Saturday, November 23, 2013

November 23, 2013 - It is certainly wet and cold.  Great weather for Thanksgiving this week.  The Christmas decorations seem to be all up, except  at my house. 

FYI - Inspiring Voices put the map for book I, War with Lady Ice, on my web page.  That address is d-scozzari.com.  So glad it is up.  That web page has a blog tab with links to this site. 

My mother-in-law is here on her annual visit.  So many family members are home this holiday week, so it is nice seeing everyone together.  I can't wait until Thursday!  This cold weather is getting me hungry for turkey, yams, and cranberry relish.  What can I say, I love this time of year!

Hope you all have a great week and enjoy your families. 
Remember that this holiday celebrates learning about this country and how to manage it when the Indians of that time and the English were social.  It is so sad that things changed rather quickly after the first celebration of this day.  My wish is that all races and social backgrounds remember the grace of that relationship that lasted for at least a short while.  It is who we as Americans should be, in spite of the differences we all have as melting pot of peoples; in spite of the world interference and influence on us.

Giving thanks to God for survival, family, and new friends is what this holiday is about.  It is not the kick off of Christmas, as many of us see it as.  (The day after Thanksgiving is the kick off of the Christmas season.)  Take time to remember what the holiday really is all about, before getting caught up in the "Season to be Jolly". 

Happy Thanksgiving - America!

Friday, November 1, 2013

I am trying to post the map for the journey taken by Nathan, Gloria, and Vincent, and I can't seem to manage it.  Maybe someone can give me a clue.  The map is in power point. 

Also, my webpage is in the works - can't wait to go back to writing!

My time is now being spent, in part, sewing costumes for a short Christmas show with the younger members of the family.  The show is entitled A Christmas Dream.  The key players are an angel, a sugar plum fairy, The Drummer Boy, and Rudolph the reindeer!  It is so much fun for me and the kids to do this each Christmas; it is like our collective present to the family!

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Inspiring Voices

Happy Day!!!!!!!!!!!!

Inspiring Voices has the book listed on their online bookstore.
It went up yesterday afternoon, 10/14/13.  So now you can get information on the book and purchases, either soft cover or e-book, at three websites!
Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Inspiring Voices Bookstore!

Progress, now working on getting a author/book web-site up.

Vincent - the over grown frog in The Ninth Region Series

Vincent is such a fun character.  He is spontaneous.  He is funny.  He has his moments of wisdom.  As we get to know him is really a true friend.

In chapter 3 of War with the Ice Lady is where we first meet Vincent:


'The twins made a small fire. After snacking on some nuts, berries, and bugs, they laid down to rest.
A weird noise disturbed Gloria. Startled, she stood up on her hind legs quickly and looked around. She was ready to defend herself when she she heard a voice say, “What is wrong with you? I was only trying to stay warm by your fire. Is that a problem? If there is a problem I will certainly leave. I don’t want to leave because it is so warm here. Tell me if I can stay or or or not stay.”
Gloria looked down where she thought the big voice was coming from. She expected some strange animal that she had never encountered before, but lying next to the fire was a frog.  He was larger than most frogs. His height almost reached Gloria’s waist.
Gloria asked the frog, “What is your name and where have you come from?”
The frog responded, “My name is Vincent. As you can see, I have grown so very large.  The other frogs did not want me to live with them, so I traveled north to make a new home and new friends.”'

Friday, October 11, 2013

Just Sharing: Many kids have trouble in school.

Hi everyone,  Today I have tried to create my face book page.  I just don't know what I am doing so be patient with me.  It is under D. Scozzari.

Just Sharing:  Many kids have trouble in school. 
What I always have told my children is to do the very best you can.  Relax, share with your parents and teachers your problems.  If you do your very best and then try to do just a little bit better, then you will grow in that subject at your own speed.  Compete with yourself and don't compare yourself with others.  Everyone was made unique, work with what makes up you.  Sometimes having someone else explain things in a different way can help your brain to grasp the concept.  I was a tutor in college for economics.  Most of the students that came to me were taught by one particular professor.  I taught them the way I was taught and it simplified the thought processes for almost all of them.  You can't keep banging information in your head the same way and expect it to stick.
Food for thought.

Thursday, October 3, 2013

Availablity update

It has been only a few days since the first book of The Ninth Region series has been "up for sale". (I must remember that patience is a virtue I need to seek out).

My search for The Ninth Region or War with the Ice Lady or D.Scozzari has been effective with Amazon for e-books (Kindle) and paperback books.

Barnes and Noble has it listed as a paperback, can't seem to find it listed for an e-book purchase.

Inspiring Voices search comes up with no listing to date.

