Summer reading with mysteries

Posted using ShareThis

Flat Stanley came to visit this past weekend.  He arrived by mail, just like in the book, and we were so excited to see him.  My husband decided Flat Stanley needed the royal treatment!  So, he got the full tour.  Now, some of you may not be familiar with Flat Stanley so let me tell you a little about him.

Flat Stanley is a character from a children’s book.  In the book, Stanley is flattened by a bulletin board (I think that’s right) and he remains flat.  He isn’t killed, harmed in any way… he’s just… well, flat.  FLAT AS A PIECE OF PAPER.  So, his family puts him in an envelope and sends him off to California for vacation.

Now, I have to say, I have some nephews in particular that are quite jealous of this ability.  Especially Ben, the one who sent Flat Stanley to see me.  So, now you know who Flat Stanley is.  But why did he visit us?

Flat Stanley offers wonderful teaching and learning opportunities.  My nephew Ben wrote a letter (letter writing is an important skill) to ask us to show Stanley around our community, take a picture or two, and send him back.  When a class room full of Flat Stanley clones arrive back in Ben’s classroom they will have a wealth of information from all of the places they were sent!  I wish I was teaching elementary school just so I could do a Flat Stanley project!

Ben wrote the letter to me, but he added a note at the bottom.  “Show this to Uncle Bruce, too,” it said.  So I did and boy, did Uncle Bruce have a ball!  First, Uncle Bruce took a picture of Flat Stanley with a bag of grits.  Can’t get more Southern than that!  Then we took Stanley in the convertible downtown Newberry where he saw the opera house, the town square, the memorial, the book store (with Aunt Miriam’s book), an ice cream store and the Chamber of Commerce.  That evening we took Flat Stanley to Columbia, the state capital.  I even got to see some things I hadn’t seen before.  There is an amazing African-American memorial at the capital, as well as the Confederate Memorial and the capital itself.  The gardens around the capital are beautiful. For supper we took Flat Stanley to Maurice’s BBQ where we introduced him to mustard based BBQ.  Then it was off to Krispy Kream to see how they make their fantastic donuts.  We had to try some of course.

On Sunday Flat Stanley had his picture taken with Aunt Miriam at church, and on Monday he went to Newberry Hospital to visit one of Aunt Miriam’s friends.  All in all, I think Stanley enjoyed his visit.  I think though, Flat Stanley’s got the biggest kick out of his new uniform.  Uncle Bruce felt he needed a Confederate uniform so, yep, you guessed it!  Uncle Bruce designed one on the computer and Flat Stanley was mailed home in historic garb!

Thank you, Ben for sending Flat Stanley to visit and I sure hope that you get to come soon yourself!

Yesterday marked the beginning of my book, The Double Cousins and the Mystery of the Missing Watch.  Consequently, it marks the beginning of the series! 

“What?  HUH?  What is she talking about now! ” Well, here it is.  On April 16, 1905 my grandpa, George Lee Jones was born in Kansas. 

So you might ask, “what’s the connection?”  The obvious answer is that if he wouldn’t have been born, I wouldn’t have been born… but it goes farther than that, much farther.

For those of you who have heard the presentation I use in schools, this will be review.  In fact you may be jumping in your seat, your hand in the air saying, “Oh! OH!  Pick me, pick me!  I know that answer.”  Unfortunately, this media doesn’t allow me to pick you but thanks for remembering. 🙂

When my Grandpa, George Jones was eight his family moved from Kansas to Nebraska in a covered wagon.  They went with two covered wagons, a spring wagon, eight horses, and six people.  It was October and it was cold.  It took 16 days to go the approximate 320 miles.  It was an experience my Grandpa never forgot.  In fact, when he was in his 70’s he decided there were a lot of experiences he had which no one else would remember if he didn’t tell them.  So, he did.  He not only told them but he wrote them down.  He wrote three books about his life.  He wrote simply but descriptively, using plain rancher talk.  The books were full of wonderful examples of his dry sense of humor. I can read those books and still hear my Grandpa talking in my head.

