Illustrated by Jeri Allison

Format: Hard cover, 32 pages
Release Date: Now available directly from the author
ISBN: 978-1-57197-517-1

To order this book, please visit http://mrsgambelbook.com/

About The Book

Mrs. Gambel the Quirky Quail is a charming story of seven baby Gambel quails t

rying to keep up with their scurrying mother. Join them as they play in their beautiful Arizona landscape.

“On a family vacation to Arizona, our 5 year old daughter, Madeline, experienced the wonder of a desert landscape for the first time. She loved our early morning walks and became captivated by a local bird, the Gambel’s Quail. Ou

r “walks” soon became attempts at following these fast-moving birds, which spurred Madeline’s imagination. She began naming the quail babies and explaining where these nervous, little birds might be scurrying off to. When we made it back home, I jotted down all her imaginings and created a story that I could read to her. This is how Mrs. Gambel the Quirky Quail came into being.

“The creativity of children is amazing. We, as parents, must open our eyes and ears to truly understand our kids and teach them to believe in themselves. Let them know that their thoughts and ideas are just as important as those of adults. This will create confidence and self respect in their early years which will, hopefully, last a lifetime.” – Summer Hays

About The Authors: Madeline & Summer Hays

Madeline is now eight years old and in love with reading. She is just thrilled with the publication of Mrs. Gambel the Quirky Quail and is already reading at book events; what a better way to encourage children to read and write than to have a fellow child read to them? She also enjoys singing in the church choir, dancing, gymnastics, swimming and roller-blading. She and her family greatly enjoy traveling to new places and embarking on exciting adventures.

Summer Hays, when not managing a furniture and interior design store as she’s done for the past seventeen years, can be found gardening, hiking, spending time with family and friends, and of course, encouraging her daughter’s imagination. She saw this as the perfect opportunity to spend time bonding with her daughter, as well as encouraging her to follow her dreams and allow her creative young mind to shine.

About The Illustrator: Jeri Allison

Jeri Allison has two passions: animals and art. This book presented her with the perfect combination of both. No reader, regardless of age or interest, will fail to recognize the talent that brought Mrs. Gambel and her babies to life on the pages. Her precocious illustrations will be sure to charm all readers.

Format: Hard cover, 608 pages
Release Date: January 2010
ISBN: 978-1-57197-417-4 (1-57197-417-2)

About The Book

Claude Luisada’s “Queen of the Skies” is the story of the Lockheed Constellation, one of the most important airplanes in aviation history. This extensively researched account, gathered from archival documents, interviews and the author’s own experiences, sets the history of the Constellation against the backdrop of the years 1940 to 1980, a period that extends through World War II, Vietnam and the Cold War.A revolutionary commercial propeller transport, the Lockheed Constellation burst on the aviation scene in the early 1940s. Unheralded for the most part due to wartime secrecy, it finally entered commercial service in 1946, and promptly set new standards for speed, range, reliability and passenger comfort.Told in a friendly writing style and illustrated with more than one hundred photographs and diagrams, “Queen of the Skies” is a fascinating story, particularly for airplane or aviation history enthusiasts.

About The Author: Claude Luisada

Claude G. Luisada is a life-long aviation enthusiast, a past student pilot, and a freelance contributor to the first aerospace encyclopedia, Above and Beyond.

He is also a long-time member of the Civil Air Patrol, U.S. Air Force Auxiliary, where he holds the rank of Lt. Colonel and an aeronautical rating of Master Observer. During his many years in the Civil Air Patrol, he has held numerous staff and command positions, and is currently in charge of the Cadet School Program for the CAP in the state of New Mexico.

Why go to retailers, though, when you can get a copy directly from Donna herself and, as if that’s not enough, have it signed? Go to http://donnaljones.net/ to order your signed copy from Donna Jones!

If you need any further convincing to read this book, see the following reviews from others who have already purchased their copies; the general consensus is that no one can put it down!

