RaShelle Workman and her debut novel, EXILED!

I met RaShelle Workman a couple years ago online and we became instant friends. Then I got to meet her when she came to my book launch of THE HEALING SPELL at The King's English bookstore in Salt Lake City, Utah. She is a sweetheart! I was so touched and thrilled that she came to my book signing event. And now I'm very pleased to help her launch her new YA fantasy! (Fun questions below!)

 Stubborn, sixteen-year-old Princess Venus of Kelari wants one thing, to become immortal, that is, until someone exiles her to Earth, kills her irrihunter and takes her family.

Now she wants revenge.

First she’s got to get home. But before she can return to Kelari, the Gods have commanded her to help an arrogant boy named Michael find his soul mate. Only she doesn't know the first thing about love.

Rather quickly, her inexperience with human emotion is obscured by other matters—alien-controlled psychotic teens that are out to kill her, and a government group that is set on capturing and dissecting her.

Worst of all, Venus will suffer a painful death-by-poisoning, thanks to Earth’s atmosphere, if she remains on the planet longer than one week. Still, Venus is a Princess and she's got a plan. Surely, with her help, Michael will fall in love with a human.

But time is running out and Michael is falling for the wrong girl—her. 

You can purchase the book on Amazon: 

http://www.amazon.com/EXILED-The-Connected-Series-ebook/dp/B005S5LSU8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322534966&sr=8-1

 

Smashwords:

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/93621

BarnesandNoble: 

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/exiled-rashelle-workman/1106660012?ean=2940032809623&itm=1&usri=exiled+rashelle+workman

RaShelle Workman lives in Utah with her husband, three children and three dogs. When she gets a quiet moment alone, she enjoys reading about faraway places. And, in case you were wondering, yes, she does believe there is other life out in the Universe.

www.rashelleworkman.com

twitter: RaShelleWorkman http://twitter.com/#!/RaShelleWorkman

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/RaShelle-Workman/150080088338966

Kimberley: What do you love most about YA novels, and fantasy especially? 

RaShelle: I love creating new worlds, new ways to live, and think. It’s a lot of fun. As for what I love most about YA, it’s the opportunity to delve into one of the most exciting points in a person’s life. Everything changes, becomes new and exciting, especially romance and love. 

Kimberley: What is the significance of the butterflies on your fabulous book cover? And who created/designed the cover for you?

RaShelle: The butterflies represent change – like a caterpillar changing into a butterfly – Venus’s people go through a similar transformation at the age of sixteen. And Venus wants nothing more than to become immortal (her change). She believes her life will begin then. 

As for the cover, a genius of a graphic designer, artist, etc… by the name of Steven Novak designed it. You can find him here. www.novakillustration.com

 

Kimberley: What are you working on now? 

RaShelle: Right now I’m working on book 2 in this series (there are three total), BEGUILED, which will be released May 2012. And then book 3 will come out in November 2012 and it’s entitled DOVETAILED.  

Kimberley: You have sure been busy writing, girl! How has your experience been managing all the components of publishing yourself: the editing, production, design and printing through Smashwords? Will you do it again? 

RaShelle: The experience has been incredible. It’s time consuming, but worth it. I’ve met fans from all over the world – from Africa to Denmark… from England to Texas… from Canada to Florida. It’s been amazing. I’d do it again and I will be. My books are releasing through Polished Pen Press, my publishing company. I also have three other authors who’ll be releasing under my company in 2012.

Kimberley: So not only are you a writer, editor and marketer, but now you’re a Publisher! Congratulations! 

November Book Buzz!

