Great literary gifts for that someone special

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Frog picture book joins my growing collection

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I teamed up with a great friend, Sammy Dellinger, to publish ONE FROG. TWO FROGS. THREE FROGS, FOUR.  I'm extremely excited about this book because it showcases Sam's awesome talent.

I wrote this book a long time ago and it's based on a true event that happened when my son, 26, was 3. When I talked to Sam about bringing the text to life, she was all in. Together we finally did it and I couldn't be more proud. 

Here's the skinny: 

“One frog. Two frogs. Three frogs. Four. Tree frogs. Tree frogs. I want more.”

This delightfully illustrated tale tells the story of Sam, who counts down the days until the next grocery store trip. Sam can’t wait to buy plastic tree frogs from the grocery store bubblegum machine and add them to his colorful collection. But after waiting all week, Sam sees something that makes him opt to give his quarters to charity instead.

One frog. Two frogs. Three frogs. Four. I love tree frogs, but I’ll wait to get more.” 


This great read-aloud book is also perfect for the beginner reader, offering a subtle life lesson about kindness and thinking of others in a fun, unobtrusive manner. This perfect addition to home and classroom library also boosts color and counting confidence.

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Author website

Author page on Amazon 

Facebook: Author and Friends literary gifts

CafePress store: Author and Friends

Sam's Etsy page

Sam's Facebook page

Book Expo Author and Friends display

New Author and Friends store items

I added some items to my literary gift shop, Author and Friends. Like me on Facebook and check out other merchandise there. Also, don't forget that I have a ton of really cool T-shirts, mugs and more on my Cafepress store by the same name.   If you are interested in purchasing any of these items, email me at Buffyandrews@gmail.com with "Literary gifts" in subject line.

Neat presentation of my books

What do you think?

Other Sways I created

My homemade journals

Cool summer cocktails

Used Sway to pull together photos of my homemade journals

Ella's Rain named Book of the Month

I was super excited to learn that Ella's Rain was picked Book of the Month by Long and Short Reviews. YAY! Here's LASR's review. 



 

Quiz: Match character name with image

I was working on some fun activities for kids to do at an upcoming Bookmobile engagement. I made this interactive quiz. Take it and see how many you guessed correctly.

Quiz: To Kill a Mockingbird

View the quiz on a mobile device

Check out my interactive book flyer

Mouse over the books, click on icon to buy or read about the book on Amazon. I also added buttons for my author website, Twitter account, Facebook and Amazon pages.

Guess How Many Candies

Everything has its own season

Every year, I look forward to the fringe tree blooming in our front yard. Its white, fleecy feathers hang from the branches and dance in the wind. Along with the gorgeous pink weeping cherry tree that blooms a few weeks before, it’s one of my favorite spring-flowering trees. The dogwood, saucer magnolia and Bradford pear can’t beat its beauty.

Check out my books

The other night, a wicked storm rolled into town. The wind whipped, pea-sized hail fell and a torrential downpour soaked the ground. When I walked outside the following morning, the fringe tree was naked, and its soft billowy blooms blanketed the ground. All that beauty gone in a flash, ripped from the branches before I was ready to say goodbye.
As I picked up some soggy blooms and held them in the palm of my hand, tears pooled in my eyes. I was reminded of beauty cut short, of parents and family and friends, tassels torn too soon from the tree of life during one of life’s raging storms.
Why must things die? a young child asks, unable to understand that all life is organized in such a way that it has a limited lifespan.
Flies might live for days, tortoises and whales for hundreds of years and trees for thousands of years. But eventually, they all die. No living thing, no animal or plant, can escape death.
So often in life we witness beauty too short-lived. Why can’t the fringes hang forever? Why do the cherry blossoms fade and fall?
What perhaps we should be asking is, Why didn’t I enjoy the beauty when I had the chance?
It’s human nature, I think, to believe there will always be another day. But sometimes there isn’t. Sometimes wicked weather slams us unexpectedly and we’re caught off-guard, standing in the drenching rain and rising water.

Meet the Peeps Book Bunny

Book Bunny

Check out my Tumblr blog Peeps Expressions. 

Fill those Easter baskets with fun books

Looking for great books to put in your kids' Easter basket? Here are a few to consider.

Will, Middle Name Trouble

Sometimes we find more than we're looking for... 

