We've added the following new things to the website:

• Shown the pages that you once had to find the buttons to get to (we are doing a poll to see if this is easier for our viewers to navigate around).
• There is a character page where children can read and learn more about their favorite characters and where they live. This can also be found on Sherlock's website as well but with his characters.
• A new form can be found on the Newsletter page. I have not had time to create newsletters lately but I know many want to be kept up to date on the latest books. This new form will keep you from missing book release dates, book sales locations (online and offline), previews, book signings and more! You can even sign up for both series' there!

Don't forget to visit Sherlock's website for a free sample of the first 3 chapters of his upcoming book!

I mentioned around a week ago that we were very pleased to be working with Majestic Waterfowl Sanctuary on finding homes for their animals. Here is a photo of Rilo and Ranger, two ducks who will be featured in Freckles the Bunny Series, Book # 5: Freckles and the Cost of Popularity.

Rilo and Ranger are not only going to have their photo in this next Freckles book but will be drawn in as well! Anastasia has already done a wonderful job with their cuteness!

Here are some other places that you can find Rilo and Ranger:
1. On our Freckles the Bunny Series website under Pets and Rescues, then under Rescue Links.
2. Pinterest (Freckles and Sherlock's accounts)
3. In the album entitled, "Rescue Animals in Books" in each of the fan pages.
Vickianne Caswell, author
Freckles the Bunny Series
Sherlock the Remarkable Cat Series
4. Click on the photo to go directly to their adoption page!

We hope these two handsome ducks find forever homes together!

A special thanks to Majestic Waterfowl for going over some of our ducky facts and for providing us with some information for Sherlock's next book! Also be sure to check out their website for useful waterfowl information including books!

Lastly, I am going to be slowly cutting out the info I am putting out on both pages. If you aren't a fan of Sherlock's fan page, you will begin to miss out on his updates and vice versa. Each page has it's own fan base, series, website and fan page. Please be sure to check them out as I don't want to bombard everyone with posts by doing both on each site/fan page. Thanks!

It has been a very busy time for us here between Christmas and a new book series. I'm afraid that it's been too busy to post. I am late in saying this but to all those that celebrate, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Christmas went well for us though we are still not back in our home. We were with family though and together so one could not ask for more. Now for some updates on what I have been busy with:

1. Sherlock the Remarkable Cat Series

• I finished writing his first book last night. The book is titled, "Sherlock, the Cat Who Couldn't Meow" and it is the first in the series. It is in need of editing and a cover but the plan is still to have it published and on Amazon by the end of this month. Once the cover is complete, I will be sure to post it online.
• Sherlock has been racking in fans! Between the interest and Freckles' website being so full of stuff, a site was created for him. http://sherlock-the-remarkable-cat.weebly.com/
• Sherlock's series is a chapter book series which means no illustrations. The page count before edits is 73 written pages. The book's estimated sales price will be $8. All of this could change yet.
• There is still a preview on Sherlock's website (before it was on Freckles' site but on sherlock's page. His page no longer exists). It is unedited and some stuff has been added but be sure to check it out! The first two chapters are included.
• We will be offering school readings for this as well though I have yet to determine how to present it yet.

2. The Author's Website

• The website has been changed a bit as I've added new page choices above. The choices now include direct links to both series websites. This required a total makeover.
• While the website's domain name will stay as it is, the cover title is now listed as Vickianne and Anastasia's to keep from confusing Anastasia's stuff with mine. I would like to make sure that her art is seen and this seemed like a great way to get people to notice her and realize that the work is hers and not mine.
• Photos and Videos have all been placed onto one page instead of two on that website.

3. Book Reviews

• It seems that I have little to no time to do reviews for other authors anymore. At least not for chapter books. My daughter has offered to take on this role and has been doing a great job of it. While some of it is slow, she is far faster at this then I am with lack of time. She has already done two reviews on her own (videos still need to be done) and has had compliments on them. Great job!

