Sticks N' Stones and the Garden of Phea Book Blast

About the Book

Title: Sticks n' Stones and the Garden of Phea | Author: Angela Burkhead | Publication Date: February 6, 2014 | Publisher: Maple Hill Publishing | Pages: 152 | Recommended Ages: 9+

Summary: Rather than spending one more day amongst the humiliating remarks to the amusement of her fellow peers, Emily Fickeltin runs away. Or, rather, walks away. Emily is misunderstood and disliked but what seems to be every other child her age and on top of it all, she is overweight. Perfectly pleasantly plump, her mother calls her, but Emily feels far from perfect. Her attempt to escape her pain leads her to discover a hidden place with new hope for friends and acceptance. Stumbling into Phea's garden, an eccentric woman skilled in the arts of gardening and imagination, Emily finds she is not alone in her troubles. Phea and her friend rabbit have a past of their own they wish to run from and together the three battle their innermost demons as their world crumbles around them. Will they ever discover peace and acceptance? These lost and disheartened souls must find who they are before they are all lost forever.

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About the Author: Angela Burkhead

Angela Burkhead is a full time writer and a full time mom. Of the two jobs, she cannot decide which is more difficult and time consuming, but both bring the joys of fulfillment and accomplishment. She and her son currently reside in Richmond, Ky, just north of Kentucky's arts and crafts capital, Berea, Ky, where she was born and raised. Her newest book, Sticks n' Stones and the Garden of Phea, an upper middle grade/young adult fantasy novel, was published February of 2014.

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* $25 Book Blast Giveaway *

  Prize: One winner will receive a $25 Amazon Gift Card or PayPal cash (winner’s choice) Contest ends: May 13, 11:59 pm, 2014 Open: Internationally How to enter: Please enter using the Rafflecopter widget below. Terms and Conditions: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. A winner will be randomly drawn through the Rafflecopter widget and will be contacted by email within 48 hours after the giveaway ends. The winner will then have 72 hours to respond. If the winner does not respond within 72 hours, a new draw will take place for a new winner. Odds of winning will vary depending on the number of eligible entries received. This contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. This giveaway is sponsored by the author, David Chuka and is hosted and managed by Renee from Mother Daughter Book Reviews. If you have any additional questions – feel free to send and email to Renee(at)MotherDaughterBookReviews(dot)com. a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Review: Things I Wish my Mother Had Said

Things I Wish my Mother Had Said by Genie Lee Perron is a must-read. It is about physical and spiritual healing, how to live and appreciate your life. It is simple, short, filled with meaningful suggestions and information, and illustrated so beautifully by the author herself. I loved the images; they inspired laughter, joy, and took me back to a wonderful space in childhood that I think we would all like to experience again. Genie Lee Perron is not a new-age guru, living a fabulous Hollywood, problem-free life and dispensing clever advice. Her life is real, and she has battled almost insurmountable health problems, things that the average person cannot imagine facing. Her mother’s words resonated in her mind constantly as a source of wisdom and inspiration; simplistic perhaps, when one reads so many uber-clever self-help books, but in that simplicity is the wisdom of ages.

Each section is prefaced with a wonderful saying by either a world leader, or a person one can totally respect, people who have earned their spiritual stripes. The chapters are short and offer a personal viewpoint from the author’s experience, and then some tips. As you read, you’ll remember at least one of your grandparents or parents giving you this advice. The author encourages us to focus on things we have forgotten in the hurly-burly of this “me-me-me” world, with so much aggression, negativity, and rampant selfishness. To change the world we must change ourselves. The author advises us to look within, for therein lies the answer, the key to the joy, peace, happiness, fulfilment, love, and serenity we deserve.

We have forgotten how to be grateful for what we have, how to be patient, how to listen to others, how to do so many things possibly considered old-fashioned these days. The author just points us back in the right direction. We can change everything about our lives by seeing things from a different perspective. There is no magic, apart from the magic of life itself; no clever techniques such as contained between the pages of thick ‘looks hard to read’ books; no special meditative skills required. It’s just about getting back to the basics of life itself, loving oneself in the right way, and learning how to see things in a more expansive, open way.

