We welcome 2013!

May your New Year be filled with good things and plenty!

We are looking forward to more fun, more writing, and, of course...more moose this coming year!

From all of us to all of you...

We wish you a very Merry ChristMOOSE filled with hope, happiness, and love!

15 Minutes of Fame...Part Three: On With the Show!

We are glad that our MOO is an author and not in charge of the technical side of things.  She was smart to bring her camera to the BIG SHOW.  She was smart to ask a friend of hers to take pictures of us at the show.  She was not so smart when she did NOT charge the battery before going to the BIG SHOW!  So, for now, these are the few pictures we have from our very memorable, very exciting, very BIG afternoon.  When our MOO got up to read the story The Moose at the Manger...you can probably guess, that is the same moment the camera died.  On the upside, we will be getting a DVD of the event next month and hopefully will be able to share some of the highlights with you!  In the meantime, enjoy some of the captured scenes from Musichorale's Christmas Concert!

You can see some of us moose if you look closely!

We are sitting in between all of the poinsettia's.

Here is Chris, the main moose, on Pop's drum!  

People think this picture was taken for the singers, but if you look at the bottom of the picture, you will see moose and antlers!

The choir in their carolers' costumes

Here is our Moo looking somewhat perplexed.  I bet she's thinking about the words to the next song.

If you look closely, there is a moose hanging from that "M".

Choir robes for our sacred set of songs.  Look Moo knows the words!

15 Minutes of Fame...Part Two: The Transport

Now that we had our 65 moose picked and ready to go, we had to figure out how to get them to the auditorium. The most popular suggestion made was to just throw them all in to big black plastic garbage bags. When we asked the moose, they certainly didn't like that idea. Next, we thought we could use the clown car idea, but believe it or not, our car wasn't big enough.

Finally, we came up with a plan!  We had to drive two cars to our concert that night. My husband and his drums went in one car (and a couple of moose for company), and I drove separately with the rest of the moose.  Here they are getting ready for their road trip.

Believe it or not, there was just enough room for me in the driver's seat. 

Stay tuned for a Part Three: Moose on Stage!

15 Minutes of Fame...Part One: The Try-Outs

It has certainly been a busy time of year for us moose!  Who would have thought that a room full of moose in a quiet house on a quiet street would get so much attention.  This past Sunday was our BIG Musichorale concert!  The first decision to be made was which moose got to be on stage.  As much as we would have all loved to be there we understood that 200+  moose can be quite intimidating.  

We first went through our two-step  "Moose Try-outs"

Step One- Deciding which moose was big enough to be seen at a distance, but wasn't too big to take over the other stage decorations

 and

Step Two-  Demonstrating which of us moose could sit up by ourselves

Once that was completed our group of 65 was chosen.

Here are some pictures from our try-outs.

Stay tuned for Part Two of 15 Minutes of Fame...The Packing of the Moose!

Between now and January 1, 2013, 50% of all books sold will be donated to the Musichorale Scholarship Fund.  Stock up now with these great gift ideas and help a great cause all at once.  
http://musethemoose.blogspot.com/p/christmas-extravagana.html

There is Excitement in the Air!

The moose are very excited about their upcoming show this Sunday! We can't reveal who all is going yet, but let's just say, there will be scores of moose in attendance. We are taking lots of pictures in order to document this event.  This is the first time any of the moose will be on stage!  

Where it is they will be going?  They are going to join Muse the Moose at the Musichorale Christmas concert.  

Tickets are still available if anyone wants to join us!

Click link for more details!

http://www.musichorale.org/purchase.html

ChristMOOSE time in the city!

Each month on our website http://mooseatthemanger.tateauthor.com  we feature one of us moose, so you can learn more about who we are and where we came from.  Since December is our FAVORITE month of the year and ChristMOOSE is our FAVORITE holiday of the year, this month we are featuring the whole gang.  We hope you stop by to see our special ChristMOOSE wish that we have just for you!  Just click this link OUR SPECIAL CHRISTMAS WISH!

Merry ChristMOOSE! Give the gift of reading this Christmas!

Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Tantalizing Tuesday, Wicked Wednesday....You get the picture.  No matter the date, all of my books and other related products are on sale between now and Christmas for just $1.00 delivery per item. 

Looking for a book with a new twist on a story of old focusing on the true meaning of Christmas.  Look no further than The Moose at the Manger

My Hero My Ding is a charming story that will warm your heart and bring back cherished memories about those you hold near and dear to you.  A wonderful book for yourself or to give as a gift.

Are you a teacher?  Home-schooler?  Teacher's Guides and Answer Keys now available for both books.

Story book, 3D book, coloring book t-shirts - Click HERE to read about all the great deals!

