Wednesday, September 28, 2011

LOW ENTRY Giveaways~!!

I'm looking for YOU~!!


I have some low entry giveaways and would LOVE for you to stop on by and share some love with my sponsors~!!

I use RAFFLECOPTER on all of my giveaways...so enter today and enter often~!!

The Secret of the Sacred Scarab eBook

2 DAYS LEFT~!!
Ends 9/29
Open WorldWide

Only 37 entries~!!

Enter HERE

Dr. Zone's 1-2-3 Foods
2 week supply of food ARV $179.00

3 DAYS LEFT~!!
Ends 9/30
Canada/Usa

Only 98 Entries~!!
Enter HERE

The Hunters eBook

2 WINNERS!
Ends 10/2
Open WorldWide

Only 27 Entries!!!

Enter HERE


Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace Jr. 
6 Kids Book Set
6 CD Audio Set
Financial Peace Jr. Activity Set
ARV $75

Ends 10/5
Open to Canada/Usa

Only 84 Entries~!!

Enter HERE

Autographed Copy of The StinkyKids and the Runaway Scissors

Ends 10/10
Open to Canda/Usa

NO ENTRIES~!!!
Be the FIRST??

Enter HERE

Itty Bitty Heart Beats
2 Plush Dolls
DVD
Sticker Sheets

Ends 10/10 
Open to Canda/Usa

NO ENTRIES~!!
Be the first??

Enter HERE

FREE Zombie eBooks and stuff~!!

I LOVE zombies~!!

While I don't like eReaders, I do enjoy sharing FREE books in case there are some of you who don't mind the silly li'l gadgets~!!  Here are a few of the zombie eBooks I could find around the net that are yours for the taking...

 Enjoy and keep your brains well fed~!!

 This book is a pod cast....
Fried Green Zombies by John A. Allen

This particular book or set of books can be read right on the web site~!!
Zombies Don't Read by Rusty Fischer

Again, this one can be read online!
Encyclopedia of the Undead by Dr. Bob Curran

This is an ePub version...
Oh No!  Zombies!  by a.m. Harding

 This is an ePub edition...

 ePub version...
Isle of the Undead by Lloyd Arthur Eshbach

An ePub version...
Undead Dining by Tara Loughead

Glitter Photos


Disney: iPad compatible toys~!!

Disney has went and done the impossible again and has brought you a new lines of Appmates mobile app toys that will allow your kids to turn an iPad into a virtual play mat~!!

Next month, Appmates toy line will feature miniature Disney Pixar Cars2 vehicles with sensors on the base of each toy that will be recognized as a footprint allowing children to engage in a new, free-to-play application.

Game play will be either directed or free range, as children explore and perform missions UNIQUE to their vehicle and, as an added bonus, the children will be able to collect hubcaps that will allow them to PERSONALIZE their cars with special features.

The new Appmates toys will hit Apple and Disney stores on October 1st.  For $20 USD, consumers will be able to purchase a 2-pack with 4 characters, including, Lightning Speed McQueen, Mater, Finn McMissile and Holly Shiftwell.  There are plans for more characters in the future, with two new ones being debuted in November.

And just in time for Christmas...



FREE eReader Books

While I am NOT a fan of eReaders, I do realize that some of you may enjoy them so I'm letting you know of some groovy FREE Kindle books being offered by around the net~!!






You Never Know by Lilian Duval

You Never Know:  Tales of Tobias, an Accidental Lottery Winner is a dramatic fiction novel.

Tobias Hillyer is about to set on a journey that will change his life forever.  After being accepted to an intern program at college, Tobias is preparing to travel to South America to live amongst the tribes and document his findings.  However, before that occurs, he and his family are in a car accident and both Tobias' parents are killed and his younger brother is left severely brain-damaged.  Giving up his career and his future, Tobias sets himself to look after his brother and help him to regain the use of his former self.

Simeon or Simmy as he is called by his friends and relatives had a very promising career as a cartoon artist, by the time he is fifteen, he had already won many awards.  Simmy has been reduced to having to learn everything all over again and for many years, it doesn't look like he will ever regain his talent or his independence.

