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#New Release The Dragon Chronicles Book Three: Healing

3/30/2016

The Dragon Chronicles Book 3: Healing
Ewain Douglass and Marissa Mays are dedicated healers who work together, and live together, in tight confines. Too bad they set sparks off each other. They might struggle to remain professional to each other, but they’re working on it. Then the enemy sets his sight on the unmated, and targets Marissa with a vengeance.

Meanwhile, Lindy and Alex, the dragon and her controller, are still seeking to learn all they can about their abilities and their future. They tremble once they learn the identity of an enemy no one wants to face. One only the dragon has a chance to defeat.

The dragon has called her allies together and many have come. Paranym soon becomes crowded with the family members of family members. A war for their very lives looms. Ewain and Marissa don’t have time to declare it on each other.

I’m thrilled to have D.R. Grady, author of
The Dragon Chronicles Book 3: Healing here today.

A fellow SMP author, D.R. Grady writes Paranormal/Fantasy for YA/NA and releases the final book in her Dragon Chronicles Trilogy today.

I've had the honor to preview this novel and I am very excited to celebrate its release. Will tell more about the book soon, but first let's chat with D.R. Grady!

Welcome and congratulations on your release and final book of the trilogy. Wow! what an accomplishment! What inspired you to write this novel?
Healing is the final conclusion of the series. So everything needs to be tied up. This is about the world needing to be balanced again. And the dragon and her allies must provide that balance.
I understand how difficult it can be to write a final book to a trilogy...making sure all is in order can be a daunting task...not to mention having to say good bye to characters you've written a series on can be quite emotional.

Are your characters or plots based on anyone or experiences in real life? Or are they completely fictitious?
They are both. The characters are entirely fictitious, as elves, shifters, gargoyles, and other paranormal beings don’t exist. But the plot throughout the three books are identifiable. From learning your life isn’t going to turn out how you planned it (book 1), to not fitting in (book 2), to finding balance in a chaotic world (book 3).
That is something I love about writing...connectable, real life lessons at our fingertips. Teens through adults will absolutely relate to your characters.

Healing is book three of The Dragon Chronicles. Did you plan it to be a three book series or did it develop into one?
This began and finished as a three part series. Some of the characters whose stories I couldn’t delve into because there wasn’t time or space intrigue me though. So could there be a spin-off series? I’m not shutting the door on that possibility!
I'd love to read a spin-off!

When did you start writing and why?
I started writing when I discovered the magic of stringing words together to form sentences, then paragraphs.

Who is your favorite author?
Jayne Ann Krentz. Her intellect amazes me, and her humor is wonderful. I love how she uses words to spin a tale I am eager to read and re-read.

Writers are always readers. What genre do you like to read the most?
Contemporary romance, followed by paranormal, and I have no idea why those two resonate with me!

What is the last book you read or are currently reading?
Dark Promises by Christine Feehan.

Fast & Furious questions: Please answer using as few words as possible.
Ready? GO!

Favorite Ice Cream? Chocolate
Favorite Super Hero? Superwoman
Favorite Princess? Katherine, the Duchess of Cambridge
Favorite tv show when you were a kid? Scooby Doo
Food you can’t stand? Seafood
What annoys you? Rude people
Jeans or Sweatpants? Sweatpants
The day is not complete without… Chocolate
One Word that best describes yourself… Pickable

I'm right there with you on the Chocolate, Scooby Doo and Rude people!
Thanks, D.R. for stopping by and congratulations again on release day for Healing.

Here’s a little info on D.R. Grady
D.R. Grady lives with her husband near Hershey, PA. She adores chocolate, laughing, collecting bags, books, and shoes, and writing stories that resonate with others.

And Now....Enjoy an excerpt from The Dragon Chronicles Book 3: Healing

“Marissa, are you okay?” Ewain’s voice reverberated above her, but he sounded like he spoke through a long tunnel. She grasped the edge of the bench to keep upright.

But remaining vertical proved difficult since dizziness added disharmony to her fuzzy brain, upset tummy, and clammy sweat. The fusion of those factors was important. How so kept escaping her though, like a mischievous kitten intent on not being caught.

“Marissa?” The questioning note in Ewain’s voice was still evident, but accompanied by alarm now. She wished she could reassure him, but her tongue grew too large for her mouth.

Words wouldn’t form, even if her brain could have conjured them, which it didn’t seem capable of. She wanted to speak, to reassure him she was fine, but due to current evidence, her state of health might be questionable.

Shaking her head did nothing more than allow the hank of hair behind her ear to escape and tickle her face again. She couldn’t summon the energy to tuck it back into place. The action also called to attention the sudden, massive headache now clamoring in conjunction with her other alarming symptoms.

Symptoms. That word meant something. Usually it was involved in the diagnosis of an illness. Illness. A state of unwellness. Unwell—an accurate definition for how she felt.

When her final thought sluggishly formed, she finally admitted there might be a problem. But by then the black spots swirling in front of her eyes finally surged into full-on blackness, and she gave in to the encroaching darkness.

