Publishing of the future

Futureword Launches Five Trademarked Books in One Day . . .While the Author Awaits Orders For Troops to Pull Out of Iraq!

2011-11-26T03:58:00.000-08:00

Futureword Launches Five Trademarked Books in One Day . . .While the Author Awaits Orders For Troops to Pull Out of Iraq!

PRWeb – 16 hrs ago

The publisher and illustrator worked with Blue Hartley to bring his stories to the public eye. This writer brings another new meaning to the expression, "Courage Under Fire" Read and see how one man created a new idea for communication while he was incommunicado from his own country.

Indianapolis, Indiana (PRWEB) November 26, 2011

Futureword Launches Five Books Under Trademark Read Along or Read Alone™ No Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, or any networks. Not even a way to see a movie trailer while you are on or off duty in Iraq. Why would you see a trailer if you can't see a movie? You must create your own entertainment.There's proof in the pudding that all of today's creativity is directed in ways to entertain children. How can one's mind stray to the world of imagination?

Blue Hartley has carried over some of his childhood memories and scripted them into children's stories. Hartley wants to keep the imagination going from one generation to the next. He's created a way for his children to do it.The Iraq Based U.S. Father created these children's series while supporting US troops. When Blue isn’t in the thick of things supporting our troops in Iraq, he’s a long distance dad, and a son. One of the ways he relaxes beneath unfriendly skies is by working on children’s stories that keep him firmly grounded in the US So his life is far from serene. To compensate and find palpable ways to encourage his children, Rachel, and Shawn, (now in their teens) in the United States, to be creative, Hartley writes children’s books that incorporate their names in the stories.

The number of Hartley's trademarked series has grown. He has five of the episodes of one series in one novella length book; one picture book for Rachel, and one for Shawn. Each begin the first volume of the series and has a middle grade or YA version to go with them. Hartley's writing cuts to the chase and has a no-nonsensical approach to reading. The stories are told by critters of all breeds.

Rachel's Adventures with Her Friends of the Forest, is fun, funny and educational. Adding to the story is award-winning artist Valerie Bouthyette’s whimsical color illustrations of the action. In Rachel’s world, the animals she meets form a group who share a love for books and stories. Rachel and Shawn characters encourage young readers to use their imaginations with the books. The six stories included in the first volume of the Rachel Middle grade series describe national parks, such as the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Cradle Mountain-Lake St. Clair National Park in Tasmania, Australia. Another book includes locales in third world countries such as in Africa and Russia.

Rachel’s middle grade version is Rachel’s Adventures with Mother Nature’s Rescue Squad. In those versions, the characters continue, as in the first volume, to collect new team members and ride inside an enchanted cloud, waiting for a coded message. Mother Nature translates the message that lets them know who has been injured and where they are so Rachel and her team will understand when the cloud suddenly makes a U-turn. True facts about history and nature intersperse with fantasy. Both versions of the series shows how friends work together to resolve problems. However, the Rachel stories are only one part of the series.

Shawn Michael Discovers the Secrets of Dog Leg Island (picture book) and its middle grade sequel, Shawn Michael Discovers the Secrets of Dog Leg Island (The Dream Begins), debuts alongside the Rachel series. Shawn's are a collection of Shawn's dream adventures. The Shawn series also includes Shawn Michael's Adventures in the Wild, Wild West.

Shawn book readers will enjoy action-adventure stories mixed with plenty of fantasy and unabashedly moral values. Since role playing is promoted in these series, Shawn demonstrates his share. He has a horse named “Country” in The Wild, Wild West and Country plays a role in telling the story. The allegory, as with Rachel's series, involves teaching readers to work out solutions within the framework of good moral advice. Elbow-in-the-rib humor dots every page of Shawn's collection of stories. Readers of book series will gain an appreciation for nature, wildlife, and the environment, as well as plant ideas for creativity and reach out to people of other countries.

Blue Hartley can't positively say when he will be called home after all this time. But he still enjoys watching from his FOB in Iraq.

The elementary picture books measures 8.5 by 11 inches, perfect bound, and each has about 44-52 pages. The Rachel middle grade contains 180 pages and is 6 x 9. Shawn's YA versions are sold separately as individual stories. The prices range from $6.99 for the YA books to $13.95 for the 52 page picture books. All books are perfect bound. Amazon.com has been building product pages over the last week. It may take another day or so before the last one posts.

For more information please contact:Cherylhaynes(at)futureword(dot)net

http://www.FutureWordbooks.com or http://www.FutureWord.net. 901-217-8514

Cheryl Haynes Futureword Publishing 384 Goodman Rd E. Ste 210 Southaven, Ms 38671

333
Cheryl Haynes
Futureword Publishing
9012178514
Email Information

New National Book Contest Announces Its Winners

2011-11-23T19:11:00.000-08:00

Everything in the publishing business is hard to get off to a good start, but it looks like Forward National Literature Awards has completed successfully its first annual awards.Below is a list of the winners. Congratulations to the people who won and hats off to the people who were willing to volunteer their time to work for a meaningful event.

NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Nicole Akkerman, Forward National Literature
Email: info@forwardliteratureaward.com

... OUTSTANDING BOOKS AWARDED
FORWARD NATIONAL LITERATURE AWARDS IN FIRST ANNUAL CONTEST
Nov 15, 2011
In conclusion of its first annual writing contest, Forward National Literature is now pleased to announce the inaugural winners of the 2011 Forward National Literature Award. A jury of experts from the publishing industry selected a combination of previously undiscovered and well-known authors based on the content, uniqueness, and readability in eleven distinct subject categories. The goal of this award is to provide published authors, both up-and-coming and previously accomplished writers, with recognition and to highlight writing of excellence.
First Place Winners
General Fiction

Author: Patricia K. Lichen

Title: Kidnapping The Lorax
Picture/Children’s Books

Author: Lee Wardlaw

Title: Won Ton
Middle Grade/Chapter Books

Author: Melissa Studdard

Title: Six Weeks To Yehidah
Teen/Young Adult

Author: Nicole Izmaylov

Title: The Dracian Dance
Fantasy

Author: Ann Crispin

Title: The Price Of Freedom
Mystery

Author: Joshua Graham

Title: Darkroom
Romance

Author: Carole Matthews

Title: The Chocolate Lovers’ Club
Historical Fiction

Author: Talia Carner

Title: Jerusalem Maiden
Humor

Author: Bill Kirton

Title: The Sparrow Conundrum
Drama

Author: Susan Wingate

Title: Drowning
Short Story Collections

Authors: M. Izmaylov, A. Fuller, K. Morgan, et al.

Title: The Emory Pulse

Second Place Winners
General Fiction

Author: Michelle Izmaylov

Title: The Galacteran Legacy
Picture/Children’s Books

Author: Giles Paley-Phillips

Title: The Fearsome Beastie
Middle Grade/Chapter Books

Author: John Booth

Title: Wizards
Teen/Young Adult

Author: Ian Alexander

Title: Once We Were Kings
Fantasy

Author: Scarlet Black

Title: Salem Moon
Mystery

Author: Bill Kirton

Title: The Darkness
Romance

Author: Reid Lance Rosenthal

Title: Threads West
Historical Fiction

Author: Gerald Blumenthal

Title: The Brass Compass
Humor

Author: Mark Everett Stone

Title: Things To Do In Denver When You’re Un-Dead
Drama

Author: Kimberly Kinrade

Title: Forbidden Mind
Short Story Collections

Author: Alan Davis

Title: So Bravely Vegetative

Iraq Based U.S. Father creates children's series while supporting US troops.

2011-11-03T00:50:00.000-07:00

Futureword Launches 'READ ALONG OR READ ALONE™' Book Series 11/26/11

PRWeb – 20 mins ago

Iraq Based U.S. Father creates children's series while supporting US troops.

Memphis, TN (PRWEB) November 03, 2011

When Blue Hartley isn’t in the thick of things supporting our troops in Iraq, he’s a long distance dad. One of the ways he relaxes beneath unfriendly skies is by working on children’s stories that keep him firmly, if whimsically, grounded in the USA

2011 marks Hartley’s sixth year in Iraq. Aerial and ground attacks are always a possibility for US troops in Iraq, so his life is far from serene. To compensate and find palpable ways to encourage his children, Rachel, and Shawn, (now in their teens) in the United States, to be creative, Hartley writes children’s books that incorporate their names in the stories.

It didn’t take long for renown New York illustrator, Valerie Bouthyette, and savvy U.S. publisher, Cheryl Haynes, founder of Futureword, to recognize the broader implications when they read Hartley’s manuscripts—all eleven of them. The number of Hartley's trademarked series has grown. Bouthyette had already completed two picture books when she introduced Haynes to Blue Hartley. Then, as Hartley's ideas became more focused and after a few changes in the project, a new series was born.

