It's that time of year again. School is starting and so much more! Sorry I haven't blogged updates here in a bit but we've been rushing to get back into our house. Some things have been moving far faster then we planned. We are hoping for everything to slow down after next month and for us all to be settled in. In the meantime, here are some updates now & some to expect over the next month or so for all 3 websites:

1. Website
I have finally managed to fix those pictures on Freckles' website.
2. School Visits in Your Area
I've already posted which areas we will be looking at visiting. The school proposals will explain more but it is free even if we have visited your school before. Feel free to contact us for more information. The areas include:
Saskatoon, SK
Humboldt, SK
Bruno, SK
Annaheim, SK
Cudworth, SK
Muenster, SK
Wakaw, SK
3. Erika-Elizabeth's Blog
As many know, Erika-Elizabeth is my daughter. She does the crafts for the books & video records them for children to do with her. She also does book reviews for me in her spare time (book reviews are on hold until we can get her computer down here). She has finally posted a second post and will continue to do so as the week progresses. Erika-Elizabeth has also co-authored Freckles' book # 6.
4. E-Book Sales
We currently have most books down for sale at $2.99 USD. Check them out on Barnes & Noble or Apple/Itunes.
5. Book Reviews
We have some new book reviews up for each series. Be sure to check out Sherlock's 1st book's review as well as Freckles' 4th & 5th books. You can find the reviews from here:
http://vickianne-caswell.weebly.com/my-books-reviews.html

#Freckles the #Bunny #Series, Book # 5: Freckles and the Cost of Popularity should be out by month's end.

#Book # 6: The Freckle Monster will be out this #Summer.

I am already beginning something totally new for book # 7. Freckles and her friends will be dressed as princes and princesses for a#manners book which will come out this fall. Are there any manners that you would like to see?? Comment below.

Stay tuned for an updated version of the video, "Real Animals Intro." The first one done didn't include Stew I or II and Freckles III. Once it is updated, you will be able to find it on the website and Youtube.

I have a few other surprises and updates in store for this month and the next so be sure to read the updates on the website or the fan pages so you don't miss out!!

We are still in need of votes for the book cover contest. You can vote on both Freckles books and the one Sherlock book. 1 star is poor and 5 stars is awesome. Simply click on the stars to vote. Voting times vary between 1 - 2 days, so please keep voting for us! A special thank you to all that have been voting! This is the 2014 contest so voting will be available for some time.
http://authorsdb.com/books/2014-book-cover-contest/children-s-books-2014

As you know, we have been trying to help rescues like Majestic Waterfowl Sanctuary, in hopes of helping them find loving homes for the animals they care for. One of the new things we will now be doing is to help share some of their events. Below is their post:

"Duck-Duck-Goose" Blue Ribbon Photo Contest!
Our 6th annual Blue Ribbon Photo Fundraiser Contest is currently underway!
Enter a photo of your duck or goose today for a chance to win one of our GIANT & GORGEOUS prize ribbons!
http://www.majesticwaterfowl.org/photocontestrules.htm

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

We've started a craft series called "Craft Time with Erika-Elizabeth." It is found on Youtube (our channel) and our website. Erika-Elizabeth will be making crafts that your child can make along with her. We're at a slow start here but we will be adding more videos soon!

Erika-Elizabeth has also started her own parent-approved blog. She wants to share some of her experiences as part of the Freckles team, as well as her experiences in bullying, etc. We felt that since she would be part of writing one on bullying, that other children may want to hear about her experiences.

Due to the fact that we still don't know when we will be returning, we have decided to extend our stay until December. If you know of a school interested in a free story reading, please have them contact me!

We had a wonderful time at St. Philip School here in Saskatoon and they were very kind to us! We enjoyed reading to them, speaking with everyone and especially enjoyed the questions that many of you asked!

I have now hidden almost every page except the main ones. A few were re-named (ex. the News blog is now "News Blog" instead of "News"). I have also replaced the Paypal buttons so that there are some better S&H prices, especially for books. I've also fixed it up so that you can purchase a t-shirt size easier and purchase services (you had to contact me before). This also enabled me to add some package deals. If you take a look around, you will also find a few price drops. One of them is the Pets in the Book package and the Child's Photo with the Freckles Character. Both make great Christmas presents!

Freckles the Bunny Series Holiday Prints

A neat way to send Christmas cards! This greeting photo is one-sided. Displayed here is Freckles but another character can be substituted. Prices are as follows:

1 photo - $1.50
5 photos - $6.00
10 photos - $10.00
25 photos - $25.00

Now what you have probably been waiting for! A sneak peak at the first chapter of Sherlock the Remarkable Cat Series, Book # 1: Sherlock, the Cat Who Couldn't Meow
(Please note that it may still need editing and nothing is finalized yet).
Go to our website and under Sherlock's heading, the PDF file is on the bottom of the page. I would love to hear your thoughts as well, so please feel free to share!
http://www.freckles-the-bunny-series.ca/sherlock-the-remarkable-cat-series.html

We are still working on family trees but you can take a look at the album on the website and our Facebook fan page. I have posted Boots' & Tiger's.

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

I promised a surprise today and here you have it. Meet Freckles III and Stew II. Freckles III is 8 weeks old and Stew II is 7 weeks old. Both will be coming with me to a classroom visit this Friday.

We've also added some new videos of them playing. Find them on our Youtube channel and don't forget to subscribe if you don't want to miss any videos! There are some new pictures on the website here as well.

Lastly, we've also added a flyer for you to download and share. It mentions the series, what the books are about and classroom readings. We hope you will! Thanks!

Be sure to watch for more updates as we will be adding new merchandise for sale very soon as we just got some t-shirts in (currently adult sizes only) and more merchandise, videos, pictures, updates, etc. added soon!

It's been a busy couple of weeks here and about to get busier! The video and flip book preview will be out sometime next week so please keep watch! This is for book # 3. As well, I am hoping to share some exciting news by the end of the month if luck will have it. I'm also in the works of creating a couple more videos for you. A little advertising for the books and possibly a little more (watch for the real, full grown Donut as well). These are always found on our Youtube channel. If you don't want to miss them as soon as they are out, you can subscribe to the channel.

I will be offering Skype readings to schools and libraries in the Fall for those interested. I've already posted one video and will be posting another somewhere between the middle and end of this month. Be sure to check them out and please share!

I've been doing children's and young adult book reviews. You can find them and interviews with the authors on my personal website. http://Vickianne-Caswell.weebly.com These books are read with my daughter and we have also posted video reviews of the books on the channel as well as an Author's Blog that I have created.

I've been out to my daughter's school once already and will be making one more trip in to read one of the books that are not yet published.

We will be doing another contest for a free copy of book 3 so please keep watch on our Facebook fan page! You will be required to like the page again.

I received a webcam for Mother's Day after hearing about some of the uses an author could have with one. I've started a video blog on Youtube which will keep you up to date with news events, things going on with the author, updates that you won't find on the site, animal introductions and more.

As well, I will begin setting up appointments for video interviews and classroom story readings for anyone that is interested, through Skype. If you are a member of the press, a school or teacher and would like to set something up, please let me know through the contact link on the website or message me through the Facebook fan page. Thanks!

Blogs have already begun and are currently being uploaded onto Youtube, so stay tuned. We will be posting a video compilation for the blogs (as we have done with the previews and stuff), on our website. The blogs will be available on our About Us page, by the end of the day. If there is anything that you would like to see on these, please comment below.