My Thanksgiving Wish...

For all my friends preparing to celebrate Thanksgiving with family and friends this week, I thought I would share my Thanksgiving Doodle Day #10 along with a few turkey jokes and a heartfelt Thanksgiving wish...

JOKES

Why can't you take a turkey to church? 

They use FOWL language. 

What happened when the turkey got into a fight? 

He got the stuffing knocked out of him! 

 

What do you get when you cross a turkey with a banjo? 

A turkey that can pluck itself!   

 

What do you call an evil turkey? 

Poultry-Geist 

 

What sound does a space turkey make? 

Hubble, Hubble, Hubble! 

 

What did the turkey say to the computer? 

Google, google, google! 

 

What was the turkey looking for at ToysRus?  

Gobbleheads. 

 

If you call a large turkey a gobbler what do you call a small one? 

Goblet. 

MY THANKSGIVING WISH

by Donna L Martin

To loved ones near or far,

And those dear to my heart.

For family staying at home,

And friends living miles apart.

From my house to yours,

My heartfelt wish for you,

Is lots of love and laughter,

Now and the whole year through.

 

🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃

ARE YOU THE MISSING PIECE? is now available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble Bookstore, and other fine retailers. It became a #1 bestseller in Australia, Canada, the UK, and the US.

 

International best selling author, Donna L Martin, has been writing since she was eight years old. She is a 4th Degree Black Belt Taekwondo Instructor by day and a 'ninja' writer of children’s picture books, chapter books and young adult novels by night. Donna is a BOOK NOOK REVIEWS host and book reviewer for Harper Collins, She is also a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators and Children's Book Insider. Donna is a lover of dark chocolate, time at the beach, and well written stories.

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A THANKSGIVING POEM

 BLESSINGS

by Donna L Martin

 

To all my family, both near and far...

To all my friends, both old and new...

This special day God blessed us with...

To cherish each other with love anew...

To give our thanks for all dear things...

And give the Lord blessings he's due...

GETTING MY STUFFING ON...

To all my current and future #DCSPeeps (DECIDE, COMMIT, SUCCEED), welcome to my new series in my continuing effort to inspire, amuse, and entertain you! Each Monday I will select a new word to analyze how it might apply to our writing lives and also give you a peek into my childhood growing up in the swamps of southern Louisiana. So kick back, put your feet up, and check out my story about TODAY'S WORD:

STUFFING

It was not long after I moved into my new apartment when I decided to adopt a kitten. One of my coworkers told me her own cat delivered a litter six weeks prior and those "little bundles of energy" were ready to find a forever home. 

I should have taken her words as clue #1 of what was to come.

After seeing the adorable kittens playing outside (clue #2), I decided to take two of them home instead. The calico one I named Patches for obvious reasons, and the grey striped one I named Cricket because she hopped like a cricket more than she did anything else.  Cricket was also lightening fast and liked to climb my curtains when my back was turned.

Clue #3.

I brought Patches & Cricket home the weekend before Thanksgiving. Other than having to peel Cricket off the curtains a time or two, by Thanksgiving morning both kittens were settling into their new home and I could concentrate on cooking the turkey.

At some point in the process I needed to check if the STUFFING was done, so I sat the bird on the stove top just as my hall phone began to ring. Thinking it would just take a minute to answer it, I left the bird cooling and took the call.

My phone conversation took longer than I'd planned which I regretted as soon as I returned to the kitchen to discover Cricket had scaled the side of the stove like Mt Everest and was now buried up to her shoulders INSIDE MY TURKEY!

Who knew cats liked STUFFING? 

I guess I should be happy at least SOMEBODY liked my homemade recipe, but for me, Thanksgiving dinner was ruined and by the next weekend I found new homes for my two feral kitties...

During this holiday season, I have decided to STUFF my writing with lots of flavorful ingredients:

🦃 rich details in my world building

🦃 quirky personality traits for my characters

🦃 challenging obstacles to overcome

🦃 a life changing event to help someone grow

🦃 a surprise, unexpected ending

You see, my DCSPeeps, strong writing is the backbone of every great story, but it's the STUFFING that makes your audience want to climb up and dig in!

I hope you have an AWESOME day today cuz you deserve it!

