World AIDS Day is December 1st and is a day to
promote AIDS awareness. People are planning events all over the world to
promote awareness and raise money for this devastating disease in the hope of
one day eliminating it from existence.According
to WorldAIDSDay.org, "Globally, an
estimated 33.3 million people have HIV. More than 25 million people between
1981 and 2007 have died from the virus, making it one of the most destructive
pandemics in history." These numbers are unacceptable and it's up to
all of us to do our part in wiping out AIDS.
In support of World AIDS Day, I will be donating $1.00 from every Kindle sale of my novel WIDOW,VIRGIN, WHORE in the U.K.
and in the U.S.
for the entire month of December to the Elton John AIDS Foundation. Ninety-six
percent of all donations to the EJA Foundation goes towards AIDS education,
prevention and support world-wide.
I thought it was only fitting to use my novel WIDOW, VIRGIN,
WHORE to help raise money to fight AIDS. It is a fiction story of one woman who
contracts AIDS and how she and her family and friends deal with this devastating
disease. The story follows her and other AIDS victims and their experiences and
captures the essence of what AIDS patients, as well as those who love them,
experience. It is a heartwarming story of sisters, friendship and family.
What a wonderful way to enjoy a heartfelt novel and help
others in need at the same time!
Today I am hosting a character interview with Lionel of those wonderful children's books by Paul R. Hewlett. Lionel has a new Christmas book out that I'm sure your children will enjoy. There is also a Giveaway at the end - so be sure to enter to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card! So, on to the interview...
Recently I sat down with Lionel Snodgrass ofLionel's Christmas Adventure for an interview. I wanted to talk to Lionel about himself. I wanted to get him to open up and tell some real personal things, things we don't already know about him. If you're not familiar with the book please watch the trailer below.
Now for the interview. Let me start by saying that I had to not only go to Larrystown, but also back in time a bit. You see, Lionel's Christmas Adventure is set in the late 1960's. I met Lionel at Jardean's Mercantile & Confectionery. I'm sitting in an old fashioned booth directly across from Lionel. Mr. Jardean brings Lionel a cherry coke (his favorite) and me a green river soda (my favorite).
Hey Lionel, it's good to see you again. Lets' get started, tell me one thing that most folks don't know about you.
Hmmm, let's see. I bet most people don't know that I'm afraid of the boogie man. He looks around nervously and swears me to secrecy. One time, before we moved to Larrystown, my Mom took me trick-or-treating. It was a blast, I had a great time. It was hard for me to fall asleep, I had eaten too much candy and was still pretty excited. Besides that I kept hearing a noise coming from my closet. I tried not to let it bother me, 'cause Feeney always calls me a scardy cat. Finally, I had to see what it was. I peeked in and a monster jumped out at me!
A monster?
Well, no, it turned out to be Feeney dressed up like a ghoul. Scared me to death though. I still need a light on. I can't help it, I'm still scared. You're not gonna tell anyone about this are you?
No, no, I won't. What else don't we know about Lionel Snodgrass?
I figure nobody knows I have a magical Three-Toed-Potbellied Walbaun foot. No sir, that I have always made sure to keep a secret and I plan to keep it that way.
Can you tell us what exactly that is? This, this Walbaun foot?
Sure. I found it in my room when I first moved here. Just sitting on the closet shelf, plain as day. It wasn't 'til one day I was sitting right here, in this very spot, that I knew what it was I had found. Lionel leans in to whisper. Mr. Jardean, he's like the town know-it-all. He knows everything that ever happened around here. I overheard him that day talking to himself and I thought it sounded a lot like my Walbaun foot. So I asked him about it.
So Mr. Jardean knows about it?
No, no. I didn't tell I found one. I just asked him and then once he explained, I knew I had found one. It's invisible except to those that are mistreated. I figure that's why I could see it and nobody else did. Lots of times, I get treated real bad. It's supposed to make what I wish for come true. It was lazy though and it never gets things quite right. When I use it, look out. You never know what might happen!
Is there anything else that you'd like to share? A secret, something no one knows about you?