“Blue Hartley’s READ ALONG OR READ ALONE™ stories have sparked a huge debate from the experts who have read them,” Haynes said recently. "There is no right or wrong about the books. There was a debate as to whether or not to alter them to teach children how to write screenplays or show them a book that would spark their interest in theatrical books books and interest for role playing at the same time.

“The first was a picture book and middle grade version which were sent to publicists who also made recommendations to Hartley. One publicist told Haynes that the books were forwarded to an acclaimed, Emmy-winning screenplay writer for upgrading to a screenplay,” Haynes noted.

Character parts in the picture books are color-coded to cue designated young readers that it’s their turn to read. The picture books are an introduction to a series which appeals to small children initially, but has a big brother or sister middle grade/YA version to go with it.

Haynes explains,"There are Read Aloud books with CD's to play while reading a book aloud. This series doesn't work that way. You either read it alone or with a group. I am taking a risk since there is nothing else like this on the market. But it’s a calculated risk. Many tests were done to check its effects on older and younger readers. Some changes were made to satisfy experts who had objective criticisms, but most aspects were left unchanged because of their positive responses from local libraries and bookstores."

Hartley’s first, but certainly not only offering, Rachel's Adventures with Her Friends of the Forest, is fun, funny and educational. Adding to the story is award-winning artist Valerie Bouthyette’s whimsical color illustrations of the action. In Rachel’s world, the animals she meets form a group who share a love for books and stories. Rachel and Shawn characters encourage young readers to use their imaginations with the books.

The six stories included in the first volume of the Rachel series describe national parks, such as the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Cradle Mountain-Lake St. Clair National Park in Tasmania, Australia. Another book includes locales in third world countries such as in Africa and Russia. In those versions, the characters continue, as in the first volume, to collect new team members and ride inside an enchanted cloud, waiting for a coded message. Mother Nature translates the message that lets them know who has been injured and where they are so Rachel and her team will understand when the cloud suddenly makes a U-turn. True facts about history and nature intersperse with fantasy.

Rachel’s middle grade version is Rachel’s Adventures with Mother Nature’s Rescue Squad. Both versions of the series shows how friends work together to resolve problems. But the Rachel stories are only one part of the series. Shawn Michael Discovers the Secrets of Dog Leg Island (picture book) and its middle grade/YA sequel, Shawn Michael Discovers the Secrets of Dog Leg Island (The Dream Begins), debuts alongside the Rachel series. Shawn's are a collection of Shawn's dream adventures.

The Shawn series also includes Shawn Michael's Adventures in the Wild, Wild West. Shawn book readers will enjoy action-adventure stories mixed with plenty of fantasy and unabashedly moral values. Since role playing is promoted in these series, Shawn demonstrates his share. He has a horse named “Country” in The Wild, Wild West and Country plays a role in telling the story.Sounds comical? Readers will role on the floor.
Each story of the Rachel and Shawn READ ALONG OR READ ALONE™ series begins for the youngest reader with a picture book for Rachel and her brother, Shawn, centering the plot, around an introduction to the main characters, then graduates into YA versions. The allegory, as with Rachel's series, involve teaching readers to work out solutions within the framework of good moral advice. Elbow-in-the-rib humor dots every page of Shawn's collection of stories. Readers of book series will gain an appreciation for nature, wildlife, and the environment, as well as plant ideas for creativity and reach out to people of other countries.

"Hartley doesn't run out of stories. He is a walking children's storybook,“ says Haynes.

The elementary picture books measures 8.5 by 11 inches, perfect bound, and each has about 44-50 pages. The Rachel middle grade contains 160 pages and is 6 x 9. Shawn's YA versions are sold separately as individual stories. The prices range from "6.99 for the YA books to $12.95 for the picture books. All books will be perfect bound. Amazon.com will have them available first, followed by Barnes and Noble.com, and all online bookstores.

A trailer preview may be seen at http://www.futureword.net/New-Release.html.

Futureword Publishing publishes award-worthy fiction, non-fiction and children’s books. Find out more at http://www.FutureWordbooks.com or http://www.FutureWord.net. 901-217-8514

Cherylhaynes(at)futureword(dot)net

###

Cheryl Haynes
Futureword Publishing
9012178514
Email Information

May the Best Dog Win Becomes a Coloring Book!

2011-10-17T14:52:00.000-07:00

May the Best Dog Win, a humorous picture book about a mixed breed dog named Dash and his battle with the new Sweeper, released as a coloring book on October 1, 2011. The coloring book edition includes the original picture book story in its entirety and also offers children the opportunity to color Dash and Sweeper in a full coloring book following the story.

The idea for this came about when the author, Kelly Hashway, wanted to have coloring sheets available for kids to enjoy after reading the story. Cheryl Haynes, president of FutureWord Publishing, liked the idea since the artwork as digitally colored. This requires that the artist scan the originals into a scanner and upload them to have the computer color the artwork. Unfortunately, this doesn't work on free hand art. After giving it some serious thought, she decided to go ahead and make the entire story into a coloring book. Haynes and Hashway worked side-by-side to make this possible, and in the end, they created a beautiful storybook and coloring book in one.

Hashway states, "The coloring book is gorgeous! My daughter grabbed the crayons the second she saw it, and she loved that she could color Dash and Sweeper her own way. I think kids are really going to enjoy the two books in one that this edition offers."

May the Best Dog Win Coloring Book Edition is now available on Amazon. Readers can still find the original picture for younger children who may not be ready for the coloring book edition. The story is also available on Kindle, so there are plenty of choices for the young book lover in your family.

Author of Blue Sunrise to Debut at the Hilton at Ridgeway

2011-07-20T22:57:00.000-07:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Gregg Overman, author

Blue Sunrise

Contact Phone: 901-487-6927

Email: greggo@bluesunrise.net

Revised by Kristine M Smith July 20, 2011

Memphis Native Publishes Si-Fi Novel , will sign copies at the Ridgeway Hilton Sept 24 from 2 to 4pm

If Gregg Overman had been any less confident about the science fiction novel he penned ten years ago, Blue Sunrise would still be in manuscript form. But because Overman redoubled his resolve with every publisher's rejection, he now has a science-fiction thriller that is catching the attention and buzz of sci-fi fans on the web.

Touted by some reviewers as an instant science fiction classic, Blue Sunrise takes the reader on a stunning ride toward the destruction of all intelligent life in the universe. Written in three parallel settings, Overman paints a vivid description of the struggle for survival in the face of imminent destruction. The story carries the reader from Earth to the farthest reaches of the galaxy and contrasts the fragile nature of life against its desperate resolve to survive. Overman’s protagonists spring from the page via flawless characterization and bizarre alien locations are described in painstaking detail, transporting the reader flawlessly to other worlds.

Overman knew Blue Sunrise was a winner the moment he finished writing it in 2001. The supreme challenge was finding a publisher willing to take a chance on a virtually unknown author. Overman finally received a call from FutureWord Publishing, a local Memphis publishing house. The powers that be at FutureWord chose Blue Sunrise as their cornerstone release.

Blue Sunrise was released February 2011 and has accumulated significant fanfare. The online science-fiction community has embraced the book, and Overman hopes the acclaim will lead to more mainstream appeal. The book is available at all online bookstores and in some Memphis bookstores.

Overman's first book signing will be hosted by the Hilton Hotel at Ridgeway on July 24th 2011, from 2PM to 4PM.
Kristine M Smith, Copywriter and Author

Serval Son--Spots and Stripes Forever by Kristine M. Smith

2011-07-13T20:32:00.000-07:00

FUTUREWORD PUBLISHING ANNOUNCES FIRST NONFICTION TITLE

“SERVAL SON: Spots and Stripes Forever” will debut September 1st

Seattle WA (PRWeb) FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Today the President of Futureword Publishing, Cheryl Haynes, announced the pending September 1^st release of “SERVAL SON: Spots and Stripes Forever” a new book by author Kristine M. Smith, a lifelong animal advocate with decades of combined experience as a wildlife rehabilitator, captive wild animal caretaker, veterinary assistant, and humane educator.

Haynes’ announcement reads in part, “As I was looking [the manuscript] over, I thought how much the book is needed in zoos, wildlife parks, school and county libraries. The book is not just educational; it is packed with familiar flashbacks to the emotional attachments we all have with our own pets.”

Author Smith has raised and nurtured nearly every kind of animal native to the Pacific Northwest and most species of domestic and farm animals. But it was raising Deaken—an African serval cat—from the age of five days old until his death at 17 which she considers the epitome of her animal-enriched life.