4. Freckles the Bunny Series

• Freckles is now on her 5th book this year! This book should be out near the end of February. The book is entitled, "Freckles and the Cost of Popularity." Learn more about it by visiting her website. A video preview should be out sometime later this month.

5. All Websites

• There was a glitch with the Pinterest link on the websites that I hadn't been aware of. These are fixed now! You can find us here:  http://www.pinterest.com/frecklesbunECRZ/
• Freckles and Sherlock's sites link to each other and my personal one will take you to both. I have not included a link back from the series sites to my personal author's website.

6. E-Books

• I have not yet added anymore books on Smashwords (nor updated) as I am currently waiting for my husband to read the contracts for putting them on Kindle. I will bring you news at a later date to let you know if the e-books go on Amazon or if I add more onto Smashwords, or both.

Well that is all of the news here. We hope all of our readers and fans are well!

Vickianne

I've been pretty busy here with family matters, working on Sherlock's book and Freckles' book 5. Some new things as of late:

• Sherlock's page has been updated. There is now a separate page for photos & videos as well as a page with a list of characters. Some pictures from Freckles the Bunny Series are present if the characters were in those.
  
• Sherlock's story is coming along. I am currently on chapter 7 and the 46th page in the book. I had posted a new synopsis of "Sherlock, the Cat Who Couldn't Meow." This may once again be changed because while most of the story will be the same, I've decided upon a slight twist which I may use in this book.
• A character drawing has been done. This may change slightly to better portray him (as his tummy isn't white). Anastasia Drogaitseva will once again be illustrating. This will be the new look for his book covers.
• While both Freckles and Sherlock share the same world and town, a small bit of magic will be found in Sherlock's books. I hope this won't confuse the readers but I wanted to make these books a little different, just like him.
• Due to the unforeseen interest in his series, I will be trying to release the book mid-late January. Once I am near done, we will post the book cover and price. This probably won't happen until January so I'm afraid you will have to wait in suspense. I guarantee you that the cover is quite unique as we've set up a "theme" for his books, just as we have with Freckles' (hers is the titles are always a part of a sign or something). His will be quite different from Freckles' and I know you are going to love it!
• Some edits were done to the first two chapters again and I've added more detail, speech, etc. These have been uploaded in place of the old files. You can find this preview on his page and again, please remember that they haven't been edited yet. I simply couldn't wait to share a peek.
  

As you may or may not know, for every createspace book order, I donate $1/book to the Humboldt & District SPCA. They are non-government funded and a no-kill shelter that services the area. Their commitment to the animals is remarkable!

Anastasia and I have some projects besides the books (some related and some not) in the works. One of them is the Pets in books that I have advertised about where you can pay to have your pet drawn into a book. We've set up some packages on the website and we will now also be donating $5 for every package sold! You can find this purchase in the "Package and Service Sales" page and more info in a pdf to download on the "Downloads to Share" page. We will now be accepting payments for this service.

Be sure to check out the Humboldt & District SPCA's online auction because we've donated one of these there! She should be adding it in there soon! Keep your eyes peeled in case we donate anything else to help them out!

We've added a donation button onto our page. Any money donated through it will go to them in hopes of raising funds for their new building that they are much in need of.

Anastasia came up with a brilliant idea to help the animals that have a harder time finding forever homes. We will be using one of them to place in the books and their adoptable info! We hope to help them find a wonderful home this way and give them the second chance they deserve! We will not be charging them for this. If you know of a rescue that might be interested, please have them contact us.

Lastly, we've added a new product. You can now purchase Freckles the Bunny Series gift certificates! You can find them on our "Packages and Services" page.

It's been a very exciting week! Here's what's new:

1. It looks like we will be reading at another school here in Saskatoon, SK.
2. Sherlock's new character look for the book is in the works.

3. His fan page is up on Facebook already (a little premature but Facebook wouldn't let me edit some stuff at a later date).
Sherlock the Remarkable Cat Series on Facebook

4. The first order of Christmas books sold out and another order should be in this week!

5. I submitted the Christmas book for review and it came back in 2 days (supposed to take up to 3 months but they keep coming in quicker each time!)!! I got another 5 star review award from Readers' Favorite. That is 4 for 4!!

