Sunday, March 3, 2019

I Don't Speak Spanish

But I Write Spanish



Nah, I don't dance Spanish either..
I never learned to speak Spanish and I know only a few words I picked up working as a nurse, but I love a sound and rhythm of this melodious, dynamic language.
And, of course, I love watching the Spanish dance as well.

You might ask how could I publish books in Spanish if I don't speak the language. Well, I met Carmen, an English teacher in Spain, on Facebook, and she mentioned that she needs to refine her English skills. So I asked her if she would translate some of my books. She agreed, and, of course, I paid for the translation because I value the work of others. 

First she translated two of my children's books and later my fantasy series.

A storybook for children 4-12
A little girl teaches her family and her friends how to relate to someone who is hearing impaired.

When Grandma Rosa lost her hearing, Sandra and her parents became frustrated and sad. They didn’t know what to do and how to learn to communicate better with Grandma Rosa.

They tried shouting, changing the tone of their voices or leaning closer to her ear when they talked, to no avail. Rosa could hear some sounds clearly, but certain sounds she couldn’t hear well.

It became an everyday struggle for the family, and they missed the comforting family conversations at dinner time.
Sandra finds a website for hearing impaired people that explains how deaf people communicate. They start learning sign language and to “talk” with their fingers. Sandra and Grandma Rosa find realize that with compassion, love, and hard work, they can overcome the obstacles of disability.
Sandra enseña a su familia y amigos a comunicarse con personas con discapacidad auditiva.
Este divertido libro ilustrado  lleva un importante mensaje para los niños, como aprender a no juzgar o burlarse de alguien sólo porque es diferente.  La vida de algunas personas con discapacidad no es divertida y vivir con una discapacidad conlleva muchos retos, pero nosotros podemos hacer sus vidas más fáciles en vez de más difíciles.
Cuando la abuela Rosa perdió la audición, Los padres de Sandra se sintieron frustrados y tristes. No sabían qué hacer  y cómo aprender a comunicarse mejor con ella. Ellos intentaban gritar, cambiar el tono de voz o acercarse a su oído cuando se dirigían a ella, pero no servía de nada. Rosa podía oír algunos sonidos claramente, pero otros no podía escucharlos bien. Para ellos se convirtió en una lucha diaria poder comunicarse y empezaron a echar de menos las reconfortantes conversaciones de sobremesa.
Bilingual storybook for children 4-12
Sarah, Emma’s mom, promised to bird-sit Pico for two weeks but soon regrets her decision because the noisy parrot keeps screeching and squawking all day, annoying her family and the neighbors. When Pico makes a mess of Emma’s room, Emma gets very angry, but her friends help her. Charlotte notices that Pico seems sad, and Pedro finds out why Pico is shrieking so loudly all the time. The parrot is frustrated because nobody pays attention to him, and nobody understands what he wants.
The purpose of this English and Spanish bilingual book is to show children the beauty of another language and that learning a new language doesn’t have to be boring, it could be fun. The story also delivers a message that when we don’t take the time to listen to each other, we tend to judge others quickly before we get to know them
Sarah, la mamá de Emma, prometió cuidar de Pico durante dos semanas pero pronto se arrepiente de su decisión porque el ruidoso loro se pasa todo el día parloteando y chillando, molestando a su familia y vecinos. Cuando Pico desordena la habitación de Emma, ella se enfada mucho pero sus amigos la ayudan. Charlotte se da cuenta de que Pico parece triste y Pedro averigua porqué Pico está chillando tan alto todo el tiempo. El pájaro está frustrado porque nadie sabe lo que quiere ni le presta atención.
 La propuesta de este libro bilingüe inglés y español es mostrar a los niños la belleza de otra lengua y que aprender un nuevo idioma no tiene que ser aburrido, y puede ser divertido. La historia también transmite el mensaje de que cuando no nos tomamos tiempo para escucharnos los unos a los otros, tendemos a juzgar rápidamente antes de llegar a conocernos.
Alternate history fantasy
Durante siglos, Morana esperó el momento adecuado para reunirse con su amado Joland y conseguir el poder necesario para gobernar el clan ancestral, que aún persiste oculto entre nosotros, con su estricta jerarquía, reglas mortales y tradiciones. Ilona no sabe que ha sido elegida para detener el malévolo plan de Morana. Tampoco sabe nada acerca de su legado personal ni de leyendas o rituales, cuando comienza a recordar las instrucciones de su madre, ocultas entre rimas. No es consciente de que su tranquila vida como doctora está a punto de cambiar y que se verá arrastrada a un peligroso mundo lleno de secretos. El descubrimiento de su poder de sanación y su capacidad de detener el tiempo son a la vez, emocionantes y aterradores. Aparece un hombre siniestro e Ilona relaciona su presencia con una serie de misteriosas muertes a su alrededor. Por otro lado, habiendo estado enamorada en secreto de su mejor amigo, de repente, se siente atraída por el extraño que aparece en su sueño, sintiéndose muy confundida por el fuerte sentimiento de atracción.

