mgedwards – Page 40

Thoughts & Sayings (October 2012)

Here are some thoughts and sayings I posted on Twitter and/or Facebook in September. To my knowledge, I made these up (for better or for worse). Sit back, relax, and enjoy the write!

Encouraging Words

1. Keep on peddling, but don’t oversell.

2. I may bite my tongue if I say something tongue in cheek.

3. I have champagne tastes but a beer budget and had to trade my flute for a mug.

4. If technology were a pet, I would send it to obedience training.

5. After two failed attempts, I’m back to fail again.

Twisted Words

6. One person’s junk is another’s Chinese vessel.

In Its Own Write

7. I’ve turned a page and am headed in the write direction.

Holidays & Events

8. On Labor Day, America rests while the rest of the world labors.

9. Today at the political party convention, the candidate will deliver this month’s speech of their life.

Random Musings

10. Overheard at a linguistic convention: “I speak Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish.” “Yes, but what about Finnish?”

11. I flew to the other side of the world to get away from jetlag, but it followed me.

12. My bark is worse than my bite, but I do bite.

13. Disruptive technology: The day Twitter shakes up the 140-character limit by varying it.

14. When I moved to the Southern Hemisphere, my world turned upside down.

Click here to read the previous batch of Thoughts and Sayings.

Images courtesy of Microsoft.

M.G. Edwards is a writer of books and stories in the mystery, thriller and science fiction-fantasy genres. He also writes travel adventures. He is author of Kilimanjaro: One Man’s Quest to Go Over the Hill, a non-fiction account of his attempt to summit Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain, a collection of short stories called Real Dreams: Thirty Years of Short Stories and Alexander the Salamander, a children’s story set in the Amazon. His books are available to purchase as an e-book and in print from Amazon.com and other booksellers. He lives in Bangkok, Thailand with his wife Jing and son Alex.

For more books or stories by M.G. Edwards, visit his web site at www.mgedwards.com or his blog, World Adventurers. Contact him at me@mgedwards.com, on Facebook, on Google+, or @m_g_edwards on Twitter.

Alexander the Salamander

Welcome to the debut of the World Adventurers for Kids Series! The first book in this series for children is Alexander the Salamander from authors M.G. and Alex Edwards. The series features more of the kinds of travel stories you’ve come to enjoy from World Adventurers told in a way that children ages three to nine will find entertaining and educational. Filled with illustrated photos and moral tales, these books will take children all over the world.

In Alexander the Salamander, a salamander named Alexander living in the Amazon joins his friends Airey the Butterfly and Terry the Tarantula on an unforgettable jungle adventure. Set in the Amazon region of Brazil, the story teaches children the importance of listening to teachers and other authority figures. Co-authored by M.G. Edwards and his son Alex, the story was inspired by their 2008 visit to the Amazon.

Alexander the Salamander is now available to purchase as an e-book for just US $0.99 from these booksellers:

Amazon.com (United States, $0.99 for Kindle)

Amazon.co.uk (United Kingdom, £0.77 for Kindle)

Amazon.de (Germany, EUR 0.89 for Kindle)

Amazon.fr (France, EUR 0.89 for Kindle)

Barnes & Noble ($0.99 for Nook)

Scribd ($1.00 for PDF)

Smashwords ($0.99 for iPad/iPhone/Kobo/Sony)

Click here for other booksellers

Come visit Alexander’s home in Rio Cove on the banks of the Amazon River. You’ll meet Alexander, an amiable salamander who likes school and playing with friends but is curious about the world beyond Rio Cove.

You’ll meet Alexander’s good friend Airey, a butterfly who loves to soar and explore as she zooms around the cove and can’t wait to get back to flying whenever she’s in class.

Then there’s Terry the Tarantula, the new kid in town who’s ready to make new friends and is fearless when it comes to seeing the world.

Join Alexander, Airey, and Terry on an adventure as they set off to explore what lies beyond Rio Cove in the Amazon rainforest.

During their 2008 trip to the Amazon, the authors stayed at a remote resort accessible only by boat, far removed from the hustle and bustle of the urban jungle. There they were struck by the immense greenness of the Amazon region. The serpentine network of rivers cut through the rainforest, delivering life-sustaining water to thirsty foliage. Exploring the rainforest on foot and by boat, they visited a monkey sanctuary, met indigenous villagers, fished for piranha, took a walking tour through the dense forest, and went on a daytime river cruise and a nighttime boat cruise to watch nocturnal wildlife.

Young Alex, who marveled at a world he had never seen before, inspired his dad to share the experience in a story that brings the rainforest to life for children of all ages. Alexander the Salamander captures the spirit of the Amazon in a fun and educational way.

Join Alexander, Airey, and Terry for an amazing Amazon adventure! Get your copy of Alexander the Salamander at Amazon or other booksellers today for just $0.99, and stay tuned for more books in the World Adventurers for Kids Series.

M.G. Edwards is a writer of books and stories in the fantasy, thriller and travel genres. He is author of Kilimanjaro: One Man’s Quest to Go Over the Hill, a non-fiction account of his attempt to summit Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain; a collection of short stories called Real Dreams: Thirty Years of Short Stories; and Alexander the Salamander, a children’s story set in the Amazon. His books are available to purchase as an e-book and in print from Amazon.com and other booksellers. He lives in Bangkok, Thailand with his wife Jing and son Alex, who co-authored Alexander the Salamander. Alex is an elementary school student and avid reader.

