A Ghost Story for a Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween!

I have a great novel for middle-grade readers. 

It includes GHOST stories. They certainly fit in with the Halloween spirit today.

Tales of the Lost Schooner by Sandy Carlson

Back of the Book: 
Historical fiction ghost stories set in the mid- 1800’s
The schooner’s captain pulled 12-year-old Honor Sullivan apart from the other orphans. Captain Klaus claimed he needed a strong lad like Honor for a sister he didn’t even have. But Honor has a sister – two of them. The last he’d seen of their fuzzy red heads was the end of September 1854, as they headed down the ship’s plank for the Orphan Train, going off to be placed out with a new family.
Tricked by the captain, and sailing around Michigan’s Mitten, Honor learns the ropes and duties of a sailor. He passes the time aboard down in the dark hold, listening to Old Salty’s tales of shipwrecks and ghosts. The stories won’t distract him for long, though. As soon as he can, Honor plans to abandon ship and go in search of his sisters.

You can find reviews and downloads at the links below:

LOST SCHOONER Print version: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1492184640

LOST SCHOONER Kindle version: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ERXNMQU 

HeForShe Program Sponsored by the United Nations, Be Safe Online

Girls Succeed! Stories Behind the Careers of Successful Women

To empower girls to make their dream jobs come true.

In the Girls Succeed! eBook, Olympic hockey player Angela Ruggiero wasn't allowed to play ice hockey with the boys, but she sure showed them she could do the job as good and even better than the boys. 

Horticulturalist Sharon Loving relished digging in the dirt and growing plants and flowers. Boys aren't the only ones who can get dirty.

HeforShe is a program sponsored by the United Nations to achieve gender-equality worldwide.

Do you believe boys AND girls can excel in the same subjects in the classroom?

You can help to turn your classroom into an opportunity for change by being aware of gender-biased language used by students and instructors. You can also help to stop bullying in your school and online.

Do you like to play games online?

Online bullies want your silence. Enlist your friends and followers to send messages of support to victims of social media trolling. You’ll help turn the internet into a safe space for everyone.

Be Safe Online 
Here are some tips to make your online experience a good one for you and for your friends. 

• Follow the family rules, and those set by the Internet service provider.
• Never post or trade personal pictures.
• Never reveal personal information, such as address, phone number, or school name or location.
• Use only a screen name and don't share passwords (other than with parents).
• Never agree to get together in person with anyone met online without parent approval and/or supervision.
• Never respond to a threatening email, message, post, or text.
• Always tell a parent or other trusted adult about any communication or conversation that was scary or hurtful.

Tips are from the Kids Health website. Click here to read more on their site. https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/net-safety.html

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Thank you for stopping in.

For more information about the inspirational book for MG girls, Girls Succeed, click here for the Major Digital Booksellers like Amazon, BN, Kobo, Scribd, Overdrive and more

@Mandy Harvey Made her Dream Come True

Hello and welcome to the Girls Succeed Blog!

Meet an amazing woman, @Mandy Harvey, who gave up, then decided to try to do what she has always been passionate about--singing. The title of the song is TRY. Mandy overcame a huge obstacle to make her dream come true. Watch her talent show audition for America's Got Talent.

Never give up on your dream!

Youtube Video from Top Talent

Book Review: Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls

Hello and welcome to the Girls Succeed blog! I love introducing girls to trailblazing women from the past and the present via this blog. (Hopefully, these amazing women will inspire girls who read this blog to be the future trailblazers and leaders!)

A girl reading 

Recently I found a wonderful book for young girls packed with cleverly written one-page stories about 100 women who made a difference in the world. Yes, I say world because the book, with amazing color portraits, includes women from all over the world.

So many amazing women in diverse careers and different eras are featured--an empress, queen, politician,  supermodel, trombonist, suffragette. The whole spectrum of talented, wise, and passionate women.

I like what Taylor Pittman from the Huffington Post wrote about the book--"These bedtime stories trade princesses for women who changed the world."

If you would like to learn more about this book, click the book cover below. A sequel to this book is also available.



The mission of the Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls book is similar to my purpose for writing Girls Succeed! Stories Behind the Careers of Succesful Women for middle-grade girls. When they read about heroes, mentors, leaders, they are inspired to be "just like" them. Learning about someone who can overcome obstacles empowers girls to accomplish their goals by following their hero's example.
To learn more about the contemporary women who succeeded in their dream careers, click the book cover below to download now from amazon or order from your favorite online bookseller.


I hope you get a chance to explore these books and find more biographies about women who will inspire

Submit a story about a woman who inspires you.

