Books published in 2014

I normally do these blog posts on the last day of the year. However, we have too much going on right now and some things planned for NYE, so I want to get a jump on this annual post while I still can. I am not currently able to use Word or Notepad to help me with the text, as this new computer does not yet have those things on it, but I'll try typing everything into the blog itself and just hope the power doesn't go out, or anything.

This has been a good year for me as far as books are concerned. At the start of the year, my plan was to get a nice mix of fiction, nonfiction, poetry and children's stories out there. Fortunately, I was able to make that happen. I like to offer a little variety with my books every year -- not the same genre or same subject year after year -- and looking back, I must say I accomplished as much.

I am grateful to everyone I had the pleasure of working with this year in my attempts to get books published. Thank you to my co-writer, editors, beta readers, cover designers and illustrator. I am so fortunate to work with you all! Thank you for helping me to put out some awesome books. I look forward to working with all of you again next year!

As to the books, here are the ones I was able to get published this year:

The Warrior Way

Blurb:

"The warrior way is a philosophy, a standard of principles and ethics one can adopt without struggle.  It represents the divine warrior spirit within all of us, the enduring strength of the fighter prepared to stand up for what is most important: The Self.  For in recognizing the Self and honoring the Self, the warrior learns to adapt to the rigors of society and the difficulties faced along the journey through this lifetime."-- from the Introduction

Through a process of meditation and inner reflection, author Dawn Colclasure was inspired to write about 32 messages that came to be defined as "the warrior way."

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Parenting Pauses: Life as a Deaf Parent

Blurb:

Being a deaf parent isn’t just about not being able to hear anything—it’s more. From limited access to information in the medical establishments to daily challenges in dealing with discrimination and communication hurdles, the world of deaf parenting is one fraught with trials, fears and tribulations that no other parenting experience will offer. But at the same time, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Deaf parents CAN conquer those trials, they CAN overcome those fears and they CAN work around those tribulations in order to make deaf parenting work.

Parenting Pauses will give readers, both deaf and hearing, an inside look into the world of one deaf parent, along with some tips and techniques learned along the way.

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Read the story behind this book here

April Showers

Blurb: 

To many, the month of April is known as National Poetry Month. But April also brings Earth Day, National DNA Day and the ever-dreaded Tax Day! April Showers was written during National Poetry Month of 2013, in which one poet wrote at least one poem a day that captured everything she read, saw and experienced in verse, as well as celebrating April's special days.

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Read the story behind this book here

The GHOST Group, Book Two: The Ghosts of The Irish Setter and The Missing Hiker 

Blurb:

There’s something different about Sarah Town. It’s brimming with ghosts – and some of those ghosts need help! That’s where the GHOST Group comes in – the Ghost Helpers of Sarah Town. The GHOST Group is made up of five 11-year-old team members: Jesse, Jenny, Ryan, Trent, and Cassie.

The Ghost of the Irish Setter is a “ghost dog” story where team member Jesse must come to terms with losing his dog, Lolly, after she ran away. A ghost dog that is an Irish setter seeks Jesse’s help, but when the rest of the GHOST Group join the case, it becomes a matter of life or death after Cassie and Trent are kidnapped! Can the GHOST Group help the ghost dog? And can Jesse find out what really happened to Lolly?

In The Ghost of the Missing Hiker, a day of April Fool’s hijinks turns into another mystery for the GHOST Group. Meanwhile, the group's helper ghost, Adam, has some bad news for the team, and Jenny realizes she must accept her special gift and learn how to use it so she can help other ghosts in Sarah Town.

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Read the story behind this book here

Remember the Soldier

Blurb:
They have fought in wars and they have fought on the frontlines. They are the soldiers who stepped up and risked it all to fight for our country. Remember the Soldier is a collection of poems honoring the men and women in uniform who have left behind their homes and families to bravely defend our country, as well as the veterans who served.

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Read the story behind this book here

Wolf Whispers

Blurb:
After her mother dies, 9-year-old Anya must travel to the woods to live with her father. But Anya is very sad and misses her mother. Then one evening, she receives a very special gift from a wolf. Can Anya learn to listen to the whispers of her heart and heal from her grief?

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Read the story behind this book here

A Ghost on Every Corner

Blurb:

There’s a ghost town then there’s a "ghost" town! A Ghost on Every Corner is a collection of stories from paranormal investigators who have done investigations in some of America’s most haunted cities. Read about the ghost haunting a restaurant in Galena, Illinois, or about a Gettysburg Battlefield ghost who follows an investigator home! There’s also Marilyn Monroe’s ghost haunting the famous Roosevelt Hotel, a ghost violently attacking an investigator at the Sallie House and the ghost of Edgar Allan Poe’s adoptive father angrily pushing an investigator down the stairs! You’ll also get to read historical (as well as ghostly!) information about places such as The Alamo, Myrtles Plantation and the famous BirdCage Theatre. Walk with investigators located across the country as they gather evidence about ghosts and go where no other would dare to tread! 

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Read the story behind this book here

 
Also this year: Two books that were only available as ebooks last year were released as a print this year.

