My Cover Rocks!

This is it! This is the cover of my upcoming picture book titled, ROCKABET, that comes out in September. Does it rock or what?!

Rockabet: Classic Edition is an ABC picture book of rock 'n' roll. The book introduces classic rock bands in catchy couplets. The illustrations depict the bands as chibis, which are childlike versions of characters. The book is illustrated by Kelli Little. More of her amazing artwork can be seen at her Facebook page, Catching Dreams Illustration. I just love it!

Speaking of Facebook pages, I just created an author page for myself and I'd love if you would hop on over and "Like" it! Here is the link: Author Kelly Polark. As you know, I love rock music and this book brings together two of my passions: promoting literacy and promoting good ole rock 'n' roll! I have another Meegenius book coming out this fall, and I will post a sneak peek of an illustration on my Facebook page next week. Thanks for stopping by the blog and liking my author page. Your support means so much!!

Now back to ROCKABET. Can you guess which band I chose for the letter A?

Random Thoughts While Watching Man of Steel

I rarely post movie reviews. Heck, I rarely watch movies! But the hubby and I took the kids to see Man of Steel on Father's Day. The theater was packed!

Here are my random thoughts on this blockbuster movie (no spoilers!).

1. Hello, Alaskan King Abs! (you'll get this when you see it)

2. This movie may be the loudest I've heard in a long time (maybe because we were in third row?).

 

3. Am I the only person who kept thinking that General Zod looked an awful lot like the lead singer of 3 Doors Down? I half expected him to burst into song and sing "Kryptonite" to Superman. (Remember that song? "If I go crazy, will you still call me Superman?") Here are two photos for you to compare.

4. Speaking of 3 Doors Down's "Kryptonite," I'd like to see a resurgence of that song and "Superman's Dead" by Our Lady Peace on the radio stations. Get on that radio stations! Man of Steel is huge right now! Good tunes.

5. Clark has Russell Crowe as Superman's real dad and Kevin Costner as his adopted dad. Dang!

6. I love how Diane Lane looks so real in this movie. And still pretty.

7. Also absolutely loved Amy Adams as Lois Lane. Attention males: intelligence, confidence, and loyalty are sexy to Superman. The Man of Steel.

8. I have a taste for pancakes. (again, you will have to see this to understand this one :)

9. I teared up in one scene in the movie. I'm not saying which one as not to spoil...

10. What? The "S" isn't for Superman?!

11. Henry Cavill as Superman reminded me a little bit of USA volleyball player Matt Anderson. Though without the chin dimple and 9 inches shorter (and Cavill is 6'1"!).

12. After a character remarks to her colleague about Superman, "I think he's hot," a woman behind me said loudly, "Really hot." I may have silently agreed with her.

13. Wow. Clark puts on a pair of eyeglasses and no one recognizes him? C'mon! Hannah Montana had a better disguise than that!

14. My 8 year old son asked me what me favorite scene in the movie was. So I told him the truth. "The scene where his shirt is off."

Those are my random thoughts. Do I recommend the movie? Yes. Very entertaining. The only two flaws were the Zod/Superman fight scene was a little long and not enough shirtless scenes.

Did you see the movie? Will you see it?

LTM does it again!

 

GIVE ME AN L! GIVE ME A T! GIVE ME AN M!

 

There is a reason I'm a huge cheerleader for Leigh T. Moore and her novels. It's because I truly, sincerely, ALWAYS enjoy them. Her newest YA novel, Dragonfly, had me sucked me in again, and I read it in two days. Part of it was because I was picturing a young Julian McMahon (anyone remember Nip/Tuck?) as Julian. Part of it was the peek into the lives of the rich and maybe not so perfect. But mostly it's Leigh's gift of writing a story that makes you care about the characters because they are so darn real and creating twists and turns to make every chapter a page turner.

 

Read below to find out how you can purchase this amazing book. Book Two will be here before you know it!

***Release Week Special! Dragonfly is only 99 cents June 6-8!

1... 2... 3... One Click (link)!!!***

"Dragonfly swept me off my feet! Once I started reading this book it kinda sucked me into the story and I had a hard time putting it down." --Stephanie, My Thoughts... reviews

The Romance Bookie “Gossip Girl meets VC Andrews in this contemporary family saga. Love, lies, and betrayal become the new normal when Anna enters the world of Jack and Lucy Kyser.” –Magan Vernon, international bestselling author of The Only Exception

