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Tuesday, December 6, 2016
Tuesday, November 22, 2016
Saturday, November 19, 2016
Interview with Alex R. Carver
What was your favorite book as a child?
It’s hard to say what my favourite book was as a child, but the book that sticks in my mind the most is Lord Of The Rings (I was a precocious reader and was only about 11 or so when I devoured Tolkien’s masterpiece) My half-brother was working in a hotel in Devon and found a single volume copy of LOTR in the lost property, when no-one claimed it he gave it to me and I absolutely loved it.
What inspired you to write your book?
I don’t think anything in particular inspired me; I’ve been writing since the age of 10, when I was given a creative writing assignment in school. The only thing that I can say might have led to me writing the Inspector Stone series is the TV series A Touch of Frost with David Jason, I’ve been a fan of it for years, and there are similarities in setting and the personality of my inspector, except that Frost was widowed and elderly, and my detective (initially at least) is relatively young, married and has kids.
How did you research your information for the book and what were the biggest challenges?
Research for the book turned out to be fairly easy, if occasionally time-consuming, thanks to the internet, which had articles on pretty much every subject I needed, including how to get untraceable bearer bonds and how much money weighs. The biggest challenge, I think, was keeping the story as grounded in reality as I could while keeping it interesting enough for people to read
What are you working on next?
Now that Where There’s A Will has been released I’m working on a thriller about a serial killer in a small English village, Written in Blood, before I sort out An Eye For An Eye, which is the second book in the Inspector Stone series.
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Friday, November 18, 2016
Doing The Long Distance Love Thing
Long distance love, online dating, writing and working together to build a business, busy from 1,000 miles apart!
They say that working with your significant other can lead to problems. They also say that long distance relationships and online dating don’t work either. I don’t know who ‘they’ are, but my wife and I are constantly proving them wrong! It’s hard work. There is no denying that, but nothing is ever easy in life.
My wife and I both met playing one of those online games. Sounds crazy right? It probably is. Either way, we were both real people and neither of us ended up being serial killers or con artists, so that was a bonus. I still remember the first time that I met Sam. My mom made me ring her to let her know that she was a ‘real’ person and not some sort of man pretending to be a woman or a killer. Never mind that Sam had just flown halfway around the world from Canada to Australia to meet a strange man!
Anyway, that was three or four years ago now, and since then we have gotten married, I’m an official Canadian Resident, and we have started a business together. As I write this, Sam is sitting at her desk mumbling away to herself about something or someone. When I’m in Canada, we work right next to each other, but when I’m in Australia, we also work together. We call each other up on Skype or Viber, and I’ll talk to her as she goes about her day and vice-versa. It isn’t unusual for us to have four or five-hour conversations. I don’t know if that’s normal or not, but it is for us. So, when you add the fact that we spend 50% of our lives apart and we are on opposite sides of the world you also have to throw in children. Both of us have two children each, to ex-partners. A total of 3 boys and one girl. Busy.
I started freelancing as a writer to help make a little bit of money when I wasn’t working in Australia. Freelancing allows me to be able to work while traveling. It isn’t going to make me rich, but it’s a good way to top up my expenses while I’m traveling. Freelancing led to me writing my first book, more to prove a point than anything. My wife was having a book ghostwritten for a publisher, and the author they hired was terrible, so I wrote it instead. This led me to write several of my own non-fiction books and some children’s books. Now, I write a lot as a freelancer, several large books as a ghost writer for other authors and in my spare time, for myself.
Sam works for a large publishing company as a formatter and design specialist. She also does freelance work, manages our small publishing company we have started, and manages several authors. Busy.
Sam and I are getting close to when it’s time for me to go back to Australia so that always sucks. I’ll get to see my kids again, but won’t be able to see my wife and step kids for a little while. We are lucky this time as it’s only four weeks until Sam and the kids come over for Christmas in Australia! We have gone four months before between trips. Now we try and plan for a maximum of 10-12 weeks if possible.
What we do isn’t easy. It’s definitely not for the faint of heart, but when you find your soulmate, it’s worth whatever it takes!
Links
The Day My Fart Followed Me to Hockey
Goodreads
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Ben Jackson Author Bio
Ben lives in Tasmania, Australia. While working during the week as a Boiler Maker/Welder, specializing in Aluminum Welding, he also writes of a night as a Freelance Writer and Author.
