Thank you, Vida and Bianca! ~ Author/Illustrator Bette A. Stevens
“Hi Bette,
I thought you’d like to see this picture… My younger granddaughter Bianca and I enjoyed Amazing Matilda very much. Even though she was tired, after whole day at her daycare she still wanted to hear the whole story. Then, next day, she brought the book to me and wanted to hear it again. Thank you for such an AMAZING book.” ~ Vida Sreta Zuljevic
Are you following Sacred Touches blog? Natalie’s posts are always filled with wisdom from The Master and from many masters of literature as well. ENJOY! Bette A. Stevens
Who is the happiest of men? He who values the merits of others,
and in their pleasure takes joy, even as though t’were his own.
~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German writer and Politician
One of my fellow bloggers commented today about the beauty in one of my posts and said she needed the joy. It was such a blessing to know that I had spread some joy in the life of another. So tonight I thought I would share some thoughts about joy. And since this week is A.A. Milne’s birthday I decided to use some illustrations from his book to help do that. Milne was the English author who brought so much joy not only to children but also to those of us fortunate enough to have read the Winnie the Pooh stories to our children.
Joy is not in things; it is in us. ~Richard Wagner, German composer
Sheila Deeth: author of The Five-Minute Bible Story Series & self-proclaimed ‘Mongrel Christian Mathematician’
“Tell me a bedtime Bible story…”
Author Sheila Deeth has a whole series of bedtime Bible stories for us and she’s working on more!
GENESIS PEOPLE from her Five-Minute Bible Story Series is FREE on Amazon until January 14th; and, you won’t want to miss out onBETHLEHEM’S BABY. READERS: Here’s a sneak preview in Sheila’s own words from the interview—:
“With forty individual tales based on the first Christmas story, Bethlehem’s Baby brings the real world where Jesus was born to life, peopling it with characters children can relate to, and inviting readers to imagine themselves in the scene. “
Hi, Sheila. It’s great to have you with us today. I can’t wait to share what you’re doing to bring the stories of old to the latest generation.
Sheila’s stories draw readers and listeners right into the scenes.
That is exciting, Sheila. Tell us a little about you and about your life …
Well… I was meant to complete this interview before Christmas, and I completely forgot until January. I guess that tells you I’m fairly disorganized. But I try to read, write, and write some more, in between networking and doing the everyday stuff of shopping, cleaning, washing… I used to write computer programs. Then I got paid to break them. Then I lost my job and wrote books instead.
How about your family?
We have three sons, two of whom came home for Christmas, effectively distracting me and making my life even more disorganized than usual. Can I use the fact that they hijacked my computer to kill aliens as my excuse for failing to get back in touch with you? The third son is a doctor and had to work over Christmas, but we’ll see him soon, so we’re keeping the lights on and extending our Christmas celebration to the middle of January.
How long have you been writing and what type of writing do you normally do?
I learned to write, eventually, in elementary school, and I’ve been writing stories ever since. I tried my hand at novels before I lost my job, but never had time for such a concentrated relationship with my characters. When the job went away, I wrote to keep my spirits up—fiction being so much more fun to write than job applications. Some of the stories grew into novellas and novels. Others stayed short and simple because I wanted to tell them to children.
Can you give us a brief synopsis of your book?
Bethlehem’s Baby came out as an ebook just before Christmas, but it’s going to be released as a real, physical book soon! I’m seriously excited, and so looking forward to holding it in my hands. My Mum’s excited too—she’s visiting from England and hopes to take some copies back with her. But you asked for a synopsis. Sorry…
With forty individual tales based on the first Christmas story, Bethlehem’s Baby brings the real world where Jesus was born to life, peopling it with characters children can relate to, and inviting readers to imagine themselves in the scene. Meet the shepherd boy whose grandfather keeps complaining about the noise until angels sing. Meet the Babylonian research student who discovers the meaning of the star but never gets the credit. A girl on the road from Jerusalem to Egypt keeps asking, “Are we nearly there?” And a baby boy grows into a small child on the streets of Nazareth.
