book swag – Katie L. Carroll

I’m super excited to welcome Sharon Chriscoe to the Observation Desk to help spread the word about the pre-order campaign for her picture book FIRE TRUCK DREAMS. My boys love the other books in the series, RACE CAR DREAMS and BULLDOZER DREAMS, and this new one will probably end up their favorite because they love fire trucks. Sharon is offering some really great goodies for the pre-order giveaway. Welcome, Sharon!

DING! DING! DING!

FIRE TRUCK DREAMS is officially available for pre-order and to celebrate him being the third book in the ‘Vehicle Dreams Series’, Fire Truck and I are doing a three alarm giveaway! (A three book alarm giveaway, that is!)

Fire Truck cover

Isn’t he adorable!

First, I want to extend my gratitude to everyone who has purchased and supported the other books in the ‘Vehicle Dreams Series’. Race Car, Bulldozer, and I are forever grateful and hope your little ones are enjoying them as much as I enjoyed writing them.

Now, onto those fiery hot giveaway details:

If you pre-order FIRE TRUCK DREAMS before his release date of October 9, 2018, I will mail you a swag pack this October that includes:

One (per order) signed bookplate.

One (per order) Fire Truck Dreams bookmark. (Photo to come this fall)

And possibly some sweet surprises. (Everyone loves a good surprise, right!)

*** IF YOU’RE A TEACHER OR CHILD CARE TAKER please let me know in your email so I can send a bookmark for every child. A simple quick note that you are a teacher or care giver and how many bookmarks you’ll need and they will be on their way this fall.

GRAND PRIZE GIVEAWAY!

In addition to the swag pack listed above, every pre-order placed by 11:59 PM October 8, 2018 will be eligible to win a grand prize (one grand prize giveaway per every five hundred preorders) basket filled with:

One swag pack mentioned above with FIRE TRUCK DREAMS bookmark and a signed bookplate.

One each of RACE CAR DREAMS and BULLDOZER DREAMS bookmarks.

Race Car Dreams bookmarks Bulldozer bookmarks

An autographed copy of ALL THREE of the vehicle dreams books! Aren’t they cute!

Additional swag gear (a mini race car trophy, a squishy cone stress toy, and a fun fire truck squishy stress toy!) (Squishy fire truck photo to come!)

trophies Cone

One $25 Barnes and Noble gift card

One $25 Starbucks gift card

(And! Additional items to be announced throughout the duration of the preorder campaign.)

To Enter:

Pre-order FIRE TRUCK DREAMS by 11:59 October 8, 2018.

Send a quick email to vehicledreamsbooks@gmail.com with the number of copies you pre-ordered in your the subject line. Please only send one email per person. The number of copies ordered listed in the subject line will suffice for multiple entries. Also, within the email include your mailing address for your swag to be sent to and if you’d like the bookplate inscribed, please include the name. Or if you prefer, you can fill out this simple, short google doc form and I’ll do the rest for you! Google Doc Pre-order Form

BONUS ENTRIES ALERT!

Everyone loves bonus entries, right! If you order both RACE CAR DREAMS and BULLDOZER DREAMS with your pre-order of FIRE TRUCK DREAMS, you will receive TEN entries for the grand prize giveaway!

IF you already own one or both of the vehicle dreams books, attach a photo of your book or books and you will get FIVE bonus entries per book (FIVE for RACE CAR DREAMS and FIVE for BULLDOZER DREAMS!). Bonus entries for books you already own are only eligible IF you preorder FIRE TRUCK DREAMS. Total entries will be TEN for the grand prize giveaway!

International entries are welcome.

Auto receipt for your entries will be sent.

Winners (chosen by random computer draw) will be announced by October 31, 2018. Proof of pre-order will be required for grand prizes.

To make preordering easy for you, here’s some links:

Amazon / Barnes and Noble/ Book Depository/ IndieBound

And lastly, once again a sincere and heartfelt thank you to every single person who has purchased one of my books. It’s your support that brings the love of books into children’s lives. And with your continued support, authors just like me will be able to keep writing those words for your children to enjoy.

FIRE TRUCK DREAMS blurb:

For fans of Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site comes an exciting new bedtime story about a brave little fire truck.

A fire truck has had a big day of putting out fires and saving kittens, and now it’s time to sleep. After making sure all is quiet and safe, he rolls back into the station for a shower, swishes and swigs a bedtime refreshment, and settles in with a bedtime story. But a hero’s job is never done, and the fire truck dreams of taming a ferocious campfire and celebrating the end of his exciting day with s’mores!

This delightful book about a heroic fire truck preparing for bed will be a favorite for any fan of fire trucks and everyday heroes. As always, Sharon Chriscoe lulls the reader with her witty and gentle rhyming verse, accompanied by Dave Mottram’s charming illustrations. Fire Truck Dreams is certain to bring joy to any bedtime routine.

