First Graphs: Children's book, The Secret of the Bradford House by Albert Bell Jr.

Welcome to Albert A. Bell, Jr., author of THE SECRET OF THE BRADFORD HOUSE (Ingalls Publishing Group, April 2010), the sequel to the award-winning SECRET OF THE LONELY GRAVE.

In The Secret of the Bradford House, friends Steve and Kendra find a new neighbor-and a new mystery.

What is that light in the attic window of the spooky old Bradford House? Could it be a ghost? Hidden stairways and secrets from World War I draw the friends into investigating the mysteries of this small town in Kentucky’s Land Between the Lakes... what they find is beyond any of their imaginings.

The spooky old Bradford House at the top of the hill has loomed over Steve Patterson and Kendra Jordan's neighborhood for years. But not until a new neighbor, 11-year-old Rachel Mendoza, notices an eerie light in an attic window does the question arise: Is there a ghost in the house?

While they try to answer that question, Steve and Kendra have to deal with the tension caused by the presence of a "new kid" in the neighborhood, one who seems to have a more than casual interest in Steve. Steve is also reconnecting with his divorced father and learning how difficult that process can be.

Excerpt from THE SECRET OF THE BRADFORD HOUSE:

“Okay, ten more serves from each side and you’re done.”

When Kendra and I heard the tennis pro at Barkley Lodge say that, we knew the lesson before hers was almost over. That was always the last thing he made his students do. We stopped in the shade of a big maple tree beside the tennis courts, where her mother had dropped us off. Kendra put down the bag with her rackets and other equipment in it. I had brought along a book my dad sent me and a folding chair.

The pro held up one hand and waggled the fingers to us. “Hey, Kendra. Good morning, Steve. Five minutes.”

He spells his name Rolfe and, for the tourists, pronounces it like a dog barking, but everybody around here knows he’s actually just Ralph from over in Paducah. He must be a pretty good tennis instructor, though, considering how good a player Kendra is becoming.

Today Rolfe was working with a dark-haired girl. She was wearing white shorts and a green t-shirt with a school name on it. I guessed she was my age.

“Boy, she’s booming those serves like she’s mad at somebody.” Kendra put her arm up against the tall wire fence surrounding the court and leaned her forehead on it.

** Get information at the author's website. Sample chapter to come!

** A Buy link will be added when the book goes up on Amazon.com

** Review:

Even if I hadn't received an ARC of this book, I'd still have to say I loved it! Kendra and Steve are fun kids to get to know, with a natural curiosity that makes their investigating a perfect extension of their personalities. The book offers an interesting historical tie-in and information that makes the past real and more than just dry facts. I have to admit that I even learned something I didn't know! Boys and girls both will enjoy reading the book.

Welcome to Melissa M. Williams, author of children's book, Iggy the Iguana

Today we welcome Melissa M. Williams, author of IGGY THE IGUANA. Oh, and we welcome Iggy, too, who seems to have a lot to say. (Take that insurance company lizard!)

IGGY THE IGUANA is the first book in the Iggy chapter book series for ages 7 to 11. The story focuses on the major themes of acceptance, friendship, and diversity as Iggy goes from a private "all-lizard" school to a public "all-animal" school.

Iggy soon accepts that just because other animals are different doesn't mean they can't be your friends. By the end of fourth grade, Iggy realizes that changing schools was the best move he ever made.

Who is Iggy? Let Him Tell You…

Well, before I became a cartoon character in the Iggy the Iguana series, I was a real, live three-foot green Iguana living in Houston, TX back in the 1990's.

I think the author liked to pretend I was human, because she used to dress me up in clothes, send me to school, and I even slept in her bed. Yes, I was basically human in her eyes, so eventually she turned me and my friends into cartoon characters.

In Iggy the Iguana, I get to experience most everything real kids my age do in elementary school. As I change to a new school, I show the kids that it's okay when life changes and you move to a new environment. I made all kinds of new animal friends—one of them, Liz the Lizard, even became my secret crush! Kids love when they can relate to the life of a lizard!

So, Iggy, what else do you like to do?

Definitely baseball! Ever since I was a little lizard my dad would play catch with me in the back yard after dinner. He is a professional marathon runner, so being healthy and active is a big deal in my family. I've been in Little League ever since I was five. My favorite pastime would definitely be the time my dad took me to Chicago to see the Cubs play at Wrigley Field.

