WHERE DID AMELIA GO? – Story Catcher Publishing

WHERE DID AMELIA GO? Homeward Bound…

April 10, 2020April 10, 2020Donna L

Spring, At Home, Summer

It seems almost surreal that less than two weeks ago I woke up in a world which seemed very “normal” to me where I could walk into an indie bookstore or go out to eat or even just hug my Taekwondo students.

Now my world consists of temperature checks, face masks, and latex gloves. New words like “social distancing” and “COVID-19” are now added to my daily vocabulary and I’ve shed more tears in the past few weeks than I have in the past two decades.

Amelia, on the other hand, has been quite the traveler these past few weeks…flitting around like a butterfly from flower to flower…until she heard the call to “stay at home”. Imagine my surprise to step inside my house this week to the sound of Aerosmith rocking out from my study and finding a certain someone in my favorite rocker. Apparently she plans on staying awhile…

rocker

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NEWS FLASH! NEWS FLASH! NEWS FLASH!

While we all, including Amelia, hunker down at home to wait out this pandemic, Story Catcher Publishing and a wonderful number of amazing authors from all around the world, are coming together to shine a little light into the gloomy corners of the world.

Starting next Friday, April 17th, check out the FEEL GOOD FRIDAYS series on the Story Catcher Publishing blog. Authors will help us laugh, feel inspired, and maybe even learn a new skill or two while we all find ourselves stuck at home.

Tell your friends, share the good news, and be sure to come back next Friday for a little fun, a little laughter, and a whole lot of positivity!

WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER…WHILE STAYING SIX FEET APART!

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HM Hunting Gris-Gris Epub cover

HISTORY’S MYSTERIES: Hunting Gris-Gris

Eleven-year-old Emma misses her father who’s serving in Europe during World War II. He left behind a treasure box with six secret compartments to be opened during her birthday week. He also told her to watch out for the gris-gris while he was gone. Looking out for swamp creatures and dealing with wartime rationing was hard enough, but now there’s a British refugee coming to stay at the house! How will Emma enjoy her birthday and keep her decision to hunt for the gris-gris a secret with a stranger hanging around?

NOW AVAILABLE IN EBOOK, PAPERBACK & HARDBACK ON AMAZON, BARNES & NOBLE, BOOKS A MILLION, AND OTHER FINE RETAILERS!

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donna - Copy

Best selling, award-winning 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 children’s picture books, chapter books, young adult novels and inspirational essays by night. Donna is a BOOK NOOK REVIEWS host providing the latest book reviews on all genres of children’s books, and the host of WRITERLY WISDOM, a resource series for writers. Donna is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators and Children’s Book Insider. She is a lover of dark chocolate, going to the beach and adding to her growing book collection. Donna’s latest chapter book series is called HISTORY’S MYSTERIES. Book three, Hunting Gris-Gris, is now available in ebook, paperbook & hardback everywhere!

www.amazon.com/author/donnalmartin

WHERE DID AMELIA GO? Patiently Waiting…

March 27, 2020March 23, 2020Donna L

Kid, Girl, Child, Childhood, Summer, Day

If you’ve read any of the previous posts in this series, you realize Amelia considers herself a world/time traveler. When she’s not uncovering her latest little known historical event, she’s playing hide and seek with me.

It’s a game I used to play all the time when I was a child. I imagine Amelia feels the same nervous excitement I used to feel when she peeks out from her hiding spot and sees me moving ever closer to making a discovery of my own. The challenge is to see how long she can patiently wait…not moving or making a sound…before I finally find where she is hiding next.

But today is bittersweet. I visit many elementary schools and public libraries as a children’s book author. Walking through those halls, listening to the pitter-patter of busy little feet, hearing the laughter of young voices at play, I find much happiness in that environment.

Unfortunately, the atmosphere right now is filled with uncertainty. WHEN will schools and libraries reopen? Will the world ever be the same once this pandemic is over? But the more I think about it, the more I know in my heart where I will find Amelia. All I have to do is look for the nearest elementary school…and some books…

Dolphin

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HM Hunting Gris-Gris Epub cover

HISTORY’S MYSTERIES: Hunting Gris-Gris

NOW AVAILABLE IN EBOOK AND PAPERBACK ON AMAZON, BARNES & NOBLE, BOOKS A MILLION, AND OTHER FINE RETAILERS!

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donna - Copy

WHERE DID AMELIA GO? Hiding In Plain Sight

February 29, 2020March 2, 2020Donna L

hiding

I went to the Rose Glen Literary Festival this past Saturday. For the second year in a row, I was able to hang out with my critique group, Debbie Dadey, Rick Starkey, and Rinda Beach. Nationally known authors, local literary celebrities, and lots of book lovers coming together to celebrate the written word.

Lot of visitors stopping by my booth…young and old…and I got to share Amelia’s story with them all. They wanted to meet her but I had to explain she’s been traveling and I don’t always know when she will show up.