6. Just a reminder, we still have Freckles Christmas photos for sale! Order them now so that you receive them on time for Christmas!
$1.50 per photo
$6 for 5 photos
$10 for 10 photos
$20 for 25 photos.

I hope everyone is having as wonderful a week as I've had!

Second Chapter Sneak Peek
Sherlock the Remarkable Cat Series, Book # 1: Sherlock, the Cat Who Couldn't Meow has a second chapter added to the first. Be sure to check it out! We've also figured out the cover and I am SO EXCITED about it! I can't wait for you all to see it! Please remember that this is a draft and more may be added so it hasn't been edited yet. Again, you can find the downloadable pdf at the bottom of his page, on the Freckles website.

Uniqueness of Series Book Covers
Some of you may not have noticed but Freckles the Bunny Series has a theme going on with the covers. Every book title is always in the form of a sign or on something (Ex. Book 1 was a sign on the door & book 3 was ice on the window). Sherlock now has his own theme as well! On every cover, you will see a photo of the real Sherlock inside of the illustrated one. Sherlock's appearance is going to change slightly as well. In the Freckles books, the characters are more flat. In his series, they will be more rounded and standing out more.  Anastasia will be illustrating the first book in the series as well and we hope to keep her on longer.

Sherlock's Facebook Fan Page
I was trying to list what books I was working on and Facebook wouldn't let me edit the info later so I had to create a fan page a little earlier then I had planned. You can find it here:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sherlock-the-Remarkable-Cat-Series/649384561751226

We've added some new playlists and videos to our Youtube Channel!

Playlists:
1. Sherlock the Remarkable Cat Series playlist
2. Craft Time with Erika-Elizabeth playlist
There may be some other playlists that were not mentioned earlier on there as well.

Videos:
1. Freckles the Bunny Series, Book # 4: Freckles and the True Meaning of Christmas Preview
(read by the author)
http://youtu.be/X3jgTHKGi5g

2, Sherlock the Remarkable Cat Series Pre-Intro
http://youtu.be/twRtgIWO7eQ

3. Craft Time with Erika-Elizabeth videos.
- An intro to the shows.
http://youtu.be/KF2cwS2EPf0

4. Pine Cone Feeder Craft
- A how to video that your child can do along with Erika-Elizabeth. Stay tuned for more!
http://youtu.be/lF87wCcHcCU

5. Freckles the Bunny Series, Book # 4: Freckles and the True Meaning of Christmas Trailer
http://youtu.be/X3jgTHKGi5g

6. Many more videos on our channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/FrecklesBunnySeries

We held 2 contests this month. One was because we reached 100 fans, so we were giving away a copy of Freckles the Bunny Series, Book # 3: Freckles Lends a Paw. The winner of that contest was Эль Мариаччи!

We also held our usual contest for the upcoming book. It was for a copy of Freckles the Bunny Series, Book # 4: Freckles and the True Meaning of Christmas. The winner of that contest was Valery Ozerskaya!

Congratulations to both the winners! Unfortunately, due to the lack of fan involvement, this will be our last contest for now. Perhaps once we develop a little larger of a group, we will try again. We want to thank everyone that has participated in the past! It has been greatly appreciated!

As you know, I have been working on a new chapter book series based on Sherlock, our cat. I had been arguing with myself over the title and I've finally chosen one. The series will be called, "Sherlock the Remarkable Cat Series." You will sometimes see characters from Freckles the Bunny Series as Sherlock's brother is Boots. I am planning many things for this series and while I am finding that I sometimes have little time to do things, Freckles will always be first. I have only begun writing the series (between writing books 5 and 6), so I am not sure yet as to what you can expect. I promise it will be as great and entertaining as the other series is! Expect to see humor, a lot of Boots' family, cross-overs and more!

1. Upcoming School Visit:
Freckles III, Stew II and I will soon be visiting St. Philip's School here in Saskatoon. We are very excited to meet the students there as well as the teachers! Our visit is planned for October 22nd.