Smith says, “I wouldn’t have missed it for the world—and I would never do it again. It was, at once, the most heartwarming and the most traumatic 17 years of my existence. Raising a wild one isn’t an undertaking for half-hearted impulse buyers. Raising a happy, healthy wild animal—keeping it safe from people and people safe from it—requires complete attention, nerves of steel, and an insane amount of good luck. We are responsible for all we tame. Most who attempt fail miserably and end up abandoning the animals they pledged to love and care for. Animal sanctuaries are overburdened with the sad results: abandoned cast-offs, looking for owners they'll never see again.'"

Kristine M. Smith signs contract with FutureWord!

2011-07-11T14:58:00.000-07:00

FutureWord Presents: SERVAL SON—SPOTS & STRIPES FOREVER

While scanning Facebook, I noticed that Kristine M. Smith was asking for people to read and endorse her new book. SERVAL SON—SPOTS & STRIPES FOREVER is a true story about an African Serval cat Kris raised from kitten-hood to his death at 17 years old. Since I’m an animal lover, I wanted to read it. As I was looking it over, I thought how much the book is needed for animal markets: zoos, wildlife parks, school and county libraries. Kristine's book voices the cry for people to never try to own the pet. Instead, people should be owned by the pet. They should do everything they can for its natural care and welfare. The book is not just educational; it is packed with familiar flashbacks to the emotional relationships that we all have with our own pets.

I sent Kris an email telling I could show her millions of reasons why she should publish with us. The book is sensational for animal lovers, not just educational, and it is a true story. So SERVAL SON—SPOTS & STRIPES FOREVER will be FutureWord's first non-fiction book.

I was flabbergasted when Kris agreed to let FutureWord publish her work. We will definitely have an asset to our publishing business. It took my breath away to get the favorable response. I read her blog and was humbled by her ecstatic reaction to join with a group of authors who are diverse in age. I held my breath and could not believe my eyes when she agreed. From her bio:

Kristine M Smith (Kris) comes by the nicknames “Mom-Cat,” “Mom-Dog,” “Mom-Goat” “Mom-Fill-in-the-Blank” naturally. From toddler-hood on, she has been a ‘critter-whisperer.’

From a very early age, butterflies and birds landed on Kris. And from the moment she was taught to string words into sentences, she has been writing.

Kris has raised and nurtured nearly every kind of animal native to the Pacific Northwest and most species of domestic and farm animals. But it was raising Deaken—an African serval cat—from the age of five days old until his death at 17, which she considers the epitome of her animal-enriched life."

"'I wouldn’t have missed it for the world—and I would never do it again. It was, at once, the most heartwarming and the most traumatic 17 years of my existence. Raising a wild one isn’t an undertaking for half-hearted impulse buyers. Raising a happy, healthy wild cat—keeping it safe from people and people safe from it—requires complete attention, nerves of steel, and an insane amount of good luck. We are responsible for all we tame (or try to tame).Most who attempt fail miserably and end up abandoning the animals they pledged to love and care for at the outset. Animal sanctuaries are overburdened with the sad results: abandoned cast-offs, looking for owners they'll never see again.'"

"Kristine M. Smith does not advocate the keeping of wild pets, especially wild cats, wild dogs and simians. To the contrary, for the many reasons she explains and has endured, she is opposed to wild animal ownership for most people. The commitment is brutal, the risks enormous, the memories indelible—good and bad."

Kristine M Smith is an animal behaviorist and advocate with decades of combined experience as a wildlife rehabilitator, captive animal caretaker, and humane educator.

I have read DeForest Kelley: A Harvest of Memories, Kris’s first book, and recommend that everyone else read it, too. Kris comes by her Kelley “fanaticism” honestly enough: Kelley—the Star Trek actor who played Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy on the original series—launched her writing career in 1969! Kris was Mr. Kelley’s personal assistant and caregiver at the end of his life and offered a brief-but-moving tribute to her mentor at Paramount Studios upon his passing in 1999. She is also a well-regarded copywriter, coming in (presently) at #5 (out of 17K copywriters) in the Copywriting category and in the Top 15 in the sales copywriting category.

Kris is the author of three other soft cover books (available to Authorhouse.com, Amazon, and other online bookstores): Floating Around Hollywood and Other Totally-True Tales of Triumph; Let No Day Dawn that the Animals Cannot Share, Purposeful Christianity, and an e-book (available at Payloadz.com), The Enduring Legacy of DeForest Kelley: Actor, Healer, Friend. So SERVAL SON—SPOTS & STRIPES FOREVER will be her sixth book.

The book is going to be 6 by 9 perfect print bound and will be available on all on-line bookstores and hopefully in as many zoos, parks, gift shops, libraries and to whoever will hear our voice on the care of exotic or any animals for that matter. There are just over 21,000 words in the book and anyone and everyone from 5th grade up should be able to understand and enjoy it. I laughed and identified with many of the situations that Kris faced while taking care of a wild animal. Coming from a background of animal lovers and naturalists, I first went for the book because the serval kitten on the cover was too appealing to pass up. The words inside sealed the deal. I was hooked.

Find out more about the author and her other books at kristinemsmith.biz.

We have not determined a price for the book yet. We hope to have the book ready for publication on September 1st. Kindle will become available soon after the launching.

Cheryl Haynes, Publisher

FutureWord donates books to Literacy Groups in Elmira New York

2011-06-12T04:48:00.000-07:00

I watched an episode on "The Outer Limits" that showed a neural receiver being worn by people of the future. These neural receivers could transmit and receive information from a huge database making it possible for a human to learn knowledge without reading. The neural receiver read it and transmitted all of it to the memory.This was a scary thought.

The point in the show was that developing a program to make knowledge equally available to all was against natural evolution. (in the mind of the author) And it also created a society that evolved to one that could not understand how to read. Anyone born with the ability to read was a freak and was lucky to get a job as a janitor. The rest is somewhat predictable. The program started to get a virus which damaged the brain and people suffered neural damage to the point that they were dying off. Of course one person who had taught himself to read found the original safety features in the original read-only file and tricked one of the neural readers to focus on the material and quickly shut down the database before all was ruined. With such a neural implant, they no longer had any choices of what they wanted to learn or research.They were being forced to only know what the database wanted them to know.

I know this sounds hard to believe but we have people who can't read. There are literacy foundations in every city and those foundations need books and volunteers to help people who cannot read. Imagine not being able to understand your own surroundings. You would be trapped in a bubble. That bubble would be no different than living life wearing a neural feeder that was being worn by the people in the above fiction story. Man has a choice. He can read and then chose what he wants to retain for himself. This is how we develop.

FutureWord chose books that are easy to read and spiritually uplifting. Scores of May the Best Dog Win and Return to the Shore were selected to take to the Literacy Groups in Elmira. I am waiting to hear what else we can do to help others in the same situations.

Each book is on a different level. Every author has a chance to donate some of their books to a charitable organization to help illiterate people learn to read.

Author writes her lifetime dream story for children

2011-05-17T17:40:00.000-07:00

Allyn M. Stotz grew up in a family of writers, editors, and authors. Her father ran the town newspaper, her mother wrote weekly news columns, her sister is a writer/editor and her brother is an avid blogger. Living among them all her life was, in one way, something that made her feel normal with her imagination. After all, she was raised with it and she never thought her own talent as anything out of the ordinary. Then one day, she was reading some of her brother's blogs and reflected on all of the story ideas that she carried with her through her lifetime. A light bulb went off. I can do this!

Where would she start? Well she just sat down and started writing whatever came into her mind. One of the stories she visualized to bring to life was one with a little girl who loves peanut butter and can't get enough of it. She has visualized the story in her mind over the years and now had it perfected.

Allyn now needed a publisher. She queried many places but when this first crossed the desk of Futureword Publishing, it was forwarded to Valerie Bouthyette to determine if this was going to be a book she could bring to life with the zest that made other books, Like Ronnie and BB, Nanny's Tales, the Dragon and the Unicorn, an instant heart winner.

Valerie thought it was a fantastic idea and wanted to take that chance as long as Futureword agreed to volunteer some teamwork with it. The result: The Pea in Peanut Butter.

Allyn's from a very determined family. Her mother is now 83 years old and has stayed the course with her writing in spite of health and age issues to finish off her third novel. Allyn shows the same perseverance in her work.

With her mother still writing and the rest of her family busy at it, how could Allyn miss her own chance?

The book is 36 pages with full bleed color illustrations and will soon be available on Amazon and all online bookstores. The 8 by 10 fully illustrated picture book will be on sale for $11.95.

Blue Sunrise to reach Earth in February 2011. Amazon is first target!

2011-01-23T12:51:00.000-08:00

It was a long walk for Gregg R. Overman in getting his work published.

I was standing at my own book signing at Waldenbooks when my doctor, Dr. Ciao Newman, came up to me and handed me a manuscript that she promised she would pass along for a friend. That next day, I sat down and read straight through it and told the author it was not something to set aside and gather dust. Off and on, I checked back with Gregg updating him on how get it published until I finally said, "I can do it now."

