Sizzlin’ Summer Freebies

Posted on July 29, 2013 by lynnkelleyauthor

Mark your calendar for Thursday, August 1st. A few of the Emblazon authors (we write for tweens) have scheduled a promo day together and priced some of our eBooks for FREE.

This is a one-day event, so be sure to grab as many of these titles as you’d like on August 1st. Go here to preview the list of the books that will be free.

Two of my books will be included in this promo:

Curse at Zala Manor, Book 1 in the Monster Moon mystery series, by BBH McChiller (Lynn Kelley, Kathryn Sant, Maria Toth).

Curse at Zala Manor, Monster Moon mysteries, Lynn Kelley, Lynn Kelley Author, BBH McChiller

It’s almost Halloween, and twelve-year-old AJ Zantony’s world is threatened by an ancient curse that releases wicked pirates who had been trapped for centuries in his Aunt Zsofia’s creepy mansion, Zala Manor. The pirates–a vampire count, a pegleg skeleton, and a zombie–have three goals: to find a lost treasure, unleash the restless dead from their graves, and to settle a very old score by destroying the Zantony bloodline.

AJ has to stop them before midnight during Aunt Zsofia’s annual Halloween party. Except he has a big problem–monster phobia! He’s scared to death of monsters. But if he doesn’t act fast, the streets of Craggy Cove will be crawling with zombies. Will AJ overcome his fear and stop the monsters or bail out?

Will Craggy Cove become Zombie Central? Who will be alive when midnight tolls?

The second FREE title is Curse of the Double Digits.

Curse of the Double Digits, Lynn Kelley, Lynn Kelley Author, children's book, humorous book

Becky is sure turning ten on the 10th day of the tenth month will be magical. The whole class is invited to her party, including Chad, the cutest boy in the fifth grade. So is Darlenie-the-Meanie.

Becky wants to look cute for her big day, but all her plans go wrong. Really wrong. The magic of turning ten disappears before she even has a chance to blow out her birthday candles. Things get so bad, she refuses to go to her own party.

Becky wonders if the Curse of the Double Digits will jinx her forever.

 

This promo is perfectly timed to go with the release of the Audiobook of Curse of the Double Digits, now available on Amazon, Audible.com, and iTunes.

Please pass the word about the audiobook and FREE eBook available Thursday to any teachers you may know who use audiobooks along with eBooks or paperbacks in their classrooms. Curse of the Double Digits is now available in all three formats.

I’ll post a reminder here again on Thursday, August 1st, so you don’t miss out on these Sizzlin’ Summer Freebies!

Please help us spread the word!

Have you read any sizzling books this summer? If so, what’s the title? What other sizzlin’ stuff have you been up to?

Posted in Books, Kids | Tagged , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Walk Two Moons – My Favorite Tween Book

Posted on July 24, 2013 by lynnkelleyauthor

tweentheweekends_banner

Today is the first Tween the Weekends post, hosted by the Emblazon website here.

“Tween the Weekends is a monthly feature hosted on Emblazon. This is an opportunity for writers and readers to promote tween literature, that age bracket squashed between middle grade and young adult. You can review a great tween book, post about writing for kids, connect with others who love the genre, support and encourage one another, relate news, share links, or just about anything else tween related.”

Walk Two Moons – Winner of the 1995 Newbery Medal is one of those rare stories that nuzzles its way into your soul as you fall in love with its quirky, realistic characters, each with their own unique stories that unfold as 13-year-old Salamanca Tree Hiddle reflects on her relationship with each of them.

The age level is listed for 8 and up, but there are mature themes throughout, so I would recommend ages 10 and up. The Book Description on Amazon starts with a quote from a conversation between Salamanca (Sal) and Gram.

Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech

“How about a story? Spin us a yarn.” 


Instantly, Phoebe Winterbottom came to mind. “I could tell you an extensively strange story,” I warned.

“Oh, good!” Gram said. “Delicious!”

And that is how I happened to tell them about Phoebe, her disappearing mother, and the lunatic.

As Sal entertains her grandparents with Phoebe’s outrageous story, her own story begins to unfold–the story of a thirteen-year-old girl whose only wish is to be reunited with her missing mother.

In her own award-winning style, Sharon Creech intricately weaves together two tales, one funny, one bittersweet, to create a heartwarming, compelling, and utterly moving story of love, loss, and the complexity of human emotion.