The series is also available in English

EBOOK
available as box set or 3 separate eBook and paperback on AMAZON
 When a young doctor, Ilona, starts to develop unusual powers, her life and her beliefs change. Thrown into a world of clan mysteries, traditions and secrets, she begins remembering her mother’s instructions concealed as rhymes.
Punished by the ancestors long ago, Mora has waited centuries for the chance to reunite with her beloved Joland. Now, she seeks to gain the power to rule the ancient clan with a strict hierarchy and deadly laws that still exist hidden among us.
Ilona has been chosen by the ancestors to stop Mora and save the future of the clan.
She has been in love with her best friend but is also drawn to the stranger who appears in a peculiar dream.
Does she have the strength to fight evil?

En el libro 1, “Protegida por el Halcón”, Ilona ve como le es arrebatada su tranquila vida y se ve obligada a enfrentarse a lo desconocido, lo cual la lleva a descubrir secretos ancestrales de los hunos. En el libro 2, adquiere poderes inimaginables para proteger a su familia y el futuro de su pueblo. Ella puede usar sus poderes para el bien o el mal absoluto, la elección sólo depende de ella. El derecho de Ilona a ejercer como curandera se entremezcla con sus deseos de mujer y eso la lleva a tener que aclarar sus sentimientos acerca de los dos hombres de su vida. Viaja con Ilona desde los tiempos en que su pueblo era nómada, pasando por castillos del siglo 14 hasta la actualidad, mientras lucha por superar los obstáculos en su camino.
My books

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Saturday, March 2, 2019

Palace of the Twelve Pillars: Book One

Palace of the Twelve Pillars

Christina Weigand



 e-book
Print


The Peace Summit was in shambles, the prince kidnapped.
When the rival king realizes he kidnapped the wrong prince, hostilities escalate. Loyalties to each other and country are tested for the twin princes of Crato, Joachim and Brandan.
Joachim, captive of King Waldrom, faces deception and betrayal as he struggles to find his way home. Brandan, at home with a father focused on rescuing Joachim, wrestles with his own demons as he searches for his place in the world and the favor of his father.
Torn from the safety and peace of their childhood, they are thrust into a world where bonds of family, brotherhood and roles as heirs to Crato are tested. Through war, spiritual journeys, death and marriage, will they choose the path of good or evil? Who can be trusted, as the world they know slips into a whirlpool of chaos?

 
Prince Joachim

Prince Brandan


You’ve met the princes now read their story.

Excerpt

Croifan straightened up, dusted off his clothes. “Not a success, I think. Get another plant, Brandan, and let’s try the spell again, but this time use all the steps.”

Shaking his head, Brandan said, “Master Croifan, this exercise isn’t necessary. We’ll never perform re-growth spells. That’s all done by low-level adepts. We’re much more important than they are.”

“You’re no more important than the lowest serf in your father’s kingdom.” Croifan pounded his staff on the floor. “Do it again.”

Brandan with his deep voice chanted. “Powers of Ramajadin quicken the streams of creation within your deepest regions and enable this tree an increase in the life blood that feeds all living things and frogs.” With a turn of his hand, Brandan whispered, “Ignis.” The trees erupted into flames separating  the twins from Croifan, now a small green frog.

Glancing around the room in disbelief, Joachim yelled, “Brandan what have you done?”

“Nothing. Now let’s get out of here while we have a chance.”  Brandan stalked to the door. “I have had enough of him and his lessons.” He stormed out of the training room.

Joachim yelled, “Summergo,” and ran into the garden after his brother.


 “Thanks for not saying anything to Father. I would be seeing the abbots for sure if he found out about my little spell.”

