Last official stop on the Travel the States tour

Today is the last stop and it's a good one. I'm the guest on Mr. Hughes' blog. He has a delightful write up about me and helping in the classroom via the internet. I love it when the enthusiasm of a teacher comes through and they really enjoy what they are doing.

I'm off to a live book signing today and will be back to check comments afterwards. Remember leave your email addy in the comment to be eligible for the drawing.


And just to tease you all a bit, Aidana has finished the cover for book #3 and so I thought today would be a good time to unveil the next book in the series. Hope you all enjoy it. I really like #3, don't know why but it is my fav so far, even though I really like her Sacajawea drawing a lot on book #1.

Congratulations and moving to the next stop

My time for hosting Trockle has come to an end. It has been a fun day. Thank you to all who visited my blog today. Don't be a stranger now that you know where I am.

I had 90 hits with 40 comments total, with thirteen commenters and fourteen comments that were not from Vivian, Jordan or myself. (Rena posted a comment on each article.)

Now for the good news; congratulations goes to Chris Redding for winning the tote bag. Congratulations, Chris. Enjoy it. (Vivian will email you for your mailing address).

Now it's time for me to get serious and get some work done - see you all in the postings and be on the lookout for some updates on the states soon.

Next stop on the tour, tomorrow, Monday, September 15: Aidana's Cover Chat blog - Stop over and see what interesting article or other information Aidana has for us.

Monsters Under the Bed, part 2

MONSTERS UNDER THE BED: a response
by Jordan Vinyard

I am not a parent, so I haven't had any first hand experience combatting monsters under the bed. That being said, I do understand the notion of monsters. No, not the orange horned kind, but illogical lurking beasts just the same. Everyone has fears, and often we can't even explain the basis for those fears and concerns.





When I first read Trockle, I was immediately captivated by the developing relationship between monster and boy. The aspect I liked best, was that this was not just a lesson for children. This was a lesson for everyone. I began thinking about all the times that I had pre-conceived ideas about a person, and how worried or fearful I was that I wouldn't get along with them or we wouldn't like one another. Often, I found that they had the same worries or concerns. Like children, our imaginations often get the best of us. We let our minds run wild, and get in the way of realizing the commonalities between ourselves and others.




Don't forget the comments - see you all in the postings - Ms. E :)

Monsters Under the Bed

Monsters Under the Bed: Don’t Bother to Look for the Logic
by Holly Jahangiri, author of Trockle

It’s pointless to argue with a child who believes there are monsters under the bed. Parents who try to apply rational logic to an irrational fear are setting themselves up for frustration and sleepless nights.

Imagination and fear make powerful allies. It’s dark at night. Suddenly, the child is deprived of sight – a whole sense gone in the flick of a light switch. And mom or dad insists that darkness is a good thing – you need darkness to sleep. (In fact, we all know that it’s just because Dad doesn’t really own stock in the electric company, and we don’t need light to see when our eyes are closed. Already, the parents’ credibility is going down the drain with the sewer monsters.) The house creaks. Grandpa snores. The water heater gurgles. The faucet drips. The refrigerator downstairs crackles and growls as it goes into the defrost cycle. A branch taps against the glass on the other side of the curtains. Children are smart, but their imaginations know no bounds; it’s just unthinkable to them that the adults they trust can’t see the monsters that lurk beneath the bed, in the closet, down in the basement, or up in the attic. Don’t they know that the darkness draws them out of their cool, dark hidey holes? Surely they’re not in league with the monsters…
Apply all the logic you like; it’s just not going to convince anyone under the age of ten. I suspect it won’t convince anyone over the age of ten, either, but middle schoolers are too cool to admit to having irrational fears or believing in monsters. Authors like R.L. Stine and Stephen King know better. We never outgrow our monsters – not really. Mine masquerade as spiders and hypodermic needles.

But we can make peace with them.

We can try to be equally irrational and spray the room with Monster Repellent (Febreeze makes a good one with a nice fresh scent that also helps to eliminate funky tennis shoe odor) or we can go with the flow and offer up the monster’s side of the story.

That’s what I did with Trockle. Of course, my sole intent, at the time, was to see to it that a sleepless night with the ceiling light on was at least not wasted time. William could practice reading. I started out writing the story of a little boy named Stephen who didn’t want to go to bed because he was afraid of monsters. Suddenly the little monster under the bed piped up and insisted I tell his story, too! He told me that his name was Trockle. He liked Choco-Tacos. (My son and I were standing in Ace Hardware one day after Trockle was published, and he was looking for an ice cream treat in their freezer. “Mom, they have Choco-Tacos!” Imagine my surprise – I didn’t know there was such a thing! William and I had to try them, of course. Thanks, Trockle – they’re pretty tasty!) Trockle showed me what it was like for him, under the bed. He didn’t want to go to sleep, either. I smiled as I watched his mother tuck him in. She gently reassured Trockle that Stephen – the great big, scary boy over the bed – wasn’t so terribly different from him. Once you got past the rather startling differences in their appearances, they had more in common than they realized. Trockle thought it was just hilarious that Stephen was afraid of him.
See? Grown-ups aren’t stupid. We know all about the little monsters under – and over – the bed. And we love them, icky sticky hands and all.