Review by BBH McChiller (Lynn Kelley and Kathryn Sant):

Sal is a farm girl at heart, but she has to move with her father from the family farm in Kentucky to a city in Ohio after her mother unexpectedly took a trip one day and never returned. Sal doesn’t adjust well at her new school, and the heartbreak of her mother’s absence leaves Sal dreaming of life before her mother’s departure.

Emotions run high as Gram and Gramps Hiddle take Sal on a cross-country drive, following the same route Sal’s mother took before she ended up in Lewiston, Idaho. Sal has her heart set on arriving in time for her mother’s birthday.

Gram asks Sal to tell a story to help pass the time, so Sal tells the story of her quirky friend Phoebe Winterbottom, whose mother also left one day. Mysterious notes are found on Phoebe’s doorstep, and she not only believes a lunatic is on the loose, but also that her mother has been murdered. Phoebe enlists Sal’s help in solving the mystery of her missing mother.

While telling the story of Phoebe’s mother, Sal reflects on her own mother’s life and how tragedy changed their lives. Telling Phoebe’s tale helps Sal gain insight into possible reasons why her own mother left.

Walk Two Moons deals with sensitive, mature life issues. It’s an endearing, funny, and compelling coming-of-age story. There were clues as to the twist at the end, but I still didn’t see it coming. Huzza, huzza! This is a story you’re not likely to forget and will probably want to read again. It’s a book that will engage readers for generations to come.

What’s your favorite tween book (ages 11 to 14)?

Be sure to hop over to the Emblazon site for the main Tween the Weekends post and links to visit the other participants’ blogs.

Posted in Books, Kids | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 22 Comments

Snakes and Bugs – Parenting Plights & Delights

Posted on July 20, 2013 by lynnkelleyauthor

Lynn Kelley, Lynn Kelley Author, Parenting Plights and Delights, Curse of the Double Digits, BBH McChiller, Monster Moon mysteries

I asked my sister Cindy if she had any bug or snake stories, knowing how much her son Joker loved bugs as a kid. She told me about the time he was seven. Joker and his friend Joey found a stink bug and painted it pink with red and blue stripes, then sprinkled it with silver glitter.

1460048

Brown mamorated stink bug
(Courtesy – Wikimedia Commons)
(This is image is image No. 1460048 at Invasive.org)

The boys put it in a clear container and showed it to Joey’s mom, Shelli. “Oh, my gosh!” she exclaimed when she saw it, thinking it was a strange new species. She caught on quickly, though, when she saw the smirks on their faces.

Cindy also told me about another time when Shelli came over to borrow something on a dark wintry night. “Were your kids playing with rubber snakes today?” Shelli asked. She was barefooted and walked past one lying in the driveway. (They live in California.)

(Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.) (The original uploader was Dawson at English Wikipedia.)

(Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.)
(The original uploader was Dawson at English Wikipedia.)

“No, they don’t have any rubber snakes,” Cindy told her.

Cindy’s two boys and Joey followed their mothers out front to check out the rubber snake. Shelli was about to pick it up when the boys suggested they throw something at it to make sure it wasn’t real.

So, Shelli threw a rock and the snake moved. Both moms screamed for Shelli’s husband Phil to come deal with the snake.

Phil checked it out and informed them, “It’s a baby rattlesnake.”

What wise little boys, huh?

That true tale makes me wince. I’m not fond of snakes or creepy crawlies. My son always wanted to get a pet snake. No way, no how. Not even a so-called harmless garter snake.

Lynn Kelley Author, Curse of the Double Digits, BBH McChiller, Monster Moon Mysteries

“Harmless” garter snake

If it gives us high blood pressure or a heart attack, it’s not harmless, right? Besides, I just discovered on Wikipedia that “recent discoveries have revealed they do, in fact, produce a mild neurotoxic venom.” Too mild to kill a human, “and they also lack an effective means of delivering it.”

Would you want a pet snake? My niece had a pet ball python. A few months ago, the snake got its very own credit card out of the blue in the mail. You can read about it here.

Lynn Kelley Author, Curse of the Double Digits, BBH McChiller, Monster Moon Mysteries

Do you have a funny or yucky bug story? If you missed the story about the shiny black beetle, you can read about it here.

Are you pro or con as far as slithering creatures and creepy crawlies? Please share in the comments.

Do you have a parenting or grandparenting memory or another story you’d like to share?

If you’re not a parent, memories from your own childhood count, too!

 Warning: I might feature your story in a future post.