READER BOOK REVIEWS FOR

“DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS: HOW A MOMENT IN TIME CAN CHANGE ONE’S LIFE FOREVER”

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the book…it made my heart ache for Dana knowing that her true love was out there for so many years and she couldn’t be with him, but always held him so close to her heart. I was screaming inside for her to follow her heart and not look back.  She was torn and I felt both her pain and her love. Oh my..I felt like I was right there with Dana, as a by-stander, just wanting to push Dana into David’s arms and just tell her that everything will be ok. Every word and every twist and turn touched my heart!

All I can say is if you believe in true love then this is the book for you. If you don’t believe in true love, then you need to read this book!

I would to see this in a movie!

Thank you for writing such a wonderful book,

Crystal Shook

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Dear Donna,

I have to tell you that it is 2:00 am and I cannot put this book down. I am ready to start chap 25 and I have tears running down my cheeks. What a gut wrenching story and beautifully written. I am so glad that I got a copy of this book. I can’t remember the last real book that I have read, sadly enough. You are a talented writer and please don’t let this be the last!

With my love, Donna

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Dear Donna,

For the first time in my life, I read a book within 48 hours!! I enjoyed your book from cover to cover!! What a beautiful love story and what a sad love story. My emotions were all over the place. You wrote so descriptively (is that a word???), I felt that I was right beside you all the way. I just finished the book 2 minutes ago and I can truthfully say “I am drained”. I agree with your other readers, I will have to read your book again. Am I really saying that, someone who doesn’t read anything but magazines? Our roles may have just reversed. You may have just taught ME the pleasure of reading. Now I will have to learn how to pick out books that I will fall in love with, particularly written by Donna Jones.

Thank you for sharing this beautiful story with me.
Love, Donna Ackmann McCune Russell

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Donna,

I got just got home (well my current location) after being down in St Charles with my mom for a week. She has advanced ovarian cancer and doesn’t have much longer I’m afraid. Anyways, I started reading your book and am sitting here crying! What is it about lost love? I think I’m on chapter 12 or so and am waiting and for the “silver lining”. I guess we all think that our life stories are all so different that they couldn’t be matched by anyone but your words ring so familiar it’s scary. Congratulations on writing a wonderful book and being able to put into words those hard things that seem to build up to a point where your heart just hurts.

Joan Meyer

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Donna,

I am not a person who read’s a lot. If I start a book, it usually takes me a month to get through! I read your book in 24 hours. It was absolutely amazing and congrats to you for your accomplishment in writing this book.

I loved the book the minute I started reading it. I couldn’t wait to get to the next chapter to see what happened next and what happened next was always a surprise!

I could feel the pain of Dana, David and Brent but I could also feel the intense love Dana and David had for each other.

I cried, I laughed……….I was on an emotional roller coaster. Anyone who reads this book will be touched!
Thank you!

WOOHOO!!! I just received my awaited for book, “Different Directions: How a Moment in Time Can Change One’s Life Forever”!! I have so much to do today that I am afraid to start reading it for the second time; knowing I won’t stop. I’m so excited!!  God has given each of us a gift and yours is obviously in writing and word. And I am so proud that you followed your dream and your gift! Use it and share it to reach out to the world and give the world a refreshing taste of love and happiness!

Love,

Angela Collette

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I just finished your book and it was amazing!! Loved it! Love it! Love it! It usually takes me weeks or months to finish a book. I finished yours in three days and that was while working full time and watching my grand daughter in the evenings. I have to say that I think that this book is not only a great read for women, but men should read it as well! They might learn a thing or two and have a better understanding about life, marriage and women!

Ultimately, the way I see it, is that it comes down to following your heart. If you do not follow your heart you will always have a empty spot that will eventually eat away at you until it kills your soul.

