"I" is for "I DON'T WANT A HAIRCUT"

I DON'T WANT A HAIRCUT
Author: Lea Schizas www.leaschizas.com
Artist: K. C. Snider www.KCSniderart.com

A little boy’s imagination goes wild during his first salon haircut. Even with comforting words by his stylist, little Harry imagines bees buzzing around his ears, a giant pulling on his ears, and even spaceships landing on his head. But Harry gets a surprise when he looks in the mirror.



Lea Schizas is an award winning author and editor. She is also a terrific publisher.  Lea has hosted a wonderful writer's conference with incredible guest teachers, agents and publishers for the last several years.

Check out Kathy's Stemke's characters being interviewed on Magdalena Ball's blog today!http://magdalenaball.blogspot.com/

KATHY STEMKE'S WEBSITES:
Moving Through all Seven Days link:http://www.lulu.com/content/e-book/moving-through-all-seven-days/7386965# http://www.helium.com/users/406242.html http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/237923/Kathy_stemke_dancekam.html
 Follow me on twitter: http://twitter.com/kathystemke
Follow me on Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=6147172660&topic=4910#!/kathymarescomatthews.stemke?ref=profile
Follow me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/pub/kathy-stemke/13/269/285
 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DR. SEUSS VIDEO!

Theodore Seuss Geisel, more commonly known as Dr. Seuss, was born on March 2, 1904.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DR. SEUSS!!!



SOME OF MY FAVORITES!


I Can Read with My Eyes Shut!

“The more that you read,

the more things you will know.

The more that you learn,

the more places you’ll go.”


How the Grinch Stole Christmas

”Maybe Christmas,’ he thought, ‘doesn’t come from a store.

‘Maybe Christmas…perhaps…means a little bit more!’”


The Cat in the Hat

“Should we tell her about it?

Now, what should we do?

Well…What would you do

If your mother asked you?”


Green Eggs and Ham

“I do not eat green eggs and ham.

I do not like them, Sam-I-am.”

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE?


Kathy Stemke's websites:
Moving Through all Seven Days link:http://www.lulu.com/content/e-book/moving-through-all-seven-days/7386965#http://www.helium.com/users/406242.html
http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/237923/Kathy_stemke_dancekam.html
http://kathystemke.weebly.com

Seven tips for contest entries by Lea Schizas

Just click on this link for the article:
Seven tips for contest entries

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An Interview: the Characters in "Bubba and Giganto!"

I've been priviledged to host author Lea Schizas this week for the Virtual Book Tour. The last time we talked she promised to bring her characters in for an interview.

I'd like to introduce you to Bubba, a great kid who has had to adjust to several schools, try to keep out of trouble and make new friends.

1. Bubba, do you like your name and if not what would you change it to?

Bubba: My name has been an embarrassment all my life. Now seriously, what were my parents thinking? Every time my dad uproots us to a new place, I hate going to school cuz I know the stares, giggles, and ridicule are just around the corner. A normal name, like Bruce, Brendan, Bobby…anything would have been better. The only person who thought it was kinda neat was Giganto.

And this is your friend, Giganto, who liked your interesting name. Welcome To my blog Giganto.

2. Giganto, do you like Bubba and if so why?

Giganto: Bubba’s nice. Took time to practice soccer with me, unlike some other kids who took extra time to make sure I knew I was overweight. But, what can you say? There’s a balance of good and bad I guess. Just wish the bad were less.

3. Bubba, other than soccer what is your favorite pastime?

Bubba: Wow, soccer’s like my life but I guess, and this is thanks to Giganto, I love to read more. Never was much into books and studying until the big dude opened my eyes and helped me realize that without an effort on my part, I’d end up hashing burgers the rest of my life.

4. Giganto, what’s your least favorite pastime?

Giganto: Eating. I know that sounds odd because of my weight, but eating at my house was always a ‘big’ thing, you’d think we were Italians the way my mom added plate after plate of various dishes to each meal. Love mom but to be totally honest, she really didn’t help my situation any.

I'd also like to introduce Jason, a talented and popular boy at school. Welcome Jason.