Ahhh! A cliff hanger...I won't tell what happens. I will say Healing is an exciting tale, combining fantasy, paranormal, YA/NA, and sweet romance. I highly recommend Healing and the entire Dragon Chronicles Series to Teens and Adults who love adventure, romance, and a touch of 'Harry Potter'.

How do you can contact D.R. Grady?
Click on your favorite social media below.

Website
Twitter @drgradybooks
Amazon Author page:
Facebook Page D.R. Grady
Google+ D.R. Gradybooks

Check out all of The Dragon Chronicles
Book One: Learning
Book Two: Shifting
Book Three: Healing

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Preschoolers Painting Ducks with a Puddle and a Duck?

3/18/2016

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Preschoolers love ducks and paint. Why not bring the two together and paint a duck with a puddle and a duck?
I surfed the net and found this yellow duck craft, but instead of using brushes to paint the paper plate, we used a toy rubber duck.
Have the child grab the duck by the head and plop the duck in the yellow puddle. They paint the white, non-coated paper plate by tapping and swirling the paint all over to cover the plate with pretty 'sunshine' yellow paint. Little hands can easily hold on to the duck without getting much paint on their fingers.

This is a two day activity with DAY ONE---painting and DAY TWO---assembling the duck. In preschool, after we paint our paper plates, we learn about floating and sinking with bins of water and various items we find in and around the classroom. The kids have a great time guessing what will sink and what will float. Yes, we do get a little wet, but water dries quickly and the kids have a ton of fun learning about floating and sinking.

DAY TWO--- I fold the paper plate and (depending on the age of the child) I trace and cut out each child's hands for tail feathers. I have an oval for a head, sticker eyes (you can use goggle eyes or paper ones), and two feet. 2-3 year olds have these cut for them. 4-5 year olds may cut the head, beak, and feet. The hands are very tricky for most preschoolers to cut...but I have seen it done! Use your judgement and patience level to decide how much cutting the child will do. My twos and threes do not cut with this craft. We have more fun and less frustration, painting and gluing on the parts.

Staple or glue the head and tail feathers on the duck. Our ducks stand up and 'waddle' so if the child wants to place one eye on each side of the head, they have that option. You can also adapt the beak to attach on the 'front' instead of the side of the head.
Note--- I folded a crease in the beak and each of the feet. the child puts glue on the creased 'tab' and places the parts on their duck.

Here is a side view to see how our ducks waddle. Give the bird a little push and it will rock/waddle without falling over.

A few of my favorite books to read on Duck Day are:

Little Quack
One Duck Stuck
Make Way for Ducklings

My own 'little ducks' have grown up so fast. Despite being 17 years old, my 'middle duck' still enjoys trying out new crafts for me---thanks Katie:)

Have fun painting ducks with a puddle of paint and enjoy spring with your little ones!

---Anne

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Scissor Cutting with 2-4 year olds?

3/3/2016

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Real scissors in the hands of two year olds??? YIKES! All in a day's work for Early Childhood Teachers.

At preschool we think nothing of handing kid sized scissors to students (under supervision), even to two year olds.

How will kids learn to cut if they are never allowed to hold scissors until kindergarten?

Parents, grandparents, caregivers---go ahead and hand over the scissors to your kiddos, but keep a sharp eye on them because kids LOVE to cut!

Here's some helpful tips I've learned while working with little ones.

Cutting with scissors is a fine motor skill with several steps...something usually not easily grasped by a two year old. Picking up the scissors, putting fingers in the right handles, opening and closing the cutting edges, holding the paper to be cut in the right place and at the right angle---

WHEW!!!

At two and three years of age I encourage exploration of using scissors. Here we have a two and a half year old cutting with two hands. He isn't cutting correctly but he is learning by doing. Children at this optional table can cut any way they want. They watch a teacher cut paper. They watch other kids cut. They try. They learn what works and what doesn't. No pressure. No required craft or activity. The only thing I ask is for them to try to get all the tiny pieces into the tin bucket. They can pick them up with their fingers. (Another fine motor skill.)

Some kids watch. Others snip away. I don't 'fix' the way kids hold the scissors unless they ask for help. Kids are smart. After a while they generally figure out the following tips on their own.

Alligator Eye---Teachers use a permanent marker and draw a dot on the scissors. We call this the Alligator Eye and encourage the eye to "Look Up". This helps the child hold the scissors correctly, not sideways when they cut.

Thumb in the small space...Fingers in the large space--- Many young kids can operate scissors successfully without heeding to this rule, but I've found most children cut with more accuracy when they do.

Open and close like an alligator--- Cutting strips of paper works well since there isn't a right or wrong way to cut, giving the child success even if the skill isn't quite mastered.

I've taken kids outside on warm spring days with scissors and we cut the grass. Fresh air, sunshine, and an abundance of cutting without clean up!

Left handed? I've found left handed kids adapt well to right handed scissors. We have a few sets of left handed scissors at school, but the kids tend to prefer the right handed ones even in their dominant hand. This almost three year old is using his left hand with right handed scissors with ease.

Below are young four year olds cutting along lines. This activity was for a dental unit and I asked them to cut the tooth out. Different kids cut in different ways. All were able to cut. If a child became frustrated, we talked about Alligator Eye and where to place their thumb. For many, they watched other kids and adapted successfully on their own.