What do you want readers to learn?

Acceptance. I learned that just because I'm a reptile—or green—or not like the other animals at my new school doesn't mean there's anything wrong with me. We are all different, and our differences make us cool! I learned so much about other animals when I became friends with a box shell turtle (Surfer Dude), a silly cat, a bullfrog from the Bronx, and a mouse from Spain. Since I accept others who are not like me, I actually accept myself more, too!

What else do you want readers to know?

I'll let Snap Shell, my best turtle friend, take this one…

Well, dude, I want readers to understand that even if we go through difficult situations in our lives, it doesn't mean we can't learn from those experiences and become better animals. We all have a purpose in life, and later we can help others who may go through something difficult.

Iggy, share a favorite phrase in the book.

I like Snap Shell's comment, "I'm Land Only, Dude!"

When I asked Snap Shell, why he couldn't swim, Snap had to explain to me that not all turtles are swimmers. Snap's not a sea turtle and doesn't have webbed feet, I learned much to my surprise.

What is the lesson of the story?

First impressions are not always correct. Don't be too quick to judge others on the outside. We all have a story.


About the author:

Melissa M. Williams is an advocate for literacy and creativity in children. Her children’s chapter books were inspired by real life experiences with childhood pets she owned while growing up in Houston, Texas.

While finishing her Master’s degree in Professional Counseling, Melissa started substitute teaching in elementary schools to understand the daily life of her young audience.

She now enjoys speaking to students about her own journey as an author and the process of creative writing, while encouraging them to be creative thinkers and write their own stories.


Win Cool Iggy Stuff!

Win the newly released items in the Iggy Collection: Snap Shell the Turtle plush doll, Iggy collector's baseball cards, and the Read3Zero T-Shirt supporting the fight against illiteracy 30 minutes at a time.

** To win the Iggy collection, be the most active visitor during the tour. See tour schedule.

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Miniatures Monday: Kitty's New Ladies' Shop

I had to share a couple photos of my friend Kitty's latest project, a Ladies' Shop. The project is in an Ikea miniature greenhouse. (I used the greenhouse for my tropical room, which I'll have to share here yet. They do have a lot of room inside.)



* See more of Kitty's minis at Minis by Kitty blog.

First Graphs: Stirring Up Strife, A Hope Street Church Mystery by Jennifer Stanley

Today, we welcome Jennifer Stanley, author of STIRRING UP STRIFE, A Hope Street Church Mystery. (St. Martin's Minotaur, Dec. 2009).

WELCOME TO THE HOPE STREET CHURCH…where good folks study The Good Book, but everyone loves a good mystery!

Cooper Lee can repair a copy machine—but can she repair her life? After being dumped by her boyfriend, she moves back home and goes back to church.

The members of the Sunrise Bible Study Group offer the friendships she needs. Then her new friend- the woman who invited her to church-gets her wedding ring stuck in a copier and is found dead. The suspect? Her husband. Now Cooper and the the Bible Study group members hope to snoop out a murderer...

Excerpt from STIRRING UP STRIFE:


Chapter One

Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.
Psalm 25:16 (NIV)

Cooper Lee was more comfortable with machines than with people. She drove all over the city of Richmond to fix them. By the time she got to these copiers, laminators, or fax machines as they waited in their offices, hospitals, or schools, they were broken. Broken and quiet.

Cooper would arrive and meticulously lay out her tools, and as she did so, the machines didn’t raise their brows in surprise or barely concealed amusement that a woman worked as an office-machine repairman. A thirty-two-year-old woman dressed in a man’s uniform shirt didn’t seem odd or funny to them at all.

Most importantly, they never stared at her eyes.

Her left eye wasn’t worth a second look. It was a flat, almost colorless blue. No one would have dreamed of comparing it to sapphires or deep seas or cloudless summer skies. But the other eye, the eye Cooper had received through ocular transplant surgery after being smashed in the face with a field hockey stick in junior high, was a shimmering green. It was exotic—invoking images of lush jungles flecked with firefly light or the green shallows of tropical waters, in which sunshine was trapped just below the surface.

