Mayra Calvania, author of the picture book Crash! has posted a review of Angeline Jellybean on Suite 101. You can see her review here.
PLUS Stay tuned to this blog tomorrow, where Angeline and I will be making an announcement about a very special contest!
Showing posts with label Mayra Calvani. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mayra Calvani. Show all posts
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Friday, July 3, 2009
Guest Blog Article by Mayra Calvani
On Inspiration, Allergies, and Dog Books
By Mayra Calvani
One of the questions I’m asked the most on school visits is “Where do you get your ideas?”
Ideas come from all around: TV, magazines, memories, grandmothers’tales, dreams, and even nightmares. In the case of my children’s picture book, Crash! about a little boy and his first golden retriever puppy, I was inspired by a sad personal experience. Years ago, we got a golden retriever puppy, which we named Crash. Crash was a sweet, smart, assertive dog, and he stole our hearts from day One. Unfortunately, he was with us only three weeks. Though we didn’t know it at the time, my daughter, who was only four back then, was allergic to dogs. She fell sick almost immediately with a bronchitis that wouldn’t go away and was quickly turning to pneumonia. The antibioticsweren’t working. Finally, the doctor’s words crushed us: “You have toget rid of your dog.” Believe me, those are horrible words to have to hear. It broke our hearts, but only three weeks after we had got him,we had to give Crash up.
It’s amazing what the loss of a pet can do to you. The one who was struck the hardest was my son, who was about eleven back then. He felt betrayed by all of us, but especially by his sister who in his eyes was the criminal. After all, it was because of her that Crash had to go away. Tears were abundant that first month after we gave him up. To top it all, it was December, Christmas time!
The good side of this story is, we found a wonderful home for Crash. The last I heard about them is that ‘They love him to death’.
Right away we knew we had to do something if we were going to have adog in the future, so we took my daughter to an allergy specialist who put her on a three-year treatment. Three years seemed daunting,especially at that time; but, as you know, time passes quickly and patience pays off. In the end, the treatment worked like a charm and we were able to get another golden retriever puppy. We named him Amigo. Three years old now, he’s our darling, the bell of our hearts. He keeps himself busy chasing the rabbits and interviewing authors for his blog, Pets and Their Authors. You can visit him at http://www.petsandauthors.blogspot.com/.
But to get back to inspiration… I wanted to immortalize Crash. Ineeded to ‘let him know’ that we would never forget him—and what better way than with a book? I dedicated the story to my son, the one who was struck the hardest by his departure.
Writing is a form of healing. A book is a very powerful thing. For me,it was the only way to put closure to a heartbreaking experience.
By Mayra Calvani
One of the questions I’m asked the most on school visits is “Where do you get your ideas?”
Ideas come from all around: TV, magazines, memories, grandmothers’tales, dreams, and even nightmares. In the case of my children’s picture book, Crash! about a little boy and his first golden retriever puppy, I was inspired by a sad personal experience. Years ago, we got a golden retriever puppy, which we named Crash. Crash was a sweet, smart, assertive dog, and he stole our hearts from day One. Unfortunately, he was with us only three weeks. Though we didn’t know it at the time, my daughter, who was only four back then, was allergic to dogs. She fell sick almost immediately with a bronchitis that wouldn’t go away and was quickly turning to pneumonia. The antibioticsweren’t working. Finally, the doctor’s words crushed us: “You have toget rid of your dog.” Believe me, those are horrible words to have to hear. It broke our hearts, but only three weeks after we had got him,we had to give Crash up.
It’s amazing what the loss of a pet can do to you. The one who was struck the hardest was my son, who was about eleven back then. He felt betrayed by all of us, but especially by his sister who in his eyes was the criminal. After all, it was because of her that Crash had to go away. Tears were abundant that first month after we gave him up. To top it all, it was December, Christmas time!
The good side of this story is, we found a wonderful home for Crash. The last I heard about them is that ‘They love him to death’.
