Monthly Archives: June 2013

6th YAppiest Giveaway! “The Infects” by Sean Beaudoin

30 Sunday Jun 2013

Posted by in Book Reviews, Humor, monsters, YAppiest, Young Adult, Zombies

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17 YA AUTHORS + DISNEYLAND = THE YAPPIEST DAY ON EARTH!

YAppiest Day on Earth icon

If you couldn’t make The YAppiest Day on Earth, never fear! The YAppiness keeps rolling with epic read giveaways by each of the 17 authors.

This is the 6th YAppiest Giveaway! For a chance to win, see “Here’s How”. For a complete list of upcoming giveaways, go here.

“The Infects” by Sean Beaudoin

The Infects, by Sean BeaudoinThe Zombie Apocalypse is here. Just ask Nero…

Life’s been rough on seventeen-year-old Nero. His mother left him and his younger sister with his unemployed father, who insists that Nero pay rent. Hence his night job at the chicken factory, while trying to finish high school during the day. Then there’s the direct-dialog feed from The Rock (yes, that Rock) in his head, which doesn’t help his self-esteem. No wonder he can’t bring himself to ask Petal–the girl of his dreams–out.

Things can’t get much worse, or so Nero thinks, until a freak accident at the factory lands him on an Inward Trek wilderness outing with a bus load of other juvenile delinquents. Nero sinks even lower when he sees Petal on the girls’ juvy bus heading for the same patch of wilderness, because he knows it’s because of what he did. Nero’s nightmare turns into the real deal on their first night at camp, when his counselors turn into the flesh-eating walking-dead, and a few of his fellow inmates become late night snacks.

Zombies. Sure, Nero’s seen all the movies. But it takes witnessing the gory carnage up close to process the reality. Blood spurts and flesh flies as the survivors run into the woods, with a horde of not-so-shambling monsters on their tails.

Nero quickly realizes that these zombies are faster than the ones in the old movies, and can reason too. Thinking zombies are never a good thing. Drawing from their horror-flick savvy, Nero and his fellow survivors develop a list of Zombie Rules. Unfortunately, it takes more than zombattitude to keep ahead of the baddass biters.

Bloody Funny, with an Ending You Won’t See Coming

I was never a big zombie fan until NOW! The Infects won me over, with its quirky, irreverent characters slinging wickedly funny dialog as fast as the furious plot turns. In addition to the clever tongue-in-cheek dark humor, The Infects delivers characters we can’t help but care about and root for.

My problem with the old-school zombies is that they’re dumb as dirt, slow as slime, and about as cohesive. Oh, and they lack that certain je ne sais quois the other classic monsters have. Old-school zombies are all moaning and groaning rotting flesh, no smart surprises or witty repartee.

The Infects changes all that, taking a traditional horror story, turning it on its head, then spinning it around just for kicks. As with any horror story worth its claim to the genre, there’s plenty of blood and gore. But The Infects dishes it up with such over-the-top style, that you half expect Quentin Tarantino to step into the picture. Similar to Tarantino’s filmatic style, The Infects succeeds in morphing a standard genre to create a new one. Hollywood, are you listening?

The Rock’s unsolicited commentary in Nero’s head is another genre-bender example that is flat-out hilarious. Better still …  there’s an honest payoff for The Rock in the end. Unfortunately, that’s all I can say without risking a serious spoiler. And you would hate me if I ruined the ending for you. It’s that good.

You’ll have to settle for this snippet from Goodreads:

…a savvy tale that’s a delight to read—whether you’re a rabid zombie fan or freshly bitten.

I’m the second one. Freshly bitten, and hungry for more. The jury’s still out on whether there will be a sequel, but I’m hoping so.

Want to win an Author Signed Copy?

For this riotously awesome book, I have a special treat for one lucky winner… An author signed copy of The Infects!

Sean Beaudoin autograph "The Infects"

Here’s how to win…

NOTE: The FREE giveaway of a copy of this book is open to residents of the United States and Canada only, due to shipping costs. My sincere apologies.

  1. Leave a comment on this blog by midnight, July 7th (1 entry).
  2. Tweet about this giveaway, including #yappiest in your tweet (1 entry).

I’ll tally the entries and choose a winner at random, then announce it on this blog on Wednesday July 10th. Good luck!

Stay tuned for more YAppiests Giveaways!

Book Covers for Giveaways

Sea Lion Pup Crisis ~ Twitter Challenge

25 Tuesday Jun 2013

Posted by in Animals, Giving Back, Marine Mammals

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I was going to kick off summer with a light-hearted Sun, Surf, and Seals post that included a mention about the Leave Seals Be rescue campaign — sponsored by the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, California.