Carmela Liston is a nurse who befriends Tobias and helps Simmy to regain his full capabilities.  She ingrains herself into the two lives and ensures that they become dependent upon her.  She manipulates her way into their lives and their hearts.

Throughout the pages we learn of the growth of Simmy, and watch as the relationship between Tobias and Carmela grows.  We hear of their worries, their strengths, their lies and their triumphs.

One day, Tobias is late for an engagement with his family, after he helps a blind man get onto the subway.  While waiting for the next train to arrive, he purchases a lottery ticket.  When he realizes he has won, at a time when his finances are stretched to their limits, he believes that all will be well.

However, with the winnings, we also learn the real basis of each of the characters involved.  Such as Marcus, Tobias' best friend, who requires money to keep his business afloat, or Elespeth, who took a chance on Tobias and Simeon when no one else would, or his Aunt Joyce who also needs a loan to keep her music studio open.  Everyone has a story and they all want a piece of the winnings that Tobias has won.

After a very serious incident concerning his daughter, Tobias comes to realize that money doesn't buy everything.  Family, love and trust are all that matters in life and no amount of money can buy the things that are most important to a human being.  Will Tobias be able to remain true to himself and his family, or will the unexpected win fall destroy them all??

I thought the book was a presentable debut novel by author, Lilian Duval.  I liked the idea of sharing a story about a family that had won the lottery and seeing the outcome of that situation.  I thought the premise to losing his parents was an emotionally charged chapter that would leave anyone feeling for Tobias and his mature decisions concerning his brother's fate.

I loved Simeon and Tobias equally, they were well written and believable in their character traits, they did not deter from who they were originally depicted as, even after the lottery win.  I liked the friendship between Marcus and Tobias and how it grew over the years as the two men grew older.  Many in life drift away and even though Marcus continued with his college and made a career out of his business degree, working at Lehmans, he never left Tobias behind.

I truly did not enjoy Carmela, I found her to be a lying, conniving, poor excuse for a partner.  If it hadn't been for an overhead conversation, she would have cheated on Tobias.  My only thought while reading was mayhaps Tobias would realize what kind of women she was and divorce her.  From the moment she met Tobias, she manipulated herself into his life and made him rely on her.  I believe relationships built on this kind of foundation are doomed to fail.

I liked how the winnings brought the true nature of out the characters.  Carmela and her free spending on whatever she wishes and wants, personal shoppers which creeped her daughter out, personal trainers and every brand label clothing she could get her greedy hands upon.The few times that Tobias spent more than he wanted, breaking his own rule, she was always quick to point out his shortcomings, whenever she was questioned.  As far as I could tell, other than a couple of paintings, Tobias was looking to make wise business investments to ensure his family's new fortune wouldn't just eat itself.

I would give this book three and a half stars out of five, I felt the pace of the story dragged in places and a few of the time lines were confusing.  Time passed too quickly in some instances and you were left with a feeling of bewilderment and in other places, time took forever to pass, giving the reader too much detail and not enough plot.  I truly did not enjoy Carmela, reading about her was horrid, but not that she was written in a bad way, quite the opposite, just her character didn't sit right with me and I kept rolling my eyes whenever I was reading her actions.  All in all, the writing is excellent and the plot is fair and in the end, dreams really do come true if you have the money to afford them!!

** Disclosure: I did not accept any compensation from the sponsors other than review copies, my views are my own, reviewed by me..as I see it~!! **

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Spotlight - Lillian Duval author of You Never Know

Join Lilian Duval, author of the literary fiction, You Never Know: Tales of Tobias, an Accidental Lottery Winner (Wheatmark, Inc.), as she virtually tours the blogosphere September 5  – 30 2011 on her second virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book!

 About the book...

What happens when an ordinary person becomes extraordinary?