Just one thing. My buddy Skip knows this, but nobody else does. I have a gigantic crush on Carrie! Wow, I never told anybody that. Skip, he just kind of figured it out. I guess that happens when you're buddies like we are. It feels kind of good to get that off of my chest. I don't think she knows I exist though.
What do you mean?
Every time I'm around her, I kind of freeze up. I'm always thinking of something cool or funny to say to her when I get the chance and then POW! My mouth feels like it's glued shut when she's around. Hard as I try, no words come out. Oh well, I'm gonna keep trying.
Well, I suppose that about wraps things up. Thanks Lionel. Hey, do mind if I put the part about the boogie man in the interview. I won't if you don't want me to, but I think it's something people might want to know. I also think maybe, you should think about getting Carrie a Christmas present this year. Maybe that would break the ice.
Yeah, I guess. Go ahead. I don't mind if you put it in. A Christmas present huh? That's not a bad idea. Thanks, thanks a lot, oh and Merry Christmas!
I hope you enjoyed the interview and learned a few things about Lionel to get to know him better. He's really a great kid. Lionel's Christmas Adventure (in paperback or ebook) is the third book in the Lionel's Grand Adventure series. If you want more Lionel check out Lionel and the Golden RuleandLionel Turns the Other Cheek. Now for Lionel's Christmas Adventure blurb:
Have you ever wanted something you couldn't have? Lionel desperately
wants a new sled and will do anything to get it.This fun Christmas book
follows Lionel from Larrystown to the North Pole. His magical
Three-Toed-Potbellied Walbaun foot is back and is as unpredictable as
ever. Whether Lionel's sledding, ice skating, or in a life-sized
gingerbread village, it takes him on some grand adventures. Filled with
great Christmas imagery, this book is perfect for young readers
and family story time. This 2012 holiday, be careful what you wish for,
you never know what might happen!
I'd like to give a great big Thank You to Deanna for hosting me! My next stop is Thursday at This Kid Erik's blog. Now on to the giveaway. As a thank you to the reader's, I'm giving away a $25 Amazon gift card and 3-pack of my ebooks.
On December 7th - 10th I am hosting a blog hop for children's and middle-grade books and I'd love it if you all join me. If you are a children's or middle-grade book author or blogger, I invite you to sign up and participate. Each of the authors or bloggers will be giving away a prize on their blogs and we will also be having a grand prize (depending upon how much money is donated) that followers can enter to win. It should be a lot of fun and it's a great way to get your children's book noticed.
If you are interested in joining the Kid's Books Holiday Blog Hop, you can go over to my Outlaw Heroes blog to read the rules and sign up on the Linky or you can do so here. Here is he information about the blog hop and the Linky sign-up below:
Kid's Books Holiday Blog Hop &
Giveaway!
I'm inviting all children
& middle-grade book authors to join in on the Kid's Books Holiday Blog Hop which will run December 7th – 10th. This blog hop is for any
author promoting a book for kids ages
birth to 12 years old. All types of children's & middle-grade books are
welcome as long as they are suitable for this age range.
What you need to do:
Add your blog's name and your blog URL
address to the Linky at the bottom of the page to join in on the Blog
Hop. You don't have to have a post link yet – just use your blog's URL.
Plan to give away some type of prize –
a copy of the book you are promoting, gift card, bookmarks or anything
that is appropriate for a kid's blog hop. It doesn't have to be expensive;
it is an incentive to get hoppers to visit your blog. You are in charge of
your giveaway and selecting a winner. (For the Grand Prize, see below,
I'll be sending out information to you before the hop to let you know what
it is so you can include it in your post.)
Write a short post that is somehow
related to kids and the holidays. It can be about how you and your
family celebrate, a cute family story (Rated PG), a favorite holiday
tradition – whatever you like as long as it is suitable for all ages. Please include the Blog Hop Button at
the top of your post so hoppers identify your post right away. And don't forget to promote your book
after the post or somehow tie it into the post. (Short promos for your
book are best – if it's too long then people may ignore it completely.)
Keep in mind that parents will probably be following this blog hop in
order to find books for their kids as holiday gifts.