In December 1997 and January 1998 three of my grandparents died in a six-week period.  Grandpa Jones was the last one to go to heaven.  Understandably, I was rather wrapped up in  the memories I had from them, the things they had taught me.  My grandparents all had such an important part in my life, especially after my mother died when I was ten.  Now there are grieving camps and counselors etc. for children who suffer loss but when I was ten, there was my wonderful Daddy and our extended families, primarily our grandparents.  They were there for us, even from a distance.  They stepped up and did what families are supposed to do.  When my Daddy remarried my Mom, I got another set of grandparents.  Through the years these people were always there, teaching by example and there just aren’t words to say the impact they had on my life.  Through this time of loss I decided I wanted to take some of my grandparents stories, starting with Grandpa Jones’ books and put them into picture books for children.  For instance, maybe a story from the covered wagon trip.  That would make an awesome book. 

As I started to study how to write a book, I learned that you should write what you know.  That’s where the idea came from for the Double Cousins and the Mystery of the Missing Watch.  When I was a kid, one of my favorite places was the ranch where my Grandpa and Grandma Jones lived and worked.  We went there for a week or two each summer and often other cousins would be there.  As a way of honoring my grandparents, I wanted to write about this… and I did. 

So, now you know why it is that I can say…. my book series started 105 years ago yesterday.  Happy Birthday, Grandpa!

P.S.  If your Grandparents are still living, go see them today or call them.  Tell them just how much you love them and listen to them.   They can tell you all sorts of neat stuff!

   It’s spring!  Before we know it will be summer break.  I know, I know, for you students and teachers it just can’t come soon enough.  🙂  I’ve been thinking this weekend just how quickly summer is coming and with it the one year anniversary of the launch of the Double Cousins Mysteries.  I’ve been thinking a lot about it this weekend because I’ve been focused on Book Two which I have tentatively named, The Double Cousins and the Mystery of the Torn Map.  Yesterday I finished initial revisions and now I am going to write a synopsis, cover letter, and other pieces needed for a proposal which I hope will knock the socks off of an editor.  One of those “other pieces” is an endorsements page.  This is where people say what they think of my book… especially those comments that includes the question “when is the next book coming?”  I actually have quite a few on file but can always use more. 

Another thing that I believe will help me as I contact editors is a count of the number of books I’ve sold.  Obviously, the more I’ve sold the greater the chance that they will want to publish the second in the series.

So, here is my idea/suggestion/request. 

Maybe you are a home school parent looking for a book to finish the year with.  Maybe you want to have something for your child to read as soon as school is out! 

 Maybe you are a parent of a child who responds well to goals.  Maybe their goal for getting awesome grades would be this new book. 

 Maybe your child needs to read a certain number of books for their school this summer and you want something that has good values and morals!  Have I got the book for you!

Maybe you are an aunt or an uncle, a grandparent, a friend, looking for a great birthday present!  Here it is.  Maybe you want to stock up now on gifts for Christmas!  Have I got a deal for you!

Perhaps you are planning the family vacation and want a book to read out loud while you drive from Pennsylvania to Yellowstone.  Just imagine the miles flying by with this book in hand!

Maybe you are an adult who has never given up his/her love of simple mysteries and you need something to take your mind off of all the stressors out there… this is even for you!

I think you get the idea here.  At this point I have sold over 500 copies that I know of.  I will be getting my report for Jan-March from Winepress soon and I’m hoping to be somewhere near 600. 

Here is my dream!  I would love to be able to reach 1000 copies by the one year anniversary, August 1st.  I really don’t think that is unreasonable.  I have an advertisement coming out in May in the Homeschool Enrichment Catalog, and a book signing set up for May 15.  If you know of someone who might be interested let them know.  If you’ve been planning to get a book and just haven’t done it yet, GO FOR IT!  Now’s the time. 🙂

Here are just some of the ways you can order…. from me, check out my website at www.doublecousins.net.  You can order directly from my publisher at www.winepressbooks.com.  The books are also on most of the online bookstores.  If you ask your local bookstore to look me up (Miriam Jones Bradley – The Double Cousins and the Mystery of the Missing Watch) they should be able to order it in for you.  It’s as easy as that!

For those of you who have read clear to the end of this “shameless self-promotion” piece, THANKS!  I LOVE YOU!

