The United Nations’ (UN) International Day of Peace (World Peace Day) is celebrated on September 21 each year to recognize the efforts of those who have worked hard to end conflict and promote peace. I believe that the power to promote world peace lies within each of us. Together, we can transform the world!~Bette A. Stevens
“It is time all nations and all people live up to the words of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which recognizes the inherent dignity and equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human race. This year marks the 70th anniversary of that landmark document.” — United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres
Happy National Puzzle Day! This celebration is held every year on January 29th. It’s an opportunity to reflect on those puzzles, games and even challenges in life that we embrace every day but sometimes take for granted. Puzzles also offer us a great way to spend quality time interacting with family. In fact, puzzles are an awesome way to celebrate any day! ~Bette A. Stevens
REVIEW
The Tangram Zoo and Word Puzzles Too! by Bette A. Stevens
January 2, 2018
Very Clever!
I bought this book to give as a gift to my grandchildren. Reading through the book before giving it to them, I found it taught me a few things, too. First, I had no idea a tangram is a seven-piece puzzle with specific shapes. A pattern is provided to cut out and get started along with the history of it. There are many ways to put the pieces together, but the book supplies shapes to make– with clues or riddles as to what they are. Although, this is a very clever and educational book for children, I appreciated the added bonus that an adult can sit down and enjoy it with the kids! ~D.L. Finn, author
DOG BONE SOUP—a poignant family drama and coming of age story by Bette A Stevens—takes readers on an incredible journey through 1950s and 60s rural America.
“Adventures and misadventures to the likes of Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry…” ~Frank Scozzari, author
DOG BONE SOUP by Bette A. Stevens 99¢ SALE: Aug 28–Sept 3, 2016
Take a step back in time to “The Good Old Days” with protagonist Shawn Daniels as he encounters the challenges and experiences the glories of growing up poor in an era when many families were living the American Dream.
“Shawn Daniels and his siblings shake off extreme poverty, hunger, a dilapidated homestead and a drunken father, to somehow embark upon an idyllic childhood. Bette A. Stevens has crafted a remarkable tale of hope and happiness in the face of despair.” —Charles Bray (Founder of the Indietribe, a body dedicated to supporting self-published authors www.theindietribe.com)
Book Description
Shawn Daniels isn’t your typical American boomer boy. Shawn is a poor boy and his father is the town drunk. Shawn’s family has no indoor plumbing or running water, but they do have a TV. After all, Dad deserves the rewards of his labor. Meanwhile, Shawn and his brother Willie keep the firewood cut and stacked, haul in water for cooking and cleaning and do all that needs to doing around the ramshackle place they call home. But when chores are done, these resourceful kids set out on boundless adventures that don’t cost a dime.
On a bitter New England day in 1964, Shawn is on his way to boot camp to soak up the southern sun and strike out on a new adventure—in a place where he believes it’s possible to make his dreams come true. Find out where this Boomer’s been and where he’s going in DOG BONE SOUP.
Inspired by nature and human nature, author Bette A. Stevens is a retired elementary and middle school teacher, a wife, mother of two and grandmother of five. Stevens lives in Central Maine with her husband on their 37-acre farmstead where she enjoys reading, writing, gardening, walking and reveling in the beauty of nature. She advocates for children and families, for childhood literacy and for the conservation of monarch butterflies—an endangered species (and milkweed, the only plant that monarch caterpillars will eat).
Stevens is the author of AMAZING MATILDA, an award-winning picture book; The Tangram Zoo and Word Puzzles Too!, a home/school resource incorporating hands-on math and writing; and PURE TRASH, the short story prequel to her début novel, DOG BONE SOUP, a Boomer’s coming of age story.
November 13th was designated World Kindness Day in 1998 by World Kindness Movement, a coalition of nations kindness NGOs observed in many countries around the world each year.
“World Kindness Day is to highlight good deeds in the community focusing on the positive power and the common thread of kindness which binds us. Kindness is a fundamental part of the human condition which bridges the divides of race religion, politics, gender and zip codes. Kindness Cards are also an ongoing activity which can either be passed on to recognize an act of kindness and or ask that an act of kindness be done. Approaches are being made to the United Nations by the peak global body, The World Kindness Movement to have World Kindness Day officially recognized and its members unanimously sign a Declaration of Support for World Kindness.
According to Gulf News, “it is a day that encourages individuals to overlook boundaries, race and religion…”
It’s wonderful to have a special day designated to recognize and celebrate kindness around the world. In fact, every day is a perfect day to throw kindness around like confetti to everyone we meet. Random Acts of Kindness are contagious and they count! ~ Bette A. Stevens
September 21st, 2016 celebrates International Day of Peace and I’m sharing a post from my blog featuring M.C.V. Egan that I shared with readers two years ago. Egan’s novel is one of my favorites. Wishing you peace and love.
Meet M.C.V. Egan, the author of The Bridge of Deaths. You’ll discover fascinating facts about history in her page-turning novel. And today, you’ll learn more about Egan, who is an advocate for world peace. Egan’s Spotlight Tour for The Bridge of Deaths commemorates the anniversary of the crash of the G-AESY two weeks before Hitler invaded Poland:
In 1939 two weeks before Hitler invaded Poland and spun the world into war, a plane crashed in Denmark went almost unnoticed. The characters in The Bridge of Deaths explore it meticulously, guiding the reader through little known and well-known facts leading up to WWII as well as dissecting the crash, from plane to autopsies.
The Bridge of Deaths is a culmination of almost two decades of research using traditional and unusual sources.