Ben is in a Long Distance Relationship with his wife Sam who lives in Canada, she works as a full-time formatting professional, publisher, and author. They both work for a number of clients, providing complete online administration solutions, SEO, website work and also publishing.
Be sure to check out all of his books, there is definitely something there for everyone!
As Indie Authors, we rely on our valuable customers to write a review, if you could spare a minute to leave a review of one of our books, we would greatly appreciate it.
He has numerous books in progress so stay tuned for information on those by following this page, connecting with him on Facebook or Goodreads.
Remember, if you enjoyed one of his books, leave a review!
Wednesday, November 9, 2016
Book Feature: How To Survive The Zombie Apocalypse
The author had me at the disclaimer. Anytime a writer warns that his book does not guarantee survival in the event of a zombie apocalypse, you know you are going to have some fun. Ben Johnson has written a comprehensive guide to survive anything from a natural disaster to a zombie apocalypse. Filled with thoughtful and well-researched information, this is a surprisingly fascinating read. Chock-full of interesting tidbits, Johnson explains everything one needs to know to protect themselves. Written tongue-in-cheek style, it is brilliantly laid out in an outline that begins with identifying the enemy, then systematically lays out a reasonable and comprehensive plan to protect oneself, including chapters on food, water, clothing, bug-out-bags, weapons, transportation. Johnson leaves no stone unturned. He gives credible explanations of what has to be done and I especially loved the part describing setting up a group or community in his post-apocalyptic world. Whether you are worried about the end of the earth, or planning to write a book about it, this is a great source that will give you plenty of information that just may keep you alive. It has the added benefit of keeping the reader entertained while it doing it. I received this book to read voluntarily.
Monday, October 31, 2016
Welcome aboard Pete the Pilot’s magic plane
Welcome aboard Pete the Pilot’s magic plane. You’re off to Mexico, where you’ll meet Panchito, Mexico’s most popular Jumping Bean. You’ll follow his adventures, learn Spanish and live the culture. When you return home, you’ll practice using Spanish with friends and family.
This is the fun that awaits your child 6-10 and family in ¡HOLA! Let’s Learn Spanish.
¡HOLA! …is easy to use, no previous knowledge of Spanish is required. Just download the free audio version at http://www.polyglotkidz.com and follow along with the book.
Activities include a treasure hunt, daily expressions, a skit, Culture Corner, a song and directions for making a Mexican mask. There are lots of great activities for parents to share with kids, and parents, caretakers, etc. can learn some Spanish.
BUY IT HERE
I taught foreign languages – now known as “World Languages” in elementary, middle and high school until retirement. I have devoted these past years to many activities, including advocating for more and better foreign language programs in schools, and writing a series of books to introduce children to languages.
I wrote and illustrated¡HOLA! Let’s Learn Spanish because I want every child in our country and the English-speaking world to have the opportunity to start learning a language at an early age.
World (aka “foreign”) languages have not been a priority in our country. Unlike other subjects, world languages have not progressed over the last 50 years! Requirements are low or non-existant. Only 15% of elementary schools offer any form of foreign language program.
As a result, the National Research Council has concluded that “America’s pervasive lack of knowledge about foreign cultures and foreign languages threatens the security of the United States as well as its ability to complete in the global marketplace and produce an informed citizenry.”
Still, times have changed. Increasingly more people realize that we live in a multilingual, multicultural society and world. According to the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, 75% of the world neither speaks nor understands English.
Research has shown that the best time to begin study of a second language is in early childhood. More parents would like their children to start world language study early, and there are long waiting lists for dual bilingual language programs.
Here are some benefits of starting a language early:
- greater cognitive ability
- better thinking skills
- greater mastery of one’s own language
- more understanding and respect for other cultures
- better appreciation of one’s own culture.
Children who begin to learn another language early can communicate directly with millions more people, and have better opportunities for employment. Because of the development of mental capacity, the onset of dementia in bilingual people can be delayed by up to five years.
And here’s another reason why children should start at a young age: Children have the capacity to acquire native pronunciation; their brains are wired to hear and reproduce any sound in any human language. We lose this ability at about 12 years of age, just when most American children start to study a world language, if at all.