Add the Linky Code to the bottom of
your blog post so people can continue to follow the list of authors in the
hop. Blogger/blogspot sites can add it right to the bottom under HTML.
**WordPress blogs are unable to add the Linky code so youcan link back
to my site page here:http://www.outlawheroes.com **
Make sure your post is up by 10:00 AM
Central Timeon Dec. 7th.
I will be going down the list and visiting each blog to make sure a post
is up. If it isn't, I'll be deleting that blog from the Linky List so blog
hoppers won't get discouraged.
Promote your post & giveaway on
all the social media sites. The Twitter hash tag we will be using for
this blog hop is #KidsBlogHop.Promotion is key in getting as many
people to your site as possible.
Be sure to have your post visible
in some way for the entire four days of the hop. Link it to the blog hop
button or some other way so hoppers can find it.
Grand Prize Giveaway
I would love to have Grand
Prize Giveaway if possible – it helps to draw in more followers to the blog
hop. I'm thinking some type of Kindle or Nook – depending upon how much money I
can raise. If not, then whatever money I receive will go toward an Amazon Gift
Card. All comments left on all the blogs
in the hop will be entered in to win the Grand Prize.
If you'd like to
donate money toward the main Grand Prize, please send $5 or $10 to my
PayPal account and I'll use it to buy the prize. ALL MONEY WILL BE USED FOR THE
PRIZE. Use the email address: sletten@paulbunyan.netto send money – be sure to mark it as a
"GIFT" so no money is deducted as a fee. Also, mention in the
comment section that the money is for the Kid's Books Holiday Blog Hop and
include your name. Thanks so much!
A week before the blog I will send out an email to everyone
reminding them of the blog hop and telling you what the Grand Prize will be and
how the hoppers can win it.
Thanks everyone – I hope we get a big turnout of authors and
hoppers for this blog hop!
Be sure to comment at the end to enter into both Giveaways!
The Giveaway is now over - Thank you to everyone who participated.
Congrats to Delphina for winning the $10 Amazon Gift Card from my site!
To view the list of Grand Prize Winners, Click here.
Welcome to the Autumn's Harvest Blog Hop!
I love, love, love autumn. I love going for long walks in the woods along the lakeshore, enjoying the beautiful colors of red, orange and yellow leaves on the trees and hearing the crunch of dry, fallen leaves under my feet. It's a time for sunny days with cooler air and crisp nights. Autumn is about swapping your tank tops for big comfy sweaters and your shorts for soft, faded jeans. It is also a time for winding down and snuggling up in front of a fire with your favorite loved one. Sure, autumn means that the dreaded winter is coming, but even winter can be a welcome change with short days and long nights when you can curl up with hot cocoa under a snuggly blanket with your sweetheart and watch the new season of your favorite TV show. Or, whatever other activity you come up with! What is your favorite part of autumn?
In my romance novel, MEMORIES, autumn comes to Minnesota in the form of a roaring storm on Labor Day weekend, leaving Dani and Michael stranded together in her apartment – much to Dani's dismay. But being cooped up unexpectedly with someone you once loved and then have hated for years can have amazing results. Pick up a copy of MEMORIES to find out what happens between Michael & Dani!
We have THREE grand prizes. You as a reader can go to EACH blog and comment with your email address and be entered to win. Yep, you can enter over 200 times!
Now what are those prizes?
1st Grand Prize: A Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet
2nd Grand Prize: A $50 Amazon or B&N Gift Card
3rd Grand Prize: A Swag Pack that contains 10+ paperbacks, ebooks, 50+ bookmarks, cover flats, magnets, pens, coffee cozies, and more!
My GIVEAWAY! Giveaway now over - thanks for participating!
In appreciation of your stopping by, I'm having a giveaway! If you leave a comment below, I'll put your name in the drawing for a $10 Amazon Gift Card. Be sure to put an email address in the comment so I can contact you if you are the winner. The giveaway starts today, November 9th and ends November 12th at midnight. I will notify the winner after noon on Nov. 13th.
Be sure to visit the other sites listed below for their posts and many more giveaways!