Cant wait to read your next book…

Julie Eatherton-Bogar

“As a special kick-off to the upcoming ‘official’ release of my book, I am going to be giving away signed copies to two lucky readers. If you have been following me, you have seen the responses I have been getting from my readers, so see for yourself what all of the chatter is about! All you have to do is visit my website, www.donnaljones.net and purchase a copy by hitting the “Buy Now” button between now and Aug. 27, 2012. Then, on Aug. 28th, you may be chosen to receive your copy for free. Your payment will be refunded within 5 days. Let your journey begin on this ‘emotional roller coaster’ and experience the power of true love. Make sure to tell your friends!” – Donna L. Jones

First, Ivy House would like to welcome two co-authors to the Ivy House family: Madeline and Summer Hays! We’ve actually been working with them for a month or so now, but we’re on a tight deadline to have their charming children’s book in stock (in-house and with the author; the official retail release date will be in early 2013) before Christmas. Daughter and mother, after an adventure in the Arizona dessert, teamed up to write Mrs. Gambel the Quirky Quail, illustrated by Jeri Allison. Young Madeline was intrigued by the quick little Gambel quails that scurried about there, and the pair began to develop a story about them. The result is an adorable children’s book focusing on Mrs. Gambel and her seven little quail babies. We simply cannot keep from smiling while working on this one; it’s just such a cute, fun, and at the same time informative project! And I must remember to ask Mrs. Gambel where she got her stylish red heels . . .

For a sneak peek inside Mrs. Gambel the Quirky Quail, click here.

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Next, the debut novel by Donna L. Jones, Different Directions: How a Moment in Time Can Change One’s Life Forever, is now in stock! The book’s official release date isn’t until August 28th, so if you want to get your copy from a bookstore or Internet retailers, you’ll have to wait another month, and let’s face it: waiting is just no fun. If you want your copy now, you can purchase directly from Donna herself (this option allows you to get a signed copy!) or from Ivy House, and it will ship right away.

Also be sure to check out Donna’s blog, Facebook page, and Twitter. Go beyond the book and see the world through her eyes as she posts updates and short stories/essays! She thoroughly enjoys interacting with her friends and fans, and I highly recommend following/befriending her. Her bubbly and warm personality and unbelievably optimistic views on life will never fail to inspire!

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Lastly, the launch of our brand new website a few months back has resulted in a steady increase in manuscript submissions. As much as I have enjoyed being the first one to read just about everything sent to us up until now, it has hit a point where I simply don’t have enough hours in the day! It’s a bittersweet thing to relinquish responsibilities, but Ivy House has a new set of helping hands: we’d like to welcome our intern, Jonathan. He’s going to be taking over a lot of the Acquisitions Reading load, and will be trying his hand at this and that as the season progresses. He’s got a great resume and we’re glad to have him helping us out, and we hope he’ll learn a great deal from the experience. And so, if you see the name Jonathan on any paperwork you receive, give him a big “Welcome.”

I think that’s all for now. As always, please feel free to contact us with any questions, updates, or fun current events that relate to the book world.

Happy Friday, and have a great weekend!

Amanda

Our new site has certainly been attracting attention, judging from the number of manuscript submissions we’ve been receiving lately. We’ve had a huge variety of genres coming our way, and we absolutely love the diversity.

Arlene Cutler, author of Possum Heights, is reviewing galleys and making final decisions regarding cover designs and such. Expect possums to be making cameos from now on! They really are cute . . . while they’re babies, at least.

Be sure to keep an eye out for sneak-peeks of Jerry Brown Schwartz’s Charlie Purple Turnipseed and the Dixie Brood. There are possums involved there too, as well as turtles, foxes, birds, squirrels, and more!

We also have a new team member; Ivy House would like to welcome Lori Hopper to the adventure that is publishing! She’ll be helping out with marketing and promotion, and may be wearing a few other hats here and there. We’re thrilled to have her here!

All in all, it’s been a fantastic week. We wish everyone a wonderful weekend, and urge you to keep writing!

