Tuesday

New Book Release "GRUMPY KYLE"

Hello all my lovely fans and blog followers! I'd like to thank all my..... does this sound like an award speech? No, I haven't won a real award but my newest picture book Grumpy Kyle, has just been released by Guardian Angel Publishing and to me, that's just as exciting!



One of the most exciting things about this new book is that one of my favorite illustrator's, Jack Foster did the art work on it. He did a fantastic job and really captured my vision perfectly. I wish I had his talent! And he's such a nice guy to boot. Normally, the author and artist never speak or have any connection, but Jack is one of those artists that seems to love his job and is willing to associate with his authors. I'm honored that he worked on this book for me.

I dedicated this book to my mother-in-law who very recently passed away, so it has special meaning to me. I only wish she could've seen it and read the story. She would love the message I tried to portray. That being kind to other's can make you smile! It does me, and I know it did her as well.

You can purchase a copy of Grumpy Kyle at the following locations:

guardianangelpublishing.com/grumpy.htm

https://www.amazon.com/Grumpy-Kyle-Allyn-M-Stotz/dp/1616338482/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1497369580&sr=1-1&keywords=grumpy+kyle%2C+stotz

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/grumpy-kyle-allyn-m-stotz/1126416109?ean=9781616338480

If you'd like an autographed copy, just email me at allyn_stotz@yahoo.com or click on the comment button to the right of this blog.

Thanks and remember to smile!



Thursday

Life Is Rough Sometimes

Did you miss me? I can't believe it's been so long since I posted something. However, I've had a lot of things happen in my life to take me away from writing. I'm not making up excuses, I'm only trying to explain why I've taken such a long break.

In the last two years, the father that I adored, passed away. That has hit me hard and I still cry most every day thinking about the wonderful person our family lost. In fact, I've been crying for over forty years worrying that someday we would lose him and how horrible it would be. After my father passed away, my husband retired and we made the decision to move out of state to Texas to be near my oldest sister and her family. This was a wonderfully happy decision of ours but as most of you know, moving is a complicated and stressful period. But we are all moved in and loving it. However, next came the passing of my sweet adorable Yorky, Beemer who was my best buddy for twelve years. She followed me everywhere and always wanted to be with me. Two months later, my mother-in-law passed away and both of those deaths are still fresh on our minds. I couldn't have asked for a better MIL whom I've known since I was a young child. She was one of my best supporters and was always so excited when I had a new book come out. Her death still doesn't feel real to us.

So, all those reasons are why my writing has been suffering. I couldn't find inspiration or the strength to go to my computer and write a happy children's story or even to market myself. Trust me, I've been beating myself up over all of this. Does taking such a long break mean I'm no longer a dedicated, serious writer? Heck no. I'm human! I needed this break to refocus. Everything you read about being a writer, however, tells us that we need to write everyday but sometimes it's just not possible. It doesn't mean I don't love what I do just as much as I always did. It just means... I was sad and had too much on my plate to dedicate myself to much of anything. All I can do now is try to get back into the swing of things. I owe it to my publishers and all the little kiddos out there that enjoy my stories.

We writers really are hard on ourselves even with no tragedies in our lives. It's a stressful occupation because we face so many rejections everyday in some form or another. But it's also one of the most rewarding experiences of my life that I have no intention of giving up. It's just going to be difficult getting back up to speed. I hope you all will be patient with me and still want to read my posts. I do have a few more books coming out soon so with God's help along with my dad and MIL's help from heaven, I know I can get my Mojo back. More from me soon!