I am presently sitting on the swing in my front yard listening to the birds chirp, the neighborhood dogs bark – the sounds of spring.  I can look around and see absolute beauty in the trees .  My street is undeniably one of the most beautiful in  town.  Of course it’s compact, only one block long but we have an abundance of beauty here.  I sat here this morning in awe of the color “spring green.”  There is a feel of beginnings in the air.  The winter is over and now we get to enjoy warmer weather, new growth, fresh starts.  Of course with all of the new growth, the flowering trees, the blooming flowers comes the yellow haze in the air, the film covering cars and everything else left outside… pollen!  For those who suffer from allergies it is certainly a double-edged sword.  Everyone, it seems is ready for spring.  Everyone loves the flowering trees.  But at what cost.  Ah, there it is, the cost of change and new beginnings.  Always a catch.  (For instance, the dirty sock smell coming from those lovely Bradford Pear Trees that are in bloom all over town.)

I find myself in the midst of a new beginning, an exciting change.  I accepted a job offer today to go back to patient care.  I will be working in a surgical ICU.  I am thrilled and I can’t  wait to get started.  But, at what cost.  I will be leaving not only my job at Newberry Hospital, but my friends.  Sure, there will be new friends at the new hospital, but I hate goodbyes.  I try to remember that I had to say goodby to friends in Florida in order to move here and meet the friends here.  And before that, I had to say goodby to all of my family and friends in SD to get married and move to Florida… and so it goes.

One of my reasons for changing jobs is the book process.  I find that I need blocks of time open to do the promotion necessary to sell this book.  Then there is the time necessary to write, edit, and market the next book.  Today I had an opportunity to do a little of that promotion.  I had the privilege of being interviewed for a live radio program on station CHRI in Canada.  I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and have come to the conclusion that I MUCH prefer radio to TV!  Of course, anyone who knows me will realize that kind of fits with my love of talking on the phone…

My husband, Bruce has been an invaluable part of this process and today he taped my interview.  He has updated the website (http://www.doublecousins.net) and you can go there to hear the interview in its entirety! 

So, whatever you are experiencing this Spring remember… change can be good.  It might be hard, but in the hard times and through the changes we grow… and you just might meet some new friends.

In case you hadn’t noticed, it has been quite awhile since I posted on this blog.  I was doing so well…  but here I am again.  I have exciting news to report.

First, I just returned from a trip to Sellersville, Pennsylvania where I was able to visit a church and a school.  I also visited some of my best friends in the world, the Clark family.  They are the kind of friends that are really family, if you know what I mean.  It had been too many years since I was there but it didn’t seem like it had been that long.  We pick up right where we leave off.

On Sunday night I had the privilege of signing books at the book store at Bethel Baptist Church there in Sellersville.  Then on Monday I spoke at Upper Bucks Christian School where  I was able to share my presentation with the students in the 2nd-6th grades.  What a wonderful time that was.  I love Upper Bucks anyway, it’s where I did my student teaching, but the staff and students were all so welcoming and fun to work with.   Actually, six years ago Miss Dana Clark read my rough draft to her class of third graders.  They wrote me and gave me their ideas and suggestions.  Miss Clark read the finished book (though not in book form) to her 2nd grade class last year, then the REAL thing to her class this year.  I have been blessed to receive feedback from these students.  In addition to the fun of visiting with friends, students, and teachers,  I also sold 41 books on this trip.  That was AWESOME!  I was thankful to hear today that Miss Clark’s class is praying for me as I endeavor to get my second book finished and out to publishers.  I am actively looking for a publisher for the second book in the series.  I would rather find a traditional publisher this time so if you would, please pray for that.

This afternoon, in response to a question from one of the 6th graders, I pulled together the semi-official number of books sold so far.  To date, as near as I can figure, I have sold over 500 books.  This is VERY EXCITING for me. 

Please remember the books are available from online stores, from the publisher at winepressbooks.com, from me directly (check my website), and most bookstores should be able to order them in for you.  Thank you for reading my blog… especially those of you who faithfully check to see if there are any new postings.  I won’t wait so long before posting again!

I love to travel.  One of my favorite parts of travel is meeting new people.  I’ve often said, “if I went to the moon and there were people there, I would make friends and want to stay.”  This trip was no different.  Well, it was actually.  There is a husband back home that prevents the “wanting to stay” part.  But other than that, it is no different.  At first everything is so strange that there are moments when I think, “oh, I just want to be home.”  I can’t understand anything and for a verbal person that is TOUGH.  There is so much busy busy activity, people everywhere, I don’t know what to do, I can’t talk to anyone, I can’t understand anyone.  But then I learn a few words, the greeting words, and it’s a bit better.   Then you start to make a few friends and it’s a whole different world.