Give the gift of reading this Christmas!

Killer is his name!

Production has been set and editing is going to begin next week on the new book

Mark the Missing Moose!

Judging is finally finished on the name of the dog from Name the Dog Contest for this new book, and if it doesn't get edited out on the cutting room floor, the winning name is -

 K I L L E R

Thanks to all who participated!  The winner will be contacted via email.

From our family to yours -

I am THANKFUL for:

The hundreds of moose that live in our house

Helping other people

All of the people who read The Moose at the Manger

Nice people and friendly faces

Knowing I always have a supportive group of moose around 

Fun, frivolity, friendship, and food

Using my talents to bring smiles to others

Love, laughter, and life!

If you would like to learn more about Garby, the moose in the picture, click HERE

Come Meet Lionel! He's a character you don't want to miss!

Hi everyone, Paul R. Hewlett here and I would like to thank Lisa for having me and Kathy at I Am A Reader Not A Writer for hosting the Got Great Giveaways Hop. Thanks also go to Candace at Candace's Book Blog and Lori at Pure Imagination for hosting the Saturday Situation Giveaway linky. I'm currently on the Lionel's Christmas Adventure blog tour, for a full list of dates click here. Make sure to enter the Rafflecopter below for your chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card and a 3-pack of my ebooks.

What's Lionel's Christmas Adventure you ask? In case your not familiar with the Lionel's Grand Adventure series, take a minute to watch this trailer.




Now that you have an idea of who Lionel is, I'd like to share a little bit about him with you. Who he is, what he's like, where I got the idea to write about him, and why he's so much fun to write.

Lionel Snodgrass is an unspectacular twelve year old boy. He's a little short for his age, has sandy brown hair, and wears glasses that constantly slide down his nose. The books take place in the late '60's and Lionel and his family have just moved to Larrystown. While examining his new room, Lionel discovers something extraordinary, a magical, Three-Toed-Potbellied Walbaun foot. I won't go into great detail about the Walbaun foot, that's what the books are for after all. I'll just say that it is lazy and more often than not, it messes things up. Just ask Lionel about that. 

I have enjoyed writing Lionel. Everyone knows a Lionel. He is that boy that doesn't stand out. He's always there if you need an extra body for a pick up ball game. He wants desperately to fit in and do well. He's also that boy that, unfortunately, is easy to pick on. He's a bully-magnet. Whether it's his lack of coordination, confidence, or his hand-me-down clothes, who knows? One thing is for certain, he's an easy target.

Lionel is also your typical little boy. He dreams of playing center field for his favorite baseball team, he wants to fit in, and he wants to impress the cutest girl in his class. The thing I love about Lionel is his big heart. In his adventures, he often finds his wishes, thanks to his magical Three-Toed-Potbellied Walbaun foot, within his reach, but his big heart gets in the way.

It's been my goal to write books that young children will enjoy, families can read together, and may just teach a little lesson. The titles of my books probably give that away. That's essentially  where the idea for Lionel came from. I needed a character that everyone, adults, children, boys, or girls, would relate to. Lionel has been the perfect protagonist to convey this message. He's someone, I think, everyone can relate to. He's often faced with what he really wants vs. doing the right thing. He's such a good kid, with the deck seemingly stacked against him, that it's hard not to root for him.

I could go on and on about Lionel, but I think you have a pretty good idea of what he's all about by now. So, once again I'd like to thank Lisa for having me on her blog. Make sure to pick up your copy of Lionel's Christmas Adventure: Lionel Learns the True Meaning of Christmas, available now on Amazon.

For more information about author Paul R. Hewlett click here. He co-authors a children's/YA blog at SherAHart: My Written Art. Keep up with what's new on Lionel's Grand Adventure FB page.

If you haven't checked out My Hero, My Ding or The Moose At the Manger by Lisa, click on the links to purchase. Also be on the look out for her upcoming book. My next stop on the tour is tomorrow at Chapters and Chats. Now onto the giveaway. As a thank you to the reader's, I'm  giving away a $25 Amazon gift card and 3-pack of my ebooks. Be sure to leave a comment!

\ Paul R Hewlett Author Lionel's Grand Adventure: Lionel and the Golden Rule Read Now - http://bit.ly/I2xl73

Muse the Moose joins Musichorale this Christmas!

I hope you can join Muse the Moose and I at this year's Christmas concert!

Come and CELEBRATE THE JOY of the Christmas season on December 9, 2012!

If you look closely, you can find me in the picture, but Muse the Moose is much more photogenic!

For advance tickets at a discount, simply click on this link 

CONCERT TICKETS

To learn more about Musichorale, click this link 

 Musichorale - Your Chicagoland Community Choir

Questions? Contact me at lisatortsbook@ameritech.net

We Didn't Forget...