Tobias starts out in life much the same as any of us—not rich, not poor, with imperfect parents and unlimited ambition. When he’s twenty years old, his future is altered in irreparable ways after a tragic car accident pushes him down a new path. The once-promising anthropology major is forced to abandon his dreams in order to care for his orphaned, brain-damaged younger brother.

In his late thirties, Tobias works in a bookstore, trying desperately to make ends meet to support his family. His daily grind only reinforces the sadness that broken dreams and bad luck bring in their wake.

How many times have you heard someone say, “If only I won the lottery?”

When Tobias finds he has won the Mega Millions lottery, his unimaginable bad luck seems to have changed into unimaginable good luck … or has it?

Over peaks and valleys, this uplifting journey will challenge the limits of luck, life, and what we value most.Find out more about the complications of Tobias’s friendship and rivalry with his best friend, Martin; the effects of all this bad luck and good luck on his marriage; and the struggles of his brother, Simeon, once a talented cartoonist, in … You Never Know.
 
 In Lillian's words...


My husband and I are both survivors of the 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York. As an author, an experience like that makes me want to write books with a positive message, and that’s what I aimed for in my novel You Never Know.

On September 11, 2001, I was heading to New York City to my job as a computer consultant for Lehman Brothers in One World Trade Center. My commuter train was in the middle of the New Jersey Meadowlands when the first plane hit, and a conductor came walking through the cars telling everybody.

I got out my Walkman radio and put on headphones to listen, and soon a crowd gathered around me. “A jet plane hit World Trade Center No. 1,” I told them. The radio announcer said it was a 747, and I told them that, too. “And the Kennedy Center,” the radio man said nervously. I repeated it. “No, it was the Pentagon!” the radio man said.

I repeated that to the people huddled around me, and one man said, “We’re at war.” Two of the commuters started crying. Through the windows, we could see smoke coming from downtown Manhattan.

When we arrived at Hoboken Terminal, just across the Hudson River from the attack, the police and FBI were all over the terminal, sending everybody home—no PATH trains, no ferry, no crossing over to New York City.

I got onto a very crowded train heading back to my home town in New Jersey, and one of my colleagues ended up standing next to me in the vestibule. All the way home, I was frantically trying to call my husband in his office at a brokerage firm in the first tower. No answer.

Two weeks later, my colleague reminded me that we had seen the towers crumble from the vestibule of our very slow train. I simply had no memory of that. “No,” I told him, “We didn’t see that. You’re joking.”

“No, I wouldn’t joke about that,” he told me. “Your memory was lost because it was too traumatic.”

I rode my bike home from the train station and sat in front of the TV alone, crying, worrying about my husband, George. At 2:00 in the afternoon, after dozens of phone calls from family and friends, George’s friend called to say that he was safe and he had escaped, but couldn’t call home because of all the cellphone difficulties. Only an hour later did I hear from a relative whom George had been able to reach.

It was 8:00 p.m. before George came home, traumatized and pale, but safe. Two days later, during one of many phone calls to family members, I learned how close he’d come: George had been invited to a presentation in Windows on the World that day, a breakfast meeting, on the 107th floor. His schedule had been so overloaded that he’d forgotten to attend. He didn’t want to tell me that at first, because the catastrophe was so overwhelming.

We didn’t sleep that night, but held hands the whole night. We hardly slept for several nights afterward. Our grown son, who lived in NY City at the time, came home to NJ as soon as traffic was permitted. He and his wife stayed with us for a week or so because they didn’t want us to be alone.

We both returned to work soon after the attack—my husband George as an officer in a brokerage firm, and me as a computer programmer for Lehman Brothers (R.I.P.) But it was never the same. George eventually retired early because of post-traumatic stress disorder. He had watched, shocked, as all the firemen trudged up the stairs to their deaths, while he and his colleagues climbed down the stairs to safety. As for me, a few months afterward, I switched careers, from high-pressured programming to technical writing.

We’re both all right now, thankful that our lives were spared, and deeply mournful for those who lost theirs, and for their loved ones who remain.

Many thanks for your invitation to post this entry on Mad Moose Mama.

