The Carnival of Animals

Hey, everyone! My friend, fellow author, and blogger, Elizabeth Varadan, has recently published her latest collection of children’s stories entitled The Carnival of Animals. It came out on October 4th with Belanger Books. Check it out!

Synopsis:

Once upon a musical score, Camille Saint-Saëns was stumped. He was composing a piece of music to entertain his friends. An idea twinkled in his mind. A musical fantasy. Animals in a parade. A tune beckoned. Camille inked in some quarter notes. The melody slipped away. I must let this idea bloom, Camille thought. He sat in the stuffed chair by the door and closed his eyes. Music and pictures swirled in his head: A tortoise waltzed. A peacock called. A lion stomped into a forest. Soon Camille was fast asleep. He dreamed of animals in the zoo. He dreamed of animals far away. Once upon a time, he dreamed…

The Carnival of the Animals, is available on Amazon.

You can also visit Elizabeth’s blogs:

http://elizabethvaradansfourthwish.blogspot.com/

http://victorianscribbles.blogspot.com/

Her picture book, Dragonella, at: Amazon



Her MG mystery, Imogene and the Case of the Missing Pearls, The Strand Magazine Book Depository Amazon Kobo

The Central Coast Writers Conference Rocked!

This weekend I got the chance to speak at the Central Coast Writers Conference and what a blast it was! I taught three different sessions that were packed with awesome writers and I also had half a dozen one-on-one sessions to help authors with their manuscripts. Both the attendees and fellow speakers were really amazing.

The Central Coast in California is beautiful this time of year and the weather did not disappoint. I love San Luis Obispo, Morro Bay, and the surrounding area for its natural beauty as well as its incredibly friendly people. We stayed at the Inn at Morro Bay and awoke to a gorgeous ocean each morning.

I was also signing books and was pleasantly surprised to find how many of the attendees had read my latest novels. If you haven’t been, I strongly suggest you check out the conference next year. It’s a chance to connect with really great authors, agents, editors, and lovers of books. Plus it’s a lot of fun!

Myths, Legends, and Coffee Pots!

Hi all!

Today I'm over at Myths, Legends, and Coffee Pots, sharing some insights into my latest novels and the historical background behind them!

Stop on by and check it out, thanks!

Back from London!

My wife and I recently celebrated our 10th anniversary, and spent a week in London. The kids stayed home with the grandparents, our first time going anywhere without them. It’s been a long time since we took a trip like this, and it was wonderful to be off the grid for a spell.

We had a real “afternoon tea,” spent hours at the Tate, the British Museum, and the Churchill War Rooms. In addition, we day-tripped to Dover, Canterbury, the Costwolds, Stratford-Upon-Avon, and Oxford. We also took a side trip out to Wales and the Brecon Beacons National park. Much of this evocative landscape inspired my last two novels (Between Two Fires and Dark Winds Rising). Needless to say, we had the trip of a lifetime!

I think I’m still soaking it all in, the pub food, the glow of St. Paul’s cathedral at night, and the everyday people we met on the Tube. London has a lot of history for us, my wife and I last having gone there when she studied abroad in college. Although I’m glad to be home, part of me wonders when we’ll next be going back to that wonderful city by the Thames. Cheers!

Short Hiatus

Hey, all! I'll be on a short hiatus for the next few weeks. I'll explain later, but it's all good stuff.

Let's just say that things have gotten uber-busy and I won't be blogging until about mid-September again. Anyhow, looking forward to chatting with you all then, and I should have some awesome news to report. Thanks! 

Gearing Up For Writer’s Conference

I’m gearing up for the Central Coast Writers Conference next month, and so far I’ve prepped my presentations and other fun stuff! I’ll be speaking in several sessions, including panels and one-on-one editing sessions for attendees. It all starts on September 28th.

A couple of the classes I’ll be teaching include writing historical characters in fiction, as well as details on getting traditionally published. I’m also looking forward to speaking on a panel about using first and third person in novels. Needless to say, it’s been fun getting my presentations ready and outlining my coursework for attendees.

I suppose I’m a touch nervous to be rubbing elbows with other authors and agents at the conference, many of whom I’ve read about or been fans of for years. Still, it should be pretty fun. There may be a few slots left open for attendees, if you’re interested. Hope to see a few of you there!

Guest Post for Dark Winds Rising

Hi Everyone! I'm doing a guest post over Tony Riches' blog today for my novel, Dark Wind Rising. I'll be hanging out out over there, so give it a look if you're interested:)

Thanks!