once listed on the site are still there, just under the photos listing. Thank you to those that are understanding and patient! We hope to get back to things as soon as we can. Reviews are on hold for the time being. I'm sorry about this but we are dealing with both taking care of the house and the loss of our "family" members. First off, you can keep an eye on the books on Amazon. They have been getting reviewed. I've also listed them on this website. Find it here: http://vickianne-caswell.weebly.com/my-books-reviews.html The video preview for "Freckles the Bunny Series, Book # 3: Freckles Lends a Paw" is up on Youtube or our Freckles the Bunny Series website. I am still reviewing other children's books and posting them on this website and the Youtube channel. I am a little slower right now as I am trying to get things ready for my illustrator, for book 4, as well as preparing book 3. Many of you may not realize, but Freckles' world is a bit complex. Many of the stories and future stories, repeat locations. To be able to re- write about these locations later on as well as try to keep things the same (for the children and for us), I've created models of the homes, on The Sims 3. (It also keeps us from having a character roll through a wall instead of an open door) This tends to make the work a lot easier too. The Christmas book, book 4 is probably the longest and more detailed story by far. We are using many locations compared to our usual 2 or 3 and including family members (moms, dads, grandmas, grandpas, brothers, sisters to name just a few). In book 3, we are adding in siblings to the story, except for Stew's (I imagine they are still settling in to their new home). I do believe that this book is going to knock the socks off of the last 3 (the one now included). This is the reason why it is taking so much work. We've also been posted in a blog, with a review. Thank you Sandra for doing this for us! You can find the link below. http://sandrabennettauthor.com/news/ Many people probably wonder why I say we all of the time, when it is usually me doing everything. It's simple. I consider this whole operation a team. I could not do these books without the help of my husband or Anastasia Drogaitseva. My husband edits the books and aside from Anastasia drawing the characters to life (and I love working with her by the way), she has also been a great help in teaching me how to use some of the Aspects of Photoshop. As well, my ideas come from my daughters experiences and my bunnies. My daughter is great at listening to the stories and critiquing them as well as wanting to be a part of these books. She is actually the one who drew the carrot for book 1's back cover and the pickle for book 2's back cover. I am looking forward to seeing what she draws for the other books. As well, we are about to give her a bigger role, but I don't want to say too much yet. She is very pleased! So now you see why it's a "we" and not a "me." There would be no "me" without that group of "we" and I can't tell you how blessed I feel to have each of them in my life. |
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