Will Moran is always getting into trouble. But this time, Will, who cleans and cooks and takes care of his younger twin sisters while his mom works, didn't do it. Will's class is collecting donations to benefit the local soup kitchen. Every time his teacher catches Will earning a buck from a bet, it ends up in the donation can. When the money goes missing, Will's the prime suspect. After all, most of the money came from him. Will and his eclectic group of friends set out to find the thief and prove his innocence, but they end up finding so much more.

Freaky Frank

In many ways, Frank Fratello is a typical teen. He plays baseball, hangs out with his friends at the mall and gets in trouble at home. But there's something very different about this sixth-grader-he can read minds. And reading minds can cause problems. Like when Frank says what someone is thinking before they say it. Or answers a question before they ask it. Despite being telepathic, Frank must deal with everyday middle school life, which includes battling a bully who hates him. Nasty Nate and his flunkies live to get others in trouble-especially Frank. But Frank and his friends aren't giving up. There has to be some way to bring Nasty Nate down. They just have to find it.


High Street Dares

Dares and danger... 

Dare Mags to do anything and she’s game. Make it a double dare, and face the whole High Street Gang. 

In the Locket of Doom, Mags' sister and A.J.'s brother, double dare the gang to walk through the cemetery at midnight and perform a spell to make a stone statue cry. But weird things have been happening ever since A.J. started wearing an old locket she found in the park. For one thing, she can’t take the locket off. When an old woman who smells like rotten garbage and has different-colored eyes shows up, things go from bad to worse. Every time A.J. sees the old woman, the locket shrinks. Somehow the locket, the stone statue, and the lady are related. Can the gang figure out the mystery in time to save A.J.? 

In The Ghostly Connection, the gang faces another dare—sleeping in a haunted barn. But there’s a lot more to the dare, including another mystery to solve. There’s a good ghost, a bad ghost, and an important message to deliver. Oh, and a treasure to find!

Serial: "The Brain Invaders"

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Publication day for "Ella's Rain"

I can't even begin to explain how it feels to finally have ELLA'S RAIN published. Thanks to Prism Book Group Joan Bauer Alley Jacqui Hopper for believing in this book and for believing in me.

Many of you know this is the first book I wrote. It's extremely special because it helped me work through a lot of grief, having lost my parents, sister and her husband and numerous friends. It was a dark time in my life and I struggled to find the light. But my faith sustained me. 

I'm especially proud of the 365 notes at the end of the book. When I wrote them, I thought about what I'd want my sons to know if I wasn't able to grow old with them. What advice would I give? What would I want them to think about? Do? Know? In many ways, the notes are my legacy. 

I think this book is meant to be read by women of all ages, from grandmothers to granddaughters. I hope that you'll give this book a chance. I know I'm asking a lot. There are so many great books out there. But this book is one of those that speaks to all of us. And the ending, well, the ending makes me cry just thinking about it. Anyway, thanks in advance for considering this book. I hope that if you do read it, you'll review and share it with others. Many blessings, Buffy  

Here is the first review by Fiona's Book Reviews

First review: 5 stars

This is a book of two halves. The first part is the story of Ella, a young girl who is struggling to cope after the death of her beloved grandmother Dorothy.

Grandma D has written letters/notes for Ella, one to be opened a day for a full year, 365 notes. These notes are inspirational, funny, thought provoking. During the story you see how these notes help Ella. Her Grandma was definitely a very special person.

Ella is struggling with other things too, so all in all in she isn't having a great time. And her journey to enlightenment isn't an easy one. There are several obstacles thrown in her way. Does she get past those, or is she halted in her progress?

It isn't only Ella who is helped during the course of the story. Grandma D was, indeed, a wise woman, as it appears she is helping others from beyond the grave.

The second part of the story features all 365 notes/letters Grandma D wrote for Ella. These make wonderful reading, and I came away with a lot of great advice which I would hope to use in the future. I started highlighting my favourite quotes to feature in my review. But, if I'm honest, by the time I got just a few weeks in I had to stop, as it was all such good advice I would have had to feature most of them!

This is a lovely story, sad for obvious reasons, but uplifting in so many ways. I would honestly recommend you read this story. I love this author and can't wait for more from her.

Gifts for writers added to store

'It's in the Stars' released today

It's release day for IT'S IN THE STARS. WOOT! I had so much fun writing this book about a journalist who decides to turn her eyes to the sky and leave her love life up to fate. We're talking following her horoscope, baby, in search of love. This book will have you in stitches as Sydney's new tactic provides plenty of laughter -- and maybe some love. You'll have to read to find out.