Reader Appreciation Awards World Adventurers

Thank you fellow literary colleague and friend Lada Ray for nominating me for the Reader Appreciation Award! I am honored to receive this recognition from a peer I greatly admire. Lada is my indispensable resource for all things Russia, feng shui, felines, New York, and international thrillers. What do these topics have in common? Visit Lada’s blog by clicking here and find out for yourself!

ABOUT THE AWARD

You may know from the One Lovely Blog Award and the Versatile Blogger Award I received that I love digging into the origins of blogger awards to discover what inspired their creation. I learned that The Reader Appreciation Award was created in November 2011 by blogger Jennifer Avventura, a Canadian living in Sardinia, Italy (her Italian surname is an assumed pseudonym). On her blog, which I am now following, she wrote:

“I’m giving an award to those that have made this past year of blogging worthwhile. You have kept me on my toes, left comments, advice and tons of encouragement. For this I am grateful. Thank you.” (Jennifer Avventura)

AWARD CRITERIA

Jennifer’s rules were a bit different than the ones I received. Here are her original instructions:

1. Award your top six bloggers who have commented the most.

2. Be thankful.

3. You cannot award someone who has already been awarded. And you cannot give the award back to me.

4. Don’t forget to tell the bloggers you’ve awarded.

5. If you don’t want to pass on this award, that’s okay too. Just admire it.

A few more rules passed on to me were:

1. Post seven interesting things about yourself.

2. Nominate five people who in turn will post on their page the award with the link to the giver.

3. Let them know about the nomination.

4. Thank the blogger who nominated you and link back to their blog.

5. Post the award logo.

READERS APPRECIATION LOGO

The first order of business is the award logo. I’ve posted the original daisy flower logo and a new one that I want to suggest as an alternative logo. Other blogger awards I’ve seen have more than one variation of the award logo, so I’m proposing one that’s a bit less flowery and may look more attractive on some blogs. A daisy on a post-apocalyptic, avant garde, or industrial blog may leave some readers askance, so I made a new alternative one with a metallic trophy. The blue, white and red lettering reflect the standard colors of competition ribbons.

OTHER CRITERIA

It’s a tall order fulfilling ten different award obligations, so let me try an amalgamation and answer as many as I can.

1. Award your top six bloggers who have commented the most.

2. Nominate five people who in turn will post on their page the award with the link to the giver.

3. Thank the blogger who nominated you and link back to their blog.

These are similar and reflect how the award criteria have changed. Let me do this — I will award the top six bloggers who have commented the most on World Adventurers and in turn will post on their page the award with the link to the giver. Here are my nominees, great friends and colleagues who always post excellent comments on my blog (in alphabetical order):

David Cassidy (http://www.davidccassidy.com): David is a writer, photographer, and graphic designer. Check out “Blog Categories” to read his many posts about writing, photography, and his endearing support for other writers with book reviews and author interviews. I really appreciate his efforts to help fellow indie writers and must mention that his novel “Velvet Rain” about a mysterious drifter with godlike powers is on sale September 28-30.

Renee Craves Adventure (cravesadventure.wordpress.com): Renee writes lovely stories about the West and enjoying life to the fullest. I love her photos and enthusiasm! She recently started a new series called “Living the Big and Beautiful Life” that you might enjoy.

August McLaughlin (augustmclaughlin.wordpress.com): A wonderful, talented lady who shares her passion for writing through her blog and books. August has some of the best insights I’ve read on everyday life and success. I love her health tips and witty sense of humor.

Sheila Pierson (sheilapierson.wordpress.com): A writer who pens some of the most profound and inspiring poems and short stories that I’ve read. She has a gift for conveying emotion through her words and connecting with readers.

Russel Ray (russelrayphotos2.com): A photographer and blogger from Southern California who helps keep me grounded with reminders of the United States and words of wisdom from his grandmother, among other platitudes. A great melding of stories and photos.

♡ The Tale Of My Heart ♡ (justsimplyinlove.wordpress.com): Although he doesn’t comment often, I know he’s there because he visits my blog and always leaves his “Like.” It’s an honor because his blog is popular, and for obvious reason — his poetry, prose, and imagery are genuine works of art.

4. Be thankful.

I am thankful for great readers like you who make blogging worth the effort. A special thanks goes to Lada Ray for her nomination and to Jennifer Avventura for creating the award.

5. You cannot award someone who has already been awarded. And you cannot give the award back to me.

True, but I can acknowledge Jennifer Avventura for creating the award. Her initiative has taken on a life of its own.

6. Don’t forget to tell the bloggers you’ve awarded.

7. Let them know about the nomination.

These are duplicates, methinks. I will if they don’t post a comment on my blog first!

8. If you don’t want to pass on this award, that’s okay too. Just admire it.

I’ll pass it on and admire it.

9. Post the award logo.

Done. Well, two actually.

10. Post seven things about yourself.

Based on the original criteria, I don’t have to share seven more things about myself. That’s a relief! I would rather focus on the award giver and six recipients; seven things, one per person. After all, it’s an award to acknowledge the readers, not the blogger. Please visit their blogs and learn more about these intriguing people and their fascinating stories.

ONE MORE ROUND OF THANK YOUS

Thanks again, Lada and Jennifer!

M.G. Edwards is a writer of books and stories in the mystery, thriller and science fiction-fantasy genres. He also writes travel adventures. He is author of Kilimanjaro: One Man’s Quest to Go Over the Hill, a non-fiction account of his attempt to summit Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain and a collection of short stories called Real Dreams: Thirty Years of Short Stories. His books are available as an e-book and in print on Amazon.com and other booksellers. He lives in Bangkok, Thailand with his wife Jing and son Alex.