Medieval-style Tunics for Book Launch

So I ordered myself a cute medieval-style tunic top with bell sleeves for my book launch and subsequent signings for SHADOWS OF VALOR from the internet company “Holy Clothing” (the name playing on the term “Holy Cow!” I believe). Tunic pictured below:

My cute little girls, when they saw what I’d ordered, yelled, “We want one, too!” Hmm, the top was a little too pricy for ordering three more, not to mention they didn’t come in kids’ sizes. What to do?

I went through my costume patterns and picked out a pattern for a medieval dress with bell sleeves that I planned to shorten, making it into a shirt (instead of the long dress the pattern was for), but I would have to make each one from scratch, something I could do, but that would take considerable time.

Then the thought hit me: Why not get some pre-made modern dresses and simply modify them to what I wanted. Brilliant! So off we went to the local thrift store and found some dresses for $5 apiece and a gold-colored bed sheet for $2 for the bell sleeves on one of the dresses. I set to work and got the projects done within a few hours.

The girls modeled their new tunics for me and I got some cute shots. We’re ready for the book launch on September 7, 2013!

My First Book Giveaway!

I'm excited to announce my first signed ARC (Advanced Reading Copy) giveaway for SHADOWS OF VALOR, hosted by Goodreads.com. It's open to the United States, Canada, Great Britain and Australia! You go to the link I've provided - http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/59708-shadows-of-valor - and simply enter for free (you might have to create a profile on Goodreads, though, before you do, unless you already have one). The dates run for only four weeks (July 21 - Aug 17), afterwhich, Goodreads picks a winner, sends me the winner's mailing address, and I sign the ARC and send it to that lucky person ALL BEFORE MY BOOK IS NATIONALLY RELEASED! Cool, huh!? So go forth! Enter to win. I've provided ONE copy for this giveaway. If I have a good response, I'll do another giveaway after the first one ends.

My Interview on Tayla Durham's blog!

Hey everyone, my sweet, young writer friend, Tayla Durham, is having me as a guest on her blog! SO WONDERFUL! I answered 10 interview questions she came up with about myself and SHADOWS OF VALOR. Here's the link if you're interested: http://twistedviolinist.blogspot.com/2013/07/interview-with-elsie-park.html

Rachel K. Johnson: Interview with Elsie Park

Rachel K. Johnson: Interview with Elsie Park: I'm here introducing Elsie Park, a debut author and a friend whose book Shadows of Valor  is coming out September 7, 2013. ...

Same Title, Two Different Books

Some have already been confused by the fact that there are TWO books out there holding the same title of SHADOWS OF VALOR. When ordering my book or looking it up on the internet, especially on Barnes and Noble or Amazon, be careful not to confuse my medieval fiction SHADOWS OF VALOR by ELSIE PARK with the sci/fi fantasy e-book by Patricia Hamill. It is not the same book nor is Patrica Hamill my pen name - I do not write under a pen name. That being said, I wish all the best to Patricia Hamill for her book, too.

Simple Healthy Banana Milkshake

I've rediscovered the simple joy of a banana milkshake. I don't like eating ripe bananas alone. I prefer them a little green. So I can only do three things with ripe bananas: 1) Use them in banana bread, muffins, or pancakes, 2) freeze them to use in icy smoothies, or 3) put them in a blender with some almond milk (or other milk) and puree it into a delicious, frothy shake. Mmmm. So good! And so healthy. I don't add any sugar and my kids love it that way. Bananas are packed full of sugars anyway. ENJOY!

Shadows of Valor Cover Reveal!

Here it is! The cover to my medieval fiction, Shadows of Valor. I LOVE IT! My heroine, Elsbeth, is at the top (gorgeous) and my hero, The Shadow, is in the bottom right corner (so handsome and mysterious). LOVE IT!!! Though Jolly Fish Press' executive editor, Christopher Loke, and his design team touched up the photos and designed the awesome cover, it was Yelena Baykova who shot the pictures of cover models Paulina Baykova and Brady Knighton who portrayed my main characters, Elsbeth and Sir Calan/The Shadow. Thank you all for working together to create a beautiful and striking cover for SHADOWS OF VALOR! GREAT PHOTOGRAPHY! Release date September 7, 2013!

Below is the Facebook banner for Shadows of Valor (wonderful cover models!)

I've seen Shadows of Valor book cover!

I've seen it! The cover to Shadows of Valor, and it's AWESOME! I'll plaster it all over the internet as soon as it officially gets released from Jolly Fish Press (hopefully this week). I'm so dang excited. My story has a FACE *smile*! EEEEEE!

UP IN THE AIR by ANN MARIE MEYERS

UP IN THE AIR, a middle grade fantasy!  

With themes of confidence, trust, guilt, and forgiveness, Meyers has crafted a novel that will inspire children and adults alike. Ever since she can remember, ten-year-old Melody has always wanted to fly. And when she leaps off a swing in the park one day and lands in the mystical realm of Chimeroan, her dream finally comes true. She is given a pair of wings. She can fly! Life cannot be any better. Yet, dreams do come with a price. Even with wings, Melody realizes she cannot outfly the memories of her past. The car accident that has left her father paralyzed, and her unscarred, still plagues her with guilt—she believes that it was entirely her fault. In Chimeroan, Melody is forced to come to terms with her part in her father's accident. She must choose between the two things that have become the world to her: keeping her wings or healing her father.

Watch the YouTube trailer here

ANN MARIE MEYERS grew up in Trinidad and Tobago in the West Indies. She has a degree in languages and translates legal and technical documents from French and Spanish into English. She lives in Toronto, Ontario, with her husband and energetic daughter. Meyers is an active member of SCBWI and facilitates a children's writing group twice a month.

Find the author online here:
Twitter: @AnnMarie_Meyers
Website/blog


BUY THE BOOK:
Barnes & Noble - Paperback
Barnes & Noble NOOK
Amazon - Paperback
Amazon Kindle

Emissions Test Failure!

http://cheezburger.com/5373701376

Well, my husband's 1988 Chevy S-10 didn't pass emissions inspection this year. Grrr. I dread these inspections every year. We have thirty days to figure out why white smoke comes out the tailpipe when it's revved up. Maybe something to do with antifreeze leaking onto an engine component or something. Who knows until he gets under the hood. Frustrating. He'll be spending his upcoming weekends fixing his ancient truck instead of spending time with his little girls. It's tough keeping an old vehicle alive. It'd be nice to simply purchase a newer truck, but we just don't have the money. As it is, we also live in the in-law's basement, and we are trying to find an affordable house of our own. Doesn't leave much room for a new/used vehicle.

To top it off, the belt on my old Eureka vacuum broke and I'm having a surprisingly difficult time finding a replacement belt. The vacuum model number doesn't match store catalogs anymore (guess it's too old), leaving me with the task of finding a generic belt, which resulted in smoking rubber from under the vacuum when I turned it on - YUCK! - STUNK UP THE HOUSE! Had to open all the doors and windows, for there's nothing as bad as burnt rubber stench. Can't afford a new vacuum right now, either.

These things being said, my intent is not to come across as "poor me," but to point out that I'm trying to count my blessings in this way:

If the emissions problem isn't fixed in time to register the truck for June, we'll be down to one car. A hassle, but at least we have one reliable vehicle, which, I realize, is more than some unfortunate people have. Also, living with my in-laws, I can borrow their vacuum until mine can be fixed. This is called focusing on my blessings and not the inconveniences of life (easier said than done at times, but always a good rule of thumb).