 New cover release Summer is here and so are redesigned journals for boys and girls! The Journal of Me makes a splash into summer with more of what kids want. More trivia, more color, more pictures, and more writing prompts to get the ink flowing. Maybe you take a break from schooling in the summer, or maybe schooling goes year round in your home. Whatever the case may be, we've got you covered with this "sneaky" daily journal that will keep your kids learning and sharpening their thinking and writing skills. Each page of the journal shares a remarkable event that happened on that day in history. Your kids will learn about:
But these journals go beyond mere trivia. Your kids will explore natural disasters, the far reaches of the solar system, decisive military victories, and "crazy" inventors who changed the course of civilization. so how are these journals "sneaky"? When your kids think they're stumping you with trivia from across the ages, they're actually learning important historical facts and valuable lessons to guide their steps. Along the way, they're jotting down responses to writing prompts that reveal so much about how they see the world. When they finish the journal, you'll have a keepsake to cherish for a lifetime. Because in case you haven't noticed, kids grow up fast these days. If you blink a second longer than necessary, you'll probably miss a lot. A lot lots. In fact, summer will be gone before you know it, but your kids will have written another chapter in their own history. One day, they'll share those memories with their kids and grandkids. Might be a good idea to write it all down! Check out The Journal of Me books below ("look inside" feature available at Amazon) and see what you're missing.
But that's not all...To celebrate the release of these revamped journals, I'm making them available at the lowest price you'll find anywhere... in fact, between now and 11:59 pm Sunday, you can grab the journals for $7.50 each. That's 25% off convention pricing, which is generally the lowest you'll find all year! So why am I doing this? It's not about the money (not much meat on the bone at these prices), but as an independent author, I need to create a buzz at launch time. The journal space is a tough nut to crack, flooded as it is with tens of thousands of 110 page "booklets" with lots of blank pages (talk about not much meat on the bone). With all those titles in circulation, it's hard to get noticed. Each Journal of Me, however, has over 200 pages chock-full of more history, wisdom, and encouragement than blank space. Think of it as the 4th of July BBQ of journals. So, how can you help the books get noticed? Glad you asked. When you buy a book on Amazon, it lifts the title in the rankings, the algorithms take notice, and more people set eyeballs on the books. I'm convinced that when more kids respond to the writing prompts, they'll realize how great their potential really is. To wit, did you realize that Albert Einstein, Joan of Arc, and Abraham Lincoln (to name a few) were once children? Hard to believe, but it's a fact. And I'm sure at some point in their childhoods somebody told them they could never change the world like the heroes in their history books. Well, let's not be like those killjoys of old. Let's encourage our kids to be all they can be. Let's instill in them a sense of purpose and belief in their unique abilities! let's put a bow on it Finally, if you enjoy the journals as much as I think you will, please consider leaving a rating or review on Amazon. It makes a world of difference to independent authors like me. Because you know how it goes... if you see a book with only a handful of ratings, you probably steer clear of it, reasoning it's not that good. If nobody else is taking a chance on it, why should you? Food for thought....
In the meantime, let the summer adventures begin! Keep me posted about the trails your kiddos blaze and how they're changing civilization as we know it. I can't wait to see the world they build! Keep chasing those dreams... and up the adventure! Jack
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The summer of '78 stands out from most of my childhood memories for the camping trip my family took across Europe. We lived in West Germany at the time (up north, near Denmark) and made our way south into Austria and Italy. Every day a new adventure awaited us, from towering statues and classic architecture, to soaring mountains, blue lakes, and vast marble fields. The leaning Tower of Pisa threatened to fall on me as I stood in its shadow. The streets of Venice, if I looked closely, seemed to be sinking into the water (I kept tabs on the nearest gondola in case my family needed to flee an Atlantis-style catastrophe). And on a clear summer night, far from city lights, I laid eyes on the Milky Way for the first time. Wonder of wonders! And at every campsite we staked our tent, I beheld another wonder: scores of old men missing arms and legs. I asked my parents why so many men were missing limbs and they explained they were veterans of World War II. Hardships like that happened in life. I marveled at each amputee because it occurred to me each man had a war story that brought him to this point. Their stories were far richer than the little story I was building that summer, and yet there we were all gathered together... under the same sky. Independence Day weekend Fireworks. Hamburgers, hot dogs, and watermelon. Sunburns and slip-'n'-slides! Is that what you think about when you think about the 4th of July? Me too, but after sharing with you my camping adventure of '78, I'm thinking more about those veterans. We wouldn't have an Independence Day to celebrate without veterans, so here's a big thank you to everyone out there who served and is serving! And thinking of America's Independence Day - and the war stories veterans carry - reminds me we all carry one kind of war story or another. So here's another big thank you to the One above who won the ultimate victory and secured our independence for all time! Summer reading list Just as everybody has a different story, everybody has a different list of stories they've read or want to read. Here's what I'll be reading with my kids this summer:
Freebies & 99's Pick up two eBook titles this 4th of July weekend for free: Grab these titles for .99¢:
Stay safe and Up the Adventure! Jack the Lost and Found Journal of a Miner 49er: vol. 3 is here! Good things come to those who wait. It never feels like it in the moment but when we let ideas, beef stew (or... you fill in the blank) simmer, they come out better than we hoped. Or, as King Solomon said, there is a time for everything under the sun. That said, it is time for the Miner 49er to ride into the sunset.... Several years ago I had this crazy idea to share the journal writings of Cody Kirschenbaum (a.k.a., the Miner 49er) with the world. Who could've imagined the strange and dusty trails we'd travel together? But just as good things coming to those who wait, all good things must come to an end. With mixed emotions I'm writing to let you know The Lost and Found Journal of a Miner 49er: Vol. 3 has hit the shelves. Even though I'll miss the old-timer, I know his adventures will live on in our imaginations. Check out one of the new adventures below....  what's next? As the Miner 49er hangs up his eyebrows and mustache, the next Jack Dublin series is already underway. We had our share of adventures in the old west, but now we look ahead (or is it back?) to the Oldenworld.... Watch for title, teasers, and more in the coming months! june homeschool conventions I hope to see the lot of you next month when I hit the wagon trail. The first week of June we'll be in lovely Idaho for the Homeschool Idaho convention, followed up by a trip to Albany, OR for the OCEANetwork convention.
Can't wait to see you'ns there! Until then, keep chasing those dreams... and up the adventure! Jack As we prepare to celebrate our nation's freedom & independence this Monday, I'm thinking this is a great time to celebrate the Land of the Free with something that's truly free. While I can't offer you hotdogs, hamburgers, or fireworks for free, Sunday and Monday only you can download my latest book, Into What Splendor, on Kindle absolutely free from Amazon!  Happy Independence Day... and up the adventure!
Jack Into What Splendor - a tale of faith, family, and friends set in a community of farm animals - is finally available from Audible.com! As you depart this summer on your next family adventure, consider bringing along entertaining audiobooks to quiet the "are-we-there-yets" from the back seat. Call me biased, but I think your family will love listening to Into What Splendor as narrated by English voice actress Liz May Brice. Click the picture for a listen:  Into What Splendor is a coming-of-age story that will leave you laughing one moment and mending your heart-strings the next.
The farm animals can't always bridge their differences, but when an outside force threatens to upend the order on the farm, they realize their lives are more entwined than they imagined. Together, they will rise or fall. Already an Audible.com member? Use your monthly credit to download today. Or, use the Into What Splendor link to enroll - it helps me climb the algorithms while helping you navigate the lonely miles on the Great American Road Trip! Godspeed... and up the adventure! Jack Writers usually fall in love with an idea for a story and write just to get it out of their heads. It’s like venting your frustrations to a close friend (or a stranger at the coffee shop), but the therapeutic benefits last longer. Once you publish a book it’s out there for all to see forever, so people will ask you about it forever (unlike the stranger at Starbuck’s who can’t track you down). My latest book, Into What Splendor, released worldwide this week and I’m sure I’ll get lots of questions about it going forward, like “Why do you say it’s the story you never wanted to tell?” Glad you asked. The thing is, it’s an animal story. Farm animals. Goats, pigs, owls, cats… you get the picture. Not that I have anything against animal stories, I just never had the desire to write animal stories. But now I find myself confessing to you that I had an idea for an animal story I had to write just to get it out of my head. And I’m glad I did! Not because it was causing any problems up there, but because the process of writing it down brought us to this day. Now, I get to share the story with you! Click here to download the first 14 pages of Into What Splendor The crux of the story is this: A farm cat and a barn owl wager which of them will catch a sneaky, high-and-mighty field mouse first. This “friendly” wager quickly unravels the world around them. Life is like that, isn't it? We start off with certain intentions, but we don't realize the impact our actions will have on the greater community. Sometimes we can't make amends in our own lifetimes and we hope those who follow us will handle the clean up work. But will they succeed, or fall into the same trap that hobbled us? At its core, Into What Splendor is a cautionary tale. But it's also a tale of friendship, repentance, and sacrifice. So was it a story worth telling? Time will tell, but I’ll let each of you be a judge on the panel of popular opinion. Check out the free download of the first 14 pages on my website, or head over to Amazon to read the full adventure.  Tech-savvy readers click here for eBook
Old-fashioned types click here for paperback Happy reading! Jack Is the title Into What Splendor a statement, exclamation, or question? Should the title include a punctuation mark at the end? Should I title the book Splendor instead? These all are valid questions in the run-up to a book release. They affect the font and color scheme, the sizing and placement of various cover elements, and in the end the answers to those questions determine how the book is perceived, discussed, and remembered from here to eternity. But now, the delays are over. The questions are history. The answers are settled. Did we get it right? It’s time for you to judge…  I don’t know about you, but I have to say my designer—Les—always delivers more! As in more than I expected, and more than I can thank her for.
