New Children's Book Invites Children into the World of the Arts

Dare to follow your dreams!

Dare to be yourself!

Dare to be free!

This is the premise of Liesel Soley's inspiring children's picture book, Can You Be an Artist?

Freddie, Honey and Bae are so different culturally speaking, yet they're so alike at the same time. They all have one thing in common: they have a big dream and they believe in making that dream a reality. Freddie wants to become a violinist. He sees himself playing in a string quartet and starts practicing everyday. Honey wants to become a painter. She sees her paintings in other people's homes and begins to experiement with colored pencils and oil paints. Bae wants to become a dancer. He sees himself dancing in his home country and starts taking dance lessons. As they channel their creative energies, their behavior and work at school begin to excel.

Can You Be an Artist? is a celebration of dreams and the arts. Using an engaging, simple prose and without preaching, the author presents snapshots of Freddie's, Honey's and Bae's lives to encourage young minds to have dreams and goals and to take the steps to make those dreams come true. The book is an invitation into the world of the arts. The adorable illustrations, done in colored pencils, are filled with detail and depict beautiful scenes both indoors and outdoors. I especially loved the illustrations of flowers, gardens, animals, trees and the seasons.

This is a wonderful book that introduces children to the arts and unleashes their creativity. Especially if your child already has expressed an interest in playing an instrument, painting or dancing, this book will give them an invaluable proactive message: dreams don't become a reality by themselves; it's vital to work and practice in order to grow as an artist.

Liesel Soley is a professional violinist, a music instructor, and also an artist. You can check out her website at www.lieselsoley.com. This is her first children's book.

Soley will be signing copies of her book at Barnes and Noble in Clearwater on Sat. Aug 6 from 10 until noon. The address is: 23654 US 19 North, Clearwater FL 33765.

Alexandra Sokoloff Pens Thriller Novel for Young Adults

Sixteen-year old Anna Sullivan is an outsider at her high school. Quiet and shy, as well as cursed with a tortuous family past, she can’t hope to attract the attention of popular Tyler Marsh, for whom she has a crush. How could a girl like her, a girl with a low social status, an alcoholic father and a mother who abandoned her, dare hope anything at all in life?

Then the nightmares begin... nightmares of a horrible massacre at school...

What do these dreams mean? Is Anna somehow having a glimpse of the future?

Things get more confusing when she realizes Tyler is having the same dreams. In fact, he seems to be sharing the same dreams with her, at the same time. Thus begins Anna and Tyler’s dark relationship as together they try to decipher the meaning of the nightmares and in doing so discover their connection to quantum physics and multiple parallel dimensions.

I’m a huge fan of Sokoloff and have read all of her books. I was thrilled to read this her first young adult novel, which, in my opinion, is her darkest work to date. Sokoloff has a gift of pulling readers immediately into her stories. Her writing style, though simple and succinct, is exquisite. She knows how to combine long sentences with sudden short ones, thus creating a sensuous cadence and rhythm. The novel is also filled with vivid images, mystery and a strong atmosphere of danger. I also like the way she interlaces psychological elements into the plot, thus adding depth to the story.

One of the aspects of this novel I enjoyed the most was how Sokoloff incorporated quantum physics and the idea of multiple dimensions and parallel universes into her storyline. This definitely adds something different and original from other teen horror novels in the market today. It also stimulates readers’ minds. The story crosses genres; it’s a thriller with a bit of horror and a dash of the supernatural.

I highly recommend The Space Between to fans of dark YA thrillers as well as to those readers who like a sprinkle of science in their books.

Buy now on:

Amazon/Kindle
Barnes & Noble/Nook
Smashwords 

Amazon UK
Amazon DE

Any format, only $2.99.

Read the first five chapters on Smashwords now by downloading a free sample.

The Joe-Joe Nut and Biscuit Bill Adventure Series is about animal detectives, which is for readers in 2nd and 3rd grade and up. In this series children will learn about animal tracks, as well as rocks and minerals. My new release is book 2 in the Joe-Joe Nut Series called Mineral Mischief. This is a great story that captures the attention of the reader by approaching the topic of rocks and minerals in a different way. Great for teachers, homeschool parents and librarians. I add in quite a bit of interesting and factual information that will educate and entertain the reader. It also can be used to supplement the topic of rocks and minerals in a classroom. Each book has tons of information about the topic and about the suspects. All books are written in a fun and educational way.
Here is a blurb about Mineral Mischief:

Joe-Joe and Biscuit found themselves in a dark and dreary cave, and in front of them, sitting on an ornately carved stone pedestal, was Maple’s mineral. To reach out and take it would be so easy. It glistened like stars in a midnight sky, attracting their attention, luring them. There had to be a catch somewhere. Something wasn’t right. Joe-Joe and Biscuit stood beside the pedestal, analyzing it. There was a circle in the center of the pedestal, and the mineral was placed in the center of that circle. A TRAP! Thought Joe-Joe as he glanced at his partner, who was wearing a russet-colored fedora, which matched his own—they definitely looked sharp. Joe-Joe glanced behind Biscuit, where he noticed a deep gap in the wall. The opening was barred like a cage. Barely any light shined through to reveal what was inside. Joe-Joe had an inkling that, if he removed the mineral, the cage door would open, unleashing a horrific Greek beast that would assuredly eat them both for dinner. Joe-Joe began thinking like an adventurer. He was suddenly consumed with the identity of Indiana Jones.
Renee Hand writes because it is a passion in her heart. She is a homeschool parent and likes to create books that educate and inspire the children of today. She was born in Michigan and still lives there with her husband and two children. She has a degree in Zoology with a minor in Chemistry. Renee is an award-winning author, receiving awards such as a Best Book Award, a National Literary Award and a Preferred Choice award for her children's series and adult books. She has just recently won a Seal of Excellence award in Storytelling for her Joe-Joe Nut and Biscuit Bill Series. She has been writing for over twenty-five years and has nine books published. When she is not spending time with her family or participating in author events, she is coaching and playing tennis, as well as doing research for her books and many other things that keep her busy. Not quite sure what a cryptogram is and want to learn more?

Visit the author's website at www.reneeahand.com to learn about cryptograms and how to solve the ones that are in the books. She also blogs at http://thecryptocapersseries.blogspot.com/