Sincerely,
Lilian Duval

Lilian Duval lives with her husband George, a native of Singapore, in a small house in New Jersey overlooking a large county park. They have two sons and a daughter, all independent and ambitious, and several cats. She’s an amateur classical guitarist and enjoys attending concerts and plays in New York City.

But writing has always been her calling. In her own words, “The most enjoyable activity I can imagine is to invent some characters, make them a little larger than life, set them bickering and thrashing against each other and their fates, and enact a fictional resolution that makes more sense than the chaos and unpredictability of our complicated lives.”


You can visit Lilian’s website at www.lilianduval.com.  
Connect with her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/lilianduval

Monday, September 26, 2011

Judy Moody and the Not So Bummer Summer Slumber Party ~ PART 1


TODAY, September 26th, is my youngest daughter's 8th BIRTHDAY~!!

Happy 8th Birthday Not-Quite-Right...and many more~!!
 Ms. Not-Quite-Right is MOST excited to be hosting a 
Judy Moody and the Not So Bummer Summer Slumber Party~!!

She has invited her friends, her cousins AND her neighbours to spend the night and share it with Judy Moody and her CRAZY antics~!!

We have some wonderful cupcakes planned with her "specially" created CupCake toppers being provided by Sweet'n'Tots...the cupcake toppers kind of look like her...and she was MOST impressed that she got to create them herself!!

DVD release October 18th!!
We have a talent show planned in which the children can sing, dance and/or act their way to our Goofy Groovy Award for being AWESOME~!!  

Arts & Crafts are also being planned, my daughter is able to choose two and she's having  a tough time deciding...LOL...I'm thinking she's DEFINITELY going to opt for everyone making the muffins...it's the other choice she's having difficulties with!!

PLUS...we plan to make some popcorn and watch the movie, Judy Moody and the Not So Bummer Summer, and let our viewers know what a dozen children thought about it~!!

We think it's also a great idea to keep some colouring books and crayons nearby just in case there are a few children who aren't able to fall asleep right away and they can keep themselves amused quietly until they are able~!!
The party goodies are going to consist of popcorn, chips, pizza, our own grown watermelon, pop and juice...and for breakfast, after a night of junk food, we're going for eggs in a basket, bacon or cereal for those who wish and juice!! 

EVERYONE involved is VERY excited for this event to happen and as SOON as the DVD arrives...we'll be celebrating in Judy Moody style~!!  *GULP~!!*


HAPPY BIRTHDAY NOT-QUITE-RIGHT~!!

We LOVE and ADORE you and we wish for ALL of your Birthday wishes to be true for you~!!

Stay tuned for PART 2 of the Judy Moody Not So Bummer Summer Slumber Party~!!










Spotlight - Bri Clark author of Glazier

Join Bri Clark, author of the romantic fantasy novel, Glazier (Astraea Press), as she virtually tours the blogosphere September 5 – 30 2011 on her first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book!

GMC…and we ain’t discussing trucks. Goal, Motivation and Conflict

By Bri Clark

My editor at Astraea Press (Stephanie Taylor) and I were discussing submissions one day. She was expressing her dismay at having to reject so many. She’s wore the author cap too. She knows the sting.  Nevertheless, she said she couldn’t accept a novel of any kind lacking GMC. GMC…I repeated. What’s that? Goals, Motivation, Conflict she explained…, which is what, spurred this post.

Goals:  A story needs to have goals for the overall book as well as for the characters to keep the reader moving. Especially the main characters…however even the supporting characters need something to reach for. Take Shae Stryker in Glazier. She is a strong, sassy southern woman married to Collin Stryker a weapons analyst. Each one has goals… however, sometimes when there are strong secondary’s their goals may cross over with the protagonists thus creating drama and conflict. However, that’s for another post.  If there are no goals, the story isn’t going anywhere. Really, a novel without purpose is like watching a cat chase a mouse in a circle. Its fun the first two times after that then the yawns begin—or worse they put the book down with an eye roll.