But before I get to Gregg's book let's look at who he is. Gregg Overman was born in New Orleans and spent most of his life in Louisiana, graduating quite some time ago from LSU with a major in zoology and a minor in chemistry. He remains interested in many areas of scientific endeavor and considers himself to be an armchair physicist. This was his first major in college. Gregg has worked as a chemist for most of his life.

In 1987, his career brought him to Memphis, TN where he started The River City Soap Co., a small manufacturing firm specializing in industrial detergents. How Gregg came about writing Blue Sunrise has been reserved for the local press exclusively.

Ben Allspot, one of the novel’s strongest characters, will grab the readers' attention in the first paragraph as he boards a shuttle for the moon, hoping against all hope that he can run from his shattered life and his drug addiction.

It is the year 2061 and the moon's surface has several mining colonies set up to harvest and process Helium 3—an isotope of Helium useful for fusion reactors and rocket engines. Earth’s economy depends on this material as much as it once depended on oil.

The first expedition to Mars finds the planet to be more interesting than they could have dreamed and more puzzling than they could have imagined as every new discovery leads to a new question. What happened to the water on Mars? What could explain the unusual geology of the red planet? Was there once life on Mars? The crew will eventually find the answers they seek, but will they survive the incident that explains it all?

Many thousands of light years from Earth a 400 year-old alien stands rooted in the ground—the normal state for all the adults of his species. His immediate task is to educate the young heir apparent of the race that has enslaved him and all of his kind. Their discussion will range from philosophy to history, and although the young alien will perhaps learn his lessons a bit too well to suit his teacher, it is the teacher whose eyes are truly opened.

There is a brief sparkling of light at the very edges of our solar system. It is repeated three times. This event is not unique in the history of the galaxy. It has happened many times in many different systems, but never before has anyone or anything ever taken notice. This time, just by chance, someone sees but does not understand. It will be many weeks before the staggering significance of the event is known.

Blue Sunrise is a 145,000 word, 450 page, 6 by 9 perfect bound print that will also become available for the Kindle. This book is now available on Amazon. The retail price is $16.95 but there are discounts running now to sell the book at $10.76. Look for it on all online bookstores in the spring of 2011.

I compare his work to Frank Hebert and that's making a serious comparison. He doesn't stop at science. He adds religion, fantasy, philosophy, politics, and every angle is covered and the whole story is charged with emotion and a detailed description of the entire scientific adventure. ~Cheryl Haynes~

A book signing for Gregg's family, friends and business acquaintances will be held at the Hilton Hotel on May 14th, from 2-4 p.m. in the afternoon.There will be a book signing open to the public at a local library but those details are not to be released at this time.

Cheryl Haynes, Publisher

www.futureword.net

Nanny's Tales: The Dragon and the Unicorn

2010-10-21T23:37:00.000-07:00

Starting with Nanny's adventures of a princess-turned-unicorn, FutureWord Publishing will be releasing the first of a series of colorful tales written by Katherine Coppinger. This time it is about a grandmother's adventures with her grandchildren, a unicorn, and a hateful, fire-breathing dragon. Nanny is not like any other grandmother. She dresses much younger than the average granny would. To her nine year-old granddaughter, Kirstin and her four-year-old grandson, Michael, she's a ticket into some dreamy, but edge-of-your-seat action. The story brings to its readers a vivid picture of warmth, love and beauty through the images drawn by the storytelling alone. Add the talents of one of the best illustrators,Valerie Bouthyette, and you have a captivating book for young readers.

Katherine Coppinger's stories were originally written to read to her grandchildren. Now she has decided to present one of them to FutureWord, who is now ready to illustrate a 22 page story that actually was first written out to take up the space of a novella for children if combined with the sequel, Nanny and the Frocodile King.

Nanny's Tales: The Dragon and the Unicorn opens with Kirstin and Michael flying kites while Nanny is working in the flower bed. Their kites look like a dragon and a unicorn. Suddenly, the kites come to life and the dragon soars upward to a castle somewhere in the sky with Michael tucked away snugly under the dragon's tail. Nanny and Kirstin are left with the unicorn who explains that the dragon is really a mean sorcerer who wanted to marry a princess. When she refused, he turned her into a unicorn and himself into a dragon. The kidnapping of Michael is a just a lure for the loving unicorn to make a rescue attempt so he can try to get her to submit to marriage. Nanny won't tolerate this. According to Kirstin's faith in Nanny, it will all be over for the dragon once Nanny arrives. So, off they go with the unicorn to attempt the rescue.

Good stories come from real life events, whether they are for children or for adults. Katherine explained how she thought of the idea for this book.

"'I always made up stories for the children because they found them more fun when I used their names or the names of their friends. This story began when Kirstin and Michael were flying kites in front of the house. I began working in the flowerbed and heard Michael call out, 'Nanny, help me.' I turned and found him with his kite string wrapped around his neck and shoulders with the kite still flying. It looked as if it was trying to take him with it. I ran to untangle Michael and I told him, 'What happened honey, did that kite try to fly off with you?' That night our story was about a dragon who did steal Michael. Since Kirstin was also flying a kite, I made her kite a unicorn and the story spun a life of its own.'"

The 8 by 10 children's picture book has 44 pages of text and pictures. The total number of pages is 52. It is perfect bound and soon will be available on Amazon. B & N.com, Books-a-Million, Borders, and all the online book stores. Contact the publisher for more details at www.futureword.net. The release is just around the corner.

~C. Haynes

May The Best Dog Win, won . . . a contract with Futureword

2010-10-18T17:15:00.000-07:00

Out of 21 submissions for children's stories only one made the grade. May The Best Dog Win, by Kelly Hashway was so adorable that we could not pass it up.

Kelly lives in northeastern Pennsylvania with her husband, daughter, and two pets. She is previously published. Her former publications include:

"A Terrifying Test"-Fall 2009 issue of Spaceports and Spidersilk
"Friendship Junction"-Stories That Lift
"Adventures in Dog Sitting"-January 2010 issue of Stories for Children Magazine
"The Christmas Bunny"-March 1, 2010 issue of Bumples Magazine

These are only a few for starters. Kelly enjoys writing short stories and books for children of all ages and has been published in various magazines and print anthologies. She is a former Middle School Language Arts teacher with a Master’s degree in English Secondary Education, but her true passion has always been writing. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.

She writes stories of all lengths for children and young adults. For more about Kelly’s published works, please visit her at http://www.kellyhashway.com/

Illustrations for this picture book will be prepared by Valerie Bouthyette who says the story looks appealing to illustrate. What is the story about? Well, not until we can show you a press release! You'll find out.

Secrets for people who are submitting to Futureword. Do not submit work that is unedited and doesn't have a query letter or bios. Please follow the directions on the Futureword website.Children's stories need to stay under, well under 900 words if at all possible. Submissions are open again in the spring. I saw a lot of good stories. I regret that I can't publish them all. Not yet, anyway.

Little Rockin' Roger makes a debut in Uk and the USA

2010-09-01T05:28:00.000-07:00

Benjamin Moores may be modest about his own name, but not about Little Rockin' Roger. For the last two years, Benjamin worked slowly and painstakingly to develop his story and gradually worked with New York illustrator Valerie Bouthyette to bring that story to life. Benjamin searched for agents in the UK and was determined not to put Little Rockin' Roger on the waiting list too long. I'm glad he didn't wait!

Benjamin wrote in a recent letter to FutureWord the reason he submitted to a US publisher.

"Well, I was having hard luck with English agents here in the UK. Because of the recession, most were sticking with their "sure things". So on a prayer, I emailed Valerie my full manuscript hoping that she might like and recommend it to her friends (at this point I didn't know who Futureword were). A week or so later I got an email telling me she loved it to which I said, "Thank you very much".

Then a week later Valerie said that she had emailed my manuscript to one of her friends (Cheryl Haynes) and that she will let me know when she made a decision.

This took about 3 weeks. In the meantime I researched Cheryl Haynes and her site and made notes and was very impressed of all of its staff. This made me very anxious for her decision... which at first wasn't what I hoped for lol but in time she decided to take me on and here we are now!!"

FutureWord told the author that his book had a very high potential for a British audience. He insisted that the US audience would be a bigger one. He had been working on these series of stories in his mind long before he located an illustrator. Perseverance is one true sign of a winner. FutureWord let him try his hand at placing it with a UK publisher first. We couldn't believe we were lucky enough to have the story. Just reading it gave this publisher ideas . . .created brainstorms within. I contacted Lea Heil and asked her if she could write a musical score to go with Benjamin's lyrics. There is a rare and unique tale here. He never really showed Valerie the full manuscript for the illustrations. He only told her what he wanted for the pictures. She complied. Such was an extraordinary way of getting a book illustrated. You can almost read the whole process on the Little Rockin' Roger fan page created back in 2008.