(Names can be changed to protect the guilty!)

I’d like to thank all those who have shared their stories.

These posts wouldn’t be the same without your input.

If you have a lengthy story that you don’t want to leave in the comment section, feel free to email me at: contact@lynnkelleyauthor.com

 

Posted in Creepy, family, Funny, Humor, Kids, Parenting Plights and Delights | Tagged , , , , , , , | 35 Comments

Snoring – Parenting Plights & Delights

Posted on July 12, 2013 by lynnkelleyauthor

Lynn Kelley, Lynn Kelley Author, Parenting Plights and Delights, Curse of the Double Digits, BBH McChiller, Monster Moon mysteries

Kids think snoring is funny. So do I, which is why I taught Grasshopper, my toddler grandson, to pretend snore. The other day he was lying on the floor looking at his shadow on the wall and he did his pretend snore. What a crack up, but, darn, I didn’t catch it on video.

Just after my daughter bought a baby monitor that has a camera, I got a great clip of him snoring in his crib. I had fun making this video and found the perfect quote to add at the end. This video is a good one for your kids to watch, too.

Baby’s Funny Snoring

He was 21 months here.

As it turns out, I wasn’t the only one teaching Grasshopper to pretend snore. His daddy and some of his other grandparents were teaching him, too, unknown to me, so he caught on quickly.

How about you? Is this something you taught your child or grandchild, nieces, or nephews?

Dads usually bear the brunt of snoring jokes, but some moms, toddlers, babies, and even cats and dogs snore.

I found this unusual video on YouTube in my search for baby’s funny snoring. It’s “different,” and since the title is “Snoring Baby Ghost,” don’t share this with little kids because of the “ghost” part. It’s only 21 seconds long.

Snoring Ghost Baby

Okay, three’s a charm. This is a hilarious 28 second video of a dog’s funny snoring and perfect to share with your kids:

Beck Snores Like Daffy Duck

Which video is your favorite? For those of you who think snoring is funny, you’re in good company. There are lots of funny videos on YouTube about snoring, so I’ll share more with you in a future post.

Heads up:  Sleep apnea is a serious condition, and heavy snoring is one of the symptoms. If you think you or someone you know might have it, you can read about it here. If you don’t already know about sleep apnea, you’ll learn that there’s nothing funny about it.

I hope you got a few giggles from the videos. Do you snore? Just kidding. You don’t have to answer that. Surely, you know someone who does snore?

I have to admit that my allergies cause me to snore, and sometimes I’ve snored so loud that I woke myself up! How’s that for a random act of weirdness?

Posted in family, Funny, Humor, Kids, Parenting Plights and Delights | Tagged , , , , , | 26 Comments

Prizes! Celebrate Launch of Emblazon Website

Posted on July 9, 2013 by lynnkelleyauthor

Come celebrate the birth of a new website called Emblazon! Together, our sparks will light up the lives of young readers. Help us blaze new trails and make a difference.

Emblazon icon/bloghead

A wise person once said, “Write your name on the heart of a child.” We hope to emblazon our stories there.

Lynn Kelley Author, Curse of the Double Digits, BBH McChiller, Monster Moon mysteries

My great-niece, Holly, a lovely tween.

Emblazon is a collection of authors–some indie, some traditionally
published–who have each produced at least one children’s novel. Our audiences
range from fifth grade to young adult, but we have a particular focus on ages
11 to 14. Some call them upper middle grade; others call them low young adult.
They’re somewhere in the middle and can lean either way. We call them Tweens.

Lynn Kelley Author, Curse of the Double Digits, BBH McChiller, Monster Moon mysteries

Holly is an avid tween reader.

To celebrate our launch, we are giving away lots of amazing books!

You can win signed paperback copies AND ebooks of stories written by our
authors. Enter to win here: http://emblazoners.wordpress.com/rafflecopter-giveaway/

Lynn Kelley Author, Curse of the Double Digits, BBH McChiller, Monster Moon mysteries

Enter the giveaway!

Please share our giveaway with anyone who enjoys a great tween read. Thank you!

Do you have a favorite tween book (ages 11 to 14)? If so, what is it?

tweentheweekends

Stay tuned every fourth Wednesday of the month for our Tween the Weekends posts, which focus on various aspects of tween books. The more people who participate in the discussions and info sharing, the better!