What prompted you to write…
I’ve always told stories, as long ago as I can remember. But I took forever to learn to read or write. Then, one day, the elementary school principal brought a reel to reel tape recorder into class. She said if I wouldn’t write my stories she’d have to tape them. I decided the pencil was considerably less scary (and smaller) than the microphone, and I’ve been writing ever since.
Do you have a favorite line from the book?
Hmm. That’s an interesting question. I think my favorite line from Bethlehem’s Baby is: “God didn’t hang the world on a wall when he’d finished. He didn’t leave the Bible on a bookshelf to look nice. And he didn’t sell his program to people who wanted to play humans on their computer.”
Who is your favorite character and why?
I’m rather fond of the wise research student because he likes to play with numbers, and I’m a mathematician.
What was the hardest part about writing your book?
I did quite a lot of research to learn what life would have been like in Israel when Jesus was born. That was probably the hardest part of writing the book, but it was also great fun.
Do you do anything besides write?
I cook, clean, wash… I used to walk the dog (I really miss her!)… And I read, a lot. I’m a very fast reader. Then I write book reviews, but I guess that’s writing again.
How can my readers get copies of your books?
Soon you’ll be able to get print copies from Amazon and other sites as well, but at the moment you’d have to get an eCopy, from:
Bethlehem’s Baby is the sixth book in the Five Minute Bible StoryTM Series. Nazareth Neighbors, the seventh book, was released at the end of December, by Cape Arago Press. And I’m working on Galilee’s Gift and Jerusalem Journey which should come out later this year. I’ve also signed contracts with Second Wind Publishing for three novels which are scheduled for 2014, so there’ll be lots of last-minute editing and rewriting taking place on my computer. It’s just as well the sons removed the computer aliens, I suppose.
Sheila Deeth’s Five-Minute Bible Stories… Click the photok to download your copy of GENESIS PEOPLE for FREE before January 14th! Take a look inside her other books too.
Sheila, it’s been wonderful having you here at 4writersandreaders today. I can hardly wait for your series to come out in paperback for my grandson. Meanwhile, I’m ordering copies of Bethlehem’s Baby and GENESIS PEOPLE for my kindle today. Thanks so much for stopping by and keep those great stories coming our way! ~ Bette A. Stevens at http://www.4writersandreaders.com
THANKS so much for buying my book(s). If you’ve already got your kindle copies of AMAZING MATILDA and/or PURE TRASH, I would love to send you a Message & an Autographed Cover for your kindle library. I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU!Here’s the link that will take you to both of my kindle books on Authorgraph…
Find out more about author/illustrator Bette A. Stevens and her books at http://www.Amazon.com/author/betteastevens AMAZING MATILDA: 2013 Purple Dragonfly Award-winning picture book (ages 6-10) PURE TRASH, The Story: 1950s short story adventure (YA/Adult) THE TANGRAM ZOO & WORD PUZZLES TOO! Children’s activity book (Ages 4-12)
The Legend of the Christmas Tree (German/Anonymous)
Most children have seen a Christmas tree, and many know that the pretty and pleasant custom of hanging gifts on its boughs comes from Germany; but perhaps few have heard or read the story that is told to little German children, respecting the origin of this custom. The story is called “The Little Stranger,” and runs thus:
In a small cottage on the borders of a forest lived a poor laborer, who gained a scanty living by cutting wood. He had a wife and two children who helped him in his work. The boy’s name was Valentine, and the girl was called Mary. They were obedient, good children, and a great comfort to their parents. One winter evening, this happy little family were sitting quietly round the hearth, the snow and the wind raging outside, while they ate their supper of dry bread, when a gentle tap was heard on the window, and a childish voice cried from without: “Oh, let me in, pray! I am a poor little child, with nothing to eat, and no home to go to, and I shall die of cold and hunger unless you let me in.”