Turning, Joachim brushed Brandan’s hand away. “Maybe I should have told Father. Haven’t you learned not to use your magic for evil, especially during lessons?”

With a push from Brandan, Joachim fell to the hard ground. “Well, aren’t you Sir High and Mighty, like you haven’t thought about doing the same a time or two?”

 He scrambled to his feet. “Yes, but I would never actually do it. That’s the difference.”

 “Well, maybe you should once in a while, and then you might be more human. Besides, who does it hurt?”

“It hurts you and tears your relationship with Asha. If you have no self-control with Master Croifan, how can you ever expect to be king?”

Diving for his brother, Brandan caught his red tunic on a nearby glingkol tree.

Joachim jumped aside and Brandan  landed in a patch of blooming rosas.

 “Setting that little fire won’t prevent me from being king.” He stood and caught his breath before punching Joachim’s jaw and then fell to his knees on the small hillock exhausted and gasping for breath.

Joachim wiped blood from his lip, staining the sleeve of his silver tunic, and regarded his brother. He remembered the warning Croifan drilled into their heads from day one of their training. “Magic of any kind leeches the energy of the adept. You must learn to conserve your resources.”

He offered Brandan his hand. “You deserve to pay. You have no control over your magic, which makes it dangerous.”

Grabbing Joachim’s hand, Brandan pulled him to the ground, rolled over on top of him and sat on his chest. “Don’t lecture me about magic. I can control my magic. I choose not to.”

Palace of Twelve Pillars


Palace of Twelve Pillars

Trailer

Excerpt II



Then his gaze fell on Waldrom. Here was the man, so smug and condescending, who sought to destroy Crato and threatened his parents. He didn’t seem the least bit imposing reclining upon his throne. Disgust overwhelmed the prince, and it was all he could do not to spit on the floor. The man was the antithesis of his father, who, with his broad shoulders and compassionate demeanor, commanded the respect of all who knew him.



The king rose from the throne and waved for the guard to bring Joachim forward.


“Prince Brandan, I presume. I’m King Waldrom.”

“Prince Brandan? No, I’m Joachim.” Waldrom stepped back, and Joachim saw the fire burning in his eyes.

 “What do you mean, you’re not Prince Brandan?”  Waldrom looked at the guard holding Joachim and waved his hand. A candelabrum flew from the wall, hitting the guard and igniting his beard. The guard swatted wildly at the flames while Waldrom advanced on Melvane, standing by the door. “How could you grab the wrong prince?”

The wizard dropped to his knees. “My Lord, our spies told us Prince Brandan would be in the training room.


Small Gang of Authors
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Friday, March 1, 2019

Publishing Resources for Authors by Erika M Szabo

Help for self-publishing authors

by Erika M Szabo

The publishing business is changing.
With smaller publishers closing their doors because the investment into marketing is too high to make a decent profit, or because they can't compete with big publishers, low book prices, and free giveaways created by self-published authors.

The large publishers are cautious and choosy because they want to publish only potential bestsellers. I've seen a publisher putting it on their submission page: "We'll consider self-published books that sold at least 500 copies."
Yeah, it would be profitable to publish a book that is popular already, but then why would the author need a publisher if their book is selling so well?

Authors who decide to self publish:
There is a lot of help on the net and you can learn the publishing process step by step.

Editing:
There are a few great editing programs out there. I've tried a few and although they provide great help, correct grammar and catch improper word usage, nothing replaces a good human editor. It's worth to invest in editing and have your story corrected and polished by a good editor.

Book formatting:
There are formatting programs you can use but I'm partial to manually format books in MS word. I used the Kindle formatter recently and although the book looked okay on the formatter program's screen, there were a lot of issues after I uploaded the Mobi file to KDP. I ended up reformatting the book manually.
In this video you can see the formatting errors authors make.

Formatting errors
 
A little help for authors who don't know how to use the formatting options in MS word.
(Sorry for the bad recording, my PC is ancient and I really need a new microphone) Authors can download a free, formatted template from my website.
Download the MS word template here: https://www.authorerikamszabo.com/store/p238/Formatted_Book_Template.html
Need help preparing your book for publishing? GBB Publishing Services: https://www.goldenboxbooks.com/
YouTube has many educational videos, this is a pretty good one that explains how to format in MS word.
Correct formatting
Book cover design:
If you use Photoshop, this tutorial is pretty useful.