 

Children's book author, Donna L Martin, has been writing since she was eight years old. She is a 4th Degree Black Belt in TaeKwonDo by day and a 'ninja' writer of children’s picture books, middle grade chapter books and young adult novels by night. Donna is a BOOK NOOK REVIEWS host providing the latest book reviews on all genres of children’s books. She is also a book reviewer for Harper Collins, and a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators. Donna is a lover of dark chocolate, good stories, and an adoptive mom to 20-pound guard kitty in Knoxville, Tennesse

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BOOK NOOK REVIEWS: SPECIAL EDITION

  

Sometimes it's hard to choose just ONE book to review for Thanksgiving, so I decided to share with my readers many, many wonderful children's books about this special time of year. Maybe you will see one you have cherished over the years. Possibly you will find a new treasure to discover hidden somewhere among these titles. 

One thing is for certain.

With all these children's books about the upcoming holiday, there is certainly much to be thankful for!

Tell me...what is YOUR favorite Thanksgiving children's book?

 

 

BOOK NOOK REVIEWS: Diane Z Shore

Title: This Is The Feast

Author: Diane Z Shore

Illustrator: Megan Lloyd

Publisher: Harper Collins

Ages 4-8

Synopsis:

This is the Mayflower, sturdy and strong,
Her sails skim the skies as she journeys along.
These are the Pilgrims, down on their knees,
seasick and frightened on rough, rolling seas.

Why I think you should read it:

And so the tale begins of the Pilgrims' voyage to a land of unknown opportunities. I'm a sucker for great rhyming picture books and when you combine it with richly detailed artwork like the ones provided by Illustrator Megan Lloyd, readers can't help but want to go along on the journey with these brave men and women of long ago.

Author Diane Z Shore weaves a wonderful lyrical story about searching for a new home, the adversity in struggling to survive that first winter ashore, the cautious friendships begun between Pilgrim and the Native Americans already living there, and the joyous feast of Thanksgiving when all come together to celebrate the bountiful harvest. THIS IS THE FEAST is a fabulous retelling of the historical voyage of Pilgrims coming to America for the first time and would be a great addition to any library!

Like-o-meter Rating scale **: 3 out of 5...take it or leave it.

**5 out of 5...grab it!

4 out of 5...think about it.

3 out of 5...take it or leave it.

2 out of 5...maybe not for you.

1 out of 5...forget about it!

Blurb: Addie comes from a long line of readers or "story catchers" as her family likes to call themselves. Every time Addie tries to catch a story on her own the wiggly words play tricks on her. She tries different ways to make those words sit still but it will take a little faith for Addie to become the next STORY CATCHER.

Buy Links:Amazon Kindle ¦ Paperback ¦ B&N ¦ Smashwords

JOIN THE STORY CATCHER FAN CLUB!Membership includes:

 
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BOOK NOOK REVIEWS: Julian Scheer

Title: A Thanksgiving Turkey
Author: Julian Scheer
Illustrator: Ronald Himler
Publisher: Holiday House
Ages 9-11


Synopsis: Every year Grandad tries to track down an old tom turkey who's been roosting in his woods for as long as he can remember. His determination is so contagious that his grandson is caught up in the challenge. It all comes down to on bitterly cold morning just before Thanksgiving when man and beast cross paths in a final showdown.


Why you should read it:


I love reading holiday stories and since Fall is my favorite time of the year, I stock up early on eagerly anticipated holiday books. Julian Scheer's A THANKSGIVING TURKEY is just the right kind of story to put readers in the "thankful" mood this holiday season. Readers can relate to a young boy's connection to his grandfather as he learns the routine of life on a farm.


There is an adventure waiting for the two one chilly Fall morning which draws readers into the cat and mouse game of trying to catch a wily old tom turkey Granddad has been chasing for years. From the first moment the boy hears the clear cluck, cluck, clucking of a hen ringing out from his grandfather's wooden turkey caller to the day when he finally sees the long grey and black beard dragging the ground when the old tom turkey is fooled into stepping into the clearing in front of him, readers think they know the outcome of this wonderful tale. But there is an unexpected surprise waiting to be unleashed one bitterly cold morning just before Thanksgiving which will change the lives of two hunters forever. A wonderful addition to any library.

Like-o-meter Rating scale **: 5 out of 5...grab it!

**5 out of 5...grab it!

4 out of 5...think about it.

3 out of 5...take it or leave it.

2 out of 5...maybe not for you.

1 out of 5...forget about it!

Blurb: Addie comes from a long line of readers or "story catchers" as her family likes to call themselves. Every time Addie tries to catch a story on her own the wiggly words play tricks on her. She tries different ways to make those words sit still but it will take a little faith for Addie to become the next STORY CATCHER.