It's been a hectic week, and even though the dog in our new story is not a main character, it's taking our "expert panel" longer to pick a name than we anticipated.  I will post the winning name soon.

In the meantime, I'll let you in on a little secret...The working title for my new book is called 

Mark the Missing Moose

(Stay tuned for more details.)

Now in 3D!

The Name the Dog Contest has ended! Thanks to all who participated. There were over two dozen creative entries, so now we will have to choose. As soon as a decision is made, the name and the winner will be announced! Thanks again for joining in the fun!

In the meantime, we'd like to share that The Moose at the Manger is now available in 3D!  Isn't that news out of this world!

The best news of all is that between now and Christmas, the price of the 3D book is the same as the regular story book, but it comes complete with 3D pictures and those very cool 3D glasses!

The Moose at the Manger will make a great stocking stuffer this Christmas season!

The Moose at the Manger also comes as a storybook and a coloring book.  You can make a purchase by using the PayPal pull down menu at the side panel of this blog.  

If interested, there is a lesson plan guide available too.  

Questions or Comments:  E-mail me at lisatortsbook@ameritech.net

Name the Dog CONTEST! Yes, you can be a winner!

I know you are probably wondering why me, a dog, is on a moose blog, but moose have friends too!  I am Humphrey Dog and I have been with Chris Mas Moose and the family for almost 20 years. I am hear to announce a new contest for a new story!  We can't reveal much yet, BUT there is a dog in the story. Is there also a moose????  Why, of course, there is.  

But, for now we want to invite you to join the

(I will now turn things over to the person, not the moose, in charge.)

Together with Sandi Czyznikiewicz, I would like to invite you to take part in a new contest.  Entry is simple...put on your best creative hat and come up with a name for a big dog that likes to chew things up.  There is a new children's story in the works and we thought it would be fun to have you take an active part.  

There are two ways you can enter:

1)  Leave your best dog name in the comments section with your email address, OR

2)  If you do not want others to see your entry, you can email your response to lisatortsbook@ameritech.net.  In the subject line simply type "Dog Contest" and then email your entry.

The contest will run through November 2, 2012.  If your dog name is chosen, you will win an autographed coloring book of The Moose at the Manger (a great Christmas gift)!  

Thanks and have fun with this!

Lisa Tortorello

Proud to Support the Troops!

I love it when a plan comes together.  This summer I became involved with a group called Operation Paperback that has volunteers send paperback books to soldiers overseas.  I was thrilled to be able to send some of my favorite books on for someone else to enjoy and no one deserves it more than our military.  

Last month there was a special Operation Paperback request for children's books.  At first, I could not figure out why that would be so important, but when I learned that our military parents use Skype to read to their children at home from all points abroad, I must say I was touched.  I knew I was going to send my books but that just didn't seem like enough.  So, I gave a "shout-out" on Facebook to fellow children's authors to see if anyone wanted to take part.  The response was great, and I was able to send 40 autographed books from 10 different states and Canada to our military men and women. 

I want to thank each of the authors personally for being so generous with their talents by donating their books.  Let me introduce them to you and share their books with you.  If you have children or know someone who does, you might want to check out some of these books yourself. I attached the links for your convenience.

 

 A BIG THANK YOU TO:

Author Rachel Edmiston from Texas who wrote 

BUDDY FINDS A HOME!

Author Vanessa Canevaro from Canada who wrote

ZERO THE SUPERHERO and I WANT A DRAGON! 

Author Sherry Rossman from Arizona who wrote 

THE MIRACLE OF RAIN!

Author Cindy Hanson from South Carolina who wrote

A MIGHTY EAGLE!

Author Virginia Finnie from Colorado who wrote

HEY WARRIOR KIDS! 

Author Brad Francis from Michigan who wrote

EMALINE'S GIFT - The Magi Chronicles!

Author Vivian Higginbotham Nichols from Texas who wrote

HENNY AND PENNY!

Author Marla McKenna from Wisconsin who wrote

MOM'S BIG CATCH!

Author Ronald Destra from Florida who wrote

HOPPY THE FROG!

Author Mary Lee from South Carolina who wrote

MY AIR FORCE MOM!

Author Judy Perry Drewett from Texas who wrote

'TIL THE COWS COME HOME!

Author Tawnya Bulger from North Dakota who wrote

KATRINA GROWING WINGS!

Author Jan Clifton-Watford from Georgia who wrote

Drabsville!

I would also like to thank my sister-in-law Betty Rowe who, while not an author, was quite generous and sent books too! 

I am sure our military and their children will truly appreciate your generosity.