Motivation: This area in my opinion is really about your characters, the good the bad and the boring. Yes, I need to know why the boring characters are so boring! Readers need to know why the villain is so disturbed and why the hero fights so hard to do what is right. I’ll use Henry Tenison in Glazier. Decorated soldier, elite spy, lifetime scoundrel and the only other known Glazier in the world—he has never felt emotions for someone like he does Marie. Is it a bond forged through Glazier? Is it genuine affection? And the passion is nothing he could even dream of…but yet he doesn’t act upon it…why?   In order for us as readers to connect with the characters we have to know their motivation, what drives them; better yet, we have to be shown.

Conflict: What is a happy conclusion without the journey? Really, it’s not even an ending it’s just knowledge.  While happy is great, we don’t really get it without sad to be its counter balance. Thus conflict is born.  Along with conflict there need to be all kinds of elements and layering into the story. For example in Glazier, the ultimate conflict is what the heck is Glazier anyway? Is it a genetic superpower or is it something supernatural? Then there is the conflict of the protagonists Henry and Marie. They each share Glazier so they share the plot conflict but then they each have their own personal trials along the way. Oh, how I love it when the personal
conflicts of each person weave together then when overcome more conflict is found and a series erupts. Ok in case you were wondering Glazier is the first of a series. 

Bri Clark is a real example of redemption and renewal.  Growing penniless in the South, Bri learned street smarts while caring for her brother in a broken home.  She watched her mother work several jobs to care for their small family.  Once her brother could fend for himself, Bri moved on to a series of bad choices including leaving school and living on her own.   Rebelliousness was a strong understatement to describe those formative years.  As a teenager, her wakeup call came from a fight with brass knuckles and a judge that gave her a choice of shaping up or spending time in jail.  She took that opportunity and found a way to moved up from the streets.  She ended up co-owning an extremely successful construction business.  She lived the high life until the real estate crash when she lost everything.  She moved west and found herself living with her husband and 4 kids in a 900 square foot apartment.  She now fills her time, writing, blogging, leading a group of frugal shoppers and sharing her southern culture.  Her unique background gives her writing a raw sensibility.  She understands what it takes to overcome life’s obstacles.   She often tells friends, “I can do poor.  I’m good at poor. It’s prosperity that I’m not used to.”  Bri and her husband Chris live in Boise.  Bri is known as the Belle of Boise for her true southern accent, bold demeanor and hospitable nature.

Bri boasts several positions in the publishing industry. An author, professional reviewer, blogger, and author platform consultant she enjoys all aspects of her career from the creation of story to the branding and marketing needed to make her books successful.
Her latest book is Glazier, a romantic fantasy adventure novel with espionage, genetic powers, underground bases and a ginger beauty with memory issues that take you on a ride that begins in Vermont and comes to a head in Egypt.

You can find out more about Bri at http://briclarkthebelleofboise.blogspot.com/.

Visit her at Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/Bri_Clark or Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/#!/TBriClark.

Itty Bitty Heart Beats...we do things from the Heart~!!

Leonardo Da Vinci believed the best way to learn is by discovering truth from the inside. So he invented the expression "learning by heart." This is the inspiration behind itty bitty HeartBeats, an animated musical television series designed to entertain and educate young children in a magical world called Heartland, where everything is done from the heart. 

Through colorful animation and irresistible music, children will experience the adventures of the itty bitty HeartBeats, featuring CoolHeart, his sister SweetHeart, and their little brother BabyHeart. Every week, these tiny, adorable, multi-hued characters face their problems, learning that love is an action, and that positive thinking will solve any problem. 

To help them on their journey, they can always count on the sage advice of WiseHeart, the encouragement of MamaHeart and PapaHeart, and the antics of their colorful friends, KookyHeart, GiggleHeart, HeartAche and DreamyHeart. 