 

 

Posted in Books, Kids | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 23 Comments

Star Wars – Get the Skinny From a Three-Year-Old

Posted on June 29, 2013 by lynnkelleyauthor

This is one of the cutest YouTube videos I’ve seen. Wish I could claim this adorable three-year-old as my own. She sums up the storyline of Star Wars perfectly in a minute and 30 seconds.

If you’ve got time for more Star Wars amusement, check out my Star Wars mashup post here , featuring Darth Vader vs. Barbie, Storm Troopers Wonder Girls Dance, and Lego Star Wars, Luke Skywalker vs. Darth Vader.

A quick heads up – Goodreads Giveaway of two paperback copies of Curse of the Double Digits ends July 7, so if you haven’t entered yet, you can go here to enter. Good luck!

Lynn Kelley Author, Curse of the Double Digits

Also, the eBook is only 99 cents on Amazon until July 7th.

Are you a Star Wars fan? If so, which Star Wars movie is your favorite? If you’re not a fan, what type of movies do you like? Have you had time to see any this summer?

Posted in Funny, Humor, Kids | Tagged , , , , , , | 23 Comments

Summer Book Crush – 99 Cents Each

Posted on June 25, 2013 by lynnkelleyauthor

Hot sun, hot sand, cool drinks, dark tans. Ahhhh. But your summer won’t be complete until you land a new BOOK BOYFRIEND, right? Lucky for you, we’ve got you covered!

color banner

SUMMER BOOK CRUSH offers 50+ titles in many genres. This means 50+ chances to (fictitiously) fall in love. And the best part? Each of these gems is only 99¢, but for a limited time only. The SUMMER BOOK CRUSH event starts on June 26th and ends (yes, even the best things in life end at some point) on June 28th. So don’t wait up! Mingle with our BOOK BOYFRIENDS and invite all your friends to participate too. There are plenty of BOOK BOYS to share!

Button_who is your book crush

Find your summer’s fling between the pages of a book. And don’t stop on one – after all we have many BOOK BOYFRIENDS for you to mingle with.

I’m pretty jazzed that my children’s eBook, Curse of the Double Digits, is included in this group of books. What a great price, 99 cents!

It’s listed under “Juvenile” and “FIRST CRUSH: Could Chad Be Your Daughter/Granddaughter/Niece’s Next Book Boyfriend?”

Curse of the Double Digits, Lynn Kelley, Lynn Kelley Author, children's book, humorous book

Also, enter the Goodreads Giveaway for a paperback copy of
Curse of the Double Digits
Link to enter is in the sidebar.

* HAPPY READING * HAPPY SUMMER *

 

Posted in Uncategorized | 6 Comments

My Dad in Plaid

Posted on June 16, 2013 by lynnkelleyauthor

My dad is a thin man, not very tall, with bony white bow legs which are offset by his clean-shaven face, sharp, handsome features, and hair dark as charcoal. What stands out from the many childhood memories I have of Dad are the brown-and-orange plaid swim trunks he wore for nearly fifteen years until they became tattered and thread bare. Friends and family teased him about how ugly they were, which always amused him.

Lynn Kelley, Lynn Kelley Author, Curse of the Double Digits, BBH McChiller, Monster Moon mysteries

Pam, Me, Cindy, Aunt Clare, Dad
1969 – Crestline, CA

His comical disposition, silly ad-libs, and impersonations triggered countless giggle fits as I was growing up. Tick him off, though, and the quake of his roar turned my insides to Jell-O. My four siblings and I didn’t want to give Mom the slightest reason to threaten us with, “Wait till your father gets home.” Just the thought of his booming rebukes send shudders through my veins to this day.

Dad’s always been agile and seemed to master any sport with ease. This stems from his adolescence when his stepfather barred him from participating in sports because of Dad’s small frame and a fear he’d get injured. He weighed a whopping 117 pounds at age 19 when he married my mother.

Lynn Kelley, Lynn Kelley Author, Curse of the Double Digits, BBH McChiller, Monster Moon mysteries

Dad’s 80th Birthday – February 2013

In February, he turned eighty. An official octogenarian! The swim trunks, symbolic of Dad’s glory days, faded long ago, yet bits of his youth remain, for his hair is still shiny black with a tad of gray. Boyish expressions light up his face when he entertains us with wisecracks and quips, and he plays tennis twice a week with the gumption of a young jock.

Lynn Kelley, Lynn Kelley Author, Curse of the Double Digits, BBH McChiller, Monster Moon mysteries

Cover of an altered art book I made for my parents. These are childhood photos of Mom and Dad.