I am still waiting for my web-site and business card consult so I can start getting out and talking to all of you.

e-book IBSN is 978-1-4624-0619-7
Soft Cover IBSN is 978-1-4624-0618-0

Once you all start reading I want to hear your comments on the characters.
The second book in the series is about to go to the editor, but I can still make changes in the third book, which is in the rewrite stage, and the fourth book, which is in the rough draft stage. 

I am also exited to get back to my other series.  The first book is call The Treasure Unseen.

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

I got my first copy of  The War with Ice Lady yesterday in the mail! 
Also, my publisher, Inspiring Voices,  is starting to build my web-site. If you have trouble ordering use these numbers:  ISBN for soft copy is 978-1-4624-0618-0, ISBN for e-book ordering is 978-1-4624-0619-7 (this number may not be setup, keep trying).

When I get enough e-mails from a city I can travel to, I will set up a book signing in your area.  So please keep me in the loop of your location and thoughts on the book. Hold on to that book so you can add the others in the series as they come out! I will also keep you informed on my books and promotional events.  Thank you so much for your support.
 

Monday, September 30, 2013

I'm published! The Ninth Region book I: War with the Ice Lady

It has been such a challenge to get this book published but it has really happened.  Now I need you all to help me get book signings.  It  has always been about the kids who read this book.  I want the life lessons, that are Biblically based, that I have told in a very enjoyable, exciting tale get in front of as many children as possible!  The second graders who had this book read to them in a public school and many very intuitive questions for me when I visited their class. Older kids can read it on their own and teachers can use it as a tool.  I can't wait for you all to discover The Ninth Region and to tell me how your kids love it and how you have used it as a teaching tool.

I will let you know when I get a book signing.  If you ask for it at you favorite store - it would be helpful and so much fun and interesting!  Tell me the stories of what part you liked best and what part seemed relevant to you!

The book is available as an E-book and as a paper back at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, and Inspiringvoices.com,my publisher. Inspiring Voices is a part of Guideposts and had to approve the content of this book before it agreed to publish it!

Love you all D. Scozzari

Monday, August 26, 2013

To my readers some childhood memories

Favorite books my whole life:
  Peter Pan by James M. Barrie
  The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen
  Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
  Nancy Drew Series by Carolyn Keene
  Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
  Father Thrift and His Amimal Friends by Joseph C. Sindelar
  The Bible, New American Standard

As an adult I added:
  Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
  Christy by Catherine Marshall


As a kid I lived in an home built in the 1800's that had been used by the Wells Fargo Company.  We lived on 33 acres of land that had two ponds, some woods and old farm land.  I would go down to the area where my father had pushed the top soil into piles to sell to builders of new houses.  There was dried dirt, mud, and patterns.  In my head, I made this my Neverland.  Every time I visited this place, I would image Neverland stories with the Lost Boys and Captain Hook and the Mermaids that lived in the lagoon. This was one of my most memorable times.

In the summer, my father and I traveled throughout New York State in an old Jeep Scout that he called "Jenny".  He would take off both doors and the hood.  He would then secure the windshield down on the hood. We  traveled where ever my father thought he would find a deal.  It was so much fun! When we got home he fixed the purchase, painted it, and sold it for twice the price he bought it for.
We explored every tractor or farm equipment sale, garage sales, rummage sales - what ever we could find.
First day at school for many that live in my area of the country.  It was fun to watch the faces of all the kids as they walked to the bus stop.  Some where exited and wearing new clothes or shoes.  Some looked sad that their summer freedom has come to an end.  I pray for all those students and for their teachers.  I pray that their teachers learn how to inspire, to interest, to motivate, and to teach each individual they find in their class room this school year.

I am going over the "author's bio" for the book series.  It is very strange to write about oneself and I find I am writing just as much about my parents.

FYI: This is one of the sources of information that I used on Kermode bears.

The Kermode bear, also known as a "spirit bear", is a subspecies of the American Black Bear living in the central and north coast of British Columbia, Canada. It is noted for about 1/10 of their population having white or cream-colored coats. This color morph is due to recessive alleles common in the population. They are not albinos and not any more related to polar bears or the "blonde" brown bears of Alaska's "ABC Islands" than other members of their species.
The National Geographic estimates the spirit bear population at 400–1,000 individuals, saying that "the spirit bear may owe its survival to the protective traditions of the First Nations, who never hunted the animals or spoke of them to fur trappers".

Monday, August 19, 2013

Never let your imagination rule your life, yet never let your imagination leave your life.

Never let hope obscure reality, yet always let hope guide your heart and soul.

Never let fear keep you from doing what you were meant to do for God, no matter how hard, yet never let fear keep you from doing stupid, foolish, dangerous things.

Water is our friend, we cannot survive without it and it is fun, yet water can destroy us by drowning, freezing in ice, or washed violently by a wild wave.