That is, until I heard about the crisis facing sea lion pups in California.

Hundreds of Starving Sea Lion Pups

More than a 1,000 stranded sea lion pups have washed ashore on California beaches since January, under nourished and basically starving to death. And the number keeps rising. This is more than six times the usual number of stranded pups. So far the cause appears to be a complete lack of their natural food source: bait fish, such as anchovies and herring. [Image from the Marine Mammal Center, Sausalito]

MMC_sea_lion_pups

Southern California beaches have received the majority of the stranded pups. The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito stepped up, and is taking care of a good number of the starving pups to alleviate overcrowding in the Southern California rescue facilities.

While the cause of the problem is thought to be lack of the natural food source for these marine mammals, The Marine Mammal Center is looking into other possible causes. Their research includes screening for toxins and other elements.

Why all the fuss over a bunch malnourished baby sea lions? This degree of crisis could be a warning sign for a much bigger problem that would impact the human population. Determining the cause, is the first step in finding a preventative solution.

In the following news clip, Dr. Shawn Johnson, Director of Veterinary Science at the Marine Mammal Center, explains this distressing phenomena and his approach to solving it.

Discovery Channel: Rescuing Baby Sea Lions

Dollar-a-Pound

It’s been a few years since I volunteered at the Marine Mammal Center (in animal care), but I’m still a strong supporter. I know first-hand how dedicated these people are, and all the good they accomplish.

For these undernourished sea lion pups to have a chance at surviving in the wild, they need to eat a lot of fish, starting with the essential Fish Smoothie and working up to buckets of whole fish. The hungry patients are going through approximately 4,000 lbs of fish per week (at $1.00 per pound) – double the usual amount due to double the number of residents in their care.

To help the Marine Mammal Center continue their research and care for the stranded sea lion pups, you can go here to donate.

Twitter Challenge: #fish4pups

You can also help the sea lion pups by participating in my #fish4pups Twitter Challenge:

  1. Tweet the link to this blog post and include the hashtag: #fish4pups
  2. Tweet as often as you like between now and midnight on the 4th of July.
  3. For every #fish4pups blog-link tweet, I will donate $1.00 to the Marine Mammal Center food drive.

$1.00 = 1 pound of fish for starving sea lion pups!

Tweet it up!

The sea lion pups thank you!

5th YAppiest Giveaway WINNER! for “First Day on Earth”

23 Sunday Jun 2013

Posted by in Aliens, Giveaway, YAppiest, Young Adult

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17 YA AUTHORS + DISNEYLAND = THE YAPPIEST DAY ON EARTH!

YAppiest Day on Earth icon

The 5th YAppiest Giveaway is for First Day on Earth, by Cecil Castellucci, a story about the alien in all of us that’s out of this world!

First Day on Earth cover

And the Winner Is…

… Drum roll please …

~oOo~

Taylar

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

*** Tosses a plethora of confetti! ***

~oOo~

I’ll contact you via email for your address.

Coming Up Next!

The 6th YAppiest Giveaway! for The Infects, by Sean Beaudoin  is just around the corner, so…

Stay Tuned!

For a complete list of YAppiest Giveaways, go here.

Book Covers for Giveaways

A Day of Magic at The Walt Disney Family Museum

19 Wednesday Jun 2013

Posted by in Animation, Disney, Disneyland, Walt Disney

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I admit it. I’m an animation geek. And I’m particularly geeky when it comes to Walt Disney feature-length animated films that were produced when Walt Disney was alive. So you can understand why I was shocked to hear that some young people today think “Walt Disney” is a made up brand name. Like Captain Crunch, or something.

Diane Disney Miller, the daughter of Walt and Lillian Disney, was shocked too. So much so, she and her family went to an enormous effort (and a heck of a lot of expense) to preserve the history and imagination of her father’s legacy by founding The Walt Disney Family Museum.

Front of the Walt Disney Family Museum

It took seven years of planning, designing, and construction before the museum opened in San Francisco’s Presidio on October 1, 2009.  [photo by moi]

The Walt Disney Family Museum

Walt Disney Family Museum logoWARNING! This is no ordinary museum. Be prepared to be amazed! [WDFM logo, Wikipedia]

The moment you step inside the first interactive gallery, you are walking in Walt’s footsteps, with his voice narrating his story. The journey starts with Walt’s ancestors immigrating to America, and shows you their humble beginnings on a farm in Missouri. From there you join Walt’s adventures selling papers, working on a train, enlisting in the army as an ambulance driver, cartooning, and creating his first animated films.