Buy Links:Amazon Kindle ¦ Paperback ¦ B&N ¦ Smashwords



JOIN THE STORY CATCHER FAN CLUB!Membership includes:
 
Membership Certificate
Bi-montly Newsletter full of mazes, puzzles, games, news, and other goodies
Reading Log for earning STORY CATCHER AWARD

BOOK NOOK REVIEWS: Teresa Johnston

  

Title: Thanksgiving For Emily Ann

Author: Teresa Johnston

Illustrator: Vanessa Brantley Newton

Publisher: Scholastic

Ages: 4-8

Synopsis: 

Emily Ann just had to say,

she's not very thankful on Thanksgiving Day.

Her brother was mean.

Her sister, a bore.

And with Grandpa in town

She slept on the floor.

Why you should read it:

Fall colors and crisp morning breezes remind me Autumn is here and that means time to check out the latest offerings for the upcoming holiday season. The  delightful artwork of the cover for THANKSGIVING FOR EMILY ANN caught my attention. I was eagerly anticipating a captivating story line but unfortunately was mildly disappointed. Author Teresa Johnston provides a solid tension filled plot when Emily Ann feels left out of the Thanksgiving preparations. 

But it's when she decides to cause disruption at the dinner table and one comment from a family member suddenly causes all her misgivings and stressful thoughts to disappear that seems a bit confusing to me. It's doubtful Emily Ann would have had such an emotional awakening in the real world, but within the text of THANKSGIVING FOR EMILY ANN, all's well that ends well and young readers will be able to enjoy a family get together during the holiday season with lots for which to be thankful.
 

Like-o-meter Rating scale **: 3 out of 5...take it or leave it.

**5 out of 5...grab it!

4 out of 5...think about it.

3 out of 5...take it or leave it.

2 out of 5...maybe not for you.

1 out of 5...forget about it!

Blurb: Addie comes from a long line of readers or "story catchers" as her family likes to call themselves. Every time Addie tries to catch a story on her own the wiggly words play tricks on her. She tries different ways to make those words sit still but it will take a little faith for Addie to become the next STORY CATCHER.

Buy Links:Amazon Kindle ¦ Paperback ¦ B&N ¦ Smashwords



JOIN THE STORY CATCHER FAN CLUB!Membership includes:
 
Membership Certificate
Bi-montly Newsletter full of mazes, puzzles, games, news, and other goodies
Reading Log for earning STORY CATCHER AWARD

Always Give Thanks...

The countdown to Thanksgiving has begun. In four days, millions of Americans will sit down with family and friends to give thanks for the blessings in their lives. For some of those people, it may be the ONLY time they give thanks. For others, like myself,  it is a time of reflection and raising a voice in praise for all the good things that have come their way. On the eve of this great holiday, I'd like to share with you my THANKS FOR GIVING list:

To my GUARDIAN ANGEL...thanks for giving me a second chance at living. If anyone has read my story in CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL: ANGELS AMONG US, you will know what I'm talking about. Life can seem meaningless at times and broken spirits can walk dangerously close to the abyss when they are hurting. My life could have been forever changed all those years ago except for the intervention of a loving God and a guardian angel who quite literally gave me a chance to begin again.

To my MOTHER...thanks for doing the best you could in a horrible situation. Your strength and pioneer spirit when I was a child wasn't clear to me but time dulled the pain and wiped the blinders from my eyes so that I might see you in the proper light. Right or wrong, you gave birth to me and I am proud to say that no matter what, I always showed you the proper respect while you were on this Earth.

To my EX-HUSBAND...thanks for giving me my son. He is one of the most precious things in my life and my greatest joy. Not all relationships can become the way people want them to be and I've always wished you health and happiness...even when it was safest for our futures not to travel the same path. 

To the DOUBTERS in my life...thanks for challenging me with your words. Whether from cruelty or misunderstanding, every negative thought sent my way only fueled the fire within me to overcome the obstacles in my life. Even if it took a long time, I was challenged to remain strong to the person I wanted to be and can be proud my personal goals over the years have been met while my integrity has never been compromised.

To my FRIENDS...thanks for accepting me just as I am. No one is perfect and God knows I have many faults, but at the end of the day I can still look around and know there are people in the world who care about me. People willing to share the good as well as the bad and who are not afraid to stand by me when the going gets tough.