Recent events have changed our world… and the way our children see it. According to the National Association of School Psycholologists, during "these times of upheaval, uncertainty and stress," we must teach each child "to be peaceful and loving to himself and others…The more loving, peaceful, calming and spiritual you can make your children's environment…the more empowered, joyful, mentally healthy and hopeful your child will become." This may be the most valuable thing we can teach our children: to learn and trust what their hearts have to teach them. The itty bitty HeartBeats do just that, reminding us to always do things from the heart.

So remember, HeartLand is only a dream away…

CoolHeart
About the Creators... 

Shuki Levy:
An award-winning composer, songwriter, recording and performing artist, Shuki Levy has garnered 15 gold and platinum records with sales in excess of 14 million records worldwide. He has scored over a dozen feature and television films; composed the music for over 130 television shows; and produced, written and directed multiple film and television projects. He has also composed over 100 memorable television theme songs, including "Inspector Gadget " (1983), "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe " (1983), "Spider-Man " (1994), and "X-Men " (1992). Well-known for his ability to pinpoint and express the musical soul of a project, Shuki holds the world record for composing the most television theme songs.

Shuki later became the driving creative force behind Saban Entertainment, a children's programming giant that he helped found with his longtime friend and business partner, Haim Saban. Shuki's vision and imagination helped launch such kids' entertainment phenomena as "Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers" (1993). With Shuki at the creative helm, Saban grew into one of the largest independent producers and distributors of children's programming in the world and was eventually sold to Fox Entertainment. In addition, Shuki has written and directed several independent features, including Susie Q (1996) (TV), Round Trip to Heaven (1992), and Rusty: A Dog's Tale (1998) His most recent family film, Aussie and Ted's Great Adventure (2009), stars Dean Cain and Beverly D'Angelo.

SweetHeart
Anita Mann:
Anita Mann has been honored by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences as one of America's top five contemporary choreographers. She is also the recipient of six Emmy nominations, one Emmy Award and accolades from every corner of the industry.

Her choreography credits include 5 seasons on "Solid Gold" (which earned her two Emmy Nominations), "The Muppets Go Hollywood" (her first Emmy Nomination), "The Cher Show", "The Jacksons", "The Academy Awards", "The Golden Globe Awards", "Academy of Country Music Awards", "The Miss America Pageant" (her first Emmy Award), "The People's Choice Awards", "The Grammy Hall of Fame", "The Emmy's", "The Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon (two Emmy nominations), "The Great Muppet Caper", "Dick Clark's American Bandstand Live", "Sesame Street Live", "The Mighty Morphin Power Ranger Tour", "Snoopy's World of Magic", "Arthur" as well as countless other live, film and Television Shows.

Mann was the Coordinating Producer for the TV series, "Dirty Dancing" which Lionsgate produced for the WE Channel. She has worked with Comcast on their "Get Up and Dance" and "Fantasy Dance Camp" series available at Comcast On Demand. She has also danced and choreographed for Elvis Presley, Lucille Ball, Michael Jackson and countless other stars while having a four decade relationship with all the major networks.

 My Thoughts~!!

I couldn't agree with the statement that the Itty Bitty Heart Beat creators imagined when they created this new series.  "We do things from the Heart" is the ONE message that we should ALWAYS be teaching our youngsters!!  

I believe that children SHOULD learn the concepts of helping, caring, sharing and all those groovy morals that children ought to be taught.  As a matter of fact, there are QUITE a few adults who could learn something from the Itty Bitty Heart Beat series...this world of ours is in serious need of love, peace, and caring for our fellow humans!

My kids were enthralled with these characters after watching the DVD, it was the number one requested DVD of the week!  The imagery in the DVD was phenomenal, with loads of colours and interesting antics of the characters!  The Heart Beat kids were very likeable and easy to relate to and their messages are always wholesome and pure.

I would give this series a five out of five stars for being a wonderful concept, with rich, vibrating characters and colours and a meaningful message for all to share!

And I would LOVE to share it with all of YOU, my wonderful Mad Moosers~!!

The folks at Itty Bitty Heart Beats and Mad Moose Mama would love for you to WIN an opportunity to check out The Itty Bitty Heart Beats for your VERY self~!!