Valentine and Mary jumped up from the table and ran to open the door, saying: “Come in, poor little child! We have not much to give you, but whatever we have we will share with you.”
The stranger-child came in and warmed his frozen hands and feet at the fire, and the children gave him the best they had to eat, saying: “You must be tired, too, poor child! Lie down on our bed; we can sleep on the bench for one night.”
Then said the little stranger-child: “Thank God for all your kindness to me!”
So they took their little guest into their sleeping-room, laid him on the bed, covered him over, and said to each other: “How thankful we ought to be! We have warm rooms and a cozy bed, while this poor child has only heaven for his roof and the cold earth for his sleeping-place.”
When their father and mother went to bed, Mary and Valentine lay quite contentedly on the bench near the fire, saying, before they fell asleep: “The stranger-child will be so happy to-night in his warm bed!”
These kind children had not slept many hours before Mary awoke and softly whispered to her brother: “Valentine, dear, wake, and listen to the sweet music under the window.”
Then Valentine rubbed his eyes and listened. It was sweet music indeed, and sounded like beautiful voices singing to the tones of a harp:
“O holy Child, we greet thee! bringing
Sweet strains of harp to aid our singing.
“Thou, holy Child, in peace art sleeping,
While we our watch without are keeping.
“Blest be the house wherein thou liest.
Happiest on earth, to heaven the highest.”
The children listened, while a solemn joy filled their hearts; then they stepped softly to the window to see who might be without.
In the east was a streak of rosy dawn, and in its light they saw a group of children standing before the house, clothed in silver garments, holding golden harps in their hands. Amazed at this sight, the children were still gazing out of the window, when a light tap caused them to turn round. There stood the stranger-child before them clad in a golden dress, with a gleaming radiance round his curling hair. “I am the little Christ-child,” he said, “who wanders through the world bringing peace and happiness to good children. You took me in and cared for me when you thought me a poor child, and now you shall have my blessing for what you have done.”
A fir tree grew near the house; and from this he broke a twig, which he planted in the ground, saying: “This twig shall become a tree, and shall bring forth fruit year by year for you.”
No sooner had he done this than he vanished, and with him the little choir of angels. But the fir-branch grew and became a Christmas tree, and on its branches hung golden apples and silver nuts every Christmas-tide.
Such is the story told to German children concerning their beautiful Christmas trees, though we know that the real little Christ-child can never be wandering, cold and homeless, again in our world, inasmuch as he is safe in heaven by his Father’s side; yet we may gather from this story the same truth which the Bible plainly tells us—that any one who helps a Christian child in distress, it will be counted unto him as if he had indeed done it unto Christ himself. “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”
D.C. Rush~Don and Cathy Rush, writers and creators of the Robby’s Quest children’s storybook series
Meet the writing team of D.C. Rush
What are reviewers saying about one of the books in D.C. Rush’s children’s storybook series?
“Robby’s Quest for Seed by D.C. Rush is an entertaining tale filled with humor and adventure which are cleverly used to teach children about friendship and teamwork.”
“This could easily be a five-star best seller and a future children’s classic.”
Welcome, Don. It’s great to have you with us at 4writersandreaders blog. Tell us a little about D.C. Rush.
My wife Cathy and I wrote and published the Robby’s Quest children’s storybook series. We write under the name D.C. Rush, short for Don and Cathy Rush. I was born in Cleveland and Cathy was born in Chicago. I spent most of my working life, over forty years, in the manufacturing sector, working my way up from machinist to plant manager. I’ve spent most of those years working in aerospace at AlliedSignal then in the recreational vehicle industry in Minnesota producing hardware for ATVs, Snowmobiles and Motorcycles. Cathy is a pharmacy tech, retired and currently a homemaker. We met and were married in Phoenix back in 1985.
Tell us about your family.