To my GOD...thanks for constantly watching over me and those I love. I have always seen you as a loving, forgiving being and I have devoted my life to helping others in your honor. I know LIFE can be hard but despite the struggles of my own personal journey, I have always believed YOU will never give me more than I can bear.

I wish the world good health and happiness, love and joy, and a future bright with the promise of a peaceful tomorrow. What more could anyone ask for?

TALES FROM THE BAYOU: A Taste Of Thanksgiving

I understand now that my mother must have pinched pennies for months when I was growing up in order to create the banquet she did on every Thanksgiving Day. I don't know the different jobs my father did over the years, but the last job he held was as a cook for an offshore rig. Although he spent many a day away from his family, I don't think he was compensated enough for it by the looks of what passed for food in our house most days.

While others ate steak and pork chops, my siblings and I could look forward to things like fish head soup, rooster comb and chicken feet to dine upon. You think I exaggerate but I kid you not. When I say I came from a poor childhood, it isn't to garner sympathy but to seek admiration for what my mother managed to conjure up for us to feast upon during the holidays. 

I would go to sleep on Thanksgiving Eve with the knowledge that sometime the following day our dining room table would be groaning under the weight of more food than I would usually see in a week. While the bird stuffed with cornbread dressing slowly roasted in the oven, Mother would set the ingredients for mashed potatoes and corn on the cob to boil. Deviled eggs chilled in the refrigerator along with the pumpkin pie and sometimes a Jello mold of some type. There was a white, shallow-divided bowl holding the green peas and carrots while sweet tea simmered in a silver pitcher. Homemade rolls covered with homemade butter and dirty rice (a Cajun dish where you cooked rice before adding chicken livers, gizzards, hearts, and sometimes crumbled sausage to the mix which darkened the rice and gave it its name) waited on the table to greet us.

Despite my parents problems, holidays were usually a family affair and my father would sit down at the head of the table where he and I would then argue every year over which one of us would get to eat the turkey's tail. I would usually win and thought it a grand conquest to have bested my father out of my favorite part of the bird. After the leftovers were eventually put away and the dishes washed, I would retreat to my bedroom where I would lie around reading while waiting for the aches of an overly stuffed stomach to go away.

Neither of my parents were deeply religious people and there weren't prayers of thanks heard at our table like in other families, but despite my life I still had much to be thankful for while I was growing up in that place I called home. 

I had a good companion in my older sister, Janet, who managed to put up with a nagging little sister four years younger without killing her in the process. I had my dog, Penny, who tolerated many games of dress up and my sad attempts to teach her tricks without so much as biting me once. And I had my books. One of the few things my mother approved of, my childhood was filled with wonderful, glorious books of every kind to sometimes act as a buffer between the reality of my life and the worlds of my imagination.

My life growing up might have been challenging but on Thanksgiving Day each year all it boiled down to was a tasty meal and a good story...

TALES FROM THE BAYOU: There's A Strong Wind Blowing

In honor of the Fall...my favorite time of the year...I thought I would list my ten favorite things about this season when I was growing up.

Living in the swamps of southern Louisiana was very different from where I live now in the hills of Tennessee. It's almost like living in two different worlds but I can remember some traditions carried over from my younger days that still make me smile today when I think of them...