Marketing and promotion help:
This video explains how to set up your AMS ad
This tutorial is helpful when you advertise on Facebook:

Getting help with the steps you need help with:
There are a lot of Publishing Services you can use. Do your research, compare prices, and get recommendations from fellow authors.
Beware of vanity publishers that promise to do everything but deliver very little. They rely on the authors to pay for everything, therefore, they have little interest in selling books to other than the authors. Don't fall for their great salesperson's well designed speech.
https://www.authorerikamszabo.com/my-thinking-board/the-warning-signs-of-vanity-publishers
Research Publishing Services that tell you exactly what you're getting for the price you pay.
https://www.goldenboxbooks.com/book-publishing.html
https://www.goldenboxbooks.com/book-publishing.html
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Thursday, February 28, 2019

Past, Present, Future #1- African American History


by Toi Thomas

For those of you who don’t live in the U.S., please stick around and read this article anyway. You’ll find that it’s probably not what you expect it to be.


Website

The Past

So, I’ve been keeping myself busy in the month of February. A little too busy, but that’s nothing unusual. I tasked myself with the challenge of starting 28 graphic novels, not necessarily finishing them all, and have been sharing the experience on social media with the hashtag #28daysofgraphicnovles (find it on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram). Part of the challenge included me starting each installment of the MARCH series.









This is a series I highly recommend to young people and anyone who thinks they understand the civil rights movement but can’t remember or recall exactly what happened and or what it all really means.

Since this blog is for readers and authors, I’d thought I’d also share this article I found about the 10 Black Authors Everyone Should Read. This article contains so many names I grew up hearing and reading about, yet as an adult so many of my peers (black, white, others included) have not heard of these writers or have ever read any of their writings. I’ll be the first to admit that I too have not read many of their works but do have them on my eternal TBR. In all honesty, I sometimes struggle to read content that I know will reflect my personal black struggle, but I do reconcile to face those obstacles in my own time. 

For instance, I read a book of poems and one of Maya Angelou’s autobiographies back in high school, but I haven't revisited those or read more since. They were hard to read, but I’m glad I read them and will read more when the time is right for me.

The Present

I thought I’d share a few books with you, that I’ve read, containing black characters. These books have not necessarily been written by black people and are likely not to be about “the black struggle,” and that’s precisely why I’m sharing these. I think sometimes, people assume that if they read or watch anything about a black person (or other minority), it automatically has to come with some sort of racial issue or dilemma when it really doesn’t.













Here's a bit of variety for you. Twenty Yawns has absolutely nothing to do with the little girl in the book being black, she just happens to be black. 

The Warrior is a standalone prequel, to a multicultural YA Fantasy series, focusing on one of the main black characters (I adore the Spellbringers series). 

Wires and Nerves is a spinoff graphic novel from the Cinder series (an amazing multicultural YA Sci-fi series I adore) about an android who's current form is that of a black woman. What I love most about this character is that her biggest struggle is being an android, not anything else. 

In Turn Tables (A Reel Romance sequel) the main two characters are a black woman and a Hispanic man. 

She Died In My Arms is the prequel to a series I've been meaning to read but haven't yet started. It's a world of black characters (I assume there are other races, but I've only read the prequel.) 

Lastly, I'm currently reading about Bass Reeves, a black U.S. Marshall in "Indian" Territory, said to be the original inspiration for the character of The Lone Ranger. His life is enough on its own to make him a legend. 

Here's an article I found on 28 Brilliant Books by Black Authors in 2018. Some of these are on my current TBR.

The Future

I want to read more books from black authors and about black characters, but more so, I want to read more stories that reflect the multiculturalism of the world I currently live in. I want to read about cultures other than my own, and I want other people to do the same. 







These are just a small few of the kinds of books I wish more people would talk about, whether there's a special cultural or racial awareness observation or not. Many people argue that Black History should be American History, and while I agree, I don't believe that it's a reality. At least not now. Perhaps someday, no one group will feel the need to be observed and recognized because all will be. 

American History will someday be African, Hispanic, Asian, Native, Irish, etc...
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Find out more about me, my work, and my inspiration at the following links:
Amazon | Goodreads | The ToiBox of Words | YouTube | See a list of my other posts here.

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