Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Rudy Toot-Toot has arrived!

Ready for a blast of laughing gas?

I received ARCs (advanced reader copies, for you non-writer folk) of my new kids' book, Rudy Toot-Toot!  I'm giving away a limited number of signed copies in exchange for reviews on Amazon, BarnesandNoble.com, and Goodreads.

If you'd like an advance copy for review (Free! Signed!) just email me at rjdaley101071 (at) gmail (dot) com.  First come, first serve!  Act now!  Hurry, while supplies last!  (NOTE: I should get a job on an infomercial)


by Rick Daley
Rudy Toot-Toot has a special power, almost like a super-hero: 
He can fart.  It comes natural when you’re born on a bean farm.  The problem is that Rudy can’t control the timing or the force behind his special gift.  

His farts get him into a lot of trouble at home and school, and after one monstrous blast scares all the Beanheads away from the Toot-Toot Family Bean Market, it’s up to Rudy to find a way to use his talent to lure the customers back before the bank takes away their home.

This hilarious tale about self-control (and the lack thereof) will have readers young and old laughing out loud.  They might even learn a thing or two along the way… 

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Inspiration

Today was the last day of school.  I attended the ceremonies briefly, which consisted of standing in a 4th grade classroom while the kids got an intense sugar high, then I acted as umpire for a game of kickball, and then I visited a 2nd grade pizza party.

That was all fun, but something else made my day...

During the time spent watching the 4th graders ingest a thousand forms of sugar, a slideshow played on the projector.  It had been looping all day, pictures from the course of the school year flashing in succession, a visual timeline of the 4th grade.  Several featured yours truly, pictures from an author visit last December.  During the visit I read from The Man in the Cinder Clouds and Rudy Toot-Toot, then I guided the class through an interactive writing workshop where the class took a premise I provided (a treasure hunt) and we created main characters and a storyline.

The teacher told me that she has one student in particular who is a terrific writer, and he’s been working on a book for a while.  Earlier in the day, when the author visit pictures first started scrolling, he told her that was the day he started writing his book; my visit served as the inspiration.

That’s my favorite kind of feedback.  I like it when my stories entertain people, and I am thankful for every book sold …but to know that I inspired a young writer to start his own story, that I helped grow the creativity waiting in someone’s heart, serves a deeper purpose.  It’s rewarding in a way Amazon reviews and royalties can never be. 

And it inspires me to write, too.

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