On Amazon

Dragonfly

by Leigh Talbert Moore Three bad things I learned this year: -People you trust lie, even parents.  -That hot guy, the one who’s totally into you, he might not be the one.  -Things are not always how they appear. Three good things I learned this year: -Best friends are always there for you, even when they’re far away.  -That other hot guy, the one who remembers your birthday, he just might be the one.  -Oh, and things are not always how they appear. Anna Sanders expected an anonymous (and uneventful) senior year until she crossed paths with rich-and-sexy Jack Kyser and his twin sister Lucy. Pulling Anna into their extravagant lifestyle on the Gulf Coast, Lucy pushed Anna outside her comfort zone, and Jack showed her feelings she’d never experienced... Until he mysteriously withdrew. Anna turned to her internship at the city paper and to her old attraction for Julian, a handsome local artist and rising star, for distraction. But both led to her discovery of a decades-old secret closely guarded by the twins’ distant, single father. A secret that could permanently change all their lives. Be watching for Undertow, Book 2 in the Dragonfly series, coming July 18!

 

Get Dragonfly today:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iTunes

* * *

Leigh Talbert Moore is the author of the popular young adult romantic comedy The Truth About Faking, its companion The Truth About Letting Go, and the mature YA/new adult romantic suspense novel Rouge, a Quarter Finalist in the 2013 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award.

Connect online:

Facebook | Amazon Author page | Twitter | Tumblr | Goodreads

Read excerpts of her books on Wattpad and Figment!

* * *

Enter to #WIN a Kindle Touch loaded with all FOUR of Leigh's books AND an exclusive eARC of Undertow; A signed, print set of Dragonfly and Undertow, or ebook sets of both! a Rafflecopter giveaway

School's Out for Summer!

My school year has ended!
 This year I worked as a teaching assistant in Early Childhood at my kids' school district. Before I had my three children, I taught third grade and a third/fourth grade multiage for six years. Last year I worked in kindergarten, and this year in the three and four year old classroom. I had never taught children this young (besides my own of course), so the first few weeks were a learning experience. Of course I grew to love teaching this age group very much. It's so amazing to see the students grow throughout the school year. And of course they are absolutely adorable!
Here are some of the fun projects from the classroom this spring!

Ocean Fun!

Feed the Shark!
(I made this for choice time.)

Tonight my own 8th grader graduates, and I will be teary. I'm so proud of him. He's excelled in school as well as in athletics, and he's such a funny, responsible kid. My younger two have school until Friday so I hope I get some writing and extra projects done before my home is absolute(wonderful) summertime chaos!

Have a great week, everyone! What are you looking forward to this summer?

World Book Night 2013

 

Last night was World Book Night. World Book Night U.S. is a celebration of books and reading. 25,000 volunteers across America gave a total of half a million books within their communities last night. I was fortunate enough to be a World Book Giver. I applied to be one earlier this year, and yesterday I gave away copies of The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan to many lucky kids. My two oldest children devoured his series, so I hope this book sparks a love of reading for others.

Here is my box of awesome that I picked up from a local library (a cute little library called East River Library).


Due to heavy rain (again) in the Midwest, my original vision of skipping through the ball park giving away books to baseball players or their siblings was thwarted. But luckily I had a great back up plan. I attended my son's Cub Scout pack meeting and gave books to the older 4th grade boys. The boys were so polite and appreciative. It made my night! I wasn't able to give away all twenty books, so tonight I will give out my last five at the ball park.

This is such an amazing program, and I'm so proud to be a part of it. I love promoting literacy any way I can, and what better way but giving away free books. If you would like to apply to be a book giver next year, see here for details.

 

 

Three Questions With Leigh T. Moore

 

 

Leigh T. Moore (or LTM as many of us call her) is one of my favorite new authors. I read two of her books last year and loved them, and lucky me (and lucky you!), her next book comes out today! I read this in three days so I have three questions for lovely Leigh.

 

1. What are three adjectives that would best describe your main character, Ashley?

 

Ashley's sort of a contradiction. She's very laid back and "live and let live," but she's also a fighter. She has a strong sense of justice. The bulk of the story is her acting out in a rebellious and self-destructive way, but it's all fueled by her grief and anger over this bad thing that happened to her family. In her mind, they always did everything "right," so she thinks it's unfair and unjust. And she's mad.

 

Rebellious is right. You won't believe what illicit prank she pulls at school!

 

2. I was excited that I was able to read a companion to The Truth About Faking the following year after it debuted. How long did it take you to write (from first draft to last revision) The Truth About Letting Go?

I actually started writing Letting Go right after I finished Faking back in Spring 2010. I had an idea of what I wanted to do with it, but when I got about 15K words in, I stalled. I couldn't figure out what to do next, and I was too distracted by this other story in my head. (That other story became my book Rouge.) So Letting Go just sat on my computer for a few years. Then the popularity of Faking prompted me to go back to it, read it, and start thinking about how I could finish it. I finished writing it in November 2012, then I spent Dec-Jan revising. So I guess 2.5 years? I'm so happy with how it turned out, I'm really kind of glad I put it away until I had a clear vision of the ending.