Maybe you know someone whose native language is not English, but who moved to your English-speaking country before age 12. Chances are that person speaks without a foreign accent.
My toddler grandchild has an au pair girl who speaks to her only in Spanish. Of course, she is learning to speak English too, since she lives in the U.S. She repeats what she hears in native accent, and accepts the difference in languages without question.
Children who start early will have more time to learn how to express the complexities of human communication in another language. If they study for a sufficient number of years to become proficient, they may become eligible for the Seal of Biliteracy on their high school graduation record. Twenty-two states currently offer the seal, and many more are considering adopting the seal. This seal will show colleges and future employers that the student has a marketable skill. See if your state offers the seal at http://bit.ly/2eE3hBB .
We all want our children to have the best education we can provide them. I want to enable parents to take this matter into their own hands, so that children and parents can have a pleasant experience and that children will be encouraged to continue study of the language.
By the way, the best way that you can encourage your child to love a language is to study it yourself! It sends a message to your child that you value language learning. Also, it’s fun for the family, a great way to bond, and you may want to plan a trip to a country that speaks the language, see movies, and make friends with natives so that you can practice. So please think of taking up the language yourself.
Hopefully there will be a FLES (Foreign Language in Elementary School) program in your child’s elementary school. If not, please ask your Board of Education to implement such a program. Go with like-minded parents; there is strength in numbers.
It takes many years to become proficient in a foreign language. Please see that your child has the tools to compete and flourish in today’s multicultural, multilingual world.
I am currently working on a book to introduce children to French, Bonjour! Let’s Learn French, and have books for other languages planned. Please visit my webpage at http://www.polyglotkidz.com .
Whenever I hear that the age for starting study of a foreign language has been lowered in another country, I get envious! Why don’t our kids in the U.S. have the same opportunity for early language learning that exist in other countries??
Many will answer: “the whole world speaks English, so why bother?”
According to the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, 75% of the world neither speaks nor understands English.
Currently, only about 15% of elementary schools in the U. lifelong benefits of starting to learn a language early? Here are some, supported by research:
So, why is language learning so undervalued in the U.S.? There are many explanations which I understand, and most which I don’t accept. I just saw this alarming figure: less than 1% of Americans who study a foreign language are proficient in that language.*As a result
So, this is what inspired me to write and illustrate ¡HOLA! Let’s Learn Spanish. Every child should begin learning a world language at an early age. How would we do in math or any other subject for that matter if we waited until 7th grade to begin it?
Most American students begin study of a world language at age 12 or 14, if at all. This is just the age when pre-teens are becoming self-conscious and concerned with their image vis-à-vis the opposite sex, not wanting to make fools of themselves, not the best mindset for learning a language!
After several years of fruitless lobbying in Albany, N.Y. and Washington,
D.C., I concluded that providing a book on beginning Spanish and other languages for parents to use and enjoy with their children was the best way to get people excited about foreign languages. So, I wrote five books, each to introduce children to a different language, Spanish, French, Italian, Chinese and Arabic. The writing evolved over ten years as my colleagues gave me advice. I sent the manuscript to an editor, and taught myself Indesign. I love to draw; my teaching tools were always full of illustrations, so I did the illustrations for the Spanish book, taught myself Photoshop painting, and enhanced the drawings in photoshop.
The book is easy to use, no previous knowledge of Spanish is required, just download the free audio version at http://www.polyglotkidz.com and follow along with the book. Check it out on Amazon at http://amzn.to/29Hu1hn in print or kindle (t/c).
Here’s a short summary: Kids 6-10 take an imaginary plane trip to Mexico, where they meet Panchito, Mexico’s favorite Jumping Bean. They follow his adventures, learn Spanish and are drawn into the culture. Activities follow to practice Spanish with friends and family. These include a treasure hunt, daily fun expressions, a skit, Culture Corner, a song and directions for making a Mexican mask.
I am currently working on a book to introduce children to French, Bonjour! Let’s Learn French, and have books for other languages planned.
*Nancy Rhodes, “Elementary School Foreign Language Teaching
*less than 1% ..The Atlantic.com
*America’s pervasive..Executive Summary”, National Research Council
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