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On January 17, 2014, I started a Kickstarter project to help finance Magic Peas and Two Front Teeth, my newest children’s picture book. As well, I developed a companion activity book that will be offered. Please follow this link to visit the Magic Peas Kickstarter project, and please, share this project with your friends.

There are great rewards, so please, make a pledge to this project. Many of the pledges will get your name listed in the book and on my author website in the Magic Peas Thank You Garden. Even if you don’t have young children, there are wonderful rewards for pet parents to have their cats and dogs painted into the book. Or help your community by pledging to a level such as the “Basket of Cherries,” and bring some magic peas to others by donating the books to your local library or school.

Here’s the link to visit and share: http://kck.st/1i75PGQ

The Magic Peas story is a sweet tale about a finicky eater who loses her baby teeth, then learns to enjoy healthy snacks while eagerly awaiting her new teeth to grow in. This is a great story for any finicky eaters, but also, it’s a fun way to encourage all children to choose healthy foods. I illustrated the Magic Peas story with 20 vibrant oil paintings, and the success of this Kickstarter project will allow the book to be printed as a beautiful, keepsake hardcover first edition. As well, the Snacks and Sides Activity Book will become a paperback with more than 100 pages brimming with full-color activities, all focusing on healthy snacks and side dishes.

Thanks for your help!

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I’m so excited…the Kickstarter campaign for my new children’s book, Magic Peas and Two Front Teeth, and its companion Snack and Sides Activity Book. I’m just waiting for the green light from Kickstarter, and then the project’s future falls into the hands of the backers. I’ll post more updates, so please, please, please, share the project once it goes live.

In this sweet tale about a young girl who loses her two front teeth, the girl’s mother encourages her daughter to eat various vegetables every day. Little Zoe learns to appreciate healthy snacks as she anxiously awaits the growth of new teeth.

More info coming soon! Visit my author website for more information.

Thanks (in advance) for your help!

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It’s a dreamy number, really…#1. That’s right, I finally reached a #1 spot on Amazon!

And, I’m currently running a special on the Kindle edition. Visit the book’s page on Amazon by clicking here to get your FREE copy through Saturday (11/16). I hope you enjoy the book and will rate and review the book.

Enjoy this early holiday gift!

Thanks for reading.

Joelle

Don’t forget to “like” the book’s Facebook page: TheHanukkahBook

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It’s nearly Halloween, so here’s a fun look at the geography of horror flicks through the years. Ever wonder where the most scary movies were made? Click here to visit a website displaying an interactive world map of scary films by decade and location.

 

 

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I have begun writing book reviews on GoodReads, and my latest review was of Karen Russell’s Vampires in the Lemon Grove.

I must admit, I’m rather jealous of Russell’s imagery. The way she writes leaves me writhing on the floor in pain because it is so damn good. Anyone who wants to write, or thinks they know how to write well, should read Russell’s stories. Her eloquent composition will whip you into a humble mass of goo.

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Sometimes readings can be so much fun, and I must say, reading for the Healdsburg Literary Guild ended too quickly last Sunday. Here’s a lesson…watch your time.

After reading from Cancer Time Bomb and losing track of time while chatting about writing, I began reading an excerpt from another book I’ve been writing (for too long). The crowd was attentive and appeared immersed in the story, but just when it was getting to a really juicy part, my time was up. Twenty minutes goes by so quickly!

It was nice to hear some genuinely sad ahs from the audience when I had to stop, and I especially enjoyed the reaction to one of my descriptions. I heard that quiet “wow” from the audience that gives you goosebumps and drives you to continue honing your writer’s voice. I must thank my friend Ann Carranza, a writer for the Press Democrat, who offered such a wonderful and personal introduction. The accolades she listed reminded me how I love going after a difficult story (as a reporter), and helped me remember why I should continue to write…even on those days when, aside from door shelves lined with condiments, my refrigerator displays only yellow light glowing through the glass shelves within. The dreadful light accentuates the recesses of the cold box as result of an astounding absence of food. Mustard sandwich anyone? Buy my books!

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I’m a writer and an artist which basically means I’m screwed in the financial department until I have my decades-old overnight success story and get discovered. Until that big bucket of money falls out of the sky, I write, I paint, I check my e-mail and surf LinkedIn. Contacts; it’s all about contacts, right?

So, today, I got connected with an editor from a publishing company, and…wait for it…

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If you’re wondering about the difference between DNA and cDNA and how it relates to yesterday’s Supreme Court decision to remove Myriad Genetics’ 2-decade monopoly over the BRCA genetic mutation test, watch this short and sweet video produced by the New York Times.

The difference is huge and impacts how companies can make money by dominating a product. Thanks to this new precedent set by the High Court, let’s hope this element of price gouging will be stopped. I’m all for protecting original creations and ideas while securing the right to market and earn from those original creations, but what Myriad did by patenting human genes goes well beyond the bounds of patent limitations.

http://nyti.ms/12rGeRe

Thanks for reading!

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Today was a happy day for anyone who needs to be genetically tested to determine their BRCA status. The Supreme Court unanimously decided, Myriad Genetics cannot hold the patents on the BRCA genes. This decision serves as a massive step in the right direction in terms of making the currently expensive test ($3,000 or greater) available to more people as more companies jump in the BRCA genetics game. The hope is that the price will drop as more genetics research companies compete and lower the price.

Wooohooo! Yes, I’ve been jumping for joy. Hanging onto such a life-altering test the past two decades was a greedy, corporate move serving only to stick it to the people who can’t afford the test; the people who can’t afford to not know the results. How greedy are the corporate raiders at Myriad? In one of today’s stories about the Utah company, the New York Times reported, BRCA testing “accounted for about $132 million of Myriad’s $156 million in revenue in the most recent quarter.” As my mom just said, these modern robber barons are “a bunch of pricks.” Especially when you consider, the people they are price gouging are those who are at highest risk of getting cancer.

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I am incredibly thankful to Actress, Director, Activist and Mom (yes, that’s a job) Angelina Jolie for her announcement this week that she tested positive for the BRCA genetic mutation and has undergone prophylactic surgeries to remove her breasts after finding out her high risk of breast and ovarian cancers.

I’m glad she has single-handedly brought this women’s health issue to the forefront of people’s attention; nationally and abroad. I never thought I had anything in common with the gorgeous, charismatic Jolie. But judging by the five TV and radio interviews I’ve done the past three days about my BRCA experience and my book Cancer Time Bomb, I have more in common with her than I thought possible. Moreover, as she sheds light on this social issue, she ties women together with stronger bonds of empowerment as we stand up and tell the big bad insurance companies, it’s time we take more control over our health and future.