The first 4 GHOST Group stories were put into a Book One print book. You can check it out here

Also, the book I co-wrote with Martha Jette and Usko Ahonen, TERROR IN THE NIGHT: Alien Abduction Exposed, is now in print. Check it out here


It's been a great year for me, as far as writing books and getting some of them published this year is concerned. I have finished writing/revising other books this year and look forward to seeing them published next year, along with a couple of others already submitted to publishers.

Here's to another round of great writing fun in 2015! 

 

Remember the Soldier poem excerpt for Veterans Day

Today we are celebrating Veterans Day, a day in which we take the time to honor and remember the brave men and women who have served in the military.

It was a World War II veteran who promoted the idea of creating a day set aside to honor all veterans, and not just those who have died (as we do on Memorial Day). Until then, we had Armistice Day, which was set aside to remember those who served in World War I. The veteran who wanted Armistice Day to be expanded to Veterans Day was named Raymond Weeks. He hosted the first Veterans Day celebration in 1947 and the bill to dedicate November 11 as an official Veterans Day was not signed into law until 1954. Nowadays, Veterans Day is a day to remember all veterans, including those who have fought in other wars. You can read more about Veterans Day here.

I have never been in the military but I am still grateful to those who have served. I have family members and relatives who have served in the military and my poetry book, Remember the Soldier, was partly written as a way of honoring them, remembering them and thanking them for serving our country. Some of the poems in this book were also inspired by events concerning the military that I read about in the news. Some of it was good and some not so good. They all inspired poems. A picture of a young boy holding back tears as he is given the folded flag at his father’s funeral also inspired a poem in this book.

I am grateful to all of the men and women out there who have served our country and fought for us. Thank you for your service.


The Veteran

What’s a veteran?
It’s a question that takes some time for reply.
A veteran is so many things.
Because of veterans we can hold our flag high.

A veteran is someone who made the choice,
Perhaps the biggest sacrifice,
To serve our country and fight in wars.
Some have paid the ultimate price.

They are a brother, father, sister, friend.
Someone with a home and family
Who said goodbye to it all
So that they could fight for our country.

But some veterans never made it home.
They are the ones who will no longer be
Back with the people who love them so much
And this is why we say “freedom isn’t free.”

Some veterans paid with their lives for our country,
Fighting in some war.
Just as we cannot forget the veterans living,
These, too, are veterans we cannot ignore.

Fly the red, white and blue for our vets,
For every veteran who served.
Let us remember all of our veterans.
Their recognition is so very deserved. 

(Excerpted from Remember the Soldier, a poetry book by Dawn Colclasure. Copyright 2014. All Rights Reserved.)


Remember the Soldier blurb:

They have fought in wars, and they have fought on the frontlines. They are the soldiers who stepped up and risked it all to fight for our country. Remember the Soldier is a collection of poems honoring the men and women in uniform who have left behind their homes and families to bravely defend our country, as well as the veterans who served.

My new poetry book, Remember the Soldier

Today is Memorial Day. For Americans, today is a day we take some time from our busy lives and our vacation fun to remember those who gave their lives for our country. They say that “freedom isn’t free” and this is very true of our members in the military, as well as those who have served and those we have lost. There are also the POWs (Prisoners-of-War) and those who are MIA (Missing In Action).

While many think mostly of the soldiers (Army) who have served our country, I will never forget the others in other branches of the military: Navy, Air Force and Marines.

Thank you to all of the soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines who have sacrificed it all to defend our country.

My new poetry book, Remember the Soldier, is my tribute to all of those men, women and even dogs who have risked their lives, left their homes and families, to serve our country in the military. I also have poems in this book about the POWs, those who are MIA and, of course, the veterans. Thank you to Denise Bartlett for editing this poetry book and thank you to Charlotte Holley for creating a powerful cover for this book.

I got the idea for this poetry book while reviewing the poems I had gathered together for another poetry book. I saw a few poems with the same theme and realized they could go into one book that would honor our members in the military. I sat these aside and, eventually, the time came when I could work on this poetry book. What is interesting is that, at the time I was writing the other poems for this book, there were A LOT of stories in the magazines and newspapers about soldiers, issues in the military and even soldier dogs. I came across organizations set up to help those in the military, as well as veterans, and I even reviewed a novel for Night Owl Reviews about a Marine struggling with PTSD.

These all affected me so profoundly that I wrote a poem about them. I debated citing each source of the poem in the book but, in the end, decided not to. Even if they hadn’t been written about, all of those issues are still a part of the lives these soldiers live with while in active duty.

Another debate I had while writing this book was whether or not I should even be publishing this book at all. I have never been in the military. I have absolutely no idea what it is like to be in the military or what all they have gone through. 

Who was I to write such a book?

I am the person outside looking in. I am the Army brat who grew up hearing stories of military service and being told of relatives who have been (and still are) in the military. I am a writer who writes about people, places, things, events and life in general. I am a civilian who is most grateful to all members of the military, including those who have served, and have respect for the men and women who put on that uniform and fought for our country.

This book I have written is my way of showing that respect. I write books. This is what I do. And writing this book as a tribute to the soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines is my way of honoring them and thanking them for their service.

Thank you to you all.




Blurb for Remember the Soldier:


They have fought in wars and they have fought on the frontlines. They are the soldiers who stepped up and risked it all to fight for our country. Remember the Soldier is a collection of poems honoring the men and women in uniform who have left behind their homes and families to bravely defend our country, as well as the veterans who served.

Buy link