Don't forget - leave comments or questions (and don't forget the email addy) for Ms. Holly or Ms. Jordan and your name will go in a drawing to win a Trockle tote bag.

Trockle is available at 4RV's site, amazon.com, and bookstores everywhere.

Next stop is Ms. Aidana's Cover Chat blog tomorrow. Hope to see you all in the postings and following the tour. - Ms. E :)

One more day!!

Did we tell you we were hosting Trockle here? Well if not, you should know we are. So we thought we would introduce the creator and illustrator of the book by giving you their bios and a picture (we tried to upload the back cover of the book but it is not wanting to do so, but you can check out the the 4RV site to see it). You can also find the first blog posting on Ms. Vivian's site along with how the story came about. Tomorrow, an article by Ms. Holly and Ms. Jordan will be posted, but it is our understanding that Ms. Holly is without power right now due to Hurricane Ike being a brat (kind of like Mary Beth over here) and coming up through Texas area where she lives. So we don't expect her to stop by to make comments, but maybe her sister-in-law can post something to keep us updated on what is going on with Ms. Holly. Hopefully Ms. Jordan won't be too busy and can take a few minutes to come visit us and leave some comments.

Remember everyone who leaves a comment and a valid email address will go in a drawing for a tote bag with the cover of the book on it. It is so cute since it has both front and back covers on it. Remember to ask questions and leave comments for them so we know that you are following the tour.

And now Ms. Holly and Ms. Jordan -

Ms. Holly:

Holly Jahangiri is a professional writer with over twenty-five years’ experience: In technical writing, freelancing, and editing, which feeds the family, and in creative writing – fiction and poetry – which feeds the soul.

On a really good writing day, she claims (tongue-in-cheek) to be channeling the spirits of Edgar Allan Poe, Erma Bombeck, and O. Henry. Her writing has been compared to Spider Robinson’s and Douglas Adams’s. On a really bad writing day, she claims to have poured every last ounce of her creative ability and energy into childbirth, and has two wonderful children – her son, William, and her daughter, Katie – to prove it. But regardless of whether it’s a good day or a bad day, she’s grateful for her friends, and for the love and support of J.J., her husband of nearly a quarter century.


Ms. Jordan:

From small awkward sketches at the age of five to highly detailed photorealistic drawings, detail oriented paintings, installation projects, and colorful illustrations; Jordan Vinyard’s pursuit of art has been ever prevalent At the age of 24, Jordan graduated from the University of Central Oklahoma with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and was honored by the College of Arts, Media, and Design with the Award of Excellence, the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition Scholarship, and was the fall 2007 Class Marshall. Upon graduation Jordan become an illustrator for 4RVPublishing as well as continuing studio work and mural painting. In the winter of 2008, she had an exhibition, Dichasms, at the Indpendent Artists of Oklahoma Gallery, as well as marking the completion of her first book, Trockle. Shortly afterwards she was included in a group exhibition, Opposites Attract, at the Arts Alliance Center in Houston, Texas. She also received the Momentum Spotlight Honorarium, in which the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition funded an installation and drawing proposal for Liggett Studios in Tulsa, Oklahoma. As the fall of 2008 Jordan prepares for another group show, 12X12 in Oklahoma City, and the completion of her second book, Prarie Dog Cowboy. Jordan’s goal is to continue her multifaceted pursuit of art, and exemplify her passion for it.

Tomorrow, a couple of wonderful articles - enjoy - the JGDS and Ms. E :)

Trockle is coming!

September 13 - 21, 2008

Trockle - author Holly Jahangiri and illustrator Jordan Vinyard

(click on host name to go to site)



Sept. 13 Vivian Zabel

Sept. 14 Elysabeth Eldering

Sept. 15 Aidana WillowRaven

Sept. 16 Steph Cardin
Also Miguel de Luis Espinosa

Sept. 17 Ian William
Also Lea Schizas

Sept. 18 Susan Thompson
Also Joyce Anthony - first of 4 days to host
1st day - Introduce book, synopsis, etc.
2nd day - Author/illustrator bios
3rd day - Author/illustrator interviews
4th day - Author's choice of guest-blogging, an excerpt from book, or book review by host

Sept. 19 Beverly Stowe McClure and Beverly's 2nd Blog
Also Joyce Anthony - 2nd day (see first day)

Sept. 20 Joyce Anthony - 3rd day (see first day)

Sept. 21 Karen L. Syed
Also Joyce Anthony - 4th day (see first day)



Be on the lookout over the next couple of days leading up to the Trockle tour for bios and pictures of both the author and illustrator.

On my day of hosting, Holly will present a short article with comments from Jordan as well as replies to comments left here. Everyone leaving a comment on the 14th of September during my hosting time for Trockle, Holly and Jordan, will have his/her name go in a drawing for a Trockle bag. So remember to leave a valid email address so that if you are the winner, you can be contacted and have your prize mailed to you. Thanks for coming to see us - Ms. E