A Bump In The Night – Story Catcher Publishing

BOOK NOOK REVIEWS: Halloween Edition

October 25, 2023October 25, 2023Donna L

Can you believe Halloween is just a week away!

My sister and I always enjoyed the holiday season. For us, it begins October 1st and goes until January 1st. For me, I visit my local library at the beginning of October to see the new arrivals and to hang out with the classics. This year was no different. I’ve read at least 50 picture books over the past three weeks, and I’d like to share a few of my favorites. Maybe they will become favorites at YOUR house this Halloween!

“A bouncy rhyme and delightful artwork bring this pumpkin fair to life. The young narrator is ecstatic to be at the local pumpkin fair, where pumpkins of every size are on display—and that’s not all! There’s pumpkin bowling, a pumpkin pull, and every sort of food you can imagine made from the orange stuff, from ice cream to stew. . . . Christelow’s good-natured watercolor-and-ink illustrations are filled with things to look at and laugh about, including a marching band in pumpkin suits. Keep this book around to read for autumn story hours—but you might want a piece of pumpkin pie when you’re done.”—ALA Booklist

At the old haunted house
In a room with no sun
Lived a warty green witch
And her wee witchy one.

There are all kinds of creatures in the house: a big Ma monster and her wee monsters two, a scrawny black cat and her wee kittens three, a green Pa goblin and his wee goblins four, and more! Count along as the creatures prepare for the Halloween Fright. The text, written in the pattern of the popular poem “Over in the Meadow,” makes reading aloud fun, while the cinematic illustrations set the scene for an unforgettable romp through the old haunted house. Trick or treat!

Mouse’s appetite leads him on a Halloween adventure when he hitches a ride in a trick-or-treat bag of candy and finds himself alone in a haunted house.

Little Monster is going trick-or-treating for the very first time. There are going to be all kinds of creatures about, like witches and vampires and zombies. And lots of spooky noises too! As Little Monster makes his way around the neighborhood, Papa is there to help guide him through his fears as they encounter one scary thing after another…until they reach the last house of the night. It’s the spookiest house of all, and?YIKES!?there might be a surprise waiting for them. Will Little Monster be brave?

Have you ever built a snowman and discovered the next day that his grin has gotten a little crooked, or his tree-branch arms have moved? And you’ve wondered . . . what do snowmen do when we’re not watching?

After an early snowfall, a few kids build some snowmen before going trick-or-treating. And when the kids go off to bed, the snowmen have their own Halloween festival! There’s candy and apple-bobbing and costume contests and all sorts of autumn activities. When the kids wake up the next morning, the snowmen are gone . . . but they’ve left a very special message behind.

In this rhythmic story, an unsuspecting brother and sister bring a toy skeleton home from the harvest fair. They name it Fred McFee and hang it from a sycamore tree. Soon, eerie things begin to happen. And then on Halloween night, Fred vanishes!

And my OWN contribution to this spooky season is my picture book…

“Jack is afraid of the THING in the closet. Monty is afraid of the LUMP in the bed. One day, boy and monster both decide they no longer want to be afraid of what hides in the dark. Both have a plan but will be surprised by what they discover during A BUMP IN THE NIGHT.”

*****************

Editor and author, Donna L Martin has been writing for over fifty years. Her genres include poetry, flash fiction, picture books, historical fiction and sport chapter books, young adult fantasy, memoir journals, and inspirational essays for anthologies. In 2010, her first story was traditionally published, and Donna has worked hard over the past several years to produce the best in children’s stories. In 2018, she received the rights back to her debut picture book and decided to open her own publishing house. Since 2018, Story Catcher Publishing has released several books in a variety of genres. Some of these books have gone on to win local awards and 5-star ratings from nationally recognized organizations. Beginning November 1st, 2023, Story Catcher Publishing will open its doors to query letters from new and established authors for a chance to work with our professional design team to bring their stories to life!

You can follow Donna on Facebook (www. facebook.com/donasdays), Twitter (www.twitter.com/donasdays), and Instagram (www.instagram.com/donasda y s), or you can contact her via email at www.storycatcherpublishing.com

Standing Still in a Tilt-a-Whirl World

September 17, 2023Donna L

I know it’s been a while since I posted here, but unfortunately LIFE does not always care about individual schedules and my own schedule was thrown into a whirl by several life-changing events since May of this year.

Tilt-a-Whirl #1

Some of you have met my sister in real life, while others have read her comments on my various social media accounts. This past March, she developed a wound on her left foot which became toxic to her system, and she had an emergency amputation which forced her to give up her home before moving into a long-term care facility an hour from me. Overnight I went from being the youngest sibling in our family living my own life, to being totally responsible (financially and medically) for my sister and all THAT entails. It has been stressful and challenging as we both try to adjust to her role as an amputee and my role as a semi-caretaker. We’re still figuring things out.