Cathy and I have been married 27 years. we have two daughters, Becky and Tiffany, both new mothers. So that means we are new grandparents. Becky’s three month old daughter is named Abygail and Tiffany has two children, Rylie her two year old son and her two month old daughter Aubree, the newest addition to the family. Becky lives close by so we see her often and we babysit for Abby once a week. Unfortunately Tiffany lives in Minnesota and we don’t get to see her often enough. I also have a brother who lives close to us but most of my family lives in Ohio.
How long have you been writing and what type of writing do you do?
Cathy and I retired and moved back to Arizona in 2009. We began playing with the idea of writing a children’s book in 2010.
Our books are fictional stories about a group of birds, life-long friends, who travel across America searching for new adventures and making new friends. Written for early readers, they also make excellent bedtime stories for the little ones.
Can you give us a brief synopsis of Robby’s Quest for Seed?
Robby the robin, his brother Ricky and their flock of feathery friends decide to fly south for the winter. Also in the flock are three mourning doves, a family of six sparrows and one lone blackbird. Robby is the group leader; however, he believes in and promotes democracy. The birds vote on most major issues. During the trip south, Joy the youngest sparrow wanders from the flock and lands in the backyard of a very determined and hungry cat named Hershey. The other birds must form a search party and save the little bird. When the group arrives in Florida, they discover their winter homes were destroyed by a hurricane. The birds face a dilemma. Should they stay in Florida until the waters subside or travel west to Arizona? Robby’s Quest for Seed is a story about teamwork, leadership and friendship that children are sure to enjoy.
What prompted the team of Don and Cathy Rush to become writers?
We wanted to leave something behind for our children and their children. We really did not expect to publish our story. The manuscript sat on our hard drive for over a year before we were persuaded to self-publish. The birth of our grandson gave us some added incentive to publish and we dedicated the first book to Rylie. After we wrote and published the first story, it seemed natural to write a second story. We never expected to write four books , but it seemed we had more stories to tell.
Do you have a favorite line from the book?
There are many passages I really like. This one is from the first book.
“Today was a very special day. Today was the day when all the birds would begin the journey south for the winter. Once arriving at their destination, it would be like spring break for birds.”
Look and listen…
Who is your favorite character and why?
I like Robby the robin. Over the years, I enjoyed being in management. Robby has my management style. He enjoys being the leader; but he also enjoys empowering others. Robby seeks agreement from the group for critical decisions and listens to others when they try to help. Robby is dedicated to the flock and would not let anything bad happen to anyone.
What was the hardest part about writing your book? The first book took a long time to write. We really struggled with the plot and how to actually form a story. By the third chapter we had an idea where we were going with the storyline so things began moving along. One problem was that we kept going back correcting our grammar and we weren’t really getting anywhere. We decided to just continue to write then we would go back later and check for grammar, punctuation, etc. It’s best to get your thoughts down on paper as soon as you can.
Do you do anything besides write? I spend most of my time marketing our books. Social networking takes a great deal of effort. My first priority is our website www.dcrushbooks.com. This is our main advertising hub for all our social networking efforts. We also have a Facebook Page www.facebook.com/dcrushbooks and we are active on Twitter, Linkedin and Pinterest. We also have a WordPress blog that we are still tweaking. I enjoy surfing the internet and looking for new ways to promote our books. Cathy enjoys Facebook and she helps with ideas for the blog and website. We also enjoy watching action-adventure movies and crime-drama television shows like Criminal Minds, CSI Miami and Law & Order.
How can our readers get copies of your books?
Our first three books are available in eBook and paperback editions. The first and second books are also available on audio. We found a wonderful narrator from Los Angeles with voice-over experience on radio and television. Tracy does an amazing job. You can find all the links to every book and every format on our website www.dcrushbooks.com. On our website you can also watch any of three book trailers and listen to samples of the audio books.