Have you found your Thor? Kai Strand wants to help with that. She’s here to talk about her young adult romantic suspense, FINDING THOR. Be sure to check out the giveaway below.

International intrigue hits small-town America.

Tragedy has left Cara Cassidy broken and the only thing keeping her from giving in completely is her guilt. Until Nik Rock.

Nik stirs up feelings in degrees she has never experienced, and causes her to do things that most assuredly give him the wrong impression – like kiss him before their first date. Somehow, he breaks down the walls around her emotions until she has no choice but to forgive herself and feel again.

But a mysterious, troubled past follows Nik, and Cara may prove to be his weakest link.

When a royal princess shows up looking for Nik, and an international gang arrives looking for missing jewels, Cara lands in mortal danger. Will she be able to save herself? What will happen to her newly repaired psyche if she loses Nik?

Romance, mystery, and high stakes – just another day in high school.

Hi, Kai! Why should we read your book?

How long can you hold your breath? Finding Thor is non-stop, action, emotion, mystery, and intrigue.

If you could live inside a book, which book would you chose?

I feel like I’m cheating on this because Finding Thor is set in my current hometown, so I’d just stay right where I am now.

Is there a lesson to be learned in Finding Thor?

I don’t set out to teach a lesson when I’m writing a story, but one thing I hope resonates with readers is Cara’s personal struggle. She’s grieving. She has ups and downs. Even when she starts to make progress toward healing, she has setbacks. This is normal. People don’t have these perfect paths to follow. Life is messy. However, when the chips are down, she identifies what’s important to her and she digs deep inside her for the strength to fight for it.

Excerpt:

The veil dropped over Nik’s expression so fast, it told her exactly what she didn’t want to know. Nik had indeed seen her mom. Cara turned away from him again intending to trudge back into the classroom.

“By the crown, will you stop already?” Nik begged.

The exasperation in his tone and the odd choice of words piqued her curiosity. Cocking her head, she asked, “By the crown?”

The frustration melted away and Nik pursed his lips, which almost distracted Cara enough to forget the thread of conversation, but she tore her eyes away and asked, “Is that what they say in Seattle?”

Nik’s eyes lit with appreciation. “Aren’t you clever?”

“Am I?”

He nodded. His appreciative appraisal and half smile wreaked havoc with her supposed cleverness.

“Nik?” she breathed.

“Yes?” He tilted toward her giving her the impression he hung on her every word. His eyes were glued to her lips, which she realized were parted and ever so slightly panting.

She gulped. “Can we perhaps do this after school?”

When he raised his gaze to meet hers she almost liquefied under the heat of it. “Can I trust you?”

“Trust me to do what?” Cara asked. She was losing the ability to think.

“Show up.” He slid closer and she held her breath hoping he would take her in his arms.

“Show up where?” she asked.

A full-blown grin curved across his face and she thrilled with the knowledge she’d put it there. Then she realized she couldn’t remember how.

“Actually, I was going to ask you that,” Nik said. His eyes roved her face.

“Wait. What?” Cara’s voice was so breathy she wasn’t sure if she spoke or gasped.

“Where should we meet? After school.”

She itched to rise up on tiptoe and kiss that stellar grin off his mouth.

A low chuckle rumbled through him. “Why don’t you tell me in gym class?”

She nodded slowly. Was he a drug? Or maybe the male version of a siren. Did they have those?

He tipped further forward and she caught her breath. Then he sighed.

“See you next period.”

Her mouth fell open as he walked away. He hadn’t even touched her and she was burning with need.

At the end of the hall, he glanced over his shoulder and grinned when he saw her still gaping after him. When he walked out of view she let out the breath she’d been holding. It stuttered and shook, but was relieved to escape her burning lungs. How long had she been holding her breath?

By the crown, Nik Rock was dangerous!

Finding Thor is available in print or electronic format from the following:

Add Finding Thor to your to-read shelf on Goodreads

About the author:

When her children were young and the electricity winked out, Kai Strand gathered her family around the fireplace and they told stories, one sentence at a time. Her boys were rather fond of the ending, “And then everybody died. The end.” Now an award winning children’s author, Kai crafts fiction for kids and teens to provide an escape hatch from their reality. With a selection of novels for young adult and middle grade readers Kai entertains children of all ages, and their adults. Learn more about Kai and her books on her website, www.kaistrand.com.

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Swag alert! Looking for your Thor? Look no further, Kai’s got you covered. Enter to win a custom tote bag for all of those books you like to carry with you, and a Thor baseball cap. Easy entry for those in a hurry, or many other ways to earn more entries for contest junkies. FT swag pack can only be shipped in the United States. If first winner is International, an Amazon gift card will be substituted and another winner will be chosen.