Tilt-a-Whirl #2

For the past 21 years I’ve had the pleasure of running our martial arts school. I’ve trained to achieve the rank of 4th Degree Black Belt and Senior Certified Taekwondo Instructor. I worked with hundreds of students (children and adults) and helped them achieve their own martial arts goals over the years. When the pandemic arrived in 2020 our school took a massive hit to our student base and three years later, we were finally forced to close our school’s doors forever. Making that announcement and saying goodbye to my students placed tremendous stress on an already stressed out mind/body.

Tilt-a-Whirl #3

Closing our school’s doors threw me into the unemployment arena. I could file for unemployment, but the bad news was I had so much difficulty actually applying, I never received help these past few months. This added to my stress load and forced me to be creative on how to live day to day on ZERO income. Early retirement benefits should kick in next month so there’s that.

So what’s a girl to do?

Count my blessings…

Blessings #1

My sister is still here. She was literally days…if not hours…away from dying back in March so the loss of a leg is a small price to pay in my book to still be among the living. I visit her once a week and talk to her several times a day. I definitely count THAT as a blessing!

Blessings #2

Being unemployed and having no income from a job forced me to reevaluate my life. I simplified things. I sought out help from groups equipped to help me and gave back in my own way whenever I could. My life is more streamlined now, and I spent some of this time to implement some much-needed self-care and THAT is never a bad thing!

Blessings #3

Filing for early retirement and getting approved will allow me to not be forced to seek another job. I can focus on my writing more and expand Story Catcher Publishing like I’ve wanted to for so many years now. My next picture book, A BARNYARD CHRISTMAS, will come out around mid-November. I will also FINALLY be able to complete book four in my HISTORY’S MYSTERIES series called “President Lincoln’s Balloons”. It was originally scheduled to be released in 2021 but the pandemic threw my life into a continuous tilt-a-whirl, so now maybe I can get off that crazy ride and release my next book in that series!

Final thoughts…

As writers, we sometimes allow other people, other obligations, other tilt-a-whirl circumstances to derail our commitment to our stories. Family comes first. Job responsibilities get in the way. Everyday wear and tear on our minds or bodies can wear our spirits down.

But that fire isn’t out…just diminished by time and “tilts” happening out of your control. So, make it work in your favor! Start your day with a mental list of blessings. Find a few minutes each day to focus on your writing…even if it’s just running a scene through your head to get clarification before you can actually get back to your story. Take a hard look at your schedule and simplify your life where you can, even if it’s taking just one thing off your plate.

Small steps to reclaim your writerly life and THAT helps you stand firm in the middle of your own tilt-a-whirl world!

************

Scare up a little fun this Halloween with this cute holiday read!

Book blurb…

Jack is afraid of the THING in the closet. Monty is afraid of the LUMP in the bed. One day, boy and monster both decide they no longer want to be afraid of what hides in the dark. Both have a plan but will be surprised by what they discover during A BUMP IN THE NIGHT.

Donna L Martin wanted to create her own stories after her older sister taught her to read at age four. By the time she was eleven, Donna entered her essay “Why I Love America” in her hometown library’s annual writing contest and won first place!

In 2013, Donna fulfilled a lifelong dream when her first story was published in Chicken For The Soul: Angels Among Us. Ten years later, she finds the time to write picture books, historical fiction chapter books, sport chapter books, young adult fantasy, and inspirational essays, as well as being the editor at Story Catcher Publishing.

Donna shares her stories with audiences all around the world through her writing blog and author website at http://storycatcherpublishing.com. She also loves participating in kids’ writing workshops and author book signings.

She is a member of the Society of Children Book Writers and Illustrators, Children’s Book Insider, and Alliance of Independent Authors. Donna loves dark chocolate, going to the beach, and adding to her growing book collection.

Story Catcher Publishing Expansion: Chapter Book & Novel Submissions

January 11, 2023January 9, 2023Donna L

Last week I announced the BIG NEWS that Story Catcher Publishing will open its doors to submissions in the Fall of 2023. But I also said SCP would be offering a different way of supporting indie writers than what other small press publishing houses currently do.

How, you ask?

One way is to publish books WITHOUT future profits in mind. SCP profits, that is. Let me explain…

Indie authors currently have three ways to publish their books:

Traditional publishers, which usually are closed to anyone not represented by an agent and THOSE creatures are almost as elusive to connect with as running into a leprechaun!
Self-publish through retailers like Amazon’s KDP. While this doesn’t usually cost much, if anything, to create a book, the entire burden of proofreading, editing, formatting, production set up and marketing is left up to new authors who may not have the training or knowledge to set up their author platform correctly. Amazon also likes exclusivity which can limit an indie writer’s choices of markets or selling opportunities.
Hybrid-publishers who will publish your book (usually for a hefty price to cover all services needed) but still won’t necessarily have YOUR interests in mind.