~Amanda~

P.S. – If you’re a fan of social media, be sure to follow Ivy House on Facebook and Twitter. We promise not to flood your feed, but we’ll be using those more often to keep our fans in-the-know about upcoming releases and such. We’re also going to be looking into a LinkedIn business page, and who knows what we’ll be up to after that. See you on the web!

Styled much like a children’s book, Charlie Purple Turnipseed and the Dixie Brood is meant for readers of all ages. Mrs. Schwartz’s heartwarming story is about Mr. Charlie, his wife–Mrs. Tee–and a band of lovable creatures, all of whom he has helped while cultivating and respecting the land upon which the farmhouse sits. When Mr. Charlie falls dangerously ill and must spend time recovering in the hospital in the city, the members of the Dixie Brood band together to help keep the farm running and to show Mr. Charlie just how much he means to them.

Mrs. Schwartz’s tale is accented by the beautiful illustrations of the talented Michael van Toder. Keep an eye on the site for previews of what’s sure to be a beautiful book!

Entering your book in contests is definitely a great way to draw attention to your book. Simply entering ensures that your title will be reviewed and discussed amongst the judges, who are generally chosen from within the publishing industry and could very well spread news of your book once they return to their “day jobs.” Not only that, if your book is recognized, the chances of your book gaining exposure increases drastically. Plus, you get to mention to potential readers that your book has competed and placed in national contests.

Keep up the good work, Dr. Rawlings!

Please take your time and explore. You can only imagine the excitement in the office during the testing phase when a new page would pop up, or an image would appear. Each bit of progress led to new ideas, and we’re not done adding; there’s much more to come.

My favorite part so far is the online submission option. We’ve already had multiple submissions in the past few days through this. Of course, you can still submit your manuscript via mail or e-mail; just touch base with me first and make sure you have a copy of our Manuscript Submission Form to include.

I’d like to take a moment to thank our wonderful web designers, Brian and Michael. They’ve really gone above and beyond, and are still working closely with us to continue upgrading and improving everything, as well as training the Ivy House staff so we can use the site to its full potential.

With all construction comes some dust. If you come across any broken links, please let me know at afaber@ivyhousebooks.com. Along those same lines, if you have any thoughts about features you’d like to see added, feel free to suggest them! Of course, this isn’t a guarantee that it’ll happen; there are still some things that the internet can’t do, believe it or not. But if we like your idea, and it is something we can add, we’ll see what we can do to make it happen!

Hats off to a wonderful website and our amazing authors,

Amanda

Format: Soft cover, 304 pages
Release Date: August 28, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-57197-514-0 (1-57197-514-4)

To get your signed copy, visit donnaljones.net

About The Book

On a hot summer’s day in southern Missouri, two unexpected souls fell victim to the power of true love. Neither David nor Dana were looking for love, but they found that in the blink of an eye, your soul mate can be standing there right next to you. Yes, a single moment in time changed their lives forever, as both their hands and souls intertwined into one. It was in that single moment that they were given the gift of true love, and it was in the days and years that followed that they would come to find the depths and strength of that love.

God did not devise a simple road to happiness for the two of them. Instead, he gave them a taste of true love, and then took them on separate paths, leaving them yearning for the love that they knew existed. Over the years, they would come to question if it was truly possible to have fallen in love at first sight or if it was something of which only fairy tales were made.

In attempts to move on with their lives, they vowed to forget the other and accept what life had dealt them, only to learn that resisting what was in their hearts was futile. Their only hope for survival was to accept that this love would always be a part of them, living silently in their hearts, as they would forever be going in different directions.

Travel with them as they learn that love has no rules. It does not follow a single path, and along the way many surprises may await. Watch as a single moment in time changes their lives once again.

About The Author: Donna L. Jones

Donna Jones has spent more than twenty years raising her children, around whom her world revolves. As they grew and ventured out into the world, she decided to combine her love of writing and her desire to impress upon them the need to follow their hearts; the result is this, her debut book.

Connect with Donna on her website: www.donnaljones.net

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