5. Jason, why are you such a bully?

Jason: I never really thought of myself as a bully. I mean, hey, we’re teens, making fun is just part of growing up, no? Giganto was cool with it until Bubba came to school. Besides, I never hit or pushed David. Names, yeah, but never hit him. So if that’s bullying…what do you want me to say?

Well, thank you for your honesty. I know you all learned from each other. I hope you'll come back again and chat with me boys.

Lea, I know you're proud of these boys. Thanks for bringing them along. I have one final question for you.

6. Lea, what’s your most memorable time as a writer?

Lea: Creating characters that readers can relate to. Everyone has a dilemma, an emotion, a place they want to escape to so as a writer if I can give them this small escapade out of their own daily life’s routine then I know I’ve done my job.

I certainly loved meeting these boys and learning from their experiences. Thank you for coming. I know that kids of all ages will love this book. Many of them have found themselves on one side or other of this bullying issue. If you know someone struggling with this issue, this book will help them sort through their emotions and may even lead them to improve their actions or reactions.

http://www.helium.com/users/406242.html
http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/237923/Kathy_stemke_dancekam.html
http://kathystemke.weebly.com

Author Lea Schizas Part II

Hi Kathy, and thank you for hosting me this week. One of my inspirations to write Bubba and Giganto: Odds Against Us was my children. While in elementary school, they had encountered various forms of bullying:

Name calling
Shoving
Friends shunning them in fear of bullies
Personal property stolen or vandalized

We’re talking elementary students here, kindergarten to grade six. It’s appalling what you hear. Where does this stem from? Video games? Improper upbringing? Not knowing how to deal with frustration so they pick on other children?

This got me thinking how I can demonstrate and offer one solution to deal with bullying, so I incorporated soccer into the book. Girls and boys play the sport in Canada and it offers a teaching of team unity/sportsmanship. I now had my means for intervention to get frustration out but in a monitored setting.

Next obstacle: who would my characters be?

I didn’t want the usual good/bad guy personaes. Each had to have a purpose so without giving anything away, I’ll break down the who and whys for each:

Bubba: the first person POV throughout the book. Although Bubba is a tough guy and doesn’t stand for bullying, I gave him the name ‘Bubba’ to show that even kids who have self-esteem, can stand up for themselves, have their own things to deal with. In his case the embarrassment of being named Bubba.

David, aka Giganto: Giganto is a kind, loving, and giving student. Because of his weight and the fact he wants to join the school’s soccer team, he is ridiculed and called names. Because of his soft-spoken manner, many believe he’s mentally challenged in some ways. In fact, Giganto is in the Mensa elite, but never shows off, and sticks to his own corner. Inside, he carries this need to befriend someone so when Bubba gives him the time of day he latches on. The danger in his need to ‘fit in’ means he holds back, hides a fact about him to Bubba that places his life in danger finally.

Johnny: Johnny is the typical kid who likes the leader of a group and stays friends even though he’s partial to the other friends. He joins their three-on-three soccer scrimmage for his own personal needs to show-off, yet along the way he realizes there’s more to Giganto and clearly understands why Bubba likes being around him.

The bullies: typical bullies who like to pick on others for their own self-gratification. However, I gave the leader of this ‘bad tag team’ a reason to explain his actions. I can’t reveal what they are but suffice to say they play a big role all the way through. Bullies don't just bully without having a reason behind it. May stem from family situations (abuse, older siblings picking on them) and they take it out on other kids.

Besides bullying, there had to be another connecting factor associated with teens and their indifference to a life-threatening situation. The health issue I chose is one my son experienced. Once again I can’t reveal it or else it will spoil the mystery in the book. But it’s an important enough health issue to connect and show children the risks they take if they don’t take care of themselves.

Kathy, if you don’t mind, I’d love to bring my characters later this week to answer some of your interview questions. They’ve been bugging me for some spotlight time and I’ve…well…couldn’t say no to these guys.