Not all of his early endeavors paid off. After a bankruptcy and losing the rights to his first animated character, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Walt was on a train when he got the idea for Mickey Mouse. When you step into the elevator to go up the second floor of the museum, you step onto that train car with Walt, as he tells you the story.

When you get off the car, you’re in Hollywood!

As you walk through the galleries, you witness the development of a new animated art form, and the plethora of products and technologies that followed. The men who worked with Walt share their stories at the touch of a finger, on interactive consoles throughout the galleries. It’s amazing that one man could assemble such talented teams — artists and engineers — and inspire their genius to create all that they did.

I could ramble on and on about the live-action films, nature documentaries, audio animatronics, and other technologies Walt Disney inspired. And don’t even get me started on Disneyland. But that would be boring. It’s much more fun if you sneak a peek at the Interactive Galleries on the Walt Disney Family Museum website! And while you’re over there, check out the Special Exhibitions, Classes and Workshops, and Special Programs for the whole family.

I was having a cup of coffee in the museum cafe after my last visit, when I overheard a teenager at the next table talking on her cell phone…

I just walked through Walt Disney’s life, and it was so cool!

That simple statement — made by someone who wasn’t alive during Walt Disney’s lifetime — proves the timelessness of Disney magic. Forty-seven years after his death, Walt is still creating magic …  for young and old alike.

In the following video Diane Disney Miller announces the museum’s opening on October 1, 2009.

Preview of the Walt Disney Family Museum on CBS

If you’re planning on visiting the museum, be sure to check the Walt Disney Family Museum web site for Hours, Location, and Directions. There’s ample parking directly across from the museum too!

WDFM Calendar of Events
The museum is closed EVERY Tuesday,
New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day.

5th YAppiest Giveaway! “First Day on Earth” by Cecil Castellucci

15 Saturday Jun 2013

Posted by in Aliens, Book Reviews, YA, YAppiest, Young Adult

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17 YA AUTHORS + DISNEYLAND = THE YAPPIEST DAY ON EARTH!

YAppiest Day on Earth icon

If you couldn’t make The YAppiest Day on Earth, never fear! The YAppiness keeps rolling with epic read giveaways by each of the 17 authors.

This is the 5th YAppiest Giveaway! For a chance to win, see the “Here’s How” rules. For a complete list of upcoming giveaways, go here.

“First Day on Earth” by Cecil Castellucci

First Day on Earth coverMal has a lot of reasons to be angry. His father abandoned him when he was eight, his mother is drunk and probably crazy too, and the cool kids at his high school are self-centered idiots who always make fun of him. All but one, that is. Posey.

In spite of all he’s been through, Mal loves life. That’s why Posey’s mother–the vet at the animal shelter where Mal brings the stray dogs, cats, and rabbits that he rescues–is so kind to Mal. It’s why Posey likes him too.

Mal can use all the kindness he can get.

He’s  learned to cope with being the parent to his dysfunctional mother. Just barely. He feels trapped and wants nothing more than to escape. Anywhere. He secretly hopes the aliens who abducted him when he was eight, will come back and take him with them. Permanently this time.

Mal remembers the abduction on the 4th of July, shortly after his father bailed on him and his mother. Though it didn’t take long for him to figure out that he shouldn’t talk about that experience to anyone. So many things about the three days he was missing can’t be explained any other way. But the doctors insisted he had a psychotic break, caused by the trauma of his father leaving. Mal’s memories of those three days are fragmented and fuzzy. So much so, that he begins to wonder if he really was abducted.

That is, until he meets Hooper in a 12-Step abductees meeting, and Hooper admits to being an alien. Mal has his doubts about that, until Hooper asks Mal to help him to catch his only chance at a ride back home.

A Must-Read for Anyone Who’s Ever Felt Alone

This small book, and seemingly simple story, floored me with the power of its depth. The heart of the story isn’t the aliens, or even whether they’re real or not. This is a human story, a metaphor for the isolation is intrinsic in the human experience. The characters all suffer from varying degrees of isolation. What’s beautiful is how they help each other to heal through their connection and interactions.

At one time or another most of us have all felt alone, on the outside of a group, a misfit, misunderstood, or outright invisible. To feel pain is human. What we choose to do with it, reveals our humanity. And in this, Mal shines as an example for us all.

Kirkus Reviews sums this book up in one elegant sentence:

A simple, tender work that speaks to the alien in all of us.

WANT TO WIN A FREE COPY OF THIS Remarkable BOOK?

Here’s how…

NOTE: The FREE giveaway of a copy of this book is open to residents of the United States and Canada only, due to shipping costs. My sincere apologies.