Weird thing, though, the whole time I’m talking to people, selling books, and taking pictures, I kept hearing the faint whisper of a giggle but can’t find the source. It sure sounded like Amelia but it’s kinda hard not to recognize a large mouse scampering around so I figured it was just my imagination.

It wasn’t until the festival was over and I was packing up when I discovered the source of the giggles. Hiding in plain sight was my adventurous Amelia…laughing because she played a trick on everyone with her quirky game of hide and seek…and then she was off in a flash. I wonder where she’s off to now?

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HISTORY’S MYSTERIES: Hunting Gris-Gris
Eleven-year-old Emma misses her father who’s serving in Europe during World War II. He left behind a treasure box with six secret compartments to be opened during her birthday week. He also told her to watch out for the gris-gris while he was gone. Looking out for swamp creatures and dealing with wartime rationing was hard enough, but now there’s a British refugee coming to stay at the house! How will Emma enjoy her birthday and keep her decision to hunt for the gris-gris a secret with a stranger hanging around?
Coming to a bookstore near you in the spring of 2020!

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WHERE DID AMELIA GO? BIRTHDAY TREASURES

February 14, 2020February 15, 2020Donna L

steampunk

All this rain I’ve had to deal with over the past two weeks makes me think of spring. You’ve heard the saying spring showers bring May flowers”? At the rate things are going around here, there will be no shortage of blossoms in a couple of months!

Spring also reminds me of two holidays…Saint Patrick’s Day and Easter. Whether it’s searching for that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow or collecting colorful eggs, treasure hunting can come in many forms.

I choose to hunt for treasure which might be hiding in the corner of thrift stores and second hand bookstores. Amelia travels through time and around the globe to uncover treasures linked to great stories.

Like this special treasure box she found one day while visiting the bayous of my hometown. Inside are messages from a dad caught in a war he never wanted, to a daughter heartsick with missing her father. If you want to know what’s hidden inside, you’ll have to wait until book three of my HISTORY’S MYSTERIES series comes out later this spring. Amelia took off running right after I took this picture. Can’t wait to she what treasure she uncovers next…

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HISTORY’S MYSTERIES: Hunting Gris-Gris

Coming to a bookstore near you in the spring of 2020!

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WHERE DID AMELIA GO? Back To The Future

February 1, 2020Donna L

footprints

Last week when Amelia stopped by the house, she told me to “follow the bread crumbs.” I wasn’t sure what she meant by that until I visited the Titanic Museum this past weekend.

There she was, sitting so smug and sassy at the foot of the actual center anchor from the original ship. Amelia loves a mystery so I knew she was trying to give me clues but at first I couldn’t figure them out.

I knew she’d shared the story of Margaret and the SHIP OF DREAMS with me but what was she trying to share with me now? I spent the next two hours stepping back in time to relive all the sights and sound of that once mighty ship. I felt the excitement of those workers who took pride in building something that had never been created before.

I stood on the replica of the grand staircase, gazing up in awe and wonder at the intricately carved molding and glittering domed ceiling. How fine a ship it was and how lucky those passengers must have felt to set sail on her maiden voyage.

Then came the heart wrenching magnitude of lives lost and souls trapped forever in the fabric of time. Stories needing to be told of the lives lived BEFORE an iceberg stole their future chapter of how they could have conquered their world.

Maybe Amelia wanted me to fully understand how important ALL history is for use who live in its wake?

And then there was the amazing exhibit of the large LEGO Titanic built by a young, autistic boy from Iceland.

Brynjar was only ten years old when he began his creation. It took him 11 months and 56,000 LEGO bricks to built his tribute to a ship that sailed into history back in 1912.

Years later he’s all grown up but his future will be forever tied to the past and how he came to terms with such a tragedy by building something to honor the memories of those who came before him.

Maybe Amelia was trying to show me a glimpse into my own destiny? Maybe MY role is to create the portal where readers can visit the past while moving forward into their own future?

I just think she’s waiting to see what I come up with next…

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Books always make a great gift! There’s everything from inspirational essay journals to picture books…young adult fantasy novels to historical fiction chapter books. Something for everyone on sale now through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books A Million, and other retailers. HISTORY’S MYSTERIES: Ship of Dreams can also be found at the Titanic Museums in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee and Branson, Missouri.

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donna - Copy

Best selling, award-winning 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 children’s picture books, chapter books, young adult novels and inspirational essays by night. Donna is a BOOK NOOK REVIEWS host providing the latest book reviews on all genres of children’s books, and the host of WRITERLY WISDOM, a resource series for writers. Donna is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators and Children’s Book Insider. She is a lover of dark chocolate, going to the beach and adding to her growing book collection. Donna’s latest chapter book series is called HISTORY’S MYSTERIES. Book One, Ship of Dreams, is available in eBook and print form from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books A Million, and other online retailers. Also, coming to the Titanic Museums in Branson, Missouri, and Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Book Two, A Chocolate Train Wreck, was released in November.