I’m especially thrilled to see “Illustrated by rising artists” under the title because it hi-lights the amazing contributions to this book by young readers/illustrators. My hat’s off to them! Now, before I get on to the next bit of news, I want to let you in on the irony of this announcement coming today, April 26, 2022. You see, one year ago today my Dad passed on into splendor, and this book is dedicated to him. While I did not plan for the dates to line up this way, I have to say I’m emotional that the Kindle pre-order of Into What Splendor marks the 1st anniversary of his passing. As the saying goes, the Lord works in mysterious ways. So, amid the bittersweet reflections of today, I’m also looking ahead to the release of a book he would have been proud of. Starting today, you can pre-order Into What Splendor and auto-download as soon as it’s available. Which is… Monday May 16, 2022 So, with that news shared, it’s onward and upward. I’ll be attending a few homeshooling conferences in the Pacific Northwest this season, which I’ll share with you in future updates. I hope to see you there! Until then, keep chasing those dreams! Jack The official results of my scene illustration search are in! After strong consideration of all the submitted works of art (and some hard choices on a number of those scenes), I’d first like to thank everyone who submitted drawings for my upcoming book Into What Splendor.  Your imagination and zeal shined through in your art and you should be proud of the work you did. My hat’s off to you! I was especially wowed by the selected illustrations and I think all of you will be too when you finally get a chance to see them. That said, let’s tear open the proverbial envelope and meet the artists! (Artists listed by scene illustration number) 1-Nora T * Vancouver, WA 2-Josiah W * Amboy, WA 3-Lillian C * Marysville, WA 4-Noelle H * Lynnwood, WA 5-Marcus W * Amboy, WA 6-Adriana L * Twin Falls, ID 7-Adriana L * Twin Falls, ID 8-Mikayla W * Vernon, BC, Canada 9-No illustration selected 10-Troy S * Vancouver, WA 11-Nora T * Vancouver, WA 12-Olympas W * Amboy, WA 13-Troy S * Vancouver, WA 14-Joshua K * Redmond, WA 15-Nora T * Vancouver, WA 16-Evelyn C * Marysville, WA 17-Noelle H * Lynnwood, WA 18-Olivia W * Prineville, OR 19-Cyrene W * Amboy, WA 20-Lysander M * Lake Arrowhead, CA 21-Nora T * Vancouver, WA 22-Marcus W * Amboy, WA 23-Nora T * Vancouver, WA 24-Marcus W * Amboy, WA 25-Adriana L * Twin Falls, ID 26-Alexander R * Pedee, OR 27-Haddasah W * Amboy, WA 28-Alexander R * Pedee, OR 29-Josiah W * Amboy, WA I’ll share more information about the publishing timeline of Into What Splendor in the coming weeks. In the meantime, let’s give these young artists a big round of applause—each and every one of them earned it!
Jack If history teaches us anything it's that the difference between living an ordinary life and an extraordinary one is a matter of choice. When 13-year-old Joan of Arc received visions of angels in her garden, she could have ignored them and heeded more grounded voices that told her to mind her station; or, she could dedicate her short life to liberating her homeland and turning the tide of the 100 Years War. Bicycle mechanics Orville and Wilbur Wright could have steered clear of flights of fancy by focusing all their energies on their repair shop; or, they could dare to dream that the mechanical lessons learned from stabilizing a bicycle on the ground was precisely the insight necessary to stabilize a motorized craft in the air. Those examples may sound like the stuff of fiction, but we all know they were the stuff of dreams that their dreamers refused to abandon. All kids dream big ideas and imagine fanciful futures, but who's to say they can't bring them to pass? Are your children told examples of people who tried and failed as a way to spare them the pain of failure? Or, are they shown examples of people who overcame long odds on the road to success to encourage them to be all they can be? The Lost and Found Journal of Me series guides your kids day-by-day through the remarkable history of our world, showcasing spectacular events and individual achievements that shaped the history of mankind. Writing and action prompts flow from these examples to stretch their imaginations and develop belief in their unique abilities. As they record their thoughts and act on lessons from history, they'll soon discover they are not just "keeping a journal", but recording the greatest history ever told... the history of themselves! Check out the whole series on Amazon.com
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AuthorJack Dublin writes fiction & non-fiction for middle-grade readers Archives
June 2024
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