O November 21, 2011 November Book Buzz is for Picture Books! Best Picture Books of 2011!  We're talking and schmoozing picture books this month so here is a list you don't want to miss, all brand new this year. Will one of these win the Caldecott Award for Best Picture Book/Illustrations? It will be interesting to see in Dallas, Texas January 20-24 at the Midwinter ALA meeting. Have any of you read these titles? Which books are your favorite? Which books will you run out and purchase for your school or library or classroom - or for your own children and grandchildren? Happy Reading!    Retellings of the classic Aesop's fable of good deeds rewarded are legion, but few are as elegantly and richly conceived as this mother-son collaboration.     Everything? Believe it. Fisher introduces readers to a wealth of concepts-numbers, letters, colors, shapes, weather, and more--and does so using photographic tableaus made up of vintage toys, knickknacks, and other odds and ends.     With deadpan humor and a hint of wickedness, illustrator Klassen makes his debut as an author with the deceptively simple story of a bear who just wants to find his missing hat.     In this alphabetically audacious romp, the letter E has an accident, and while it is recovering, the letter O takes its place (with comedic results). The pages are jam-packed with so many linguistic puns, acronyms, and jokes.        Nelson raises the bar in this ambitious account of the African-American experience, from slavery to the present day. Pairing luminous, electric paintings with a grandmotherly narrative voice, it's as unflinching, personal, and dignified account. Wordless stories have a magic all their own, and that's especially true of Nolan's maritime fantasy, in which a child's sand castle is besieged by the tide, setting in motion a dramatic escape for the miniature family that lives within.     Rocco's joyfully illustrated story of an urban family drawn together by a power outage tingles with the magic of a night lit only by candles and stars, while reminding readers that the technologies that connect us can sometimes keep us apart, too.     Savage's wordless game of cat-and-mouse (or rather walrus-and-zookeeper) demonstrates how much one can do with a few simple forms, some repetition, and an effortlessly charming tusked hero.        A boy wanders through his great-grandfather's topiary garden, the sculpted hedges reflecting the elder's story, from a rural childhood to war and finding love. Lane's young narrator serves as a poignant reminder that the things we create-stories, memories, art (in whatever form it might take)--endure long after we do.     Tullet's simple and playfully interactive offering, which invites readers to press, shake, and turn it-and see the results on the next page. Books like this prove that there will always be a place for well-executed, and proudly low-tech picture books.    Friendship is friendship, whether with another child or with a blue toy alligator, and Willems treats the highs and lows of Amanda and her alligator's relationship with honesty and humor with Mo Willems exceptional talent.    Join Our Mailing List! Meet the Spellbinders Kimberley Griffiths Little is the recipient of the Southwest Book Award, The Whitney Award for Best Youth Novel of 2010, and the author of the highly acclaimed, The Healing Spell and Circle of Secrets, published by Scholastic Press. Look for her books at the Scholastic Book Fairs, as well as two more forthcoming novels in 2012 and 2013. She lives on a dirt road in a small town by the Rio Grande with her husband, a robotics engineer and their three sons. Kimberley is a favorite speaker at schools around the country, presenting "The Creative Diary", a highly successful writing workshop and has been a speaker at many conferences. Please visit her website  to download free Teacher's Guides and Book Club Guides.      Carolee Dean has made numerous appearances as a guest poet/author at schools, libraries, poetry events, and teacher/library conferences. She holds a bachelor's degree in music therapy and a master's degree in communicative disorders, and she has spent over a decade working in the public schools as a speech-language pathologist. Her first novel, Comfort,was nominated as a Best Book for Young Adults, was named the Best YA Novel of 2002 by the Texas Institute of Letters, and was on the TAYSHAS (Texas Library Association) reading list. She conducts teacher trainings on inspiring reluctant writers including "The Secret Language of Stories" and "Random Acts of Haiku." To find teacher's guides, writing activities, and information about author visits, go to www.caroleedean.com.       Caroline Starr Rose spent her childhood in the deserts of Saudi Arabia and New Mexico, camping at the Red Sea in one and eating red chile in the other. She's taught English and social studies to upper elementary and middle-school students in New Mexico, Florida, Virginia, and Louisiana. Back in New Mexico, Caroline now writes middle-grade novels and picture books full time. Website  Blog                           UPCOMING AUTHOR EVENTS                Sunday, April 29th, 2012 9-5 Preconference Session Author's Panel at the International Reading Association Conference Chicago, Illinois "Rekindling the Reading and Writing Fire" Join us for this all day session featuring 11 authors including all 3 Spellbinders Carolee Dean Kimberley Griffiths Little Caroline Starr Rose   Tuesday, May 1 3 p.m. - 4 p.m. International Reading Association Conference Chicago, Illinois "The Secret Language of Stories: Beyond Story Grammar" Carolee Dean

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Caroline's Classroom Connections: Book Clubs