From the Reviewers
“M.C.V. Egan twists truth and fiction until you question your own perceptions…it is a story of real love, triumph and search for self.” ~ Beckah Boyd @ The Truthful Tarot
“Casablanca with a touch of the modern.” ~ Daryl Davis author and lecturer Klan-Destine Relationships
“Unusual Yet Much Recommended” ~ Midwest Book Review
MEET THE AUTHOR
Hi, Catalina (a.k.a. M.C.V.). It’s a privilege to be part of your Spotlight Tour and a pleasure to have you with us today. I’m a big fan of yours and The Bridge of Deaths is a favorite of mine—history, mystery and romance. Before we get to your novel, tell us a little about yourself.
I would first like to thank you for inviting me to 4writers and Readers. I visit often and I am always so impressed by the quality of your posts that I am truly honored to be here. My Bio is easy to find in cyberspace so I wish to share a little something different about myself here. I write under my initials M.C.V. Egan which stand for Maria Catalina Vergara Egan; thought my name was such a mouthful and now I realize that with the fame and popularity of Sofia Vergara, it may have been an asset.
I am absolutely passionate about world peace—as a mother I would so very much like to believe that we can give future generations a better world.
I hope to infuse an awareness of PEACE in things I write; and to me, respecting the environment is a huge aspect to promote world peace, as is anti-bullying. Peace after all begins with each and every one of us.
Always chatty and fortunately can be so in four languages—Spanish, English, French and Swedish. I am a mom, a wife and a dog owner. I love life and try to enjoy every day to the fullest.
Can you give us a brief synopsis of your book?
In 1939 two weeks before Hitler invaded Poland and spun the world into war, a plane crashed in Denmark went almost unnoticed. The characters in The Bridge of Deaths explore it meticulously, guiding the reader through little known and well-known facts leading up to WWII as well as dissecting the crash, from plane to autopsies.
It is a culmination of nearly two decades of research using traditional and unusual sources.
Do you have a favorite line from The Bridge of Deaths?
“They made love like the Gods.”
I do not write Erotica and I have had several readers ask me Which Gods?
Who is your favorite character and why?
I have to choose MAGGIE and she is my favorite because she is the only main character who was born and formed entirely in my mind. I also love that she strives for world peace and believes in it. I like that she believes that KNOWLEDGE is the key to an awareness that might help us prevent future wars. I am a ‘wanna be pacifist’. I am not as brave as Maggie or as full of conviction, but I learned a lot from her. I also love her wild friends in my new epilogue.
Her name was originally going to be OLIVIA which I believe means ‘harbinger of peace’ but it just did not feel right for her age and Danish roots. Can you imagine my shock when I came across the fact that the real pilot’s wife was a Margaret? The name had to be Maggie!
Maggie was my favorite, too. Can’t wait to read the new epilogue and meet Maggie’s wild friends. What’s next for you?
By mid-October, I hope to release DEFINED BY OTHERS, the first in a series of entertaining socially conscious Chick lit. I hope to have the courage to become more involved in Pacifist movements and to be the best wife and mother I can be. So cliché but fulfilling to me!
I would again like to thank you for participating in this September event and welcoming me to your wonderful blog.
It’s been our pleasure, Catalina. I love The Bridge of Deaths and can hardly wait to delve into your soon-to-be-released chick lit.
Readers, don’t miss the video clip and read on to find out why M.C.V. Egan is celebrating. As for me, I can’t wait to get my Revised 75th copy of The Bridge of Deaths. ~ Bette A. Stevens
Can’t wait to get my Revised 75th Anniversary copy. ~~ Bette A. Stevens
About the Book
“M.C.V. Egan twists truth and fiction until you question your perceptions…it is a story of real love, triumph and search for self.”– Beckah Boyd @ The Truthful Tarot
5 out of 5 stars:“An unusual yet much recommended read.”– Midwest Book Review
On August 15th, 1939, an English passenger plane from British Airways Ltd. crashed in Danish waters between the towns of Nykøbing Falster and Vordingborg. There were five casualties reported and one survivor. Just two weeks before, Hitler invaded Poland.
With the world at the brink of war, how this incident was investigated left much open to doubt. The jurisdiction battle between the two towns and the newly formed Danish secret police created an atmosphere of intrigue and distrust.
The Bridge of Deaths is a love story and a mystery. Fictional characters travel through the world of past life regression and information acquired from psychics as well as archives and historical sources to solve “one of those mysteries that never get solved.” Based on true events and real people, The Bridge of Deaths is the culmination of 18 years of sifting through conventional and unconventional sources in Denmark, England, Mexico and the United States. The story finds a way to help the reader feel that s/he is also sifting through data and forming their own conclusions.
Cross The Bridge of Deaths into 1939, and dive into cold Danish waters to uncover the secrets of the G-AESY.
Get the revised 75th anniversary of The Bridge of Deaths on Amazon in ebook and paperback.
Meet AMAZING MATILDA and her creator: Author/Illustrator Bette A. Stevens on BlogTalkRadio’s storiesfromunknownauthors. SHOW is hosted by award winning author Renee Hand.
FRIDAY: November 16th at 1:00 p.m. EST
Award Winning Author, RENEE A. HAND will be interviewing me (Bette A. Stevens) on her BlogTalkRadio show. You can also follow Rene Hand’s show at this link.
PLEASE JOIN US; you can even call in during showtime (phone # at the link)… If you’re not available at that time, you can simply click and listen later.
This inspirational tale of a Monarch butterfly and her meadowland friends is the second children’s book written and illustrated by Bette A. Stevens. AMAZING MATILDA becomes discouraged when she is unable to fly during the early stages of her metamorphosis. But, this amazing Monarch never gives up on her dream. Encouraged by her meadowland friends, MATILDA learns that if she tries long enough and hard enough, she can do anything that she really wants to do. AMAZING MATILDA inspires readers and listeners alike, not only to follow their own dreams, but to encourage others to do the same!
Written
on 09/20/2018