That single moment at field hockey practice, when a girl on Cooper’s own team had accidentally swung her stick too high as she prepared to hit the ball with incredible force, made Cooper more self-conscious than other teenagers. Still, she wanted what most people want. She longed to have one close friend, to be loved by someone she could grow old with, and for her life to have purpose. Cooper thought she had found all of those in her boyfriend, Drew. Until he dumped her.

Shaking off her gloomy thoughts, Cooper cut a piece of crumb cake for breakfast, wrapped it in a paper towel, filled her twenty-eight-ounce travel cup to the brim with milky, unsweetened coffee, and tossed a banana onto the passenger seat of her truck.

She drove east on I-64, the sun blinding her most of the way. According to Bryant Shelton’s weather report, there wasn’t going to be a cloud in the sky this April Friday. For once, it appeared as though Bryant might be right, though it didn’t matter much to Cooper. She’d be inside offices most of the day, but could enjoy brief moments of sunshine while driving the work van from one destination to another.

At ten minutes to nine, Cooper pulled into the parking lot belonging to one of a dozen corporate buildings re­sembling silvery LEGO blocks. The Make It Work! head quarters was on the fringe of an area called Innsbrook in which hundreds of different companies, replete with an abundance of office equipment, depended upon Cooper and her coworkers in order to operate smoothly.

“Mornin’, Coop!” Angela called out a chipper greeting as Cooper approached the reception desk. Angela’s smile, combined with a vase filled with plump, yellow roses, created a warm welcome. Few people visited the office as most of Make It Work!’s transactions were conducted via telephone, but Angela bought a dozen roses every Monday, claiming that a good workweek always began with fresh flowers.

Angela was in charge of setting up appointments and billing. She was at her desk every morning before anyone else, wearing one of her vintage sweaters, a pencil skirt (both of which were always too tight), and a pair of sexy heels. Angela’s platinum hair, powdered face, and fire-engine-red nails and lipstick were supposed to call to mind an image of Marilyn Monroe, but Angela was older and plumper than the late actress had ever been. Still, Angela was the heart and soul of their small operation. Filled with pluck and boundless optimism, even the frostiest customers thawed once Angela worked her magic on them.

“You’ve got an emergency waitin’ for you, sug.” Angela examined her reflection in a small compact that was never out of reach. “Some poor lady has gotten her weddin’ ring jammed in the insides of a copier.” She held out a pink memo pad and ripped off the top sheet with a flourish.

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The Miniature White House

I finally had the chance to do something I've always wanted - tour the Miniature White House, now on display at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry until Feb. 15.

I discuss the house and some of the rooms today at Fatal Foodies.

** Check out the Chicago Tribune's 36 photos of the miniature White House in this photo gallery.

Doll Collecting Inspires Historical Fiction Novel

I first spotted the book, THE QUEEN'S DOLLMAKER, when The Historically Obsessed blog mentioned it and being a doll collector, too, I thought how cool!

Well, although the majority of my collection involves dollhouse miniatures, I also enjoy large size dolls. I have several Barbies and a Cher doll on the shelf above my computer, along with my favorite Thumbelinas sitting in a chair in the living room. Mostly my dolls are smaller and fit in the dollhouses, a way to save space and enjoy two hobbies in one.

But besides thinking this book was a super idea, it appears that author Christine Trent found a way to make her hobby a tax deduction! Laugh, but 300 dolls is no small collection!

In a recent interview, Trent said she was inspired by her dolls, and after reading about France's queen, came up with an idea to combine both interests.

The book, which is sympathetic to Marie Antoinette, is part romance, but deals mostly with the main character's dollmaking profession, which sounds even more interesting.

And get this--Trent is a debut author, who after receiving dozens of rejections, was signed by Kensington after meeting an editor at a conference. Nice to hear good news for a change amid all the the doom-and-gloom book and publishing news lately.

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Miniatures Monday: Greenhouse Additions

I finally got back to finishing up some things on my Witch's Greenhouse. The 1-inch scale project is set in the Bay Window Shop of the Houseworks' Street of Shops. It is 12.5" w, 11" h and 13" d.

The double window shop of the set houses my Teapot Shoppe. The third corner shop will be a Witch's Bakery, which I have been collecting cakes for. (Most made by my talented friend Kitty. See her work at the Minis by Kitty blog.)