Benjamin teaches young teens in IT but keeps a private collection of Little Rockin' Roger stories in his back pocket for when these are sold. The 48 page, perfect bound 8 by 10 is fully illustrated and can be purchased in the US for $12.99 and in the UK for as little as £7.78.

The book is also sold globally and at all retail online bookstores including Barnes and Noble.

So now, what is and who is Little Rockin' Roger? He's everywhere on the Internet. Roger, his mother and his pet fish move to a new home. Roger hums to himself at night because he's afraid. Someone or something starts to hum the tune back to Roger. He suspects ghosts but he can't be sure. Then a mouse leads him to the old attic where a magic glass guitar will make him become the next rock star!

The children can sing the song if the parents can read the musical score. It's a lovely way to teach children to love arts and culture. It helps them to learn music and gives the family a sense of togetherness.

Little Rockin' Roger just may rock your world like he has some of the people on his fan page.

Check out www.littlerockin'Roger.com or go to Facebook. He's listed there too!
Little Rockin' Roger! Oh, yeah! Little Rockin' Roger! Oh, Yeah!

Amazon releases . . . But Whether Men Do

2010-07-25T00:15:00.000-07:00

The Amazon debut of R. Anthony Mahan has now been released. The book is exclusively for sale on Amazon until Barnes and Noble picks up the product from the catalog within the next 6-8 weeks. The novel will be sold globally and on Kindle shortly.

The book is the first Novel to be released by FutureWord and we look forward to the countdown to zero when we can offer a release to the press for the 378 page science fiction novel. The book, But Whether Men Do is a softcover, perfect bound 6 by 9 and will be available for all online bookstores including Barnes and Noble, Books-a-million, Border and many others as well as independent bookstores. The book will also be sold on Amazon globally. The sale price is $14.95.

FutureWord has a press release prepared for the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the local TV stations, and libraries in Alpharetta where R. Anthony Mahan will be holding most of his book signings.

The Maysville Autumn Leaf Festival will have a huge presentation in the month of November that showcases Mahan and three other FutureWord authors.

Working with R. Anthony Mahan has been a pleasure and I enjoy the excitement for his successful delivery of the first science fiction on a series of books that he has been working on for a while.

Any information concerning the Amazon release should be directed to www.Futureword.net.

Amazon will have a Search Inside Feature that should be ready in about 10 business days. Right now, the product page is still under construction by Amazon.

Tentatively, the press release date is set for September 15th, 2010.

Covert Blog Promotion

2010-07-07T03:55:00.000-07:00

Great advice for authors promoting their works. Covert Blog Promotion

FutureWord Presents: GAYA Award Winner Nicole Izmaylov

2010-06-19T20:10:00.000-07:00

Nicole Izmaylov was well received with a bow from one of the judges who said "You're better than I am. I'm going to watch you!" at the 2010 GAYA Award presentation Saturday evening.

Nicole holds the first official award for FutureWord and has broken ground for Independent publishers to move ahead with hope for their dreams in the publishing world to become a reality.

Her perseverance and pride as well as leadership has shown Nicole to be a role model for young authors. Her genuine interest in learning what the public wants and to please her audience rather than please herself sets her apart from many others.

As Victor Hugo said, "If I only wrote for myself I should have to lay down my quill."

I think Nicole's enthusiasm shows great strength of character and an extraordinary gift to the literary community. I know she is a gift to FutureWord. And like all greatness, those who have followed her seem to have a touch of the same sparkle of light.

Such is the salt of the earth. Ronnie and BB's message to the world:

"The Importance of Love and Friendship!"

Remain a beacon, Nicole! Congratulations from all of us!

GAYA nominee to give "Inspiration" for the banquet

2010-06-03T17:47:00.000-07:00

Nicole Izmaylov will present the "Inspiration" at the Georgia State Convention banquet, which will be held at the Georgia International Convention Center in College Park. The banquet will commence on Friday, June 25, 2010 at 6 PM EST.

Nicole also received a notice by mail along with silver labels to distinguish her book, Ronnie and BB, as a candidate for the prestigious GAYA Award. The GAYA (Georgia Author of the Year Award) is held each year annually and an author is awarded merits for outstanding achievements in literary works.

This award is presented by the Georgia Writers Association. This event is scheduled for the 19th of June. These are two separate events.

Nicole's first book is about Ronnie, a bumblebee who meets up with a mole named BB. These two characters, created by Nicole Izmaylov, share her message in an acrostic poem that reminds the readers that love and friendship are never to be taken lightly. Her twenty-four page children's book is perfect bound 8.25 by 8.25 with colorful illustrations by Valerie Bouthyette.

Nicole interviewed with this publisher by telephone prior to re-submitting an acrostic poem-story. I asked her if she was familiar with acrostic poetry.

Publishers seek authors who can supply what the publishers believe the readers would enjoy. At the time, I saw the need for acrostic poetry. It wasn't until after I spoke with Nicole that I truly realized how skilled she was in literature and poetry. I made an agreement to see what she could do with acrostics when she replied that she worked with acrostics in the past. Within an hour, I received the first draft of the poem-story converted into an acrostic.

Nicole was born in Atlanta and received national recognition for literary and musical compositions, including the "Reflections" award for literature during her elementary school years and various times throughout middle school. Her personal interests include: writing poems, playing violin and piano, and acting in the drama club at her school. She is now attending seventh grade at Webb Bridge in Alpharetta, Georgia. She recently interviewed on Cynthia Brian's internationally syndicated radio show, "Be the Star You Are." It was during that interview that Nicole made a vocal submission to FutureWord for a forthcoming novel.

Michelle Izmaylov had her own fame established as one of the "Top 20 Under 20" on CNN.com. Her award-winning novel "Dream Saver" sold 35,000 copies. Michelle will also be in attendance as a nominee for her science fiction, "The Galacteran Legacy: Galaxy Watch."

Are the girls nervous? Well, maybe, but when you are already used to the limelight it doesn't hurt to look it straight in the eye.

If anyone would like to attend the awards, the ceremony begins at 7:30 PM and is free and open to the public. There is a fee of $55.00 for the banquet, which precedes the ceremony and begins at 6 PM, but this money is going to a great cause. Just click on the link GAYA for more information. The deadline for purchasing tickets for the banquet is June 8th.

Futureword Presents: Lea Heil

2010-04-04T02:56:00.000-07:00

Last year, I read a science fiction futuristic manuscript submitted by an 18-year-old High School student from Norcross, Georgia, Lea Heil. I mentioned her in an earlier blog as having been auditioned for America's Got Talent. She has now been accepted into Shorter College and plans to continue pursuing her singing career along with other arts. She plays a guitar, piano and violin. She has been hired by Futureword to write a musical score for a children's book written by an author from the United Kingdom.

Lea's novel,Freedom Deconstructed, is set far into the future after the year 6,000 AD. The people of Earth have long since found this planet uninhabitable and set up colonies on Venus and Mars. Lea describes the way they scientifically set life form into motion with science that is known today. The story is believable. The planet Venus has erected a school for its young until they reach a certain maturity to leave it for the planet Mars. But there is a problem. The children on Venus are implanted at birth with a chip that is used by remote to activate when it suits the government. This means that there is only a short window of time that they can conceive. Of course this plan is set up by a government with lots of conspiracy going on with the students as well. A team called "The Rengladius" fights back, but there are more problems than the Rengladius can face alone and they must convince others to follow them. The government agents who try to enforce rules on this society are a genetically engineered species able to appear at the blink of an eye and take an offender of the law to justice.

I fear I am going to spoil it if I continue.

The book will be a 6 x 9 Perfect bound and will be in Kindle as well. The anticipated release date will be September 1, 2010. I will have two other novels released prior to that date if production continues as smoothly as it has been. The books are nothing alike. When you pick up one, you will want the other, as they are running a photo finish.

To order this book in advance, go to www.futurewordbooks.com or www.futureword.net

FutureWord Presents: R. Anthony Mahan, Author

2010-03-21T00:43:00.000-07:00

FutureWord's featured author this month is R. Anthony Mahan. He has submitted his manuscript in a most extraordinary way. I like that. He actually posted part of it on a blog and asked for a publisher to contact him. Well, a lot of writers do that, but it was the way he did it. First things first, I asked him anonymously through his blog comments if he had a copyright on his manuscript. I had a strong fear of missing this train.

Then I turned around and sent an email to A. C. Crispin. If you don't know who that is then you probably never watch Star Trek, Star Wars, or you have never watched Alien Resurrection. She started out writing Fan Fiction then ended up as the first lady to ever hold the title of the Grand Master of Science Fiction.