Right away we knew we had to do something if we were going to have adog in the future, so we took my daughter to an allergy specialist who put her on a three-year treatment. Three years seemed daunting,especially at that time; but, as you know, time passes quickly and patience pays off. In the end, the treatment worked like a charm and we were able to get another golden retriever puppy. We named him Amigo. Three years old now, he’s our darling, the bell of our hearts. He keeps himself busy chasing the rabbits and interviewing authors for his blog, Pets and Their Authors. You can visit him at http://www.petsandauthors.blogspot.com/.
But to get back to inspiration… I wanted to immortalize Crash. Ineeded to ‘let him know’ that we would never forget him—and what better way than with a book? I dedicated the story to my son, the one who was struck the hardest by his departure.
Writing is a form of healing. A book is a very powerful thing. For me,it was the only way to put closure to a heartbreaking experience.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
All about Mayra Calvani's Book Crash!
Crash! A new picture book by Mayra Calvani
As a lover of Golden Retrievers, it is my pleasure to share with you today Crash! a sweet and cute picture book by Mayra Calvani.
The story is about a young boy named Marcelo, who receives a golden retriever puppy for his fifth birthday. He takes excellent care of the puppy; feeding, bathing, brushing and walking him, but he can’t decide on a name for his furry four-legged friend. Mom and Dad offer a few suggestions, however, Marcelo doesn’t like any of them. So he waited and watched, enjoying time with his puppy and then it happened…he would call the puppy….
Crash!
Tomorrow, author Mayra Calvani will do a special guest blog article about the moving inspiration behind the book.
Pick up your copy at:
Amazon.com
Guardian Angel Publishing
As a lover of Golden Retrievers, it is my pleasure to share with you today Crash! a sweet and cute picture book by Mayra Calvani.
The story is about a young boy named Marcelo, who receives a golden retriever puppy for his fifth birthday. He takes excellent care of the puppy; feeding, bathing, brushing and walking him, but he can’t decide on a name for his furry four-legged friend. Mom and Dad offer a few suggestions, however, Marcelo doesn’t like any of them. So he waited and watched, enjoying time with his puppy and then it happened…he would call the puppy….
Crash!
Tomorrow, author Mayra Calvani will do a special guest blog article about the moving inspiration behind the book.
Pick up your copy at:
Amazon.com
Guardian Angel Publishing
Now available in Spanish, too!
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Meet Author Mayra Calvani
Multi-genre author, reviewer and animal advocate Mayra Calvani hails from San Juan, Puerto Rico. A regular contributor to Blogcritics Magazine and Suite101, she's a member of SCBWI and Broad Universe. She keeps two blogs, Mayra's Secret Bookcase and The Dark Phantom Review. Additionally, she's the co-author of the nonfiction work, The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing. Visit her newest, fun blog, Pets and Their Authors, where her golden retriever interviews authors' pets. Mayra does Spanish translations of children's picture books, is co-editor of Voice in the Dark newsletter, and the National Latino Books Examiner for Examiner.com.
In 2008, Mayra published her first picture book, Crash! Crash! is the story of a little boy, Marcelo, and his new Golden Retriever puppy. You can watch the book trailer for Crash! at the Crash the Puppy Blog. And stay tuned tomorrow to learn all about the book!
In 2008, Mayra published her first picture book, Crash! Crash! is the story of a little boy, Marcelo, and his new Golden Retriever puppy. You can watch the book trailer for Crash! at the Crash the Puppy Blog. And stay tuned tomorrow to learn all about the book!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Coming Tomorrow- Crash! by Mayra Calvani
Starting tomorrow, I will have three days of information about a great children's book Crash! by Mayra Calvani.
Crash! is the story of an adorable Golden Retriever puppy and his boy, who struggles to give him a name. Until, suddenly, it all becomes obvious. . .
Crash! is a great picture book for dog lovers of all ages. Please stop by to say hi and leave your comments and questions for Mayra!
**VBT - Writers on the Move now has a monthly mystery site give-away feature. During the tours, a lucky commenter on the mystery site will win a book, ebook or other prize from that author. See schedule in previous post. Comment on the right post and you can win!**
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