Please leave a comment below and tell us who inspires you.
Remember, if you know about a woman, famous or not, who is your hero or mentor, be sure to write about her and send the article to me so I can include it in the Girls Succeed blog!

Click here to read the guidelines for submitting your article. Thank you for your consideration.

Meet and Greet the Authors at the Hometown of Mackenzie Woodring

Hello and welcome to the Girls Succeed! blog!

Mackenzie Woodring
Road, track, and cyclo racing gold medal winner.

I am super excited to be one of the authors at the Meet and Greet the Authors Day at the Holton, Michigan, Public Library this Saturday, July 28. In the Girls Succeed! eBook, hometown resident, Mackenzie Woodring who has won gold, silver and bronze medals as a member of Team USA in the Paralympics in cycle track racing. is one of the wonderful role models I interviewed. 

If anyone is in the West Michigan area on Saturday a.m., make your way to this small town near Muskegon and come on over Saturday morning, 9 a.m.- noon. BTW, the weekend is filled with festivities, parades, and games during Holton Days!

# # #

Girls Succeed! Stories Behind the Careers of Successful Women 

is on sale now through July 31 for 99 cents.

Girls Succeed!
Inspiring Girls to make their dream jobs come true
On Sale for 99 cents

My non-fiction interactive eBook is on sale too for only 99 cents. This book is
filled with inspiring stories to empower girls to work toward achieving their dream careers.
Available at these digital sellers:

Girls Succeed

Amazon Link  

Universal Link 

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Thanks for stopping in today. 

It's Tulip Time and Miller Alisa Crawford is at Work at the Windmill

Hello and welcome to the Girls Succeed blog. The annual Tulip Time Festival is this week in Holland, Michigan. Visitors from all over the world come to see displays of the gorgeous varieties of tulips brilliantly blooming in enormous flower beds all through the city. Parades, shows, authentic Dutch dances, and food are showcased throughout the week. 

I am re-blogging the blog post I shared last year at this time about Alisa Crawford, the miller who works at the huge windmill located  in Holland, Michigan. I added a video that appeared on ABC news Channel 13 last night so you can see her in action as she does her job. Read more to learn more about Alisa and her career as a miller.

Author and Miller Alisa Crawford

Trailblazer Alisa is a miller, a person who grinds grains to produce flour. She is the only American miller certified by the Dutch Council of the Netherlands where she learned her trade. 

The 250-year-old machine she uses to do the grinding is an authentic Dutch windmill which was dismantled and moved from the Netherlands to Holland, Michigan in 1964, then re-assembled and opened to the public in 1965. It's the only authentic working Dutch windmill in the U.S. Known as DeZwaan (the swan), the windmill was the last one allowed by the government of the Netherlands to leave the country. 

De Zwaan Windmill
De Zwaan means graceful bird.

The windmill is the focal point of the Windmill Island Gardens, a gorgeous place in the City of Holland displaying the Dutch culture and of course, beds of gorgeous flowers. 

When we visited Windmill Island and took the tour of the windmill, I was amazed to learn of the work Alisa performs as a miller. She is a strong, feisty woman whose job consists of climbing up and down the windmill blades (reaching 125 feet at the top blade of the windmill, pushing the blades to face the wind via a wheel that turns the cap on top, and lifting fifty pound bags of wheat and pouring them into the chute to slide down to the millstone for grinding. I won't even go into the maintenance that she does to keep the windmill in good shape. Definitely a GRRL in my book.

Tulips in my yard.

If you ever get the chance to visit Holland, Michigan, you'll love the area. Be sure to take time to visit the windmill and you might get the chance to talk to Miller Alisa Crawford working at the windmill.

Do you have tulips in your yard? Have you ever visited a windmill?

Please leave a comment below. We love to hear from you!

Click here to watch Alisa's interview produced by ABC News Channel 13

I shared more pictures of Holland and Windmill Island Gardens on the J.Q. Rose blog. Click here to see the pictures.

Remembering Barbara Bush

Remembering First Lady Barbara Bush, husband to President George H.W. Bush who served as President of the USA from 1989 to 1993, and mother to President George W. Bush. She was a strong woman who believed in love and family.

Barbara Bush, devoted mother and grandmother

"At the end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one more test, not winning one more verdict or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spent with a husband, a friend, a child, or a parent." ~ Barbara Bush

Sending prayers for peace and comfort to the family of Barbara Bush, a smart and witty woman.

Youtube Video: Remembering Former First Lady Barbara Bush--CNN Network

VIDEO: Remembering Barbar Bush--CNN

Click here to for more information about Mrs. Bush.