Here are the eBook, Paperback and Audio Book links to Robby’s Quest for Seed
We are kicking around the idea of a picture book for the little ones, but we really need to get the Robby’s Quest series in front of more readers. We like to visit local hospitals and give the children a paperback to read; but again, we need to begin selling our books in order to continue doing this. We do have a new publicist who will begin a marketing campaign starting January 1st for Book One, February 1st for Book Two, etc.
It’s been a pleasure learning more about D.C. Rush and Robby’s Quest for Seed.Thanks so much for joining us here today. — Bette A. Stevens at http://www.4writersandreaders blog
Inside Jacket: A boy rides a bicycle down a dusty road. But in his mind, he imagines himself traveling at a speed beyond imagining, on a beam of light.
In that brilliant mind will one day be born some of the most revolutionary ideas ever conceived. From a boy endlessly distracted by the wonder of the world,
Albert Einstein grew into a man who would embody genius, and would shine profound light on our understanding of our universe. Over 100 years ago, as the stars swirled in the sky, as the Earth circled the sun, as the March winds blew through a little town by a river, a baby was born.
Synopsis
On a Beam of Light tells the story of Albert Einstein’s life, written for children so…
Mungai and the Goa Constrictor: A contemporary tale with a timely message for all of us living here on Planet Earth! MEET AMELIA CURZON, one of my favorite authors. ~ Bette A. Stevens
This “Gem of a Tale” about a Monarch Butterfly teaches kids lessons in friendship, patience and persistence as AMAZING MATILDA transforms from egg to caterpillar to butterfly. (Children’s Picture Book/Ages 5-11).
This tale of an Amazing Monarch and her meadowland friends will inspire you to reach for your dreams!
Author: Bette A. Stevens
Title: AMAZING MATILDA: A Monarch’s Tale
Publisher: CreateSpace (July 2, 2012)
Price: $3.99 for Kindle/E-reader or PC (Also available in paperback: $9.49) eBook Version http://amzn.to/Xf97aU
Paperback http://amzn.to/UTJGMn
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. Unlike her friends, Matilda doesn’t want to leap onto ledges or bound across fields, she only wants to fly. Matilda’s friends laugh at her because she doesn’t have any wings. They wonder: How can a creature without wings ever hope to fly? While Matilda progresses from egg to butterfly, her friends recall how they felt before they were able to do all of the things they had dreamed of doing. Encouraged by her friends, Matilda learns that if she keeps trying, she can do anything that she really wants to do.
Stevens says, “Matilda’s story is everyone’s story. Meeting the everyday challenges of life at every stage of life is no easy task. Matilda and her friends encourage readers and listeners to meet those challenges. Whether we read this children’s book ourselves or listen to it while sitting on a loved one’s lap,AMAZING MATILDAis a story that never grows old or gets outgrown.”
AMAZING MATILDA: A Monarch’s Tale NOW AVAILABLE for Your Kindle/eReader or PC. Order a paperback copy for your child’s bookshelf or classroom.
Bette A. Stevens received her B.S. in Elementary Education from the University of Maine at Orono before embarking on graduate courses in Curriculum Studies at Chapman University in California. She has taught in elementary and middle school classrooms in California and Virginia. Stevens is retired and living in Hartland, ME. Stevens has written articles for ECHOES, The Northern Maine Journal of Rural Culture based in Caribou, Maine. Her love of children, of literature and of learning inspired her to write her first children’s book, The Tangram Zoo and Word Puzzles Too!http://amzn.to/VGgeZM
Grab your copy of AMAZING MATILDA: A Monarch’s Tale for Kindle, eReader or PC: http://amzn.to/Xf97aU
Welcome to 4writersandreaders
I’m a writer inspired by nature and human nature. You’ll find great books, authors, writing tips and more right here. I advocate for kids & families, childhood literacy and the protection of monarch butterflies and their habitat.Happy reading & writing!~Bette A. Stevens, Maine author
Bette A. Stevens, Maine Author 
Written
on 02/06/2014