WHERE DID AMELIA GO? Follow The Bread Crumbs…

January 24, 2020Donna L

crumbs

I’ll be the first to admit it has not been an easy week for me. It can get pretty crazy when my Taekwondo school, my writing career, AND LIFE is doing backflips all at the same time.

This week, the weather started with me sitting in my office at the school on Monday and feeling the shocks of an earthquake hitting several counties north of me. Then on Tuesday, I was doing battle with snow. Wednesday I was scrambling to get a lot of my TKD students ready for their next belt testing coming up in two weeks. Thursday I juggled several afterschool students squabbling like siblings and teaching a bunch of new students the program. Today, while I’m dealing with thunderstorms, it dawned on me that my latest book, HOW BIG CAN YOU DREAM, launched yesterday. My publisher had to remind me about it because in the swirling vortex of my crazy, three-full-time career life, it had slipped my mind. Glad no one else forgot because we ended the day with my latest inspirational journal hitting #1 in several categories on Amazon and #1 in several countries.

What does this have to do with Amelia, you might ask?

Well, a lot actually.

In the middle of all this creative and Mother Nature chaos, I was also dealing with a medical issue. I woke up last Saturday with the right side of my face looking like I was trying to chew on a tennis ball. I was in so much pain, all I could do the entire weekend was sit in my recliner and bury my face in hot compresses. A trip to the doctor on Tuesday and I was put on antibiotics for an INFECTED SALIVARY GLAND. Who knew your salivary glands could cause your FACE to swell up?

I didn’t.

I was not feeling my best when I got home Tuesday, so I was surprised to see Amelia sitting in my recliner when I walked into my living room. She had come back to make sure I was okay. I was glad she was home, but when I tried to ask her where she’d been all this time, all she did was smile at me all mysterious-like and said, “Follow the bread crumbs…”

And in a flash, she ran out the back door and was off on another one of her adventures.

At least she knows her way back home…

Amelia recliner

WHERE DID AMELIA GO? Getting To Know All About You…

January 10, 2020January 13, 2020Donna L

magnifying-glass3

Some of you have already met the mascot of the HISTORY’S MYSTERIES series. Some of you have no idea what I’m talking about. Meet Amelia Earmouse…

Amelia 1

My incredibly talented illustrator, Estella Hickman (www.estellahickman.com), first introduced me to the idea of a mouse mascot for my historical fiction chapter book series. Estella knew me better than I knew myself and she knew her sassy, time-traveling, globe-trotting rodent would be just what I needed to introduce each new title in the series.

But I didn’t think having a fabulous illustration alone would be enough to help launch my new series. I thought I could use a little more tangible prop to help children connect with each story. That’s when I came up with Amelia Earmouse version 2.0…

I shared the original illustration with my critique group, and my friend, Rinda Beach (www.rindabeach.com), came up with the perfect name…Amelia Earmouse…in honor of the sassy, adventure-seeking historical icon, Amelia Earhart.

That’s when things got a little strange. Amelia seemed to take on a life of her own and pretty soon it felt like we were almost twins…

Oh, the adventures we went on in search of little known historical events and even a touch of mystery! Who knew a little mouse would know so much about history? The only problem? Amelia’s favorite game is hide and seek, so the minute my back was turned, off she went!

Now, I’M the one on the trail in search of my HISTORY’S MYSTERIES’ mascot, and all I can say is WHERE DID AMELIA GO? The last time I caught up with her, she was chilling out in the basement children’s department of the downtown library…

I took a quick picture, but before I could grab her, Amelia was on the move again. Maybe I’ll catch her next week! If you see her somewhere and attempt to grab her, be careful… you know how quick mice can scatter…

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Donna's Books

Looking for a way to spend that Christmas cash? Gift cards burning a hole in your pocket? Books always make a great gift! There’s everything from inspirational essay journals to picture books…young adult fantasy novels to historical fiction chapter books. Something for everyone on sale now through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books A Million, and other retailers. HISTORY’S MYSTERIES: Ship of Dreams can also be found at the Titanic Museums in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee and Branson, Missouri.

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donna

Best selling, award-winning 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 children’s picture books, chapter books, young adult novels and inspirational essays by night. Donna is a BOOK NOOK REVIEWS host providing the latest book reviews on all genres of children’s books, and the host of WRITERLY WISDOM, a resource series for writers. Donna is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators and Children’s Book Insider. She is a lover of dark chocolate, going to the beach and adding to her growing book collection. Donna’s latest chapter book series is called HISTORY’S MYSTERIES. Book One, Ship of Dreams, is available in eBook and print form from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books A Million, and other online retailers. Also, coming to the Titanic Museums in Branson, Missouri, and Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Book Two, A Chocolate Train Wreck, was released in November.