Where'd You Come Up With That?! Wednesdays!

 

Stinky Ol' Pig is a story about Percy, a curious little piglet who overhears a private conversation between some of the other farm animals. 

One farm animal, Mr. Lamb, has some unpleasant things to say about pigs and how dirty pigs are. Percy decides he doesn't want to be a stinky old pig, so he finds some sweet-smelling honeysuckle to wallow in.

Mom takes Percy aside and explains that all animals are different and pigs are made to wallow in the mud and cool off. 

So, where'd this idea come from? I'm not 100% sure why I chose pigs. I wanted to write a different type of animal story for children, so when pigs came to mind I came up with a pig who wants to smell nice.

Now, working off that, I had to decide why he didn't want to stink, and how he and Mama Pig would deal with the issue. I think writing it this way teaches children a few concepts: 

1. You shouldn't care what others say about you.
2. Everyone should be free to be themselves.
3. Compromise can be beneficial.
4. Not all beings are made to be the same, and that's ok.
5. Acceptance for those who are different than you.

The story underwent years of revisions until I felt it was ready for publication. Also, I couldn't draw pigs; I'm not great at illustrations. Luckily, I found Canva.com and the perfect image for the story. 

Stinkly Ol'Pig is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. You can read for free on Kindle Unlimited! 

Where'd You Come Up With That?! Wednesdays "Alfred C. Bogeyman"

"Alfred C. Bogeyman" is a fantasy story that might send a few chills up your spine. It's a fun story for all ages. 

Adrian, Ralph, and Sean are three good friends who set out to find the boogie man that is scaring Adrian's little brother, keeping him awake at night.

The story begins with Adrian returning to the old home of Alfred C. Bogeyman because when he thinks back on that time of he and his friends battling the boogie man, he's not sure if it actually happened as he remembers, or if it's just the over-active imagination of a young boy. 

This story started out as an assignment for a class on writing for children in college. It's been through a lot of changes from that first draft. I got the idea for the story because there are so many different names and spellings for the dreaded boogie man.

 My first thought was that they'd find Alfred's address in the phonebook, but then, I got the idea of the boys looking up info on the internet about the boogie man and using Sox the dog to track him. 

I also had to come up with a good weapon the boys could use to fight the boogie man. (You'll have to read it to find out what that is)

The story was first published by Fire and Ice, a young adult publisher, but once I got my rights back, I had a new cover made and went indie.

 Reviews for Alfred C. Bogeyman from Goodreads. 

This was a very cute and fun story. I really enjoyed reading it and having a few laughs with Ralph, Sean, and Adrian.

This short story is about three children named Ralph, Sean, and Adrian who believe that the boogieman is scaring Adrian's little brother Sam. Adrian is the brave one in the group, Ralph is the brains, while Sean is afraid of everything. Feeling the need to protect his little brother Adrian and the boys go on a mission to find the boogieman and teach him a lesson. They come up with a plan to use Sean's dog Socks to track down the boogieman and scare him. I don't want to give too much away but I'll say I really liked the ending of the story and really enjoyed reading about Sean, Adrian, and Ralph. It was a really good read! ~ Jocelyn Sanchez


Adrian is the man of the house now so it’s his job to protect his little brother. When the bogeyman starts coming to the house every night and frightening Sam to death he decides to deal with it. Together he, his two friends and Socks the dog set off to find the bogeyman and give him a taste of his own medicine.

A delightful story which takes you straight back to those dreadful childhood fears which had to be tackled alone because no grown-up ever believed you. 

Ms Allman has once again come up with a new twist on an old theme – and done it in an entertaining and superbly well-written way. Very satisfying. ~ Jenny Twist

You can read Alfred C. Bogeyman and decide for yourself whether Adrain's and his friends really did encounter the boogie man. Look for it on Amazon, audible and iTunes. 

Happy Reading! (and listening)

Just in Time for Halloween! Ally Ally Oxen Free Audio Book

My audio book productions are moving right along. Ally Ally Oxen Free is now available as an audio book on Amazon, audible and iTunes. This spooky little tale is just perfect for anyone look for a scary story for children, and even adults!

Alfred C.Bogeyman is coming along and sounds great so far. I just approved the first 15 minutes yesterday, so if all goes well, it will be ready around Halloween, too. Another spooky little story for all ages.

Paul Holbrook does a great job of breathing life into the characters and making both stories come alive with his voice. I think listeners will love his voice and the way he distinguishes between characters while reading.

Mermaid's Kiss is still in the works. I haven't approved any readings on it, yet. But, I hope to have the first 15 minutes next week.

Happy Reading and Listening!

P.S.

I am still looking for that darned USB drive. grrr...