Here in Thailand, the people are so friendly.  They are all smiles.  They seem like the happiest people in the world.  They all have to come up to you at church and greet you with their hands in “praying position” they do a little bow and say “so-wat-dee-kah”.  They are all “pleased as punch” that Vonda’s parents and sister came to visit.  They love these “farongs” (foreigners) and they will bend over backwards to show it.  By the end of a week in Surin, after the second Sunday I had friends.  Friends I didn’t want to say good-by to.  Isn’t it lovely that we know we will see each other in heaven one day.  The liklihood of me coming back here is small.  There is facebook… I have some new friends for my facebook… and there is email.  But it’s stll tough to say goodby.

One of my favorite day trips was to the Hindu Ruins from the 10th and 11th centuries.  It was awesome to see.  The ruins are on a hilltop and the stone work is impressive.  But that wasn’t why I enjoyed it so much.  The main reason was that Ya, a young woman who works with the missionaries went with us.  I made a friend.

So, when I go home on Friday I’ll take a lot of mental pictures with me.  I’ll also take some new friends in my heart.  God is so good to us, isn’t He?

There are moments in life where you realize, very clearly and undeniably that this will be something that you will remember forever.  Something so out of the ordinary… something that creates such a special moment for those involved… something so totally incredible.  I had a moment like this two days ago.  Several in fact.

I am in Thailand.   I traveled here with my parents to see my sister, Vonda.  “Ah-ha” you say.  “That is why she hasn’t posted for so long.”  Well, it is one reason.  The busyness leading up to the trip, the trip itself (over 24 hours), then the jet lag..  Suffice it to say, I just haven’t had the motivation and energy to post.  But this one… it’s too good to pass up.

Saturday, our first full day in Surin, the town where my sister is a missionary, we went to the Elephant Village.  This is a village where the entire purpose and industry revolves around the elephants.  The elephants are family.  They are loved and honored.  When an elephant is born it is “given” to someone in the village who is responsible for it’s care and training for it’s entire life.  They have an elephant show wherein the elephants paint pictures (extremely impressive), play soccer, basketball, do tricks, and even step over volunteers lying on mats on the ground.  I volunteered.  It was either a temporary moment of insanity, or extreme bravery but Vonda and I both did it.  Much more pleasant than holding a tarantula to impress my eight year old niece and nephew a few years ago.

Anyway, my Dad was intrigued by the thought of riding an elephant.  He paid a minimal fee to have an elephant pick him up on his trunk and lift him up in the air.  THAT will possibly be the highlight of my trip.  Then all four of us paid to ride the elephants.  We climbed into a basket and rode around the village.  There were several things about that ride that impressed me.  Just the very special moments shared with my Dad (we shared a basket) as we both enjoyed this “we aren’t in Kansas anymore” experience would have made it worth it.  In addition, the slow pace, ambling around the dusty streets of this very simple village, peaceful in the afternoon as most of the people were involved with the show and the tourists left me feeling as if I was entering another time. Then I realized… this is their normal.  This is their home.   This is what they know and love.  We saw many many elephants, almost one for every yard.  The good thing… they don’t bark when you go by.

My dad’s observation of the ride was that it provided a loosening exercise for his lower back. 🙂  He was intrigued by it all, but a little disappointed.  He didn’t want to ride in the basket.  He wanted to ride bareback like the trainers did.  Now that… THAT would be a real elephant ride.   I guess he just wanted to see if it was anything like riding a horse bareback. 🙂

At several points in the three hours we spent in the village it struck me… I am blessed to have this opportunity.  To be here in this place today with my parents and sister.  To see another perspective of this world.  To see another group of people needing the Lord.

I’ve had the thought, several times here that it would be fun to write a “Double Cousins Mystery” here in Thailand.  I don’t think it’s at all practical…. the children in my book don’t come with enough money to travel en masse someplace across the world.  Then… how would they ever solve a mystery in a land where they can’t understand a thing that is said.  I guess I’ll stick to the good ol’ USA for a few more books.  I did a bit of revising of the second book on the plane ride over here and plan to do a lot more on the way home.  I need to gear up to start marketing that book.

So, I’ll try to blog again soon from Thailand.  There’s so much to share from this beautiful country.  Keep checking.  I’ll try to post again in a couple of days. 🙂  The basket-weaving village is today…. don’t think it will require the bravery/insanity of the elephant village.  I hope not, I think I’ve used up my bravery and hope the insanity stays buried. 🙂