DONNA'S FALL FAVORITES

1. Cloudy days...Being allergic to the sun, bright Summer days in the muggy south weren't exactly my idea of fun. Give me the overcast, grey days any time and I was a happy camper. That hasn't changed now I'm grown up.
2. Halloween...One of my favorite holidays smack dab in the middle of my favorite season. What more can a kid ask for? Guaranteed candy I almost never indulged in the rest of the year and a chance to get away from the house to prowl the streets for treats. My kind of childhood fantasy when I was a kid.
3. Rain Puddles...There is something hypnotic about the sound of rain on a tin roof that I like. Being in southern Louisiana there was plenty of rainfall during the Fall and that produced plenty of rain puddles to splash in, float leaf boats in, and just have a good time.
4. Umbrellas...I've always loved umbrellas. When I was a kid, I could open an umbrella on a rainy day and imagine it was an invisible cloak to hide me from the monsters who lurked behind trees as I walked to school. It fascinated me that something as simple as some vinyl stretched over some metal bars could keep me dry in most any storm.
5. Warm towels...I tended to get tonsillitis and bronchitis a lot when I was a child so if I had to walk home on a rainy day in the Fall, I could almost guarantee that there would be a warm towel heated from an old space heater waiting for me when I got home. Mother would make me take off my wet socks and shoes at the door. Then she would wrap me in a warm towel and tell me to go stand by the heater until the chill was gone and I was dry.
6. Hot Cocoa...This and Mother's bread was probably THE favorite things of Fall. If there were warm towels waiting for me when I got home from school, there was always a cup of homemade hot cocoa to warm my insides. The first day she made a batch of hot cocoa I was allowed to drink as much as I wanted in one sitting and then it was rationed out to one cup a day until it was gone. It was so good I almost wished for more rainy days than we had each year!
7. Fresh Bread...A close second to the hot cocoa was Mother's fresh bread. If I timed it right, I could walk in the door after school to the smell of freshly baked bread being pulled from the oven. Back then bread at the grocery store was something like twenty cents a loaf and even that was too expensive for our family of six so Mother would bake the bread. Nothing is better than a slice or two of homemade bread (with homemade butter on it) and a mug of homemade hot cocoa. It's one of the best memories I have of my childhood.
8. School...Yes, I was one of those nerdy kids who loved, loved, LOVED school. With home not being a place I enjoyed much and never being allowed to have friends, I sought the company of books and learning. I excelled in my studies and maintained near perfect grades all the way through high school. I even graduated second in my class and had to do a commencement speech at my graduation. Even without the ability to connect with my classmates because of my Mother's rules of social behavior, when it came time to vote for Senior Favorites, I was voted Most Like To Succeed which astounded  me because I never realized the people at my school even knew who I was because I was so incredibly shy as a kid.
9. Thanksgiving...With all the various and unusual things that crossed my plate over the years growing up, the holidays usually meant Mother had saved up enough money to make the Thanksgiving meal special. It was one of the rare times of the year when not only was there more than enough to eat...you also actually wanted to eat it!
10. Hallmark...Who doesn't remember the wonderful, magical Hallmark holiday movies of their childhood? I would get giddy with excitement when the holidays approached because I knew there would be a number of Hallmark movies that Mother would let me watch. Even more special than the movies, though, were those Hallmark commercials. Special moments frozen in time where I could just imagine one day someone would give me my very own Hallmark card. Funny what becomes important to a young mind and even now when the holidays roll around you can find me standing in some card aisle, just reading the various sentiments waiting inside to be shared with someone special.

The holidays are what we make of them and even during the most challenging of years growing up, Mother always managed to make our holidays special.  Knowing now what I didn't know then makes me realize she was much more special herself than I ever gave her credit for. I can only hope wherever she is now, she can hear me when I say...

Thanks, Mom.

Flash Fiction Friday

This week's flash fiction is a little bit different. In the U.S. yesterday everyone was celebrating a holiday where we give thanks for the people closest to us and where we are in our lives. I was taken by surprised by my own bit of "flash fiction" when the following event happened yesterday. How do you think this story ended?

Where's My Ma'am?

by Donna L Martin

 

 

 

The woman stamped her feet against the cold and tugged the car door again. It was most decidedly frozen and the ironic thing about it all was the bottle of de-icer staring back at her from the front seat. As she headed back inside for a bucket of warm water she thought to herself, "It's not going to matter if I'm late. No one is holding their breath just waiting for me to show up."

 

On the other side of town the man put the last ornaments on the Christmas tree. Delicious aromas taunted him from the kitchen as his wife prepared the holiday meal. Suddenly a small voice caught his attention.

 

"Daddy, I hope my ma'am is gonna be here soon."

 

"It's okay Hailey. She's on her way and will be here in a little bit."

 

"But I miss her, Daddy!"

 

After much tugging and a little bit of prayer, the ice finally loosened its grip on the car door enough for the woman to climb in and start up the engine. She was going to be late but didn't think it would matter much. A sharp beeping sound announced an incoming text and tears sprung to her eyes as she read the words someone special was waiting anxiously for her arrival. For a moment self-pity had allowed her to think being late didn't matter but here was proof it did, if only for one small child. Twenty minutes later as the woman pulled into the driveway, she could see a nose pressed against the window pane impatiently searching for a familiar car. Oh, what a wonderful holiday this was going to be.

 

Stepping into the hallway, the woman could hear a high pitched squeal as she closed the door.

 

"Ma'am, ma'am, you're here!"

 

 

***Okay, you're turn. What do you think happened next?***