2. Book Edits
We edited books 1 through 3.
- Books 1 & 2 had some small edits of text and we've changed some things. These will soon say 2nd editions. Book 1 also had a craft added to it as it didn't have one and book 2 did.
- Book 3 needed some text edits as it seems we missed quite a bit. We apologize greatly for this and promise to do a better job next time. We also added a craft to this book. This will also be a second edition book.

3. Book Crafts
Each book will now have a craft in the back of them. The previous books that didn't have one, have now had them added. This will continue on throughout the Freckles series.

4. Pre-ordering Book # 4
We have decided to extend the pre-orders to October 20th, 2014. Every pre-paid, pre-order will receive a set of 6 character stickers (each main character included) or a Freckles pencil.

NEWSLETTER
Our first newsletter is out. Inside contains a special log in. The place to put the code is found on the main page and once signed in, it will take you to a hidden page with monthly downloads, online games and more!

ST. AUGUSTINE SCHOOL - SASKATOON
    We had a wonderful visit with the pre-kindergarten to grade 4's. The teachers and students made us feel quite at home. Thank you so much for your hospitality and we hope to visit you again! For any other schools in Saskatoon, please get in touch with us as we'd love to drop by yours! This is of course, free.

NEW PRODUCT
    We've added a new product. The photo sample is in this post. You can now send in a photo of your child for us to place a posed Freckles or another character into. These are book 3 and on's characters. We would be happy to sign or add your child's name at no additional charge. This is $10 CAD and can be found on our website's Misc. page.


FRECKLES THE BUNNY SERIES, BOOK # 4; FRECKLES AND THE TRUE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS VIDEO TRAILER
    We've finally finished the video trailer for the book. Our usual preview with the first 6 pages read and in flip book format will be out early next week. In the mean time, we thought you might enjoy viewing various pages of Anastasia's illustrations. Be sure to take a look! It has some pictures that you won't see in the book preview.
http://youtu.be/Vh56fTsIX

BUYING OPTIONS
    We realize that purchasing through Paypal on our website can be a pain. We are now taking orders through the contact link as well and we will figure out the shipping for you, then send an invoice. In this way, we will be able to charge less while you still use Paypal. Other payment options are as follows:
Interact E-Transfer (works well if you are with a major bank in Canada). I am also told that this is only possible if you have online banking access.
Send us a Money Order or Certified Check after we let you know the total with shipping.
Personal/business checks will only be accepted through schools and libraries. Sorry for any inconvenience.

3 DAYS LEFT TO ENTER THE #CONTESTS for #free #books!
1. 100 Likes contest, simply click like on the 100 Likes picture to enter. Prize, book # 3.
2. Contest 2, answer the 3 questions. The answers are in the books, website & fan page but if no one guesses correctly, we do a draw. #Prize, book # 4.
3. Even if you've #won before, you are still welcome to enter!
4. All contests are in the "Contests" album. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.387158568052649.1073741826.253047124797128&

NOW FOR THE SURPRISES:
1. I've finished editing books 1 & 2. We've fixed up the appearance of the books a bit and we will (and have) added a craft for every book. These books will soon say 2nd edition. I got sick over the weekend but will complete the edits (text) for book 3 soon. It will also have a craft.
2. We've started a #craft playlist on Youtube, for the children. It will consist of some of the crafts done in the books and some others. The "show" is called, "Craft Time with Erika-Elizabeth and my daughter will be hosting it. Here is the link:
http://youtu.be/lF87wCcHcCU
3. Working on the #chapter books about Sherlock but having a hard time coming up with a title for the series. So far, we've thought of Sherlock the #Cat #Series. If anyone has suggestions, they are more then welcome. ;)Contests (3 photos)WIN A FREE COPY OF BOOK 4!
RULES:
1. Must like the page and still be a fan at the time of winner announcement.
2. Must answer all 3 questions under the photo.
3. Must be willing to give an address if you win.
4. See contest rules in the notes section for details that apply.
DEADLINE: October 10th, 2013