Her response was one of concern for the amount of the novel that he had exposed without copyright. As was I. All of it was posted. Then she sent him a response and a couple of links that would have him schooled with others who are learning to write and learning how to query. She gave him advice to take it down. It was an amicable email that I would have framed, had I received it at his tender age.

He's ready NOW! I received an edited second copy of hs manuscript and was very impressed with the story.

I interviewed with him and sure enough, he is so solid in his knowledge of robotics and skilled in writing, disciplined to write and rewrite until he comes to a total stand still and there is a solid marketable product. After speaking with his mother, I had permission to seek a legal contract with him.

Here is his query letter.

I am eighteen years old and have aspired to be a writer since winning a short story contest in the fourth grade, which caused me to discover my newfound passion. I’ve always been fascinated by the potential that could lie within our future, and have thus selected science fiction as my genre of choice.

Having Asperger syndrome has caused me to find robots in fiction generally more relatable than human characters. Many conventional works of fiction have featured robots turning evil and rebelling, with humanity painted as the heroic figures fighting against them. However, mankind is not perfect, and in fact, humanity itself is perfectly capable of evil. Because of this I decided to create a deconstruction of the typical robot story. The robots never rebel, continuing to do the tasks they were programmed to, yet we see the human characters steadily de-evolving and committing atrocities against these machines. The novel attempts to examine how society would seriously be impacted by such machines existing and becoming widespread. Would businesses hiring these machines affect employment rates? Would violence against these robots become commonplace, and would new laws be necessary to prevent such action? What sort of person would be willing to invent these machines, and why? If these robots have the same level of intelligence as human beings, does this also include emotional intelligence? If circumstances called for it, could they feel anger, grief, or even love?

“But Whether Men Do” is an examination of the robot that provides a sobering punch of realism to the creature that has captivated the minds of science fiction readers for so long.

After a decade in hiding, Dr. Richard Danson has returned to unveil his greatest achievement: the SHEM (Synthetic Humanoid Emulation Machine), a robot that looks, talks, and is as intelligent as a human being. But the public eye is skeptical of Danson's creation. Fear of the SHEM becomes widespread, and the machines become widely vilified by a society that's become more worse and worse in retaliation. Danson is acting more unstable with each passing day,and one of his robots has confessed to an emotion she has never been programmed with!

"But Whether Men Do" is a thought-provoking examination of how technological advancement impacts society and what it means to be human. This science fiction novel weaves together science, politics, romance, and the human psyche to observe the nature of the world around us.

This is not a story about robots going wrong.
This is a story about humanity going wrong.

*The above blurb varies from the original query as the author added more ideas to the 100,000 word manuscript.

This is not the normal query. But, there is no right or wrong query for FutureWord on gifted individuals. It's a matter of selling the publisher on the idea of reading the manuscript. The manuscript told me he had the
"write" stuff as well. His claim that he related better to robots than humans tells me that he must know a lot about robots because I found the conversation between us to create a brainstorm, and his manuscript to reflect a gift for script.

I went by his blogspot to see if he removed his script and saw his announcement that he was under consideration for publication. His goodbye comments went something like this:

0011100011100011100010111000111
0001010001110001110000100001000
1100011010100001110111010101010
0001010001000101100110010100010

Cheryl Haynes, publisher

FutureWord Negotiates with Author for a Musical Score?

2010-03-16T03:59:00.000-07:00

FutureWord Negotiates with Author for a Musical Score?

I guess I said that right!

When you have multi-talented authors who have additional skills to purchase with their manuscripts...well...ur...uh...why not?

Lea Heil submitted her novel to FutureWord and signed on with us. She recently auditioned for America's Got Talent! Lea Hell's science fiction is futuristic as well. The title of her debut novel is Freedom Deconstructed. But Lea plays several instruments, sings opera and composes music as a hobby.

More about Lea and her book is forthcoming in another blog later this spring.

FutureWord has contracted Benjamin Moores for the rights to sell his new storybook called Little Rockin' Roger & the Magic Glass Guitar. But we need a tune to go with the book! Yes, that's right! Benjamin Moores wrote his own song in his own book. The picture book is full of lively rocking with Roger and a glass guitar that he finds in his attic. Parents will open the book and read to the last page and if they can read music? Well, they can play a tune on a piano or guitar and sing the rest of the story back to their child before they go to bed. Or, they can just go to the back of the book and sing the story!

How's that for new kind of storybook? Moores sent out queries in the UK and waited just long enough to decide that his gut feelings tell him that this picture book will be a hit over here. I'm saying it will be a hot hit over there. I hope we are both right!

With Valerie's Boutheytte's illustrations on Benjamin Moores' totally unique new storybook with his own song written into the story, and Lea Heil's musical composition talent; I feel like I just struck the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

I anticipate there will be a wait,folks, but I have scheduled the book to be hitting the market by July 15th. Meanwhile, I'll be waiting on Nicole Izmaylov's results for her nomination for a GAYA Award and will be looking over the final edits from a local Memphis author who has a US Patent on a most unusual de-greaser. I'll have more on that story as well.

FutureWord's science fiction books as well as children's books will be influencing the way people think today. That is what FutureWord is about. Sending message to people around the world that will help us to get a feel for publishing of the future!

written by the publisher

Nicole Izmaylov Nominated for GAYA Award

2010-02-28T15:46:00.000-08:00

FutureWord is overwhelmed with excitement for Nicole Izmaylov who will be dining among other nominees for the 46th annual GAYA (Georgia Author of the Year Award) on June 19th at the Kennesaw State University.

Nicole received the notice by mail along with silver labels to distinguish her book, Ronnie and BB as a candidate for this prestigious award. Each year an author is presented with this honor by the Georgia Writers Association.

FutureWord has been flooded with email addresses requesting press releases and any details that can update magazines or media,as well as inquiries about the GAYA Award.

Nicole's first book is about Ronnie, a bumblebee who meets up with a mole named BB. These two characters, created by Nicole Izmaylov, share her message in an acrostic poem that reminds the readers that love and friendship are never to be taken lightly. Her twenty-four page children's book is perfect bound 8.25 by 8.25 with colorful illustrations by Valerie Bouthyette.

Nicole's first book sales were contributed to Lily's Run to help a young cancer patient with receiving the needed medical care.

Sales records reflect that she was able to match Amazon sales with her books signing sales over a 45-day period.

Cheryl Haynes, publisher at FutureWord gave the following account of her interview with Izmaylov before she agreed to a contract.

"Nicole interviewed with me by telephone prior to re-submitting an acrostic poem-story. I asked her if she was familiar with acrostic poetry. Publishers seek authors who can supply what the publishers believe the readers would enjoy. At the time I saw the need for acrostic poetry. It wasn't until after I spoke with Nicole that I truly realized how skilled she was in literature and poetry. I made an agreement to see what she could do with acrostics when she said she worked with acrostics in the past. Within an hour, I received the first draft of the poem-story converted into an acrostic. I was baffled by how versatile she was for a twelve-year-old. It's not every day that you meet someone so young with such great talent. That's when I decided on working out a contract."

Nicole was born in Atlanta and received national recognition for literary and musical compositions during her elementary school years, as well as various times throughout middle school. Her personal interests include: writing poems, playing violin and piano, and acting in the drama club at her school. She is now attending seventh grade at Webb Bridge in Alpharetta, Georgia.

A copy of the original press release can be found on this web site link at the FutureWord web site.

FutureWord also posted a copy of Nicole's nomination letter on the same headline page for everyone to reference for information about the award event.

FutureWord has seven more titles coming out this year from various authors across the United States, but Haynes says she believes she tapped into the best "Authors of the Future" right out of Georgia.

For more information about ordering books for Ronnie and BB, email the publisher at: ourfutureword@aol.com.

384 E Goodman Road, Southaven, Ms 38671.www.futureword.net | Fax (901)-(672-6303)
901-217-8514 office

Little Rockin Roger rocks

2010-02-15T18:03:00.000-08:00

Now and then, Valerie Bouthyette has a book that she is illustrating that she runs by me to see what I think.

I saw this one and it was a no-brainer. My own personal ethical code will not allow me to talk Benjamin Moores into letting me publish his first book of The Little Rockin Roger series that he has been talking about for months.

This book needs a home at brick and mortar stores.

There are novels that can be read on Kindle and novels that can be printed on demand and purchased on line, but this one will pop out on a book store shelf to any child or adult.

Little Rockin Roger & the Magic Glass Guitar is about a young boy, Roger, who moves to a new house and encounters some seriously spooky events. No rattling chains or creaking noises, but a "tune".

Roger and his pet fish get carried away with the magic of a glass guitar that makes Roger a singing idol .

The lyrics are lively, the illustrations, by Valerie Bouthyette are once again, remarkable and eye-catching.