Here's the first review:


I loved the idea of this book, run your life by what your horoscope tells you to do! Is that really possible, and if it is, can it work?

Sydney is disillusioned with her love life, or the lack of it. Following complaints at work she checks out the horoscope section. While browsing she decides to throw caution to the wind and try something new. And why not? Her love life couldn't get any worse than it already was, so anything is worth a try. Right?

This book has a lot of laugh out loud moments. The humour comes out right from the first page, where the author describes the main characters initials. I won't say more than that, but it is funny to say the least.

Living her life based on the stars leads to some strange moments for Sydney. It definitely makes for some interesting situations.

I really enjoyed this book and loved that it ends exactly where I wanted it to. This author is a firm favourite of mine who never fails to surprise me with her writing, and she is one I intend following in the future.

11 books in 18 months

A friend just pointed out that I've had 11 books published in 18 months. Wow, putting it like that kind of makes me proud. 

For those of you who have been with me on this journey, thank you for your love and support. It hasn't been easy. There's been a lot of hurdles along the way and many disappointments. I've made a lot of mistakes and I've learned tons. Mostly I've learned to believe in myself even when no one around me is.

I'm grateful to my readers who have given me a chance in a world crowded with great books and great authors. Thank you for choosing my books and I hope there are many more to come. 

Blessings, B

Get rom-com 'It's in the Stars'

10 days until IT'S IN THE STARS is released. Preorder today. Here's the skinny:

Love always turns up…

Newspaper journalist Sydney Turner Davies is the last person you’d call clueless when it comes to romance. She knows what she wants in a man (if in a little too much detail!) and is everyone’s go-to girl when it comes to relationship advice. So why is she still single? Turning 26 only makes it clearer—it’s time for a change!

Where you least expect it. 

When inspiration strikes in the form of her daily horoscope, Sydney decides to turn her eyes to the sky and leave her love life up to fate. What her horoscope says, she does! With her straight-talking best friends and the zodiac to guide her, what could go wrong?

Navigating the dating game has never been simpler. But for Sydney, finding love is just the first step. When romance finally blossoms…will she be brave enough to follow her heart?

Cover reveal: It's in the Stars

Here's the cover for my newest book, IT'S IN THE STARS, coming Feb. 12, from Carina/HarperCollins. *Happy Dance*

Poll: Favorite winter-themed children's book

Crazy idea for a new year: Tracks inside supermarkets

How's that saying go? Necessity is the mother of invention? Well, I and a lot of other people have a necessity and I have a solution that would be a win-win for a supermarket. Don't stop reading. Just hear me out.

When it's cold outside, people need a place to walk. When it's hot outside, people need a place to walk. For me, this used to be the nearby mall, but the mall is being torn down and replaced with a strip mall. There goes my place to walk over my lunch hour when it's too cold or too hot to walk outside.

Here's my solution. Supermarkets should invest more completely in the health craze and provide a walking/running track on the perimeter of their store. Don't laugh. Just think about it. When it's hot, people flock to the freezer section of the supermarket to hang out for a while. So, imagine if a supermarket (those located in areas where there is extreme cold and heat) integrated tracks into their designs. People would flock to the supermarket to walk or run. And, they might need a drink afterward or pick up a loaf of bread or bananas or whatever. The supermarket offers a service, gets people in its doors who might not normally come there, and so forth. Seems like a win-win.

So, if you're a supermarket and you want to talk out my idea, contact me. I have a billion ideas running through this crazy head of mine!

New year brings new possibilities

I love new beginnings. It's exciting to wipe the slate clean and start fresh. A new year brings new possibilities. It's full of hope and promise. Of new opportunities and challenges. Of wondrous adventures waiting to be had.

And yet, as much as I look forward to a new year, it's hard saying goodbye to this one. I've been blessed in so many ways and I'm thankful for the opportunities I've had and the memories I've made. From judging the Pulitzer Prizes to serving two fellowships at DePauw University to publishing four books, it's been a year filled with great accomplishments. I hope that 2015 will be even better.

When I think back over my yesteryears, there are some things I've learned.

I've learned never to give up on my dreams. I hope you never do. Tend to your dreams like you would anything you care deeply about. Guard them and protect them from the naysayers of the world and hold onto them tightly. Don't let them slip through your fingers and leave you holding nothing but thoughts of what might have been. Success is about hard work, passion and will.

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