It took me a while but I'm pleased with how the greenhouse is turning out. I decided to make the outside a "regular" shop so if I ever change my mind, I can take out the spooky plants and use it as a regular plant/garden shop. I like the wallpaper (scrapbook paper) so all I'd need to do is change the wall art inside.



The back and outside walls are painted with a gray sand paint (sand added to acrylic paint) to give it texture. After painting and gluing the art, I sprayed the sides with Krylon Matte Acrylic Sealer.

I decided to make a stone/stucco lower strip on each side to match the bottom of the front bay window. I glued different vintage seed packet art on each side as posters. (See preview of house front here.


The stucco is lightweight Spackle tinted with Linen color acrylic. The stones are different shapes cut from the gray egg cartons.

The egg carton stones are tinted with shades of brown, green and orange acrylic, dabbed with black and brown for accent.

The stones are then sealed with Delta Ceramcoat Gloss Varnish and set into the stucco. I like to add a thin layer of tacky glue before I put the stucco on. More glue is added to the loose stones.

(Note: Victoria Miniland has a great egg carton tutorial using pastels to tint the "stones.")

The inside floor is also egg carton stone, though I added more browns to make it darker. I added the wall shelf from a Michael's hutch and am using an old cabinet for plants and supplies. I will also will add a table by the front door. The potting table is handmade and is my original design.

Next, I'm gluing a string of green beads to hang in the front window and deciding how to add a small valance to the door and maybe the windows. The green fabric has these colored stripes that remind me of "snakes."

I probably have more than enough odd plants to fill the shelves, but I keep coming up with new ideas! I'll share more pix as I add new items. Thanks for stopping by and looking!

** Have you done a greenhouse project or are you making any plants of your own? Got a favorite plant? Whose kits do you like to use? Please share!

Food and Fiction - sharing favorites

Sharing some favorite mystery books with food today at Fatal Foodies. Check out the questions at the link and share yours!

First Graphs: Undivided, a fantasy-mystery story by Marian Allen from Sword and Sorceress XXIII

Today's First Graphs features "Undivided," a fantasy/mystery story by author Marian Allen from MARION ZIMMER BRADLEY'S SWORD AND SORCERESS XXIII. (Norilana Books, Nov. 2008) (What a gorgeous cover!)

The SWORD AND SORCERESS series focuses on strong female protagonists with physical and magical prowess facing difficulties.

"Undivided" is the story of a warrior who must use these weapons, and her wits, to solve the mystery of her servant's kidnapping.

Excerpt from "Undivided" by Marian Allen:


Pimchan's Female did the unthinkable--she burst through the workout room doorway, knocking over the rosewood filigree screen, and entered her Mistress' practice arena uninvited.

Pimchan, ripped from battle meditation, whirled from her knees to her feet and grasped the girl in a double-handed grip designed to tear soul from body. With a brief quiver of muscle, she stopped herself on the very brink of harm.

Through clenched teeth, she said, softly, "Give thanks, my Female, to Chaos, who has granted me control. Now you know why I must not be interrupted."

"Mistress, come!"

The lack of repentance rang alarms. Pimchan released her gently, registering the panic of her female slave, a dark-haired and dark-eyed child of twelve, padded with baby fat. When the girl turned back toward the doorway, Pimchan grabbed her arm.

****

Allen said she wanted the beginning of the story to paint an image: "the 'seed' was the picture of the girl--called just 'Pimchan's Female'--running to her Mistress for help.

"I wanted to lead with action, communicate who the main character is (Pimchan) and give some flavor of the setting (they have slaves, they use screens instead of doors, they have fighting so they have practice arenas)," she says.

"If the girl has done the 'unthinkable' in interrupting her Mistress, something disastrous must have happened--and it has. Pimchan's reaction to the interruption, and to the news the girl brings, leads directly into the thick of the story. Her punishment of the girl for her action shows what kind of Mistress she is, and foreshadows the resolution."

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New Logo and new book

New year, new logo.

If you haven't noticed, or haven't been here before, I decided to change my logo and add a photo of my real dog, Shania.

I thought I'd share her photo as the book I'm now sending around, a mystery set in a diner involving a mother-daughter team, also features a white Malamute based on my real-life dog. I'll be sharing more pix at a later date.