November 28, 2011 Caroline's Classroom Connections Book Clubs for Kids: Getting Started Book clubs can take some work getting off the ground. If you're interested in starting a group, first think through the kind of community you'd like to form. Will this be a parent / child group? Will members be both boys and girls? Will they all be in the same grade? Will the book club have a theme of some sort?   Groups of all sorts are doable, though different approaches will be necessary in beginning and maintaining your special club. If you decide to work with all boys, for example, be aware active games might need to be incorporated into your meetings.  You'll need to advertise your club in some way, whether it's through informal conversation with other parents or through flyers distributed at the public library or (with permission!) your child's school. As a teacher I was able to draw from my own students and those in other grades. This gave me an advantage but wasn't a guarantee kids would attend.   Be sure to determine when and where you'll meet and keep this as consistent as possible. If at all possible, print this information and make sure to distribute it not only to the children but to parents, as well. My after-school groups met on Thursdays, the youngest group on the first Thursday of the month, the middle group on the second, and the oldest group on the third. Be prepared to remind kids of this commitment. More than once. While teaching, I was able to keep the date of our next meeting listed with daily assignments. I'd mention it briefly every day. Did kids forget? Absolutely. Several usually had to call home the day of the meeting to let parents know. When I was no longer teaching, this was more of a challenge. I asked the dates to be listed in the school calendar and newsletter. Teachers posted flyers in their classrooms. Kids still forgot. If you're the only adult involved in your group, be prepared for this. Even responsible kids sometimes flake out. It's just the way things sometimes work. Picking Books If you're running a thematic group (fantasy, contemporary young adult, classics, historical fiction), your list will be easier to form. Book selection can be done as a group or on your own. I found, as the only adult in the groups I led, that it was easiest to pick all books beforehand. This way I was able to familiarize myself with titles (or re-familiarize), I could make sure kids had access to books, and I could plan ahead.  My school generously donated money to buy inexpensive paperbacks of the titles I'd selected. Of course, if I had more kids than books, some chose to purchase their own copies or check them out at the library (in situations like this, I'd hold a lottery for the copies I had to share). Planning ahead allowed parents to buy books, request books at the library, and schedule after-school activities with book club in mind.    Next month: Running a book club meeting   I received word that one of last month's links didn't work. Here they are again: Where in the World Are We Reading Travel Log     A special note to those of you who have generously been forwarding our newsletter to your entire school - Please use the button at the bottom of this page marked Forward this email to send to your list. If you forward through your email server, you may inadvertently get unsubscribed.  It's a quirky feature of Constant Contact. Sorry about any inconvenience. Another option is to follow us on Twitter in which case the newsletter will come right to the phone. Join Our Mailing List! Meet the Spellbinders   Caroline Starr Rose spent her childhood in the deserts of Saudi Arabia and New Mexico, camping at the Red Sea in one and eating red chile in the other. She's taught English and social studies to upper elementary and middle-school students in New Mexico, Florida, Virginia, and Louisiana. Back in New Mexico, Caroline now writes middle-grade novels and picture books full time. Website Blog          Carolee Dean has made numerous appearances as a guest poet/author at schools, libraries, poetry events, and teacher/library conferences. She holds a bachelor's degree in music therapy and a master's degree in communicative disorders, and she has spent over a decade working in the public schools as a speech-language pathologist. Her first novel, Comfort,was nominated as a Best Book for Young Adults, was named the Best YA Novel of 2002 by the Texas Institute of Letters, and was on the TAYSHAS (Texas Library Association) reading list. She conducts teacher trainings on inspiring reluctant writers including "The Secret Language of Stories" and "Random Acts of Haiku." To find teacher's guides, writing activities, and information about author visits, go to my website.                  Kimberley Griffiths Little is the recipient of the Southwest Book Award, The Whitney Award for Best Youth Novel of 2010, and the author of the highly acclaimed, The Healing Spell and Circle of Secrets, published by Scholastic Press. Look for her books at the Scholastic Book Fairs, as well as two more forthcoming novels in 2012 and 2013. She lives on a dirt road in a small town by the Rio Grande with her husband, a robotics engineer and their three sons. Kimberley is a favorite speaker at schools around the country, presenting "The Creative Diary", a highly successful writing workshop and has been a speaker at many conferences. Please visit her website to download free Teacher's Guides and Book Club Guides.       UPCOMING AUTHOR EVENTS   Saturday, January 14, 2012 2:00-3:30pm Launch Party for Caroline Starr Rose's debut novel, May B. Alamosa Books 8810 Holly Ave. Suite D Albuquerque, NM 87122   Sunday, April 29th, 2012 9-5 Preconference Session Author's Panel at the International Reading Association Conference Chicago, Illinois "Rekindling the Reading and Writing Fire" Join us for this all day session featuring 11 authors including all 3 Spellbinders Carolee Dean Kimberley Griffiths Little Caroline Starr Rose Tuesday, May 1 3 p.m. - 4 p.m. International Reading Association Conference Chicago, Illinois "The Secret Language of Stories: Beyond Story Grammar" Carolee Dean

Forward email This email was sent to kglittle@msn.com by spellbinders@peifercomputing.net |   Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy. Spellbinders | 3 YAF Authors | Albuquerque | NM | 87181