Bubba & Giganto:Odds Against Us
by
Lea Schizas

4RV Publishing LLC
PO Box 6482
Edmond, OK 73083-6482
http://www.4rvpublishingllc.com
ISBN: 978-0-9797513-6-3
$10.99US

Available at:
Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/Bubba-Giganto-Odds-Against-Us/dp/0979751365/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1219156292&sr=1-1
4RV Publishing
http://4rvpublishingllc.com/Store.html
Barnes & Noble
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Bubba-and-Giganto/Lea-Schizas/e/9780979751363/?itm=1
The Reading Warehouse
http://www.thereadingwarehouse.com/book.php?ISBN=9780979751363

E-Mail President@4rvpublishingllc.com
E-Mail Author : museitupeditor@yahoo.ca

VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR GUEST LEA SCHIZAS

Author Lea Schizas is the founder of The MuseItUp Club, an online critique community, the Muse Online Writers Conference, and co-founder of Apollo’s Lyre. Each of these venues has consistently been in Writer’s Digest 100 Top Writing Sites since 2005.

Bubba & Giganto:Odds Against Us
by
Lea Schizas

Synopsis of Book

Bubba hates it when his dad gets a contract for a new project. That means uprooting the family from one city and moving to another. Attending a new school is a major pet peeve of his. His smart alecky nature attracts the bullies in every school he’s attended.

On the first day of school, Bubba bumps into this rather large student. Fearing a confrontation, he wears his tough guy attitude and waits for the punches to begin. Remarkably, the new student apologizes, and Bubba and David (aka Giganto as Bubba eventually nicknames him) become best friends.

Bubba and Giganto try out for the high school soccer team, and that’s when trouble begins. Bubba knew eventually he’d meet the bullies of the school, and he was right.

In the first initial weeks, Bubba learns about a death that occurred the previous year; faces the bullies on several occasions; helps Giganto practice soccer before tryouts; and challenges the bullies to a scrimmage.

Little does Bubba know Giganto holds a secret - one that will place Giganto in a deadly situation.

BUBBA AND GIGANTO
Reviewed by Beverly Stowe McClure

Lea Schizas has written another page turner. Once I started reading about Bubba and David, AKA Giganto, I couldn’t stop. Before I knew it I’d read the whole story. I’m so glad I did.

Bubba (yes, Bubba, not Bobby or Brendan) Jacobson, tough guy, smart mouth, sensitive heart, and David (Giganto) Montana, nice guy, picked on by bullies, big and clumsy, are the least likely of friends. But when they meet on the first day of ninth grade a remarkable friendship is formed.

This is Bubba’s first year at Pierson High, and he’s delighted to discover they have a soccer team. Questions arise, however, when Bubba and David try out for the team. Why does Mr. Ambrose, the gym teacher, tell Bubba not to push David (Giganto) into something he doesn’t want to do? What is the secret about the boy who died during a soccer scrimmage the previous year? Is David (Giganto) connected to the tragedy? And why is Jason, all-star athlete with an attitude, so determined David doesn’t make the team?

Ms. Schizas is a master at surprise endings. Just when you think you know all the answers, she changes the questions with an unexpected twist or two. I never saw this one coming.

Themes of bullies, soccer, friendship, and forgiveness are woven through this short story, making it one boys can relate to and will enjoy reading. I recommend it for reluctant readers, children who perhaps are facing their own bullies, and also for sports lovers and everyone who enjoys a fast-paced book with continuous action.

Bubba & Giganto:Odds Against Us
by
Lea Schizas

4RV Publishing LLC
PO Box 6482
Edmond, OK 73083-6482
http://www.4rvpublishingllc.com
ISBN: 978-0-9797513-6-3
$10.99US

Available at:
Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/Bubba-Giganto-Odds-Against-Us/dp/0979751365/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1219156292&sr=1-1
4RV Publishing
http://4rvpublishingllc.com/Store.html
Barnes & Noble
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Bubba-and-Giganto/Lea-Schizas/e/9780979751363/?itm=1
The Reading Warehouse
http://www.thereadingwarehouse.com/book.php?ISBN=9780979751363

E-Mail President@4rvpublishingllc.com
E-Mail Author : museitupeditor@yahoo.ca