Like Genie, I lost a best friend when my mother passed away; like Genie, I feel her close; I remember her advice; I remember and appreciate her love. I’m not a self-help book enthusiast and I generally never read those kinds of books. In my opinion, we must help ourselves. Yet this book came at an opportune time for me. It restored my belief in the ‘old-fashioned’ values I grew up with and told me that they are the only valid means of dealing with what life throws at you. This is a book for everyone of all ages, and especially for those who lost a great friend in a parent. Five Stars!

by Fiona Ingram

All About Animals

This post has nothing to do with writing and everything to do with animals. People who know me  have realised by now that I have a passion for causes, especially related to animals. I am busy with my animal rescue book on Poppy, the famous Fijian dog saved by Animals Fiji. Poppy went on to make a full recovery after surgery, and now has a happy Fur-Ever Home with a loving family in Australia. However, there are many animals in Fiji still in need of help; and their need is dire. The lease is up on the land that Animals Fiji’s Nadi Clinic occupies.

Animals Fiji needs your help to build a new home. Please read on and help in any way – again, no donation too small! You can donate directly to Animals Fiji’s donation page, or donate to my campaign on gofundme.



Just one brick!

 

Animals Fiji says: "Just US$16.00 will buy a brick for our new home! We need 10,000 bricks! Can you help us?

The Animals Fiji Nadi Clinic (operated by the West Charity Trust Society), which provides emergency care for sick animals and plays a vital role in the management and control of Fiji’s feral cat and dog populations has 3 months to find new land and premises to operate from or it will be forced to close. Since its doors opened 2 years ago, the Nadi Clinic has treated approximately 6,500 sick and injured animals, rehomed 960 abandoned pets and has de-sexed around 2,300 cats and dogs. Over this time it has established several outreach programs, where teams of volunteers are funded to travel to remote communities to control animal populations and to assist injured animals. These programs alone have reached over 20 communities and have led to 600 animals being de-sexed, meaning that over 7 million fewer puppies and kittens will be born.

The clinic plays a vital role in ensuring the health of Fijians and their animals. We have until 12 June 2014 to find new land and premises and are fundraising to find the FJ$30,000 we need to do this. (This comes to around US$16,000) If the Clinic closes then the valuable out-reach programs will cease and there will be no pet doctor in the Western Division of Fiji, putting the lives of animals and the health of people at risk.

Animals Fiji needs your support. All contributions gratefully accepted. No donation is too small - our animals depend on your kindness and goodwill!"

Please share this message far and wide, with your friends, family and animal lovers. Joining hands to help for worthy cause!

Book Review: The Shadow of the Pyramid

Jemima, Joe, their talking Tonkinese cat Max, and their best friend Charlie are off on their adventures again, searching for Jemima and Joe’s parents (somehow trapped in the past) and this time they are headed for ancient Egypt in The Shadow of the Pyramid. Using their magical book, the poem containing clues, and Jemima’s necklace with the key, the kids and Max are transported back in time, arriving in the middle of an assassination plot to murder the young king, Tutankhamun. Alas, Max has a morbid fear of mummies, having glimpsed a ghastly sight of one on Joe’s XBox game and he’s not too keen on this part of their adventure. They meet Ankharet, the gorgeous cat belonging to Tut’s young wife, Ankhesenamun. Max is totally smitten, but unfortunately Ankharet (who is jealous of Max’s instant popularity) doesn’t feel quite the same way about him. As the adventure unfolds, the kids and the cats, along with Tut’s wife try to stop several attempts on the young king’s life. Max even manages to foil two attempts, displaying a kind of unintentional bravery. The king is entranced with Max and names him “Max, beloved of Amun.” What an honour! Alas, despite their best efforts, once again the kids and Max are unable to change the course of history and cannot prevent the young king’s fate, a mystery which remains to this day. The end of the book is absolutely delightful and kids will just love the twist in this tale.

Max’s fear of mummies and the like afford some absolutely hilarious moments, especially since all his apparent heroics and saving the day are by accident. Author Wendy Leighton-Porter has woven a marvellous mixture of suspense, adventure, history, geography, and culture into an intriguing tale. Using real historical figures, she captures the feel and flavour of ancient times, and puts forward some quite viable theories for exactly what might have happened to Tutankhamun. As in previous books, the kids and Max are totally immersed in history, and this tale will definitely draw eager young readers to join them in the adventure. There are some interesting facts at the end of the book which will no doubt stimulate young time travellers to go and do a bit more research. Learning history the fun way is becoming the mark of this captivating series. Five stars!