4RV's A Family for Leona received Literary Classics Seal of Approval

       The following review from Literary Classics Seal of Approval announcement appeared June 26, 2017. However, 4RV as the publisher was not included, but we want everyone to know 4RV did.

Monday, June 26, 2017

A Family for Leona, by Beverly Stowe McClure, earns the Literary Classics Seal of Approval

In the year 1921 life was challenging, but times were especially hard for Leona and her family who had recently lost their mother.  At ten-years-old Leona is just one of six siblings.  With her mother gone, her father is unable to provide and care for his children, the youngest of whom is just a baby.  With nowhere to turn, he takes them to the Brooklyn School and Home for Destitute Children.  At first Leona believes it will be just for a short while.  Expecting her father to collect them any day, she’s always on the lookout for his return.  But he does not come back and eventually, one at a time, her siblings are gone.  First her fourteen-year-old brother runs away in hopes of finding a job.  Next, with the opportunity of becoming a nurse, her older sister leaves as well.  Eventually her other siblings are adopted, leaving just Leona and the baby.  Determined to hold on to her last remaining family thread, she’s devastated when, against her will, she’s put on an orphan train to Texas, leaving her baby sister behind. 

Author Beverly Stowe McClure is a skilled story-teller.  As with all her books, she writes with a depth of emotion that helps readers connect instantly with her characters.  With a page-turning plot and a story which begs to be discovered, A Family for Leona is a book which rises to the occasion for fans of her work and will certainly draw new fans who will come to want more from this exceptionally talented author.  Recommended for home and school libraries A Family for Leona is a wonderful book that will speak to the hearts of readers of all ages.  

LITERARY CLASSICS Book Awards & Reviews International Book Awards • Top Honors Youth Book Awards • Seal of Approval http://www.clcawards.org

Posted by Literary Classics Book Awards at 8:45 PM  

     A Family for Leona is a finalist in the Children's Literary Classics Award, which will be announced July 1st. We will share the results. 

     The book can be ordered from the 4RV Bookstore.

Unique 4RV Children's Book, SPEARFINGER, Receives Amazon Honor

     Charles Suddeth (@CharlesSuddeth on Twitter), with illustrations by Carrie Salazar, produced one of the first bilingual English - Cherokee children's book we've been able to find: Spearfinger. Charles Suddeth wrote the story based on a Cherokee legend. Tim Nuttle translated the story into Cherokee, which Lawrence Panther edited. Renee' La Viness worked hours to make sure both English and Cherokee worked together and nothing clashed or didn't agree. Carrie Salazar (@swampmonster) made the story live with her marvelous artwork. The unique book interests children and adults.

     Spearfinger, a witch, terrorizes the Cherokees of the Smoky Mountains. No one can stop her. A little boy named Chucha battles her. Can he discover her secrets? Can he put an end to her rampages? The answer is found between the covers of the book, which is available in both hardback and paperback versions.

     Of course, we hope people order copies of the book from the 4RV Bookstore or the 4RV Shop-lets in Oklahoma City/Edmond, but Amazon has given Spearfinger  an honor already:

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#1 New Releasein Children's American Folk Tales & Myths

#1 New Release in Children's American Folk Tales & Myths.

     Congratulations, Chuck, Carrie, Tim, Lawrence, and Renee', for the beautiful final book. 4RV is fortunate to have quality authors, artists/illustrators, and editors.

     Please visit the 4RV website and the 4RV Bookstore.

Vivian Zabel, President of 4RV Publishing

Traditional Publishing House based in Edmond Oklahoma

WEBSITE     BOOKSTORE     TWITTER     FACEBOOK

4RV Offers its books for sale in 2 shop-letts

        4RV Publishing of Edmond, OK, first opened a shop-ett at The Market at Quail Springs, named 4RV  Shop-lett @ The Maket. The area, called an aisle cap, holds a limited number of books.  The 4RV Shop-lett @ The Market is located west of Quail Springs Mall in north west Oklahoma City.  Directions are at the bottom of the poster. Briefly,

take Memorial to May Avenue. Go north on May to NW 138, turn east to Joel McDonald Dr. Drive north to The Market, a boutique market.

      Planned activities include author book signings, special sales, and different titles available as books are rotated.

     In June, 2017, 4RV opened its second shop-lett at the Serendipity Market located in Edmond, Oklahoma:

4RV Shop-lett @ Serendipity.  The books are located in a small room/booth which allows over 40 titles to be on display. Serendipity Market is located at 917 E. Danforth, just a short distant east of Boulevard and several blocks west of Bryant. 

     Activities planned for 4RV Shop-lett @ Serendipity include author book signings, special sales, and the display of new releases.

    4RV books are seldom found in stores, so we decided to try direct sales other than from the 4RV online bookstore.  Therefore, readers have two places to find many of the quality books offered.

     We have books for everyone, written by some of the best authors to be found. Children's books are illustrated by a variety of artists who make the books come alive. We have books for children, tweens, teens, young adults, fiction, and nonfiction. 

      Information about our company and guidelines for submissions are on the 4RV website.

 

     Please visit, examine our books, touch them, admire them, and purchase the ones you most like. 

The Major Elements in Fiction Writing

By Karen Cioffi

There are five major elements to a fiction story and it’s the combination of these elements that make the story complete, interesting, and considered good writing. Too much of one or not enough of another can affect the readers ability to connect with the story. So, what are the major elements of a story?

The Major Elements of a Story

1. Protagonist
2. Setting
3. Plot
4. Point of view
5. Theme

Let’s break them down:

The Protagonist: Introduce the main character. Using your imagination you can make him unique. He can have particular mannerisms or quirks, or even distinct physical attributes. You can also make him likeable or unsavory, but remember you will need the reader to be able to create a connection to him. It’s this connection that will prompt the reader to continue reading on. Your protagonist needs to be real…believable.

The Setting: This will establish the time and place the story takes place. The setting can create a feeling and mood – if you’re writing about swashbuckling pirates, your reader will be in a certain mind set. The same holds true for any other setting you choose. It will be intrinsic to the plot/conflict and will help establish vivid imagery for the reader.

The Plot: This is the meat of the story – the forward movement, the conflict or struggle that drives the protagonist toward his goal. This involves any danger, suspense, romance, or other reader grabbing occurrence. The conflict can be emotional (an internal struggle – a tormented soul) or physical (from an external/outside force – good against evil).

Point of View: This establishes whose point of view the story is being told. It’s important to make this clear. Even if you have two main characters, there needs to be one who is primary in order to keep clarity within the story.

The Theme: This establishes what is important to the story. It usually evolves along with the story and the protagonist’s progression. If Jesus is your protagonist, establishing and promoting Christianity might be the theme. It might be the story’s view on life and the people/characters the protagonist encounters. It is the idea the author wants the reader to take away with him/her.

Utilizing each of these elements can create a unique, fascinating, and memorable story.

Just like the ingredients in a cooking recipe, writing has its own set of ingredients that produce a wonderful end product. A pinch here, a dab there – you hold the unique recipe to your story.

Karen Cioffi is an award-winning author, ghostwriter, and online platform instructor with WOW! Women on Writing. For must-know writing and marketing tips, get free access to The Writing World.

You can connect with Karen at:
http://facebook.com/writingforchildrenwithkarecioffi