 

And I thank you for revisiting this story! I love the realistic teen romance, but also that it deals with serious real life issues.

 

3. What would your main characters' favorite song (or band) be? 

I don't know if this is cheesy, but I kind of pictured Ashley as having a Ryan Adams moment, or even Fall Out Boy--Thnks Fr Th Mmrs and Sugar, We're Going Down. Colt's probably more into AC/DC... He's just having fun, whereas Ashley's got a vendetta. Jordan's probably a Fun. guy. LOL!

 

I could totally see Jordan turning up the Fun (but not too loud). :)

Here are the deets on LTM's fab new YA novel. Thanks, Leigh!

A companion to The Truth About Faking (link) (not a sequel; the books can be read out of order), The Truth About Letting Go (link) takes readers back to Shadow Falls, or more specifically Shadow Creek, with Ashley Lockett as she learns about friendship, love, and letting go.

Get me

The Truth About Letting Go (link) by Leigh Talbert Moore Ashley wants to smash everything in her once-perfect life. Charlotte wants to walk in Ashley's seemingly charmed shoes. Colt wants to turn Smalltown USA on its ear--with Ashley at his side. Jordan wants to follow his heart--but Ashley is the one sacrifice he never expected to make. Up until now, Ashley Lockett has followed the rules. She's always done the right thing, played it safe, gone to church. And then her ideal life is shattered when her dad dies suddenly. Now she's miserable and furious, and she decides to do everything opposite of how she lived before. She rejects safety, rules, faith, and then she meets Jordan. Jordan has big dreams, he's had a crush on Ashley for years, he's a great kisser... but he's also safe. Enter Colt. He is not safe, and he's more than willing to help Ashley follow her plans. Get it today on Amazon * Barnes & Noble * iTunes * Kobo Add it on Goodreads. About the Author:

Moore

Leigh Talbert Moore is a wife and mom by day, a writer by day, a reader by day, a former journalist and editor, a chocoholic, a caffeine addict, a lover of YA and new adult romance (really any great love story), a beach bum, and occasionally she sleeps. -The Truth About Faking is her debut young adult romance (on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, and Kobo) -Rouge is her first New Adult romantic suspense novel (on Amazon). Leigh loves hearing from readers; stop by and say hello! Blog * Facebook * Amazon Author page * Goodreads * Twitter * Tumblr

Random Thoughts While Watching the Grammy Awards

I love music, so I had to watch the Grammys last night. Here are my random thoughts while watching...
And if you want to know the winners, check here. (Who do I look like, KK Cool P?)

1. Grammys intro featured many animated hands in the crowd throwing the devil horns   Though the Grammy awards doesn't feature much rock 'n' roll. Duuuude! More rock 'n' roll, please!!

2. Taylor Swift's white outfit and boots look ever so cute. Like ever. Though the creepy guy on the tricycle has the maniacal laugh of Tom Cruise.

3. I cannot stand that Rihanna is back with Chris Brown, but she looks gorgeous in her red lips and dress!

4. LL Cool J is cute, but a bit dry. Need a funnier host!

5. JLo is Jolieing!

6. Adele, of course! She is amazing. I wanted Kelly Clarkson to win, but Adele is pretty amazing.

7. NPH! Love him! He's legen...wait for it...dary!

8. Random fact: When I first heard FUN. on the radio, I thought it was Tracy Chapman singing.

9. John Mayer's head is twice the size of Bonnie Rait's.

10. Not a country fan, but Tim McGraw and Faith Hill make a super hot couple.

11. Three words: Johnny Depp's cheekbones!

12. I love me some JT, but "Suit and Tie" is not my fave song of his...

13. Dave Freaking Grohl!!!!!!

14. Why aren't any of the Best Rock Performance nominees real ROCK bands?!!!!

15. Lose the shirt, Adam!!! (Great duet with Alicia Keys.)

16. This Kelly was rooting for Kelly! Woot! Great acceptance speech. What a voice!

17. Did you know that Bruno Mars is 5'5'? The crowd was loving his song with Sting!

18. PRINCE! (He's 5'2".) One of the most talented musicians ever!

19. I see that Halestorm won best Hard Rock/Metal Performance, but it wasn't aired. What the H?!

20. Finally! Tom Morello, Travis Barker, and Chuck D! Argh! Performance is cut off...Can you tell that I'd love to see more rock 'n' roll on this awards show?

What did you think of the Grammys?