FutureWord had to turn Benjamin Moores in another direction. All suggestions for Benjamin Moore's book should be sent to: Ourfutureword@aol.com.

Right now, we want to see who is paying attention and how it turns out.

"One must never keep a dream waiting." -Og Mandino- The Greatest Salesman in the World

Nicole's Izmaylov's Ronnie and BB may be very rare

2010-02-11T12:32:00.000-08:00

Nicole Izmaylov submitted her first manuscript to FutureWord Publishing in August of 2009. Production went extremely fast on the book which is an acrostic poem about a mole (BB) and a bumblebee (Ronnie) who make friends. While the two are playing a game of Hide and Seek a cat discovers BB and is holding him for lunch when Ronnie comes to the rescue.

Acrostic poetry is very rare in storybooks. As the publisher at FutureWord, I researched to find other acrostic poems of similar quality and could not find any.

I tracked the sales on Amazon closely and calculated that Amazon averaged selling a book a day during the first 45 days. The other books that were sent to book signings were sold quickly. Increasing the total number of the books sold.

The book, Ronnie and BB is now waiting results on a State-wide contest which should bring some interesting results. Nicole is not counting her chickens before they hatch but her enthusiasm for proudly sharing her book is infectious.

The books are available to the author for the same production cost as for the publisher, making the royalties 100% for the author on the books sold at signings. Normally, the publisher charges the author a fee for each book. Contracts offer the authors 40% discounts and sometimes less. Nicole chose to give her proceeds to Lily's Run at the past book signings. I will keep the news blogs posted of any future book signings.

The twelve-year-old, Atlanta-born female received national recognition for literary and musical compositions during her elementary school years, as well as various times throughout middle school. Her personal interests include: writing poems, playing violin and piano, and acting in the drama club at her school. She has set her goal to be a published author/editor throughout her career.

Nicole is now attending seventh grade at Webb Bridge in Alpharetta, Georgia.
For more information about Ronnie and BB, email the publisher at: ourfutureword@aol.com.

384 E Goodman Road, Southaven, Ms 38671 . Office 901-604-6071. www.futureword.net | Fax (901)-(672-6303)

Ronnie and BB

2010-01-30T19:07:00.001-08:00

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

THE RIGHT STUFF

2010-01-27T19:16:00.000-08:00

I HATE TO SAY "I TOLD YOU SO!" ACTUALLY, THAT WOULD BE TELLING A FIB. I'M PROUD TO SAY "I TOLD YOU SO!"

THERE IS NO STIGMA IN THE PUBLISHING WORLD AMONG POD BOOKS. NOT IF YOU HAVE AN OUTGOING, BRILLIANT AUTHOR WHO IS ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT SHOWING OFF HER WORK.

WRITING A BOOK IS THE ACCOMPLISHMENT OF A LIFETIME. BUT WHEN SOMEONE ACCOMPLISHES THIS AT THE AGE OF 12, LIKE NICOLE IZMAYLOV, IT SHOULD INSPIRE OTHERS THAT IT CAN BE DONE.

SO WHAT IS THE RIGHT STUFF? THE RIGHT STUFF IS POSITIVE THINKING IN SPITE OF BEING TOLD CONSTANTLY THAT IT CANNOT BE DONE. FAITH. THAT'S WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT.

IN THIS CASE, IT WAS ALSO ABOUT HELPING OTHERS. NICOLE'S BOOKS WERE SOLD AND THE PROCEEDS GIVEN TO LILY'S RUN TO HELP A CANCER PATIENT.

NICOLE IZMAYLOV HAS NEWSPAPER (NORTHSIDE WOMENAND ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION) AND TV EXPOSURE AS WELL AS BOOK SIGNINGS IN THE LIBRARY.

MICHELLE, NICOLE'S OLDER SISTER, IS A TRANSLATOR FOR A RUSSIAN MAGAZINE WHICH ALSO PUBLISHED THE STORY OF NICOLE'S SUCCESS ON HER FIRST BOOK.

NICOLE WON NATIONAL COMPETITIONS FOR HER WRITING AND POETRY.

THE WHOLE FAMILY WORKED TOGETHER EVERY STEP OF THE WAY TO MAKE IT ALL HAPPEN.

AND IT'S JUST BEGINNING! WATCH THIS BLOG FOR SCHEDULED BOOK SIGNINGS.

FutureWord Publishing Donates Books For Charity Event

2009-11-18T22:50:00.000-08:00

FutureWord Publishing has donated a limited number of books to benefit cancer patient, Lily Anderson.

Lily Anderson, 8, was diagnosed Sept. 10 with advanced neuroblastoma cancer in the form of a large tumor in her abdomen. Money is needed for her treatment. The details can be found here: "Lily's Run"

Cheryl Haynes, publisher at FutureWord routed some books that were going to be donated for the Shriner's Crippled Children's Hospital to Nicole Izmaylov for her signing.

"There are a limited number of books. The more money you pay for the book, the more money goes to the cancer fund for Lily Anderson." said Mr. Highfield, Director of sales at FutureWord.

Nicole's older sister, best-selling author Michelle Izmaylov, currently a medical student at Emory University, published "Dream Saver" and "The Galacteran Legacy: Galaxy Watch" will be selling her books as well for the benefit.

Nicole Izmaylov is currently attending Webb Bridge Middle School in Alpharetta, and will sign her title, "Ronnie and BB."

The book signing will be held with 100 percent of the proceeds going to the "Lily's Run" Fund.

Here is the schedule:

Date: Nov. 21

Time: Nicole 4 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., Michelle 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Place: Ocee Library, Alpharetta

Participants: Nicole Izmaylov (Ronnie and BB) and Michelle Izmaylov (The Galacteran Legacy: Galaxy Watch)

Sidney's Pizza, Vickery Village Book Signing.

Date: Dec. 5

Time: Noon to 2 p.m. Both Nicole and Michelle will be signing at this time.

Place: Sidney's Pizza, Vickery Village

Participants: Nicole Izmaylov (Ronnie and BB) and Michelle Izmaylov (The Galacteran Legacy: Galaxy Watch)

Go to Amazon.com to search inside."Ronnie and BB."

FutureWord 's goal is to provide the best books to today's readers.

New York Illustrator creates juvenile fiction character

2009-10-08T17:09:00.000-07:00

Valerie Bouthyette has decided to bring everything she's got to the children of the world. For years she has been illustrating stories for authors and encouraging others to write, illustrate and publish. Now this creative innovator has a children's book of her own now available through Amazon.com.

Valerie's first book, in a series of stories that chronicle the adventures of a mouse and all of the friends that climb on his bandwagon while learning some valuable lessons in life, is a Christmas story that introduce the main character, Mousie.

Mousie lives alone in a barn on a farm owned by a family. Mousie treks across snow- covered fields in cold, biting winds to just catch a peek of the little boy who lives inside the little white farmhouse.

As each day passes, the family decorates and prepares for the Christmas season--something Mousie has never experienced.

"We don't have all the details worked out but we would like to continue the series of Mousie with an introduction to a few other characters around the farmhouse," says Cheryl Haynes, President of FutureWord Publishing. Cheryl has collaborated with the renown illustrator about the possibility of doing a number of books, all of which will showcase her outstanding artwork and heart-warming stories that teach social and moral values to children.

Valerie is working on a teaching degree but says, "I student taught at Calvin U. Smith Elementary School last Spring in Mrs. Merrill's first grade class and worked with the students to write and illustrate a book which they followed through to self-publish through Lulu.com. The titled work was called the Magnificent and Scientific Adventures of Mouse. This mouse character is one created by the students. I'll be student teaching with Mrs. Colunio's 5th grade class this fall."

The launch date for Valerie's new title, The Christmas Wish, is set for Friday, October 9, 2009.

The book is perfect bound, 8.25 by 8.25 and is full color illustrations with bleed.

An official press release date is also set for October 9, 2009.

FutureWord's latest addition--Best-selling author, Michelle Izmaylov

2009-07-17T17:07:00.000-07:00

The staff at FutureWord is buzzing with excitement. They have a Sci-fi/Fantasy Editor for Young Adults and she's an accomplished published author.

Cheryl Haynes, president of FutureWord, told this interviewer, "Michelle Izmaylov can edit any genre, but she is very keen in science fiction. That is what I want her to do right now but she is probably going to take flight and do some pretty amazing things on the line of book publishing. She is already on her own fourth novel."

How well rounded with creativity and industry can one eighteen-year-old be? Well, all I can say is--we should all keep an eye on this girl.

About seven years ago, an eleven-year-old girl with a laptop began writing the tale of an ordinary Earth child who discovers an enchanted pocket watch. At eighteen, Michelle Izmaylov is the bestselling author of three novels: The Pocket Watch, Dream Saver, and Galaxy Watch (the first book of The Galacteran Legacy trilogy). Michelle’s story has been featured by CNN, a copy of which may be found here.

Additional accomplishments include winning first place in a national short story contest hosted by Mercury Publishing, Inc. Also, during Michelle’s tenure as the Prose Editor of The Ripple Effect in 2007-2008, the literary magazine received the Columbia Scholastic Press Association Silver Medal.

Although no genre is beyond her reach, Michelle delights in fantasy and science fiction. “I am honored to be part of FutureWord’s editing staff,” says Michelle. “Connecting with authors is an amazing journey. Every writer has a unique story to tell, and I love working together to enhance that story to life.”

FutureWord is forming its staff

2009-07-13T17:45:00.000-07:00

FutureWord is proud to introduce a new staff member. . .

Valerie Bouthyette is known for her prolific art and dazzling illustrations that have entertained children all over the United States. Valerie Bouthyette is an illustrator, specializing in children’s books. Valerie has a degree in Graphic Design from SUNY Farmingdale, and was formerly an art director for American Lithotech on Long Island many years ago.

She's been in the graphic design field for more than twenty-five years, and currently owns her own illustration business. Valerie is an award winning artist and also creates logo and graphic designs as well as book trailers.

She works in watercolor, pencil, acrylic and a variety of other mediums including digital artwork and design. Valerie says she been working in this field since she “could hold a crayon”, and her favorite color is Crayola’s periwinkle.

Cheryl Haynes, President of FutureWord, commented, "I was impressed with the Disney quality of Valerie's work and was astounded that she accepted the invitation to provide illustrations for authors who query their work to FutureWord. If the authors have a fantastic story and they can't illustrate, we have one of the top ten illustrators on Guru.com. Anyone who has a great children's story would be lucky to have her illustrations. I have used her services myself and am positively 100% satisfied. One of her virtues that I find matches with my own interests are her philanthropic points of view."

In Valerie's own words:

"I hope to give our community’s youth the opportunity to express themselves creatively and I am most looking forward to providing affordable access to the arts to all, regardless of financial status."

"Valerie will have her own business but she will represent FutureWord in their acquisitions of children's illustrated books. We are lucky to have her commit her talented services to making the world of readers, and the authors who provide their leadership, a better picture of the message in storybooks." Cheryl told one interviewer.

Another goal of FutureWord is to make illustrating and editing a more economical solution for authors, apart from the publishing business. We're not just a publisher. We're consultants.

FutureWord is a publishing group that acts like a network for whatever the authors need to get published. If they need an editor--bingo!. They may need an illustrator or a beta reader, or even a book trailer. So you think you need an agent? No, you don't--we are the publisher too!

No cost to you if you are contracted for a book. We pay for the editor and the illustrator. If you are someone looking for an editor or illustrator but want to query your work somewhere else, we offer recommendations for that as well.

We have someone linked here to help you. We aim to provide the readers with quality writing and illustrations for the youth of today. www.futureword.net

Discussion: Kindle

2009-05-03T13:46:00.000-07:00

Eventually Kindles will replace textbooks in schools. Well, Maybe not a Kindle but some electronic reading device will be designed to replace textbooks. This electronic world of books seems to fall right into part of a government plan to make an electrical grid, save the environment, and create greater technology.

However, protesters who cannot change their ways, can stay the way they are as far as books are concerned. Downloads off your web site will always be an option. Digital files, Ebooks, audios and Kindles are the way we are headed with this electrical grid. It's been a long time in the making and just needed the right moment to come out.

This will even cause Ebooks to be in higher demand than ever. Not everyone can afford to buy a Kindle. But no one should be concerned about that. There is always a cheaper way for some of us.

I have lots of friends who were in the Amazon program and their Shorts were never sold on digital. Then along came the Kindle and the Shorts were converted...then they started selling and making money on the Kindles. As their rankings on their Kindles grew, they started selling the digitals to the people who didn’t have Kindles. We should embrace new technology as it will pull us with it into the future of publishing.

The first form of a Kindle that I noticed and wished that we had was on Star Trek Voyager. The crew of Voyager walked around with an electronic reading device that looked very much like a Kindle. Science fiction fans are not dumbfounded at this technology. Some of them knew that the idea was very real and soon to be. Then the doctor's offices started bringing something out that simulated the same version of a doctor's report on the first Star Trek Classics.

Imagine a school room of children with no text books because they are all loaded into a ten-ounce Kindle.

If you can get your book on a Kindle then you should do so. Don’t stop your digitals because the common laborer has children who cannot afford Kindles. These children will settle for using a big laptop to read a book or lean over a desktop. The laptops will be used like a Kindles for reading Ebooks and the computers in schools will have the information that the teacher needs. Have you ever heard of people who go on job training with a computer in front of them for days, teaching them the new job?

These children know how to adapt. It is good for the publishing industry to embrace the Kindle and they have thus far.

Anyone who signs onto Amazon will see a video demonstration of the Kindle II.

Laurie Foston to publish independently

2009-05-01T08:50:00.000-07:00

I’m Laurie Foston but my real name is Cheryl Haynes. I’m published under the pseudonyms Cheryl Henry Hodgetts in the Hebrew language for the title, Leon the Chameleon. My stories are broken down by their genres to have different pseudonyms. Laurie Foston for adult fiction and Cheryl Henry Hodgetts for children's stories.

I write science fiction/fantasy with a religious allegory. My novel, The Coming of the Magi was released December, 2006.

I offered free books for a survey feedback on Amazon.com in 2007 for the 285 page novel. It is my belief that the customer is always right. I have taken advice from the public on what the readers want or desire to read in the genre that I write. I intend to follow through with revisions for what the public desires.

The book, The Coming of the Magi proved to be viable after testing it on the market and has surpassed C.S. Lewis in the Amazon.com sales ranks in its category many times over the last six months.

This pleasant surprise encouraged me to seek more publishing opportunities. The book is currently a work-in-progress revision to be offered to a wider audience of young adults as well. The present book is written in a style that emulates Jane Austen but it has been decided that a longer, simplified, contemporary version is more practical for the current readers of today.

I seek to publish this newer version independently under the title, The Next Phase Chronicles, Just in Time For You and anticipate it to be ready in early 2011 through Amazon.com.

Amazon.com is the largest venue of book sales globally and I find the readers and members of the Amazon community seek out books that are of the highest quality for their children to read. I hope that my new version will be satisfactory for this community.

My publisher, Tate Publishing & Enterprises, LLC. has produced a beautifully bound paperback with an exceptionally nice inside layout. I have decided to try out publishing independently and have terminated the contract with Tate Publishing. Tate Publishing & Enterprises, LLC. has wished me the best of success in my independent publishing endeavor and I would like to say that they have exceeded my expectations in a first time publisher.

The following titles are available through http://www.amazon.com/amazon-shorts-digital-shorts/b?ie=UTF8&node=13993911: and were published by Amazon.

Christmas Is Not Just For Children by Laurie Foston
Leon the Chameleon by Cheryl Henry Hodgetts

The latest children’s story is not yet available but is in the illustration process and will become available for publication in the month of June, 2009. The name of the title is expected to be The Mystery of the Sasyrifera Plant.I’m excited to belong to the Amazon community and look forward to building a future in books with Amazon.com.

Cheryl Haynes aka Laurie Foston.

Future of the written word

2007-04-06T17:30:00.001-07:00

The future of publishing...has now become the prediction from the past. A comment from Authors' Crossroad Think Tank

"Writers need to come to grips with the electronic medium. My downloads out sell my hard copies at least 4 to 1. The old notion of having a hard copy in your hands will die along with us. Barnes & Noble is already facing that fact and seeing what is happening to record stores. Download is the future, like it or not. Hard copies will be ad displays at best. Ingram is already gearing up to have in-store POD of current books to cut down on store space. The typical retail outlet costs at least $25 per sq. ft. in rent alone. That's a lot of books just to pay the rent. Those who can market successfully with download will make the money. Shipping alone is prohibitive for a small press. On my Winning Thinking, I make about 10 cents on a hard copy, if that. With a 55% markup and shipping there is no profit in hardcopy. Download I can make $5 each without the hassle or expense. We'll be selling books like Burger King, making them to order in the store if Ingram has their way. It actually makes total sense for those who insist on a hard copy. I can easily provide a PDF file for a store to use to print a perfect bound on the spot. With technology coming around we should be seeing a standardized format like the rack paperback that can be cranked out as needed or you plug your IPOD into a slot and download your book like at an ATM machine or just do it on line."

The above comment is contributed by author, Michael Cortson. The Authors' Crossroad is a think tank which serves as an advertising tool for authors web sites and books. Any feedback on this comment may go to: http://www.michaelcortson.com/. You may also respond by adding your comment to this blog or by responding directly to the author of this blog at lauriefoston@aol.com.