  1. Leave a comment on this blog by midnight, June 21st (1 entry).
  2. Tweet about this giveaway, including #yappiest in your tweet (1 entry).

I’ll tally the entries and choose a winner at random, then announce it on this blog on Sunday June 23rd. Good luck!

Stay tuned for more YAppiests Giveaways!

Book Covers for Giveaways

Bob the Busking Cat ~ How He Saved a Life and Inspired a Bestseller

11 Tuesday Jun 2013

Posted by in Cats, Inspiration

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Some cats have nine lives. Others are happy with one that’s larger than life. Like, Bob, an extraordinary street cat…

Bob “the busking cat” may be small in size, but he’s huge on heart. This orange tabby single-pawedly pulled a man out of a destructive downward spiral, then hooked a literary agent’s eye to seal a bestselling book deal.

Don’t take my word for it. Watch the video … if only to see Bob give his person a high-five.

The Busking Cat that Saved a Life

Bob’s Bestselling Book, in 25 Languages!

A street Cat Named Bob coverA Street Cat Named Bob, And How He Saved My Life is due to be released in the United States in late July 2013.

Here’s the description from Amazon:

James is a street musician struggling to make ends meet. Bob is a stray cat looking for somewhere warm to sleep.

When James and Bob meet, they forge a never-to-be-forgotten friendship that has been charming readers from Thailand to Turkey.

I’ve pre-ordered my copy, but until it’s released in the United States (later this month), I have to rely on input from the following credible reviewers…

The Huffington Post…

A simple, sweet and ridiculously heartwarming story.

And The Guardian (UK)…

A book with the strong ingredients that made Marley and Me and Dewey big successes…A warm and poignant memoir.

The Times (UK)…

Move over, Marley. A stray cat from north London could be heading for the lap of luxury as the cinema’s next box office pet sensation.

And The Independent (UK)…

A Street Cat Named Bob has sold over 350,000 copies in the UK, and has been published in 25 languages.

Go Bob! Can you teach my cats your secret?

4th YAppiest Giveaway WINNERS!! for “Divine Intervention”

09 Sunday Jun 2013

Posted by in Books, Giveaway, YAppiest, Young Adult

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17 YA AUTHORS + DISNEYLAND = THE YAPPIEST DAY ON EARTH!

YAppiest Day on Earth icon

The 4th YAppiest Giveaway is for Divine Intervention, by Martha Brockenbrough. This book was so divine that it deserved two (count them, 2) winners! Each will receive a FREE copy of this amazing book!

Divine Intervention by Martha Brockenbrough

And the Winners Are…

… Drum roll please …

~oOo~

Cheryl Higashi

&

Kim Griffin

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

*** Tosses obscene amounts of confetti! ***

~oOo~

Coming Up Next!

The 5th YAppiest Giveaway! for First Day on Earth, by Cecile Castellucci is just around the corner, so…

Stay Tuned!

For a complete list of YAppiest Giveaways, go here.

Book Covers for Giveaways

Elephants that Play Beethoven

03 Monday Jun 2013

Posted by in Elephants, Music

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Thai Elephant Orchestra album coverNo, this is not a joke. There is actually an orchestra in Northern Thailand near Lampang that is made up of sixteen Asian elephants who have three music CDs under their trunks. Their first CD is predominantly improvisations, but on the second CD they play Beethoven and Hank Williams.

Of course, the elephants had a little help in the production department. Elephant conservationist Richard Lair and of the National Elephant Institute (formerly the Thai Elephant Conservation Center) and the American musical artist and neuroscientist Dave Soldier built their instruments and worked with them through every note. You can watch a documentary here.

Elephants playing music

I wasn’t surprised when I first heard about the Thai Elephant Orchestra. After all, I’d attended a full-contact elephant handling school at Riddle’s Elephant and Wildlife Sanctuary in Arkansas, where I learned first-hand just how scary-smart elephants can be. But I certainly was intrigued that these elephants enjoyed playing music. Their performances were more than animals trained to do tricks. Watch the following video clip and see for yourself.

Thai Elephant Orchestra Takes the Stage

My direct experience working with elephants (though brief) proved to me that elephants are as aware as we are. Combine that with an intelligence equal to that of a five year-old human child, and you can begin to comprehend the depth of feeling and the extent of their creative potential.

I am not embarrassed to admit that I was amazed (and delighted) by the moving account of world-renowned cellist, Jami Sieber, playing music with the Thai Elephant Orchestra. A while back I wrote a post on the mystical power of music. The following video proves that music is a universal language. It spans species, as well as the entire human race.

Music ~ The Language that Spans Species

Have you known an animal that loves music?