This is where Story Catcher Publishing will be different. I have spent the past four years fine tuning and streamlining the publishing processes so that I can release quality picture books, chapter books, and novels at bare bones costs.

I have dreamed for years of giving back to the KidLit community for all the love and support everyone has shown me. Beginning this Fall, each chapter book or novel selected for publishing under the SCP umbrella will reap the following benefits:

A publishing package for chapter books and novels up to 60,000 words will cost only $550 TOTAL! This covers proofreading, ISBN, cover design, formatting, and production set up for both ebook and paperback titles. This will initially be offered to the first 50 titles accepted by Story Catcher Publishing so we can make sure this pricing covers basic industry costs before rolling it out to the general public. After prior cost analysis, it appears this pricing should be viable but this model needs to be tested in real world applications.
Ebook distribution will be through Amazon KDP. Paperback will be through IngramSpark to ensure availability to 80,000+ online retailers including B&N, Books A Million, Walmart and others.
Payments (via Paypal) will be divided into three installments of $150 due with signed contract, $250 due with completion of cover design, and balance of $150 due with completion of paperback production files. (The industry average for these services ranges anywhere from $1,350 to $6,100 or more depending on who you hire to help you.)
SCP authors will retain 100% royalties to their paperback titles.
SCP authors will also receive FREE access to support covering websites, author platforms, marketing, sales sheets, blogging, author events, etc.
SCP authors will receive FREE promotion through our website, blog, online store, and any SCP events including festivals, contests and giveaways.
If a SCP author should sign with a major literary agency, or a medium to large traditional publishing house where the agent or publisher is interested in re-releasing their existing SCP title, we will amend OUR existing contract and remove the paperback title from our inventory upon proof of a signed contract.

It has always been my hope and dream to support other indie writers on THEIR journey to publication. To me, that means not standing in the way of their future, wherever it may take them.

Well, there you have it. The basics of what Story Catcher Publishing will offer chapter book and novel writers starting this Fall. Next week I’ll share what we will be able to offer writers and writer/illustrators of picture books.

I hope you are as excited about the future of Story Catcher Publishing as I am. Any questions, just drop them in the comments below or send me a private message. I want this to be as transparent as possible.

************

Jack is afraid of the THING in the closet. Monty is afraid of the LUMP in the bed. One day boy and monster both decide they no longer want to fear what hides in the dark. Both have a plan, but will be surprised by what they discover after A BUMP IN THE NIGHT.

Hybrid published author, Donna L Martin, has been writing since she was eight years old. She is a 4th Degree Black Belt in TaeKwonDo by day and a ‘ninja’ writer of flash fiction, children’s picture books, chapter books, young adult novels and inspirational essays by night. Donna offers occasional BOOK NOOK REVIEWS of great children’s books and offers WRITERLY WISDOM to new and established writers. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators, Alliance of Independent Authors, and Children’s Book Insider. Donna loves dark chocolate, going to the beach and adding to her growing book collection.

Want to connect?

Email: [email protected]

Facebook: www.facebook.com/donasdays

Twitter: www.twitter.com/donasdays

LinkedIn: Donna L Martin/Story Catcher Publishing

Goodreads: Donna L Martin

Mail: Donna L Martin

c/o Story Catcher Publishing

P O Box 27788

Knoxville, Tn 37927

BOOK NOOK REVIEWS: Special Christmas Edition

November 30, 2022November 29, 2022Donna L

I’m giving my guest authors the month of December off to be with their families without having to worry about blog post deadlines. Instead, I will be doing a month of BOOK NOOK REVIEWS: Special Christmas Edition. Every day, beginning December 1st, and going through December 24th, I will review a special Christmas picture book a day to help give my readers some gift ideas! Then from December 25th through January 1st, I will be on vacation and focusing on finishing some other projects before the new year.

Story Catcher Publishing has been incredibly busy this year with multiple book releases, numerous author events including a Titanic Museum author interview seen around the world, an article in the Knox News Sentinel, a new logo, new puppet, new friends, and so much more!

And 2023 will be even more exciting with many scheduled new book releases as well as a HUGE announcement I’m working on with my design team that will offer a FABULOUS opportunity for new and existing authors to further their writing careers. i’m so excited to share the good news!

So, for now, enjoy the upcoming Christmas holidays, enjoy the books, and here’s to a productive New Year!!

************