(View the entire altered art book here.)

Dad married my beautiful mother 61 years ago next month. They raised five children who have blessed them with sixteen grandchildren, ten great-grandchildren, and more to come. I’d say we have many reasons to celebrate today.

Happy Father’s Day, Dad!

Not many 80-year-olds can dance like my father.
This video is from July 2012 when we celebrated my parents’ 60th wedding anniversary.

Do you have any special memories of your father or a loved one you’d like to share with us? What are you doing to celebrate Father’s Day?

Posted in family, Holidays, Kids, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 18 Comments

Grammy Heaven – Parenting Plights & Delights

Posted on June 7, 2013 by lynnkelleyauthor

Lynn Kelley, Lynn Kelley Author, Parenting Plights and Delights, Curse of the Double Digits, BBH McChiller, Monster Moon mysteries

I’m in Grammy heaven again. Our oldest daughter gave birth to a healthy girl on June 3rd. She weighs 7 pounds even and is 20 inches long.

If this post has a deja vu feel to it, that’s because our daughter-in-law had a baby girl on May 21st, and I shared pics, a video, and details here.

George (aka Gramps) and I now have four grandchildren!

Of course I have to share more pics. First, here’s a picture taken the night before the birth.

Lynn Kelley, Lynn Kelley Author, Curse of the Double Digits, BBH McChiller, Monster Moon mysteries

The night before baby girl was born.

And now for pics of our newest granddaughter, her older brother Grasshopper (aka Punkin, but that nickname doesn’t really fit him anymore), baby’s proud parents, grandparents, and one of many aunties.

Lynn Kelley, Lynn Kelley author, Curse of the Double Digits, BBH McChiller, Monster Moon mysteries

Here’s a 30 second video, proof I’m a goofball grammy, and the baby is sweet as can be.

Do you think the new baby cousins look related? They could pass for twins at this point, but that will soon change. Each grandchild is unique and special. I wonder what the odds are that all four of them inherited my quirky genes? What do you think?

Four cousins - Our grandchildren

Four cousins – Our grandchildren

The past two months have been ultra exciting for the extended family. Niece Tahnee had a baby boy in April, and Niece Carissa had a baby boy in May.

So, George and I now have eight great-nephews and four great-nieces. How cool is that?

I love what my sister said about her newest grandson:

“When I smell him, I say, ‘This is what heaven must smell like.’ You know, the baby smell that we wish would never go away.”

~Pam Elliott

Isn’t that the neatest quote? I think I’ll hang out in Grammy Heaven forever!

I used to be amazed at how fast the years would fly by, but these days I find myself reflecting on how a decade seems to pass in a flash.

“It kills you to see them grow up. But I guess it would kill you quicker if they didn’t.”

~Barbara Kingsolver, Animal Dreams

How about your life? Is time whizzing by, or is it going at a nice, easy pace?

Do you have a parenting or grandparenting memory or another story you’d like to share?

If you’re not a parent, memories from your own childhood count, too!

 Warning: I might feature your story in a future post.

(Names can be changed to protect the guilty!)

I’d like to thank all those who have shared their stories.

These posts wouldn’t be the same without your input.

 

Posted in family, Kids, Parenting Plights and Delights, Photo Essay | Tagged , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

Susie Strong!

Posted on May 31, 2013 by lynnkelleyauthor

To Susie, awesome blogger at Susie Lindau’s Wild Ride,

As you recover from surgery, please know we are thinking of you, praying for you, and cheering you on to a full recovery, sweet friend.

SusieStrong, Lynn Kelley Author

Susie with a few of her many friends who are inspired by her strength as she blazes through this unexpected detour before beginning another gutsy Wild Ride!
Lynn Kelley, SUSIE LINDAU, Debra Eve, August McLaughlin, Debra Kristi

Friends all over the blogosphere have united to support you.

We love you, Susie!

“The world breaks everyone,

and afterward,

some are strong at the broken places.”

~Ernest Hemingway

For those who don’t know Susie, she was just diagnosed with a rare form of breast cancer. They caught it in stage one. She’s undergoing a double mastectomy today. Read her latest post, The Boob Report – Laughter is the Best Medicine. Her humor, strength, and wit are uplifting and bring a sense of joy and hope, especially to those facing their own difficult trials.

I promise you, your day will be enriched by reading her words.

Posted in Friends | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments