Happy New Year 2013!!

Wishing you all a Blessed and Happy New Year 2013!

Trailblazer: Sally Ride, Astronaut

Today we honor Sally Ride, the first American woman astronaut. Sally passed away in 2012 and left a rich legacy for girls and women in science and education. Watch this mini-biography below to learn more about  her life.

Merry Christmas Worldwide

The Nativity Scene at Disney World

The angel said, 

"Don't be afraid. 

I'm here to announce a great and joyful event 

that is meant for everybody, worldwide. 

A Savior has just been born in David's town, 

a Savior who is Messiah and Master."

--Luke 2:10 (The Message, the Bible in Contemporary Language)

Merry Christmas greetings to everyone around the world! 

Feliz Navidad, 

Gledelig Jul, 

Mele Kalikimaka, 

Joyeux Noel, 

Buon Natale, 

Chook Sung Tan
Il-Milied it-Tajjeb

Jesus brought his message of peace and love to the whole world. Let's spread the word to transform this world into one filled with peace, love, joy, and hope.

God bless you.

Merry Christmas from All the Girls in My Family

Merry Christmas

from all the girls in my family

 to all the girls in yours!

Five Stars for Girls Succeed!!

Thrilled to share this 5 star Review on Amazon from Sue's Reviews below:

5.0 out of 5 stars Girls Succeed to become Successful Women, December 9, 2012
By Sue Pernz "SueP" (New Zealand) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Girls Succeed: Stories Behind the Careers of Successful Women (Kindle Edition)

This book is well written and very informative. If you have a dream you don't think you'll be able to attain I suggest you have a look at this book. It will certainly give you inspiration for your own goals.

The women in this book have all achieved their dreams and are to be applauded for their efforts. All worked hard to get to the level they desired, but some had to work harder than others when life put obstacles in their way. They're not all high flying professional women, their goals range from chef, to minister, to scientist to gold medallist. Do you have dreams? Get inspiration to achieve them from this book.

Smashwords Buy Link

Amazon Buy Link

Christmas Song Medley by Jennifer Hudson

It's Christmas Time! 

Jennifer Hudson Sings

One of my favorite artists, Jennifer Hudson, and I hope yours too, performs Christmas songs at Disney World. Next year I will tell you about the path Jennifer took to reach success in her career as an outstanding entertainer. For now, sit back and enjoy the music like only Jennifer can deliver.

Blessings.

Celebrate the Dreamer in You

Dream BIG! is the message in the Girls Succeed book. If you have a passion and love a subject, then pursue it and make it your goal to work hard toward a career in that field. Animals, technology, cooking, entertainment? 

Dolly Parton even wrote a song about dreaming big and celebrating that dream, Celebrate the Dreamer in You! Enjoy this lively song and go ahead and dream big for your life!

Sharon Loving: A Career in Horticulture

Sharon Loving, Head of the Horticulture Department at Longwood Gardens

The word, horticulture, may be a big word to you. Horticulture means the science of cultivating or nurturing plants and flowers. The woman in charge of the horticulture department at Longwood Gardens has a big job as well as a big word to describe her job. Sharon Loving is a horticulturalist, someone who nurtures flowers and plants.

Sharon enjoyed digging in the dirt and growing flowers when she was a girl. She has succeeded in developing her passion for plants into her full-time job. When she was a little girl planting, watering, weeding, and mulching her flower beds in her yard, she had no idea she would one day be in charge of acres of display gardens at the world-renowned Longwood Gardens located near the city of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania.

Sharon, on the right, didn't know when she was a girl she would be working right here at Longwood Gardens. Pictured in front of one of the fantastic fountains in the display garden.

She is responsible for producing and maintaining quality horticultural displays and landscapes for the entire property. She has the joyful job of overseeing the displays of hundreds of colorful mum plants during the Chrysanthemum Festival in the fall and all of the magnificent Christmas decorations during the holidays.

Poinsettia, the Christmas flower

There's a lot of preparation for the Longwood Gardens Annual Christmas displays. Workers set up seventy-seven lighted trees and string up 500,000 holiday lights outdoors. Inside the glass conservatory which is a greenhouse area, Sharon and the staff decorate gorgeous Christmas trees. Thousands of colorful poinsettias, which are traditional Christmas-time plants, and other beautiful flowering plants offer eye-candy for the plant lovers.

Sharon Loving is one of the successful women featured in the interactive e-book, Girls Succeed: Stories Behind the Careers of Successful Women available now at Amazon and Smashwords.

Now sit back and enjoy a peek at the Christmas splendor Sharon and her staff creates.

E-book Girls Succeed Earns 5 Star Review!

Thrilled beyond measure to receive a FIVE STAR Review from Rochelle's Reviews for Girls Succeed: Stories Behind the Careers of Successful Women.

Check it out at Smashwords.com!

Wishing You a Happy Thanksgiving!

Warm Wishes for a 

Happy Thanksgiving 2012!

And the Girls Succeed Book Tour Prizes Go To--

.
The Girls Succeed Book Tour is over. I am a bit sad about it. But thrilled I had the chance to visit so many wonderful places along the way and receive such encouraging words from commenters.

Today I announce the prize winners in the drawing. 

I am reaching into the glass candy dish and fumbling around to draw out the first winner. No, I did not keep the candy in the dish to mix up with all the tiny scraps of paper with names on them. I HAD to eat all the chocolate kisses first!

Here are the lucky folks--

Joylene --$10.00 Amazon Gift Certificate

Meradeth--Free copy of Girls Succeed: Stories Behind the Careers of Successful Women

Saundra--Succeed bracelet kit

Susanne--Notepads and gel pens

Congratulations!!

I believe everyone who left a comment or visited anonymously are all winners because we love reading books. Thank you!

Girls Succeed Book Tour Winding Down--Enter Now to Win Prizes

The Girls Succeed Book Tour is drawing to a close. I want to thank my friends and authors who so graciously allowed me space to introduce readers to the e-book and the stories of the awesome women inside the pages.

Girls Succeed: Stories Behind the Careers of Successful Women is a project close to my heart. Girls have so many circumstances to deal with in today's teen lives. In fact, life is different for them compared to my life as a teen. There was no Internet, cell phones, emails, Facebook, and hey, not even microwaves. The problems of body image, availability of huge amounts of fast food and snacks filled with sugar and salt, bullying (well, yes, we did have bullies, but not on the Internet too!), and a life so full of activities the girl never gets to come down to spend time just dreaming big dreams.

I hope this book encourages big dreams and guides a girl toward making a plan for her life and working hard to achieve it. 

There is still time to leave comments here and on the other blogs I visited so you will be entered into the drawings for a $10. amazon gift certificate, free Girls Succeed e-book with format of your choice, and inspirational notepads and gel pens. The link to the blogs are listed below. Winners will be announced at 9 pm Sunday evening.

Thanks for following. Best wishes!

Nov.

5		Barbara Ehrentreu
7		Pat McDermott
9		Marva Dasef
12		Conda Douglas
14		Lisa Haselton
15		I.B. Nosey
16		Penny Estelle
18		Announce winners

Interview with I.B. Nosey on Gum Drop Island

Don't ask me why, but again I am being interviewed by I.B. Nosey, the official, unofficial reporter at Gum Drop Island. It's always a wild and zany place to go. What an island! Full of licorice trees and gum drop bushes. I can't wait to dive into the chocolate river. Come on over to "experience" all the fun at Gum Drop Island. 

Leave a comment here and/or at Gum Drop Island and you may be a winner in the drawing to be held this Sunday night!! See all the prizes!

Find Out About Flower the Clown Today

Join me today at Lisa Haselton's blog, Reviews and Interviews. She asks fun questions and I share the story, A Big Red Nose, detailing the path Brenda Marshall discovered to become Flower, a world renowned professional clown. 

Flower entertains the kids in China.

Girls Succeed Blog Tour Continues

Today I am a guest at author Conda Douglas blog Conda has a delightful fantasy series for tweens, the Mall Fairies. Escape from the ordinary day with this fun book. You're invited to stop by today and leave a comment to be the winner in the lucky draw. See you there!!

Prizes:

and More!

Thank a Vet!

Veteran's Day 2012

A day to honor 

and thank veterans 

for their service to our country.

Jane Stroschin: Children's Author and Illustrator

Children's author and illustrator, Jane Stroschin is featured at Marva Dasef's blog, the Cellophane Queen. Jane is a talented artist with paintings enjoyed by art lovers around the country. You'll love how she wrote her Christmas picture book, Emma Lou and the Reindeer Flu, told in Girls Succeed: Stories Behind the Careers of Successful Women.

Hop on over to find our more and to enter the drawing for prizes after the book tour. See you there!!

Sue Chef Featured Today

Sue Chef cooks up a career.

Sue Chef shares recipes for girls on Pat McDermott's blog. Sue's career in culinary arts is featured in my new e-book on careers, Girls Succeed: Stories Behind the Careers of Successful Women, Sue shares some easy recipes for girls to create.

Come on over and leave a comment to win prizes during the book tour!

Election Day 2012-19th Amendment for Women's Right to Vote

Election Day 2012--We Americans take for granted the privilege to vote for our government leaders. It wasn't until August 18, 1920 that our constitution was amended to give the right to vote to women. I don't think we can even imagine not having that right in this day and age. Thank you to those hard-working, determined women who were stirred to fight for the right to vote therefore leading to Congress adding the Nineteenth Amendment to the law of the land.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to our fellow citizens who have suffered devastation and hardship due to Supestorm Sandy's path across the east coast. It will be difficult for them to vote this year, but I know there will be a concerted effort to make it to the polls even in this difficult time. 

It's going to be a close election according to all the pundits, so if you are able, please get out and vote wherever you are!

Time to Celebrate! Launch Day for Girls Succeed

We’re doin’ the happy dance today because this is Launch Day for the new interactive e-book, Girls Succeed: Stories Behind the Careers of Successful Women!

This non-fiction e-book is filled with dreams and passion to inspire, entertain, and empower girls. Fifteen remarkable career women in a variety of occupations share their stories in these pages. Explore careers which include women who have discovered cures to stamp out disease, made people laugh, earned Olympic and Paralympic gold medals, and crossed the country in the cab of an 18 wheeler.

Meet the remarkable women in the pages of Girls Succeed!

In a sense today is the fulfillment of a dream I pursued since 2006 when I first envisioned a book about careers which would inspire girls to dream big and empower them to make that dream come true.

So let’s par-tay!! Peek around all the bouquets of bright flowers and you'll see lots of cyber goodies there on that round table in the corner—chocolate chip cookies, chocolate cake, chocolate, chocolate, chocolate as well as some salty favorites like chips and dip, veggies and dip, pizza! Mmmmmm….the punch bowl is in front of the swan ice sculpture on the table to your left. Enjoy the colorful lights and the music. Hey, let’s turn it up a little louder!

CONTEST: Join me on the book tour November 5-November 17 to learn more about the book and the remarkable women who grace the pages. Leave a comment here and on the stops along the tour to be eligible for the random drawing for prizes--$10. Amazon gift certificate, FREE copy of Girls Succeed ebook in your choice of format, “Succeed” beaded bracelet kit, and inspirational notepads and pens.

PRIZES

$10.00 Amazon Gift Certificate

FREE copy of the e-book in your choice of formats

Succeed bracelet kit to design your own

A huge thank you to the generous authors who are hosting this event:

NOV.
5 Barbara Ehrentreu

7 Pat McDermott

9 Marva Dasef

12 Conda Douglas

14 Lisa Haselton

15 I.B. Nosey 

16 Penny Estelle

18 Announce winners


If you would like to download a free sample of the e-book which includes the Table of Contents listing the careers, go to these links:

Amazon Link  
Smashwords Link 

Connect with J.Q. Rose online at:

Girls Succeed blog 
J.Q. Rose blog 
Author website 
J Q Rose Amazon Author Page 

Thanks so much for stopping by today. Help yourself to some refreshments, leave a comment, and visit with us for awhile.

Have a Spooktacular Halloween

Wishing you all a safe, "funtastic" Halloween. 

Video: Girls Succeed: Stories Behind the Careers of Successful Women

Click on the link below to check out the video about Girls Succeed, the e-book and the book tour in November. Hope you have as much fun watching it as I had making it!

Girls Succeed: Stories Behind the Careers of Successful Women

Creative Writing Contest for Students

I just received this notice from our Library Director inviting us to pass it on to any budding writers. Do you dream of being a writer? Go ahead. You can do it!

Creative Writing Scholarship Competition

The creative writing program is seeking young writers to participate in the 2012 Virginia B. Ball Creative Writing Competition. The winner of the competition will receive up to $30,000 to attend Interlochen Arts Academy as a creative writing major and their work will be included in the 2014 Interlochen Review.

“This contest is a wonderful way to put the creative writing program in the spotlight, and it always attracts students who show tremendous passion and potential,” said Mika Perrine, director of the creative writing program at Interlochen Center for the Arts. “We hope that the friends and alumni of Interlochen can help us identify and reach out to talented young writers across the country and around the world with this opportunity.”

The previous six winners of this creative writing contest have compiled an impressive record of accomplishments and honors. As a group, the past recipients of this scholarship have earned awards including Presidential Scholar in the Arts, the Norman Mailer Award for High School Fiction, and inclusion in a Scholastic anthology of the “Best Teen Writing.” Phoebe Rusch, the 2006 scholarship winner, even saw one of her plays come to life in a full-scale production at the Kennedy Center - when she was just 17.

The contest will accept submissions and entries for two months, starting on October 15 and ending with the final deadline on December 15, 2012. The contest is open to students who are enrolled in grades 8-11 during the 2012-13 academic year. There is no entry fee and all entries can be submitted online. For complete details or to submit an entry, visit the contest page on the Interlochen website.

The Virginia B. Ball Creative Writing Competition bears the name of a remarkable philanthropist and longtime Interlochen supporter. Ball attended Interlochen Arts Camp in 1941 and later served on the Alumni Board and the Board of Trustees. She passed away in 2003. A 2007 commitment from the Edmund E. and Virginia B. Ball Foundation endowed this biennial creative writing competition that provides substantial scholarship support for a creative writing major who demonstrates great potential.




--
*Sandra Besselsen*
Bonisteel Library Director
Interlochen Center for the Arts
www.interlochen.org
besselsens@interlochen.org

Tribute in Smoke to Amelia Earhart, Aviation Pioneer

This amazing image of famous pilot, Amelia Earhart, was created by artist Daniel Diehl for the Artprize 2012 display in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan, this past September and October. The image of the aviation pioneer was one of the three renderings he developed by "painting" with candle soot. All three images, entitled In a Puff of Smoke, were made by capturing and manipulating the soot collected by passing paper through the flame of a candle. I was struck by his expertise with this medium which he researched to learn how to work with this, a very unusual method of artwork.

I couldn't stop studying the picture. It pulled me in, not only because of the fantastic execution using unusual materials, but also because of the subject.

Ms. Earhart is a fascinating woman, a pioneer in aviation. In 1928 she jumped at the chance to be  the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. After that flight she secretly planned and executed a solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean in 1932. All alone in an airplane for hours and hours. Let me remind you there were no high tech navigational instruments like we have today and absolutely no GPS to help her find the route. She had to believe in herself to make these plans and execute them.

It was on her trip to fly around the globe in 1937 that Ms. Earhart was lost to the world and the people who loved her. To this day, her disappearance is clouded in mystery.

She was a hero to us for setting aviation records, standing up for women's rights, and a wonderful inspiration to girls and young women even today to pursue their dreams even if they seem impossible to attain.

To learn more about Ms. Earhart click on the Official Website of Amelia Earhart.

For more information  click on creating art using candle soot, or the "fumage" technique 

Children's Author and Illustrator: Jane Stroschin

Jane Stroschin

Today I want you to meet Jane Stroschin, a talented artist and storyteller. She had a big week this week because the mural she painted for the wall of a two story building was installed and a reception celebrated this magnificent work, entitled Celebrate Our Symbols. The mural, located in Fremont, Michigan, depicts wildlife and nature in Michigan.

This is a mock-up of the mural, not an actual photo of the final art work.

Jane shared with me some of the photos as she worked on the project in her studio. I am in awe of her vision and talent. The next photo is the image of the birds she painted when starting the panel located at the top of the mural. From this:

Jane created this gorgeous painting. 

The panel of this background lying on its side in her studio developed into the next breathtaking beauty,

To learn more about Jane Stroschin and how she became a celebrated artist and children's author, read her story in the interactive e-book, Girls Succeed: Stories Behind the Careers of Successful Women. The e-book is available for download at Smashwords, Amazon, and major online booksellers.

Book Cover for Girls Succeed...

Ta-Dah! Introducing the book cover for Girls Succeed:Stories Behind the Careers of Successful Women interactive e-book releasing this month! The book cover was designed by talented cover artist, Kaytalin Platt. Pretty eye-catching, don't you think?

The book is packed with stories of 15 remarkable women and how they achieved their dream careers. I can hardly wait to share it with readers. Watch for the book launch party on this blog later this month! Prizes to be won AND a FREE copy of the book. And don't forget the delicious party treats. What's your favorite?

USA National Park Service Ranger

This ranger was our guide when we cruised an Alaskan fjord this summer.
She did a fabulous job of finding the wildlife and explaining the history of the area.

Do you like to work outdoors? Do you like nature and animals? Then you may want to consider becoming a National Park Ranger. According to the National Park Service website there are job opportunities at "397 national parks and in partnership with communities across the country to preserve their history and create places for outdoor fun."

Playful otter greeted us on our cruise.

Eagle looking over the fishing possibilities.

Enjoying a sun bath.

These are a few of the photos of wildlife we spotted on our tour. The Park Service ranger was enthusiastic and full of information. She sounded as excited as we were when we saw the animals in this wild environment. She works as a seasonal  ranger during the high tourist time beginning in early summer until fall. Full-time permanent careers and internships are also available for rangers. Our ranger guide said she was proud to know that there is opportunity for career advancement in the National Park Service.

Rangers work in so many different kinds of jobs from archaeologists, gardeners, museum specialists, to police park rangers and more. Find out more at the National Park Service website.