Don't forget to have fun in life and bring joy to others.  This does not mean to be reckless or break a law, but to laugh, to cry, to believe in the God who is bigger than ourselves, to live for something larger than ourselves.

And never give up an opportunity to play, as long as your work is done.

Play, keeps us healthy, alive, vibrate, and interesting to be with. The joy of playing with your kids, no matter what their age, is stimulating, relaxing, informative, and necessary to a good relationship.

We think we are wise and can solve our problems, but we forget our problems maybe learning experiences; we forget out life is not finished when breath leaves our body.  That is when life begins.
 

To my readers:

Once Upon a Time you had an idea!

Just think of what to day dream about.  You could be the obvious, a pirate, a fireman, an actress, or a politician.  What else could you be?  I use to think that I was a cowboy rounding up the cattle and sitting by the fire.  Or I could be a detective who found hidden staircases in old houses, Or I could be a treasure hunter of the old days, dropping a treasure in an abandoned well for safe keeping.  My spot would not be marked with an "X" but maybe a "B".  What do you think the "B" would mean?  If you walk in a forest all by yourself, the trees can whisper secrets to you of those that had walked this path before.  The trees are very old, so they must know so many stories that happened under their branches as the years went by.  But, you could travel to the open seas.  There you could find sea monsters, sailors, and sand dooms that come up right where there should be no land to touch. Yet, just yonder in the horizon there is a crevice in the ocean floor that no man has ever been able to go into. Could missing ships of the past that can't be found, be lodged in the ledges of this deep abyss?  Or maybe and an underground city that was covered with the water as the layers of earth shifted and the water went wild across the expanse of the ocean.  Don't forget the mountains, and rain forests, and deserts, and wild rivers with rapids and falls, and Arctic lands.  All have their stories to be told. What a great dream to fall asleep to, thinking of all the possibilities of the past and future.  What part are you going to play in these adventures?

Monday, July 29, 2013

Hi, everyone who maybe following this blog.  The book is signed off and ready to go, but marketing will not talk to me until the book is "live" (actually out there for sale).  Can you believe it? I don't have the materials to present to bookstores, etc., nor can I talk to the publisher about a marketing program until the book is physically up for sale.  You would think a marketing plan would be in place by time that happened.  My mouth is wide open!  I just want to write.  Let this process just go away like a bad dream! 

Not to toot my own horn, but everyone (kids and adults) who have read this book has said it was great. Of course there were helpful comments that I appreciated, but all comments have been positive  I am so anxious to see what you all,or you guys (I was born and raised in New York State), have to say about it.  Let me hear from you once this book is "live"!

Thursday, July 25, 2013

07/25/2013 Take a look



 Take a look!  I wanted this cover to be intriguing, but not too scary.  The artist got the look of Kermode bears pretty good.  I can't wait to get the second book to the editor.  It is almost ready. 

I am frustrated with how long this is all taking.  Hurry to make decisions and then wait.  But if you all like the book, it will be worth it.

My granddaughter just call and I have to pick her up to take her to work so I have to go. 

Hey, if anyone has ideas on business cards or comments on the cover please e-mail me or comment on this blog. 

Thanks!  Donna

Thursday, June 13, 2013

June 14, 2013

Good Evening,

I can't sleep because my first  book is about to be finished and ready to go on the market.  It is not that I want to make money, though nobody that I know doesn't like to to that, but I just want to have maturing children share with me the adventures that come to me.  I would love to hear from all of you.  My e-mail is d.scozzari@yahoo.com and I will soon have a website connected to my publisher, Inspiring Voices. 

My first priority is to get book two into print, "The Knight of Nettle" and then the third book, "Let Us hold Fast".  The fourth book is in the works an is called, "To Live in Darkness or in Light".

Back to the beginning, I wrote this book, "War with Ice Lady" several years ago while I was reading books and on line.  For no reason that I can explain, a story entered my head and I just had to get it written down.  At that time I really did not even think about publishing.  Several years later I had written the other books in the series and had started a new series.  At that time it seemed prudent to commit to get the first series published before I proceeded further on my pirate stories. So I made myself stop writing and contacted man publishers.  I decided on Inspiring Voices.

Yesterday I had to make a decision on the cover of the first book "War with Ice Lady" and went to several book stores to see what the readers thoughts were. The kids were very exited about the story line and like the first draft of the cover.  That made me even more excited.  I need to find out how to get book signings scheduled.

Note:  I had a teacher read this book to her second grade class.  They loved it!  Then I went with autographed title pages to the class room to answer questions.  The questions where so thought out!  Like what the second book was about with what characters; why I started to write; would I continue to write; where I got my ideas; etc.  It was a very great experience for me.

I will continue this when I find out what the cover will be like in the final version and how to contact my websit.  Thanks you so much for you interest.

D. Scozzari